I would like to thank A True Hufflepuff 13 and Master_Malice from archiveofourown for beta reading my story. They keep me motivated and truly help to take this story to the next level.

4/24/18

It was a normal mid-summer day at the Parisian zoo. Gleeful children bounced their way from exhibit to exhibit with weary eyed parents hopelessly following along. The animals played, slumbered, and even sat, watching, as the onlookers peered in, catching a glimpse of the redundancy of their lives. People ate, pictures were snapped, and bountiful laughter filled the air spreading like a ripple, dancing gracefully in the wind.

But to one dark skinned, brown eyed man, this day was anything but normal. His insides buzzed and his ears thrummed with the sound of his own overly pounding heartbeat. It was a funny feeling, being able to keenly notice everything in the world around you. But that was how it was for Nino Lahiffe, standing in front of the entry gate, a gentle breeze ruffling his, for once, hat free hair. He could see the twinkling of the sun as it pranced atop the glistening pond and reflected within the eyes of the children all around. He could clearly smell the savory sweetness of the corn dogs and funnel cakes that permeated the air. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard two girls begin to laugh directly behind him.

He felt feverish. It was a warm day, yet he had a cold sweat.

So much planning and preparation had gone into this moment, and now the only thing he wanted to do was run. There was no way that he would be able to pull this off.

I can't do this.

I CAN'T do this.

I CAN'T DO THIS!

"Dude, you look you're about to pass out. Are you okay?" A pair of firm hands gripped his shoulders, inquisitive green eyes meeting his. Am I okay? Of course I'm not okay. I'm about to propose to my freaking girlfriend. How could I possibly be okay?

Adrien easily read the turmoil within his best friend's eyes and offered him a knowing grin, "Just breathe. You have got this in the bag. Besides, Marinette and I will be here the whole time to help you along the way."

Nino could do that. Surely he could do that!

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

"Oh my gosh! What is that pungent smell?" Marinette teased, seemingly coming out of nowhere, wrapping her arm across the dark haired boy's shoulders, even though Adrien's hands were still placed upon them. "Don't tell me that you are wearing Adrien, the fragrance." She mused with a dorky smile plastered on her face.

That did it. All of his nervousness vanished away as he remembered the utter failure that Adrien's scent had been. A disaster, Nino grinned.

Everyone had been so excited after that ridiculous ad had been released. The scent was everywhere. However, just as quickly as it had become a thing, it had rightfully fled the scene. The smell was too strong, and everyone had quickly become sick of the disgustingly intense aroma.

It had been years since Nino had given Adrien a hard time over this particular blunder, and there was no way that he was going to pass up on this chance now.

"Radiant," Nino began, smirk firmly planted on his lips, mischievousness glinting in his eyes.

"Carefree," Marinette continued in a singsong voice, battering her eyelids.

"Dreamy," the two joined in together, staring longingly into Adrien's eyes.

"Adrien, the fragrance," they crooned, bursting their arms through the air in imitation of fireworks exploding.

Adrien went crimson. His mind opened a vault taking him back to that scent.

That SCENT! He remembered that very smell from the night before.

No wonder it had irked him, filled him with a sense of dread. But who had been wearing his name brand fragrance? It certainly hadn't been Marinette. Come to think of it, it hadn't been Chloe or even her boyfriend. That left only person, Adrien realized. She had hardly been noticed, a backdrop not meant to be seen.

However, Marinette had seen her. She had told him that she thought the girl was strange. But he hadn't believed her. He had brushed her concerns to the side.

"Dude, are you okay?" Nino questioned tensely. "It was just a joke. You look like you're about to freak out."

"Nino!" Alya cried, rushing into his arms, knocking Adrien out of the way, only having just arrived from her detour to the bathroom. "You won't believe who I saw this morning!"

Marinette stood in front of her, narrowing her eyes in disapproval, as if she was worried about what Alya was about to say - daring her speak.

"I never promised I wouldn't tell my friends," Alya pouted, sticking her tongue out at Marinette. "Especially my boyfriend."

"Let me guess," Nino intercepted. "You saw Ladybug."

