a/n: sorry i'm late to the party cos it's like day 6 or whatever but this got wayyyy longer than i expected so, maybe that makes up for it? tysm for reading. đź’– this is also unedited, and i don't know much about concerts, but this is ffn, so we'll just ignore the details. ;)

lovesquarefluffweek2020 Day 1: Concert / Ladrien

"—you're sure you can't come?"

"I wish I could, Nino. But my father... he'd be upset if I asked again. He made himself clear the first time."

Marinette tried desperately to ignore the aching disappointment that splintered through her body when she caught the tail end of Nino and Adrien's conversation as they entered Ms Bustier's classroom. It wasn't Adrien's fault that his father was so overprotective. And the last thing she wanted was to get Adrien in trouble because they begged him to ask another time. She didn't want to step on his father's toes.

She made the mistake of looking up as Nino and Adrien made their way into their seats. Adrien looked miserable—like it absolutely crushed him that he couldn't go to Jagged Stone's concert. And she didn't blame him. They'd all gotten tickets, so it wasn't like he couldn't go because he didn't get the chance to purchase his way in.

(Maybe it wasn't her place, but part of her felt offended that his father had stripped this opportunity for a fun night from him. He already had the tickets. Sure, she knew that Adrien came from a wealthy family, but what was the point of letting him buy the tickets if he was going to decide, in the end, that Adrien couldn't go? That was cruel.)

"That's not fair, bro," Nino went on, resting a hand on his shoulder. "And after he already told you last week that you could go... man. I'm sorry."

Adrien slumped in his seat, looking like a beaten kitten. He looked strikingly like Chat Noir at that moment—lips pulled into a sorrowful frown, eyes downcast. She hated seeing Chat upset, and she hated seeing Adrien upset. It was unfair for her to feel hurt by Adrien's absence when she knew he was hurting even more.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," she murmured before she could stop herself.

"No, it's not your fault, Marinette." He looked turned to look at her, giving her a reassuring smile. But it wasn't a real smile—she knew from experience how hard it was to smile when you were screaming in on the inside. "I should have expected this. It was stupid for me to get my hopes up."

That stung.

"It's not stupid," she argued firmly. "You're allowed to be upset! Nino's right. It's not fair that he changed his mind. I just wish..." Marinette trailed off, feeling heat pool in her cheeks as Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly every coherent word left her brain, and she struggled to remember how to form proper sentences now that she realized she had his full attention. "I—I... I wish I c-could help more... that's all."

Adrien blinked. And blinked again. Marinette's cheeks felt even hotter, especially when she heard him laugh softly.

Her brow shot up. "...what?"

"Nothing, it's just..." He smiled again—a more genuine one, this time—sweeping his gaze over her and Nino. "It's nice of you guys to get angry for me. Maybe that sounds weird... I just appreciate it. Thank you. It means a lot to know that you'd help if you could."

Nino reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "You know we want you there, my dude."

It was a few seconds later that Alya returned from her bathroom break, blinking as she noticed the two boys who had just arrived. "Oh. What'd I miss? Why do you guys look upset?"

"Adrien's dad won't let him go to the concert this weekend," Nino answered.

"What?" Even Alya looked upset. "But we've already got the—"

"I know," Adrien said, shoulders slumping again. "It doesn't matter. Maybe I'll give my ticket to someone who didn't get the chance to go."

Marinette's expression softened as she stared at him, wishing she knew what to say to comfort him. They'd all been looking forward to this concert for months. As someone who knew Jagged Stone personally, she'd practically gotten a backstage pass, and discounted tickets.

Alya made a sympathetic noise. "Sorry, Adrien. That sucks." And then: "If... if it makes you feel better, Ladybug and Chat Noir were invited, too, but both of them admitted to not being able to come."

She sounded incredibly disappointed as she spoke, which made Marinette wince. The only reason she'd declined Jagged Stone's offer to come as Ladybug was that she was going as Marinette, and she had no idea how she'd be able to handle being in two places at once. It was a disaster to even—

Wait a minute.

Marinette's eyes popped as an idea struck her. She stood without hesitation, quick and sudden enough to cause her friends to look at her in confusion, and stammered as an explanation, "Uh! Bathroom! Be back!"

She dashed off without waiting for a reply, mind already whirling, working through the beginnings of a plan.

True to her word, Marinette had gone to the bathroom, and after making sure she was alone, she locked herself in one of the stalls and opened her purse to let her kwami out.

