Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Wrapped up in the kitschiest, ‘I’m-absolutely-a-tourist’ hoodie he could find on short notice in Paris and the cheapest sunglasses he could find to match, Adrien yawned as he stumbled out of his sedan. After the 5:00 am wake up call and the hour long ride to and from the shoot location, it was amazing that he was still standing.

Plagg was already snoozing in his front pocket. At least his tests at University had wrapped up for the term earlier in the week, so his head no longer ached like his shoulders.

Besides, he reminded himself with a well deserved stretch, all of the weariness would be well worth it. Soon.

His driver dropped him near enough to the train station that he could navigate to the train platform. Without any real idea of what kind of battle he might be walking into, he was travelling light, with just the one small suitcase he had packed the night before.

There was no way to hide his designer jeans and sneakers, but with any luck, there wouldn’t be that many others on the train at this time of night.

He quickly showed his ticket on his phone and found his seat in the quietest car he could find, mere minutes before the train lurched forward.

With a relieved sigh, he stowed his bag overhead in the general seating. He usually went first class when travelling with his father, but he was trying to stay under the radar. For her sake.

Slumping back against the lightly padded seat and held his phone close.

She didn’t leave him waiting long.

He pressed his head against the chilly window, watching the distant lights race by as the train car shifted slightly side to side on a tilted bit of track.

It was amazing how just a few words from his Lady could leave him feeling like the kid he had been when his superhero career began.

Adrien frowned.

He eyed the luggage in the overhead compartment, mentally re-mapping the train and wondering if it would even be possible to get on top of the moving train to transform, with the added bulk of the suitcase.

Even as tired as he was, the sway of the train was keeping him awake. Or maybe it was Plagg jostling the bag and pestering him for cheese.

Or the fact that it had been a whole two days since they were last cuddled up on one of the upper beams of the Eiffel tower.

Adrien inhaled slowly, watching the three dots flicker endlessly.

With a heavy sigh, Adrien rested the phone to his chest, trying desperately to hug her close, however he could.

The swaying of the train car was going to keep him awake. That and the seriousness of their mission.

Part of him was tempted to message Nino, but they were travelling as well.

In fact, Adrien had been told specifically they were off on a romantic getaway once the pain of finals had ended and before all of the craziness of the Christmas holiday would start.

He might have believed it, too. If he didn’t know better.

Years ago, he wouldn’t have doubted. The only difference was that now he knew who nearly all of the other holders were. All except Ladybug herself.

Nino and Alya...along with many of the others had paired off into long time friends and long time couples, claiming a brief reprieve after the pressure of finals and before their families’ holiday plans as a cover story.

Alix opted to stay behind in Paris to watch over everything there.

Even anyone who knew the other holders well would hardly blink twice.

It was months of Alya’s careful research that had them running down leads in nearly every corner of France.

While the first Hawkmoth had literally loomed above his head for so long, apparently much too close for either him or his Lady to notice… whoever it was that had swooped in and stolen his broken wings didn’t seem to stay in one place. In fact, those butterflies kept being tracked to outside of Paris.

Apparently, they never appeared in the same place twice.

He scrubbed his hand over his face.

Even with him secretly funding all of their travels on this secret mission, there was no guarantee this trip would turn up what they were looking for. Not on this first trip at least.

But as most of them actually were dating? It was probably better not to bother anyone else. Just in case…

He nibbled at his lip. He could always message Marinette.

She was the only one not busy with this secret Miraculous business trip.

But only because Ladybug was worried she wouldn’t keep a secret after she’d accidentally revealed herself to him.

If only she’d actually been able to keep those powers….

Quickly, he brought up her chat to find she was away.

Adrien ducked back beneath the hood as a young couple walked past, eyes watching until he was sure they were far enough away before he dared to relax again..

Marinette had mentioned that she was drafted into helping her parents with a massive order this morning and then would spend the rest of the weekend busy with research.

But after months of barely even seeing her outside of the occasional brush on the streets near her house?

Adrien sighed, resting his head against the window. Happy as he was to be finally getting to steal more than a few precious hours with his Bug, he was actually getting worried about Marinette.

Being with Marinette had been fun and easy… In so, so many ways, it was everything he never knew he always wanted.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t dated for long. Hawkmoth had made sure of that by targeting her repeatedly, almost as soon as they had started going out.

Luckily, Marinette was clever. She had successfully snuck her own way out twice, but that third time, she’d barely gotten away.

In the end, she was the one who said that they needed to break up. She worried that maybe Hawkmoth was targeting people around him...with his face on billboards over the city, it was a distinct possibility.

As much as he understood, he actually was heartbroken. The one, true saving grace was her telling him, almost in the same breath, that she didn’t ever want to lose him as a friend. That he was much too important.

Impossibly, she was the one who told him as much.

He may have given her all the distance she needed. But he never stopped worrying. Never stopped wondering how she was doing.

They were so evenly matched...it just… wasn’t the right time. Maybe it never would be the right time.

At least, that was what Bunnyx kept claiming.

Over that next year, Marinette kept really busy. Outside of classes, it seemed like their schedules always seemed to conflict. He hadn’t forgotten how much she didn’t sleep when she was busy with projects back when they had been dating. He’d hate for her to be so insanely busy that she started to withdraw and develop a single-minded focus like Father.

If he had taken a few extra loops on patrol to check and see if Marinette’s light was still on...if she was taking care of herself… well, who could blame him?

In so many ways she was far safer for the distance they’d both put between them...but, that never really stopped him from worrying about her.

She was his best Lucky Charm of all.

It was almost a year to the day after they had split up that Ladybug had finally started to look his way. It was a bit challenging dating behind the masks, but they were both already targets...and dating had only made them help and defend one another that much more.

The only trick was how they could only date in the evenings on neutral ground...and as far out of sight as superhumanly possible.

He was endlessly grateful to have dated Ladybug for so long, but it pained him greatly to never be able to own up to it in the endless post-battle interviews.

It was half of why this trip was such a treat. They could steal a much longer bit of time together, and trust Alix to let them know if anything went sideways.

Secretly funding the mission was one thing...but they would need to make some progress.

Adrien headed to the meal car before catching a quick nap.

Needed to be functional. Ladybug was depending on him.

Two hours later, Adrien had finally arrived at the tiny bed and breakfast in one of the cities outside of Paris.

The price of the accommodations were fairly reasonable, and considering the sudden timing of this impromptu holiday, it had been a challenge to find anything else available in the city, with a fairly convenient balcony to escape and steal across the rooftops. Especially as he was trying to relatively stay under the radar.

His famous face was a near-constant problem, but a little extra tip usually helped.

With an extra wide smile, the concierge handed him a tiny golden key and pointed him to the stairs with instructions on where to find his room.

Nodding, Adrien picked up his bag, carrying it over to the stairs.

He rushed forward, anxious to get his bags put away and steal out into the night.

In hindsight, the collision was inevitable.

“Sorry,” a familiar voice chimed out. “I'm madly—”

Her blue eyes grew wide, half a shade darker than he’d remembered. Or perhaps it was a trick of the light.

“...clumsy.” She finished anxiously, gaping in growing horror at the growing pool of liquid growing beneath their feet.

“Marinette?” Adrien chuckled; at least some things hadn’t entirely changed. “I didn’t expect to run into someone I knew here.”

As she cleaned up the spill from the floor and frowned at the darkening edge of his pants’ leg, she did a double take at that. “Sorry!” She murmured. “I just came down to get a little bit of tea to help me sleep.”

“Glad to see you’re taking care of yourself, Marinette.”

“What brought you to town?” Marinette pulled him to the side, her voice lifting half an octave. Frantically, she ducked down, trying to mop up half the travel mug of tea in her hands.

