This idea popped into my head while listening to the song Love's Scenario hence the title of this fic. I've never actually written any Ladrien before, but I couldn't resist writing this. I hope you all enjoy! Please review or favorite if you enjoyed the story! :)
"What's wrong, dude?" Nino asked as he threw his arm over his best friend's shoulder. The blonde haired boy hadn't laughed all day. He barely even managed to smile. There were bags under his eyes and he nearly fell asleep in class. When Nino tried to talk to him, Adrien would just nod and show no signs of comprehension. Nino could tell that his friend was having a bad day.
Adrien mustered a weak smile and said softly, "Nothing. I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"I have been your friend long enough to know that you're lying, bro. What's up? For real?"
Nino gave Adrien a concerned expression. Adrien had his bad days like any normal human being, but today seemed especially rough. It was days like these when Adrien really needed a friend.
Adrien sighed and confessed, feeling guilty for not revealing the whole truth immediately to Nino. "My father has been strict lately and has given me all these jobs. They're not even fun either. And I have a piano demonstration coming up for some business executive friends of my father's and have been practicing non-stop. Then there's the fencing tournament coming up this weekend and..."
"Stop right there!" Nino said, putting up a hand. "Just listening to you stresses me out. How the heck do you do it all?"
Adrien shrugged. "He doesn't even know about me being Chat Noir," Adrien thought. "I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in a week!"
"I'll make a deal with you," Nino smiled as he stroked his chin. Adrien raised an eyebrow, wondering what Nino could possibly be talking about.
"If you promise to take tonight off and chillax, I'll do all your homework."
"Nino, I can't have you do that. That wouldn't be right."
"Don't worry," Nino chuckled. "I'll have Alya check the answers, so I can guarantee they won't all be wrong. You don't have to worry about it. I've got it all under control. You can't say no to an opportunity like this."
"But I can."
"But I won't let you."
Adrien sighed in exasperation while Nino did a fist pump of satisfaction. Adrien didn't have the energy to fight back on this one and he really wanted a break. If Nino was offering this one time, it couldn't hurt to take him up on that. Skipping out on one night of homework wouldn't be that bad anyways.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Adrien asked, still unsure of letting Nino do him this favor. Nino nodded and said, "For you, bro? Anytime."
Meanwhile, Marinette was sitting behind the boys, working on a worksheet at her desk... kind of. She was also eavesdropping on their conversation which was hard not to do considering how close they were and how much Marinette desired to hear Adrien's voice.
She, like Nino, was able to tell that Adrien was having a bad day. He didn't have his usual "glow" and didn't smile at all. Normally, he waved to her when he sat down in his desk, but today, he was completely silent. Marinette wanted to reach out and hug him, but her own fear and embarrassment held her back. She didn't want to look creepy, but she wished that there was something she could do to help Adrien.
Nino was taking care of his homework so she couldn't do that. She could invite him out to eat, but that might be weird. She could design him something, but if definitely wouldn't be finished by the end of the day. There was no guarantee that he would like what she made either.
"Poor Adrien," Marinette sighed to herself. "There has to be something I can do..."
"Yo, did you check out Alya's Ladyblog post?" Nino asked Adrien, sliding his phone over to his friend. Adrien picked up the phone and examined the article. It was titled Ladybug and Chat Noir Save the Day Again! It was about the most recent akuma attack and had some stunning photos of him and his lady.
His lady.
The thought of her brought a smile to his face. No matter what, she always made him feel better. Even on tough days like these, she gave him the strength to keep plowing forward. That was only one of the many reasons he loved her so much.
"I saw that smile!" Nino yelled suddenly. Adrien almost dropped the phone in surprise. "W-what are you talking about?" Adrien stammered.
Nino swiped back his phone and enlarged a photo of Ladybug. "You totally smiled when looking at this picture and you haven't smiled all day! Is there something I need to know about?"
"Cut it out, Nino! It's nothing," Adrien said quickly, turning bright red. He couldn't really explain himself and was embarrassed after being called out. He wished Nino would put the phone down and drop the whole thing.
"Ha ha! Whatever you say," Nino laughed as he tucked his phone away. He made a mental note to ask Adrien about his fascination over Ladybug later. The poor boy probably had a small crush on the heroine as did every boy in Paris. Even Nino, who had been crushing on Alya for a long time, had to admit that Ladybug was lovely lady with a heart of gold. No one would be opposed to going out with her, not even him.
