That night, Adrien couldn't sleep. For what felt like hours, he lay on his bed, arms crossed behind his head, and stared at the high ceiling of his room.

Returning to the Liberty and, even just for a short while, pretending that nothing except yet another Akuma had happened had felt strange. Being so close to Luka, only a step away, but trying to act no different after how close they'd become, physically and mentally, it felt so awkward. But it had only needed one shared look between Adrien and Luka for them to agree on one thing. For now, they wouldn't tell anyone about their fledgling relationship. It was all too new, too fresh. They had to figure it out for themselves first.

"I don't get what you're still doing here," Plagg said after Adrien let out yet another deep sigh. He'd made himself comfortable with a special cheese plate Adrien had liberated from the kitchen for him. "Not that I'm complaining!" he added hastily, taking a bite from a particularly smelly cheese. "But now that you finally realised there's more than only one tasty kind of cheese, why won't you go and take a bite? You'll never know whether you found your new favourite type of cheese if you don't take the time to enjoy them."

Adrien's lips twitched at the ingenuous comment, but his amusement didn't last long. "But what would happen to my previous favourite then?"

Plagg cocked his head. "What about it? There's always room for more favourite types of cheese. The more the better."

Adrien sighed. If only his feelings could be as easily sorted as Plagg's appetite. But… well, Luka had a point there. Maybe it really was that easy. He didn't have to give up on Ladybug and forget her just because he cared for Luka, too.

Still, that didn't answer his more pressing questions. How would things between him and Luka develop from here on? How could they develop? He wanted to be with Luka; after this day, the time in that locker, the revealed feelings and identities, and the fight, they'd grown so close already. But... would they ever get the time to actually be together?

"I wonder when we can meet again. There are just so many things we should have talked about when we had the chance earlier."

Plagg gulped down another piece of Camembert. "Why don't you go now?"

"Because it's the middle of the night. Unlike Kwamis, humans need to sleep, you know? Besides, even if it wasn't this late, my father would never let me go anyway."

"It's not as if you're getting any sleep as it is. And I can't remember you ever asking for your father's permission when you jumped out that window to fight against a supervillain."

"Yeah, well, I can't really use my powers for mundane things such as meeting my boyfriend now, can I?" Boyfriend… He didn't even know whether that really was that Luka and he were now, but just thinking that word made him tingle all over.

Plagg snorted, the eye-rolling nearly audible. "Sounds like something Tikki would say."

Adrien frowned. "Who?"

"Ladybug's Kwami. She's such a party pooper. What are my powers even good for if you're not allowed to use them for fun?"

Adrien sat up and threw his tiny friend a hopeful look. "You think it would be okay to transform just to go and see Luka?"

"Of course! And since he already knows who you are, it won't even be weird when you knock against his window. I'm so proud of you for telling him, by the way. I know Sass is going to be grumpy about it but know that you have my full suppo— Uh, hey, why are you getting dressed now?"

Adrien had to hide his grin in his shirt as he pulled it over his head. "I'm going to see Luka. Isn't that what you just told me to do?"

"What, now?" Plagg exclaimed. "But I haven't eaten my cheese yet!"

"Your cheese will still be here when we come back. Besides, aren't you stuffed already?"

"Of cheese? Never!" Plagg whined.

Chuckling, Adrien shook his head. Oh, how he loved his little pest of a friend.

"Plagg? Claws out!"

. o O o .

Barely five minutes later, Chat Noir knocked against the porthole that led to Luka's cabin on the Liberty. It swung open almost instantly, which made him guess Luka hadn't been able to sleep, either.

"Well, look who's here, a stray cat. Did you miss me already?"

Chat Noir chuckled at Luka's casual humour. He liked the relaxed dynamic that already had developed between them. It was such a refreshing difference to his usual life.

"Actually, I thought it would be cruel to deprive you of my presence for too long," he quipped back. "So I came to ease your suffering."

"Well, if that's the case…"

With gleaming eyes, Luka leaned his head out of the porthole and kissed him. The move didn't even surprise Chat Noir, his whole body welcoming the contact. His lips parted without hesitation to taste Luka on his tongue, and he groaned when he felt Luka do the same. How was it possible that he'd missed this so much after only a few hours had passed?