He smiled, instantly ducking down to help her. Thank goodness Ladybug had insisted he come up with a civilian cover. “I’m here to scout for a modelling gig.”

“Oh…” she whispered, nibbling gently at her lip. “I’m here to browse the local library archives for a historical fashion class I wanted to take next semester.”

Adrien beamed, his heart growing warm as he helped her back to her feet. “It would be good to have someone to go out and have a meal with.” After all, it wasn’t like he could dine with Ladybug until the evening hours fell.

The hostess had ducked away from her desk to check on the commotion, but lingered at the side to watch their hasty clean up. She cleared her throat meaningfully.

They both glanced over at her in surprise, but she only nodded back, pointing with her head at the sprig of mistletoe hanging overhead.

It would have to be in the middle of the hall, wouldn’t it?

She rose up on her toes, pressing the softest kiss to the corner of his lips.

He wasn’t prepared for the sudden warmth to rush over him, from little more than the gentle press of her lips, from the soft fall of her hand upon his free arm to help balance herself (and the errant mug).

He wasn’t prepared for the way his heart started racing again, a flash of magic that had him mentally racing the rooftops. It had him fearing once again that Hawkmoth would come for her.

His eyes shot open, reassuring himself that she was still her.

A weary, worried smile tugged at Marinette’s lips. Her hand patted his arm, before slowly pulling away as if uncertain. “Take care, Adrien.”

“I will,” He murmured, half solemn promise. “Good night, Marinette.”

She rushed off, half sprinting up the stairs with what little of the tea had remained in her cup.

He exhaled sharply, watching her disappear up the steps.

It was only the extra years of modelling and keeping his expression subdued that had saved him… his traitorously beating heart would have given away the whole game.

Suitcase in hand, he slowly scaled the stairs with the large skeleton key to his room.

He didn’t dare to give himself away, not until he sighed, collapsing back against the locked entry door.

Why now? Just when things were finally going purrfectly with Ladybug...

Of all the hotels in all of France, miles and miles from home, Marinette just happened to be staying at his.

Chapter Text

For what felt like the thousandth time, Ladybug crept to the edge of the rooftop ledge. Far enough that she could see out and hopefully spot her absent partner, but wouldn’t be seen in return.

Red wasn’t exactly the best color to try to stay undercover.

The yoyo chirped noisily at her side. Quickly, she opened the cover to answer it.

“Rena!” She smiled, ducking back down against one of the decorative upper spires of City Hall, clutching her yoyo phone screen in hand.. “What do you have for me?”

Rena grinned. “We spent the afternoon walking around outside of the touristy areas. I figured whoever it is behind the mask was going to try for a low profile and would dodge the likeliest locations.”

Ladybug frowned. That was certainly possible… “But if you’ve had reports of the white butterflies making it to all these locations...it means whoever it is must be travelling, right?”

“Seems like they’re pretty used to it, anyways.” Rena Rouge shrugged on the tiny screen. “Or maybe they’re meeting up with someone who is there first.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows rose beneath the mask. That was an interesting thought. After all, Mayura had long been working with the original Hawkmoth.

Rena smirked. “My newspaper contact was going to reach out to the local source tomorrow to ask a few prying questions.”

Ladybug’s lips curved upward. She had no doubt that Alya would be pulling a bit of double duty on this trip. “You think she can pull a little more information from him?”

Rena practically snorted. “I think I might be able to pass along a few good, anonymous tips…”

Ladybug had been so engrossed in the call, she failed to notice a certain cat, creeping along the crest of the rooftop. Not until he lingered close, leaning in to press an absurdly gentle kiss to her forehead.

She glanced up from the screen, beaming at him and that endlessly fond expression in his stunning green eyes.

After her run-in with Adrien, Marinette decided to get all dressed up beneath the mask with Chat Noir. He wouldn’t really know, but even now it was a lovely extra confidence boost.

“You seem to have acquired a stray cat.” Rena snickered.

The mirth didn’t fade from her expression, though she shrugged. “It’s all the years I’ve spent frequenting the rooftops.”

Rena snorted. “Seems like he needs a little attention…”

“Purrhaps…” Ladybug smiled coyly.

Rena quirked a very familiar eyebrow. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Her eyes strayed over to where Chat Noir had cuddled in beside her, already feeling his warmth. “Message if you find anything more.”

“You got it!”

Sliding the yoyo closed, Ladybug pressed her lips to his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. “I see you got in safely.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, chest rumbling in a quietly reassuring purr. “Had to wait a little while for a taxi so late in the evening. And then I had to get everything settled at the hotel.”

“I did manage to sneak in that nap, so I’m all yours for a little while at least.”

He pulled away slightly, in silent question.

Her smile was the plain answer before he half-pounced in, pressing his lips to hers.

Kissing her like he feared she was going to start running away from him again.

Ladybug grinned into the kiss as the tips of Chat Noir’s claws inevitably wove their way into her pigtails. There were far worse ways to spend an evening with Chat Noir. She'd already lived through far more than her share of those days.

Pushing his arms slightly, she shifted to balance herself over his lap to meet his ardour at a more comfortable angle. It was kicking her libido to a place they were definitely not going to be able to deal with.

After all, that was one of the hardest things about the masks they wore. After all, the masks couldn’t exactly come off.

While all of their friends and fellow holders could be open and honest with their partners — with more than a few even seriously talking about marriage —, kissing and cuddling like this had to be enough for now.

It was only with days like today when the doubts started to creep in that she started to feel her resolve slipping.

Of course, duty had the very nasty — if not always literal —habit of calling, if the sudden chirp of her yoyo was any indication.

Reluctantly, she forced herself to pull away from Chat Noir, to regain her bearings.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, huh?” she chuckled, a little breathlessly.

“Is that even possible?” The sheer yearning in his green eyes was making her very much tempted to ignore the incoming call.

With one final, reckless press of her lips to his, Ladybug leaned back to settle against the wall beside him. A shaky grin curved her lips as she opened the phone and slipped her free hand into his.

“Hello, Ryuuko!” Ladybug smiled. “You’re right on schedule.”

Chapter Text

The noisy toll of the clock tower below made it clear it was nearly time to go. Even if she wasn’t quite ready to leave Chat Noir just yet, midnight had come far too soon.

Absently, Ladybug mussed Chat Noir’s hair, trying to make sense of the drastic task before them.

It had been a particularly valiant effort on his part, but Chat Noir kept yawning through Rose and Juleka’s check-in. When Ivan and Mylene finally called to let them know they’d arrived and would be searching for leads first thing in the morning, his head had dropped onto her shoulder.

By the time she heard back from Max and Kim, Chat Noir had collapsed into the lanky pile of a cat with his head nestled on her lap. At least Max had been able to gather some intel on the train’s security footage on the way down south.

“Always pushing himself too hard,” she murmured aloud. Her fingers wove into his hair, careful to ghost over his cat ears so he wouldn’t stir.

Chat Noir swore he had taken a nap on the train ride north, but his yawning showed that it clearly hadn’t been enough. She understood. She’d been awake the whole time on the train, puzzling out just how and where one of the butterflies might have hidden.

The nap she took in the hotel when she arrived had done the trick for her, but he never really was used to the late hours. Of course, Chat Noir was always on his game when it came to the adrenaline rush of battles. Still, when it came to their few stolen evenings up on their favorite rooftops, he spent the later nights falling asleep on her shoulder. Not that she could ask enough about his life to find out why he was so insistent on waking up early.

Careful not to move her legs, Ladybug leaned back against the clock tower to glance up at the stars. Nearly everyone had reported in.