"Ladybug?" Marinette's eyes widened as she watched Adrien's reaction to the picture of her. The boy was obviously flustered. A lightbulb went off in her head.
"It looks like Adrien is a big Ladybug fan. It might be time to bring out the alter ego yet again! I know just the thing to make his day better."
Marinette looked down at her purse where Tikki was sleeping with a smile. She had plans tonight and they involved a visit to the Agreste mansion.
Later that evening, Adrien was lying on his bed with Plagg sitting quietly beside him, nibbling on some cheese. Adrien stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to do. It was nice to have a break. He felt more relaxed and stress free, but he was also bored. Normally, his schedule was filled with the brim with activities. This type of free time was new to him.
"What should I do, Plagg?" Adrien moaned as he sat up in bed. He hugged his pillow and looked around the room. Sure, there was stuff to do. He had countless video games, a rock climbing wall, and his computer was always an option. Nothing really struck him though.
"Could you shower?" Plagg requested, gulping down his last piece of cheese. "You had fencing after school and now you smell worse than stinky cheese, which is saying something since it's a personal favorite of mine."
"Sure, buddy," Adrien chuckled. He got out of bed and walked over to his closet where he grabbed some sweatpants and a few other things. Then, he wandered into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. "A nice, hot shower will be relaxing," Adrien thought.
While Adrien was busying showering, a jittery Ladybug was racing across the rooftops to his home.
"Don't be nervous," she repeated to herself. "You're Ladybug right now. Just tell him someone told you he had a bad day and you wanted to help out. It's exactly like when Chat comes to check on you. He's met you as Ladybug before so he shouldn't be too weirded out, right? Wow, I hope this isn't going to be a mistake."
Her heart was beating fast. She was about to enter the room of the boy she was madly in love with and ask him to spend the night with her. Except it's not really her, it's Ladybug. But at the same time, it was her and if she acted like normal Marinette in front of him, this was going to go downhill real fast.
Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around the top of Adrien's house and she swung over, thinking to herself, "This is it. No turning back now!"
Using the yo-yo string, she hung down from the room and peeked into the room. "Now where could he be?"
Suddenly, a bright, red blush spread across her face as she made eye contact with Adrien who had just come out of the shower and was currently wearing no shirt.
"I've always thought about what Adrien without a shirt looked like, but oh my god, it's even better than I ever could have imagined," Ladybug thought as her mouth grew wider the longer she stared.
"Wait, stop being creepy and do something!"
Adrien had been walking out of the shower, looking for a shirt. Plagg had fallen fast asleep in his bed, but was hidden underneath all the blankets. Adrien reached into his drawer and pulled out a plain black shirt. He turned around to wake up Plagg when he saw a red and black clad superheroine hanging from his window.
"Ladybug?" Adrien exclaimed, completely shocked by her presence. That was one visitor he wasn't expecting.
Ladybug didn't move for a moment as she was internally panicking. She had just seen something that she probably shouldn't have seen (though she was so happy that she had). Not to mention, it looked like she was stalking him (which she kind of was, but not as Ladybug). Everything was going poorly all ready.
Noticing his lady's lack of movement, Adrien quickly put on his shirt and ran over to the side wall which held the control panel for his windows. He pressed a few of the buttons and one of the windows automatically opened.
"Y-you can come in..." Adrien told Ladybug, trying to hold himself together. He didn't know why she was here and was embarrassed that she had seen him shirtless.
Ladybug released her yo-yo and jumped into the room, landing on two feet. She stood in front of Adrien proudly, both hands on her hips. She had a triumphant and confident smile which was really a mask for how utterly flustered she felt.
"Hello."
That was all she said to him. Her brain was blanking out on anything to say. This was no different that when she tried to talk to him as Marinette.
"Way to go, idiot," Marinette cursed herself.
"Hi?' Adrien waved, still very confused. "Um... not to be rude, but why are you here?"
"A little birdy told me you were having a bad day and that you were also a big fan of Ladybug," she smiled, finally figuring out what to say. "I've come to take you out for a while."
"Me? Isn't that like... l-like a date?"
Adrien gulped and he thought his heart might explode out of his chest. Ladybug was in his bedroom, asking him on a date essentially. And he was wearing nothing but sweatpants, an old t-shirt, and some slippers. He didn't know if this was a dream or a nightmare.
