"Truth or dare?" Chat Noir asked one night, his eyes sparkling as bright as the stars above. Ladybug rolled her eyes with a smile, leaning back against the still-warm tiles. "I mean it, m'ladybug!" He insisted. His tail flicked. "I won't ask anything illegal, don't worry."

"Fine." Ladybug relented. Sometimes she wondered just how cat her Chat was– he could do some pretty good puppy eyes. "You go first."

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Chat Noir gave a pout, but acquiesced. Soon, his expression morphed into one that sent anticipation swirling in Ladybug's stomach. What did he have planned? He pointed to a mansion next door. "I dare you to stare in that window for a full minute."

"What?!" Ladybug laughed. "I'm a superhero, not a stalker!"

Weeellllll…

Nope. Stop thinking, brain.

"I am not doing that."

"Purrty please?"

"Did you just actually purr— Chat Noir, put your claws away." Ladybug laughed. "I'll do it."

"Really?!" The delight on his face was palpable as he pulled out his baton. "I'll set the timer!"

Ladybug scoffed, heading for the window. "This is really stupid," she called over her shoulder. "If I get arrested, I'm ratting you out."

"Someone needs to protect Paris, m'lady!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes and stuck her face up against the window. When the glare faded, she could actually see inside– it was a pretty nice house! Of course, we're on the rich side of the city. "Okay," she called, voice muffled and decidedly much quieter, so she didn't bring the family inside rushing over. "Start it."

A moment.

"Did you start it?"

"Huh– oh, yep!"

She pulled back a little, trying to catch a glimpse of Chat Noir's reflection in the window. "Are you recording?"

Chat Noir cackled, adjusting his baton. "If you get caught, I need to keep the look on your face for the Ladyblog."

"That's blackmail." There was a wry smile on Ladybug's face; still, she didn't move away.

"I know!"

Silence.

"You know," Ladybug said, squinting. "The stitching on that couch is hand-done. It's actually pretty nice. I've never tried to make a couch before. Do you think I could make a couch?"

"You're rambling, m'lady," the disembodied voice of her partner cooed. "Are you nervous?"

She wiped her palms on her thighs. Her back was starting to hurt from the angle she was forced to bend at. "Not at all!" She squeaked back. Was that something moving?

Oh, just a cat. Not her cat. The house cat that was currently eyeing her with a blaeful glare as she shifted, tempted to kneel.

Seconds passed. Not breaking eye contact with the cat, she called back, "How much more time do I have?"

"Thirty seconds!"

"You liar!" She half-whispered, half-shrieked. Her eyes darted from the hallway arch that faded into darkness to the door on the right. Every muscle in her body was poised to leap away. "It's been a minute, hasn't it?!"

Quiet, for a moment, and then he started snickering and she knew. She lunged at him, wrenching the baton from his hands and arranging it so she could see. Then she slapped his shoulder. "You!" She cried playfully, unable to be truly mad. "You set the timer for two minutes! You little–"

"It's still recording, my lady."

She mumbled something under her breath and turned the baton around to face him. "Okay then, it's my turn."

His grin stretched. "I'm all ears, bugaboo."

"Don't call me that." She twisted, aiming a finger and the baton at the distantly-glowing lights of the Gran Hotel Paris. "You see the hotel?"

"I have night vision, so–"

"Answer the question."

"-yes."

"I want you to swing in through the roof and land on the piano, do a flip onto the floor, and then play Fur Elise."

He blinked. "Was that… a pun?"

"Yes. Do you accept, monsieur chat?"

He shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "Sure, I'll do it. Only for the people."

"Showboat."

He vaulted away and she bit back a laugh, swinging after him. The footage from the next few minutes was trash, but then she landed on a nearby rooftop and he flashed her a grin before leaping down and–

He actually was going to do it. Oh, mon dieu.

He flipped off the piano, tail slicing through the air, and gave a flourishing bow as gasps rose around him. And then, he sat, tucking the seat in closer to the piano and arranging his hands on the keys.

A melody filled the air.

Five seconds later, one person cackled, whispering to their friend, and eventually the whole room was laughing at the wordplay. But then they quieted again, and Ladybug found herself actually enjoying the tune. He hadn't been kidding when he said he could play– his fingers danced along the keys, claw-tips shining in the moonlight. It was almost magical.

She swooped down next to him, sitting on the floor as gasps echoed again. Chat Noir didn't miss a beat. He merely gave her a grin, clearly enjoying all the attention. She trained the baton camera on him.

When the music stopped, racous applause filled the room. "Do you know how to play too, Ladybug?" Someone asked.

"Can we play a duet?"

"Sure!" Chat exploded, bouncing to one side of the bench.

"How long have you been playing?"

"Can we video?"

"Do you want some cake?"

"Why are you guys out here? Is there an akuma?" That one Ladybug could answer, and she did. The others crowded around her, many of them children, wanting to know if they could braid her hair or play with her yo-yo. They made a lot of new friends that night– and included them in their game of Truth or Dare!

(And the crowd didn't miss the soft looks Chat kept giving his partner. Neither did Ladybug.)

A/N: So. I'm a day late again. My bad. And I know this one is really short, so maybe I'll upload the next chapter later if I have time. I love the idea of little gremlin Ladybug and Chat Noir making friends and, like, running around photobombing people and being teenagers. It makes my ladynoir heart happy :)

Anyways, God Bless! -Grace