Adrien had a restless sleep, and one that wasn't nearly long enough for his liking. By the time his alarm went off at 7:30, Nino was already in the kitchen making tea. Nino had always been an early riser.

Adrien angrily turned off his alarm, and blinked the sleep out of his eyes, trying to focus them on his friend. Nino waved, much more chipper than anyone had a right to be at this hour.

"'mornin!" Nino said, fitting his hat onto his head. He was already dressed and ready to go. Of course he was.

Adrien blinked twice in response. Slowly he managed to get himself up to a sitting position and started to rub his eyes. "Where's Alya?" he murmured.

Nino poured milk into his tea and started to stir. "Went to take a shower."

Adrien nodded and made some vowel sounds in response, looking around the hotel room.

Hotel. Right. He was in New York.

Nino dropped the spoon into the sink and walked down to the foot of the couch. "Why didn't you use the other bed?"

Adrien looked up, yawning. "Um... I dunno, things got a little weird at some point, and I didn't want to seem... I dunno. Creepy?"

"Ah-ha."

"Yeah, I just... I'm not sure... what happened, exactly?" Adrien looked up at his friend, searchingly. Nino shrugged.

"It's really hard to tell sometimes, man. Especially early on." Nino sipped. "I mean... you don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

"No, I'd like to, I'm just not sure where to start."

"What about with that?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What's up with her bra?"

Adrien paused. He looked back up at Nino, his face a mask of confusion.

"...sorry, her what?"

Nino sipped at his tea, and pointed down to the bedsheet that Adrien had no memory of being draped over him, and to the bizarrely coffee-stained bra that clung to the top of it, approximately over Adrien's midsection.

Adrien's face turned red, and he opened his mouth to screa-

SLAM! HERE'S AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG

Sometimes, when Marinette is upset, and tired, and maybe just a little tipsy, there are things she won't notice.

Like how when she ripped a blanket off of a bed and started dragging it across the floor last night, part of it might have hooked onto underwear that she had flung UNDER said bed in a fit of teen rage earlier that day.

We love Marinette to death.

Marinette is a train wreck.

ssssssSSSSLAM!

Adrien leapt up to his feet, searching for words that just wouldn't come to him.

Nino sipped again at his drink. "I mean, it's okay man. It's great for you two actually." He kicked a little at the ground, tinting red. "I mean, last night actually Alya and I, we-"

Adrien pointed a finger at him. "I don't know where that came from!"

Nino looked down at the bra, very obviously and recently stained by coffee, then back up at Adrien. He tilted his head. "I mean..."

"No! No, I mean, I don't know how it got there! N-nothing happened at all last night! We talked a bit and then she left." Adrien picked up the bra from the ground, and held it in his hands as if it were unexploded ordinance. "Wh-what should I do? Should I give it back to her?"

Nino blinked. "Are you suggesting you go and hand Marinette her own underwear?"

"What's option B? Should I just leave it here so everyone thinks we-"

"Oh, I mean Alya already does."

"WHAT?"

Nino smiled. "Yeah! Dude, she was so happy about it, too!"

"This isn't something 'to be happy about', Nino! We have to do something!" Adrien ran a hand through his hair in panic. "What if she comes out and she thinks I like... stole it or something?! What if-"

Adrien looked down at the brassiere in his hands. It was... really cute, actually, even with the stain. Really cute.

For a moment, completely unbidden by any logical thought, Adrien's mind drifted to what Marinette might look like wearing it.

Adrien swallowed.

Then he looked desperately back up at Nino. "Maybe she's not up yet?!"

Nino's brow furrowed. "Uhh..."

"M-maybe I can just p-put it back in her room? So she doesn't notice?!" Adrien looked like a man possessed. "SO THINGS DON'T GET WEIRDER?"

Nino held up a hand. "My dude, I know you're trying to be cool about this, but-"

Adrien wasn't listening. He was already making his way to the door, and in fact his hand was already on the door, and even though Nino is saying this is a terrible idea, would ya just look at that, Adrien is opening the doo-

TWO MINUTES EARLIER

Marinette felt like absolute shit, and a visit to the beside mirror provided by the hotel confirmed that she looked like it, too.