"Tikki—"

"No."

Marinette frowned. "I didn't even explain yet!"

"I know, but I heard the conversation you were having with your friends, and I know what you're thinking," she replied, floating upward so she was eye-level with Marinette. "You know you aren't supposed to use your superpowers for selfish gain, Marinette."

"It's not for me," she defended with a hint of desperation in her voice. Didn't Tikki understand? "It's... you heard how upset Adrien was! He wants to go!"

The disapproval in Tikki's gaze softened a little. "But you're going as Marinette."

"Yeah, I am." She nodded. "But maybe I could... sneak away? Maybe for a little bit? It doesn't have to be for long, I just hate to see him look so sad... seeing a little bit of the concert is better than not going at all."

Tikki paused contemplatively. "But it would go against his father's wishes."

"Well..."

Marinette trailed off. That was also true. She didn't want to get him in trouble. But...

"Maybe I'll stop by, and see if he'd like to join me for maybe a half-hour? If not, I'll just go back to the concert as Marinette and everything will be fine."

There was another pause, and Marinette held her breath. While Tikki couldn't exactly stop her from calling on her transformation when she wanted to, she didn't want to go against her kwami's words. It was a mutual decision.

"Ok," Tikki decided finally. "But what if someone sees you with Adrien? What if it gets back to his father and he gets in trouble?"

Marinette grinned. "I have an idea."

Marinette spent the next few days planning. While she'd grown accustomed to coming up with plans on the spot due to all the akumas she'd faced, she wanted this one to be perfect. If she messed up, her secret identity and her relationship with Adrien was at stake. After all, if Adrien were to get in trouble, what would his father do? Take him out of school? Forbid him from ever seeing them again? The thought made her feel ill.

Thus, everything needed to be in order and go exactly the way she needed them to.

Which meant no akumas. She hoped, hoped, hoped there wouldn't be an akuma the night of the concert. Not until after she dropped Adrien back off at home. She was Ladybug. Ladybugs were lucky. She just needed to squeeze out a little bit of that luck for Marinette, too.

So, until Saturday night, Marinette stayed on her toes. Kept her eye out for purple butterflies. It seemed her luck was paying off, too, because the days passed with ease. She stayed up late Friday night doing her homework so the next day would be completely open.

"Ready?" Tikki asked quietly Marinette looked in the mirror one last time.

"Marinette! Alya's here," her mama called up to her through her trap door.

"Well, if I wasn't, I think I'd be in trouble," she said with a giggle. "Since Alya's here already."

Tikki smiled at her before she dove into her purse, and not a moment sooner, she heard wood creaking. Someone was moving up the ladder. Seconds later, Alya popped her head in with an eager grin. Echoed, "Ready?"

There was a twinkle in her eye that Alya would probably never understand as she nodded. But as Marinette turned to grab one last thing, she heard Alya ask, "Hey, are you bringing your schoolwork with you or something?"

She winced. Of course taking her backpack would draw a little bit of attention. She hadn't really thought that part through. But she was Ladybug—and Ladybug was always thinking on her feet.

"It's just a bunch of just-in-case stuff," she replied airily, before sliding her arms through the straps. "You know. Water, a change of clothes... I'm clumsy, remember? Figured I can't be too careful."

It was a jab at her own pride, but since Alya was quick to laugh it off, Marinette decided it was worth it.

Thirty minutes later had her rushing through a giant crowd of people. It was an outdoor concert, so she thought it'd be a little less cramped—especially since they'd arrived a little early—but she was wrong. People were everywhere, spawning from every corner she could see. From every block. This shouldn't have been a surprise. People loved Jagged Stone.

"Nino's supposed to be here soon," Alya pretty much shouted into her ear so she could be heard over the crowd.

"Where will he be?" Marinette replied loudly. "Can you call him? How are we supposed to find him?"

Alya said something else, but it was lost over the noise of all these people. She strained her ears, asking her to repeat it, but it seemed Alya couldn't hear her, either. The only thing keeping them together was Alya's strong grip on Marinette's wrist.

Except... wait. Maybe this was her chance? She'd like to have stayed a little into the concert before she left to see Adrien because they literally just arrived, and there was still a little bit to go before the concert started, but... but maybe she wouldn't get another opportunity to leave?

Now or never, I guess.

Adrien... I hope you have a good time.

