The moment the ambulance's engine revved to life, Adrien's legs seemed to crumple beneath him. He covered his face with his hands as he sank to his knees, animal cries wrenching themselves out of him in agony. Alya gave a long, low moan as the ambulance drove off, sirens blaring. Adrien heard Nino fall to the ground next to him, but couldn't stop the sobs enough to comfort his friends.

He felt like he was tearing apart, the guilt and fear and pain bursting from within him. He looped an arm around his stomach, trying to hold his body together while the other hand twisted in his hair. From behind, another hand looped with his and he grasped it tightly, grateful for Nino's warmth. Alya's sobs punctuated his ragged breaths on alternate beats, but knowing they were there too was somehow comforting.

For a moment, they all just sat there, holding each other and sharing their grief and fear. Footsteps slowly approached, but Adrien stayed where he was, cowering on the ground and weeping like a child.

"You guys are her friends, huh?" Asked a woman's voice quietly. Adrien looked up through his tears to see the grave face of one of the paramedics. Her brown eyes were twisted in sympathy, but there was a slight urgency in her voice. Alya squeaked an affirmation, and Nino pulled her into him so she could cry into his chest.

"Y- yeah, we're her friends," he muttered thickly, his glasses streaky from crying.

The paramedic nodded.

"Okay, is there anything you can tell me about what happened? Did any of you see how she got shot?"

Adrien saw Nino shoot him a worried look. He'd seen it, he's caused it, but how could he tell the paramedic without revealing their secrets? He wiped the wetness from his face with his hands, clearing his throat a couple of times before he was able to speak.

"I d- did, I was there." His voice was quiet, and he hoped the paramedic couldn't hear how it was laced with guilt. That might raise questions.

"Okay, what's your name, sweetheart?" The paramedic rested a hand on his shoulder as she crouched in front of the sobbing teenagers.

It had been so long since Adrien had received an endearment like that, it took him by surprise. But it also made him want to burst into tears all over again.

"Adrien," he managed to choke out in a gravelly voice.

"And her name's Marinette." Whispered Alya from within Nino's embrace. "Oh, Marinette…" sobs echoed around them once more as Alya dissolved again.

"I'm Sara," the paramedic told them, her eyes kind despite the gravity of the situation. "Alright, Adrien, is there anything you can tell me about what happened? I assume it had something to do with what happened at the bank, right?"

Adrien realised his whole body was trembling, but he couldn't seem to get it to stop. The guilt and fear seemed to be eating at him from the inside, a black hole opening up within him as the events of the day threatened to pull him down into it. But he took a deep breath, and managed to talk, despite never stopping crying.

"We- we were outside a shop nearby when it exploded," he mumbled. "We all got thrown away, and I th- think I hit my head, everything was k- kinda blurry. But she was amazing, sh- she helped me up and got us all to safety, here. Then she w- went back to help other people get away from the f- fire."

Sara's eyebrows raised slightly in shock.

"Well, that was astonishingly brave of her."

"I went after her," Adrien continued, tears coursing down his ash-streaked face as he recounted the events. He revisited the fear, the panic he'd felt when she'd run away from him, towards the danger, and then the relief, the joy at holding her in his arms again, even whilst engulfed in smoke. "I couldn't l- let her go alone. I found her pulling some people to s- safety, she wouldn't come back with me, she said she couldn't j- just sit by knowing people were in danger. So I h- helped her, we took people to the ambulances. She was so b- brave… and then the fire engines put out the f- fire and we could see again without the smoke. Mari insisted on s- staying to help more people, and then the robbers appeared. Th- they shot into the air and told everyone to get back. I, uh… managed to p- pull her down, she wanted to keep helping people, and two men went inside. Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared and started fighting the r- robbers, they knocked the first three out. B- but then there was another one in the b- building, and he shot at Chat and Ladybug. It missed them, but Mari had just st- stood up to go comfort some scared kids, and it h- hit her. I d- didn't know what to do, all the ambulances had g- gone, so I brought her here. And then… you came." Adrien finished lamely, exhausted from his on-the-spot lying. He hoped he'd altered enough details so Sara wouldn't make the connection between Ladybug's and Mari's injury, but his brain and body were too frazzled to double-check his lies.

Sara nodded for a moment, clearly processing his story. She looked at the three friends as they cowered on the dirty floor of the alleyway, sympathy flooding her face.

