Notes:

This is the longest chapter to date, so it took me a really long time to edit/rewrite and make the illustrations. Maerynn had written most of it but it was a VERY rough draft and she hadn't been able to work on it much, so there were holes and inconsistencies that needed to be addressed, as well as dialogue changes. Thank you for your patience (and for not sending any "When are you going to update?" type questions)

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They ducked behind a wall, effectively getting out of sight of the akuma, but severely impairing any chance of escape. They were at a dead end, and should Nostalgiak decide to show her frightful face in that alley, they'd be goners. Marinette cursed under her breath, wondering how her partner's infamous luck had managed to turn on her so badly. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien was actively cursing his kwami in every language he knew, wondering how he could protect Marinette from harm and rush to join his partner.

The same obsessing thought was on both of their minds: "I have no choice, I have to find a way to break these handcuffs and transform as quickly as possible. But how?"

"Maybe I can go online and look up a hardware store so I can buy a saw, or some bolt cutters. I hope the shop is open. I wonder how fast we could get there on foot...?" Adrien wondered, worry quickly growing in his gut.

"If we climb up that fire escape, maybe we could get a vantage point and attract Chat's attention so he can use his Cataclysm," Marinette considered, unaware of the blatant flaw in her plan.

Marinette took a sharp breath and said, her eyes frantically scanning the street, "I don't see Chat Noir anywhere, where could he be?!"

"I don't see Ladybug anywhere either," Adrien pouted despite himself. Beside him, he could have sworn Marinette kept stealing glances at the contents of her purse, her lips stretched into a thin, determined line. They both knew the akuma was creeping closer and closer judging by the proximity of the ruckus.

After a minute that felt like an eternity (both of them searching the skies for their respective missing partner) Marinette lifted her eyes toward him, pure resolve written all over her face. "Adrien, I need you to listen closely. You can't ever talk to anyone about what you're about to see, okay? Promise me, please."

"Mari, wait, there's something I gotta tell y-"

His question was cut short by Marinette closing her eyes, visibly steeling herself for the worst. "I'm really sorry, Adrien, but there's just no time. I trust you." She gulped, her eyes stubbornly closed, and the young man could only watch helplessly as the words he least expected from her tumbled from her lips, "Tikki, spots on!"

Adrien froze, watching his classmate being engulfed into a bright pink light barely a foot away from him. It felt strangely intimate to witness firsthand Marinette's body being covered from neck to toes in that familiar magical red material, and yet, somehow, it felt oddly right. There she was, standing right next to him, the young woman he'd been in love with since their first day as superheroes all those years ago.

Now that he was seeing it with his very own eyes, it made perfect sense. How could anybody else be that clever, brave, kind hearted girl? Of course it had to be Marinette. It couldn't possibly be anyone besides Marinette. He'd fallen in love with her twice.

He was still staring at her, his slack jaw lying somewhere on the ground, when Marinette (LADYBUG!) grabbed his hand and briskly spun him around like the lead partner in a dance, so his left arm wrapped him up tightly against Ladybug. Then, lining up their bound hands, she picked him up and darted away carrying him bridal style as she tried to get as much distance between them and the akuma as possible.

Taken aback, he could only struggle weakly and try to get her attention, which was difficult, since his civilian self was not used to how strongly the wind whipped around them as she ran with her enhanced speed. "M-Marinette, wait!"

But Ladybug (MARINETTE!) wasn't listening to him. She was swinging them both over several buildings effortlessly, cradling Adrien's body to her chest like he weighed next to nothing. She landed gracefully on the ground behind a wall and almost instantly grabbed her yoyo, flipping it open and pressing the familiar button frantically. She was shaking, the handcuffs trembling against his wrist. "Why won't he pick up? Where is he? Is he okay?"

Adrien felt his heart clench painfully in his chest. It was obvious she was fearing her partner had been held up. "Mari, hold on, I-"

"Come on..." she mumbled absently, staring at the 'Calling Chat Noir...' displayed on the screen of her weapon. "We need to wait for Chat. He can use his Cataclysm on these handcuffs, and we'll get you to safety. You don't need to worry, Adrien, everything's gonna be fine. I'll protect you at all costs, I swear it, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Mar-- Ladybug, I promise I'm going to explain everything, but right now what you need to do is follow me," Adrien pleaded, tugging on the handcuffs in a desperate attempt to make her look at him. She had taken them near one of the numerous akuma shelters in the city, so after their handcuffs were broken he could join the other citizens rushing to safety. Being in such a public area would make it nearly impossible for him to transform without witnesses.

