Warning: blood, violence

I do not own ML

Part One

le 10 septembre

Adrien has never had a peaceful night of sleep in his life. For as far back as he could remember, his sleep has been interrupted with everything from horrifying, reality-altering nightmares, to the inability to sleep in general. Some nights he's up late completing his homework after a schedule-packed day, and others he's far too invested in a show or book to settle down prior to reaching the conclusion. But ever since his mother has disappeared, and ever since Hawk Moth has emerged as a threat, more often than not he's plagued by insomnia, by stress and worry and paranoia and his body's refusal to let. him. rest.

So, that night, when Adrien climbs into bed—before midnight, for once—and falls into a quiet, content slumber, he knows it's too good to be true.

A loud shatter tears through the silence, and Adrien bolts upright with a start, his heart slamming against his ribs and a scream on the edge of his lips. The person that tumbles through his window rolls across the floor until they slam into the couch with a groan. Plagg continues to snore on Adrien's nightstand, completely unfazed by the noise.

Adrien slowly slides out of bed, his thoughts spinning a mile a minute. Is it a robber? Kidnapper? Akuma? He creeps towards the window, his legs shaking slightly, and he ducks behind the couch. He carefully peers over the back and looks at the floor to inspect the trespasser.

"Son of a bitch," Ladybug hisses, rubbing the back of her neck.

Adrien shoots to his feet in shock. Ladybug is sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, glass in her hair and her red and black suit illuminated by the moonlight.

"Wha—Ladybug?" he stutters.

He sees her stiffen. She whips her head around, and for the first time since her arrival, her frightened blue eyes lock onto his shocked green ones.

Ladybug scrambles to her feet and steps back. "A-Adrien?!"

Adrien stares at her with wide eyes, nonplussed. He's having a hard time believing he's not still asleep. "Uh..."

She looks around the dark room, as if realizing where she is for the first time. She observes the familiar arcade games and the library and the computers and the bed and, finally, the boy in front of her. Her hands fly up to her mouth. "Oh—oh my god."

"It's okay—" he says weakly, but he doesn't think she hears him.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologizes quickly. Her words begin to rush from her mouth. "I didn't mean to, I-I was fighting an akuma, and when I wasn't looking he managed to grab me and threw me in the air and I accidentally crashed into your—"

His whirling thoughts abruptly screech to a halt. "Wait, there's an akuma?"

"Yeah," she sighs. She glances mournfully at the fragmented window, then back at Adrien. Her face is dark red with embarrassment. "The window will be repaired by the Miraculous Cure, but..." She scratches the back of her head sheepishly. A few shards of glass sprinkle from her hair. "I'm really sorry."

Adrien regains the ability to think. He quickly waves his hands in dismissal. "No, no, don't worry about it," he insists earnestly. His eyes fill with concern. "But, are you okay? That was quite a crash."

Ladybug's smile is exhausted, but thankful. "I'm a little sore, but I'll be fine." She rolls her shoulder to crack her joint, then grinds her teeth together in pain. "Ah, motherfucker."

Adrien reaches out to her fretfully. "D-do you want to sit down? For a moment?"

She shakes her head. "I can't," she laments. "Chat isn't here yet, and I can't let this akuma cause anymore damage." As if on cue, a loud explosion goes off down the street, followed by a chorus of screams and car alarms. She pulls out her yo-yo and flashes him an apologetic glance. "Gotta run."

Before Adrien can protest, Ladybug rushes towards the window, tosses her yo-yo, and swings out of sight.

He blinks at the window for a moment after she leaves, his heart still beating a little too quickly. A part of him is still struggling to process everything that happened in those few minutes of interaction, but when he hears another explosion he resigns to digest it later.

Adrien hurries back to his bed. He snatches Plagg off the nightstand and shakes him frantically. "Wake up! There's an akuma down the street! Ladybug needs help!"

The kwami peels open a single eye, clearly annoyed to have his sleep interrupted. He looks like he's about to remark something insulting, but when he spots the broken window behind Adrien, both eyes fly open. Suddenly, he's wide awake. "Oh, what the hell did you do now?"

le 13 septembre

A few days have passed since the night Ladybug accidentally crashed into Adrien's room. After he transformed, he hopped through the remnants of his window and helped her defeat the rampaging akuma. And, when he returned to his room after the battle, Adrien found his window completely crack-free, just as Ladybug had promised it would be. He hasn't seen her since, neither as Chat nor Adrien, but he supposes the fact that there aren't any akumas to draw her out is a good thing.

After the morning bell rings, signaling the beginning of first hour, Ms. Garneau passes out a review packet about the French Revolution around the room. When she gets to Alya and Marinette's desk, and sees the latter girl's empty seat, she sighs knowingly. "Again?"

Alya shrugs helplessly. "I don't control her punctuality, Ms. G."

The teacher just shakes her head and marks Marinette late before moving onto the next desk.

Once everyone has a packet, Ms. Garneau assigns everyone into partnerships to work on the classwork. She reads the pairs off of a list: Alya and Nino, Helene and Charlot, Mireille and Nathaniel, Kim and Mathieu, Alix and Henri, and Mylène and Sabrina, which leaves...

"...and, finally, Chloé and Adrien."

For the first time in her student career, Chloé wastes no time. She happily seizes Adrien by the arm and drags him into Sabrina's seat. The boy throws a pleading look in Nino's direction, hoping for some sort of moral support or assistance, but Nino's too busy flirting with Alya instead of doing the classwork to notice. Adrien sighs with defeat on the inside.

At first, he thinks he can just ignore her. Luckily, he's very familiar with Chloé's messy behavior, and disregarding her... interest in him isn't very difficult anymore, even as she rants and blusters and slides right into his personal space bubble. Adrien reads through the questions and begins to answer them, occasionally giving the attentive girl a friendly smile or replying to her doting questions. It's when he reaches the penultimate question on the second page that he becomes reaware of his blond friend, who has tactfully cornered him to the end of the bench and is nearly sitting in his lap.

He places a gentle hand on her shoulder and tries to push her away, but she doesn't budge. Adrien looks at her. "Hey, Chlo...?"

She scoots closer. "Hmm?"

Adrien grips the desk to keep himself from toppling onto the floor. He strains his voice to sound kind. "Could you, um, maybe, move over a bit?"

Chloé bats her eyelashes. "Oh, am I in your way?"

"Just a little."

"Sorry, I didn't even notice," she lies. "I guess we just..." She runs her fingers up his shoulder. "...gravitate towards each other..."

Adrien shies from her touch, but in doing so he feels himself begin to slip off the seat. He latches onto the desk, causing it to jerk slightly, and his pen nearly rolls off the surface. He looks at her anxiously. "That's nice."

Chloé looks like she's about to lean towards him further, and Adrien internally begs her not to, because he's barely hanging onto his chair and if she moves any closer, he'll inevitably hit the ground. But before he can meet his doom on the wooden floor, the window to Adrien's right shatters open. Chloé detaches and distances herself from him in record speed, and Adrien has half a second to rejoice before Ladybug flies into him and slams him onto the bench.

Ladybug peels her eyes open. She shakes her head groggily, accidentally tossing a few more shards of glass onto the boy beneath her. Adrien is sandwiched between the heroine and the bench, and he's too paralyzed by shock to move. It takes a few more seconds for Ladybug's vision to refocus, but once it does, her gaze lands directly on his. He watches speechlessly as the disorientation in her blue eyes is replaced by utter horror.

