Staring at the screen of her phone, Chloé sighs.

Two days.

It has been two long days since she heard from Adrien. Some time ago, she would have already tried to call him, to send him messages, to knock at the door of his room. Because given the events, she would have expected him to try to reach her.

But nothing.

Not the slightest answer, not the smallest sign of life.

Normally, Chloé would have worried about this silence. But barely two days ago, Adrien's world changed.

At a party, he found Ladybug. Marinette. The girl who made his heart beat since day one and whose identity he had not known until then.

Glaring at her phone, Chloé clicks her tongue in irritation. sits down on the edge of her bed and opens her phone with a quick gesture. Her perfectly manicured nails click on the screen surface as the young woman she expertly scrolls through the list of her favourite contacts. And finally, her gaze falls on the name she was looking for.

Nino Lahiffe.

The only person besides her who can know exactly what is happening to her childhood friend.

Chloé presses the young man's name on the screen and brings her phone to her ear. The ringtone barely has time to ring when Nino picks up.

"Nino, this is Chloé. Do you have any news from Adrien?" Says the young woman without further preambles.

"As much as you, I suppose?" Immediately replied his friend. "A message at the end of the party at Alya's and nothing since."

Chloé stifles an annoyed growl. She feels like she is being pushed aside by her childhood friend - rightly so, no offense to her ego.

And she hates it.

"And Alya, by the way?" She exclaims, triumphantly snapping her fingers. "She may have news from Marinette."

"Except that she just called me on the same subject as you", sighs Nino. "So no, it's silence on her side too."

"Okay, I've had enough", suddenly explodes Chloé, losing patience. "We gave them two days, that's more than enough! "

"Chloé...", begins Nino.

But before the young man has time to add even one more word, Chloé hangs up. Just as quickly, she calls another contact from her phone.

"Adrien", she says as soon as her interlocutor answers, "Are you free this afternoon? "

In less time than it takes to say it, Chloe organizes a meeting with her four friends.

A little later in the day, she meets Nino and Alya on the terrace of a cafe. They showed remarkable punctuality, unlike Marinette and Adrien. Faithful to her old faults, the young woman is hopelessly late. And visibly, her habit of systematically missing the hour of the slightest appointment rubbed off on her former teammate.

For long minutes, Chloé, Alya and Nino wait for them in vain. They wait, wait and wait again.

And when Chloé is about to call Adrien to tell him exactly what she thinks of those who have the audacity to waste her time, the two former heroes finally arrive. Hand in hand, red cheeks and short of breath from having run, they rush towards the terrace where their friends await them.

"Sorry", Marinette apologizes in a panting voice.

Letting go of her companion's hand, the young woman hastily pulls a chair towards her and drops heavily on it.

"We did not see what time it was," added Adrien, settling down next to her.

Ignoring Nino and Alya's indulgent smiles and Chloé's falsely annoyed sigh, he reaches out to Marinette and intertwines his fingers with hers again. Nino and Chloé exchange a knowing look, noting the appearance of their friend.

Adrien's metamorphosis is astounding.

The melancholic young man he was since the discovery of his father's betrayal seems to have disappeared, replaced by a boy who literally radiates happiness. The corners of his lips perpetually curve upwards, as if he couldn't stop smiling, and his green eyes twinkle with incredulous glee as he gazes at Marinette.

His teammate leans toward him, lightly touches his shoulder with her free hand and whispers a few words in his ear. Immediately, the young man bursts into a frank and clear laugh which delights the hearts of his friends. For them, the contrast with who Adrien was some time ago could not be more striking. It's been years since they saw him in such a radiant mood.

"So," Alya begins happily, suddenly drawing the attention of her two friends. "Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Turning her gaze to her, Marinette flushes slightly, while Adrien mechanically scratches the back of his head.

"Yes," he confirms with a slight smile. "It was us, from the start. "

"And you never suspected anything?" Alya continues with an indulgent little smile. "Not even for a second? Regarding your respective identities, I mean. "

"Not at all", Marinette confesses, giving Adrien a contrite look. "Yet I'm probably the one who knows Chat Noir the best. Well, apart from his kwami, maybe," she adds with a small shrug. "But I never thought he and Adrien could be the same person. "

"If it's any consolation, I never suspected anything about you either, my Lady", answers his teammate with a knowing wink.

