Ladybug swung from building to building as fast as she could. She had a lot of city to cover and the sooner she found him the better.
Deep down, the young superhero was beside herself with worry. Earlier that week, Adrien hadn't shown up to school, hadn't said a word to anyone, and his phone seemed to have been turned off completely. The next day just as his friends began to worry, the principal arrived with bad news.
"Students, I have something important to talk to you all about." The look of deep concern already creeping its way onto his face gave the topic away to most there. "Your classmate, Adrien Agreste, ran away from home last night. He left his family a note explaining his intent and as of this morning, no one had heard nor seen anything of him."
The bubbling worry that had been building up in the classmates erupted as everyone tried to remember the last time they had heard from him. Alya and Marinette looked down at Nino, who seemed absolutely panic stricken. Nino was the only one who knew the true extent of how bad his bestfriend's home life was and he wasn't liking this one bit.
"If any of you hear anything or see him..." The principal paused and glanced at poor Nino. "Then please, let someone know."
Class tried to get on as normal, but no one could focus. Things really broke down when Chloe shot up and angerly stormed out, yelling about how they should be out there looking for her childhood friend.
"For once, I agree with Chloe.", said Nino as he grabbed his stuff and was promptly followed by the girls before the teacher could even raise a protest.
That was two days ago, and most of the class who went looking this afternoon had turned in for the night. But Marinette couldn't. She was Ladybug, hero of Paris, and the mere thought of her friend, her crush, out on the streets for another winter night worried her more than she could ever express. She had to find him, she just had to know he was okay. What see really wanted to know was why... Why had he just run away without more than a note to his stupid father? Why hadn't he told his friends? He had to understand how worried they were! How worried she was... She shook her head rapidly as if to dismiss the mountains of questions. Marinette would get her answers when she found that boy and kicked his perfect model behind for all the worry he caused her.
Ladybug pushed the call button on her yoyo for what felt like the thousandth time today. "I swear to god, if that stupid cat doesn't pick up I'm going to skin his, pun-loving, hide.." She grumbled as the screen showed no answer. There hadn't been a word from Chat Noir since their last akuma fight together. Her tired mind wondered if she'd done something to upset him, or maybe he just was sick or something? It was unlike him to be so unavailable in a crisis. And with no way of contacting each other outside the masks, this was becoming one of several times recently that Ladybug began to regret her strict enforcement of this level of superhero secrecy.
What if something happened to him? Like Adrien...
The thought hit Ladybug like a truck. The mere idea of losing two of the most important people in her life at once was too much. She fought back those dark thoughts and tried one more fruitless time to call her partner.
As she swung over the empty streets, she saw Nino and Alya sitting on a bench, the latter doing her best to keep her boyfriend's hopes alive. Tomorrow they were going start searching the river, the implications of which were too much to even think about right now. Ladybug sighed a little and picked up her pace. 'Don't worry Nino. I'm on it.' The heroine whispered.
Her next search area was going to be the park across the river. There's plenty of space for the young model to be hiding out and way fewer people to recognize him at this time of night. It was her best idea, at least.
——Elsewhere——
Adrien sat on a park bench in the freezing Paris night. Keeping his favorite scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and face. He held the end up and looked intently at the stitching that recently exposed itself after he accidentally caught a thread against a hanger in his closet. 'Marinette' was spelled out perfectly in cursive lettering, a familiar makers mark he never would have seen otherdwise.
On the one hand he questioned why Marinette had never told him and how, if he ever got the chance after all this, he was going to thank her in a way that matched how much he loved the gift... But the real question that stuck in the front of his mind and pushed away any warmth the present gave him, was why had his father cared so little about him and his birthday to steal one his bestfriend's gifts? Has he even noticed that Adrien left? Or were those search parties he'd dodged all Natalie's doing?
Letting out a sigh the run away model rubbed his hands together for warmth and glanced into his shirt pocket where an exhausted and cheeseless Plagg rested after having done his best to keep his young charge warm and hidden in the super-suit as long as he could. At least he still had Plagg and his Lady. Adrien almost couldn't wait for the next akuma, as bad as that sounded, but it meant he finally wouldn't be completely alone. Having left his phone behind to avoid being tracked, he had no means of communication with anyone that wouldn't give him away and he had no intention of going home anytime soon. If at all.
Suddenly behind him, Adrien heard a thump as something landed hard in the mounting snow. Turning around with a start and jumping to his feet defensively, he immediately froze when he saw her.
