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Adrien’s boots crunched softly across the crisp, nearly frozen grass. It was the worst possible day for a photoshoot, but no one had listened when he expressed his concern.
The clouds overhead threatened to burst as Adrien shrugged, pulling the collar of his jacket up closer to his neck as he glanced around the park.
The icy nights from earlier in the week had hardened into uneven patches of ice and slush, the kind that made every step uncertain. A thin wind cut across the open space, tugging at the carefully styled layers the crew had spent the last hour arranging on him.
“Hold that pose, Adrien!” the photographer called sharply. “Chin up! Think… winter elegance, not winter misery.”
Adrien gave one of his signature, practiced smiles.
Winter elegance, right…
He shifted slightly, boots slipping just enough to remind him how ridiculous this all was. It was cold. Icy. The lighting was wrong. The sky was flat and colorless. Even the trees looked tired, their bare branches rattling against one another in protest.
He rolled his eyes, wondering again why anyone thought this was a good idea.
“More intensity!” the photographer snapped.
Adrien complied automatically, his shoulders stiffening as the camera clicked again. The problem wasn’t the weather, not really. It was that Adrien always complied, even when he didn’t want to.
A gust of wind swept across the park, harsher this time. His gaze drifted beyond the camera crew, past the assistants, through the branches and toward the buildings along the edge.
The bakery.
It was then he saw her.
Marinette stood on her balcony, wrapped in a thick blanket, a mug cradled between her hands. Her dark hair was pulled loosely back, strands billowing in the wind. She wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t staring in awe. She looked… concerned.
His eyes caught hers, and for half a second, the world narrowed. She didn’t wave. She just watched him like she could see through the layers of designer fabric and rehearsed expressions.
Her smile flattened as she disappeared from view, and Adrien’s heart did something strange in his chest.
He hadn’t realized he wanted her to stay.
“Adrien!” the photographer barked. “Eyes here! Focus!”
Adrien shook his head, blinking as he turned back to the camera, forcing himself to be present.
He couldn’t forget the way she stood there. The way she looked at him — not like he was Adrien Agreste, model, but like he was just a person forced out in the cold. Forced to do something he didn’t want to do.
Adrien glanced back to the bakery one more time, a flash of pink and black, before a crash made him flinch, turning him back to the photographer.
“This lighting is a disaster!” the man snapped, his camera now a cracked mess in his hand. “Do you know how long these shoots take? What Mister Agreste will do if I do not complete the shots?!”
The wind had picked up slightly, knocking over a light stand. The light shattered, sparks flying in every direction as Adrien stood frozen while the photographer stiffened in front of him. The unmistakable purple butterfly mask appeared over his face.
Stepping back, Adrien prepared to run — to transform — when the bulky hand of his bodyguard squeezed his shoulder holding him in place.
“I need to go,” Adrien murmured as the akuma bubbles covered his photographer.
His bodyguard squeezed tighter, grunting as the photographer completely transformed, setting his sights on Adrien. Wincing, Adrien prepared for the attack when a red blur dropped from the sky, landing hard between him and the akumatized photographer.
Ladybug glanced back, catching his eye as her yo-yo spun, shielding him from the first blast. For a moment, Adrien forgot to breathe as his Lady stood feet away from him, protecting him. He needed to move — to transform — but his bodyguard’s hand dug into his shoulder.
The akumatized photographer roared and fired again, the blast originating from his camera. Ladybug pivoted to counter, but she wasn’t quick enough, her focus split between him and the akuma.
The blast caught her mid-turn, slamming into her side and throwing her backward across the icy grass. She hit the ground hard, and Adrien’s stomach dropped.
He stepped forward instinctively, his foot slipping across the slick glass when his bodyguard yanked him back.
He pulled again, desperately.
All he could see was her on the ground, not moving, and for a second, the world went silent.
“Ladybug!” someone screamed.
Adrien growled softly, ripping himself free from his bodyguard’s arm just as Ladybug pushed herself upright, chest heaving. She glanced at him, shaking her head, but giving him a soft smile — the kind meant to calm him.
Then she moved. She was on her feet, swinging her yo-yo, latching onto a lamppost and drawing the akuma’s attention away from him and the crew.
Adrien smirked, seeing his opening, and turned toward his bodyguard, shouting, “I’m hiding in the bakery!” as he was already slipping across the grass.
The bodyguard couldn’t even register Adrien’s words before he was gone, ice crunching under his boots as he rushed into the Dupain-Cheng bakery, the bell chiming violently behind him, the scent of sugar and almonds thick in the air.
Inside, it was chaos, people hiding, crouched behind counters. Adrien slipped through, ignoring the bakers and moving into the back hallway.
His heart was racing, breath shaky as he hid behind a stairwell. For a second, he pressed his back against the wall, trying to steady it.
“Plagg,” he whispered.
“You okay, kid?” Plagg breathed, watching him.
“No.” His jaw tightened. “She took a hit for me. Come on, let’s go. Claws out!”
Green light flooded the room as Chat Noir launched back into the fight. It wasn’t playful. He was furious and terrified.
***
Fog was just starting to drift into the night as Ladybug stood near the edge of their rooftop, rolling her shoulder once before letting her arm fall to her sides. It hadn’t been a long akuma fight, but it had been frustrating.
From the moment the photographer transformed, she’d felt a sense of dread settle heavy in her chest, especially when Adrien had been targeted. She hadn’t meant to get distracted by him — not enough to get hit anyway.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Chat had been late to the battle.
There was a soft clink behind her as boots scraped against the rooftop. She didn’t turn before sighing.
“You’re late… again.”
“I know.”
She turned then, smiling as she stepped closer — only he wasn’t smiling.
