If you recognise it, it's not mine.

"Adrien. Adrien, are you with me? Adrien?"

There was light, and a fuzzy shape in front of him. Adrien's eyes edged open a little more, and the fuzzy shape solidified into Alya, the light glinting off her glasses. "Ugh- Alya? What's-" He tried to sit up, but a hand pushed him down.

"Nuh-uh, golden boy. You totally just passed out. Nino's phoning an ambulance."

"What?" Adrien glanced around; he couldn't even remember where he was, let alone fainting. There was something soft under his head, vaguely pink and smelling achingly familiar.

"We're in the park," a voice said behind him, and that was familiar too. "You and Nino were talking by the fountain, and you suddenly went really pale, and just fell."

Alya scoffed in front of him, shaking her head. "Girl, it was a lot more dramatic that that. You practically vaulted the fountain and caught him before me and Nino even realised anything was up. I mean, that's some Ladybug-level skill right there, and I shoud know."

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked dizzily.

There was a squeak from behind him. "No. It's, um, me. Marinette. Um, hi."

Adrien's brain short-circuited for a moment- he could have sworn that had been Ladybug's voice- and then the pain kicked in. His vision was swimming, clouds and branches above him swirling into a blur, and the gentle trickling from the fountain was growing into a pounding headache.

"The ambulance should be here in a couple of minutes," Nino said, dropping down beside them. "Adrien, dude, are you okay? Wait, stupid question."

"Adrien, stay with me," Alya snapped suddenly, and Adrien wanted to tell her to be quiet, because his head was killing him and there were little black spots in the corner of his vision (heh, they look kind of like ladybug spots) and he got about as far as limply waving a hand at her before someone's fingers linked with his own, cool and thin, and there were a pair of blue eyes looking down at him.

"Adrien," Marinette said quietly, and he had to focus to hear her properly, "the ambulance will be here soon. You have to stay awake until then, okay?" He nodded, or at least tried to, because that might have been the longest full sentence he'd ever heard her say directly to him, and her voice was really nice, kind of relaxing.

There were sirens in the background, and he dimly registered Alya standing up, presumably to go and direct them to the right place. There's something cold dripping on his face, and he whined softly, catching a glimpse of Nino splashing water from the fountain at him. "M-Marinette," he whispered, the word scraping his throat like sandpaper.

"Y-yeah?" The fingers tightened around his palm, and Adrien watched blue eyes peering worriedly at him until the paramedics arrived, lifting him off the ground and into the ambulance before he'd even realise he'd had to let go.

"Oh my god," Marinette said, watching Nino jog away to call Adrien's father. "Oh my god." She was still sitting on the ground, too stunned to even consider standing.

"Oh my god!" Alya yelped beside her, grabbing her arm and hauling her up, spinning her around so enthusiastically she nearly falls in the fountain. "Marinette, you handled that so well!"

"I... did?"

"Girl, if I'd know that all you needed to talk to Adrien was for him to be hurt in some way, I'd have given him a concussion or something months ago." Marinette narrowed her eyes at her, not entirely sure she was joking or not, and Alya laughed, holding up her hands in surrender. "Kidding. Sorry. But seriously, that was so cool! How did you notice he was about to faint? And then catching him like that- it was like that clip I showed you ages ago, remember, the one with Chat Noir getting hit by that signpost and Ladybug catching him before he could fall off the bridge?" She was rambling, dragging Marinette along by the wrist like a ragdoll, and it was several seconds before Marinette could collect her thoughts enough to tug herself free.

"Adrien left his bag," she said, running back to the fountain to pick it up. His stuff was strewn all over the ground, and she tucked it in haphazardly, slinging it over her shoulder and catching up with Alya. "I'll give it back to him later today- I'm sure he'll be out of hospital by then."

"Great idea," Alya said, although she was so excited, Marinette could probably suggest almost anything and she'd agree. "I'm coming with you, though. This is too good an opportunity to mess up."

"Aren't you worried about Adrien at all?" Marinette asked as they got on the bus back to the bakery. "I mean, he collapsed. That can't be good."

Alya nodded. "People collapse for all sorts of reasons, Marinette," she said wisely, earning herself a strange look from the woman sitting across from her. "He's probably just dehydrated or something. I mean, how hot is it today?"

"I guess you're right. Maybe I could take him something from the bakery, too," Marinette suggested. "A get-well-soon gift."

"You are killing it today with the good ideas," Alya beamed. "Today must be your lucky day, Marinette." She leant back in her seat, a blissful smile spreading across her face. "All we need now is Ladybug to show up, and my life will be complete."

"I feel like your definition of a good day kind of relies on other people's problems," Marinette laughed, prodding her in the shoulder. "Come on, it's too hot on this bus. We can walk home."

"My definition of a good day relies on other people's drama," Alya corrected, but followed her off the bus anyway.

"What do you mean, the photoshoot's cancelled?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, Monsieur Lucas. Adrien is currently indisposed, and is unable to model today. We won't be able to reschedule until we're more aware of his condition."

"But he was going to be modelling my designs!"

"I'm aware of that, Monsieur Lucas. We'll let you know as soon as we've arranged an alternate date. Goodbye."

The call cut off, leaving Lucas slumped in his seat, staring at the phone in disbelief. "This was supposed to be my big break," he muttered to himself. "Adrien Agreste- the Adrien Agreste- modelling my creations? I'd have been famous overnight." He reached for the sketchbook beside him, rifling through it in frustration. "And now everything's ruined!"

The room got colder suddenly, and a voice spoke in his head. And just as quickly, your dreams can be restored, my friend. My name is Hawkmoth. Your name is Threadsmith. I can give you the power to become the biggest designer in the world, but you have to do just one thing for me in return: get the the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

A dark smile spread over Lucas's face as his new identity began to take shape, rippling from the sketchbook outwards. "They won't even know what hit them," he promised.