This one was written for taliaxlatia, who requested number 21 and Ladrien. I was feeling big AU feels, but I figured you wouldn't mind if I mixed things up a little.
21: A chaste kiss given to each other because they are in mixed company.
The Prince and his Lady
Adrien's heart stutters the moment he catches sight of that distinct shade of red amid the throng of people. The full ripeness of a strawberry in summer, the bloom of heat on freckled cheeks. The colour of power and passion and all that hums within his veins.
"Ladybug," he breathes.
Her eyes, framed by a red mask, lock on his. It's a tug on his bones, his very soul. He closes the distance between them with restrained swiftness. A polite nod to a toadying noble, a tap on a lady's shoulder to get her to move aside—all done with a smile that barely hides the need to be with Ladybug now.
"You came," he says when he stops in front of her.
She smiles, shy but warm. "Did you think I wouldn't?"
"I …"
The words he wants to say tremble on the tip of his tongue. That he loves her, that he'd bind himself to her right now and make her the future queen of France if she'd let him. But Hawkmoth is relentless. Ladybug always places her duty first. The best thing Adrien can do is to support her as a prince and respect her wish to not reveal that he's also her partner, Chat Noir.
"I hoped you'd come," he settles for, and leans in to place a kiss on her cheek—chaste enough not to arouse attention, but his eyes are heated green and filled with yearning.
Dustings of rose spill over her cheeks.
If only they could be alone just once.
"May I have this dance?" he asks.
She accepts his offered hand, her red-gloved fingers intertwining with his bare. "Of course."
He leads her to the dancefloor. They flow into the steps, mirroring each other and circling to the graceful, stringed melody. He treasures every moment.