Ladybug landed lightly on a building across from Agreste Manor. A quick glance around ensured that no one was watching her and Adrien's bedroom light was still on. Gathering her courage, she jumped off the roof and threw her yoyo to swing across to his roof before carefully lowering herself down the side to hang outside his window.
Adrien's back was to her as he stood near his bed. Ladybug hesitated, wondering if she should try another day (perhaps a little earlier in the evening?) when he suddenly jumped as though someone had poked him and spun around to stare at her with disbelieving eyes. Mentally bracing herself, she smiled brightly and waved before gesturing at the window in a silent request for entry.
Adrien blinked at her for a moment before walking quickly towards his table. Ladybug briefly thought he wasn't going to let her in, but then Adrien picked up a remote and pointed it towards her. With the push of a button, the window swung open. He immediately moved towards her, hand extended, to bring her into his room. Ladybug reached out to take it and he pulled gently to bring her across the threshold. Her heart rate spiked for a moment, but she did her best to stay calm and professional as she stepped down to his floor. A flick of the wrist and her yoyo detached itself from the roof and zipped back into her hand before she settled it onto her hip.
"Ladybug! To what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Adrien with a smile.
"I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier today. I didn't want to leave room for any misunderstandings." Well that sounds formal and awkward…
Adrien's brow was furrowed in confusion for a moment before his mouth dropped open slightly and a light blush spread across his cheeks. "Ah… you mean the uh… on my school's roof?"
Ladybug fought back her own blush and hoped it was hidden by her mask. "Yes. I – ahem – understand if you don't feel the same way, and I'm very sorry for having kissed you without your permission, but I was hoping that you would be willing to consider getting to know each other better. Maybe we could uh… date?"
"I uh–" Adrien cleared his throat, "Sorry. The kiss was great. I mean I'm fine! I'm fine with you kissing me."
She smiled, trying to act naturally. She was sure something was wrong. Adrien didn't seem to be able to hold her gaze for more than a second or two. "Oh good. I was worried you might be upset with me."
"Never!" Adrien paused, and one hand came up to rub the back of his neck, "I would love to date you, but–"
"Oh it's okay," Ladybug interrupted, slowing backing away toward the window, "I understand. You don't owe me any explanation if you don't want to. I'm glad that we cleared up the kiss." Her heart was throbbing painfully. Shut up and leave girl! "I'll be on my way then. Have a good ni–"
One hand was wrapped around the edge of the open window and her foot was halfway up to the ledge when Adrien's hand closed around her free wrist. She could feel his warmth through her suit. "Wait! It's not that at all! It's just that–" He glanced down to the floor again and Ladybug felt her heart clench. "I'm already dating someone." His eyes snapped back up to hers and she struggled to hide the hurt and jealousy raging inside her. "We already agreed we weren't going to be exclusive, so we're okay with dating other people, but I needed to be honest with you that I am seeing someone else."
A surge of jealousy left her feeling momentarily nauseated and she attempted to will it away. Chat is willing to share my heart with Adrien, and I have to ask Adrien to share me, so it's only fair that I allow him the same freedom. Despite the ache in her chest and the roiling in her stomach, she worked to keep her face in a light, friendly smile, "Well I wasn't asking you to be my boyfriend. I'm afraid you're not the only person I'm dating either. I can't expect you to be willing to share my heart if I'm not willing to share yours." She took a deep breath and braced herself, "Kagami is a very lucky girl."
Adrien blinked at her in confusion. "Kagami?"
"The girl you're dating? Isn't that her name?" Throb.
"Well no…" Adrien's brow was furrowed and he searched her eyes. "Kagami is very nice, and I did take her out on a date, but I felt that dating her would have been unfair while I was still interested in someone else." Adrien's hand slid down to intertwine their fingers and give her hand a light squeeze.
"You were interested in me?" Ladybug's eyes widened, "But– you said you were dating someone."
"Am." At her confused look, he elaborated, "I am interested in you." Adrien dropped his gaze and shifted slightly from foot to foot, but he kept his grip on her hand firm. "I also recently realized that I'm interested in someone else too and she agreed to date me." His head jerked up and his eyes widened in sudden panic, "Uh well, that is… sort of."