"Adrien!" she squeaks. She quickly tries to get off of him, but her unstable body can't keep up with the momentum, and she accidentally slides onto the floor instead. A moment later, she pops back up, her face as red as her suit. "A-a-are you okay?"

Adrien blinks. He slowly props himself up onto his elbows, his head spinning slightly, and he throws her a reassuring smile. "That's my line," he laughs, still not completely in sync with reality, but he bites his tongue when he sees her red face grow even darker.

Suddenly, they both seem to simultaneously become aware of the people still present in the room. Adrien and Ladybug slowly turn their heads to look at the other side of the room, and Adrien deflates when he sees his classmates' gaping expressions. Chloé is standing in the aisle with wide blue eyes, appearing to be speechless for the first time in her life. Even Ms. Garneau, who appears to be halfway out of her seat, is staring at the two of them in shock. The only person who seems to be somewhat functional is Alya, who's silently filming them from her phone with a devious gleam in her hazel eyes.

Ladybug stands and clears her throat awkwardly. She glances at the window, then back at Adrien. Her voice is soft. "Sorry... again."

Adrien sits up completely. He wipes some glass from his shirt. "It's okay. Again."

She holds out a hand and helps him to his feet. He swears her fingers linger on his for an extra second before she pulls away, but his hand is still left tingling from her touch. She stares at him with concern. "Are you really sure you're okay?"

"Positive."

The concern only seems to subdue by a fraction, but she knows she doesn't have time to waste. "All right," she relents reluctantly. "I have an akuma to catch, but..."

Adrien rubs his head. "It's really okay," he says gently. His face feels a little too hot. "Go do your job."

Ladybug still seems hesitant to leave, but she steps back towards the window, and with a final salute to the class, she flies back out to fight the akuma.

It takes a single beat of absolute silence to pass before the trance breaks. Everyone rushes from their seats and crowds around Adrien, Alya and Nino fighting their way to the front.

"Oh my god!"

"There's no way that just happened."

"Aw, his face is so red!"

"That was so cute."

"Dude, did you feel her boobs?"

"All right, all right, back away," Ms. Garneau cuts through the chatter. She shoos at her students. "Please avoid the broken glass."

His classmates give him air. Adrien doesn't think his face has ever burned this much. Ms. Garneau places a worried hand on his shoulder. "Do you need to go to the nurse, Adrien?"

"No," he mumbles, mortified, but then he remembers that there's currently an akuma terrorizing the city and, apparently, His Lady. "Oh, uh, yes, actually. Yeah."

"I can assist him there, Ms. Garneau," Chloé offers loudly.

"No!" Adrien yells. He stammers. "I-I mean, I can go. By myself. Without anyone."

Before Chloé has the chance to demand, he crosses the room and exits the classroom, the door slamming behind him in the faces of his laughing classmates.

le 1 octobre

Fortunately for Adrien, the next few weeks proceed without anymore untimely property damage. There are still akumas, of course, but none of them result in his partner getting tossed through anymore windows, which he supposes is a good sign. Unfortunately for Adrien, the aftermath of the Ladybug incident resulted in the poor boy being subjected to two weeks of relentless teasing on behalf of his classmates, along with constantly being accused of having a crush on Ladybug—which, given that it was completely true, was difficult to deny.

Via the Ladyblog, the news of the 'Ladybug and Adrien moment' had spread around the entire school, and it got to the point where people he didn't even know were putting up posters, shoving pictures of Ladybug in his locker, laughing at him in the hallway, and much, much more. And, what's worse, those that didn't snicker or make fun of him instead begged him to profess his love for the aforementioned heroine, which grew more and more difficult to debunk with every request. By the end of the week, Adrien had blushed so much he was surprised his skin wasn't stained that horrid shade of red.

It took a whole other week for the entire thing to blow over and for the teenagers to go back to focusing on their own lives, but when it did, there was only one black-haired classmate that Adrien was still willing to call his friend. It seemed as though Marinette was the only person in the whole school who didn't harass him for information. Perhaps it's only because she didn't witness the moment herself and is therefore somewhat out of the loop (she wasn't there when Ladybug crashed and she refused to view it from the blog, no matter how much Alya begged her to), but Adrien kind of preferred it that way.

Marinette appeared to empathize with his pain, to the point of seeming to be embarrassed by their peers' comments herself. And she was the one who defended him the most, albeit a little timidly, but she still stood up for him, which was a lot more than he could say for his other alleged 'friends,' who, rather than assisting him, teased him the hardest out of everyone (he's looking at you, Nino).

But it's over now. The jokes have officially died, and the meme has been milked for all it was worth. He hasn't heard anyone mention him and Ladybug in the same sentence in three days, and he doesn't think he's ever felt so relieved over something like this in his life.

Adrien settles his head against the headrest of his seat, finally able to feel himself relax as he rides home from school. It feels good to be out of the woods. Now all he has to do is hope he never sees Ladybug outside his mask when there are other people around to witness it. It shouldn't be that hard, considering the fact that he can count on one hand every coincidental meeting he's had with Ladybug as Adrien.

He jinxes it.

All of a sudden, Adrien hears the distant sound of an enormous splash. Instantly alert, his eyes dart out the window to search for the source of the noise, which turns out to be giant water balloons falling on the streets a few blocks away, and he's instantly positive it's the work of an akuma. Before Adrien has the chance to leave the limo and transform, something slams onto the roof of his limo, leaving a sizable dent in the ceiling, and rolls over the side of the vehicle onto the street.

Adrien shouts in surprise and the Gorilla hits the brakes. Adrien quickly unbuckles hit seat belt, throws open the door, and stumbles outsides, his breathing heavy and his heart still beating a mile a minute. His eyes fall on the ground to look at whatever hit the car, and—

—And, at this point, should he really be so surprised?

Ladybug slowly sits up, one hand rubbing her head and the other leaning on the ground to keep her upright. She's still clearly dizzy from the impact, but after only a moment of gathering her bearings, she attempts to stand up. The premature movement causes her legs to sway, and Adrien's eyes widen when he realizes she's going to fall again.

"Whoa!" he says, and he opens his arms just as the heroine collapses against his chest.

Ladybug blinks sluggishly before opening her eyes completely. At first all she sees is Adrien's chest, but she gradually raises her eyes until they land on his face. The blood rushes into her cheeks. The only noise she can make is an unintelligible whine.

His laugh is only a little bit hysterical. "Nice... nice of you to drop in."

Familiarity passes over Ladybug's face, but it's gone before he can decode it. She tries to stand up straight, but she begins to sway again and Adrien has to grip her to keep her from falling. Her eyes travel to the damaged limo, and she slaps a hand on her face. "Why does this keep happening?" she moans to herself.

A part of Adrien hates how cute she looks when she gets embarrassed. The other part is savors it. "I guess ladybugs aren't so lucky after all," he jokes. It feels so weird, making Chat-like comments to his partner without her knowing it's actually him.

Ladybug tries to glare at him, but her face is too red for it to be all that threatening. "Sh-shut up."

Adrien opens his mouth to reply, but the sound of the akuma dropping another water balloon cuts him off. Ladybug pulls away from him, marginally more stable, and Adrien's arms feel too empty.

