All things considered, Luna... actually had a good time. Chloé's presence, while initially unwanted, really wasn't as bad as it could have been. She was still a total bitch and definitely rubbed all three girls the wrong way. Yet, despite her off-putting attitude, she'd managed to make the actress laugh. Which would've been great if it wasn't at Adrien's expense.

The model sulked as Chloé told story after embarrassing story about their childhood. To make things worse, Alya had taken to egging Chloé on for more, the traitor. Even Marinette had begun chuckling a bit. Someone shoot him now!

"So, of course, Chairman Durand is like majorly PO'd at this point, and Adrikins still didn't get why. Meanwhile, his mom's busting a gut because who says that, right? Which, of course, made the old hag even more PO'd."

Adrien's cheeks lit up. "To be fair, I was five and never saw a wig before. How do you even remember that?"

"I remember everything about you, Adrikins."

"'Cause that's not creepy," Marinette said.

"Like you're one to talk!" Luna and Alya said in perfect unison.

Marinette lit up brighter than a Christmas tree. She quickly downed the rest of her hot chocolate as she tried to think of a way to change the subject before someone, namely Adrien, asked what they were talking about. The liquid warmed her up, giving her a bit of confidence. She could turn this around, still. Sure her friends were traitors, but it's not that bad, right? Just as long as he doesn't-

"Why is Marinette creepy?" Adrien asked with a frown.

"Oh, gee! Would you look at the time!" Marinette said as she shot out of her chair. "I have to bake my parents help! Help my bake parents! ...I have to go!"

Luna and Alya shared a chuckle before the actress got up as well. "I should get going, too. Collins is probably worrying like a hen, right now."

"Same here," Adrien said. He smiled at Alya. "Thanks for putting up with us."

"My pleasure," The blogger said. "You guys are welcome anytime. Well, most of you, anyway."

Chloé rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I don't plan on making this a thing. I have better things to do than hang out with you losers." She paused for a second. "But, for what it was, this was... nice..."

Luna quirked an eyebrow. "What's this? Chloé Bourgeois actually had something nice to say?"

"Don't get used to it," the blonde girl said with a glare.

Alya pulled Luna into a hug. "Hope you feel better, girl."

"I'm getting there. Thanks, Aly."

Marinette also gave her friends each a hug before her, Luna, Adrien, and Chloé left the apartment. Heading out into the street, the four said their goodbyes. Marinette offered a polite wave to Adrien, while Chloé blew the boy a kiss. Both headed off in different directions, leaving Luna and Adrien alone.

"Why don't I walk you home?" the model said once both girls were out of earshot.

Luna raised a brow. "I think I can handle walking home alone, pretty boy."

"That may be true, but we need to talk, mademoiselle."

"Oh?" she asked as she folded her arms. "And what about?"

"A little birdie told me I should rethink our bet, seeing as a certain girl in pigtails might have a crush on me."

The thief licked her lips. "Y'know, it's sad to think you know so little about girls that you needed to be told when someone has a crush on you."

Adrien sighed. "So you did know."

"Come on, Agreste. Anyone with eyes would know! The girl did a terrible job of hiding it." Luna started walking, prompting the model to follow. He tucked his hands in his pockets with a frown.

"So, what exactly was your master plan here? Make me kiss a girl I have no romantic feelings for then break her heart?"

Luna laughed. "If I told you, that would ruin the fun."

"Luna, come on. You know I can't go through with this."

"Hey, I gave you a chance to back out, already. If you want out, now, you'll have to forfeit."

"You really want me to toy with Marinette's emotions. Someone who happens to be one of your best friends, mind you."

"Well, that's entirely up to you, kitten. And who knows? You might find out you actually like kissing her."

"But, I... I like someone else..."

Luna looked at him with a tsk. "Yeah, a girl you know nothing about."

"That's not..." He paused, pouting in defiance. "I know enough."

"Kitten, you know more about a thief than you do your own partner. And we practically just met. How long have you two been doing this?"

The boy slumped his shoulders. "A little over a year..." As much as he hated to admit it, Luna was right. He and Ladybug hadn't really gotten any closer since they'd met. Sure, they trusted one another with their lives. Hell, Chat would gladly lay his life down for the bug. But, she still kept him at arm's length. 'For the good of Paris,' she'd say. And he got that! He really did! It didn't make him long for more any less, though.