"You know, a bright blue scarf doesn't do much for your camouflage out here, Adrien."
Ladybug stood across the path from him hands on her hips and a look of relief spread across her beautiful features.
Adrien blinked and then let himself relax, blushing at the fact that his lady remembered his name outside the mask. " M'L-Ladybug! What are you doing here on this snowy evening..?" He did his best not to let his inner Chat Noir through as he leaned on the back on the bench as casually as possible. No matter how much he wanted to tell her, Adrien also wanted that identity free for himself to escape into completely once Plagg was rested.
Ladybug's features turned to a frown as she crossed her arms. "What do you think, mister runnaway? I was going to ask you the same thing. People have been looking all over for you!" Ladybug threw her arms out in exasperation. She did her best to hold back all of her personal feelings as Marinette, but could already tell she the facade couldn't last. "Why aren't you safe at home, Adrien? Its way to cold out here and your family is worried about you.." She took a couple steps towards him, the worry in her eyes returning as he in turn stepped backwards and averted his gaze.
With a sigh, Adrien looked back up at Ladybug defiantly. "Why should I care if my father says he's worried? I know that's not true! He doesn't care about me. If anything, he's just putting on a show for the press as a front to cover up how little he probably cares I'm gone. And he knows why..." Adrien turned away from the stunned hero and fiddled with the torn end of his scarf. "Honestly I'm surprised anyone even noticed I was gone.. Let alone asked for your help. Or did you just hear I was gone and decided to lend a hand? Sorry you wasted your time..." Adrien scoffed and hung his head. "My 'family' doesn't give a crap about me. No one does. My father just cares about his reputation and others just pretend to because I'm famous. I don't have a family.." Yesterday this outburst might have accompanied by tears, but now he was done crying and no matter what Ladybug said, he wasn't going back.
But after a much longer pause then he was anticipating, he glanced back over his shoulder and was surprised at the change that had taken the superhero. Her cool and calm demeanor was gone, fists clenched and anger in her eyes. Adrien nearly flinched at the sight, confused by what had come over her. "Ladybug..?"
Ladybug growled stomped towards him, getting right up in his face. He'd seen her angry before, but only as Chat Noir and never to this degree. Pushing a finger hard into his chest, the heroine glared hard into his eyes. "How DAAARE YOU, Agreste!! First you run away recklessly into the cold, with barely a word, but then you have the audacity to claim that no one cares?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Her voice was getting higher and louder, her hands now grasping the collar of his shirt. Without breaking eye contact with the shocked boy, she continued, "What about Nino, huh?! I just passed a bench with him crying in Alya's arms about how much he's worried about you. You couldn't even talk to him before doing something like this?! What about your classmates? The ones who all ditched 5th period halfway through to scour the city for you and have been out each day since! You think they don't care?! Chloe was so worried she was being nice to people! NICE!!"
Adrien tried his best to wrap his head around all this information. How did Ladybug know so much about his friends and classmates? Were they the one's who called her? Was Ladybug-
"AND WHAT ABOUT NATALIE? OR THE GORILLA?! YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT THOSE TWO DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU?! NATALIE WAS SHAKING WHEN SHE TOLD NINO EVERYTHING YOUR STUPID NOTE SAID!! THAT WOMAN LOVES YOU LIKE HER OWN SON!" Ladybug was yelling now, right in Adrien's face, letting out every little detail from the last few days in an avalanche of emotion that was bound to give up her identity if Adrien was given even a moment to think about it, but at this point, Marinette couldn't care less. She had a point of her own to make here, and he was gonna listen. She took a few steps away and after pausing for a long breath she turned back to the frozen Adrien with tears welling up in her eyes.
"And what about Marinette..? Half the time spent so worried about you that she couldn't sleep or stop crying and the other half spent out here in the cold yelling your name even after the other search parties gave up. All because the STUPID LOVE of her STUPID LIFE decided to run off on the coldest day of the year!!! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY THINK I WOULD'T CARE?!" At that, she finished, glaring with tear filled eyes at the bewildered boy infront of her.
Adrien snapped back to reality at that last question, as the puzzle pieces in his mind suddenly clicked together. "Mari..?" He whispered so that only they could possibly hear, the shock from the reveal and the guilt he felt for each of those tears mounting by the second.