She pulls out her yo-yo. Her hands fidget. "I... I have to..."

"Go," Adrien encourages, waving her off. "We've been over this already."

She ducks her head. Her face burns. "Don't remind me."

Adrien silently watches her throw her yo-yo and swing off down the street. Once she's gone, he feels Plagg begin to wriggle inside his shirt, and he knows he should be in the process of finding a place to transform, but for a moment, all he can think about is the feeling of holding her in his arms.

le 19 octobre

Adrien pokes his head out of the alley and looks down the dark, empty street. When he's sure the coast is clear, he creeps out of his hiding place and quietly paces down the sidewalk, his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie. He and Ladybug were in the middle of patrol, and everything had been going smoothly until he heard a loud crash and something that sounded like a scream from a nearby alley. On instinct, Chat activated his Cataclysm and hopped down to the alley to save the victim, but then it turned out the 'crash' was a fallen trashcan, and the 'scream' was the meow of the stray cat that knocked it over.

Long story short, he hasn't seen Ladybug laugh so hard in her life.

As per usual, Chat had five minutes to hide before his transformation gave out. But when Plagg emerged from the ring—laughing at him, might he add—Adrien realized he forgot to refill his cheese supply, and no stores were open to provide him with any. Now, he has no choice but to head home and figure out a way to sneak up the side of his house and into his room, without any night vision or super-strength to aid him.

The moon is full. Adrien looks up at the sky, his green eyes reflecting the silver glow of the bright planet. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath of the cool, autumn air, releasing the tension that has worked its way underneath his skin. Perhaps walking home could do him some good, no matter how unconventional.

Behind his back, Adrien hears someone sigh in content. Thinking he was alone, he quickly glances over his shoulder, and he's startled to see Ladybug perched on the street lamp, seeming to be entranced by the light of the moon. Her whole body appears to reflect the luminescence—her black hair shines like the night sky, and her red suit seems to glow like fire. Her wondrous blue eyes have been replaced by stars.

Her eyes never leave the sky, but she knows he's there. She speaks without warning, her voice breathless. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

A thick lump in Adrien's throat prevents him from replying. He only nods his head, too hypnotized by her beauty to offer a more complex response.

Ladybug tears her eyes from the sky and looks down at him. He thinks he sees her cheeks pinken a little bit, but it's too dark for him to be sure. "What are you doing out by yourself so late?" she asks.

Adrien laughs a little nervously. "Oh, uh, I couldn't sleep, so I... thought I could tire myself out." At that moment, his body seems to decide it's the perfect time for him to let out a yawn.

She hums. "I guess that's accomplished, then."

His face burns.

With one last glance at the moon, Ladybug hops down from the lamppost to join him on the sidewalk. She rubs the back of her neck, and suddenly she looks nervous. Adrien is confused as to why until she says, "Hey... um, I don't think I ever apologized for breaking your limo."

Adrien has to fight to not roll his eyes. He swears she's too nice for her own good. "It's fine, Ladybug," he says for what feels like the millionth time. "It got fixed, along with everything else—"

"I still feel liable for giving you a heart attack," she mumbles. "Three heart attacks, to be precise."

"You were saving Paris," he points out. He uses his hands to mimic a balance. "Accidentally getting scared by a superhero, in return for a safe city, is a price I'm willing to pay."

She shuffles her feet, but he can see some of the stiffness leave her shoulders. "Well, in any case, I'm still sorry. I want to make it up to you somehow."

"You don't have to—"

"But I do!" she shouts. Realizing what she said, she quickly backtracks, "I-I mean, I need to make it up to you. If not for you, I need to do it for myself. Just so I can wipe this all off my conscience." When she sees he's still hesitant, she adds, "Please, Adrien."

And when she says his name like that, he knows there's no way he's getting out of this.

He sighs through his nose, but he gives in. "If it'll help you sleep at night," he says, not unkindly.

"You have no idea," she murmurs under her breath, but her face does light up.

Adrien shoves his hands deeper into his pockets. He contemplates what he should say to her, until he says, "If you really want to make it up to me, you could walk me home."

He definitely sees her face pinken now. Ladybug pulls her eyes away from his. She clears her throat. "If... if that's what you want," she replies quietly.

The two of them walk in silence, but it isn't uncomfortable. Somewhere along the way, the little bit of distance between the two of them closes, and it's a matter of blocks before their shoulders are brushing. At the next corner, her hand is almost in his.

The walk is too short. Adrien and Ladybug walk up to the gate, and seeing that there's no reason for them to remain this close, they step away from each other.

"Thank you," he says softly.

"No problem," she answers, her voice just as soft. Ladybug's eyes linger on his face before she looks back at the tall gate. She changes the subject. "How did you even sneak out of here, anyway?"

"Magic," Adrien says honestly, his voice only a little bit bitter. "But now I have to figure out a way to get back in."

Ladybug turns back to him, and he can see the light bulb go off in her head. Her hand moves down to her yo-yo, and her lips spread into a mischievous smile.

"I think I can help you with that."

le 26 octobre

Adrien walks through the entrance of the park, a bag of macarons in his hand and his footsteps echoed by the dry leaves crunching beneath his feet. Normally during lunch, he's accompanied by Alya, Nino, Marinette, or some combination of the three, but Marinette had rushed out of the school before anyone could stop her, and Alya and Nino went after her before Adrien had the chance to catch up. Left in their dust, he had no choice but to go ahead and waste his lunch hour all by himself.

But he didn't really mind. Adrien was used to solitude, and sometimes he even reveled in it. Besides, after what happened to her, he knows Marinette needed his friends' company much more than he did.

He hopes she's okay.

Adrien stops by an empty bench and sits down. He inhales the crisp air and takes a moment to relish the beautiful scene around him—the orange leaves tumbling across the grass, the chirping birds singing from the tree branches, the laughing families and children and couples and pet owners, all surrounded by the people they love. Today is one of the last reasonably warm days Paris will have before the cold finally settles, and Adrien is happy he's here to enjoy it with everyone else.

There's a weird noise above Adrien's head that sounds awfully similar to a sniffle. Confused, Adrien tilts his head and looks up, only to see two red and black-spotted legs swinging from a branch high above him.

Adrien blinks, wondering if he's imagining it, but the image doesn't change. He places his bag on the bench and stands up. "...Ladybug?"

Sure enough, Ladybug's head peers out over the branch. Even though she's high up, he can still tell that her face is flushed and her eyes are red. She blinks and wipes her eyes. "A-Adrien?"

He looks at her worriedly. Panic begins to rise in his chest. "What happened? Are you hurt? Is there an akuma? Can you get down? Is—?"

"No, I-I'm fine," she says. She wipes her nose with the back of her gloved hand. "I'm not... I'm okay."

Adrien purses his lips, anger beginning to course through his veins. The watery tone of her voice suggests that she's anything but okay. He opens his mouth, ready to interrogate her so he can destroy whoever made her cry, but at second thought he shuts it. The last thing Adrien needs to do today is cause an akuma just because His Lady is upset.

Slowly, he sets back and examines the tree. The trunk is thick and the branches are high out of reach, but years of climbing up his rock wall have endowed him with the skill to achieve this powerlessly. Picking up his bag and gripping the handle between his teeth, Adrien begins to ascend the tree.