She shook her head, redialing Chat's number again on her yoyo, stubbornly trying to reach her partner. "I know you must be scared, but just have faith in him, Adrien. Chat has never let me down, not even once. He'll be here soon, I just have to keep you safe until he brings his whiskers over here. He'll know where to find me."

Adrien's raw nerves couldn't handle the expectations put upon his heroic self while he was stuck in plain sight. He couldn't risk transforming in front of people who would eventually make the connection between Chat Noir and Ladybug being bound together by handcuffs, when numerous others had seen Adrien and Marinette stuck together the same way.

"Ladybug, please! We have to go, and then-"

"No, we can't leave! This is the safest place for you! I can't risk anything happening to you, I just can't! I lo--" she stopped and quickly looked away, hesitated, then looked back at him and continued. "We need to wait for Chat Noir." The words tumbled from her lips sharply, resolutely, her piercing blue eyes betraying her confident tone. He could see fear; but not fear of having to fight alone, but fear of failing him, fear of Adrien getting hurt.

Despite himself, because he needed his partner to stop tinkering with her weapon and hear him out, he whisper-shouted at her, "HE'S NOT COMING!"

She turned an incredulous stare toward him, her movements frozen. "What? Of course he is. What are you talking about?"

"It's... because he's..." Adrien stammered weakly, taken aback by the sheer intensity of her gaze.

She faltered for a moment, "A-are you saying something happened to-- NO. We can't think like that. If he isn't here yet, it's because he's been delayed by something, but he WILL come. He always does. Chat is many things: he's dorky, a bit impulsive, and makes ridiculous puns, but he's not a quitter, he's tenacious, and he would never abandon me. If anything's happened, he'll pull through and show up regardless. He's the most reliable person I know, and one of my best friends. We've been through everything together and he's never failed me. I trust him with my life."

She held his gaze, firm, unyielding, and absolutely confident. "He'll be here. I believe in him."

Hearing those amazing praises toward his superheroic self coming from Ladybug's lips, seeing just how much her faith and trust in him was unwavering, just how much she deeply cared about him, about both sides of him, Adrien's logic completely disconnected. The rational part of his brain shut down, and several irresistible emotions washing over him took the lead of his entire being.

Both of his hands grabbed the sides of her face, and before she could even react, his lips crashed upon hers.

Adrien had spent the last few days falling head over heels for her civilian self, falling hard, and the shock of realizing his long-term love and his smart, adorable classmate were one and the same was absolutely overwhelming.

She went stiff between his hands and made a small surprised sound, but, as he gathered her in his arms, Adrien quickly found out that kissing Marinette/Ladybug came with an entirely new set of problems.

One, her lips were soft, tasted faintly of strawberry lipgloss, and were addictive.

Two, she started kissing him back.

The way her soft, warm lips started to move in sync with his, gently caressing his skin. The small moan as her fingers sneaked their way into his hair, the way she chased him when he started to pull back. Nothing existed outside of her warmth engulfing him, outside of the feeling of soaring higher than he ever had.

He kissed her again and again, pouring all the emotions he couldn't put into words, somewhat feeling as if time had stopped to let them fully savour their first kiss...

Until another loud crash followed by an evil cackle startled them apart, and Adrien stared away from his partner for a second, trying to clear his head. "R-right. The akuma."

The way her slightly parted lips looked a bit swollen from their kiss, and the way her eyes still looked a little hazy, eyelashes slowly fluttering, was distracting beyond anything he had ever experienced, but he managed to say somewhat intelligibly, "Mari, come with me. Now. I'll explain everything, I swear."

She only nodded weakly, holding his hand and letting him lead her into a dark, secluded alley, away from any prying eyes. She was confused, he could tell by the way she was staring at him with one eyebrow slightly quirked, but said nothing. He tried his best to calm his jittery nerves down and do what needed to be done.

Gulping painfully, Adrien whispered softly, "Please, Mari, don't hate me. Plagg, claws out."

A bright flash of green blinded her for a second, leaving a sheepish looking Chat Noir behind. She gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand, dumbfounded. With a little contrite smile, he quickly used his Cataclysm on the handcuffs and, saying nothing else, he extended his baton, promptly soaring into the Parisian rooftops with all of his feline grace.

Shocked and unsure about how to deal with the maelstrom of emotions raging within her heart, Ladybug's mind was still desperately trying to reel in the latest events and make sense out of them. She knew Chat Noir's (ADRIEN'S?!) kwami would need to recharge, so she eventually managed to snap out of her shocked state and went in search of the akuma.