Nino can't help but smile when she sees Marinette's expression light up at the affectionate nickname her partner gives her. The young woman delicately flushes and gives Adrien a look so full of tenderness that there is no doubt about what she feels for him.

Suddenly, Adrien's lips curved into a mischievous smile. Marinette raises a suspicious eyebrow, opens her mouth in an attempt to prevent a potential linguistic disaster, but the young man is faster.

"And you have extenuating circumstances", continues Adrien with a small laugh. "Because I have to admit my heroic self was much more... eye-cat-ching."

Marinette shakes her head from right to left, while letting out an annoyed grunt.

"I can not even believe that you manage to say such a thing without dying of shame", she finally resumes, rolling her eyes, while Adrien frankly bursts out of laughter.

"Training, my Lady, training", he replies with a goofy smile. "That's the secret."

"And a total lack of dignity?" adds Marinette in a mocking tone that contradicts the affectionate expression which appears on her face.

"Exactly", retorts Adrien, proudly raising his chin.

"I'm not sure that's a good thing, kitty," she laughs, reaching out her hand to ruffle his hair.

Disheveled in this way, Adrien now displays a more striking resemblance than ever to his heroic alter-ego. Nino and Alya watch this false dispute with amusement, instinctively guessing that the conversation in front of them offers all the characteristics of the dynamic between Chat Noir and Ladybug.

Marinette and Adrien bicker gently for a few more minutes before Chloé loses patience again.

It's not that she doesn't like to see Adrien happy, on the contrary. But she didn't give him an appointment to watch him flirt with the one who is clearly his new girlfriend.

"So", she says abruptly, "you spent years moping on your own when you were so close to each other..."

"Chloé...", sighs Nino, while Marinette and Adrien's smiles suddenly freeze.

"What? It's true !" She protests, crossing her arms in a defensive gesture. "If Adrien told Alya that he was Chat Noir or if Marinette talked to one of us to have, everything would have been sorted out years ago. Or better yet, "she continues, returning her attention to the two former heroes. "If you had told yourself who you were from the start, it would have been much easier ..."

"Chloé, do you know the principle of a secret identity?" Exclaims Marinette in an annoyed voice.

"It was far from being so easy," adds Adrien, instinctively squeezing his partner's hand in his. "We had to protect our friends, our family... We couldn't risk you becoming Hawkmoth's targets because of us."

"I still find it hard to believe that you have teamed up for years without even knowing your first names", Chloé continues with a haughty little snort. " If I had been in your shoes..."

"Which was not the case", Alya authoritatively interrupts her.

"We both agreed on that", continues Adrien in a calm voice, cutting short the start of the argument. "We didn't know anything about our secret identities and we worked very well like that, which is the main thing. "

"Even if things would surely be different if it had to be done again", Marinette completes, turning slightly to Adrien.

The two former heroes exchange a look full of meaning that hardly escapes their friends. This point is obviously a sensitive subject for them, or at least, something that they have certainly discussed at length over the past few days.

Nino suddenly feels like the atmosphere getting slightly darker.

In front of him, Marinette's face tightens so subtly that he could almost believe his imagination is playing tricks on him. He thinks he sees embarrassment in it. Shame. Guilt, probably.

But before he has time to ask himself more questions, Adrien gives Marinette a bright smile. Her face immediately lights up and this feeling of heaviness which worried Nino vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"If I had known who you were, I would have had a lot less problems at the time," says Adrien in a teasing voice, looking at Marinette. "Do you remember the time I was punished for being caught by a teacher in the girls' locker room? Empty locker room, just in case," he adds with a wink.

Marinette frowns, obviously puzzled. But at the same time, an incident comes back to Nino's memory.

"The time you were punished by your father for 15 days?" He intervenes mechanically.

"Exactly", Adrien approves with a broad smile, as Marinette's hitherto thoughtful expression suddenly lights up, indicating without a doubt that she too remembers that day. "I was hiding because I was about to transform and a certain Marinette was coming in the hallway where I was hiding..."

Marinette's lips rounds in a silent "o" of surprise. Her huge blue eyes scan Adrien's face as if seeing it for the first time and her cheeks flush slightly.

Obviously, she had never thought of the fact that their desire to keep their identity a secret could have such consequences.

"And the day I disappeared for a little too long, when there was this akuma who was able to summon seafood?" , Continues Adrien cheerfully under the amused gaze of his friends. "Do you remember, my Lady? He almost choked me under a mountain of shrimp. "

Marinette nods briefly, encouraging Adrien to continue.