Ladybug's eyes widen. "What do you think you're doing?"

"C'ing t' 'oo."

"What?"

Adrien grips a branch and hoists himself up. He momentarily takes the bag out of his mouth. "Coming to you," he repeats.

Her voice is wrought with worry. "What?! Why?"

He tightens his hold on the bark. His voice is calm. "You look like you could use some company."

"No, don't do that! What if you fall?"

Adrien heaves himself onto another branch. "I assume you'll catch me."

Ladybug shakes her head, but the sadness in her eyes begins to be outshined by amusement. "I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable up here. Don't really feel like moving."

He grips the branch Ladybug is seated on and pulls himself up. He can settles himself next to her and places the bag in his lap, his breath somewhat labored. "Well, if that's true, you'll be too lazy to kick me off."

She seems to contemplate this. "That's fair," she decides.

The two of them sit in silence, and Adrien takes the moment to adjust to the feeling of being so high up. It feels weird to be so far from the ground without his suit to protect him. He isn't all that afraid, though, because he knows, should something happen, Ladybug would catch him, whether she says she will or not.

Adrien turns his head to look at her. The ounce of amusement he saw on her face before has melted back into sorrow. His heart aches to see her so dismayed.

"Ladybug?" he asks gently. "What's wrong?"

Ladybug ducks her head. She's silent for a moment, seeming to decide whether she should divulge the cause of her tears. Eventually, she shakes her head. "It's stupid."

"It isn't stupid if it makes you upset."

"That's the thing. I shouldn't be upset." She glares down at the ground. "I'm so used to this girl terrorizing me. And I know I shouldn't let her words get to me, but... this time, they really hurt."

He frowns. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her eyes glance at him for a second. She quickly looks away. "I... I shouldn't."

"You don't have to say anything specific," he offers. "I won't pry."

She shakes her head again. "No, it's... you might figure out who I am."

Adrien wants to protest, but at the last second he decides he shouldn't. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he claims. He nudges her shoulder. "But moping around in the trees isn't exactly a cure for feeling sad." Trust him, he knows.

A hint of a smile forms on her lips. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"I do, actually," he says. He shakes his bag of macarons, careful not to be too rough and accidentally break some of them. "Cookies."

For the first time, Ladybug laughs, and Adrien's heart sings. She looks at him, her blue eyes overflowing with thanks. "If you insist."

The rest of the lunch hour passes too quickly. After polishing off most of the cookies—one accidentally slipped from Adrien's hand and disappeared into the leaves on the ground, falling victim to a hungry squirrel—the two teenagers swing down from the branches and walk around the park. Ladybug talks about her hobbies and her favorite video games and her nameless friends, and Adrien finds himself witnessing a side of Ladybug he never quite experienced as Chat. It's a side that rings a few familiarity bells in the back of his mind, but he shuts them off before he has the chance to figure out why.

By the time Adrien has to leave, Ladybug seems to have forgotten what made her so upset in the first place. She wraps her arms around him in a hug, and her embrace sends a surge of warmth through his entire body, like a shock of electrocution. Her voice is overflowing with gratitude. "Thank you, Adrien. I... I really needed this."

He places his head on her shoulder and closes his eyes, savoring her touch. "Anytime," he says quietly.

She smiles at him, her eyes shining in the sunlight. "You're such a great friend."

The warmth is replaced by ice.

...

When Marinette walks into class a few seconds before the bell rings, Alya sighs in relief. "Oh, thank god she's alive."

"Ha ha," Marinette snips, sliding into the seat beside her friend. Alya wraps her arms around Marinette in a tight hug, and the other girl wheezes as the air is pumped out of her. She attempts to pry Alya's arms off of herself, but to no avail.

"We looked all over for you!" Nino exclaims.

"Chloé had no right to say that," Alya growls, her grip on her friend tightening. Marinette gags. "I'm gonna kill her. I'm gonna bash her head in and make her scream—"

"Whoa! Whoa," Marinette says, pushing Alya off of her. This time, the girl gives way. "Nobody is beating up anybody."

"She made you cry," Nino points out darkly. He raises a fist. "Let us at her."

Marinette shakes her head in disapproval. "No way. Not allowed. All violence is hereby banned."

"Since when have we ever listened to the rules?"

"Alya..."

She laughs. "All right, all right." Her eyes turn into slits. "But if she ever makes you cry again, I swear to fuck—"

Marinette hums. "In that case, I'll allow one punch. Each."

Nino cracks his knuckles. "That's all I need," he grins.

Alya rubs Marinette's shoulder. "But seriously, babe. Are you okay?"

For a brief second, Adrien swears her eyes dart towards him. But when he blinks, her eyes are only trained on Alya.

A reassuring smile spreads across her face. "I am now."

le 8 novembre

When the final bell rings, Alya, Nino, and Adrien exit the classroom together. Marinette hadn't shown up to school today, apparently bedridden with a temperature of 38.3 °C, so Alya tags along with the two of them as they walk out the doors of the school.

"I have to go drop off this work at Marinette's house," Alya says, waving a manila folder in her hand. "Do either of you want to come with?"

Nino nods. "Yeah, sure."

"I wish I could, but I have a photo shoot," Adrien laments.

Alya frowns. "Oh, can't you be late just this once?" she pleads. "I know Mari would really appreciate it if you came."

Nino snickers, but Adrien isn't sure why. He shakes it off. "Sorry, but Nathalie stressed that this was really important. It's been scheduled for months."

Alya groans. "Your dad sucks."

"Agreed," Nino chimes.

Adrien sighs. "Well, when you see her, can you at least tell her I hope she feels better?"

"Sure thing, man," Nino says. "I'm sure she'll—" At that moment, his eyes catch sight of something behind Adrien's back in the sky. His golden eyes grow wide with shock. "Oh, shit—"

Before Nino can give him any warning, something collides into Adrien's back, and the blond teen slams onto the ground.

Adrien hears a few students scream. The person on his back rolls off of him, gasping for breath. He thinks he hears his friends asking for him to respond, but the impact caused the wind to get knocked out of his chest, and he needs to take a few seconds to regain his breath before he can speak. Panting, he rolls onto his side, this time prepared to face the person he knows he's about to see.

Sure enough, Ladybug is laying on the ground next to him, her eyes shut and a misplaced ribbon absent from her hair. She opens her eyes steadily, as if she knows who he's going to be as well and is just drawing out the process.

This time, she doesn't even looks embarrassed. "I thought we were past meeting like this," she mumbles.

"You were doing so well," Adrien remarks, his voice still a little breathless.

Ladybug begins to sit up, and Alya rushes over to help her, one hand clutching Ladybug's shoulder and the other filming the entire thing with her phone. Adrien is mildly impressed she managed to get it out and running so quickly.

Nino holds out his hands and helps his friend to his feet. Adrien tilts a little bit on his feet, and Nino grips him more tightly. "Dude, she totally wiped you out."

"Yeah, thanks for telling me," Adrien grumbles, rubbing his head.

Alya sits Ladybug down on the steps, and Nino follows suit with Adrien. "Ladybug, you don't look so good," Alya observes worriedly.

She's right. Ladybug's face is pale and clammy, her eyes look glassy, and she's breathing a little too heavily to be normal.

But Ladybug shakes her head. "I'm not hurt, guys, I just have a fever."