She was still waiting for any word from Alix as she kept watch in Paris; no one else was better on solo missions, and no noise from Bunnyx was almost certainly good news. Just in case, she opened up her yoyo, scanning the headlines from Paris.

These new butterflies they all had been chasing had gone missing near the Paris train stations; not long after, the trains would depart the station. The police didn’t have proper eyes on the ground, so it fell to Alya’s growing network of connections to dig up what little they could.

That's what made it so hard for the team to figure out what they were looking for here. Three of the cleansed butterflies had been reported in this city alone, which had only left her with a half dozen more questions to answer. Were any cleansed butterflies still roaming the city unnoticed? Was the suspect someone local who traveled a lot? Did they have someone they were staying with? Did anything happen here around those times? Was there some intel in the local papers that Alya hadn’t been able to dig-up?

Ladybug looked back down at her sleeping partner as he silently stirred in her lap. Gazing at his peaceful face, she found herself lost in the sight before her.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go see if they have anything in the library that could help to give us a lead,” she whispered with a small kiss to his head.

Behind her, she could hear the clock tower starting to toll incessantly, the pang of the noise, causing Chat to waken as his eyes slowly slipped open.

“You should head back to your hotel, Chaton.” She smiled down at him. “It’s much too cold to fall asleep up here. Especially since we both have hotel rooms to go back to…”

“I don’t want to leave you.” He whined, the soft glow of his endlessly green eyes gazing directly at hers, as his clawed hand gently cupped the side of her face.

“We’ll both come back up tomorrow night.” Her soft smile widened, “besides, you need to be up early if you’re going to check with all the travel agencies tomorrow.”

“I know,” he pouted playfully, “but I’m starving.”

“It’s midnight,” Ladybug chuckled, ruffling his hair fondly one last time before picking her yoyo back up, “nothing is open this late.”

“That’s a shame,” he glanced up, tugging her hand back onto his head, “I really could go for something sweet.”

“You know we can’t really show up like this,” she teased, giving his bell a slight tap. On instinct, she reached for her purse that wasn’t there. “Besides, I didn’t bring anything for Tikki, so detransformation is off the table tonight.”

Silent glances passed back and forth between them. They didn’t need the words. It was a question they’d each asked a hundred times over.

Would it be so bad if we could see behind the mask?

Chat Noir grinned, sitting up so his lips could inch ever closer. “Guess this will have to tide me over, then.”

Ladybug let Chat Noir leave first, so focused on filing the reports from the other holders.

Some of them arrived much earlier this evening. Still, until the libraries opened and the train station staff were there, it would be a challenge coming up with anything useful. She fired off messages on plans-of-attack for the next day that the team would find in the morning.

The trip back to the hotel took mere minutes. Her transformation fell just inside her room after the two sets of curtains were closed.

Wearily, she flopped onto the bed, bouncing just a little onto the exceptionally soft mattress.

She could get back up in a minute to get ready for bed after she burrowed into the luxurious covers and savored their warmth.

She wasn’t sure how Chat noir had managed all the arrangements. He simply assured her he would handle it, so she could focus on all of the craziness of the holidays. It was entirely necessary as she helped out her parents. Between studying and taking the end of term exams, it was a struggle to handle real-life outside of Akuma attacks on a good day. As the holidays neared, it had become impossible.

Clearly, he’d succeeded at the mission. So far, everyone had arrived in their assigned city, and no issues had come up.

In a room as cozy and comfortable as this, it was going to be a challenge not to sleep in; especially with curtains that darkened the room enough that the earliest beams of dawn couldn’t reach her or allow her to start tossing and turn her way awake.

She was going to have to be super careful, especially with Adrien so close. She sighed into the soft pillow. It was amazing that he could still somehow manage to leave her frazzled after all these years later. She just had to muddle through this one weekend. Then they would both be back to their life in Paris.

Back to classes and the regular buzz where she could be sure Adrien stayed safe while she watched over him on the billboards and from half a campus away.

Chapter Text

As soon as daylight slipped through the gap between the curtains, Adrien was awake. Pulling on his shirt and pants from the night before, he stepped into his shoes and headed down the stairs with Plagg hidden inside his shirt pocket.

Transporting more than a little Camembert had been tricky, especially away from refrigeration and his apartment for so long. He was definitely going to need to find something for Plagg to bring back up to his room. Plagg’s messy eating practically required it. Without a driver here to ferry him around, it was far too likely that his Kwami might be spotted if he ate in the taxi.

Peering down into the empty breakfast nook, he took in the set up as he made a mug of coffee. A heaping pile of baked goods was probably from the small bakery he’d spotted just down the street. It was bound to pale in comparison to Tom and Sabine’s fare, but it would do the trick.

Glancing up, he spotted the hotel owner hanging up the sprig of mistletoe over the end of the buffet.

The older woman smiled, climbing back down the step ladder. “Need any recommendations, dear?”

Wide eyed, Adrien plastered on his modelling smile. “I think I can figure it out,” he assured, hastily piling a still-warm croissant and a small assortment of cheese cubes, and rushed back up towards the stairs, gaping at another new frond he’d missed on his way downstairs.

Breathing heavily, he took the stairs two at a time, not stopping until he’d shut his room door behind him, slumping against it wearily.

Shaking his head, Adrien panted fretfully as he strode across the small room. Setting his plate of cheese on his desk with a noisy clatter, he shucked off his t-shirt onto the floor and headed over to the shower.

If he moved quickly, he could get cleaned up, eat, and be out in the city well before Marinette even thought about waking up.

Donning his hoodie and sunglasses, with a snoozing Kwami nestled in the hoodie pocket, Adrien headed out, trying to stay as below radar as possible. The hotel owner had waved him out, offering a few recommendations for spots to visit in the local area.

It wouldn’t always be easy, especially when he had four tourist information bureaus across the city lined up to visit before lunch. He was here on a mission, even if it wasn’t one he could freely share with just anyone.

Maybe Ladybug wouldn’t be opposed to coming back here later, after they finally got their victory over this new villain.

Adrien already had a full day ahead of himself. At least it would keep him safely away from Marinette and the hotel growing more filled with mistletoe that covered the dark wood and vintage wallpaper of the front hallways more and more by the minute.

Shaking his head, Adrien nursed his coffee. If he started at the locations closest to the train station and worked his way back to the center of town, he might be able to check out where all the pictures of the Akuma had been taken and see if he might be able to tell something from where they might be headed.

If their elusive-but-villainous traveler was a local, he needed to know what travel tips they were likely getting. On the other hand, if their villain was only stopping in for a visit, he wanted to know what Hawkmoth was likely to do — to hide as much out of sight as possible. The more isolated the hotels, the better. Tempted as he was to talk to the hotelier about the local competition, he definitely had been recognized and didn’t wish to invite any more speculation than necessary.

Especially with the endless amount of mistletoe that seemed to lurk around every corner.

He already had enough bad luck to contend with, and he wasn’t due for another brush with Lady Luck until much later this evening.

At least, he could easily claim he was looking into modelling along the Northern coast, learning to set things up for a future Gabriel shoot.

Occasionally, it was actually a good thing to be the face of a major business.

Unfortunately, it only took a few hours to find that most of the recommendations from the tourism clerks didn’t pan out. He barely heard a single tip that he hadn’t already gathered through his research online.

He sipped his coffee, picking up speed as he walked between the third and fourth travel information stations.

There were a few more private and exclusive hotels recommended that he could try to call and check on this afternoon. At least his voice was far less likely to be recognized since it had been years since he’d last voice acted in anything.

“You know, young man. You look quite familiar…” The little old man behind the counter muttered as he started to gather a heaping pile of brochures.

Adrien plastered on his model smile, as he tugged the sunglasses from his face. “I get that a lot.”