"And, there's my point." Luna stopped walking to face him. "Look, I'm not saying what you feel for Ladybug isn't real. And, it's cool if you don't like Marinette like that. But, you shouldn't ignore a girl that's right in front of you just to chase a fantasy."

Adrien's mouth quirked upward. "A girl right in front of me, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over yourself, pretty boy. I am so not interested."

"I don't know. I mean, I do recall a certain thief stealing a kiss from me not too long ago."

Luna gazed up at him, welcoming the challenge. "Do you, now?"

"Mhmm." His grin widened as he leaned in closer. "Just admit that you're into me."

Luna studied him for a moment, eyes locked in his. Her tongue darted across her lips. She leaned towards him ever so slightly, keeping their lips just a breath apart.

"Tell me, kitten," she purred. Her fingers came up to trace the collar of his shirt, just barely grazing skin. "What would you do if I said I was?"

And just like that, Adrien became way too self-conscious. Her touch was like fire against his neck. His eyes flicked down to her lips, making him swallow. They were painted violet today, though he caught the faintest scent of vanilla. He was willing to bet they probably tasted the same and what the hell was he doing? Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!

The model pulled away so fast, Luna swore she heard his spine snap into place. She laughed out loud as he turned redder than a beet. His green eyes leveled a glare at her.

"Go ahead. Laugh it up," he said in a huff.

"Oh, like you have any right to be mad," Luna said between giggles. "You totally started it."

"Yeah, well... you didn't have to make it weird!"

"And, how exactly did I make it weird?"

"You just did, okay?"

"Wow, kid. Great comeback."

Adrien opened his overshirt to glare at the kwami hiding in his pocket. "Shut up, Plagg."

Luna giggled again as Plagg came out to float between them. The little feline creature folded his arms with a bland look. "No, I will not! Do you know how long it's been since I ate? Hours! I'm wasting away, here!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

As he began to rummage through his bag, Luna scooped up the kwami and started to scratch his ears. Plagg sighed happily. Cheese finally in hand, Adrien turned back to them. He raised a brow at the complacent kwami.

"You really shouldn't spoil him," he told Luna.

Luna rubbed at Plagg's head. "Well, someone has to. Besides, I kinda owe you both."

"Hey, it's what we do. And you really should be thanking Ladybug. Without her, we couldn't purify the akuma in the first place." Adrien waved the cheese in front of Plagg's nose, making the kwami bolt out of Luna's grasp to snatch it. Both teens chuckled.

"Well, as great as Spots is, she wasn't the one who helped me calm down from a panic attack."

Adrien blinked. "Well, uh... Yeah. All in a day's work, I guess." Luna hummed, and Adrien studied her. Her gaze seemed distant. Unfocused. The boy frowned. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Hmm?"

"I know I'm not all that socially inept. I haven't had so many friends before, so I don't really know how to talk about some things. But, I can listen... if you need me to..."

Luna was quiet for a long while. Finally, she took a deep breath and sighed.

"Have you ever felt trapped in your own skin, kitten?"

He was a little taken aback by the question. "I... I think so. I never really felt comfortable being Adrien Agreste. So much is expected of me that I don't ever get to be my own person."

"That's not really what I meant." She began scratching at her arm. "Well, maybe part of it is... but I mean literally trapped. Like you want to escape but you can't. You're screaming in your head but can't make a sound, and no matter how hard you fight, you can't move. The worst part is that you can't tell if it's a dream or not. It's all fuzzy, and you can't really make sense of things. But it feels real, and you're praying like hell it's just a really bad nightmare."

As she spoke, Adrien grew more and more uncomfortable. Her hushed monotone was starting to make his skin crawl. "I... Jesus Christ, that's creepy."

Luna snorted. "Yeah, no kidding."

Adrien licked his lips. "Have you ever felt like that?"

"Sometimes," the girl said, hugging herself. "It's part of the reason I get panic attacks. They got so bad that I had to take a break from acting."

"Did you always have them?"

She shook her head. "My therapist says they're caused by my PTSD. She also suggested that I move to a less stressful setting."

"So you picked Paris, home of the weekly akuma attack."

Luna chuckled. "Paris was actually my dad's choice. I was hoping to hole up in our vacation home in Maine and get snowed in for the winter. Almost won that argument, too."

"Why didn't you?"

"He bribed me. Paris wasn't supposed to see her latest thief until she turned eighteen."

Adrien frowned. "Wait..."