Adrien frowns. "You shouldn't be exerting yourself like this," he chastises.

"I have to. There's an akuma attack happening at the Louvre," she explains. "I was just on my way there, when, well, a dizzy spell hit me." She scratches her head sheepishly. "Sorry, Adrien."

"You should go home," he says fretfully. "Let Chat Noir take care of this."

"He can't purify the akuma without me," Ladybug reminds him dolefully. She reluctantly pulls herself to her feet. "Speaking of which, I need to go."

Adrien doesn't want to let her go, but he knows he can't stop her. Before she leaves, he calls, "Be careful."

Ladybug smiles to him tiredly. Then, she tosses her yo-yo, wraps it around a lamppost, and swings around the corner in the direction of the museum.

Adrien's eyes are glued to the corner she disappeared behind. He only looks away when he feels someone lay a hand on his shoulder, and when he looks up, he sees Nino is barely holding back his laughter. "Bro, you are so. whipped."

le 14 novembre

The akuma spits in Adrien's face. "Looks like daddy's boy isn't so special now, huh?"

Adrien grits his teeth and struggles to escape the villain's iron hold. His feet are hanging over the edge of a tower on the Notre Dame, and any second now he's going to be released onto the street below. His wills his voice to stay calm. "Let me go, Marc."

The gleam in the older boy's brown eyes instantly changes from taunting to furious. "No. My name is The Model. The Model. Nobody else is more famous than me, especially some stupid, talentless teenager like you."

Adrien winces as Model's grip on his arms tightens. He feels his blood circulation getting cut off. Desperate, he tries to reason with his akumatized coworker. "Marc, please, I didn't know you were jealous—"

That was the wrong thing to say. "I am not jealous!" he roars. "And my name is The Model!"

Adrien anxiously searches for an escape, but he's too far from the roof, and The Model's grasp is too strong. He'll never be able to get away on his own.

He cannot believe he let himself get caught. Not that he gave himself away on purpose, but he should've been able to run away in time, and he didn't. He's supposed to be a hero for god's sake, not a helpless victim. And now he has no choice but to wait for help, or... or the alternative.

Something crashes into Adrien's back unexpectedly, and he feels a split second of déjà vu before both boys fall back against the roof of the tower. Adrien tumbles a few meters away before skidding to a stop. He hisses as he feels his arms and legs burn with fresh scrapes, but he prefers these injuries to the ones he would've gotten if he landed on the streets.

He looks up, and he sees his savior, Ladybug, in all her glory, propped on one knee, her yo-yo in her hands and a glare on her face. For a second, her eyes lock with his, but before he has the chance to speak, The Model yanks him off the ground and tightens his hands around his neck.

Adrien gasps and claws at the akuma's hands, frantically trying to get him to release him, but to no luck. Ladybug's eyes widen catastrophically, but Adrien can't make out what she says because the blood in his brain is rushing too fast for him to hear. His vision is darkening far too quickly for his liking, and his pressured neck feels as though it's on the verge of crushing in on itself. His lungs scream in his chest, begging for air, but no matter how much Adrien tries to breathe in, he can never deliver it.

Finally, Adrien feels the hands get ripped from his neck, but it's already too late.

He slumps to the ground, and the last sound he hears before he blacks out is Ladybug's terrified scream.

...

"...drien! Adrien!"

Adrien feels someone shaking his shoulders. He painfully peels open his eyes, and he's momentarily blinded by the sunlight, but when his vision adjusts, he sees Ladybug kneeling by his side, her eyes wide with fear.

He feels his head pounding heavily, and he lets out a groan. "Ah, fuck..."

Ladybug gasps in surprise. "Adrien!"

Adrien coughs roughly, his neck burning with the ghost pain of his throat getting crushed. He gently prods his neck with his fingers, expecting to feel finger-shaped bruises or broken veins, but instead meeting perfectly healthy skin. Adrien looks up at Ladybug, ready to thank her, but his words disappear when he sees that she's crying.

He sits up. "Ladybug? What are you—"

She throws her arms around him before he can finish his sentence. "Adrien..." she sobs.

"What happened?" he asks frantically, quickly returning her hug. "A-are you hurt? You didn't have Chat Noir there to help you—"

"Who cares about me?!" she cries incredulously. Her embrace grows tighter. "I didn't know—I didn't think he was going to—God, I thought you were dead!"

Adrien falls silent, realizing what has her so upset. He feels her body tremble as she sobs into his shoulder, and he tenderly pulls her closer, hoping he will somehow be able to soothe her. All he can do is hold her and wait for her crying to subside. His heart breaks to see her so scared because of him, but he can't help the feeling of warmth that spreads through his chest, knowing she cares so deeply for his safety. Knowing she cares this much.

"I'm sorry," he whispers against her neck. She lets out another sob, and he closes his eyes. "It's okay. I'm okay. I'm here."

le 30 novembre

Chat leaps into an alley seconds before his transformation dissipates. He catches Plagg in his shivering palms and quickly pulls out piece of cheese for the kwami to recharge with. Plagg doesn't bother trying to complain and stuffs his mouth, knowing that they can't afford to waste any time.

Adrien is used to fighting all kinds of akumas, but this battle is particularly brutal, considering the fact that they're fighting the literal Abominable Snowman. Two teenagers trying to fight a ten-foot rampaging ice monster that's trying to drown the city in snow is about as easy as it sounds. So far, the only somewhat progress they have made was evacuating the streets of any potential victims. Now, it's just two on one. Two on one giant, freezing mountain. Actually, one on one giant, freezing mountain, because Adrien is stuck in this alley until Plagg fully recharges.

"Can you hurry?" Adrien pleads, his teeth chattering.

Plagg glares at him, his mouth full of cheese. He swallows. "I'm trying."

He hears a giant crash of snow, followed by Ladybug shouting. "Try faster."

All of a sudden, Adrien feels the ground rattle, and the temperature begin to drop. A large shadow washes over the alley. When he looks up, he sees the fanged, icy face of the Abominable Snowman growling down at him.

Adrien barely has time to shove Plagg back into his shirt before a giant snowball dives towards him.

The biting cold jars him. Adrien chokes as his nose and mouth fill with snow, and it only takes seconds for his entire body to lose feeling. Everything is black, empty, silent. The only thing he feels is cold cold cold cold cold.

Fortunately, he isn't in there for long. Someone reaches through the snow and grasps his hand, and he feels himself begin to get dragged from the pile. When he reaches the surface, he coughs and splutters as his frozen lungs are granted with fresh air. His body shivers uncontrollably, and he feels someone grip the sides of his face with their gloved hands.

"Adrien!"

He cracks open his eyelids. His vision is blurry, but one look at the red and black blob looming over him and Adrien already knows who she is.

"L-Lady—" he coughs.

Ladybug cuts him off. "What are you doing out here?!"

Adrien feels his body beginning to warm up. His shivering slowly calms down, and feeling returns to his fingers and toes. He lets out a shaky breath. "I—I'm fine. Go."

"No way," she snaps. "I'm not leaving you out here by yourself."

"You have to," he says. 'Leave so I can transform.'

Ladybug looks around desperately, as if looking for someplace safe she can leave him. Her eyes fall on the Agreste Mansion a few blocks away, towering above the surrounding houses, and he sees the light bulb go off in her head. She picks up Adrien off the snow pile and holds him to herself with one arm while grasping her yo-yo with the other. "Hold on, Adrien."