She'd barely gotten any sleep. It wasn't the alcohol (there was a tiny twinge of a headache, but that was really just adding insult to injury). No, it was the insidious, twisting feeling in the pit of your stomach where you know you just totally god damn blew it.

She'd been so rude to Adrien yesterday, and there was absolutely zero way for her to justify it to him. What could she say to him?

"Hey! Sorry I freaked out! I got confused because even though I've been dying for you to notice me for two years, I kept comparing you with my secret superhero companion who I might be developing feelings for. By the way, I'm Ladybug! Cool, thaaaaaanks!"

Yeah, stellar. Slam dunk.

Maybe she could just say she was on her period? Did boys buy that anymore? Marinette sighed and buried her face in her hands. She didn't think she had the energy to try and sell any sort of story, anyway.

Today was going to be tough. She had no idea how to face the boy beyond the door, and even less of how to deal with him throughout the rest of the incredibly-packed itinerary that Mme. Bustier had planned for them today. There was going to be a French-speaking tour guide and everything.

Marinette looked into the bedside mirror provided by the hotel and gathered her strength.

You'll figure something out. You'll jump and then figure out the parachute. You're lucky.

Marinette tried to force a smile, but it wasn't coming. She didn't feel lucky.

Maybe the luck only worked in Paris?

Looking down at her clothes, she let out a disgusted scoff. She would kill to have time for a shower, but the class had to rendezvous at 8:00, and there was no way she'd be able to navigate it in time. There was probably a line, anyway.

She settled for changing instead. Marinette stripped off her shirt and pants and bundled them into a ball. She leaned over her suitcase so that she could put them in her laund-

Adrien opened the door.

Their eyes met in the hotel mirror.

She could not sit next to him on the subway. She. Could. Not. Honestly, Marinette considered it a bit of a small personal triumph that she was even able to be in the same subway car as Adrien.

She pulled her hoodie deeper over the sides of her face and sunk down in her seat. Normally she would have gone for something cuter to wear - it was her professional opinion as a designer that there was a time and a place for hoodies, and that was either when exercising or at home - but today had already landed definitively in the "fuck it" pile, and would you look at that? It's only 8:30!

Marinette glanced in front of her at Alya's concerned look. When she knew she had Marinette's eyes, she mouthed 'What happened?'

Marinette pulled the hood down over her eyes and wished for the trip to end.

The subway was loud and smelled bad.

The 1 train deposited them at Battery Park at exactly nine o'clock in the morning, and a class full of French kids far away from home started to lazily make their way to meet their designated tour guide at the Bull.

Max lead the way, feeling by far the most uppity (and smug). Mylene pulled gently on Ivan's sleeve and pointed across the bay to where the Statue of Liberty was. Marinette brought up the rear of the class, emerging slowly from the subway station.

For a moment, she stopped walking. Closing her eyes, she gathered all the strength she had from her three-hour-sleep and stomped her foot.

No. This was not her. Marinette Dupain-Cheng didn't mope, she took action, and by God, the girl who was Ladybug wasn't going to let a few embarrassing incidents ruin her first trip overseas. This ends now.

Marinette breathed in through her nose, and out through her mouth, and with a small nod, she removed her hoodie.

She was immediately pelted in the chest by the angry finger of Chloe Bourgeois.

"You." Chloe hissed. "We need to talk."

Well okay, great. We're doing this now.

Marinette rubbed her face with her hands. "What do you want, Chloe?"

"When I showed up in that room last night, I assumed that Adrien had invited you out of pity, because everyone was invited, but when I found out this morning that you were staying in the same suite as him?" Chloe reared back, fury in her eyes. "This. Will. Not. Persist!"

Marinette closed her eyes shut and held up what she considered to be an incredibly patient hand in protest. "Chloe, stop. Please just stop. Nothing's going to happen between me an-"

Chloe let out a shrill laugh. "Of course nothing's going to happen between you two! I just didn't think that you'd stoop to something so indecent to try and get your claws into him." She leaned in close, "Don't think everyone doesn't know about your little crush, Marinette. If you honestly think that Adrien would ever be seriously interested in you, than you're more delusional that I thought."