"It was a total dick move, too. He knew I'd jump at the chance to go active."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Are you saying that the heist last week-"

"-Was my first official heist. Not the first one I've been on, just the first one I spearheaded. I honestly wasn't expecting to pull it off, either."

Adrien's frown deepened. "So it wasn't Spades who needed to lay low."

The actress suddenly went stonefaced. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear with a sigh. "No, it wasn't."

"Luna, what-"

"Please don't ask me, Adrien."

Any words he had quickly died in his throat. Luna kept her eyes trained at their feet. Her knuckles turned white from the grip she had on her forearm. Everything about her seemed so much smaller than it should've been. Adrien thinned his lips into a hard line. As close as they'd gotten in the past week, he still knew very little about the thief; that much was becoming painfully clear.

He hated it. But he didn't know how to change it.

Silence dragged on between them, making Luna all the more antsy. She rocked back and forth on her feet. He wasn't going to let it go, she knew. She said too much, and now he was curious. He may not try to pry it out of her, but he would dig. He'd dig until he found out everything. And then things would change. He wouldn't be able to look at her the same, and she wouldn't be able to pretend with him, anymore. She couldn't act like everything was okay and-

Adrien flicked her forehead with a sound thwack. Luna let out a squeak.

"The hell was that for?" she asked with a glare.

The model shrugged. "Seemed like you needed it. Oh, and I forfeit the bet."

"Seriously? You're not even gonna try? How lame."

"Like you were trying all that hard, yourself."

"Hey, you knew from the get go that there was no way I was getting that kiss. And I could care less about the painting."

"Yeah well, my pride isn't worth losing a friend, so... what, I guess we both take a forfeit?"

"Guess so." Luna folded her arms with a pout. "God, that's boring."

"Then steal something else."

Both teens looked at the tiny cat licking his paws clean. They then shared a glance before Adrien spoke. "Come again?"

"If it's boring, then change the rules," Plagg said. "Make it something you'd actually go for, like Munster or Gouda!"

"Plagg, we are not stealing cheese for you," Adrien said. The kwami huffed at him.

"Now hold up, kitten. He might be on to something." Luna's eyes lit up as she stared at a nearby wall. Mischief colored her features, pulling her lips into a cheshire grin. Adrien raised a brow at her.

"You want to steal cheese?"

"What? No! I mean, why don't we up the ante? Change the rules!"

Adrien folded his arms. "I'm listening."

"We'll do double or nothing. Not only will the loser pay the forfeit, but they also have to do whatever the winner wants for a whole week. And we'll make it one target this time."

"Which is?"

"That." Luna pointed just over Adrien's shoulder, making the boy glance behind him. When he did, his frown deepened.

"You want to steal a poster."

Luna deadpanned at him. "I will seriously hit you. I meant what's on the poster, smartass."

Adrien went over to the poster to study it further. It wasn't anything special, just a simple black poster depicting a snow white mask. Fancy lettering adorned the top of it, as well.

"'The Phantom of the Opera'?" Adrien read aloud.

Luna's grin widened. "I bet you a certain thief can steal the Phantom's mask before the curtain closes."

The boy raised a brow. "While he's on stage?"

"Absolutely. I'll even make it an official heist."

"So, it's a challenge for Chat and Ladybug." It was his turn to smile. "That does sound more fun."

Luna offered him her hand. "So we have a deal?"

Sparks lit up in both of their eyes. Adrien took her hand and shook it.

"It is so on."

And there you have it, guys! Another chapter done, and a new heist on the way! Hope you guys are ready! As said last chapter, this story is now rated M. I'm still gonna keep it as tame as possible, so don't expect too much out of the rating. That being said, I have a task for you all. As there is a new heist coming up, I'm giving you guys the chance to choose the outcome. Either in messages or in comments, I want you guys to vote on who should win: Ladybug and Chat or Spades! Votes will stay open till Christmas and I'll be posting chapters in between. Whoever gets the most votes will win in story! Now, onto reviews!

Alex: Your sisters sound like my sister's.

Typicalbooklover: Still not sure how I want to play that scene out. As to why she steals, I actually already answered that. Bonus points to anyone who can name which two chapters say it.

Davey: Sorry if things are bogging down. I'll work on putting a few more peaks amidst the valleys.

Junior VB: No they don't.

As always, guys, thanks for reading and for your continued support. See you soon!