Adrien's pants could be heard throughout the stairwell. He knew there was not much time before his classmates began to raise suspicions regarding his whereabouts. Making it halfway across Paris a matter of minutes was not always an easy task, especially when your miraculous runs out of juice blocks away from the destination. He made a mental note to purge his house of cheese for a few days.

Of course, the journey to downtown Paris had been worth the effort. Just being able to see his Lady soothed all the pulled tendons in his calves, somehow reducing their overextended state to a jelly-like consistency in a matter of seconds. The few breaths he'd salvaged from sprinting across the rooftops were relentlessly stolen with just a simple glance over her small frame.

"What took you so long?" She'd called, with the sassy undertones that drew upon his stomach like a match over the box. A momentarily slow, gut wrenching drag that pulled his stomach into flame, consuming his body with admiration. She resumed her gaze at the daily Akuma, unaware of the cat she'd left in shambles behind her.

The pair had defeated the akuma flawlessly, her arm flicking to purify the butterfly and the yoyo dutifully returning to her palm. The countdown began, Chat Noir's ring seemingly a cuff beckoning to wrench him away from Ladybug, as usual. However, it was today that the strength of the ring's metal seemed to be most constricting. He had minutes left before transformation, but Christmas was approaching and he didn't want to leave without a promise.

"Ladybug!" He called just as she was about to fly off into the city afternoon, "Can we meet?"

She blinked once, "What do you mean, kitty? We meet at least three times a week." A smirk toyed with her velvety lips, the soft skin Chat's eyes had unconsciously been drawn to many times.

"I-I mean," He faltered, flicking his glance to the side, "I have something I want to give you." A moment passed, and he peered from under his thick eyelashes to meet her aqua eyes, "For Christmas."

Ladybug grinned and bobbed her head in agreement, "Sure! How about next Friday night?"

Chat Noir's face lit up, an astonished mouth left agape for a moment before evolving into a besotted grin. He nodded feverishly.

"Then, I'll see you at seven!" She called, grappling onto a nearby rooftop, "At the Jardin des Plantes!"

Chat would most likely have stood on the pavement until he collected dust, had it not been for the urgent dinging sounding from his Miraculous. He uttered a small yelp of surprise at the realization that only a single paw print remained on the symbol, and quickly flew off onto a nearby rooftop.

Now, as he clambered for the classroom, his mind was heavy and clogged with thoughts of the cherry-colored hero. He almost swooned off the railing, head getting slightly light at the thought of her sitting with him in the Parisian twilight, flowers surrounding her figure in a flurry of good luck. Oh the thought of it, her eyes matching the blooming hydrangeas, her suit brighter amongst the roses. The way she would captivate him even more than she already had.

In fact, Adrien was almost so distracted with thoughts of his Lady that he hadn't noticed the bright swoop of red that flew in through the school's upper window. Almost.

A surprised gasp left Adrien's lips as he quickly took cover behind a pillar. A familiar voice rang out from behind him.

"Just in time, Tikki!"

With a pang, Adrien's eyes grew as wide as saucers, his mouth agape with panic. Ladybug.

In a burst of boyish instinct, Adrien leaned against the circular pole to gain a glimpse of his partner. But is she doing here? His thoughts intruded. Through the corner of his eye, he could vaguely see the red silhouette he knew so fondly. His heart rate increased. He was locked in. He watched in captivation as the familiar white shone from her feet to her pelvis, revealing a pair of pale pink capris, he stared as the light trailed up her torso to unfurl a white cotton top and grey jacket, and to her neck, and finally, finally... Her mask disintegrated from the bottom up, the polka dots disappearing to reveal the ever familiar pair of blue eyes that he'd been chasing for almost three years. A flick of her navy blue hair was all it took for every particle of oxygen to seemingly depart his body.

Marinette.

Adrien wheezed a little, knowing he had just stumbled across Ladybug's best kept secret. It was merely a lucky coincidence. However, he'd yet to figure out if it was brought by good luck, or bad.

..
..

Class was unbearable. Adrien was anxious and sweaty and willing himself, forcing himself, not to turn around. The only person he'd ever love was sitting right behind him, close enough to reach around and hold her tight for all eternity. It was such a compelling situation, his nerves were on fire simply resisting. The connections swam before his eyes, the coincidental arrival from each attack at precisely the same time he returned, the way she walked, her leadership skills, her understanding and bubbly nature, her lips, her cheeks, her eyes. Oh god, her eyes. The thread-like strands of navy blue that spread from her iris, even the way her eyebrows quirk when she laughs. Everything. She was everything.

"Hey man, you okay..?" A soft pat on his left shoulder triggered every nerve in the area, causing him to jump with a cry from his chair and land uncharacteristically on the floor, one leg straddling the seat.

Nino stared at him in shock, dumbfounded by his sudden burst of clumsiness. The class remained silent for a fleeting moment before erupting into giggles and guffaws. Chloé chattered with Sabrine behind him, obviously trying to conceal her giggles. Adrien felt the heat rise to his face, if it were possible to be more scarlet than he were before. He heard the screech of a chair on hardwood from a higher row, and turned his gaze finally to meet Marinette's, who had come to help him up. Her worried expression scrunched her eyebrows in the cutest way, and he felt the heat getting more intense.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice laced with concern. He nodded, at a loss for words, and reached for the hand she offered. He didn't know if he was feverish or whatever, but it was at that moment that he knew the movies weren't lying about touches being electric. His hand was still tingling when he took his seat.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, he hadn't taken notes in fashion class and had no clue what the assignment was for the next couple of weeks. It was only due to Nino that he had faint knowledge of the Christmas sweaters they were required to make before the break.

He took his place in the back of the limousine in a drunken state, his mind reliving the sequence for the hundredth time that day. He wondered if he was going to get any sleep that night.