The next few weeks pass in a daze.
They still go on missions, still save the city, still rescue the hapless victims of Paris, still defeat evil. It feels perfunctory. It's hard for him to muster the energy to banter when he knows he's losing her to his invisible rival.
He tries, at first. Spending time with her is better than not, but he finds he's easily distracted these days. He stares at her lips, remembering exactly how they taste. He gazes at her hands, knowing he will never hold hers outside of battle. He looks into her masked face, wondering who she trusts enough to reveal herself to.
Like an addict, the withdrawal is worse than he ever had imagined; he craves another hit, just another taste–
Ladybug starts to notice the difference. At first, he thinks she tries to muscle through the awkwardness for the sake of the city, putting the needs of the citizens above their own – a quality he's always admired in her – but soon even she can't pretend things are normal. There are times, after they've defeated the villain du jour, when she seems to take a breath, open her mouth to speak, but he doesn't want to hear it. He can handle her rejection, even if it breaks him, can handle just being partners, but he cannot handle her sympathy.
At school, everyone is abuzz with excitement over the upcoming holiday dance. The school has rented a hotel ballroom for the event, and it seems to be the only thing anyone can talk about; Adrien hasn't heard anyone discuss anything else for weeks.
He walks through the halls in a daze, mostly tuning people out. The inevitable happens, and girls begin to ask him to the dance. Dully, he rejects them, one after the other, barely registering the hurt on their faces as he brushes past.
But at the seventh time, he hesitates. Blinking out of his stupor, he looks down to see that it was Marinette who just asked him, grinning widely at him and looking slightly nervous.
He weighs his options. He likes Marinette, even though he doesn't know her very well, and she's friends with Alya, who he knows just yesterday asked Nino to the dance; it could be fun to go all together. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"You want to go to the dance together?" he asks, making sure he hadn't misheard.
Marinette nods enthusiastically, her smile slipping a little. She seems confused by his reaction.
"Yeah, sure. That sounds fun."
"Really?" Her voice is a squeak.
"Yeah. Nino and Alya are going together and it'll be fun in a group. Right?"
"Yeah!" she says loudly. She claps a hand to her mouth, then pulls it away, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. Yes, I think that sounds like a lot of fun."
As she leaves with a wave, Adrien has a fleeting moment of savage pleasure at the thought that Ladybug wasn't the only one who could go out with someone else, see, he could too – but it fades just as quickly as it comes as he sinks into a lull once again.
The night of the dance is warm; the city feels alive and electric. Adrien is dropped off outside the hotel in his usual limousine, but his other classmates are also emerging from similar vehicles. Everyone seems to have splurged for the evening.
He steps into the lobby, slipping his hands into his suit pockets. It's not his nicest suit – not by a long shot – but he still made sure to make an effort for the night, even if his heart isn't in it.
"Adrien!"
He turns to see Alya, Nino, and Marinette approaching him. Alya grabs Marinette's upper arm and drags her forward.
"Here's your date! Doesn't she look great?"
She does, in fact. She's wearing a purple dress that flatters her skin and her hair, and she's put on just a touch of makeup.
"Yeah, you look very pretty tonight."
"So do you!" she says. Behind her, Alya rolls her eyes skyward. "I mean, you look–"
"Let's go inside," Alya cuts across her. "C'mon boys."
They sit at a table together. Marinette seems oddly nervous at first, wringing her napkin in her lap, but as the dinner courses are brought out, she seems to relax and open up. Adrien is a little surprised at how much she comes out of her shell. He finds himself laughing more than he might have thought; she's funny.
After dinner is done, the music starts to build. Alya rapidly taps her hand against Nino's arm, and they get up in one fluid motion. Alya waves at Marinette to come join them as they depart, who glances from their retreating backs to Adrien.
"Should we?" she asks a little breathlessly.
Adrien shrugs. "Sure, why not?"
The music is fast and upbeat, and they fall into a quick rhythm. Nino and Alya are dancing nearby, so they form a small circle to jump and jive and jam. Adrien's never had the opportunity to dance with friends like this, and it's freeing in a way he hadn't known. Nino impresses everyone by dipping both girls with a flourish during one song, and Adrien demonstrates a proper twirl with each. As Marinette draws close to him during the twirl, she flashes him a huge grin at him, and for a moment it stirs something in his memory, but then she's twirling away from him again and he forgets it as the song changes and everyone cheers.
After another few songs, Adrien is sweating. Finally the tempo changes and a slow song comes on. Some couples draw closer together while others drift towards the dessert buffet, and Marinette turns to him.
"Let's get some air, I'm hot." She nods, and he's glad the moment is smoothed over; part of him wants to slow dance with her, but part of him is thinking about the smirk of a particular scarlet-clad superhero, and he needs some air.
They step into the garden. The paths are made of smooth sandstone, twisting into the darkness in intricate patterns. The rose bushes are perfectly manicured into rows, and they start to wander among them.
Their conversation is light-hearted, and again Adrien finds himself marveling at how funny Marinette can be. He feels better than he has in weeks.
Marinette stops in front of a large ornate fountain. It's a beautiful spot: low hanging willow branches brush the path and the moon illuminates the white stones that make up the gravel around the fountain.
She turns to him. The moonlight reflects in her eyes. "Adrien," she says, voice quiet but sure. "I've really had a great time tonight."
"Me too, Marinette."
She steps closer. "Thank you so much for coming with me, I had such a good time, I really can't thank you enough–"
She's babbling a little, as if steeling herself, and it's only when she's right in front of him does he realize what she's doing. For a moment, he wants to run, because he can see Ladybug in his mind's eye, and he knows how feels, but maybe–
maybe it would be best to move on–
and Marinette leans forward almost imperceptibly, and he closes his eyes. Their lips meet and he tilts his head like he'd practiced to many times with Ladybug, and their kiss falls into a rhythm, one that he knows well by now, one that does stir a few butterflies in his stomach now, one that seems vaguely familiar, one that is actually very familiar, one that is exactly like–
They pull back at the same time, and his expression of confusion and dawning realization is mirrored on her face. Adrien looks at her, really looks at Marinette for the first time, and now he sees, now he notices the same small bridge of freckles across her nose, now he notices the same curve of her lips, now he notices the same startling blue eyes staring up at him in wide-eyed disbelief.
Unsticking his tongue from the roof of his mouth, he forms the words that reveal more than he ever has, the few small ones that could change everything, and they come out in a whisper: "My Lad–?"
Marinette turns and bolts from the fountain.