The old man grinned. “It will come to me, I swear.”

“Maybe from a magazine?” Adrien prompted. The old man had been very kind, but there were at least two or three more places he’d flagged before he wanted to stop and grab lunch.

Snorting, the old man waved his hand. “Nothing silly like that. The only magazines we keep in this office are for destinations.”

“Oh,” Adrien’s own smile widened. “I just have one of those faces, I suppose.”

“It’s a point of pride for me to remember all my customers, young man.” He squinted, focusing on his features in a way that reminded him too much of pasta-obsessed photographers. “You wouldn’t happen to have a lady friend, would you? Perhaps a brunette?”

Chuckling, Adrien replaced his sunglasses. “I’m afraid I’ve always had a thing for girls with hair as dark as night. I’m afraid you must have confused me with someone else.”

Frowning, the old man gathered up a whole slew of adverts, pressing his card on the top. “No matter. Just take a few of these with you. They give you any trouble and you tell them Jean Michel will give them what for.”

Stretching and finally burrowing out from the thick comforter, Marinette stumbled out of bed. It was nearly ten am, but she still had to sneak in a few extra visits on this trip to keep her cover.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she pulled her outfit for the day out of the wardrobe. How many times did she have to say she was just fine before everyone started to believe it? She actually was dating. She was happy. It was just impossibly hard to explain how she was dating Chat Noir since she could only do that as Ladybug.

Finally dressed, Marinette slipped downstairs, pulling her jacket on as she strode down the steps.

To her horror, it seemed like there were sprigs of mistletoe that had popped up everywhere. There hadn’t been this many last night, had there?

Paling, Marinette scuttled outside as quickly as she could.

The prospect of running into Adrien inside within that gamut of a mistletoe forest was increasingly dangerous to her composure.

She was half relieved and half sad that she didn’t see Adrien before she left this morning. Even if it could have been at a safe distance.

If she was being honest with herself, she really just missed spending time with him.

With Chat Noir, she wasn’t lonely...but there was always a small, guilty corner of her heart that had held out hope that maybe, eventually things might work out with Adrien.

But the threats never really stopped coming...and Chat Noir had wound his tail around her heart, slowly but surely.

“Oh,” the younger front desk clerk rushed over, pressing a brightly colored coupon into her hand. “You must take this. We just got a few of these in today, for one of the best restaurants in the area. Just down the street a few blocks to the right.”

Smiling widely, Marinette dropped the coupon into her purse.

The hotel owner appeared in the doorway, cleaning rag in hand as she dusted the banister for the stairs. She winked, gleefully. “Do tell Pierre I sent you, and he’ll set you up with a lovely little table with quite a view. If you go in tonight, he might add in a little special desert on the house.”

With a final, weary wave, Marinette headed out into the cold. She needed to make up a little time, and a fast pace was sure to help.

Rubbing her gloved hands over her arms to warm her muscles faster, she sighed.

Maybe it was just the prospect of extra sweets, but the meddling hotel owner reminded Marinette a little too much of her mother…

Marinette’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, glancing anxiously back over her shoulder. Had her Mother written ahead?

Massaging her temples, Marinette sighed. She knew her Mom just wanted her to be happy.

She shook her head, waiting until the light changed and she could safely cross the street. There was no possible way she could have known that Adrien would even be here, right?

Her eyes widened as she tugged her coat more tightly around her. Right?

Sighing, she checked her phone to make sure she was headed in the right direction for the library. There was a bakery along the way she planned to stop at as she slept in too late for the breakfast the hotel had offered.

The extra expense would be meager. Besides, she kind of wished she’d stayed out a little longer last night...even if he was clearly tired.

It was hard, knowing they were both so close...and still unreasonably far apart.

It wasn’t as big a deal when they were younger… but she had spent years watching Alya.

She was half convinced there was a real chance Nino would also propose on this trip.

But they already lived together. They’d dated for half a decade already. They already knew what life would probably be like on the other side of getting married.

Between the endless stream of villains and the masks that still kept them safe — but separate — it seemed like she might never be able to have the same.

And she really did love him.

Adrien….he had opened her eyes to what it was that she valued. To what she was looking for in letting someone into her heart…

Were it not for him, she might have never lost her heart so fully to the boy who had stood at her side all along.

She could never tell him that, but she would always be grateful.

Curious as she always would be, she plotted her walking path to carefully avoid the travel places, since that’s exactly where Chat Noir would be headed. Any of the other big parks or local monuments had to be avoided as well, since she had no idea wherever Adrien was out modelling.

Marinette didn’t spend long at the local library. Considering the homework she managed to do before she arrived, she was really only looking for any local for that timeframe that hadn’t made it online.

If there wasn’t anything more in the images, she at least wanted to find actual people to talk to tomorrow.

An hours worth of research gave her an achy neck from staring down at the screen at the scanned articles, but at least it had turned up a few names. Taking a few pictures with her phone before she tucked it away and gathered up her things. Ladybug would have to pass along the details to Max and Alya so they could track those people down.

She checked the clock on the wall. If she hurried, there was just enough to make it to the museum and sneak in some research there before it closed for the day.

That would give her just enough time to check out the restaurant the hotel owner recommended before she met up with Chat Noir.

In the end, Adrien made a slight stop out of his way to check at the local Theater. Of the few pictures Alya's network of butterfly informants had managed to capture, the only one away from the train station had been clearly spotted outside of it. He was trying to match the picture to figure out where the holder may have been headed.

There was a little restaurant nearby that looked good. It had even been highly recommended by the hotel owner before he raced out this morning.

Heading up to the host’s desk, he put his name in.

Turning around to sit down, he didn’t expect to come face to face with an equally stunned Marinette.

It was just his luck that a table for two was available before any space at the bar was, so he, of course, found himself pulling out her chair for her to sit before he wound around the table to sit across from her.

Studiously, he otherwise stayed as far apart from her as he could.

But it didn’t last long before they both leapt back as if burnt whenever they both reached for the menus at the same time.

Adrien frowned, sitting back in his chair with every scrap of polite society manners that had been drilled into him for years on end. Perhaps a meter apart wasn’t a safe enough distance, even if Hawkmoth might hopefully be miles away.

At least in Paris, she was clearly safe. He’d spent more than enough evenings checking on her balcony on patrol to make sure of it. He couldn’t help but keep checking to make sure the Akuma attacks stayed far away from wherever she was.

“How long are you staying in town?” Adrien asked politely, as he stabbed a fork into his salad.

She gulped, feeling every bit as painfully shy and awkward as she had after Adrien had surprised her with how kind and genuine he was at heart. Her fingers fiddled with the napkin on her lap, straightening it absently. Just remembering that rainy early day was only turning the knife a little deeper. “Until Monday.”

“The hotel is nice.” He chuckled. “Although it maybe has a little more foliage than I would have expected this late in the year.”

Marinette snorted, before coughing not-so-subtly. “I’m particularly fond of the little balcony in my room. I just wish it was warmer to be able to head out and enjoy the view.

Not that she would actually be able to if she could. If anyone actually spotted Ladybug, it was too risky that they might place her as staying in the room Ladybug visited.

Adrien smiled serenely. “I’m afraid there isn’t much of a view from my room. I really wanted to try and stay under the radar on this trip.”

“Are you actually having any luck with that?” she chuckled, resting her cheek.

Adrien grinned back at her. “Perhaps a little more than I expected to.”

Marinette smiled, watching him from behind her eyelashes as she sipped the last of a glass of red with dessert.

It was funny. Her heart was no longer in that chaotic spiral of panic that she’d had at 14 that sent her tripping and stammering around him for a whole year. By the time they had dated, she could at least handle whole sentences and keep herself upright, but he still managed to have that dizzying effect on her heart.

