"So, what about you and Marinette?"

"What about us?" Adrien asked Nino sheepishly. They were the only ones in class because for once, they were incredibly early, and there was nothing to do but talk about girls, and Nino was not one to shy away from gossip.

"Dude, she kissed you!"

"On the cheek."

"And you two danced like lovers that time we had a picnic!"

"I blame the song," Adrien said with a smile. He remembered that day fondly. He found out that Marinette had planned it all by herself, trying to recreate the sense of happiness Adrien had felt when he was a child and his family would go on picnics, and his parents would dance to old songs on the radio. Adrien couldn't help but tear up when he heard what she had done for him, through Nino, and he made it a huge point to thank Marinette greatly after that, making sure she knew just how much happiness she had given him. He couldn't remember if she had teared up too, but she held him tightly to her and he stroked her hair, and all he could think about was how it felt like his heart was being filled with so much love that it could very well explode any moment, and his soul would burst free and float up and up to the clouds above.

Nino returned Adrien's smile and faraway look with a knowing smirk that eased out a sigh and the truth out of his friend. "I might be in love with her."

"Might be?" Nino asked sceptically.

"Alright," Adrien laughed, hands raised in defeat. There was no fooling Nino. "I love her," he admitted shyly.

He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet Nino's warm brown eyes. "She loves you too, you know," he said gently.

Adrien could feel his heart soaring when he heard that. Could it be true? He knew she might like him, but love? Was that possible too? "You really think so?" he asked Nino worriedly, which only earned him a laugh and a shake on the shoulder.

"I know so. Tell her you love her, alright dude? You have to."

"I will," Adrien promised with a nod. "But there's something I have to do first."

Nino laughed in amusement and shook his head disbelief. "Do what you gotta do, man. After that, go get your princess."


"So, what about you and Adrien?"

"What about us?" Marinette asked distractedly. They were walking to school in a hurry, and Marinette was determined to be seated before the bell rang.

"You kissed him yesterday! And you danced so romantically to j'envoie valser during our picnic that it felt like watching a scene from the greatest love story of all time! Not to mention your endless flirting and smiles and banter. It's taking so long for you to get together, I just don't understand! Girl, what are you guys doing to each other?" Alya ranted.

Marinette laughed. "We will, Alya. Soon."

"How soon?" Alya asked.

"Very."

"You seem so sure," she observed with a smile.

"I am," Marinette said confidently, even though fear was ebbing through her veins and her heart was pounding so hard against her chest that it felt like it would break out of her ribcage and make its way into Adrien's hands, as though it knows that he would take good care of it, even though he was the cause of the fear. Marinette took a deep breath to calm herself. She looked over at Alya and smiled. "I love him, and I'm taking your advice. I'm going to create that right moment."

Alya gasped, happy and relieved. "Oh! How exciting!"

"And scary," Marinette muttered softly, unafraid to be vulnerable around Alya.

"Don't worry, girl. It'll all turn out well," Alya said, stopping in her tracks to place both hands on her friend's shoulders. She squeezed them gently and gave Marinette her most reassuring look. "He loves you, Marinette, I know it!"

Marinette beamed and leaned in for a hug. Above them, they heard the bell ring. They laughed as they ran, pulling each other along as they made their way up the stairs and into their classroom, where the first thing they saw were Nino and Adrien. Marinette glanced at him and smiled shyly as she made her way to her seat. He beamed at her, his face slightly red, and all through class, Marinette stared at the back of his head, wishing with all her heart that Alya was right.


"Don't think too much about it," Plagg said. Adrien mumbled an agreement. He was squatting atop a closed toilet seat in the boys' restroom with Plagg in his hands. A new victim had been akumatised, and Chat Noir and Ladybug had to spring into action right away. For some reason, Plagg decided the akuma would have to wait because it was the best time to give Adrien a pep talk.

"Just let it happen organically."

"Okay."

"Have an idea of what you want to say."

"Got it."

"Don't rehearse a script. You might forget your lines and panic."

"You're right."

"Don't forget to brush your hair before you leave."

"I will."

"Eat some of my cheese to make your breath smell pleasant."

Adrien laughed, patting his kwami on the head. "Stop worrying, Plagg."