With her mind made up, Marinette slowed to a halt and tugged hard on Alya's wrist. This had the desired effect—Alya turned to face her, confusion evident in her expression. She called, "What is it?"

"I think I left... my phone at home," she said, even though her phone was in her backpack. She hated lying, but this was for Adrien! "You go find Nino, and I'll meet you at, um..." She looked around, but it was hard for her to see over people's heads. "...the front of the Eiffel Tower?"

Alya laughed. "All that stuff your bag, and you forgot your phone? Marinette, Marinette, Marinette..."

Heat crawled into her cheeks, but she forced out a giggle. "Um! Yeah! Silly me, right?"

"Well... we can text your parents and tell them that if you need to get ahold of them, they can contact me?" Alya suggested. "That way you don't have to backtrack. We made it all the way here, and it took us a while."

That was such a sweet gesture, but... "What if I get separated from you? Then I'd have no way to call!"

"True," Alya said. "Alright, girl. I'll call text Nino and see where he is and where to meet up. Text me when you're back on your way!"

Alya released her, and Marinette apologized mentally to her best friend as she watched her run off into the crowd and didn't decide to move until she couldn't see her anymore.

Alright. Step one: Find a safe place to transform.

It took a while to find a way out of the sea of people, but eventually, she made it. Ducked behind a building, triple-checking to make sure she hadn't been followed or watched, before setting her backpack down and calling on her transformation very quietly. The warm rush of magic was welcomed.

"Step two: a disguise," she murmured, unzipping her bag to reveal a black t-shirt and loose black pants. Not ideal for spending time with Adrien Agreste, nor was it the best idea that she could come up with, but it worked. She just didn't want to draw attention to herself—especially when Adrien wasn't supposed to be going out at all. It was rapidly getting dark, so she could use that to her advantage, but Ladybug's suit was still bright red. She didn't blend in with the night sky the way Chat Noir did. So she'd have to improvise.

Pulling on clothes over her suit wasn't really a problem, but now it was time for the third step in her plan: stow away the backpack, at least for now, because the last thing she wanted was for Adrien to find out her identity over something so insignificant.

That, and what if she ran into Alya, who'd seen her with the bag, and connected the dots? She'd already had to be cautious with what clothes she picked out, but then, if Adrien said something, she could always say that "Marinette" had given it to her. Tikki's magic would protect her from a lot, but she wasn't taking any more risks than she had to. Not tonight.

"Careful," she whispered to herself, clutching the backpack tightly. It felt like Tikki was sitting on her shoulder, watching her every move. "Don't get caught."

Getting to her balcony to drop off her bag and then to Adrien's was like fighting an akuma. She'd had to move very slowly at times, and then she'd had to move swiftly, every step calculated. Every breath was measured. The only difference between now and akuma attacks was that Chat Noir was not by her side.

Her heart was pounding by the time she reached the Agreste mansion, but not out of exertion. Suddenly she felt incredibly nervous—what if Adrien didn't want to go against his father's wishes? What if he said no? All that meant was that Ladybug would make her way back to her meeting place with Alya as Marinette, but it also felt like rejection.

Or maybe it was wrong of her to think that. Adrien's father was the strictest man she'd ever met. Of course Adrien wouldn't want to disobey him.

Well... there's only one way to find out.

Ladybug threw out her yo-yo so he could reach Adrien's bedroom window with ease, having done it so many times in the past, and was surprised to find it was open. She was even more surprised to find Adrien staring off longingly in the distance through said window.

"Wha—Ladybug?"

"Hi," she said shyly, trying to ignore the way her cheeks felt hot. She could talk to him normally. She could. Yeah.

"Hi," he echoed, seeming just as timid, and then asked, "What're you doing here?" Quickly added, "I mean, not that it's a problem! I'm just curious, that's all!"

His cheeks were tinged pink as he spoke, and for a few long moments, it was the only thing Ladybug could focus on. Then she realized that he'd asked her a question and was patiently awaiting a response.

"Oh! Right. Um, you see... I heard from Marinette Dupain-Cheng that your... was it your father? Who wouldn't let you go to the concert?" she asked, just to be safe. Dazedly, Adrien nodded, and she continued, "Well... I thought, maybe I'd stop by to check on you. Not to be weird or anything! I just..."

Darn it, she was screwing this up. She was Ladybug! She was confident!

