The rooftop shook beneath your feet, the moonlight slicing between broken clouds and shattered glass.

—“You never stick to the plan!” you shouted, flames flickering at your shoulders. “You charge in like you’re invincible, and we end up fixing your mess!”

Chat Noir snarled, his staff grinding against the ground.

—“And you think throwing fire at everything makes you a strategist? I’ve been doing this longer than you, Phoenix.”

—“Then maybe act like it!”

Your voice cracked with heat, literal sparks rising from your skin. His eyes blazed green beneath the mask, matching your fury. The city still echoed with the aftermath of the akuma, but up here, it was just the two of you—too much pride, too many grudges, too many near-misses that were never quite enough to make you trust each other.

His jaw clenched.

—“You think I don’t care? That I don’t give everything I have to protect people? You don’t know me.”

—“No,” you snapped. “I just know you hide behind jokes because you’re scared of being wrong.”

And that was when it happened.

He stepped forward, you stepped back—too close, too sharp—and without warning, he grabbed your collar and kissed you.

Hard. Breathless. Like it was the last thing holding him upright.

Your hands flinched in surprise—but didn’t push him away.

The kiss burned, not just from your power, but from the tension that had built up across too many missions, too many glares, too many almosts.

But as your fingers curled in the fabric of his suit, you both felt it.

That pull.

That flicker.

The magic fading.

—“No—” you both breathed, too late.

Light flashed—your transformation cracked and fell apart mid-kiss. His suit dissolved with it, the ring clinking against the rooftop. Your necklace flared and vanished. Fire dimmed from your skin. You both stumbled apart just as the glow faded completely.

And then…

You saw him.

Adrien Agreste.

His hair tousled, lips parted, eyes wide.

And you—

Your real name escaping his mouth in a breathless whisper.

Your kwamis floated awkwardly nearby—Kaari blinking slowly in the air, and Plagg staring like someone had just dropped a piano on his tail.

—“…Wait,” Plagg said flatly. “You kissed him?”

Kaari turned to you, blinking again.

—“You kissed Chat Noir?”

—“No—!” you both said at once, then paused.

Because you had.

Adrien’s mouth opened like he might deny it, then closed again. His cheeks flushed. Yours probably did too.