Marinette opened her eyes and glared. "I didn't decide upon the rooms, Chloe."

"Oh, nooooo, you just decided to have your little minion-"

Marinette balled up her fists, leaned into Chloe's face, and roared.

"CHLOE SHUT UP! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

For the first time since Marinette had known her, Chloe Bourgeois couldn't speak. Glancing over to her left, Marinette realized that the entire class hadn't heard their conversation, they had only heard her.

And they had all heard her. And they all stared.

For the second time in as many days, Marinette felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but she fought them back like a lion. She scanned her class, meeting eyes with Alya, with Juleka, with Nino, with-

Adrien looked so confused and so hurt.

Marinette pulled her hood back up over her head and turned in the other direction.

"...I'm sorry," she whispered to Chloe.

Marinette picked a direction and began to walk away from the group. Distantly, she heard Mme. Bustier begin to protest, and Alya begin to yell something about how Marinette came down with a stomach virus last night and would blah blah blah who cared?

Honestly, who even cared anymore?

She didn't want this for today. All she had wanted was to have a nice vacation.

And... and she wanted to see Chat, goddamnit. She wanted to talk to him about this stuff. Maybe he could help her sort things out?

Maybe he could just give her a hug? Marinette really felt like she needed a hug right now. Like that would somehow make things alright if it was coming from him.

Very briefly, she considered transforming to try and call him, just to talk. She wanted to very badly, but she knew that Tikki had barely eaten anything recently, and just in case...?

Ladybug would never be that irresponsible.

She was always brave, and she was always smiling, and she never never never ran away.

This was the worst day of Daniel's life, he was sure of it.

Fired. Fired. He had just barely made rent last month, and it was already the fifteenth, and as of about an hour ago he was unemployed. He wandered around St. Marks, hiding the sad, weak beer he'd bought in a paper bag. Nobody asked questions in St. Marks. That's part of what he liked about it.

How was he going to tell Julie? Her period was late this month, and she was too scared to buy the test. What if it was positive? What the hell were they going to do then? There was no way they'd be able to support... to...

Would he have to move back in with his parents in Ohio? Would Julie even come with him?

Daniel stood stock still at the corner, before turning and deciding to head downtown. His friend Josh worked in that bakery down in Tribeca, maybe they had a job opening?

"Sir?" the voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sir, what's in that bag?"

Daniel looked up and saw a beat cop, staring down at him. The cop didn't look tired. He looked determined. He looked gamefully employed.

Daniel started shaking his head. This couldn't be happening.

"C'mon, man," he began.

"Sir, I'm going to need you to hand me the beverage for inspection."

Daniel's hand gripped around the can. Why had he bought this? Shouldn't he have been saving his money? Christ, he didn't even really like beer...

For a moment he thought about running, but didn't running always make things worse? What was he supposed to do?

He looked up at the sky and prayed for something - anything - to change his day.

Daniel was about to hand over the Coors Light when, unseen by anyone, a small, dark butterfly slipped into it. Daniel's day suddenly began to change.

Marinette had managed to buy a latte, with a lot of pointing and the magic of credit cards, and had found herself a bench to sit down on. She just needed some time alone, to rally. Slipping out her phone and earphones, she scrolled through her music in search of something that might help her out right now.

Nothing in English. Please no. No more gibberish that she couldn't make heads or tails of, all aggressive consonants and elusive vowels. Two-word phrases that changed the meanings of both words beyond any logic or sanity. 'Make out'? 'Get down'? Why? How was anyone supposed to make sense of it?

She couldn't deal with that right now. Right now she needed home. She needed...

...well, she knew what she needed, but she also knew she wasn't going to get it. She settled for the next best thing.

Her finger clicked. Tryo. "Serre-Moi". This was one of her favorites. Usually when she played it she would idly fantasize of Adrien, but right now was not the time for that. She just needed to let the music fill her, and warm her, and carry her away for a moment with its beauty.