Ladybug arched an eyebrow in silent question, then realized he wouldn't be able to see it under her mask. "What do you mean 'sort of'?"
"Well– I want to date her and I'm hoping that she'll ask me out. I think she's going to. That is…" His hand went back to rubbing the back of his neck and his eyes dropped back to the floor, "She told a mutual friend that she was going to."
Non-plussed, Ladybug just stared at him for a few minutes. Finally, her need for order and action kicked in and she released the window, turned to face him squarely, and cocked her hip to the side with her free hand resting on it. "You think she's going to? If you like her then why don't you ask her out?" What are you doing? Are you trying to set him up with someone else? Idiot!
"I– I can't."
Ladybug waited, but Adrien remained silent. Exasperated, she narrowed her eyes slightly and was rewarded with a visible swallow from Adrien when he glanced up at her. "And why exactly can't you?"
Adrien sighed and his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "I can't because I make her nervous. She is constantly mixing up words and tripping over her own feet when she's around me, but I like her for her confidence and spunky attitude, but she almost never acts that way around me. I'm concerned that if I ask her out she'll never overcome her shyness and nerves and then I won't get to date her, just the giggly girl who can't even talk to me."
Ladybug froze for a moment in surprise. Could he mean m– no. Don't get your hopes up. Unless he knows Chat… Stop it! Deal with the now! She pulled her hand free and took a step in to wrap her arms around him. "You are the most incredible person I've ever met."
Adrien stiffened, but she kept her arms around him until he relaxed and hugged her back. "Not really. Don't you think it's selfish of me to try to force her to be someone she can't be around me? I mean, maybe if I asked her out then she'd be able to relax because then she would know that I like her."
Pulling back just enough to look up into his eyes, Ladybug gave him a soft smile. "No, I think you're right. It sounds like you are looking out for both of you. I mean, it would be pretty awkward to date someone who can't even talk to you." Am I just saying that because if he doesn't ask her out and she can't work up the courage to ask him out then I get him all to myself? Unless it is me… Focus!
His hands slid smoothly across the back of her suit to her elbows, then down her arms to catch her hands, which he squeezed gently before releasing one and turning towards his room. His free hand gestured towards the couch and a light blush crept onto his face. "We don't really get many opportunities to talk to each other, maybe we could get to know each other better. Do you have some time now? We could sit down and chat for a while…" He tugged ever so gently on her hand.
An uncontrollable smile spread across her face and Ladybug gladly walked past him so that she was now pulling Adrien towards his couch. "I think I can do that."
As they neared the couch, she hesitated, unsure again. Should I sit first? Do I pick a corner or the middle? What if he sits at the opposite end of the couch from me? What if he has a preferred spot to sit in and I take it? She glanced up at Adrien in question to see him smiling and gesturing for her to sit. Deciding to ignore her nerves and take charge, Ladybug settled into the middle of the couch, gently guiding Adrien by their clasped hands to sit beside her in order to keep him close. Once he was sitting, Adrien pulled his hand free just long enough to shift his hand so that he could gently rub his thumb across the back of hers. Ladybug suppressed a shiver.
"So we should probably stay away from any potential identity revealing information…" Adrien mused, his eyes on her hand. A few heartbeats of silence passed and Ladybug was starting to wonder if this may have been a terrible idea after all. What was safe to talk about? "How about this," he raised his head, "What's your favorite part of being Ladybug?"
Ladybug straightened and blinked a few times. "Well, I've never really thought about it…"
"No? But you have so much freedom as a superhero! Everyone admires you." Sincerity and awe rang in his voice and Ladybug felt herself blushing. The corner of his mouth twitched, "And you get to work with Chat Noir."
She laughed and relaxed again. "Truthfully?" Adrien nodded. "Well, I don't usually think about what I enjoy because it's such a big responsibility. I'm not Ladybug because I want the attention or because I'm anything special really. I was given a job to do and the tools to do it, so that's what I'm going to do."