"I was late because I locked myself in an old school closet and got stuck," resumes the young man, smiling. "Old closet in which I hid to avoid being seen by one of my classmates... A very cute girl, with big blue eyes and hair tied in pigtails..."

This time, Marinette brings her hands to her mouth, trying to contain a burgeoning laughter. Her gaze sparkles with joy as she discovers with manifest pleasure the improbable anecdotes of her teammate.

"Ok, you got a point, kitty", she finally says. "But it was not always easy for me either", she continues, pointing an accusing finger at the young man. "Once, I had to change my hiding place four times because a certain Adrien Chat Noir Agreste kept bothering me when I wanted to transform! FOUR! "She concludes, dramatically extending her hand in front of her, four fingers raised to illustrate her point.

"Yes, I remember!" Exclaims Adrien, laughing. "Oh, this day... I thought it would never end!"

For a few more minutes, Adrien and Marinette delight their friends with more or less improbable stories from the time when they were still heroes. The mood is light, but Nino can't help but notice the nostalgic smile that sometimes appears on his friends' lips. Each time, it's brief, furtive. An expression that is not as radiant as it should be. A hesitation, a sentence interrupted too soon. A hand that Marinette brings to her ears, a thumb that Adrien mechanically rubs against the finger on which he once wore a ring.

But to Nino's great relief, the pleasure of being reunited remains visibly the strongest for the former heroes. The shadows that sometimes appear on their faces are only fleeting, and are quickly replaced by knowing smiles fortunately much more durable.

The conversation continues and suddenly, Nino notices that Alya only responds absent-mindedly to the remarks that fuse from both sides of the table. She mechanically drums her fingers on the armrest of her chair, her gaze fixed on the joined hands of Adrien and Marinette.

Immediately, a smile emerges on the lips of the young DJ.

There are only a few things that Alya cares about more than talking about Chat Noir and Ladybug. But among these, Marinette and Adrien's love life undoubtedly hold a preponderant place.

"Soooo, you two?" Suddenly says Alya, clearly determined to bring the conversation on a more juicy field. "From what I see, your reunion was... interesting?"

"Alya!" Marinette exclaims, blushing violently.

Nino cannot help but laugh. Marinette always blushed easily, especially in Adrien's presence. And clearly, the fact that their relationship is now well beyond the stage of mere friendship has done nothing to help matters.

"What?" Alya replies in a falsely innocent tone. "I ask about my best friend's love life, nothing strange about that. "

"Oh, come on!" Intervenes Chloé with an exasperated sigh. "We all know they're dating. Adrien is completely crazy about Ladybug and Marinette has been in love with Adrien since we were in middle school. "

"Not to mention the fact that Marinette has developed unspoken feelings for Chat Noir", completes Alya mischievously.

"And that I always suspected Adrien to have a little crush on Marinette", adds Nino with a big smile.

The deep red that appears on Marinette's cheeks immediately spreads, descending delicately down her neck to linger until her collarbones. Beside her, Adrien flushes in his turn, but his eyes sparkle with such incredulous happiness that Nino does not feel the slightest scruple in having teased his friend in this way.

"'Feelings for Chat Noir'?" Adrien murmurs with a shy smile, while leaning towards his former teammate.

"'A little crush on Marinette'?" She whispers in the same tone.

"A BIG crush", corrects Adrien while bringing his companion's hand to his lips to place a hand kiss worthy of the great days of Chat Noir.

Marinette lets out a crystalline laugh, obviously delighted by the affectionate attentions of the one who is so dear to her heart.

"You are so cute!" Alya sighs, just as Chloé says a "You are so ridiculous..." that her amused smile contradicts.

Weeks go by and Marinette and Adrien remain inseparable. It becomes impossible to see them without each other and quickly their names become as indissociable as those of their heroic alter egos.

Chat Noir and Ladybug. Adrien and Marinette.

Two same people, who have finally found each other after years of wandering.

If Nino accepts with disconcerting ease the fact that Marinette was Ladybug, it takes a little longer for Chloé to tame the idea that her former rival was the heroine of Paris. Then, after a while, she finally got used to this new reality.

Of course, she knows for sure that she will always refuse to admit that she continues to admire Ladybug now that she knows who was hiding behind her mask. But she has to admit that with or without the mask, Marinette nonetheless continues to save one of the people most dear to her.

Because Marinette does Adrien a lot of good.