Marinette closed her eyes and breathed in deep and tried to think of anything other than him, and how much better she'd feel if he was here.

The song only got to the second chorus before she heard the screams.

Her head snapped to attention, and the earphones came out with a pop. Marinette scanned the streets for anything that seemed to be causing commotion. It didn't take her long.

The akuma took up half the street, and seemed to be dragging cars along with it. At first glance, it seemed to be a purple lizard that had this thing stuck in one of its back scales that looked like...

...was that a beer can?

"{I am the Ninety-Nine Percent!}" The akuma screamed out of its reptilian mouth. "{And I'm gonna Occupy this Wall Street!}"

Why was this happening now? Why here? Did Papillon follow her? Did he know who she was?

Marinette shoved her questions down. Now wasn't the time. She didn't even wait for it to get out of view before opening her purse and glancing in.

"Tikki?!"

Tikki looked weak, but gave a reassuring smile. "I think we can. If we're... a little fast about it?"

Marinette nodded, and smiled back. "I think we have to try. I'm sorry! I swear I'll get you some cookies after this before we join back up with the class."

After a cursory glance to make sure all eyes were on the lizard, the spots came on, and she was away.

Ladybug heard a few gasps from the road below. New York had heard of the famed Parisian crime fighter, but none had seen her with their own eyes. They certainly saw her now, as she swung around City Hall and shot through the air like a jet fighter.

The wind whipped at her face again. Something about swinging in New York felt faster in a way that both excited and scared Marinette. She remembered last night's near-fall with a soft coldness. Whatever she did today, she had to be careful.

With a flip, she landed in front of the monster on Broadway and watched it skid to a halt. She, at least, had its attention. This at least was something Marinette knew she could do well.

"Stop harming these people!" Ladybug yelled in her most commanding voice, finger pointed authoritatively at his snout. "I know this is scary, but you're not yourself right now! Just hand me the can, and I can make everything okay."

The akuma cocked its head.

"{What?}"

Oh shit. Oh shit.

Ladybug wet her lips, suddenly unsure. The eyes of the entire street were upon her. She heard confused murmurs all around, in a language she couldn't get a handle on. Ladybug cleared her throat, and took a deep breath.

She turned to the crowd. "{ALL OKAY SOON! NO WORRY! PLEASE LEAVE!}"

Some snickers sounded off. No one moved.

In front of her, the akuma laughed, "{It sounds like you won't hear my demands! I'll just have to reclaim-}"

Ladybug tuned him out. To herself: "Okay, okay, okay, you can do this. You don't need to talk to them anyway." She looked back up at the monster and started to twirl her yo-yo.

The beer can, right? I mean it had to be.

The monster sneered, shaking its head, "{-and it will be with the voice of the people, that-}"

Ladybug's yo-yo shot out, hooking onto the nearest building with ease. She launched herself forward, arching ten stories over the lizard's back - far out of his reach. All that was left was to get one more hook and swing down into it.

Ladybug shot the yo-yo onto another fire escape and-

SNAP!

What?

What Ladybug hadn't known - couldn't possibly have known - was that the city was forcing that particular building to renovate its ancient fire escape, which had long been designated a safety hazard, and deemed 'incapable of holding human weight'. Ladybug watched as the rusted rungs of the fire escape she had latched onto snapped off into the air, spraying dust and debris onto the crowd below.

And she was falling again.

Marinette snapped the yo-yo back to her, and looked up at the sky, desperate for another foothold, but there weren't any here, and in her last second she screamed and tossed blindly up to-

An arm wrapped around Ladybug's waist, taking her into a gentle hold. There was the familiar pull up as the baton pushed down - he always tried to make it as gentle as possible on her. He thought she didn't notice, but she did.

Was she dreaming?

"Well, I must say, you were in a bit of purr-il there, m'lady."

She screwed her eyes shut and tried to hide the smile that kept breaking across her face. She couldn't.

"You're late, kitty."

"I guess we're both having an off-day. I won't tell anyone if you won't."