Chat ducked behind a chimney and quickly detransformed, handing a piece of Camembert to Plagg. The kwami was exhausted by the early but much-needed Cataclysm, and had to recharge if they wanted a chance at winning that fight. Adrien stared at his little friend blankly as he ate, deep in thought. Marinette's sudden absence weighed down on him, making him feel uncomfortable. It felt odd, being alone after having his friend, his Lady, literally attached to him for the last few days. The irony was almost painful. The moments he had spent tied to Marinette, unable to escape each other, had paradoxically made him feel freer than ever, finally able to be his true self around someone. Alternatively, his giant yet empty bedroom didn't bring him anything more than the unshakeable feeling of being trapped in a gilded cage.

The last bite of Camembert disappeared into Plagg's mouth, and Adrien forced himself to shake his uneasy feeling of being separated from Marinette. How quickly she had grown on him, how easily he had gotten accustomed to her constant presence by his side, astounded him.

But now was not the time to reflect on that. They had an akuma to defeat. And the quicker they sent that corrupted butterfly back to where it belonged, the quicker he'd be able to resume what he and Marinette had begun in that hidden alleyway.

By the time Chat had arrived at the scene and land on the street where Nostalgiak was holding her impromptu and quite disturbing vintage party, Ladybug was already engaged with their foe on her own. The number of cars that had already been turned into horse-drawn carriages around them was dizzying to say the least, and people unlucky enough to have crossed Nostalgiak's path had all found their cellphones almost instantly turned into old-fashioned telegraph machines in their pockets, which said pockets hadn't quite appreciated, fabric-ripping sounds resonating loudly all over the street.

The akuma itself gave off an eerie vibe, an early-middle aged woman standing tall at the center of the street holding an oversized clock by a golden chain. Her long hair was tied on the top of her head in a strict bun, adorned with a jewel that looked like it was made out of gears and metal scraps. A tight brown leather corset circled her slim waist over a white button up, and her mermaid-like skirt was brushing the ground with every step she took. A wide leather belt complemented her somewhat steampunk-inspired outfit, a golden gear making lieu of a belt buckle.

"What are you waiting for?" she mocked, marching towards the polka dotted hero. "I'm going to retrieve both yours and Chat Noir's Miraculouses, and then I'll be able to return Paris to its former glory!"

Ladybug sighed. Just another day in the seventeen-year-old superhero's life.

She dodged a barrage of amber colored beams, yelping as she avoided one of them at the last possible moment. She had engaged Nostalgiak without waiting for her partner, hoping that it would give him enough time for his kwami to recharge while she kept her busy. But now that she was facing their foe alone, with nowhere to hide and much less leverage on her, she was beginning to second guess her decision.

"What's the matter, Old-Timer?" she feigned confidence with a dry laugh as she leaped over yet another horse carriage that suddenly appeared before her in lieu of a blue Mercedes-Benz. "Did you have trouble setting up the DVR or what?"

"Insolent insect!" She took a menacing step toward Ladybug, morphing the asphalt beneath her feet into a stone path as she moved forward. "Technology is ruining everything. Everything was way better before bytes and data took over. Nobody reads books or plays outside anymore, they all have their noses glued to those damned digital screens! People uploading selfies and counting likes, parents watching their kids grow through the lens of their smartphones, families eating in silence checking their devices instead of talking to each other! Nobody cares for the fine art of clockmaking anymore, nobody appreciates the care and passion that goes into making a device that can follow the course of time. Not when you only have to press a button on those ridiculous contraptions to know what time it is!"

A flash of black suddenly caught Ladybug's attention and she beamed. Chat Noir (That is, Adrien! Adrien, who was also Chat N- UGH, focus, Marinette!) was joining the party at last, and she couldn't be happier to see him.

Chat landed on the top of the building in front of her, flashing her his usual playful smirk and a wink. Words were no longer needed between them. Years of fighting side by side several times a week had exponentially strengthened their bond, making them an almost unbeatable team, and now knowing who was behind the masks shone a brand new light on their partnership, took their understanding of each other to an entirely new level.

Extending his staff, Chat jumped on the nearest roof, playfully screaming at the akuma, "Hey, Grandmother Time, catch me if you can! Or do your joints hurt too much?"

Nostalgiak turned and glared sourly at the leather-clad hero vaulting away from her. "You impudent whippersnapper! I'm going to teach you how to properly respect your superiors!"

Chat Noir felt a pleasant shiver go up his spine upon hearing those taunting words. This was it, the thrill of the chase he liked so much, the challenge he needed to push his limits a little bit further. He knew the drill. Engage the foe while Ladybug examined and exploited their weaknesses.