Act I: Prologue

"Ladybug, deliver your Miraculous to me!"

Marinette growled in frustration; another day, another one of Hawk Moth's akumatized villains.

What could have possibly pissed off this man so badly that he got akumatized?

This one appeared to be some sort of post office employee, possibly a mail carrier; Marinette theorized that he may have been attacked by a neighbor's dog while delivering their mail, or perhaps had been laid off, or some other comically-tragic cause to the effect of him becoming all-consumed by negative emotions that Hawk Moth could exploit. Marinette wasn't sure, and she didn't have time to figure it out.

She had seen it all by that point in her crime-fighting career, anyhow; nothing surprised her anymore.

She glanced around; her partner, Cat Noir, was nowhere in sight. Also not a surprise.

Late to the party, as usual, she inwardly bemoaned. He had been consistently tardy as of late.

"Give it to me! Now!" Mailmanic urged, reaching out his hand to the red-and-black spotted superheroine standing before him.

"Not a chance," Ladybug defied, her tone slightly bored. "This is one package that won't be shipped to you!"

She cringed at herself: nearly four years as Ladybug and she still couldn't nail the zingers like Cat Noir could. At least she was able to practice when he wasn't around.

Her foe, visibly angered by her response, revved backwards as if readying himself to charge. "Then I'll have to take it… by force!"

An attempt to ensnare the speedy Miraculous holder ended with Marinette free and clear on the other side of the street, amongst a slew of sticky postage stamps that now covered every car, building, and lamppost in sight.

Ladybug groaned out loud; of all the days for an akuma to appear, it just had to happen on the most significant day of her young life. She didn't have time to spare for Hawk Moth's villainous shenanigans; prior to Mailmanic's appearance, Marinette had been on her way to Adrien's house to ask him something important. Very important. Very, very important.

And still no sign of Cat Noir arriving anytime soon.

With an irritated sigh, the masked heroine threw her yo-yo up into the air; she couldn't afford to wait for the nefariously flirty kitty any longer. He'd probably only hold her back from getting to Adrien sooner, anyway. It was already getting late, and by the time she was done vanquishing Hawk Moth's latest puppet it would most likely be much too late of an hour to disturb the Agrestes.

Marinette stomped her foot in frustration. Why did it always happen this way?

"Lucky Charm!" she cried, watching the yo-yo as it spun and spun before releasing a burst of light, transforming into…

"A bouncy ball," she stated drolly. "Haven't seen that one before."

In truth, she could count on both hands how many of Hawk Moth's supervillains she had defeated using the exact same "lucky" implement. Truly, nothing surprised her anymore.

She pinched the red rubber ball between her fingers, eyeing it suspiciously. It looked no better than one of those cheap little toys that one could get out of a gumball machine for only a few cents.

Scanning her surroundings, Marinette noticed the lamp post just behind Mailmanic, right as he lifted his magic envelope to shoot another stream of razor sharp letters at her; the envelope had to be where the akuma was hiding. Thinking quickly, Marinette took aim and threw the ball as hard as she could; it ricocheted off of the metal post with enough force to knock the envelope out of Mailmanic's grip, sending it flying to land at Marinette's feet. She picked it up and ripped it in half, releasing the evil akuma inside.

Without hesitation, she captured the butterfly in her yo-yo and de-evilized it before releasing it, watching it flutter away before using her Miraculous ability to reset everything to the way it was before the letter carrier's akumatization. The exhausted man, having been transformed into his normal self, collapsed to his knees on the sidewalk.

"Wh-what happened?" he stammered in confusion as he stared at Ladybug with wide eyes, having no memory of the damage he had caused. "The last thing I remember was finding this love letter that my wife sent to her lover, and then everything went hazy."

Yikes. That's a new one.

Marinette looked to the rooftops and sighed. Although it didn't matter now, she tried calling Cat Noir once again on his phone. It rang twice before dropping out.

Where is that darn Cat?