Ladybug circled her arms up around his and for a moment just breathed him in. She still couldn't look at him right now - she knew she'd break down if she did.

Her voice choked a little when she asked: "What the hell are you doing here, Chat?"

Before he could answer, her miraculous let out its first warning beep. Ladybug's eyes snapped open, the reality of the situation came down upon her like cold water.

She turned and looked into his eyes and it really was him. How was it really him? Ladybug shook the errant, tumbling emotions out of her head and said quickly: "Chat, I didn't feed my kwami last night. We've gotta be fast!"

He nodded. "Then quick we shall be."

They slid to the ground to discover the akuma already further beyond them. It was headed for the Bull - for Marinette's classmates. Wall Street was being savaged on either side of the street, smashed windows and ruined cars. It was a small miracle no buildings had come down yet.

Ladybug scanned the area, using that part of her brain that Chat was always in awe of. There was no time for a Lucky Charm, but her tactical acumen needed only seconds.

"Look, I know what to do, I just keep having trouble swinging here." She looked at her partner. "I'm gonna get us over it, but then I'm gonna need your baton as an anchor point. Can you do that?"

Chat smiled, "As my lady commands."

Her miraculous beeped again. "Then I command it, you dumb cat, let's go!" She grabbed his arm and aimed for the roof of the nearest building.

She shot, still feeling uncertain that the length of the yo-yo would allow for such a thing. This was no time for test runs.

For a second she held her breath.

Just reached! Ladybug tugged on the rope and grinned victoriously. "Hold on tight, Chaton!"

She pulled harder than she ever had before, straight up.

And they were in the air. Way in the air. Ladybug had managed to slingshot them far over the skyline, over the akuma, over the isle of Manhattan. It spread out in every direction below them, like an arrow slowly pointing towards their goal at its southern tip.

For a moment they floated, together, weightless. Ladybug looked out at the bay, in awe - sparkling blue. She could see boats in the distance, the ferry heading towards the famous statue. She'd never been this high in the air before, and there was no way Chat had.

This was what eagles felt like. Together, they were an albatross.

Ladybug looked at him, and Chat looked at her.

And before gravity started to take its hold on them again, she did the only real thing she'd genuinely wanted to do all day.

She kissed him.

It was quick, more of a peck, for really they were already beginning to fall again. But it was soft, and it tasted sweet - pink somehow. For a second, Chat was sure he had imagined it, but one look at his partner dispelled all doubts.

She was laughing. She looked free. They had already begun to fall again, and surely they were in truly mortal danger if somehow this plan went wrong, but she was beaming. Chat knew now all they needed was a little luck.

Ladybug gripped his hand.

Don't worry, the squeeze seemed to communicate. I'm a lucky girl.

They were just reaching the tops of the buildings again when Ladybug screamed "Chat, now!"

A lot of things happened very quickly:

Chat extended the baton parallel to the road and into the buildings on either side, scraping down along their sides and slowing their descent. Glass showered down on the street below. Ladybug released his hand and let herself fall for about 40 meters before shooting the yo-yo back up to wrap around his baton. Still falling, her rope hit an end right above the akuma's back. She just managed to get a hand on the beer can. The rope became taut, and Ladybug bungeed back up to Chat, tossing it handily into his paw.

Cataclysm activated without a second thought. Swinging in a circular arc overhead, and then coming back around, Ladybug managed to get a hand on Chat, stopping her spin and freeing up her yo-yo to release the akuma.

They watched together, him holding them both aloft over traffic, as a pure white butterfly flew harmlessly into the sky.

There was a laugh in her voice as she whispered, "Bye bye, little butterfly."

Chat looked down at her again, their faces were practically touching. Ladybug grinned at him.

And then her miraculous beeped. Fourth warning. Ladybug's eyes went wide.

"Uhhhhokay we need to get me out of here. I still need to do the cure, but then I'll transfo-"

"Down or up?!" Chat asked in a panic, looking for the best solution. "Which do you want, down or up?"

"Up! Take me up, now!"

Chat retracted the baton, and spun it ninety degrees in one paw and shot right into the ground. As he lifted them to the roof of the nearest building, he heard her call out her own name, and knew the cure was working its magic.