At that, in a pink flash, before him stood Marinette. One of his closest friends and apparently his lady, eyes red from tears and mad as hell. Before another word could be said between them, his legs moved on their own. Without the suit, the combination of all the roof top running, emotional stress, and lack of sleep was too much for her knees and she collapsed. But Adrien was there to catch her. He pulled her close upon landing, burying his face in her neck as he finally broke down himself.
"I-I'm sorry Mari. I didn't mean to hurt you or Nino or anyone else. I just felt so alone and I let it get the best of me... Ever since we lost my mother, my father's been so distant. All this time he's just treated me like a burden, I couldn't stay there anymore! I'm sorry.."
Marinette wrapped her arms tightly around Adrien's neck after a moment, doing her best to stop shaking. "I will always be here for you, Adrien... We all will. You should know that.." She barely choked out the last sentence before another wave of sobs took them both. After a minute, Marinette sat back and lifted Adrien's chin to meet his eyes, cupping his cheeks in her hands. With a soft, teary smile she continued, "Family is more than blood, you know... We're your real family now. No matter how cold you father is, we will always stand with you... As long as you let us."
Adrien looked into those shining blue eyes and finally smiled, "I promise I won't forget it now, Marinette." He glanced down before pulling up the ripped end of his scarf. "Seeing this is what really prompted me into running away, but it also should have really reminded me how good I really have it with people like you in my life."
Marinette saw her name on the stitching and tensed up suddenly. "O-oh! Y-you saw that finally, huh..?" She bit her lower lip nervously as she suddenly became incredibly aware that she was basically sitting on her crush's lap at this point and there was no real way to escape her embarrassment.
"I did. And I'm just curious about why you never told me..."
At that Marinette looked back at Adrien guiltily. "I don't know how it happened, but after I dropped of the present at your house, the label must have fallen off or something and it got mixed up, but..." Marinette took a breath and stealed herself. "But after seeing how happy you were, thinking it was from your dad, I couldn't take that away from you..." Expecting a negative reaction to the reveal of her lie, Marinette was surprised to be pulled back into a tight hug, the extra folds of the scarf coming to rest on her shoulders as well. Blushing hard, she met his loving gaze.
"Honestly I love the scarf even more knowing that it came from you, Mari. Thank you." His eyes lingered on her for a moment and before either of them knew it, a warm and gentle kiss was shared between them as wide blue eyes fluttered closed.
A gust of wind finally made them both separate and shiver together, still sitting in the snow. But Adrien beamed, blushing just as much if not more than her. "And Mari?"
"Y-Yeah?", she managed through her own goofy grin.
"I love you too."
Later...
"Y-You think this is okay?" Adrien asked as they approached the bakery. "I'm sure if we found Nino I could-"
Marinette squeezed the arm she clung to and shook her head violently. "There's no way I'm letting you walk all the way across town to Nino's! Its too cold and you've been out here for too long already! So if you aren't going home, then the least you can do come cuddle me for how long you keep me out in the snow today." She smiled up at him teasingly, the way she often did with Chat.
Realizing her boldness a moment too late, Marinette quickly looked away and tried to contain her blush, as Adrien quietly pinched himself to see if this was some sort of hypothermic dream. "I-It'll be fine I promise. The hard part will be sneaking in without my parents hearing us.." Marinette sighed as they reached the storefront. "If only I could still turn into Ladybug to reach the balcony, but Tiki is still way too tired..."
Adrien was nodding in agreement, when he suddenly felt a gentle poke from his breast pocket as Plagg looked up with a wordless suggestion.
Adrien put on a cheshire grin and turned back to Marinette, "Well Marinette, I may have an alternate route in mind, one that I should probably let you know about all considering.." He said with a smirk, lifting the arm she clung too slightly to emphasize their new arrangement.
Marinette stared back in confusion that morphed into pure shock as a green light enveloped them both. Suddenly where her new boyfriend had been standing seconds before was now her partner, thoroughly enjoying the look on her face. Before she could react any further, he scooped her up into his arms, bridal style. "Well Purrincess, hold on tight!"
After about an hour of dealing with Marinette's subsequent freakout as quietly as possible, talking through their new situation, and Marinette trying in vain to excuse the pictures on her walls, the two settled down into Marinette's bed. They snuggled tightly together to fend off the evening cold, like their kwammis did across the room.
"Marinette?"
"Yes, Kitty?"
"Thank you."