The Parisian evening was warm and calm as Adrien Agreste walked the streets, with only a light breeze disturbing the fragrant springtime flowers that bloomed in puffy pink clouds on the trees. It was a perfect evening for his proposal; he was going to ask his classmate, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, to accompany him to the end-of-year dance. He had no doubt that she'd agree to go with him; over the years, he had noticed the way that she looked at him and behaved oddly whenever he was around. Perhaps he had been oblivious to it at first, but as time went on and he got to know her more, her feelings for him became more and more apparent.

Plus, Alya had told Nino who had told Adrien about Marinette's feelings for him, erasing any doubt. It was undeniable; Marinette was head-over-heels in love with him, and he had gradually come to feel the same for her in return.

He was going to ask Marinette to the dance, and then he was going to finally confess his feelings for her. It felt so good to finally be so close to telling her that he loved her that even the odor of Plagg's stinky snack couldn't dampen his exuberant mood.

"I thought that you were going to ask Ladybug to the dance?" Plagg questioned between bites of Camembert cheese. Even after so many years together, his master couldn't get him to eat anything else.

Adrien smirked at his kwami companion. "Can I let you in on a little secret?"

Plagg scarfed down the last of his moldy goo and nodded.

"I'm starting to think that maybe Marinette and Ladybug are the same person."

Plagg gasped, a touch too dramatically to be considered a normal response; it caused Adrien to raise his eyebrow at the kwami.

"W-what makes you so sure?"

"Just a few things I've noticed," Adrien said with a shrug.

"Like what?"

"Well, Marinette and Ladybug both have the same scent. It's sweet, but floral. Like a mix of strawberries and vanilla and roses," he explained, his eyes taking on a dreamy look. "Whenever I'm near either of them, or on the lucky occasion when I get to hold them close– they smell the same."

"So what?" Plagg snorted. "Lots of girls wear the same perfume."

"It's not only that. They're both strong and courageous and kind to others."

"That's not enough proof."

Adrien sighed; there was no way that he was going to convince his kwami pal. "Trust me, okay? It's my instincts. I am a cat, after all."

Plagg rolled his eyes.

They reached the bakery where Marinette and her parents lived. After rapping his knuckles on the door, Adrien took a step back and waited. His phone began ringing in his pocket; he took it out to see Ladybug calling him.

"That's the third time that she's called you," Plagg murmured from his hiding spot inside Adrien's jacket. "It's probably important."

"I'll meet up with Ladybug after this," Adrien whispered back as he stuffed the handheld device back into his pocket. "I can't get caught up in battling a supervillain, not until this is done. My Lady can handle herself for a little bit. Right now, this is more important. The dance is tomorrow, so I have to ask Marinette tonight."

Not to mention that it's our final year of school, and therefore the final dance, Adrien thought. This may be my last and only opportunity.

"I thought that Ladybug is Marinette," the small kwami mumbled sarcastically, annoyed by the obvious holes in his friend's theory. He would never let on what he knew, but the tiny god could only wonder how many problems could be solved simply by sharing the secret knowledge that he held of the Miraculous holder's identity– either Ladybug's or Cat Noir's. In the right hands, such knowledge could solve many problems; in the wrong hands, however, it would only create many more, and could be dangerous.

The door opened. A bear of a man, Marinette's father Tom Dupain, looked down at him.

"Adrien Agreste," he greeted. "You're from Marinette's class, aren't you?"

"Y-yes, sir," Adrien answered nervously. His throat was suddenly incredibly dry; Cat Noir was never nervous about anything, so why was he nervous now?

Because even after years under the mantle, Adrien could never harness the confidence of his alter ego for himself; years of isolation and emotional abuse would do that to a kid. He could never fully shake the feeling that he was just a bother to everyone he interacted with.

"I was just… um, is Marinette home?"

Tom nodded. "She's in her room. I'll go get her for you."

The large man disappeared, returning a couple of minutes later with a frown.

"I'm sorry, I guess she's not here. She must be at Alya's house tonight. Did you want to leave a message for me to relay to her when she gets back?"