He was still just as attractive as the day they had met. Time had only been kinder to him still. If that hadn’t been unfair enough, Adrien was definitely wearing some of the clothes that had just gone up on Gabriel’s website for the winter line beneath his jacket.

But time — and no small amount of danger — had tempered her feelings for him. They were absolutely still there of course.

Just sitting here with him simply warmed her to her core.

Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the fact that she had dated him in the distant past.

Maybe — just maybe — it was because now, sitting across from him at his table, she was never more aware of how genuine and sweet Adrien’s clear concern for her really was. As were those painfully soft looks he hept tossing, it tugged at heartstrings she thought she’d safely severed…

She kept having to remind herself that this wasn’t a date. It was just two old friends who happened to meet up for dinner. And chatted for two whole hours, while her boyfriend was probably already up waiting for her on the clock tower.

He even picked up the check, snagging it off the table before she could.

“Let me pay,” she insisted, holding out her hand.

Adrien shook his head. “Modelling still pays pretty well. Just consider it an investment on your first big project as a fashion designer.”

Oddly, it felt like Chat Noir all over again. Bringing her yellow roses, when she kept telling herself they could only ever be friends.

Sighing heavily, Marinette tipped back the glass of wine, finishing it off with a grimace as the liquid warmed the back of the throat..

Clearly, she had a type.

Adrien glanced down at his watch with a frown. “I guess I ought to walk you back.”

“Oh,” she blinked. She had been planning to finish dinner and head up to the clock tower to meet Chat Noir. “I...kind of needed to go back to the library for one last thing, then planned to turn in early.”

“It’s nearly 7 pm.” He picked up his phone to check the hours. “Isn’t the library about to close?”

“Really?” Paling, Marinette floundered for another excuse. “That’s a shame. I guess I’ll have to be up earlier tomorrow. My boyfriend is going to want to call and check in.” Wincing, she mused aloud, reminding herself of that very firm line that was in place.

“Lucky guy.” Adrien murmured.

She flushed, turning her gaze away. “I hope he thinks so.”

“I’m happy for you.” And he really, truly was.

“Thanks…” She whispered, face flushing slightly. Or maybe it was just the dim light and half a hope in heart.

However that happiness didn’t change the fact that a solid part of him was also irrationally jealous.

His fleeting joyful moments with Ladybug were often stolen. Try as he might, they never lasted long enough. What’s more, the masks were always the one thing that got in the way. The one thing that truly kept them from growing closer, from sharing secrets more openly.

In those earliest days of dating Marinette, it had just been nice to spend a quiet evening cuddled up and playing video games. He’d always been full, eating dinners that her parents had prepared — even sitting with them at their table — and cuddling up on her balcony to talk about their hopes and dreams for the future.

He missed the fact that they could walk around the school at least, hand in hand, openly accepting the happy well wishes from all of their friends.

He loved Ladybug dearly, but he mourned the loss of that with her.

She looked up at him, confused, pressing the cloth napkin to her lips.

Marinette was just a pointed reminder of everything that he’d truly been missing. After all, Marinette was one of the very few people in his life who was nearly everything he had admired in Ladybug. He meant every word when he’d called her their Everyday Ladybug. When they had been dating, it had been a real delight to revel in her boundless kindness and generosity.

Adrien closed his eyes, savoring the large bite of chicken.

At least with Marinette, everything had still been new. They had kissed and held hands.

But with Ladybug, they weren’t children anymore. It was hard enough watching Nino and Alya without wanting what they had.

He wanted to have Ladybug in his house...to wake up beside her in the morning. To make breakfast together and watch all the ridiculous movies they ever talked about.

To truly know the girl hiding behind the mask, once and for all.

He smiled sadly. Maybe that is what he missed most about Marinette…

The hope that she had always represented for him.

He looked into the worried expression on her face, trying to veer the conversation around to safer ground. After all, he excelled at distraction. “Did you ever get to watch that Ultimate Mecha Strike movie?”

“Ugh.” She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “Don’t get me started on that disaster…”

He leaned his head onto his hand, settling in to watch her barely checked glee as she prepared to itemize every single cinematic flaw in exquisite detail.

Marinette focused on keeping a careful and separate distance between them as they walked back to the hotel.

They both separated as if burned as they ducked into the first hallway, pressing themselves into the edges of the doorway to avoid the mistletoe as if it might be dropping Horrificator’s acidic spit.

Safer out in public...strategically ducking every bit of green foliage she could spot.

As he helped her out of her jacket, the hotel owner glanced over with interest from the front desk, but politely said not a word.

Adrien shed his hoodie quickly, tugging it up over his head with practiced ease.

Her eyes widened as he pressed his hands to his stomach, tugging the shirttails back into place.

It was hard for her not to pay attention to it. Not to file away every minute design detail. Not to not-so-subtly drool over the ideal planes of his chest and how the tailored dress shirt fit him perfectly.

She shivered at the sight.

“Are you cold, Marinette?” he murmured.

“Oh…” Her eyes widened, finally feeling that familiar panic setting in. She rubbed her hands over her arms, hoping it would help her ground herself. “I-It’s just a bit drafty in my room.”

“Oh, did you want to switch rooms?” Adrien tilted his head, his brows furrowed as the both walked up the stairs side by side. “I’d offer my jacket, but I’m definitely going to need it outside later.”

Marinette nibbled at her lip. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just ask the front desk for a few more blankets.”

Smiling, he pressed the softest kiss to her cheek as they parted at the top of the stairs.

Ruefully, he nodded up at the ceiling above to the first mistletoe that they both hadn’t noticed until it was too late.

That soft look in his eyes and his innate sense of chivalry was going to drive her mad.

“Good night, Marinette.”

Lucky for her — and her traitorous heart — he headed straight back to his room.

Her shoulders slumped, wearily as she watched him go.

In spite of all of her best efforts and all of the years in between, it somehow managed to leave her just as breathless as he ever had.

“Good night, Adrien,” she mumbled to his now closed door.

Chapter Text

Pacing the short deck beneath the clock’s face, Chat Noir frowned anxiously. He tightened his grip on the baton, checking the screen for the tenth time in as many minutes.

It was taking way too long for Ladybug to arrive.

The crisp chill in the air meant that his every sigh created smoky little puffs in the air, signaling for her to come and join him.

It was just as effective as trying to call, since Ladybug clearly hadn’t transformed just yet.

He couldn’t wait for her to get here. Clearly, he wasn’t immune to Marinette, but he knew in his heart he was entirely committed to Ladybug. It’s just that he would feel far less uneasy once she was finally there beside him.

Feeling entirely useless, Chat Noir slumped back against the wall and focused instead on sending out a message to all of the other holders.

From the first few messages he got back, it was clear none of them had had a lot of success with this quest. Wearily, he sighed, raking a claw through his hair. It wasn’t that surprising. After all, it only had been a few days, and none of them had the first idea of how to go about seeking out a villain who seemed to roam the whole country.

His shoulders slumped. Finding a man who had been mere meters for him most of his life had been hard enough.

Landing nearby in a gracefully swooping arc, Ladybug rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him with enough force that it almost knocked him off his feet.

It wouldn’t have been the first time. Chat Noir smiled to himself, closing his baton and stowing it at his back. Wrapping his arm around her, he rubbed her back comfortingly. She had her head buried into the crook of his neck, but what he could see of her skin looked pale. “You alright?”

She nodded, hugging him a little more tightly. “Everything is okay now.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, grabbing her hands in his. “Are you sure?”

“Chat Noir.” She sighed, shutting her eyes. “Why are you treating me like I’m made of glass? I have literally tossed you off of more than a few of Paris’ rooftops.”