Adrien tipped his head slightly to one side and his eyes were thoughtful, "I guess I can understand that. It's not the same type of responsibilities, but there are a lot of expectations that I have to meet, so sometimes it's easy to forget that what I'm doing can be fun too. Like fencing, or playing the piano." His thumb stilled and he squeezed her hand again, "So think about it now. What are the fun parts of being Ladybug?"
She laughed again lightly, "Okay. Fun parts. Let's see…" Ladybug reached up with her free hand to tap her lips and she couldn't help but notice that his eyes followed her finger. She smirked slightly, "Well it is fun when I get attention from the boy that I like." Adrien's face went bright red and she wanted to reach out to bop his nose like she did to Chat Noir, but she didn't think either of them were ready for that sort of casual touch just yet. He mumbled something she didn't catch and she ran her own thumb across his knuckles in reassurance. "I guess I like flying through the air with my yoyo. The moment after I release my yoyo and before I throw it to the next anchor – when I'm suspended, weightless, for just a moment – it's incredible. I don't know how to describe it. It's like…" she paused, searching for words, "For just a moment, I'm free from the restraints of the world. Free from gravity and expectations and responsibilities, just disconnected and unaffected by everything around me." She gazed past Adrien, not really seeing him or his room anymore. The silence stretched until the sound of a car horn through the still open window woke her from her reverie. "Sorry." She attempted to pull back slightly, but Adrien tightened his grip on her hand to keep her close.
"That sounds amazing." His voice was soft and reverent. "You always seem so focused and driven– it's nice to know that you get moments of freedom too."
She shrugged self-consciously, "They don't last long."
Adrien shook his head and shifted a little closer to her, "That doesn't matter." His eyes dropped to their joined hands again and she could see the sudden stiffness in his shoulders. "I– I don't get a lot of freedom. My friends say they understand, but they can't. Not really." He looked up to her, eyes wide and vulnerable and Ladybug felt her heart clench in sympathy. "I know it's not the same thing as being responsible for saving Paris on a daily basis, but I feel as though I'm always wearing the "Agreste" mask. Everything I do and say reflects on my father, and if I want to keep the privileges I've earned like going to school then I have to make sure that I'm always playing the part of the perfect son." He sighed.
Unwilling to deny him comfort, Ladybug scooted closer until she could wrap her right arm around his waist and lean her head against his. "I do understand. Being Ladybug is very similar. Everything I do is being judged. If I don't catch the akuma or do my job fast enough or well enough there are always people ready to criticize me. And then they seem to think that they have some kind of right to me as a person. They want to know who I am without the mask and what I do in my personal life." She felt her own blush heat her cheeks, "Or who I love." She cleared her throat and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, "I guess you can relate to that part too, being a model."
Adrien laughed softly, "All too well mila-" he interrupted himself with a forced cough. "Ladybug. Sorry, I know Chat calls you milady all the time, so I probably shouldn't."
"I don't mind, but Chat probably would." They sat in an awkward silence for a moment and Ladybug imagined Adrien calling her 'milady'. An uncomfortable feeling pricked up her spine and she gave herself a small shake. "On second thought, I don't think I would do well with that either. I'm sorry, it's just– it's Chat's name for me and having someone else call me that would just feel wrong. Besides," she slid her arm back from around his waist so she could rest her hand on his knee and give it a gentle squeeze, "I like Chat, but I don't want to be thinking about him when I'm with you."
Adrien pulled his head away from hers to lock eyes. His eyes flicked down to her lips and Ladybug felt her heart flutter. "May I?" He leaned in slightly in anticipation and she could only nod silently in agreement.
His lips were soft and gentle against hers. The kiss was short and sweet, yet somehow hinted at all the layers that made up the "mask" Adrien had to wear. She looked forward to peeling them back in order to really get to know the incredible boy in front of her.
With a small smile that she couldn't suppress, Ladybug settled back into the soft cushions of the couch, ready to talk and enjoy Adrien's company for as long as he'd let her stay. With any luck, she'd get to see under some of those layers too.