Before he has the chance to object, Ladybug swings them off the ground, and Adrien has no choice but to cling to her as she catapults them over the roofs towards his house. When they get there, Ladybug hands the cold, wet Adrien off to a horrified Nathalie, and he can only watch helplessly from the assistant's grip as his partner flies off to battle the akuma without him. His heart sinks in his chest.

Nathalie isn't afraid to take extra measures of precaution. She orders Adrien to take a hot shower and get into bed, scolding him the entire time for being so reckless and telling him he could've died of hypothermia. Adrien takes it in stride, knowing Nathalie only yells when she's extremely frightened, but he begrudgingly does what she says, because he knows she won't leave him alone until he does.

Adrien is just walking out of the bathroom, freshly showered and reclothed in warm pajamas, when, through his windows, he sees the Miraculous Cure wash over the city. He wants to feel relief, knowing Ladybug was able to successfully defeat the akuma all by herself, but for some reason all he feels is a pit of trepidation.

After that, it doesn't take very long for the sun to set, and Adrien has no choice but to resign himself to his bed. He crawls under the covers, plops his head back against his pillow, and stares blankly at the ceiling, feeling anything but tired. Plagg is already asleep in his usual spot on the nightstand, bundled up in the blue scarf Adrien's father gave him for his birthday. For the first time in his life, Adrien envies the kwami; he wishes nothing more than to be able to sleep, just so he can shove down this feeling of apprehension that doesn't seem to want to leave.

He sighs in defeat. Adrien rolls onto his side, settles back against his pillow, and pulls the covers up to his chin, trying to get as comfortable as possible. He's about to close his eyes and attempt to lull himself into slumber, when he suddenly hears someone tapping on his window.

Adrien's eye fly open. He sits up, tossing the covers off of his chest and pooling them around his waist. From here, he can see the outline of Ladybug waiting outside his window, silently asking to be let in. He kicks off the blankets, jams his feet into some slippers, and hides a still-sleeping Plagg in his drawer before crossing the room and throwing the window open.

Ladybug slips inside. Adrien shuts the window again, and when he turns to face her, she's shivering from the cold and refusing to meet his eyes. The trepidation Adrien felt earlier returns, only this time thrice as strong.

"Ladybug?" he asks quietly, concern laced in his voice.

For a moment, she doesn't move. Then, carefully, she raises her head. He realizes her pigtails have come undone, and now her loose hair is down past her shoulders in limp locks, wet from the melted snow. The right half of her face is veiled by her hair, but the visible half is shining with tears.

Adrien clenches his hand in a fist, then unclenches it. He slowly raises it to the veil of hair, his fingertips barely brushing the strands.

"Can I?" he whispers.

Ladybug cringes in dread, but she nods in consent. He gently slips his hand beneath the hair and sweeps it behind her ear, and when he finally sees her face, he feels as though his stomach is hit by a sack of bricks.

A huge, deep gash runs from the tip of Ladybug's right temple, all the way down to the side of her jaw. The flesh surrounding it is red and puffy, and her right eye is swollen shut. Despite being about an hour old, the cut still appears fresh, gaping and oozing red over her skin. Blood has smeared all over the side of her face, leaking all the way down to her neck.

"I—I didn't know where else to go," she whimpers, speaking for the first time since she arrived. "Chat didn't come back, and I can't go home, and I can't—" Her only functional blue eye is wide, pleading. "I can't let anyone else see me like this—"

"Shh," he soothes, placing a hand on her shoulder. He can feel her shaking, and she's freezing to the touch, a result of staying out in the winter air for so long. A part of him is touched that he was the first person she thought to come to, but the other part of him regrets that she had to come to him for this at all. He squeezes her shoulder, hoping to provide her with some comfort, and says, "Follow me."

Adrien leads her into his bathroom. He switches on the light and gestures for her to sit on the counter. She timidly heaves herself onto the countertop and draws her knees to her chest, and Adrien throws some fluffy clean towels over her shoulders to warm her up. He kneels in front of the cabinet under the sink and pulls out his first-aid kit before getting to his feet. He places the kit beside her on the counter and retrieves two clean rags and some disinfectant alcohol from its contents.

Ladybug curses under her breath when the disinfectant-soaked rag makes contact with her wound, and Adrien quickly apologizes. He spends a few minutes gently cleansing the wound before soaking the other rag with warm water and using it to wipe the blood from her face. This action is much more soothing, and he can see the tension leave Ladybug's shoulders. Her eye flickers shut.

"How did this happen?" Adrien asks softly, still wiping the blood from her face.

She's silent for a moment. She doesn't open her eye. "The Snowman snagged my face with his ice claw. I didn't see it coming."

Adrien pauses wiping. "How did you beat him?"

The ghost of a smile spreads over her lips. "My Lucky Charm was a flamethrower."

"...Well that's convenient."

She laughs weakly. "It sure was."

Adrien puts down the bloody rag and inspects her face. There's still some swelling on her skin, but it's clearly improved, and her right eye is now somewhat functional. Without all the blood staining her face, Adrien can now clearly see her cut. It isn't as deep as he initially believed it was, but it still needs to be bandaged.

He pulls out a roll of transparent skin tape and gauze. "I don't think you need stitches, but you do need to keep it covered."

She stares apprehensively at the gauze. "I can't wear that, it's too noticeable."

"Hey," he chides. "Don't you trust me?"

Ladybug frowns, but reluctantly leans forward to let him bandage her face. He measures the cut to see how much gauze he needs. Then he cuts the bandage until it's two centimeters wide, and he tapes it to her skin to hold it in place. He tucks her hair out from behind her ear and frames it over her cheek. "The swelling should go down by tomorrow," he tells her. "If you keep your hair down like this, it'll be hard for anyone to notice the cut but you."

She doesn't respond. Her glassy blue eyes stare at him in wonder, as if questioning how such an unfortunate situation could be resolved with such a simple solution. Her lips part, as if she's about to tell him something, but she's too overwhelmed to speak. "I... I..."

Adrien takes her hand. "I know," he says quietly.

Her eyes well up with tears. "How... how could I ever repay you?"

"You don't have to do anything," he insists. After all, it's his fault she was left alone in the first place.

She wipes her eyes with the back of her knuckles. "You're too kind for your own good."

He shakes his head. "Helping you is the only reward I need."

Ladybug's face turns red. She sniffles. "Don't say that."

"It's true," he says quietly. He looks her in the eyes, and he feels his heart begin to pound against his ribs. "I care about you. A lot."

Her breath hitches. Ladybug stares down at him, her blue eyes surveying him in astonishment, as if she can't believe what she heard. "Really?" she breathes.

Adrien steps closer. Ladybug lowers her head. "I do," he whispers.

"I do, too," she says. Her face grows nearer. "I... care about you, Adrien."

"Well that's convenient," he mumbles.

Their noses brush. Adrien's eyelids begin to droop, and he can feel her warm breath against his lips. His heart is beating so fast he swears there's no way she can't hear it. He swallows thickly.

...

She pulls away.

...

Ladybug hops off the counter and removes the towels from the shoulders. She keeps her head bent towards the ground. "Thank you," is all she says.

Frozen in place, Adrien only watches as she exits the bathroom, walks into his room, and lets herself out through his window, leaving him all by himself.

