Chapter Seven

All day Marinette mulled over the advice Tikki had given her. Maybe she should have taken more time to think it over before organising another date with Adrien. But the opportunity had been right there and she'd thought acting out now was better than prolonging the inevitable. So why did she feel such a sense of dismay? She already knew the answer, because she hated the idea of pushing Adrien away.

Now as she stood as Ladybug, leaning on a brick chimney some distance away from the Agreste mansion, she hesitated in going any further. Maybe she could simply stand him up and take more time to think this over. Deep down she knew Tikki was right. It would be less complicated if she dated Adrien as Marinette, but the problem lay in the fact that Adrien had shown very little interest in her alter ego, at least when it came to romance.

To know that he was infatuated with Ladybug made her heart pound. At least there was one aspect of her he was attracted to. But would he be able to peel back the layer of her superhero persona and see the girl beneath? She was the same girl who sat behind him at school, who doted on him and often failed to complete whole sentences in his presence. Man, she needed to work on that. At least with the mask on she felt a boost of confidence that allowed her to communicate on a normal verbal scale.

Sighing deeply, she knew what she had to do. With a mental push she forced herself forward, ignoring the biting sting of the inevitable. Maybe she could give him a long kiss goodbye before she broke his heart. As she got closer she could hear the soft notes of the piano being played and as his window came into view she spied the boy making that sweet music.

If Adrien was aware of her presence he didn't react to it. Instead he continued to play, seemingly caught up in the melody of the piece he was playing. Ladybug dropped to a crouch to listen. Her eyes scanned the room in search of his piano teacher or any other visitors, but the boy was alone. He'd left his window open in invitation to her and a small smile crept on her face with that knowledge.

As Adrien wrapped up the final notes his head turned and their eyes met. Oh yes, he had sensed her and her pulse sped up at the thought. A broad smile broke out on his face and he crooked his finger at her then he began playing something else. Sucking in a deep breath to steady herself, Ladybug crossed the final space that separated them and landed on his window sill.

The music flawlessly continued and Ladybug was surprised to see that Adrien wasn't even looking at the sheet music, he was intently watching her. His green eyes roved over her and locked on her blue eyes as he continued to play. It was then that she realised he was showing off to her, as a playful smirk spread across his face.

Deciding to play up to his cheekiness, Ladybug sashayed over to the piano to stand directly opposite him. She rested her elbows on the ebony instrument and cradled her chin in her hands as she continued watching him. She noticed the way his chest heaved slightly as his breathing quickened at her nearness and there was a slight delay in his change of key.

As she studied him she lifted her pinkie finger to her lips and held the tip between her teeth. This time Adrien did hit a wrong note and she giggled. "Oops, did I break your concentration?"

The blonde stood from his piano stool, leaning across the keys to reduce the distance between them. "I think you know full well what you're doing."

She smiled at him with her pinkie finger still between her teeth and shrugged, "Maybe."

Adrien cradled his own chin in his hand as he leaned in. "There's no maybe about it, you're teasing me."

The smouldering look was back again, and he was so close that her eyes wandered to his lips of their own accord. Apparently that was all the encouragement Adrien needed, as he was suddenly in motion and his mouth crashed against hers.

Ladybug dropped her hands in stunned surprise. Her fingers curled around the piano top as Adrien almost pulled himself over the instrument to get to her. As his knee hit the keys she jumped back in fright. She immediately covered her mouth as a laugh escaped her at the startled look of disappointment on Adrien's face.

Only then did it dawn on Ladybug how much Adrien wanted her. She half expected him to climb the rest of the way over the piano and drop down in front of her. But he didn't, instead he dipped his head, drew a long calming breath and then dropped back down.

As he did so her eyes lowered to the floor and she held her hands together at her back. Ladybug was getting distracted from what she came to do. As she continued to study the floor a pair of orange shoes stepped into her field of vision. Then his index finger hooked under her chin, lifting her face to his. "Have you gone all shy on me?"