"Mmmh, yep, I'm already feeling better."

Luka chuckled. "I'm glad you came."

He stepped aside to make room for Chat, and with an elegant swing, he jumped through the tight window. After an initial moment of awkwardness, they settled on Luka's bed, sitting across from each other.

"So… do you want to stay like this?" Luka asked, gesturing at his black outfit. "Or do you want to transform back? Either works for me, so do whatever is more comfortable for you."

Bemused by his own reaction to this question, Chat Noir actually took a moment to think about it. Usually, he preferred being Chat Noir over Adrien at any rate and with no doubt. Living in a cage against being free; was there even a choice? And yet… when he was with Luka, this distinction didn't seem to matter anymore.

With a strange sense of inner peace, Chat Noir shrugged. "Either works for me as well." He lounged back against the wall and threw Luka a cheeky grin. "Which option would you prefer?"

Luka's lips tipped up into a smirk and he made a show of looking him over from head to toe. Chat Noir shifted a little into one of his modelling poses, but for once putting up such a show didn't bother him. On the contrary, with Luka watching him so avidly, it was fun.

"Mmh, I really can't choose. I like both versions." He grinned, and again Chat Noir marvelled at how effortless their interactions were. How his overly cheesy behaviour of no restraints was somehow the exactly right way to go.

However, before he could reply, Luka's expression turned more serious. "I… I've been in love with Adrien for a good while now. Ever since our first meeting, you're like a rhythm, thrumming deep inside me. Always with me. And the more I got to know you, the stronger that rhythm became. But I always wondered whether I could hope for you to return my feeling, for us to compose this song together. Whether it would fit." He absentmindedly shook his head. "When you said you wanted to give it a try, that felt better than any dream could ever be, surreal. Compared to that, you being Chat Noir was just a minor detail. And I don't know how else to say it. But it just made sense. The rhythm was the same, even though I never paid it attention before. Anyway… what I'm trying to say is… To me, there's no difference between Adrien and Chat Noir, they're both you. Different sides of you maybe, but still you."

Chat Noir swallowed. Just like earlier in the tunnels beneath Paris, this answer was much heavier than what he'd expected. But looking into Luka's eyes, he knew it was genuine, true, even the love part. And it left him speechless, with too many emotions to process.

Luka seemed to sense his state though, and went on in a lighter tone, "So, yeah, to me it doesn't matter what form you're wearing." He paused, frowning. "There's something else to consider though. Maman and Juleka know better than to barge into my room without knocking… but still, it can happen. They'd be surprised to find someone here with me, but while I'm sure they wouldn't mind…" He trailed off, shrugging.

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Chat said, welcoming the change to this more practical topic. His emotions would need further examination before they made sense. Biting his lower lip, he sat up again. "We would have to stick to one option or my identity would be too obvious."

Luka nodded. "We just need to decide which."

"Adrien would be the obvious choice then," Chat mused. "Just two ordinary guys, nothing special."

Luka chuckled. "Except that you're no ordinary guy." Chat Noir threw him a puzzled look, to which Luka reacted with a raised eyebrow. "You're Adrien Agreste. You're the figurehead of your father's fashion empire and your face is on every second poster all over the city. Do you really think you can date someone just like that and nobody will pay it any mind?"

With a grimace, Chat Noir averted his face. Luka was right. All he wanted was time to explore their relationship. But by now, he knew too well; the moment some rumours about them dating leaked to some paparazzo's ear, the public eye would be all over them. And even more importantly… "My father would never allow that," he murmured in a small voice. "He's… he's not very accepting. If I were to date some… some girl whose family or reputation would be beneficial to his plans, he probably wouldn't mind, but…" He threw Luka a pained look. "He'd do everything in his power to separate us, from forbidding me to play in your band to convincing the mayor to revoke your mother's mooring licence."

Luka let out a low grunt. "That's what I feared…" He scooted a little closer, his hand reaching for Chat Noir's. "So… I'm dating Chat Noir, then?"

