Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug

I'll Find You (Or Maybe You'll Find Me)

Bad luck always struck when you least expected it. That's what Adrien had come to learn. Even before he became the symbol of bad luck, Adrien was well aware of the power of chance. Opportunities to give and take, to win and lose, were bountiful in this world, and although Adrien generally counted himself very lucky, misfortune had a way of surprising him.

It was in little ways, sometimes. Stumbling on the sidewalk or a waiter getting his order wrong. But his luck had since worsened over time, degrading slowly in the things that mattered. His mother was gone, his life changed with Plagg's power of destruction; he was constantly and consistently missing the love of his life. And now this.

He had lost Marinette.

Considering that she was practically Lady Luck, Adrien was surprised that they could even lose one another. Paris was busy, certainly, and there was no doubt that the music festival they were headed to would be packed, but he had lost her in the crowds. Not once, but twice.

The first time, they'd been travelling in a crowded subway with hundreds of other subway goers. Embarrassed at being so close together, blushing like the children they were, they had generally avoided eye contact on the ride down, so much so that the next time Adrien glanced over at her, she had been buried in the throng of people. Thankfully, he only needed to call her a couple of times for him to be reunited with her. He could easily recall the initial panic that had coursed through him, the worry that he had lost one of the most precious people in his life to the same people they saved daily.

Now, however, it seemed that they had not learned from their first mistake at all. They'd stumbled out of the subway with the rest of the festival attendees, swept out onto the streets discussing the best way to purchase their tickets. Adrien and Marinette had gotten their festival stamps and, after trying to take a photo together, found out that Marinette's phone had run out of battery. Not even ten minutes had passed before Adrien turned to ask her if she'd like cotton candy when he realized that she had completely disappeared. Again.

God, her parents were going to kill him if they found out that he lost Marinette. Forget the Dupain-Chengs, Alya would have his head on a pike if she found out.

Just the thought of Marinette's best friend had him hurrying to the nearest festival kiosk to ask if they had seen a cute girl with pigtails, a black jacket, and pink pants. Unfortunately, the only answer he got was, "Ah, kid, ain't we all looking for a girl like that?" which was really not the answer Adrien was looking for. He was on his third circuit through the festival when Plagg wiggled up his jacket to hide in his collar.

"You know," Plagg said, "if you'd just held her hand like I suggested, this never would have happened."

"No way."

Adrien felt Plagg's little claws through his black tee. "You flirt it up as Cat Noir, but suddenly you can't even touch her? Talk about a scaredy cat."

"I'm not scared," hissed Adrien, wandering off to the edge of the festival. He thought about climbing a tree and figuring out just how much he could see at that height. When he heard Plagg scoff into his shirt, Adrien amended his statement with, "It's not even the touching that worries me."

"This is why I stick to cheese," mumbled Plagg. "What do you have to be worried about anyway? This is Marinette, Ladybug, the girl you said you've loved since day one!"

And he did love Marinette and Ladybug. The knowledge that they were one and the same was still a strange and wonderful idea, something he was still trying to come to grips with. He was elated, not just because he knew Marinette liked Adrien, but because he knew that Marinette like Cat Noir too. She trusted him with her life every day. But the squirming black doubts in his mind could not be ignored, because yes, Marinette liked him, but they had never tried to be together. She didn't know what dating Adrien Agreste would be like. Adrien had never dated anyone before. He'd mess it up, he knew he would. He was bad luck, after all.

"Marinette is just so amazing, Plagg. What if she got sick of me and just went home?" He adjusted his sunglasses nervously, part of his disguise. So far it had been doing him good. His black hat, sunglasses and dark jacket had effectively transformed him from renowned model Adrien Agreste into an average Parisian citizen. Nobody would think twice about talking to him. The only distinct thing about him was the baby blue scarf wrapped around his neck, the only connection he had left to Marinette at this point, it seemed. "What if she thought I wasn't worth her time and just left? I wouldn't blame her. So far, this hasn't exactly been a very promising first date. She asked me to come, and I've managed to lose her."

Plagg snorted. "You sound so lovesick. Besides, you've seen the pictures in that girl's room. Suffice to say that she thinks you are more than worth her time," he drawled. "You'll find each other eventually. You always do."

Adrien chuckled wryly to himself, Plagg's words unexpectedly renewing some of Adrien's hope. "Always, huh?"

"Cat Noirs and their Ladybugs are always connected," said Plagg, as if it was common sense. "You don't seem to have realized it yet, but you and Marinette have always been able to find each other. Your paths have crossed hundreds of times over the last few years, as superheroes and as civilians. Sure, you might have missed each other a couple of times, but you were never far apart for long. Today won't be any different."

Stunned and surprised at the sincerity, Adrien smiled down at his kwami. "Thanks, Plagg," he said. "That's really optimistic of you to say. I guess destiny really did bring us together."

Placated for now, Adrien continued to eye the festival tents and kiosks, still searching for those familiar pigtails and bright eyes. Plagg, on the other hand, yawned into Adrien's neck. "Destiny, Master Fu," Plagg shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Whatever you want to call it. I'd like to think Ladybug did all the heavy lifting."

Adrien's eyebrows shot up, and he tried not to immediately look at his kwami. "What about me?!" he exclaimed in playful indignation.

Plagg scoffed, completely unapologetic as he said, "Sorry, Adrien, but Marinette really takes the cake on initiative. She's the girl with the plan. If anyone is going to find you, it'll be Marinette. I wouldn't put it past her to be figuring out a way to track you down as we speak."

"So you're saying I should just sit tight and wait for her to find me?"