He stands there for a very long time.

...

After a while, Adrien flicks off the light, and sinks to the floor.

le 12 décembre

Adrien ducks as a wad of bubblegum the size of a basketball soars over his head. The hallway is filled with the sound of students' screams, and the rapid pounding of sneakers against the ground, and the sticky 'splat's of gum trapping its victims. Next to him, he watches Kim meet this fate, and he starts to run a little faster.

Sticky Situation is an akumatized student who was forced to spend their detention scraping chewed gum off the bleachers in the gym, in preparation for the basketball game Adrien's team was going to participate in. Adrien had just finished changing into his uniform in the locker room when the screaming began, and before he had the chance to grab Plagg and transform, he got caught in the mob of his teammates, and he had no choice but to follow them out the door.

Now, everything is getting covered in gum, including the doors to any potential hiding spots. As he runs, Adrien searches desperately for a place to transform, but every door is glued shut.

Then he sees it—an ajar supply closet that has yet to be vandalized. He sighs in relief, thankful for the escape, but the relief quickly disappears when he realizes that Sticky Situation has fired another wad in his direction. Horrified, he tries to outrun the gum and reach the closet, but the wad gets closer and closer until—

"Look out!"

Adrien feels something crash into his back, and his feet fly out from under him. At first he thinks it's the gum, but this feels far too big and far too solid, and he feels someone wrapping their arms around him, and—oh—oh, wait—

The two of them tumble into the closet, just as the gum hits the door and seals it shut.

The closet is much more crowded than Adrien anticipated. The room is too dark for him to see, but he can't find any lightswitch. He feels at least ten different broom sticks digging into his back, a dirty towel is draped over his head, and his foot is stuck in an empty bucket. What's worse, Ladybug is cramped beside him, just as uncomfortable, and they barely have any room to move apart.

"We need to stop meeting like this," Adrien mumbles.

"I'll stop saving you once you stop getting into trouble," Ladybug snips.

He pulls the towel off his head. "It's not like I try to. I just have terrible luck." He tosses the towel to the side. He thinks it lands in another empty bucket. "Trouble naturally gravitates towards me."

Ladybug hums. "I guess it's a good thing you have me, then."

He raises an eyebrow jokingly. "Really? You crashed into me, what, six times now? I wouldn't really call that a good thing."

She immediately gets defensive. "Okay, I've only actually crashed into you four times. And two of those times, I was saving your life! Including now!"

Adrien bursts out laughing.

Ladybug crosses her arms. "I just saved your life, and this is how you repay me."

He shakes his head. "And now we're stuck in here."

"You ungrateful, son of a—" Ladybug rattles the doorknob. It doesn't budge. "Okay, we're stuck." Adrien laughs harder. "Stop that!"

"Sorry—I'm sorry—" He bites his lip to stop laughing, but his face is stuck in a grin.

Ladybug huffs. "I thought you were supposed to be a nice guy."

"Hey, I am a nice guy," he insists. "It's just—it's a little ironic, don't you think? That we keep meeting."

"The only civilian whose face I'm more tired of seeing is Chloé Bourgeois," she admits.

Adrien scowls. "And you called me mean."

"Oh, suck it up, handsome boy."

Adrien feels his face heat up.

A loud crash is heard down the hall, interrupting their conversation. Ladybug flinches at the sound. "I need to get out of here," she says worriedly.

"Can't you use your Lucky Charm?" Adrien asks.

"I already used it." Suddenly, she lets out a horrified gasp of realization. "Oh. Ohhh no."

"What's wrong?"

"I already used it," she repeats. "I already used it!"

Adrien's eyes widen in comprehension. "Your miraculous."

As if on cue, the earrings in question beep and light up in the dark, showing only two spots left. Ladybug curses. "Oh, shit."

Adrien places a hand on her shoulder. "Let's stay calm," he says.

"Calm," Ladybug echoes, her voice shrill. She nods her head. "Right. Yes. Calm."

He puts his hands on the door and pushes, testing its strength. "Maybe if we work together, we can bust it open."

They try it. The two of them ram their shoulders into the door, kicking and pounding, but the gum has hardened like cement. Her earrings beep again, this time showing only one spot.

Ladybug stops punching. She collapses against the door and slowly slides down the floor. "Adrien," she says, her voice trembling. She sounds like she's about to cry. "Adrien, my transformation won't—I can't—"

Adrien kneels down next to her. "Ladybug. Ladybug," he says gently. "It's okay. I won't look."

Her eyes widen. "R-really?"

"Really," he confirms. "Don't you trust me?"

She doesn't reply for a moment. She exhales shakily. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

In the remaining time and the limited space they have, Ladybug and Adrien readjust themselves so they're sitting back to back, Adrien staring at the door and Ladybug staring at the wall. Even though it's too dark for him to be able to see her identity, and therefore turning around is kind of pointless, he does it for her sake, not his own. Adrien sees a pink burst of light and feels a weird surge of electricity against his back. He hears the soft whispering of another voice, which he assumes is her kwami—Tweety? Tickle? Something like that—and he feels Ladybug shift as she pulls out food for her kwami to eat.

Ladybug settles back. "It takes a few minutes for the earrings to recharge," she explains, evading the much more complex truth.

"That's okay," he replies.

They're both quiet for a moment as her kwami eats. Ladybug is the first to speak up. "Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you..." She pauses. "Do you remember the last time we saw each other?"

Adrien is silent. "Yes," he says softly.

She swallows. "...About... when I left, I..."

He closes his eyes. "Please, don't."

She doesn't.

...

Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes for the kwami to recharge. He knows they're ready when he hears Ladybug softly say, "Spots on," followed by the flash and the weird surge. When the transformation is complete and he's sure it's safe to look, he turns back around to face her.

It's still too dark to see her clearly, but she sounds relieved. "Thanks for doing that," she says quietly.

His voice is sincere. "It's my pleasure," he tells her.

Ladybug stands, and Adrien follows. She pulls out her yo-yo, and her voice turns serious. "Now it's time to break out."

Ladybug tosses her yo-yo up in the air and calls out, "Lucky Charm!" There's another swirl of pink light, and he hears something heavy land in her hands. She runs her hand over the surface, and it doesn't seem to take her very long to identify it. She sounds surprised. "Oh, wow. This will work."

"What is it?" he asks.

She doesn't answer. "I think you should step back."

Adrien flattens himself against the opposite wall as much as he can. Ladybug raises the charm, and with one giant swing, brings it down on the door. The door explodes open, and Adrien has to shield his eyes at the sudden burst of daylight.

Ladybug turns back to face him, her giant red and black-spotted mallet resting on her shoulder. Her face is determined. "Stay here until the fight's over."

"Sure thing," he lies.

Once Ladybug finally departs, Plagg pops out of his shirt. He grins knowingly. "Well that was something."

Adrien sighs. "Please, don't."

(He does anyway.)

le 21 décembre

The night before the beginning of winter break, the lycée holds an annual Winter Dance for the students to party hard and celebrate the holidays before they all go on vacation. Apparently it's legendary, and by some work of fate, Adrien's schedule is free and he's allowed to attend. There's only one problem.

"A date?" he asks. "Can't I just go with you?"

"I'm flattered, dude, but I have a girlfriend to entertain," Nino says, taking a bite of his ham and cheese baguette. He winks at Alya across the table. She blows him a kiss. Marinette pretends to gag.