With a small smile on his lips, Chat glanced up at Luka, at the soft expression on his face. "That's more realistic, I guess. I mean—" he squared his shoulders, "—in my opinion, Chat Noir is much cooler than Adrien, anyway. What's a boring model against a superhero?" He winked. "You'd be far better off that way. Me getting here would be easier, too. Nobody can tell me what to do, after all."

At that, he paused. That statement wasn't entirely true now, was it? It wasn't like Ladybug could order him around like she pleased, though, not like his father did. But she still mattered; her reasons for sticking to the rules mattered. Now even more than ever before.

He caught Luka's gaze as his gloved hand squeezed his. "You'd be in danger, though. If Hawk Moth ever finds out about us, he could use you to get to me."

"I'd like to see him try," Luka growled.

Despite the serious topic, that sound sent a pleasant shiver down Chat Noir's spine. He chased the sensation away, though. This was not the right time…

"And what if he goes for Juleka or your mother instead?"

Luka just pressed his lips into a thin line, his gaze drilling into the floor.

"That's what I thought…"

"So, what are you saying?" Luka eventually asked after a minute of tense silence, emotions swinging in every word. "That… that we can't be together, after all?"

The pain in his voice felt like a dagger in Chat's heart, and he acted without thinking. With his free hand cupping Luka's face, he made him turn toward him again and pressed his lips to his. The kiss was harder than he'd intended; he was not used to guarding his superstrength around normal people. But he couldn't let Luka drift down that road, either, not with how much he felt for him.

"No," he breathed against Luka's lips. "That's not what I'm saying. Whatever happens, I want this to work."

"Me too…" Beneath his hand, Luka trembled. "But… how?"

Chat let out a soft sigh. "We'll have to keep this a secret. I'll try to sneak in here whenever I can, but nobody must know. Should your family notice anything… make them swear not to tell anyone. Not even Rose. Definitely not Alya."

Luka huffed. He tensed, then—catching Chat Noir by surprise—all but tackled him down onto the mattress. His mouth pressed against Chat's even more forcefully than with the previous kiss, and Chat had barely any time to react, holding on to Luka as he blanketed him with his body.

They kissed for what felt like a small eternity, only taking minor breaks to breathe before their lips found each other again. Teeth nipped at lips, tongues swirling, the stream of low groans and growling between them the sweetest music. Chat used his strength to hold Luka close, his hands wandering up his back, around his shoulders, down to his waist again—he wanted to explore more of him, everything. Luka had his hands buried in Chat's hair, tugging and scraping, and sensations like lightning shot through his body, making him tremble and writhe. It felt amazing and he wanted it to never stop.

Later, they lay side by side, foreheads loosely resting against each other as they caught their breaths.

"I can see why it's necessary," Luka eventually murmured. His hand rested on Chat's waist, his thumb drawing lazy circles over the leather of his costume. "But I can't say I like the idea of keeping this—us—secret, of lying to our friends. This… our feelings are not something that needs to be hidden, not something wrong or forbidden." He swallowed, his eyes burning with emotions.

"Of course, they're not," Chat Noir said. "And I'm not ashamed of being with you, you know that, right? It's just safer that way, for you, for me, and even for them."

Luka sighed. "I know. And… it's okay. I'll be okay. I'll just need to get used to it." He let out a laugh, low but true. "I guess there will be more awkward afternoons like today in the near future."

"Yeah, probably." Chat Noir grimaced. "I'm sorry for being such a complicated mess. That's not really what you bargained for earlier in that locker, is it?"

Again, Luka laughed, though it was more heartfelt this time. "True. But…" He reached to caress along Chat's face, his touch light like a feather. "I don't mind, not really. Because this is worth it. You are worth it."

Chat's breath caught in his throat and warmth spread from his chest and through his entire body. For Luka to be this understanding, this accepting, this supportive… what had he done to deserve a boyfriend like that?

Again, merely thinking that word sent his mind spinning. Because it was true. Only this morning, Luka had been barely more than a secret crush to him. But by now, he'd got to know him so much better and… could it be?

Was it possible to fall in love with someone within less than a day?

. o O o .

Is this 100% self-indulgence? YES!
Do I regret anything? No!
I just want them to be happy. ^.^