"I suppose you could call it that," Ladybug winked. She was starting to fall into her element and turned on some of the charm she had learned from Chat Noir. As Ladybug, it was okay to get a little flirty. Adrien wouldn't know it was her and maybe it would put him more at ease. People always seemed to be more comfortable around Chat Noir.
Adrien glanced back at his bed where Plagg was sleeping. Thankfully, the little guy hadn't been woken up by the conversation. Adrien didn't want to explain to Ladybug why he had a magical, flying cat creature in his bed.
Ladybug offered out her hand with a kind smile. "Will you come with me?"
Adrien looked down at her hand. It was warm and inviting. He couldn't refuse her. Was this his opportunity to show Ladybug the other side of him, even if she didn't know he was Chat Noir? Perhaps this was finally his chance.
He took her hand and smiled back. "Of course."
"Hang on then!"
Ladybug pulled Adrien close to her body and wrapped her arm around him. She tossed her yo-yo out the window and it wrapped around a nearby building. She pulled the string tight and then launched herself and Adrien through the air. He held tightly onto her body, trying not to fall off. She laughed merrily as he was struck by a sudden fear of heights. It felt so different when he wasn't the one in control. He didn't mind letting her take over though. She would protect him.
Adrien held even tighter onto her as they glided through the air from building to building. Ladybug was too busy focusing on throwing the yo-yo and maneuvering around to pay attention to Adrien's face, but he was watching her closely.
Her hair was flying, thin strands coming out of their ponytails. Her face was lightly flushed, tinged with the perfect amount of pink. This close-up, he could see the freckles that spotted her face. Her lips appeared delicate as a smiled danced on them. And her eyes... her eyes were his favorite part.
They were shining with an almost unnatural glow. They were so full of life, reflecting her emotions. There were blue like the ocean and sky combined. Adrien found himself trapped, just staring at them. He could hardly look away. To be this close to her without being pushed away was something he had always dreamed of.
Adrien felt Ladybug slow down. She landed and set him down carefully. He broke his gaze on her eyes and looked around him. He had been so focused on her, he hadn't even noticed where she had taken him.
They were standing at the top observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. The two of them had been there before, but as Chat Noir and Ladybug. They fought multiple akumas at the historic landmark. This was something different though. He was here as Adrien and there were no akumas. This, as Adrien would like to call it, was a date.
"Do you like the view?" Ladybug asked. She walked over to the railing and leaned over it. "You can see the whole city from here! It's probably my favorite spot in Paris!"
Adrien watched her admire the landscape. It was dark now, but the light from the moon and the lit up tower illuminated the area. There was a warm breeze against Adrien's neck as he walked up beside Ladybug. He put his hand as close as he could to hers without touching it and said, "It's really incredible, just like you."
"Huh?" Ladybug said, recoiling in shock. "Me? Pssh... I'm nothing special. You're the incredible one. You're a model, expert pianist, a fencer, and not to mention..."
"How do you know all that?"
Ladybug covered her mouth and realized she had let too much slip. She wasn't supposed to know all these things about Adrien. In her eyes, he was supposed to be a random civilian and technically, they had no real connection other than the one time she protected him and his father.
"The little birdy told me," she lied. Adrien gave her a curious stare and asked, "Can I ask who this birdy might be?"
"In due time," Ladybug smiled. "Because I have a present for you!"
She left the railing and ran around the observation deck so that the tower was blocking her. Adrien wondered what she could be doing when she reemerged with a basket covered in a picnic cloth.
"I thought you might be hungry," she said as she removed the cloth. Inside the basket were dozens of tasty treats from the bakery. "Please take as many as you want."
Adrien's stomach growled and he realized that he was pretty hungry. He looked greedily at the basket and plucked a chocolate-filled croissant. Ladybug watched him eagerly as he took a bit. She prayed that he would like it since she had helped make all the desserts herself.
"It's delicious!" Adrien exclaimed, quickly scarfing down the croissant. "May I have another?"
"They're all yours!" Ladybug laughed as she handed him the basket. She didn't know Adrien loved food that much. Being a model, she didn't know if he was allowed to eat sugar heavy sweets like these, but breaking the rules every now and then was good. She highly doubted that eating her snacks would cause him to gain weight anyways. The two of them sat down as Adrien went through the basket.
Adrien continued to eat the treats until he reached one of the chocolate chip cookies. He bit into it and then asked, "Are these from the Boulangerie Patisserie? They taste really familiar..."
"I didn't know you had such an acute sense of taste, Adrien," Ladybug grinned. "That's actually where I got them. It's a great bakery, isn't it?"