"How did you know?" Alya's voice squeaked as she pulled Nino closer. He couldn't have known. She hadn't told anybody besides Marinette.

"Lucky guess," his gentle voice soothed as he lifted his hand bopping Alya on the nose. "There's only one person, besides hopefully me, that could get my girl so excited at just having to simply be seen."

()

A few minutes later, after Adrien had come up with a lame excuse of an exhibit that he was just dying for Marinette to see, he and Marinette found themselves seated uncomfortably behind a bush in order to 'secretly' watch the upcoming scene. It was the first time all day that they had been alone together, and Adrien couldn't think of a single thing to say.

His mind was filled with the scent and the fact that he had so carelessly dismissed Marinette's concerns. Clearly she had been on to something. No normal fan would still be wearing that horrific fragrance. But what did it mean? Was she just an extremely devoted follower, or even worse- could she actually like the perfume? Marinette seemed to think that the girl had ill intentions and now Adrien wondered if she was right.

There was also the fact that the something was obviously bothering Marinette. She had seemed fine to him at first, making fun of his fragrance in such an adorable way that he couldn't even be mad. But ever since Alya had arrived, something had changed. Marinette's playful demeanor had immediately been replaced by a seriousness that he couldn't explain. Could it have been the fact that Alya had seen Ladybug? Was Marinette not a fan?

It was true, now that he thought about it, that Marinette never seemed to be around when Ladybug had been, but could it really have been because she didn't like the superheroine?

No. Adrien quickly shook that thought out of his head. Marinette was too kind, and too keen on justice to have disliked Ladybug. There had to be some other reason to explain the drastic change in her behavior. Certainly she was annoyed that Alya's mind was preoccupied with someone other than Nino. She had even said so, basically demanding that Alya forget about the reemergence of her idol to focus on the people that were around her instead.

But then there was that other possibility. The one constantly toying with his mind. It was a recurring dream, a song that he couldn't get out of his head. An idea so simple, yet so impossible that he couldn't bring himself to believe.

What if Marinette…

Adrien hadn't noticed her moving closer until her hand was on his face. His breath hitched and he found himself lost in her touch, his focus solely on her. He peered into her eyes, every hint of her earlier annoyance completely erased. She was beautiful. Absolutely inexplicable.

He leaned into her touch, savoring the warmth of her caressing palm pressed against his face. It was all so new. The touches. The embraces. It was electrifying yet comforting just like watching your favorite movie for the thousandth time.

"You know," Marinette hummed, absentmindedly closing the gap between them. "I don't think I have ever seen you with facial hair before."

The newly grown stubble scratched against her fingers, but she didn't care. She hadn't noticed it at first, but now that Marinette had a chance to really look at him, she couldn't peel her eyes away.

Her tingling fingers brushed against Adrien's newly grown, dirty blonde stubble as her heart beat erratically. They studied every inch of his perfectly sculpted jawline. There were no empty patches and no hair out of place.

"Crap," Adrien muttered, jerking his hand to his reddening cheek. "I forgot to shave."

"You should forget to shave more often," Marinette blurted, unable to hide the blush those rose to her face.

How could he have gotten even more handsome?

Adrien was perfect in Marinette's eyes. But this new, unexpected look on Adrien made him look rugged yet somehow even more refined. He looked older, no longer sporting the baby face of his high school days, and Marinette liked it. She really liked it.

"Alya," Nino's voice cut through the bush immediately making Marinette pull her hand away.

Nino must have continued speaking, as Marinette remained focused on him, but Adrien didn't hear one word. His cheek felt cold and empty with the sudden absence of Marinette's hand. Adrien lifted his own hand, placing it where Marinette's had been, longing for her touch once again. He looked at Marinette, confused, she had liked his scruff? He had been taught to always look his best. Being clean cut was at the top of the list. But Marinette actually wanted him to skip shaving? It surely would be easier on him, and hey, if it made Marinette fondle his face, then he wouldn't mind.

Alya's laughter pierced through Adrien's reverie bringing him back to the task at hand. Reluctantly, he shifted his attention to the couple that was currently standing only a few feet away.

