AN: I was watching So You Think You Can Dance. That's all I'm going to say.

~o~

"Any romance involved?"

Such an innocent question. Mere fluff for the audience.

But then Adrien laughed. As if the idea were absurd. "No, no, no!" he said quickly, answering for both of them in front of the mic. "Just dance partners."

It shouldn't have bothered her.

They had been together since they were seven years old. Both of them enrolled into the same ballroom class. Him, so that he could learn poise. Her, so she could burn off energy. It was mere coincidence that they were paired together. They had never been apart since.

The judges laughed at the blond's answer. "Alright, alright. Get to dancing then."

They both nodded, stepping lightly backward into position. She pushed the laugh from her mind, concentrating instead on the challenge. On Adrien's strong hands on her hips. On the perfect sync of their heartbeats. Their routine was challenging, nigh impossible, turning flips and tricks that could have been close to fatal with the smallest misstep. However, the air was her element. She was passion. He was control. And she trusted him implicitly.

The crowds gasped and screamed as he caught her merely inches from the ground. It was all by design. Both all smiles. Panting softly. His hand around her waist, promising protection always.

It was a standing ovation.

Afterward, they walked from the theater in the cold. Shoulder to shoulder, knuckles brushing as they didn't quite hold hands. The street was empty, silent. The only sound the rustle of their coats and their footsteps. In step even now.

It shouldn't have bothered her.

Adrien glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, steam rising from his coffee as he sipped it. "You've been quiet," he observed.

She stared at the cocoa in her hands. Her heart ached, despite their victory. Her vision began to blur. Her steps slowed, falling out of sync. Adrien only noticed a heartbeat later. He turned, his gentle voice full of concern as he spoke. "Mari? What's wrong?"

She looked up, blue eyes full of tears.

He went to her instantly, catching her by the elbow, sharing breath and warmth in the cold. His voice pitched with urgency, his green eyes wide as he looked her over. "Marinette, why are you crying?"

She looked to his handsome face. One that had been a constant in her life for the past nine years. They grew up together, through cuts and falls. Through all the tears and laughter. Through triumph and disappointment.

She trusted him to catch her.

Her lips pressed into his, timid then desperate. The longing she never realized surfacing even as she fell, offering him her whole heart and soul. It was too late to go back now. She had to give him her all, just as they always did on stage. Or else it wasn't worth doing.

When they parted, she looked to him, terrified, heart thundering. Their cups had slipped from their fingers, contents steaming from the concrete. He stared at her, cheeks flushed and his eyes wide.

"Oh thank God," he breathed, cupping her face to lean into another kiss.

She teared again, a smile breaking over her features. A laugh bubbled in her chest, euphoric and incredulous. It ruined the kiss, but Adrien didn't mind in the least. He grinned, his eyes dancing with joy.

She should have known he would never let her fall.