"It's amazing!" Adrien exclaimed, finishing off the cookie. "There's this girl in my class, Marinette, and her parents actually own that bakery. I've been there once or twice and everything they bake is awesome!"
Ladybug's heart leaped at the mention of her own name. "Why were you there?" She asked, knowing the answer well enough. She wanted to hear Adrien's answer though. "Did you spend a little time with this Marinette?"
Adrien blushed slightly and replied, "We've done some stuff together, so I've visited her. It's not what you think though."
"Whatever you say..." Ladybug said in a flirty tone, even though she was hurt by Adrien's comment. She knew he probably didn't like her that way, but it hurt all the same.
She wouldn't let a small remark like that drag her down though. That wasn't how Marinette or Ladybug rolled.
"If you're done eating," Ladybug said, standing up. "I have one last surprise for tonight. I hope you don't mind." She disappeared behind the tower again and came back with a wireless stereo with a phone plugged in. She turned on the phone, making sure her back was covering it, so that Adrien couldn't see it. He was too busy eating to notice anyways. Ladybug opened her music and scrolled down to one of her favorite songs. It was a simple piano piece that reminded her of a rainy day. A rainy day that she was very fond of.
Music drifted out of the speakers and into Adrien's ears. He set down his last cookie and listened to the music. It was absolutely beautiful. The piano was soft, but powerful. Adrien was about to close his eyes and listen when Ladybug suddenly pulled him to his feet.
She pretended to do a curtsy and said, "Monsieur Agreste, would you have this dance with me?" Adrien noticed that she was shaking a bit and seemed nervous. Secretly, it had taken her a lot of courage to ask him to dance. She knew it was cheesy, but it was another one of her silly dreams, to dance with Adrien.
Adrien bowed and said, "I would be delighted, Mademoiselle." He grabbed both her hands and pulled her body close. She was slightly shorter than him and if he wanted, he could rest his head on hers. His hands were sweaty from her being so close and he hoped she wouldn't notice. He had never danced like this before.
"Should I lead or should I leave that honor to you?" Ladybug asked.
"I think I can handle it."
The pair began to dance slowly to the music. Neither of them truly knew how to dance, but they moved in unison as if they were meant to dance together. Their bodies shifted as they swayed to the piano's soft tones. As the song progressed, Adrien pulled Ladybug closer and closer until they were almost touching. Their dance had turned into a slow dance more than anything.
The song reached its final notes when Ladybug rested her head on Adrien's shoulder, closing her eyes. She noticed her head fit snugly and comfortably into his shoulder like it had been fitted specifically for her. Adrien tensed as he felt her lean on him, but said nothing. He liked it this way.
The music ended and both of the teenagers stopped dancing. Ladybug opened her eyes and immediately jumped away from Adrien. "I-I'm really sorry!" She exclaimed. "That was weird, wasn't it? I meant for that to be a casual fun dance to let loose some nerves. I d-didn't expect for it to turn out that way and..."
"It's perfectly fine," Adrien smiled, putting a warm hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "I didn't mind at all. You're a really good dancer."
"So are you..." Ladybug said, twiddling her thumbs. Her emotions were overwhelming. She and Adrien had been so close. They were touching only seconds ago and it was the most amazing thing Ladybug had ever experienced. She wished she could have the opportunity again though she doubted that it would ever come.
Both of them stood there in silence, quietly admiring each other. Adrien was still trying to process what happened. He had been dancing with his lady and seemed to enjoy it as much as him. For once, it felt like she returned at least a sliver of the feelings he offered her even if he wasn't Chat
Noir right now. And a sliver was all he needed.
"I should take you home now," Ladybug said, breaking the silence. "You probably have school tomorrow, right?'
"Uh... yeah," Adrien replied sadly. He didn't want this moment to end yet, but he knew that Ladybug probably had things to do and he needed to get to bed.
Ladybug unhooked her yo-yo and threw it around a nearby building. Adrien grabbed onto her and they flew away through the cool, night air. Adrien savored these final moments this close to her. He took in everything. The scenery, her appearance, her scent, everything. He wanted to preserve tonight in his memory forever.
They returned to his mansion where the window was still open. They flew inside and she set Adrien on the floor.
"Thank you so much!" Adrien said immediately. "I'm really grateful for tonight. I had a good time with you." He was speaking so fast he could hardly breath. He didn't know how to get across how thankful he was without revealing his massive crush.