"I still can't believe Ladybug and Chat Noir actually locked us up in that cage," Alya hooted. "Sometimes, they really did have strange ideas on how to keep people safe."

"Yea, and they weren't always successful either," Nino somberly stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

Quick to defend her idol, Alya quickly retorted, "What do you mean? How could you say that?"

Nino's face darkened. This was not going like he had planned. "I-I mean they always managed to save the day in the end, but there were sometimes close calls. It's not like it ultimately mattered, but there is still one instance that I will never forget. I never told you about it, because I didn't think that it really mattered, but now that I think about it, it meant everything."

Nino hesitated, intaking one last deep breath. This would be the perfect segway leading up to what he had planned to say. No more stalling. No more fear.

"Alya," he began in a tender yet serious voice, "when I got zombified by zombizou, it wasn't an accident." Nino reaching forward, taking both of Alya's hands into his. "Actually, it was just the opposite," he smiled with newfound confidence. "You were infected first, and I had the choice to leave you, but I didn't; I couldn't."

Alya raised her brow, unsure of where this was going.

"Instead," Nino went on, speaking slower and more refined, "I opened my arms wide knowing that it wasn't the first time that we had been in trouble together." He leaned in, faces inches apart, "And I honestly hoped that it wouldn't be our last. I'm telling you this because I want you to know that I will never leave you when things are looking rough. I will stay by your side through thick and thin. If you fall, I will be there to pick you up. When you are sick, I will be there to nurse you, even if that means I will get sick myself."

"What I am trying to say is," Nino continued as he knelt down on one knee. "Alya will you…"

"LADYBUG IS BACK!" A small girl, no older than the age of eight, hollered, sprinting past the unsuspecting couple.

Alya's eyes opened wide, mouth suddenly dry. She hadn't released that photo. She had kept quiet, for Ladybug's sake. How could that girl know? What had she seen?

Ignoring Nino, who was now pretending to tie his shoe, Alya pulled out her phone, fingers in a hurry, trying desperately to get that important bit of information on her screen. Then, there it was, a crude picture and hastily written article. It hadn't been her own doing, that much was certainly clear.

Bile rising, teeth gnashing in hate, Alya shrieked, "How could someone do this? This was my story! Marinette told me to wait and look what happens! This is even worse than the article that I had wanted to publish. They think… they think that Ladybug couldn't handle seeing her partner getting all of the attention. There is no way that is true." She looked up from her phone, face red with anger. "If you're going to invade someone's privacy, you should at least be nice about it. Or even attempt in get your facts straight."

Marinette's face was ashen and her stomach churned uncontrollably as she watched the nightmarish scene unfolding before her. She had just ruined Nino's proposal. Not directly, but it was her fault nonetheless. Honestly, no matter which way she looked at it, this was all her doing. If only she had picked a more private venue for Nino to propose. If she hadn't been so careless when she had been transformed. If she hadn't stopped Alya from posting her article. All of this could have been avoided if she only...

"Hey," Adrien grabbed her arm, turning her to face him, "this is not your fault."

Marinette bowed her head, unable to meet his gaze, "I-I really screwed up."

"No, you didn't." Adrien claimed as he gently placed his hand on the side of her face, embedding his fingers into her hair and rubbing gently. "You couldn't have known that someone besides Alya had gotten a photograph of Ladybug. You did the right thing. You should never ever let someone else's poor decisions make you feel like you have done something wrong. That's on them. Not you."

His eyes flicked over to observe the aftermath of his friend's failed attempt. Nino was standing, shoulders slumped, in obvious defeat as Alya rambled on about the loss of integrity of reporters nowadays and how she would have to find Ladybug in order to get the real story behind her miraculous return.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," Adrien huffed, quickly pulling his hand away. "I have to get Nino out of this situation. I'll see you tomorrow, I hope."

And with that, the blonde swiftly whisked away like a prince going to save his damsel in distress. Marinette had to grin as the image of Nino in a dress flashed through her mind, but her merriment quickly diminished as she remembered exactly why he was suffering in the first place.

