Seven Seconds

Out of Body Experience

The kiss was everything Adrien could have dreamed of.

At least it was for a few glorious seconds. After the initial euphoria, an unsettling feeling came over him. Maybe it had something to do with the clicking noises that suddenly erupted around him. Maybe it had something to do with the flashes of light that he could still see even with his eyes closed.

Whatever it was, it was ruining his perfect moment with Marinette.

It finally bothered him enough that he had to pull back and look to see what was going on. So he opened his eyes to find Mari...

Nope. It wasn't Marinette.

It was Ladybug.

They blinked at each other for a split second before her face paled and she suddenly looked pained.

Adrien felt the exact same way. No, he actually felt ten times worse. How could he have made such a monumental mistake? He was thinking so much about Marinette that he deceived himself into believing that she was there. In his heart he was kissing her, not Ladybug.

As he tried to come to terms with what he had done, the photographers that had surrounded them continued snapping pictures. Seeing that the couple wasn't kissing anymore, they started shouting out questions.

"How long have you two been dating?"

"Does Chat Noir approve of your relationship?"

"Adrien, do you know Ladybug's secret identity?"

"Aren't you worried about becoming a target for Shadow Moth?"

None of their questions were answered as Nathalie stepped in, pulling Adrien away from Ladybug and towards the exit. Ladybug took that as an opportunity to turn and hurry off in the opposite direction to the exit on the far side of the room.

Once they got to the hallway, Nathalie handed Adrien over to his bodyguard. "Take him to the car," she ordered. "I'll deal with this."

Gorilla nodded and led him by the shoulder to the garage.

As he was forced along, Adrien felt like he was having an out of body experience. This had to be some sort of nightmare. Some sort of akuma attack that caused your worst fear to come to life.

He finally figured out that he loved Marinette. And what does he do immediately after? He kisses another girl. On the lips. In a crowded room full of photographers. Without a doubt this was going to make the news and everyone in Paris was going to see what he did. But worst of all, Marinette was going to see.

After climbing into the car, he anxiously ran his fingers through his hair. He needed to fix this. But what could he do? First things first, he needed to see Marinette. He needed to explain what happened before she found out on her own. Then they would worry about the rest.

Every second felt like an eternity as he waited in the car for Nathalie. It was taking way too long.

Unable to do anything else, he took out his phone and checked it. Marinette still hadn't responded to his text from earlier. So he pressed the button to call her.

He listened to the phone ring once, twice, three times, four times, and then finally her voice-mail answered. "Hi, you've reached Marinette. Leave a message. Beep!"

His heart sinking, he had no choice but to do as the voice-mail suggested. "Hi Marinette, it's Adrien. Please call me back as soon as you get this message. I... I'm so sorry."

There was nothing more to say, so he disconnected. Then he stared at the phone, willing it to ring with all of his might. But before anyone called him, Nathalie finally came out of the hotel and climbed into her seat. "Home," she told Gorilla.