(Inspired by a comic.)

Adrien landed beside his lady who was scanning the area before she gulped. She recognized the villain from first glance, even though it was just a measly calculated guess.

"Luka..." Marinette sighed as she watched him start to play his guitar again, zapping a nearby pedestrian who disappeared within thin air. Nearby, a trumpet fell down from nowhere, followed by another stash of them.

"He's turning people into musical instruments!" she gasped, realizing the sudden impact beside her as she turned over to her partner, "If we get zapped, it's all over. No second chance."

Chat Noir blinked questionably at her, but smiled as he knew what she was up to, "We need a recruit, huh, M'lady?"

"Yep." she smirked, patting his shoulder before grabbing her yo-yo out, "Distract the villain while I go get Adrien Agreste!"

The feline-like hero, nodded, about to start wandering off to fight the villain before he froze in place. He quickly zipped over to his lady but she was already gone, "M'lady! Wait!"

No response as he sighed. Yet again he would be Aspik... just great. Another excuse to just mess everything up like the last time. Another few months of torcher... he didn't want to go through that painful route again.

So without much thinking, as well as trying to put his heart at ease, Adrien extended his baton and landed in a nearby alleyway, letting his transformation loose as a grumpy Plagg emerged from out of his miraculous.

"I take it you're doing this for you lady." he empathized the last word, which only received a loud groan from the model, "You know from last time that you won't get anywhere."

"I know, Plagg." he sighed, combing his hair back as he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head from total annoyance of the combination of the day's previous events, "But what choice do I have? If I decline... it may- just maybe..."

"Oh for the love of cheese, Kid." the creature snickered, setting himself down on Adrien's shoulder as he kept on bickering, "You know all these people are blind. Plus, you know deep down that being with Ladybug as Adrien was all you ever wanted... especially after she admitted to liking you."

It was true that Adrien didn't really decide to question Ladybug about her confession. He didn't really think about it much either with all that was going on in his quotidian life. He had so many scheduled meetings and lessons that it was crazy. He was half expecting Nathalie to be barging into his room right by now, only to find it empty. There was nothing he could do, this was his duty. He has to fulfill his duty as a superhero... and put everyone above himself.

He admitted that tucked at the bottom of his heart, a little part of him did want to so badly turn into Aspik again. He could redo anything countless times, after messing up as he usually did so. He knew it would bring him no good, yet he was tied between. An endless game of tug a war, as his heart would always rule superior over him.

"Okay, I have to go find her," he said determinedly, not even listening to his kwami speak as he took off, expecting Plagg to be in hiding by now. He had to make himself noticed, but not too noticed that he would get zapped by the akumatized villain. He had to obtain an equivalent balance. Not one part of his body thought about Chat Noir, nor about the last time he had become the snake-like hero. All he thought about was that Ladybug said she needed him...

So therefore he would be at her service.

_

"Do you think this is the right choice, Marinette?" Tikki questioned her holder as she ran out of the park.

"Of course it is!" she started again, clutching the miraculous in her hand and dropped it in her purse, "We have no choice!"

"If this is just so you can spend time around Adrien, then find someone else!" the kwami urged her as she ran into a hiding spot to transform, "Remember that the public still thinks you're dating him. They could pop up from anywhere to take pictures."

"I know I know, it'll be okay, Tikki, I promise." Marinette nodded as the kwami let a sigh slip out. She knew Marinette all too well to say the least. She knew when she was being unreasonable and acting like a love-sick fool. Adrien admitting his feelings to her was a mistake from the first place, even if she didn't look smart from the first encounter, Marinette was smart as heck.

"Just- be careful. Okay?"

"I will." the bluenette nodded determinately as the red-spotted kwami zipped out of the bag, "Time to go transform. Tikki, spots on!"

_

Adrien paced back and forth as he waited for the heroine to show up any minute. For once, he wasn't even thinking about what the villain was doing as he kept turning people into instruments. He just couldn't get Ladybug out of his head, even if he desperately wanted to. It felt all too real that she liked him. He knew it was selfish that he wasn't trying to stop the akuma from doing harm, but his feet didn't want to move. He stood paralyzed in the middle of the streets, waiting for her to show up.

Before he knew it, he heard an evil cackle, the blond slowly turning around to see that the akumatized victim was behind him, his guitar ready in hand to start making a fatal blow.