"That's good," Ladybug smiled softly. "I hope you have a better day tomorrow. I should get going now."
She was beginning to leave when Adrien grabbed her wrist. "One last thing!" He shouted. "Who told you... about me?"
Ladybug thought to herself for a moment and then said, "That girl you were talking about earlier, Marinette. She was really worried about you, you know. Make sure to tell her 'thank you' tomorrow, okay?"
Adrien obediently nodded his head. "It was Marinette," Adrien thought. "I didn't know she cared about me that much. I'll really have to thank her tomorrow."
"Promise me you won't forget that," Ladybug grinned. She flung her yo-yo out the window, prepared to make her escape. "See around then, handsome boy!" With those final words, Ladybug disappeared into the night sky.
"Wow..." Adrien dreamily thought. He walked over to his bed and plopped down, causing Plagg to bounce up which jolted him awake.
"What gives?" Plagg let out an irritated yawn. "Some of us are trying to sleep here!"
"Plagg, she's absolutely wonderful..." Adrien sighed, reliving the night in his head. "She came all the way here and did so much to make sure I felt better. That girl... I just love her so much."
"I don't know what spurred the sudden lovefest, but can you knock it off? It's gross and I want to go back to sleep," Plagg complained. The kwami cuddled beside Adrien and closed his eyes again. Adrien rubbed Plagg's head with a single finger until the little kitten fell back asleep. Then, Adrien pulled up the blankets and closed his own eyes. His dreams were filled with Ladybug.
The next morning, Marinette walked into school, shaking in panic. "What should I do when I see him?" She wondered nervously. "Should I act casual? Should I pretend like I know what happened last night? Can I even say anything to him? I called him 'handsome boy' for god's sake. How can I recover from that?"
Marinette took a seat at her desk and watched Alya and Nino shuffle through Adrien's completed homework. "It's a good thing I checked these answers," Alya huffed as she pointed at the stack of papers in her hand. "Adrien would've failed and so would you if I hadn't gone through all this. Even someone with a half a brain wouldn't get this many wrong!"
"I was a little confused, calm down lady," Nino retorted. Alya pulled out another piece of paper and shoved in Nino's face. "This isn't just a little confused, Nino!" She shouted. "You didn't get a single one right! You even forgot to write down your name!"
"Does that mean I get a private tutoring session from a certain someone after school then since I'm obviously struggling?"
Alya's face tensed and then relaxed into a smile. "Fine," she sighed. "But you owe me big time."
"Sure thing, honey."
"If you call me that again, I will slap you silly."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Marinette laughed as she watched their little debacle. It helped ease her nerves until Adrien walked in. He was looking around the room until his eyes landed on her and his face lit up.
"Oh no," Marinette screamed internally. "Here he comes!"
"Marinette..." Adrien said, putting his hands on her desk. He looked much better today. He was already smiling and seemed to be radiating happiness. Last night had sent him over the moon and his mood had gotten even better the next day.
"What's up, Adrien?" Marinette smiled. She feigned ignorance and gave him a few innocent blinks.
"I heard about what you did for me last night," Adrien explained. "That thing with Ladybug was super cool. I had a great time. Do you know her in real life?"
"Ladybug?" Marinette asked. "I can't say I do. I don't think I know what you're talking about though, sorry."
"Oh," Adrien said. He assumed that Marinette had asked Ladybug outright, but maybe Ladybug overheard her in passing or maybe Marinette had a friend she didn't know was actually Ladybug. Either way, he was still grateful to her. She was the reason Ladybug came to visit him whether she knew it or not.
"Ignore all that then," Adrien continued. "I know that you were worried about me yesterday though and I wanted to thank you. That's really kind of you."
"It was nothing," Marinette whispered back. "You're my friend after all, how could I not be worried?"
"I guess that's true, but I wanted to thank you anyways. I appreciate it. We should hang out more often by the way. I know some fun things to do if you have some free time."
"I think I can spare some time," Marinette giggled. "Just tell me when."
"After school at 3:00, meet me by the stairs?"
"I think that can be arranged."
There was a familiar glint in Marinette's eyes that reminded Adrien of Ladybug. Marinette seemed a little different today. She still seemed antsy, but she was more confident than usual especially around him. Maybe some of the superheroine had rubbed off on her.
Miss Bustier entered the classroom and asked all the students to return to their seats. Adrien sat down with a smile and Marinette was overflowing with joy. The two of them thought in unison...
"It's a date."