It's obvious. Her very presence seems to chase away the shadows that were still lurking in the confines of his tired mind, to give him back the breath that he missed so much during his years of suffering. To make him want to enjoy life, finally.

The days go by and Nino and Chloé have less and less news from their friend.

But for the first time in a long time, that doesn't worry them too much. Adrien is a fulfilled lover. A ray of sunshine embodied on Earth, radiating with such happiness that his joie de vivre is now contagious.

And, one morning, Adrien calls his two friends to let them know of his intention to finally move out of his hotel room. After a long reflection, he found a place to move into and he wants to show it to them before settling there permanently.

It only takes a few minutes for the three friends to set an appointment and barely a few days later, Nino and Chloé meet Adrien in front of a building located in the neighborhood next to Marinette's. Teasing their host about this relative coincidence, they happily visit the place.

The apartment on which Adrien has fixed his choice is far from new, but it has an undeniable charm. Chloé admires the mouldings on the ceiling with an appreciative click of the tongue, while Nino lets out an admiring whistle as he discovers the size of the apartment.

"Is it me or is there plenty of room for two people in this apartment?" says Nino with a knowing wink. "Did you forget to tell us about something?"

"Oh!" Exclaims Chloé immediately.

Interrupting her visit, she returns to Adrien with a brisk step. She stands in front of him, fists on her hips, and lifts her head to look at him straight in the eyes.

"Does Marinette moves on with you?" She asks him in an imperious voice.

Adrien's face lights up with that smile of pure happiness that appears on his lips every time someone says the young woman's first name. But still, he slowly shakes his head in denial.

"No", he replies softly. "Not yet. It's still too soon. "

While his friends stare at him perplexedly, the young man mechanically runs his hand over the back of his head.

"We have already discussed it and we are completely in agreement on the subject", he resumes in a calm voice. "We're not ready. The last few years have been... "

Adrien pauses long enough to let out a slight sigh.

"The situation is still a bit complicated, as much for me as for her", he continues with a slight shrug. "I'm not talking about the two of us, but about everything we've been through on our own. So many things have happened... We prefer not to rush anything. We're going to take our time, it's better that way. "

"But everything is going well between you two? " Immediately asks Chloé.

Chloé ignores the indignant look that Nino gives her. Too bad if she lacks diplomacy, Adrien's well-being comes first. And Ladybug or not Ladybug, she won't hesitate to personally kick Marinette's butt if she ever hurts her childhood friend.

But obviously, Chloé's fears are far from founded. A smile of blissful happiness lights up Adrien's face again.

"Everything is going wonderfully well", he reassures her with a warm smile. "Marinette is extraordinary. She's brave, funny, smart... She's absolutely perfect. Even if she's way too clumsy for her own good, "he adds with a chuckle, obviously thinking of one or more anecdotes he doesn't deign to share with his friends. "In any case, one thing is certain," he concludes with infinite tenderness, "I love her. I really do. She's the love of my life. "

Nino and Chloé look briefly at each other. They do not remember ever having seen Adrien so fulfilled, even at the time when he was still unaware that Hawkmoth was his father.

"And are... are you happy?" Chloé asks hesitantly, although the answer is obvious.

Adrien glances at her, surprised, as if he had forgotten that this word existed.

Then, slowly, an ecstatic smile appears on his lips. A manifestation of pure happiness, which leaves no doubt about what he feels now.

"Yes", he answers finally. "Yes, I'm happy. "

*** THE END ***

Notes:

Well, that's the end of this version of Breathless seen by Nino and Chloé :). I had a lot of fun writing a variant of the main story with the point of vue of other characters! It was the first time I did something like this and I'm happy, I've been wanting to try this kind of story for a long time ! Besides, as I almost always write my fics from Marinette and / or Adrien's point of view, it was nice to be able to give their friends' point of view! And I really like the Nino and Chloé's dynamic so it was really fun to imagine them bickering over how to help Adrien at best.

I spent my time rereading Breathless at the same time as I was writing Beyond the ocean to try to avoid big inconsistencies and I tried to bring new things compared to the main story (It's my main fear: trying to write a story with a main plot that anyone who has already read Breathless already knows, without it being uninteresting ^^' ). Anyway, I hope you liked it!

See you next time !

And as a reminder, Breathless has 3 side stories:

- Under her skin

- Beyond the ocean

- Monday, 3 pm (which I have not yet translated)