"I can't find her! I can't find Marinette!" Alya was crying, as Adrien helped lower her to safety, getting her out of the building along with the rest of his class.

"What?! Where would she be?!" Adrien cried, looking back at the room behind him. His whole class had been in there, so where had Marinette gone?! Adrien quickly climbed back up the wall he had just been using to lift people down, thanks to his years of superheroing and rock climbing as well.

"Adrien, get down- it's not your responsibility- help will come soon!" his teacher ordered as Adrien lifted himself into the room again, looking around to see if she had been hurt or fallen unconscious under one of the tables after that bomb had gone off. He was sure he had checked for everyone…

Their class had taken a field trip to the mayor's home to meet the ambassadors from neighboring countries, and apparently it was the same day that one of those ambassadors had been targeted for an assassination. Luckily no one had died, only few had been slightly injured and Rose had been knocked unconscious but seemed to be okay. Adrien had immediately jumped into action the moment the first bomb had gone off, and that was what had kept them safe when the next one exploded. It was a good thing he had immediately ordered his class what to do to be safe…

So had Marinette. He remembered this fact, gulping. He knew Marinette was brave, and cared an awful lot for others…. she hadn't tried to go warn people in the building, had she?!

Adrien ignored the cries of his class to come back as he ran back inside, everything still smoking around him. It was then that he heard harsh angry voices from the stairs and he bolted towards them, listening closely.

"Tell us where they went or we'll shoot you, little girl!" Adrien's stomach dropped and he ran in to see Marinette standing confidence, in front of three masked figures, one with a gun trained right on her.

"Ha! I could take on all three of you and more!" Marinette laughed right back at them, and Adrien felt frustration completely overtake him. What in the WORLD was she doing?!

One of the guns was cocked and Marinette seemed to tense, but almost like she was going to pounce, opening her bag with a click. Adrien had to DO something, he didn't even have time to transform.

"MARINETTE!" he screamed, jumping out from behind the wall he was against and making her stand up in surprise, looking over at him as the gun fired. He hit her hard and they both rolled, landing behind another wall now.

They both ran as fast as they could down the hallway and more gunshots fired as he yanked her hard behind him into a room, closing the door quickly.

"ADRIEN!" she yelled at him, and he turned around, feeling very confused but still very frustrated. Her cheeks were red but she also looked completely frustrated with him.

"What were you THINKING Marinette?! YOU ARE NOT THAT STUPID, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT!" Adrien yelled at her, grabbing her shoulders and not breaking eye contact with her. She looked exasperated and pushed him away saying, with a cracking but still confident voice,

"Ugh! Adrien- how could you have done that, you could have died! I had it under control and you just- AUGH!" she stamped her foot and Adrien grit his teeth, never being so incredibly frustrated in his life. "I mean- I appreciate the save- I really do- but that was so reckless!" she yelled at him and he turned his palms upward, making a confused noise of anger and then yelled right back,

"RECKLESS?! I JUST SAVED YOU FROM GETTING SHOT IN THE HEAD BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU'RE LADYBUG OR SOMETHING!"

"AND WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, CHAT NOIR?!" she screamed right back at him, grabbing his face and nearly touching his nose against hers. Then her face relaxed, her pupils shrinking. He felt himself freeze as well. She let go of his face and pulled away, standing there in front of him.

They didn't say anything for a moment, and it was only when they heard footsteps and yelling approaching that they reacted. But it wasn't even to move away.

Adrien simply took her hand up in his, looking down at her fingers and then back up at her face again.

Their fingers slowly interlocked, folding over each other and finding their place between the other's digits, like two puzzle pieces locking together.

Their eyes blinked lazily at each other, still trying to wrap their minds around everything without disturbing the peace of their silence. Everything seemed to have shattered and then melted away, leaving behind only truth. Pure truth.

The door splintered as someone hit against it and it was Plagg who came out of Adrien's jacket yowling,

"WILL YOU STOP STARING AT EACH OTHER- THIS IS SERIOUS."