That's when all thoughts interrupted him. He had messed up... badly. If he were to get hit... that would mean NO Chat Noir and NO Aspik.

His blood running cold, Adrien slowly took a step forward but was cut off as soon as he saw the villain begin the process to hit him. His feet didn't budge. It was that feeling, that gut feeling that made him stay. He didn't know why, but his brain screamed at him to move, to move so he could help Ladybug. But his feet remained as he stared blankly at the figure. In a couple of seconds, he felt himself getting swooped up in arms just as he was about to get blown.

"What are you doing?!" he heard a frantic voice echo through his eardrums. Only then could he realize that Ladybug was the owner of the hands and the person who swooped him up. He was thankful. He was thankful that he listened to his gut feeling for once, "You could have been turned into a freaking instrument, Adrien! Where in one's right mind would stand right in front of danger?!"

"I-" he started, but no words came out as he shut his mouth closed. It was a dumb move, for sure. He didn't even think anymore. All too much was going on in his head.

"Okay, I need your help." Ladybug sighed as they landed behind a tree, "I need you to become Aspik again and help me defeat the akuma along with Chat Noir."

"Uh- okay." he nodded awkwardly as Ladybug handed him the box containing the snake miraculous.

Adrien gulped, then hesitantly reached his hand out and grabbed it. He felt his kwami's angry eyes from his blazer, he felt his heart twist-up disapprovingly. He felt all signs around him shouting that it was a big mistake.

But he listened to none of it. So without further ado, he opened the box, Sass greeting him as he slid on the bracelet.

He took the risk to help out his lady. He took the risk to listen to his heart.

"Sass, Scales Slither!"

—

Adrien sighed as he watched Ladybug throw her Lucky Charm up in the air. He couldn't believe it; he had defeated the akuma along with Ladybug's help. But he felt guilty. He felt really guilty for some reason as he watched Luka confusedly glancing around on the ground.

"Follow me." Ladybug whispered in his ear as the two leaped across Paris, and into an alleyway.

"That was awesome back there! We actually defeated the akuma!" Ladybug gushed, but her eyes saddened as soon as she saw Adrien's down-look expression, who turned his back on her and stared at the ground, "...Adrien?"

"I-" he started, slowly facing her, "I really messed up."

"What do you mean?" she questioned him further, placing her hand reassuringly on his shoulder, "You were great back there! Especially for your second time!"

Aspik blinked, but then sighed as his eyes got lost in her sea-blue ones, "I-It wasn't my first or second time as a superhero..."

He stared down at the miraculous, as the heroine's eyes widened, "W-What do you mean?"

"I'm Adrien." he gulped, slowly taking Ladybug's hand in his and sent a small smile in her direction, "But also Chat Noir. And I've been in love with you since our eyes first met."

Ladybug took a moment to look at his expression, which quickly dissipated the happiness from it as he moved it to the ground.

He hadn't expected to reveal to her. He hadn't expected her to be left speechless. He didn't even expect to become Aspik, to save all of Paris in a different form that he was guilty of.

Adrien Agreste felt guilty of so many things, felt the utter misery in everything. He felt full regret, full depression as his life privileges slowly drifted away from him. Ladybug was there to make him happy. She was there, taking his mother's place to be his comfort.

He wanted to so badly be honest with her, but as soon as the words left his lips, he had been guilty of it.

Of everything.

But the moment he felt heat shiver down his body, he slowly fluttered his eyes open, soon feeling the soft feeling of Ladybug's rosy pink lips meet his.

It felt amazing, blissful, actually. Not one fibre of his body expected her to that. So he was left beyond shook of the action.

"Kitty..." she smiled against his lips, tears practically welling up in her eyes as she caressed his cheek with her thumb, his emerald green eyes meeting hers.

He would stare into them every day if he could, he would be by her side, every day, every hour, every minute, every second, every single moment.

Ladybug continued, "I am so happy it's you. It's you all along." she was practically shedding joyful tears by now, "But you shouldn't have told me your identity."

He felt her embrace him, Adrien smiling into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her, "You're right, M'lady."

He placed his other hand's fingers over his miraculous, "So for you, I'll make everything right."

He slid the snake down, a flash emanating through the dark alleyway.

"Second Chance."