"It's more my fault than you realize," she whispered to herself, wishing that Adrien was still by her side, hoping that someday he would understand

()

Adrien had no idea how to comfort his friend. Ever since he had basically dragged Nino out of the zoo, Nino had barely said a single word. Adrien hadn't known what to say on the car ride to his mansion, so he had driven in silence. As soon as he parked, Nino bolted out of the car and into the house. By the time Adrien made it to his room, Nino already had a bowl full of snacks and had turned on his favorite video game.

Clearly sensing that Nino wasn't in the mood to talk, Adrien headed towards his dresser in search of more comfortable clothing. If he was going to spend all evening gaming with Nino, then he sure as heck wasn't going to do it in his jeans.

That's strange. Adrien was almost sure he had left his underwear drawer open, but now it was unmistakably closed. Had Plagg closed it? Nathalie? Probably not. He shrugged his shoulders as he slipped on a comfortable pair of gray sweatpants. He must have closed the drawer before he left his room, never having been one to leave drawers open.

Now comfily clad, Adrien joined Nino on the couch, tossing him a blanket. "You're so going down, Lahiffe. Let's get this show on the road!"

"Game on, bro."

Many games and empty soda cans later, Nino sat, as he had all evening, wrapped up like a baby swaddled for sleep.

Adrien knew he should say something, to offer words of wisdom, to pour out sage advice, but no matter what he thought of, he couldn't bring the words out of his mouth. It was driving him crazy, not knowing how to comfort his friend, but maybe, hopefully, just being there would be enough just like it had always been for him.

Nino had always been there for Adrien and no glamorous words were ever needed.

After Adrien had learned about his father's villainous hobbies, Nino had been the only one to notice that something was wrong. Instead of pestering Adrien for the details of his his strife, Nino had simply stated, "I'm here for ya bro," and proceeded to spend nearly every waking moment with his best friend.

No words were ever shared about what had been bothering Adrien, but they didn't have to be. Just having Nino by his side, knowing that he would support him through anything, was enough to help Adrien pull through. He had been Adrien's raft, carefully and safely carrying him down the rapids that had overtaken Adrien's life.

If it hadn't been for Nino's encouraging presence, Adrien wasn't even sure if he would have ever gathered the courage to face his long time partner again. Nino had kept him from wallowing in self pity, and Adrien would do the same thing for him, too.

"She loves Ladybug more than me!" Nino wailed, effectively breaking the silence. Adrien jumped at the sudden loudness barely managing to keep his drink from flying out of his hands. Think of self pity, and it will come.

"All of my dreams with Alya are shattered," Nino grumbled somewhat hysterically with his face in his hands. He continued to ramble, but Adrien could not understand hardly a word that was said. Somewhere between "Ladybug" and "old and alone," Adrien decided that he would listen to no more of this. It wasn't like Alya had turned Nino down. She had just been too distracted to actually notice that he was proposing. There would be another chance. They would just have to come up with something else.

"Snap out of it," Adrien demanded, shaking Nino's shoulders. "Talking like that isn't going to help. You just have to think about another way to propose."

"That's the problem," Nino lamented. "That was it. That was supposed to be the big shabang! I don't have any other ideas. Besides, what else would I say? I worked for weeks on that speech."

Nino had point, Adrien thought. They had sculpted the perfect plan, and anything else would almost seem second rate. But he couldn't allow that to happen. There had to be another way. Obviously proposing in public places would be out of the question, and proposing at home would be too cliche.

Adrien also knew that the sooner Nino got this over with the better. The longer he waited, the more anxious he would become.

Nino twiddled his thumbs, a single tear slipping down his cheek, "I just want to do something special - to make it something that she will never forget."

Adrien's phone buzzed on his lap. Glancing down, he saw a message from Marinette.

[Marinette: How's Nino? I've got Alya at my place. She's spending the night. Still oblivious.]

Alya was with Marinette. Adrien could work with that. In fact, this news worked quite to his advantage.

[Adrien: Not so great, but thanks to you I think I have an idea.]

Adrien grinned, slipping his phone into his pocket as he stood, extending his hand.

"C'mon, get up," Adrien smirked as he pulled Nino, reluctantly, to his feet, "I have a plan."

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