Though it was usually his favorite part, Chat didn't watch the world get fixed this time. He was just concentrating on landing them on this building before-

There was a blinding flash of red, right as Chat's foot touched the top of the office building. He closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her to protect her, and they roughly bounced and rolled and scraped across the gravelly concrete before coming to rest right in the middle of the roof.

Down below, cheering was heard. They had done it.

And now, they were alone.

Chat felt her breathing against his chin. Vibrations emanated from her, through his chest, when she started to laugh, incredulously.

"Holy crap..." she intoned, breathlessly. "I can't believe we just did that."

Chat smirked. He kept his eyes shut tight. "Yes, all things considered, I'd have to say that it was-"

"Don't. Come on that's one's so ol-"

"-pretty miraculous."

"Jeez."

"New York, I love you? More like Mew York, I Paw You."

"That one's bad!" She groaned against his chest, but soon there was the gentle rumble of another laugh forming. She sighed, and there was a smile in it.

"You're such an idiot, you know that?" Chat felt her fingers trace over his jawline, finding a place tangled in his hair. Even if he couldn't look at her, she was certainly looking at him. She shook her head, gently. "How were you there? How are you always there...? What are you even doing in the city?"

He couldn't answer, and she knew it. A comfortable silence descended between them, her hand playing idly with his hair.

Eventually though, he had to ask. He had to somehow confirm it had actually happened, and wasn't somehow the fever dream of his adrenaline and panic.

He tilted his head, choosing his words very carefully. "Say... when we were above the city... d-did you-"

A gentle finger descended upon his lips.

"Shhh..." she said gently, "Don't talk right now, kitty. Just... please don't talk anymore. I just need... I just need to..."

She trailed off into silence, and Chat waited patiently for her to continue. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, and there was the gentle push of her face nuzzling into his chest.

Chat held her, and felt her shudder in his arms.

"I missed you," she whispered into him, barely audible. "Chat, I missed you so much. I had no idea how much I would. I had no idea that I would... that I would just fall apart if..."

Chat tightened his grip on her, and she stopped talking.

For several moments, there was only this closeness and warmth. Chat breathed in her hair, and though there was a part of him that desperately wanted to open his eyes, finally to discover who it was that had stolen his heart all that time ago, right now this was more than enough.

At the end of the day, it didn't really matter who she really was - because she was her.

Eventually, the girl sighed, and stirred in his arms. Chat felt a sting of disappointment as she sat upright. Her legs sat on either side of his waist, but her warmth was gone from his chest, his heart.

"I have to go," she said. There was a small leap in his heart when he could tell she didn't want to.

"Can you get down from here?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's no problem. There's a roof exit right there."

"Oh," Chat murmured. "Sorry, I can't see it."

She shifted on top of him, laying back down so that she was more on his chest again. Chat had the feeling he was being looked at, though he couldn't be sure. Her hand cupped the side of his face.

"I know."

Another small shifting. When she spoke again, he felt her breath on his lips. "I can't... promise this will ever happen again, chaton. But... you were kind enough to keep my secret from yourself. So this is a secret you can keep for you."

This time when she kissed him, it was slow, and it lingered. Chat breathed in her scent from all around, and allowed his hands to cup her lower back. She didn't taste like anything he had ever experienced, but exactly like he'd imagined she would. It was sweet in a way he couldn't describe, like a ripened fruit you had never eaten before.

The girl allowed a soft push with her tongue into his own, just once - just to show she meant it. It was a gentle intrusion, but Chat could hear its meaning as if it had been spoken.

'This might not last,' it said, 'but for this moment, I am yours entirely.'

She was his. And she was perfect and golden and hot like the sun.

And then she retreated.

There was a final, tentative kiss on his lower lip, and then the girl was away. He heard some footsteps on the roof, and the swing of a door, and then she was gone.

Chat waited another minute before he had the courage to open his eyes.

"Plagg..." he whispered to no one at all, "what do I do about Marinette?"

Staring up at the sky, all he could see was blue.