“It’s because you’re precious to me, my Lady.” Gently squeezing her hands, he gazed directly into her blue eyes. “You’re impossibly strong. But I can never tell just how much of that is the suit, or how much of that you’re holding on your own shoulders. You don’t exactly reach out to me for help that often.”

Bracing her hands on either side of his face, Ladybug kissed him fervently.

“Outside of Tikki,” she whispered, “There’s no one I lean on more. No one I trust more.”

As the flurrying snow started to fall, they ducked up under the largest ledge to stay dry.

Frowning, Chat Noir looked over the reports, “It seems like no one was able to drum up too much information about sightings.”

Sighing, she leaned her ear to his chest, her legs draping over his lap. “I was afraid of this. Some of the places were smaller towns. Not that many visitors would arrive by train, more locals who occasionally travelled city to city.”

His arm wound around her waist, keeping her close. “I did manage to hit all the tourist information spots in the area.”

Her blue eyes shot to his, brows arching high with interest. “Anything of note?”

Chat Noir grinned grew a little too wide. His face was apparently familiar, but that was probably a little too close to behind the mask. In the end, he shrugged. “They gave me leads for a few hotels that are more likely to be catering to clientele who want to stay under the radar. Unfortunately, I won’t have time to visit them all, but I’ll do my best.”

“I never doubted you, Chaton.” She settled her head back into his chest. “I managed to gather a few leads myself.” She pulled a few up on her yoyo phone to share. “I fired off a few messages to Alya and to Pegase to help chase these people down. Tikki is good, but when it comes to technology, they are better.“

Marinette was dressed and out the hotel front door at first light. Drawing the scarf tighter around her neck, the new-fallen snow crunched beneath her shoes as she strode down the street.

Despite her best efforts, she tossed and turned all night. She was half kicking herself for not ignoring the wind and cold and just spending the whole night out on the clock tower, cuddled up in Chat Noir’s arms

Luckily, Max had come through with his early morning research. Her phone vibrating with the notification with the early morning light, jarring her from a mostly fitful sleep.

Names in hand, she got dressed and moving, a little more heavy-handed with the concealer than usual. She could grab a little breakfast on the go, and the small corner café would do the trick to help her slog through it.

It would take her longer to get there in the snow, anyways.

After all, she wasn’t taking any chances sticking around the hotel. Being around Adrien was making her too distracted.

Maybe she and Chat Noir would have more luck chasing down their adversary today, but the battle wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

It still wasn’t safe for everyone. They were too close and had come too far.

No matter how much she might want to, she still couldn’t give in. She couldn’t afford to. She would never forgive herself if anyone she loved got hurt because of it.

Not more than an hour later, a taxi stopped outside the hotel to drive Adrien in the opposite direction.

“Thank you,” he murmured to the driver, as he slumped down into the back seat.

The driver nodded. “Where to?”

Adrien pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m trying to check out a series of hotels for my company,” he murmured, pulling up the map. “I’ll tip if you can wait while I go in and ask a few questions at the front desk before we move on to the next.”

Peering back at the first place Adrien listed, the driver shrugged and entered the location on his GPS. “Works for me.”

Adrien’s head drooped towards the window as they pulled away, relishing the press of the cool glass to his skin as it dulled his growing headache.

He hadn’t slept well. Something was bothering Ladybug, something she clearly couldn’t talk to him about.

Adrien absolutely hated that he couldn’t help her with it. He had paced his room, long enough for Plagg to grumble and dive into the pillows.

Well into the evening, he had plotted out his path on the map, taking him further out towards the coast. Far fewer eyes were out there, which made it fairly ideal, and it matched the butterfly’s possible route from outside of the theater.

In the car, he fired off emails to the hotels he knew he wouldn’t have time to visit. If they didn’t get back to him today, maybe he could convince Ladybug to come back with him and check out a few of the places on another visit.

Hopefully, next time he might purrsaude her to spend more time focusing on their relationship than strictly adhering to the mission.

Massaging her temples as she wearily dropped onto the bed, Marinette sighed.

Her feet were achy. Her shoes were soaked through. And to top it all off, none of her leads had really stood out.

Contact after contact, they didn’t recall where they had seen the butterfly. In fact, they didn’t have any idea what she was even talking about. The butterflies could move pretty fast, after all.

“I don’t know, Tikki,” she whispered. “Hopefully, Chat Noir is having more luck. Or Alya.”

“Just relax.” Tikki hovered overhead. “You know you could use the nap, Marinette.”

“I know. It’s just frustrating that I don’t seem to be making much progress.” She reached out, tugging off her wet socks and burying her feet beneath the covers as she pulled it up to her chin so she could warm up. “Maybe I’m going about this all wrong.”

Tikki dropped onto the pillow beside her. “What’s on your mind?”

“The furthest away the Akuma the first Hawkmoth had ever reached was in space when they’d fought Star Train, but it had to flutter back.” Marinette stared up at the ceiling, her gazed unfocused. “I could never be sure, but it seemed like he didn’t have as tight of a control over the Akumatized.”

Tikki frowned, ruffling Marinette’s bangs as she finally succumbed to a noisy yawn. “I just worry that maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong…”

“Then,” Tikki nudged, “you really should sleep on it. Your mind isn’t going to move nearly as fast until you rest.”

Late in the afternoon, Adrien rushed back in.

He was in such a hurry that he almost missed seeing the matronly old hotel owner chatting with Pierre, the restaurant owner from last evening.

The man chuckled, leaning over a box with a few leafy fronds of garland peaking out.

Finally noticing his gaze, the hotel owner quickly moved the box out sight with a tight smile. The pair of them both going pointedly quiet. “Anything I can help you with?”

Shrugging, Adrien donned the strongest modeling smile in his arsenal: the one that never gave anything away. Their sudden silence settled it. He could be sure that the pair of them were gossiping. His grip tightened on the handrail.

“Just puzzling out what to get for dinner this evening.”

Her smile grew warm. “Feel free to call or stop down if you need a few recommendations.”

His grin widened. “Absolutely,” he lied.

Dashing up the stairs, he didn’t dare to stop until he was safely back in his room.

Adrien flopped onto the bed, only digging out his phone as an afterthought to set his alarm.

His arm draped up over his eyes, blocking out the late afternoon sun. He desperately needed a nap to be able to make it through this last night.

However, when he woke up, he would escape their notice as fast as he could manage - even if he had to transform to do it.

At least he had seen no sign of Marinette. She was sure to have gotten a late start, so he would probably miss her entirely, even if he ordered something to eat here at the hotel before he met up with Ladybug.

Wearing warmer clothes, Marinette stretched as she padded down the stairs.

“Ah, Miss Marinette,” The hotel owner’s daughter sat at the desk. “The delivery boy just dropped off your order.”

Her brows rose. She had gotten dressed and put shoes on, expecting that she might have to go outside.

Happily, she picked up the bag, opening it up to savor the aroma. She was really glad that she didn’t have to head back out. Dinner yesterday had been nice, but she owed Chat Noir better than that. It was bad enough that her own feelings were so splintered.

Warily, her eyes were drawn to another large paper bag like hers, sitting out on the counter.

She heard the creak of the steps and the inevitable footsteps, but by then it was too late.

“Adrien?”

His own smile tightened. Just a little. “How do we both keep running into each other in the halls?”

Her eyes darted to the back hall where the owner was not so subtly eavesdropping. “I can’t imagine.”

She didn’t have to look to know there was a thistled Sword of Damocles hanging over her head.

The heavy sigh on Adrien’s face as he looked up was all the confirmation she needed.