“Everything okay, Kitty?” she asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
“You… you took that blast earlier,” Chat breathed, stepping up beside her as a soft breeze rustled his hair.
“I’ve had worse, it wasn’t—”
“That’s not the point,” Chat cut in, sharper than usual. “You took a blast protecting a civilian. You should’ve been more careful. Without you… we can’t fix anything. We can’t fix you.”
The words came out wrong. Too harsh.
Ladybug stepped back, studying him.
“You saw that?”
He nodded once.
“I… you weren’t there,” she murmured, glancing out over the skyline, the late lights blurring in the dense fog.
“I was there,” he said quietly. “I just wasn’t transformed. I watched you take that hit for… that model.”
The last word carried something heavier than irritation.
“You’re angry,” she said softly.
“I was scared,” he corrected.
The admission seemed to catch even him off guard.
“I wasn’t there to help you. I was stuck. And you—” He ran a hand through his hair. “You always jump in front of things like that.”
“I was doing my job, Chat. Protecting the city also means protecting the people in it.” She hesitated. “Besides… that model is my friend. I couldn’t let him get hurt. Just like I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”
He stared at her for a second — really stared — like he was trying to decide whether to keep arguing or give in to something heavier.
“You don’t get it,” he muttered, quieter now.
“Then explain it to me.”
His jaw tightened.
“I was standing there,” he said finally. “Not as Chat. Not able to do anything. I watched you land there. I watched you take that hit.”
The fog thickened around them, the city lights glowing faint and distant.
“For a second,” he continued, voice rougher now, “I thought you weren’t getting back up.”
Ladybug’s posture softened immediately.
“Oh.”
She nodded once before touching his arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Chat shook his head. “No. Don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just—” He exhaled sharply. “I hate feeling useless.”
She stepped closer this time instead of stepping back.
“You’re not useless.”
“I was today.”
“No,” she said firmly. “You were there. You came back. You always do.”
His eyes flicked to hers.
“You shouldn’t have to take hits because I’m late,” he said softly.
“And you shouldn’t think I can’t handle myself,” she replied just as softly.
The wind had started to pick up again, as he looked at her side where the blast had hit. The lucky charm had fixed it right up, but Chat remembered what it looked like during the blast. He remembered what it looked like during the battle and before the cure could be cast.
Without thinking, he reached out, brushing his fingers lightly over where the blast had been.
She didn’t pull away.
“I don’t like seeing you hurt,” he admitted.
“I don’t like seeing you scared,” she countered.
Chat looked at her then, green meeting blue as he gave her half a smile. He took a deep breath before closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he dropped his head.
“Just… when I’m not there…” he sighed again then continued, “just don’t make a habit of that.”
Ladybug laughed softly. “I’ll try, Kitty.”
“Ok.” Chat murmured as he reached out, taking her hand. She leaned against him as their fingers entwined, fog rolling in around them.
***
Adrien’s window slid shut with a soft click behind him as he stepped into his room.
The house was silent. As always.
He didn’t turn on the lights, his eyes already adjusting to the dark.
The wind tapped gently against the glass, the last of February’s storm drifting lazily through the night. The city looked softer from here. Smaller.
Plagg floated free, stretching lazily in the dimness.
“Well,” the kwami muttered. “That was dramatic.”
Adrien didn’t answer right away as he walked to the edge of his bed and sat down heavily, elbows resting on his knees, hands hanging between them.
“She landed in front of me,” he said finally.
Plagg blinked. “Yeah. That’s kind of her thing. She saves people.”
“No.” Adrien shook his head. “Not like that.”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“She knew I was there.”
Plagg tilted slightly in the air but didn’t respond.
“I didn’t even transform yet. She just—” He exhaled slowly. “She dropped between me and him. Like she didn’t even think about it.”
The room was silent as the wind started to howl outside.
“And then she smiled at me,” Adrien added quietly. “Like I was the one who needed reassurance.”
Plagg watched him carefully now.
“You were scared,” the kwami said simply.
Adrien nodded, glancing at the kwami. “For a second, I thought…”
“And you’re thinking about the balcony and the girl who stood there.”
Adrien stiffened slightly, looking down at his hands.
“She was watching me,” he murmured. “Before it even happened.”
Plagg hovered closer.
“And?”
Adrien stared at the floor.
“She looks at me the same way.”
Plagg arched a brow. “The same way as who?”
Adrien groaned, eyes drifting to the window.
“The same way Ladybug does when she thinks I’m not paying attention.”
“So, how do you feel, what does that tell you,” Plagg said dryly.
Adrien huffed a faint laugh, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“What if I’m wrong?” he asked.
Plagg shrugged mid-air. “Then you’re falling for two different girls who just happen to share an alarming number of similarities. You’ll survive.”
Adrien leaned back slowly onto his mattress, staring up at the ceiling.
“And what if I’m right?”
Plagg didn’t answer immediately. There was shuffle of noise across the room, from the mini-fridge.
Adrien swallowed.
“If I’m right… she doesn’t want me to know.”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Plagg called from somewhere across the room.
Adrien closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
“I don’t want to take that choice away from her.”
Plagg smiled faintly.
“So, you’re going to pretend you don’t know?”
Adrien shook his head.
“I don’t know yet. I need… to be certain.”
A drop of rain hit the window as Plagg floated back toward his usual resting spot.
“You’re in deep, kid.”
Adrien’s lips curved slightly as he smiled up at the ceiling.
“Yeah. I am.”
He rolled onto his side, staring out at the city lights through the foggy glass.
“She wanted to protect me,” he whispered, feeling his chest tighten.
He wasn’t sure how much longer he could pretend not to see what was right in front of him.