"Marinette said you seemed really upset," she tried again. "She said you already had tickets? And I was invited to the concert, too, you know. So I thought... maybe, if you want, you could join me for a little bit? I can't stay for the whole thing, of course..."

Then again, she was going to be sneaking around anyway, so it wasn't like Adrien needed to provide his ticket, if she was careful. That felt deceitful—especially because it was an outdoor concert and they'd just be listening from a distance—but she pushed down the guilt that accompanied that thought, internally shaking her head. This was for Adrien.

Adrien, who, for some reason, was gaping at her in awe, not breathing a word. Instantly, Ladybug felt self-conscious. Was she wrong to come here? Was she overstepping her boundaries? Even if she only went with Adrien for half an hour, was that still too risky?

Ladybug winced. Maybe the whole plan was a bad idea. "Actually, you know what? This... this was stupid. I'll—"

"Wait," Adrien said, seemingly finally finding his voice. "I want to go! I'll go!"

She froze, eyes widening, breath leaving her all in one go. "Really? You want to?"

"Of course I do," he said, beaming like a ray of sunshine. "It's ok if you can't stay for the whole thing! Did... did Marinette really tell you all that? Did she set this up?"

Her expression softened, cheeks still feeling warm, and she nodded. "She did, yeah. She was worried about you."

A strange look crossed Adrien's face. It was a mix of adoration, awe, and glee. "How... amazing..."

Don't make it weird. Don't make it weird, she repeated to herself, over and over, fighting back the urge to babble and stutter like an idiot. But wow, did he just call her amazing? Did he mean it? Adrien Agreste thought she was amazing!

"Y-yeah," she murmured, hoping he couldn't tell how hard she was blushing. "So, um, how long do you think you can be out before your father notices?"

"I doubt he'll come up and check on me since I've already eaten supper. He usually doesn't," Adrien said, and there was an undertone she couldn't quite place. Something that felt sad, yet strangely bitter. Before she could ponder too deeply on it, however, Adrien was smiling again. "Are you sure that you can go, though? I heard... I heard that you declined your invitation."

"I did. I had something going on in my civilian life. But... I thought I could spare a little bit of time. You deserve a little bit of freedom, Adrien."

There it was again. That expression that admiration and pure joy, eyes alight. "I can't believe you're doing this for me."

She extended her hand for him to take and giggled. "Well, I'm here, so... are you ready?"

He nodded, taking her hand, and only then did he notice her attire because he asked, "What are you wearing?"

"Oh! Um... see, I figured that if people saw us together, word would get back to your father. And I'm kind of noticeable in red, you know? So I put on... a disguise, you could say."

"A Chat Noir t-shirt?" he whispered, eyes straying to the green little paw on Ladybug's shoulder.

Feel brave, she winked. "What can I say? I'm a fan of my kitty."

Adrien went so red all of a sudden, and she couldn't figure out why. But that didn't matter because she was pulling him flush against her side, where he seemed to fit so perfectly, and then they were vigilantly making their way through the back streets of Paris. The moon was out now, surrounded by bright, beautiful stars, and she did her best to blend in with the night, wondering how Chat Noir did it.

"Here," she breathed, feet dusting against a rooftop. She loosened her grip on Adrien but didn't let go. "I know we can't get too close, but it'll be loud enough to hear from here, don't you think?"

"This is—no, this is totally fine," Adrien stammered, but he was smiling. "I... I really appreciate this. I'm glad I could listen at all, even if it's not the whole thing. Will you tell Marinette I said thank you if you see her?"

Ladybug took in his cheeky, yet somehow earnest (and strangely familiar) grin. Their eyes locked, and she was trapped in a sea of green, not-quite drowning but wondering if she could remember how to swim. He looked so handsome underneath the moonlit sky, blond hair shining, face flushed but absolutely adorable.

Pull yourself together.

"You're... you're welcome Adrien," she answered finally, breathlessly. "It was my pleasure. And... yes, I'll tell her. But let's keep this a secret, ok? I don't want you to get in trouble."

He nodded. "Right! Of course!"

She could hear Jagged speaking then. Could hear him strum his guitar. It wasn't as clear as it would have been with her seat with Alya, but as she sat down next to Adrien on the rooftop, as she took in how excited he looked, she found she didn't mind.

Their hands ghosted together as Adrien leaned back a little. Ladybug didn't want to pull away, allowing her fingers to rest atop his, because this moment was blissful and beautiful, and she didn't want it to end.

She didn't mind at all.