His hand awkwardly, slipped to his neck. At least, he was just as uncomfortable about all of this as she was. “Maybe it would just be easier to give up so they leave us both alone.”

Those compelling green eyes kept drawing her in, making her doubt her resolve. The faster that she got back to her room, the faster she could get back to Chat Noir. “You think so?”

He shrugged. “Nothing else has worked.”

“I suppose.” She nibbled at her lip. It hadn’t escaped her notice how his gaze shifted as she did.

Adrien leaned forward, moving to meet her in the middle and not a centimeter more. “Only if you’re sure.”

Stubbornly, Marinette rose up on her tiptoes.

And then, he kissed her…

The fall of his lips upon hers was sweet. At least at first, it was the barest, most tentative touch.

It was only after her soft sigh slipped into the space between them, that it gave him cause to deepen it. Adrien tilted his head just so, to seamlessly slot his lips to hers.

Though it only could have been a few seconds, the result was dizzying as her eyes slid closed. The bag of food slipped from her fingers to a messy pile on the hardwood floors.

It only took her a moment more to notice one of his hands dipping down to settle on the small of her back.

Her hands slid to either side of his face, half to hold herself steady. She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling, welling in the pit of her stomach. For all that she and Adrien hadn’t kissed since they were practically teenagers, this all felt startlingly familiar.

The softness of his lips. The height.

If she didn’t know better, she would think--

Marinette forced her eyes to open, increasingly desperate to prove herself wrong.

Coming face to face with his eyes, slipping open in return, as he felt her shift away.

“Are you alright, Marinette?” he murmured between deep inhales, his lips still hovering tantalizingly close to hers.

In the end, it was his fingers drifting into her pigtails that proved to be her ultimate undoing.

Unravelling every single one of her carefully crafted defensives, with perhaps the sweetest touch of destruction.

Marinette backed away suddenly, fingers pressed to her lips, as she gasped audibly.

“Marinette?” He froze, blinking rapidly.

Incredulous, she backed away further, turning away to rush out the door.

Adrien gaped as the door clattered closed behind her.

Muscles tensing, Adrien picked up her food and set it up on the counter.

“Is she alright?”

“Sorry, I need to go and find her.”

“Of course,” came the reply.

Not that he stuck around to hear it. Adrien raced for the door, grabbing his coat and hers as he rushed out into the dusk.

Marinette couldn’t have gone far.

Scrambling into the first vacant alley she could find, Marinette transformed to keep from freezing.

She wasn’t about to go back in… Not until she made sense of everything.

In a daze, she somehow managed to make it back up to the clock tower, to slump back against the same spot they had holed up together last evening.

Gloved fingertips drew up to press against her lips, trying to hold the memory fresh in her mind.

Maybe it had been too long. Maybe it was just wishful thinking…

But that kiss from Adrien? That felt like Chat Noir.

She knew it in her bones.

When she had gotten to kiss Adrien as a young teenager, everything had all been blissfully new. The whole experience had been so magical and wonderful -- not that she’d had much other experience to compare it to. She’d been so bowled over by the emotions of it all, that her mind failed to commit every tactile detail to memory.

Now, though?

She didn’t know how to forget how it felt to be kissed by Adrien. She couldn’t.

Because it was exactly like how it felt to be kissed by Chat Noir.

Ladybug scrubbed her red gloved hand over her lips.

She knew this from no small amount of experience. After all, she'd been kissing Chat for years now. She’d had time to commit each and every detail to memory. The flavor of lip balm he seemed to prefer. His height and the way her fingers felt mussing up his hair. His favorite way to angle his head and match his lips to hers. It was the softest press of his lips that he dared; the desperate ardor that nearly always struck in the wake of a hard-fought battle. It was anything and everything in between.

She knew it all so well.

Every kiss she’d shared with Chat Noir, she’d closed her eyes to savor.

Her eyes might still be fooled by the magic of the mask. But her lips?

If Adrien really was Chat Noir, he would come and find her, right?

After all, if she realized it...it was only a matter of time.

She opened up her yoyo, checking for any sign of him.

But Chat Noir -- Adrien, she was sure...he never came. Never followed her.

Frowning, she headed back to the hotel.

The front door was locked. Patting her pockets and otherwise emptying her purse, Marinette was freaking out.

She must have dropped her key.

Ducked back into the alley, but came up empty handed.. No other way to get in the entryway after supper hours as the owner ate in the back hall.

Looking around in the snow as Ladybug...all to no avail…

She glanced up at Adrien’s room.

Adrien was exhausted. Hadn’t counted on running around in the snow and cold.

He hadn’t counted on her running off. On disappearing entirely.

He called and left a message, only to have it go to voicemail.

Her reaction was entirely expected. He was sure he had gone too far, crossed some line. Clearly, she didn’t want to be found.

Dripping wet from the warm shower, Adrien quickly moved around the room to get dressed. At least the warm water had sunk into his bones.

Even if the sandwiches were now ice cold.

He had pants on, but was trying to eat as he otherwise warmed up. Hadn’t brought a fourth change of clothes, so he was puzzling out what was clean enough to wear until everything else dried.

He would give himself ten more minutes to warm up, and Chat Noir would head out into the night to find Marinette and ensure she was safe.

Confused, he saw a stunning flash of red out on the balcony, with a halo of the city lights making her look all the more stunning.

Baffled, he immediately walked over and opened up his balcony door.

“Ladybug?” He was very confused as to why she was there. Backpedaling just enough to open the balcony door, Adrien waved her inside. Thankfully, she moved quickly so he could shut the door behind him against the chill.

She sighed at the sight of his still-damp hair, tilting her head and noticing that without the shirt he had to be freezing. “Well, that explains why you weren’t answering…” she flushed, turning nearly as red as her suit. “Adrien, you should put on a shirt.”

“Everything that is clean is also wet.”

Her eyes raced around the room, eventually chucking a towel at him. “At least put that on.”

“Sorry, I went running off after a friend.”

“Just a friend?”

“I hope so.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I’m not sure if I screwed things up with her again.”

Ladybug tilted his head, the most maddening grin on her face.

“Wait…” His mind caught up. “What wasn’t I answering?”

Ladybug smirked, eyes catching his in the mirror. “You tell me, Chaton.”

“Oh, God,” he murmured, raking a desperate hand through his damp hair as he started to pace the short run of wood flooring. “What gave me away?”

Ladybug smiled softly. “You really need a hint?”

Adrien’s brows scrunched close together. “I do.”

He watched carefully as her hands slid to either side of his face. He marveled at the coy grin of her lips before they gently fell upon his.

Over and over and over again.

He sighed softly, lips parting with a soft pop as she gently backed away. Watching him with those celestial blue eyes.

“Have a clue yet?” Ladybug whispered, fingers gently teasing his neck just where his bell usually hovered.

“I’m…” Shivering slightly, his tongue darted out over his lips, wetting them. He cleared the uncertain lump in his throat. “I think I’m getting warmer.”

Her gleeful smile turned into a half-feral grin that would make Plagg proud. “I should hope so.”

As she buried her hands in his still-damp hair, his eyes slid blissfully closed. She rose up on her tiptoes, to tug both ends of the towel around his neck down just so, drawing him in.

“Wait.” He pulled back, his eyes stunned wide with the realization. "Marinette?" he breathed.

“About time you realized…” Ladybug pressed her forehead to his. “Why did you think I raced off like Hawkmoth himself was chasing me?”

“No way…” Beaming, his fingers toyed with her ribbons. “You mean all this time…?”

“We tried to keep each other safe by giving each other up?” Marinette chuckled ruefully. She lingered in his arms as the magic spiralled from her lithe form in a halo of pink.

Adrien smirked. “Heroes to the end, aren’t we?”