Adrien bites his lip, staring down at his green salad. "The dance is tonight. How am I supposed to find someone on such short notice?"

Nino claps him on the back. "Don't worry, man. I'm sure Chloé would drop her fancy date like a hot tamale if you asked her instead."

"Ha, ha," Adrien mumbles. "Do I need a date? Can't I just go alone?"

"You'll stick out like a sore thumb," Nino informs him sadly. "And trust me, the experience is twenty times more fun if you have someone to hang out with."

Adrien moans and lays his head on the desk. "Do you really think Chloé will drop her date for me?"

His friend sighs. "I'm sorry man, I should have told you sooner. I forgot how hopelessly sheltered you are."

Adrien grumbles under his breath.

Alya perks up. "Marinette is free!"

"Alya," Marinette hisses.

Adrien lifts his head off the table. "Wait, really?"

"I thought you were going with Nathaniel again?" Nino asks.

Marinette's face turns red. She coughs. "He, um, he got sick. Had to cancel last minute."

"Oh, no, that's too bad—" Adrien starts.

"That's perfect!" Nino cries. "Last minute cancel equals last minute date!" He shakes Adrien's shoulder excitedly. "Ask her!"

Adrien blushes. "Now?"

"She's waiting," Alya sing-songs. She wheezes when Marinette violently jabs her elbow into her side.

Adrien clasps his hands. "You don't have to go with me if you don't want to, but I would really ap—"

"I'd love to!" she squeaks. She clears her throat. "I mean, of course. Anything for a friend."

He grins. "Great! Now we won't be alone!"

Her blush deepens, but her lips quirk in a smile. "Yeah. Great."

...

It isn't so great.

Don't be fooled, the dance started out marvelously. Adrien was starstruck by the fairy lights and the upbeat pop music and the bountiful buffet table and the shiny dance floor and all of the colorful suits and dresses his classmates were adorned in. He was completely floored by how beautiful Marinette's bright pink, knee-length, strapless dress was, even more so when she bashfully told him she made it all by herself.

The two of them had arrived with Alya and Nino, but the couple quickly disappeared into the crowd to join the hype, leaving Adrien and Marinette to revel in each other's company. As the night went along, Marinette slowly seemed to open up more and more. They joined in on a few dances here and there, but mostly they just talked and laughed and enjoyed being together. He discovered that Marinette is smart and funny and hopelessly kind, and Adrien understood what Nino meant when he said having a date made the experience twenty times better; there's something inexplicably significant about standing in a hot, crowded room full of lively people, and having one special person to stick by your side all night long.

But, as per usual whenever Adrien seems to be enjoying his life in any way, everything comes crashing down.

"I am Disco Ball!" the shiny akuma cries above the crowd. "And you will all pay for making fun of my dancing!"

The crowd screams, and everyone begins to rush for the exits at once, causing them to get extremely backed up. The akuma goes around zapping students at random with his disco ball wand, and whoever gets hit begins to uncontrollably spout embarrassing dance moves. Adrien turns to his left, ready to grab his date and find her a place to hide, but the spot where Marinette stood seconds ago is now barren. His eyes dart around, but no matter how much he looks, the black curls and familiar pink dress are nowhere in sight.

Adrien wishes he could go search for her, if only to make sure she's safe, but he hasn't the time. More and more people are being subjected to a dancing doom, and the secondhand embarrassment of watching so many lycée students do the chicken at once is becoming unbearable.

Fortunately, Disco Ball is one of the simpler akumas that Paris' heroes have battled. Ladybug and Chat Noir are able to wrap up the battle and purify the akuma with little to no complications in the process. They barely have any time to do their routine fist bump before the students crowd around them in awe, crying their names and begging for autographs and pictures. As much as Chat wishes to humor them, he used his Cataclysm much earlier in the fight than Ladybug did her Lucky Charm, and his ring is down to its final paw print. With a salute to the crowd and a wink to His lady, he flees from the dance floor and detransforms under the buffet table.

Adrien slips Plagg into the pocket of his Gabriel™ blazer and crawls out from underneath the table. He gets to his feet and fixes his hair and makes sure to straighten his jacket so he doesn't look too frenzied. When he looks around the room to see if he can spot Marinette, all he can see is the crowd of enthusiastic people flocked around his partner.

As if sensing his gaze alone, Ladybug looks over her shoulder and locks eyes with him. Adrien sees a relieved smile spread over her lips, and she quickly squeezes out of the crowd so she can make her way towards him.

She stops in front of him. "I'm glad you're okay," she says.

He smiles. "I am, thanks to you."

"And Chat Noir," she adds.

His heart warms. "And Chat Noir," he agrees.

The loud music is turned back on in the place where it left off, and the students cheer. The lively song that was in the middle of playing when the akuma striked is at its end, and when it fades out, a slower song takes its place.

Ladybug looks at Adrien. Her radiant, blue, joy-filled eyes twinkle in the fairy lights, and he suddenly forgets how to breathe. He feels his heartbeat accelerate, and he grips the hem of his shirt with sweaty palms. He needs to do something about this.

"Do—do you, uh." He coughs. "Do you want to... dance?"

Ladybug blinks, processing what he said. "Me?"

There's no one else around to confuse her with. "Uh. Yes?"

Her cheeks blush. "Oh," she says breathlessly. She raises a hand to her beeping earring. "I... I don't have time..."

Adrien swallows. "It's okay," he says softly.

Her once happy eyes turn sad, and Adrien hates it because it's all his fault it disappeared. He wants to tell her that she doesn't need to feel bad, that it's not a big deal (she's rejected him before and it was just a simple question and he can handle this) but then she steps closer to him. She lifts her arms, and at first he thinks she's going to hug him goodbye, but then they wrap over his shoulders and around his neck and before he knows it she drags him in for a kiss.

Ladybug comes down hard, and their lips collide in a kind of painful way, but Adrien is too busy adjusting to the fact that he's kissing Ladybug to let that override the pure, elated bliss. It takes a few seconds for the shock to wear off, but once it does, he quickly caves in, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

After around twenty seconds—not that he's counting—Ladybug is the first to pull away. Adrien's lips are throbbing and his head is spinning and his face is on fire and he's never felt so many of his emotions activate in his head at the same time. Ladybug opens her eyes and stares at him, her lips parted and her cheeks also on fire and her blue eyes appearing to be equally as dazed.

His voice is barely audible. "Wow," is all he can think of to say.

"Wow," she agrees, her voice just as quiet.

The silent, emotion-filled look they share is interrupted when Ladybug's earrings beep, and they see she's down to her last spot. She slowly removes herself from his arms and steps back, before pulling out her yo-yo. She gives him one last breathless smile. "Goodnight, Adrien."

He watches her swing over the crowd and exit through the front door. The slow song dies out and is replaced by well-known upbeat song, and he hears the students scream in excitement.

Slowly, he raises a hand to his red lips.

He feels them spread into a smile.

...

...

I'm dividing this into two chapters because I didn't really feel like posting a 30,000 word one-shot, and this is a nice place to stop. I don't know when I'll post the second half, but it's already finished, so I probably won't wait too long.

Anyway welcome to ladrien hell

**Cross-posted on AO3 and Tumblr

**Tumblr: chatnono