"Isn't that what you humans are supposed to do when you're lost?" countered Plagg. "Relax, Adrien. She'll be here. I don't think you'll be on your own for much longer. Your luck is better than you think."

Adrien sighed, letting his weight rest on the trunk of a nearby tree. "Losing Marinette twice doesn't sound like very good luck, Plagg." Losing anyone at all didn't sound good, for that matter.

Plagg, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed amidst Adrien's worry. "It's bad luck to you, yeah," he replied lightly, "but I wouldn't worry too much. She'll be here in a second.

Adrien wanted to ask why Plagg felt so confident about it, but the question wasn't necessary. There was a ruffling just above him in the branches, and he was quickly assaulted by the breathless vision of Marinette. Sweet Marinette. He didn't know how many times she'd fallen just for him to catch her. There were plenty of times when she was thrown by akumatized villains, and he needed of snag her out of the sky. There were moments when catching her as she fell was imperative to their success as a team, to their survival. Furthermore, there were times when catching her was simply an interaction between her own clumsiness and his quick reflexes. Catching her, holding her in his arms, saving her from a painful fall, was so ingrained in him that he hardly thought twice when Marinette fell from the heavens and into his arms.

She fit into his hold just as she always did, her weight pressed to his chest as he let out a quiet, "Oof." Her fingers locked around his neck, and she stared up at him with that same wide-eyed expression she always had when he caught her quite by surprise. She hadn't even had time to scream from her descent. Her mouth was open in shock instead, and her eyelashes fluttered prettily before her blue eyes. Adrien stared at her, completely transfixed.

Marinette was the first one to break the silence that hung between them. "Hi," she breathed.

"Hi there," said Adrien, just as in awe of her as she seemed to be of him. How could it be that he'd just saved Marinette, and yet he felt as if Ladybug had just swept him off his feet simply by existing? How could he catch her and yet be the only one swooning?

"Thank you," she said, "for the catch?"

"Anytime." It was bewildering that she could just fall into his arms like that. What were the odds that the tree Adrien had drifted towards would be the one Marinette would be in? And yet, Plagg had all but predicted the moment. She'd find him one way or another. And she had. With more teasing than anything, Adrien added, "My lady, I guess this is the moment you fell for me, huh?"

Marinette blushed brightly, the warmth in her cheeks matching Adrien's. Simply seeing her reaction made him happy, ridiculously so. Maybe he wasn't the only one swooning.

"Listen, kitty," she said softly, the nickname sending a thrill through him, "as much as I would love to stay in your arms, we're sort of in public."

"Mhmm?" If he was in costume, he definitely would be purring.

"And the whole point of your us coming out was to enjoy our time together."

"I always enjoy your company," promised Adrien.

"I enjoy your company too," said Marinette with a hushed laugh, "but to ensure that it's just our company, as in only you and I, then we need to make sure you don't attract attention."

"So?"

"So you're attracting attention."

That gave him pause. Sure enough, when he looked around, he could see a few festival goers looking curiously at them. Adrien had been able to get used to people looking at him fairly easily. Being the son of a famous fashion designer put him in the public eye. Adrien's own life as a model and popular Parisian superhero had ensured that eyes were often on him. However, the whole point of his disguise was that he and Marinette could enjoy the festival with quiet privacy that was theirs and theirs alone.

Adrien had always dreamed of candlelit dinners with Ladybug. He'd fantasized about ice cream dates, carnival dates, dates where they sat on the Eiffel Tower and watched the sunset. Regardless of where they were meant to go, they were always together and enjoying each other's company. That was what he wanted most of all. To just be with her. No distractions, no gawking fans, and no nosy cameras. Marinette was everything.

He quickly put her down, dusting her off and picking out a stray leaf from her hair. People slowly grew disinterested and walked away, paying their attention elsewhere while Adrien tried to clean up Marinette's appearance. Marinette stayed still, allowing him to straighten her jacket and untangle the remnants of the tree from her outfit. "What were you doing," he said, "way up there?"

"Trying to find you," she said sheepishly, "although I guess I didn't need to. You came to me." Marinette smiled at him warmly before adding, "and I just completely fell on you." A frown and the accompanying groan worked its way past her good mood. "Just my luck. I'm so sorry."

"Your luck isn't bad," said Adrien immediately.

Marinette wasn't having that, though. "I'm generally a very unlucky person," she said seriously. "We wouldn't want any of my bad luck getting us separated again."

"Your bad luck?" He shouldn't have been surprised by it. Marinette was an incredibly kind person who would be the type to blame herself for something so small. And Adrien refused to have her thinking so negatively of herself, of her luck. Good and pure Marinette-luck was what had brought them together in the first place. In fact, the reason they worked so well was likely thanks to their good luck and bad luck worked off one another in tandem, pulling them apart only to ensure they were brought back together. "If anyone's luck is getting us lost, it's mine, but it doesn't matter. Your good luck will have us back together in no time. I have no doubt about it."

"Really?" Marinette eyed him curiously. "You sure about that?"

"Absolutely, but just to be sure," Adrien hooked his hand in hers once he was satisfied with her appearance, "maybe we should stay like this from now on. So we don't get lost, of course," he added quickly. "We wouldn't want to leave this all up to chance."

Marinette's replying smile was shy. "Of course," agreed Marinette. Adrien could hear Plagg snickering from his hiding place, but he didn't comment on it.

"Shall we carry on with the festival, my lady?" Adrien squeezed at their intertwined hands affectionately. "I'm looking forward to spending this time with you."

"Me too." Marinette's cheery smile returned in full this time, happier than ever, and Adrien felt that familiar warmth in his chest that he associated with love return to him. "Let's go."