“You know.” Plagg grumbled from the desk, munching noisily on the scraps of cheese he dragged out of the sandwich. “This is not the kind of cheese I was looking for.”

“Plagg,” Adrien hissed. “You knew?”

“Of course, he did.” Marinette sighed, weaving her arm around his waist and letting her head fall easily against his chest. “But he and Tikki couldn’t say. You know that.”

“We were just happy you found each other again.” Tikki smiled at the pair of them. “You both couldn’t help but run back to each other after all. C’mon, Plagg.” Tikki nudged him towards the door. “We are going to go sleep down the hall.”

Adrien dug into the bag, producing a cookie. “Take a little food before you go. You have to be tired, Tikki.”

“Thank you, Adrien,” Tikki grinned.

Plagg pouted. “What about me?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Plagg, you’ve been eating all day.”

“Hey,” Plagg chided. “Someone had to watch for you, since you couldn’t stop making moony eyes around each other.”

Finally, after both Kwamis had phased through the door, Adrien sat down beside Marinette on the bed, setting down his last remaining spare towel as a makeshift picnic blanket as he split his sandwich with her. “Now, aren’t you glad this room isn’t so drafty?”

Marinette grinned, cuddling up beside him atop the comforter. “It is definitely warmer than my room.”

Half an hour later, they were still famished. Marinette ducked down to retrieve what remained of her abandoned takeout bag from the front desk, and returned with a salad the hotel owner had been kind enough to stash in the fridge.

“Something was bothering you last night,” she whispered as she snuggled up to him beneath the blankets.

“More than just the feelings for you I wasn’t hiding well?”

She chuckled. “You were hardly alone in that.”

He nodded. “Most of the tourist information folks gave me the same spiel. But there was one who said I looked familiar…”

“Adrien,” Marinette smirked up at him. “I hate to tell you this...but you’re kind of famous.”

“I honestly don’t think I have a big following in the elderly gentlemen set.” He grinned as she lingered closer, adjusting the collar of his button down shirt and studiously trying not to lift her gaze to his lips. “It seems like my Father’s marketing team keeps tailoring my appeal to target red spotted heroines.”

“At least someone at Gabriel was doing good work.”

“Hey,” he grumbled.

“You already caught my attention, well before I saw most of your modelling.” She grinned, patting his face fondly. “It wasn’t just your pretty face.”

“So you do like my pretty face.”

“Most of Paris likes your pretty face. With or without the mask.” Her hands cupped his cheeks, admiring him unabashedly. “I just happened to fall for the whole package.”

“Puns and all?”

She smirked mischievously. “Well, I admit it is a lot easier when I have a way to stop the particularly bad puns.”

He chuckled, sitting back against the bed to give her poor toes a rest. He had looked up to her for a long time, after all. “You’re just going to encourage me, you know.”

“You’ve never needed me to.” She stood between his legs, resting her hands on his shoulders. Leaning down slightly, she gently pressed her lips to his forehead. “I just enjoy you near me, Adrien. I always have.”

Blushing, Adrien ducked his head. He was never going to tire of her compliments. They only meant more, now that he knew.

“Anyways,” he shook his head, trying to clear it. “The only magazines the old man seemed to own were for far flung destinations.”

“So, why were you familiar…?”

His eyes narrowed. “It makes me very curious what my cousin has been up to lately.”

She shuddered, sitting up suddenly. “Felix?” Her nose wrinkled up as if she smelled something foul. The comforter fell down off her back, revealing the thin lacy chemise that she wore beneath her blazer. “If I see him again, it would be too soon.”

“Marinette,” he whispered, “if you hadn’t punched him first, I might have.”

“No, you wouldn’t, Adrien.” She lay her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as she watched his chest rise and fall with every bated breath. “You’re much too nice. Besides, you know I can protect myself.”

“Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t step in to guard you,” Adrien murmured, his arm reaching around to rub her back, much as they had done. “You shouldn’t have to. You have too much on your shoulders as it is.”

She sighed, linking her fingers between his. “We both seem to have issues with that.”

“But now we can spend more of that time together.” He lifted their joined hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to each knuckle in turn. “We wouldn’t have to patrol to brainstorm together.”

“That would be nice. There isn’t ever enough time in the day anymore,” she admitted, as she rolled up out of bed to pace. “One thing is still bothering me, though."

Adrien pouted at being stopped. "What is that?"

"Why on earth would Felix be in Calais?” Marinette’s brows knit. “Wasn’t he going to University in London?”

“That is an interesting question,” Adrien conceded. “But apparently, he wasn’t travelling alone.”

“Oh?”

Adrien crossed his arms over his chest. “The tourism agent was sure I was travelling with a brunette.”

Marinette snorted. “That’s ridiculous. You’ve only ever dated girls with black hair.”

“Exactly.” He smiled, letting his fingers sink into her hair, relishing in the fact that it was down. “You know, you should wear it down more often.”

She rolled her eyes, blushing prettily at his compliment. “I only kept it up because a certain cat loved to play with the ends of my pigtails.”

He kissed the ends of her hair. “You spoiled me.”

She sighed dramatically, letting her hand sneak up to rest upon his cheek. “Someone had to.”

His fingers lingered in her hair. “So, what do you make of it, My Lady?”

“It had to be Felix then…” she smiled, adjusting his collar. “Unless you’ve got another Wayhem hiding around here somewhere?”

“No. Wayhem is definitely still in Paris.” Adrien chuckled, digging his phone out of his pocket. “So, it seems like it might be time to give a call to Aunt Amélie and check in.”

Marinette set her hand on his phone. “Maybe tomorrow?”

“You sure?” He frowned. “Wouldn’t it be best to move as fast as possible? Especially now that we know?”

“Right now, we still have the element of surprise in our favor.” She smirked, nose wrinkling up. “Besides... right now, I’ve got other plans.”

“Hmmm.” His gaze softened.. “I’ve always been a sucker for your plans.”

“Ah, Chaton,” Marinette whispered, gently tugging his collar down to meet her in the middle. “I figured that out a long time ago.”

The anxious hotel owner had a shaky smile as Marinette walked up to the desk with her key to check out. “Did you enjoy your stay?”

“More than I thought I would.” Marinette grinned, setting her pink and white polka-dotted suitcase on the ground.

“I’m very glad to hear it.”

“Oh,” she said, digging into her purse to pull out the other key. “The gentleman in 2C is also checking out.”

“Oh,” The owner frowned. “He left already?”

“I’m afraid so.” Marinette nodded, smiling tightly. “He had to catch an early train.”

“Is this seat taken?” Marinette whispered.

Adrien looked up, beaming into Marinette’s blue eyes, as she tucked her suitcase in the overhead compartment next to his. “I’m afraid it is. You see, there’s this amazing girl I know...”

Gleefully, she dropped down beside him, nuzzling her head onto his shoulder. “It’s a shame she’s going to miss it, then.”

Chuckling, he tilted his head against hers, cuddled up in the seat side by side, leaning against one another like they did all those years ago on the train to London.

Not that she had any idea of course. At least this time, they were headed in the right direction.

Both finally on the same page as they headed back to Paris.

Beaming, he handed her his second earbud, which pressed into her other hand.

Jagged Stone’s tribute to Ladybug was playing. “A good choice.”

“It has always been one of my favorites.”

“Alya is going to be insufferable, you know.” She linked her fingers with his.

His fingers clasped hers, clear that he wasn’t about to let her go. “As bad as Alya might be, Nino is definitely going to be worse.”

Marinette smiled from ear to ear. “However, will we manage to put up with them?”

Adrien squeezed her hand in reply. “I’m sure we can figure it out together, my Lady.”