He woke up dizzy lying on his back. He blinked up at the night sky for a moment and couldn't quite remember why he had fallen asleep outside. There were stars. Not too many. It was too bright this close to the city for a real spread of stars but enough to be pretty. What had happened came back in fragments, the pink lightning and the press of the crowd and Ladybug yelling his name.
He sat up and blinked at the garden. Nothing hurt which probably meant she had already put everything back together. No shards of marble, no distant screaming.
"You idiot," she said and he tilted his head back to grin at her. He was sitting on the ground with his feet stretched out in front of him like a little kid.
"It worked, didn't it?" he said.
"He threw you, I heard you hit the statue, it broke into bits but couldn't see you. I thought you were hurt," she said. She was standing over him with her hands on her hips and her lips a tight line.
"I probably was hurt. Did I at least strike a good pose or was it something cliche and terrible? If I have to be possessed by an Akuma, I'd like to at least be purrty," he said holding out a hand so she could help him up.
"Idiot," she said.
She took his hand and pulled him up. In the same movement, she wrapped her arms around him. He tensed and jumped but she didn't let go so he tightened his arms around her and held on. He kissed her hair and her temple and her forehead. It was as much to remind himself that he already knew what he wanted as it was to try and comfort her.
"Stupid cat," she said but now her voice was muffled against his chest.
"I am that," he said, "I also need to go back. I'll text you when I get home. You can come over and tell me how dumb I am for hours if you want."
"Shut up," she said.
He held onto her a little bit longer. Liam was lying in the grass on the other side of the statue. There were literally hundreds of other people running around the grounds. He was worried about Marinette. He needed to find his father before a search party was sent out.
But all those things could wait. He held onto Ladybug and let her tell him how he was stupid and reckless while she pressed against him.
"Can I trust you not to throw yourself in front of a bus in a heroic gesture before you get home?" she asked.
"You're the only person I'd jump in front of a bus for, so don't lie in the middle of the road and I won't have to stop any vehicles to save you," he said.
"You did not need to take a lightning strike to the chest to save me either," she said taking a half step back and glaring at him.
"Some risks are worth taking, you can do things I can't. One of us was going to get hit at that range. He was too close and he was going to get that shot off. It was better that it hit me. And I am fine. Stop looking at me like that," he said leaning in until his nose touched hers.
She reached up and put her finger in on his nose. She glared a little harder and he pursed his lips at her. She pushed him back out of her space. He was laughing the entire time.
"You're the one who's always calling me My Lady, escort me back to my castle then," she said.
"This is your castle? Impawsive. Here I thought it belonged to some historical society," he said.
He took her arm and walked with her back through the gardens. The people in their fancy gowns and now rumbled tuxedos were all headed back toward the building as well. Chat kept an eye out for his father or for Marinette or even for Gorilla. There was going to be video and pictures up on the internet of the two of them walking together. The idea of that made him smile.
"Until the next time, My Lady," he said with a bow when they reached the path that led around the building.
She put a finger on his chin to tilt his face down and kissed him. Soft and fast. Then she was gone, swinging away toward the rooftops. He just stared after her for too long. There were people everywhere here. He flashed them all a huge grin and then snapped open the baton to get him back to the second floor balcony so he could disappear back into the Chateau and come out the other side as Adrien.
People were talking about Ladybug and Chat Noir as he came down the stairs. He tuned the conversations out and stopped on the steps to look for someone he recognized. Marinette was standing near the door with Gorilla of all people. She was wrapped in a suit jacket and staring out at the crowd with the same kind of attention that he was.
Looking. Looking for him. She was looking for him.
"Adrien," she said when she saw him.
He couldn't hear it but he saw her mouth move and her shoulders relax. She had been worried about him. For some reason he was surprised but then, Marinette was the type of person who probably worried about the old bat Wilhelmina. On top of that, he was the only person here that she knew here.
He waved and hurried over. She was wrapped in his jacket and immediately tried to give it back.
"Keep it," he said grabbing the lapels and pulling it closer around her.
He was buzzing with energy. She didn't stray too far as he had the same conversation he had had with his father since he was twelve. The one in which he explained that no, it wasn't Gorilla's fault that he had gotten lost in the fight. He apologized to Gorilla himself and took a moment to check on Liam. Once he was sure that he had made it through all his social obligations - and the driveway had cleared enough to fit another car into it - he took Marinette home.
People who lived in central Paris went right back to what they were doing after an Akuma attack. They reacted about as much as people reacted to a fire drill. Fashion moguls and the very rich apparently all needed to leave immediately in case it happened again. It was funny to watch them. There was literal pearl clutching going on not too far from where they stood waiting for the line of cars to move and let theirs in.
Marinette was quiet once they got into the limo. She sat with the jacket curled around her like a blanket as she stared out the window at the country side. Adrien was sending text messages to Ladybug that got no response and failing to make conversation with Marinette at all. He sat beside her and she gave him one word answers.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It scares me how easily someone could get hurt," she said.
"We're fine, everyone's fine," he said.
"You find it all exciting?" she asked.
He hadn't been watching his tone. He sounded happy. People had been frozen and terrorized and he was on the brink of giggles. He was excited but not about the fight. Ladybug had kissed him in front of fifty people and that was what was causing all his buzzing energy. Other people knew. It wasn't the same as inviting her home for Christmas dinner but he loved that it wasn't a secret. He wanted to go find a journalist and have it all printed up on the front page of the morning papers.
"No," he said to Marinette.
"I know everyone is fine, but maybe next timeā¦" she trailed off.
"We've got superheroes, we'll be fine," he said and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She tensed and then slumped over to lean against him. He held her but she didn't say anything else the rest of the way back into the city.