Here was the sweet side of Adrien that always made her flustered. His thumb gently stroked her jaw as he waited for her answer. That motion alone almost obliterated her thoughts. Somehow she managed to push out a sentence. "Adrien, I've been thinking about us."

"Us, I like the sound of that."

"That's just the thing. I don't think a relationship between us would work."

He swallowed but continued caressing her face. "Why do you think that?"

"It would be too complicated. It's already hard enough keeping my identity a secret when I'm not Ladybug. To have the added burden of hiding a relationship would only make things harder, especially when my friends start asking questions that are awkward to answer."

Adrien's thumb stilled on her jaw as he replied, "I understand what you're saying but I think we could work through this."

"You think you understand, but you don't really." She placed her gloved hand over his and gently removed it from her face. How much did she dare tell him?

"That's where you're wrong." His fingers turned in her hand, lacing through hers. "I fully comprehend what would be involved in concealing this kind of secret." Coarseness entered his voice as he added, "I have a fairly large secret of my own."

That got her attention. What kind of secret could Adrien be hiding? A lopsided smile tugged at his lips as he pushed a tendril of her hair behind her ear. At her silence he spoke again, "Don't you want to know what it is?"

"If I asked it wouldn't be a secret."

"I suppose not, but I'm trying to show you that I'm willing to share everything with you."

At that she felt her resolve starting to crumble. How could she push him away when he was so determined to make it work? She looked down at their joined hands, one gloved and one bare. Tikki was right. She shouldn't get involved with someone unless it was outside the suit. Chat Noir was the only exception to that rule and she had no intention of going there.

Still she couldn't resist trailing her fingers through his hair and down his cheek. "I'm really sorry Adrien, but I can't see you anymore."

Suddenly his hand was at her nape and he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. His mouth working furiously against hers in an attempt to change her mind, and she had to admit it just might work. Her hands came to rest on his chest, but she wasn't sure whether or not it was to push him away or to get closer. Adrien didn't slow down, one of his arms snaked around her waist pulling her close, while the other hand continued to rise from her nape and into her hair.

Ladybug's hands slid their way to his shoulders and draped around him as she kissed him back. This only incited him more, to the point he was backing her across the room with so much vigour that when her legs bumped against to the edge of his bed she fell backwards onto the mattress. Adrien followed her down, bracing his arms on either side of her as he attempted to continue. But the shock of lying beneath him so unexpectedly was the wake-up call Ladybug needed.

"Adrien stop."

Dazed green eyes cleared as he blinked at her, coming up from the lust induced fever that had taken him over. A heavy blush filled his cheeks. "Sorry, I got a little carried away."

"That's an understatement."

Somehow his blush managed to grow even darker. "What can I say? It's you."

Ladybug's heart was thumping so hard she felt like it would burst. Looking up at him she had to wonder why he couldn't feel this way about her outside the mask. What was it about Ladybug that had him so enthralled? What did she lack as Mariette? Why didn't he want the regular girl as fiercely? With that sobering thought she ducked under his arm and made her way to the window.

"Ladybug, wait!"

She paused to look over her shoulder. Adrien was hurrying after her. "I can understand your hesitation, but please don't end this before it's even started. I want to be with you so badly. Can you take some time to really consider things before you push me away?"

Ladybug turned back to the window. "As much as I'd like to be in a relationship with you too, I can't do it like this." She hopped up to the window sill and gazed down at him. "I'm not saying a relationship with you is out of the question, it's just that it would have to be with my alter ego."

Adrien's jaw dropped. "Does that mean you're going to tell me who you are?"

"No, but maybe you can figure it out on your own." With that she tossed her yoyo, glanced back at the stunned look on Adrien's face, and made her way home.


And Ladybug was supposed to be making things less complicated, oh well. On to the fun and games... see you next chapter! Thanks for reading.