Adrien visibly deflated. "Oh, no thank you, that's not necessary. You have a good night, sir."

"Take care." Marinette's father closed the door.

"Now will you find out what Ladybug wants?" Plagg urged, poking Adrien's ribs. "There could be trouble."

Sighing, Adrien pulled his phone out and dialed Ladybug. It rang four times before going to voicemail.

"That's strange." He shrugged; he tried calling again, at Plagg's urging, only to accomplish the same result. "Oh well. If it's really important, I'm sure she'll call again."

"What if there's an akuma loose?"

"Then I'm sure we'll see some sign of a supervillain sooner or later." His voice was listless; Plagg's expression softened and he frowned at his master's distress, exposing microscopic white fangs.

"You could try calling Marinette, you know."

Adrien stared at his phone for a moment, contemplating, before putting it back in his pocket.

"I really wanted to ask her in person. To make it special."

"Then why not ask her at school tomorrow?" the black cat kwami nudged. "You'll still have plenty of time before the dance. Hours, even. You could buy her flowers, make a whole show out of it. Make her feel like the most special girl in the entire school!"

Adrien seemed to perk up a bit. "That's actually not a bad idea."

Adrien turned and made his way back to his house, keeping an eye and an ear out for any signs of Hawk Moths machinations, pondering all the way whether or not Marinette's absence and Ladybug's calls were at all related or if they were merely a coincidence.

He was sick of living a life of coincidences; he was ready for a life of meaning, as well as love, and everything that came with both.

Upon returning home, Marinette went straight to her room and flopped herself onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow. Tikki flew around her head, coming to rest on the pillow beside her friend.

"What's wrong, Marinette?" the doe-eyed kwami inquired in her tiny voice. "You did great tonight."

Marinette rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

"I defeated Hawk Moth's villain, no thanks to Cat Noir, but I missed my chance with Adrien. Again."

It was already almost eleven o'clock at night; she had missed her window to go to Adrien's house and ask him to be her date to the dance tomorrow. She had already tried numerous times that week, but every time that she had the opportunity, something came up that required her to transform into Ladybug and perform her duties as a superhero. After years of putting her personal– and romantic– life on hold for the sake of the greater good, she was beginning to feel burnt out and bitter about the burden that she carried with her at all times.

She stared at her phone screen, her thumb hovering over the picture of Adrien's face in her contact list, but decided against it and tossed her phone to the side. She couldn't call or text Adrien; it was much too late at night, on a school night no less, and she was sure that she'd only be disturbing him. Besides, what would she even say?

Hey Adrien! Sorry for waking you, and I'm sorry this is so last minute and I'm doing it in a super impersonal way, but would you want to go to the dance with me? I know it's short notice and it seems like you're my last choice or last resort or something, but I swear that's not the case. I've actually been in love with you for years and waited until the absolute last minute to do or say anything about it, because I'm an idiot.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. Being the holder of the Miraculous is a lot of responsibility," Tikki squeaked.

"Too much responsibility, if you ask me," Marinette mumbled. Reaching over to her nightstand, she picked up the boutonnière that she had designed and crafted specifically for Adrien; it was a simple red rose with black polka dots, reminiscent of her Ladybug persona, nestled atop wisps of navy blue fern fronds and white baby's breath. Adrien didn't know that she was in love with him yet, but she had planned on telling him at the dance. She trusted him with all of her heart and soul; she knew that, someday, she could entrust her deepest secrets to him, as well.

Four years. She had been pining after Adrien Agreste for four long, lonely years, never once letting him know about her feelings. Now, her last chance to open up to him would be at their senior class end-of-the-year dance. It was the last time that she and Adrien and all of their schoolmates would be together before graduating and going their separate ways. She had run out of time and chances; she had to tell him now or never.

The pint-sized kwami perked up. "You could still ask him tomorrow at school, right?"

Marinette squeezed the boutonnière to her chest.

"I hope so."