"I'm not worried. I just don't want you to embarrass yourself. We both know that's your specialty in life."

"Ha ha, very funny. Now, stop fussing. I'll be fine."

"How are you so sure of that?" Plagg asked.

"Because it's her," Adrien said, smiling at him. "I'm comfortable around her. I can be myself when I'm with her, both sides of her."

"I'm glad I only have to tolerate one side of you," Plagg teased endearingly.

"Hey!"


"Are you ready?" Tikki asked Marinette. They were hiding in the girls' locker room, which was completely empty because everyone had fled home the moment news broke out that there was a new akuma attack in the school. Marinette held Tikki in her hands and stared into her large, blue eyes.

"Yes, I am."

"I'm not talking about the akuma. I'm talking about your right moment."

"Oh, that. I'm scared, Tikki," Marinette admitted sadly.

Tikki smiled. "It's okay to be scared! Fear allows you to be brave, it makes you put in effort into what you have to overcome. If you overcome your fear and face it with courage, then you'll know what you're doing is worth it. And it is. Love is always worth it. And bravery is something that you have so much of, Marinette. It will all work out soon."

Marinette smiled at Tikki, stroking her little head with her finger. "Thank you, Tikki. You're right. Both you and Alya."

"We've never been wrong before!"

"Really?" Marinette teased.

"Alright," Tikki said, laughing. "I've never been wrong before."

"Tikki!"


"Bien joué!" Chat Noir and Ladybug exclaimed in unison, fists connecting like a ritual. The akuma had been defeated, and damage had been miraculously restored. All was good once more.

Chat Noir looked at Ladybug with a smile. As soon as he opened his mouth to tell her something, the sound of beeping interrupted him. Ladybug's hand flew to her earrings, touching them lightly. When her eyes focused on Chat Noir again, she immediately grabbed his hand and ran into the school behind them, pulling him along. It was night, and the school was empty like a welcoming ghost town.

Chat Noir, not quite understanding why they were running together and not from each other since they were going to transform back, only knew that Ladybug was going to be gone soon, and so he blurted out the thoughts he had been keeping to himself all day. "My lady, I need to tell you something!" he said, breathlessly because they were running still.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked, glancing back but not stopping.

"I can swim!"

"Okay?"

"No, remember when I told you about being stuck between the sky and the sea? You told me to fly, but I can swim too!"

"I don't get it."

"Listen, I realised there wasn't any need for flying or swimming. Because I wasn't stuck. Not really. There weren't two people, my lady, there was just one, all along. And she isn't just the sky or the sea. She was both."

They came to a stop. Chat Noir glanced around them with a smile on his lips, both breathing heavily from the sprint. They were in the school gym, standing by the treadmill near the weights, with the window beside them, framing a night sky full of stars and the bright crescent moon above. Chat Noir looked down at Ladybug, admiring how the faint light of the night casted a soft glow on her features. She was so beautiful it made him ache.

He took her hands in his, nearly flinching when he heard the sound of his own miraculous. He stared into her blue eyes, drowning in the intensity of Ladybug's gaze. She looked confused, afraid, but so very hopeful. He realised what was coming, that she wasn't going to run once her time was up. He almost sighed in happiness, and when Chat Noir spoke, his voice was soft and gentle and quiet, like the cool breeze of the night.

"You're my entire world, Marinette."

Ladybug blinked at him, mouth slightly ajar. Her miraculous beeped a short moment later, transforming her in a flash of pink and red and white. Marinette stood before Chat Noir, her hands in his, tears in her eyes. Chat Noir returned her smile, his eyes glistening too. Reaching up, Marinette held Chat Noir's cheek in one hand, and wove her fingers through his with the other.

"And you are mine, Adrien."

Chat Noir leaned into her hand, that familiar gesture once more, a gesture he couldn't imagine living without, and he wore a warm smile on his face upon hearing his name escaping her lips in a whisper. His own ring beeped a second later and engulfed him in green and black.

Adrien and Marinette barely paid attention to their kwami, who embraced quietly and floated away like dim fireflies. They stared only at each other, with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces, the gap between them closing in, closer and closer, till their bodies touched and their lips finally met for a soft, long, and deep kiss which the stars had been waiting all night for.