"Right, I think we'd probably best get you three to the hospital and checked for shock. I think it might be an idea to make sure your heads are alright after the explosion, and your lungs. Ash is a nasty thing, don't want you breathing too much of it in. More ambulances are on the way, we'll get you three in the next one, alright?"

Sara stood, offering her hands to Nino and Adrien to help them up. They took them gratefully, Nino pulling Alya up with him as he went. The three shuffled towards the end of the alleyway where noise and bustle were beginning to return to the streets of Paris.

The paramedic went off to rendezvous with some of her colleagues, leaving the teens alone for a minute. Nino and Alya stood at Adrien's shoulders as they waited, his heart beating erratically as the pain inside of him grew even more. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. He was killing himself in his fear and not knowing. His throat burned, his eyes stung and his entire body ached. But what about Marinette?

Marinette, his sweet, brave, beautiful Ladybug. Kind, sincere, strong- but injured, dying because of his rashness and inconsideration.

Who knew what was happening to her now. Was she at the hospital yet? Was she in surgery? Was she awake? Was she al- no, he refused to let himself ask that question.

She was alive. She had to be.

"Did she really not know?" Nino's voice was barely a whisper, the words trembling in the boy's grief and horror.

"I couldn't seem to tell her." Adrien replied quietly, knowing to what his friend was referring. "I was scared of how she'd react. I didn't know if she'd be happy or not."

Alya gave a small laugh.

"I get that. I don't know if I'm happy or not." There was a slight pause. "Oh- god, no, o- of course I'm not happy, I only- I just meant, the reveal- I'm not happy, I was talking about Ladybug and Chat, oh god," Adrien cut off her stammers by wrapping her hand in his.

"I know, Alya I know.. I was ecstatic when I found out. I think I was, anyway. There was a lot going on."

"How long have you known?" Alya squeezed his hand back.

"Not long," Adrien confessed, feeling his friends' eyes on him. "Only when she broke her leg did I made the connection."

Nino swore softly.

"That means- the secret- the one Chloe knows? As in, Chloe knows?"

Adrien nodded grimly.

"I'm going to kill that bitch." Sighed Alya determinedly. Nino gripped Adrien's shoulder.

"I'll help," he vowed.

Sara still hadn't returned, and passers-by were giving the dishevelled teenagers worried looks, wondering why they were just standing there instead of in an ambulance.

"This wasn't how I wanted her to find out." Adrien murmured after a moment. "I wanted it to be romantic and sweet and cool- whenever I worked up the courage, anyways."

"Romantic?" That was a loaded question, if there ever was one. Adrien resigned himself to answer Alya, closing his eyes.

"We were kind of dating ever since I found out. It just sort of… happened."

Alya gave a little gasp of shock, a giggle working it's way through her despair.

"God. You're finally canon. It's all a LadyNoir shipper could ever ask for."

Adrien smiled weakly. "Yay."

Alya's lower lip trembled as she looked across the street to where Sara was talking urgently with her colleagues.

Nino tightened his grip on Adrien's shoulder.

"She'll be okay." He sounded unsure himself, but Adrien appreciated the words nonetheless. "Mari's tough as hell, we've always known that. And now we know she's got all this awesome magic and stuff? She's going to be amazing."

Adrien nodded, his eyes filling with tears again as he stared ahead.

"I know."

Finally, Sara was darting back towards them.

"There's an empty ambulance about a minute away that's coming for you guys. I'll come with you to the hospital and make sure you're checked out, alright?"

Moments later, the ambulance arrived and Nino helped Alya on before clambering in himself. Adrien prepared to follow, but Sara rested her hand on his shoulder. He looked up into her warm, kindly face in question.

"Adrien, I know how hard this is on you three. But I want you to know that from what you told me, I can tell that Marinette's a fighter. She's going to pull through, I can feel it. She sounds like a real hero."

Adrien nodded, and Sara let go, smiling comfortingly at him before going to sit up front with the driver. He nodded to himself again, willing himself to believe her words.

"She is a hero." Alya whispered from behind him as he shut the door. She and Nino were seated, holding hands as the vehicle jolted into motion. "She's going to be fine."

Adrien swallowed, his grip on the seat below him tightened.

"I know she is. She has to be."