Author's note: In this chapter, I officially broke 10k words. So this is easily the longest thing I've very written, ever, like in my whole life, if you can believe that. At some point I promise to go back (with the help of someone significantly more literate than I) and fix all of the typos that I missed, thank you for being patient with me.

Thank you everyone for you favorites, follows, and reviews! They all mean so much to me! And so, if you can stand more of this terrible fluff, the next chapter!

Chapter Six

Soft red light enveloped the town. The pain of Love Bug's burns faded and then disappeared. All affected victims' minds began to clear. All damage to property became a distant memory to some and a forgotten experience to others. Chat Noir blinked up at Ladybug. He was on the on the floor, she was kneeling beside him, but he couldn't recall why. The last thing he remembered was… "Did you get her?" He asked hastily, "Did we win?"

Ladybug looked relieved, and then began to chuckled. "Yeah Chaton, we did it."

Chat Noir sat up. "Pound it?" he asked.

"Pound it." She nodded. Their fists touched. And then both stood.

Chat mentally kicked himself for getting turned into a henchman yet again. Did Ladybug think him lesser for it? She must. What kind of super hero gets caught by the bad guys over and over again? Will I be any help if or when we face Hawk Moth? He could be feet away from me and I wouldn't even know… Chat sighed, trying to sooth himself. There was no point in getting worked up now. They'd won, hadn't they? "So, I'll go get that kid off the roof and I'll see you next time?" Chat asked.

"OH MY GOD ADRIEN IS STILL ON THE ROOF!" Ladybug made an unladylike expression of moral panic. "I HAVE TO GET HIM! OHMYGODWHATIFHEGETSSICK? WHAT IF HE FELL?"

Chat Noir felt heat rise in his face. Ladybug showed a lot of genuine concern for him. Adrien him. Arguably the real him. Maybe she won't turn him down if he asked her on a date out of costume. Excitement and panic coursed through him. "Um… Yeah on second thought, I gotta go. Guess you better get him instead! BYE!" he semi said semi yelled. He ran into the bathroom and climbed out of that window instead, out of the sight of Ladybug. Lucky for him, it took Ladybug a few more seconds to gather her thoughts, giving him enough time to get to the roof and de-transform before she arrived.

He pretended to look surprised when the scarlet hero landed a few feet away from him. "Ladybug!" Adrien called, "How did it go? Did you beat her? Is everything back to normal?" She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by his back tracking, "I mean of course it went great. Obviously everything is back to normal and you won. Duh, you're the Ladybug. You'd never lose! Haha…" Heat rose to his face; he wasn't feeling particularly suave in this moment.

Fortunately for him, the ever beautiful though oblivious Ladybug assumed the flush was from wind exposure. She put a hand on his bare shoulder. "Adrien," she said. Her expressive sapphire eyes batted at him with the deepest concern. "I'm so sorry that you had to stay up here for so long. Let's get you inside okay?"

Electricity seemed to flow from her hand and spark its way throughout his body. "I… Thank you." He said, "For saving me that is. Maybe we should continue this conversation inside." He smiled at her kindly.

Ladybug smiled. "May I?" She asked, holding out her arms.

"If you must." He teased, trying not to blush any harder. He laughed awkwardly and stepped into her embrace.

Ladybug struggled to maintain a controlled, helpful expression. Adrien Agreste is in my arms. She thought. Adrien Agreste isn't wearing a shirt and he's holding me. My hands are literally touching Adrien Agreste's bare body. Code red, he has a V line. Repeat, code red. This is not a drill. Her earrings beeped, bringing her focus back to reality. "H-hold on!" she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her neck dutifully, and the buried his face into her neck for good measure. She smelled so good, like fresh sheets and baked goods. She also smelled like something familiar that he couldn't quite place his finger on. Thrill shot though him once more as she used her free hand to yo-yo them into the air. They soared through the Parisian sky for a few exhilarating moments before landing softly into his bedroom floor, via the window. They both hesitated a moment before finally breaking apart. Ladybug's earrings chirped again. She smiled at him and then turned to leave.

"W-wait!" He said, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, "Before you go, there's something I have to ask you…"

Before she could answer, there was a curt knock on his door before Nathalie entered. "Mr. Agreste wished to speak to you." She said, making a bee line towards Ladybug. In her hands she held a tablet which broadcasted Gabriel Agreste's stern face.

"Ladybug." He said, by way of greeting, "Thank you for saving my son, yet again. I will see to it that he is not so careless, nor underdressed, in the future."

Adrien felt as though he would die from sheer embarrassment. A jolt of nerves sent his heart pounding. His father was displeased. Why do I mess everything up? He thought.

Ladybug blinked, surprised. "Oh no!" she said, "Not at all! I certainly don't mind, and even if I did, which I don't, it certainly wasn't his fault-"

"Nathalie, that will be all." He said, cutting of Ladybug's rambling. Nathalie looked at them with the briefest expression of apology and then made her leave.

As the door closed, Ladybug's earrings beeped for the third time. She only had two minutes left. Adrien had to make a move and quickly. He swallowed the embarrassment of his father's awkward interruption. "Ladybug," he said, sounding braver than he felt. "I know that you have to go, but I really need to talk to you, it's important! Who knows when I'll get another chance!" His jade eyes were unwavering and sincere. "I know it's asking for a lot, but please stay! You can drop your transformation in my bathroom, I promise I won't look! You can recharge in there and then we can talk when you're done."

Ladybug bit her lip regretfully. "Adrien, I can't! I…" Her earrings beeped again. One minute.

He grabbed her hands, "Please Ladybug!" he said with glittering, lucky green eyes, "I promise to keep your secret safe!"

And really, how could she say no?

Adrien could hear a conversation taking place in his bathroom. Knowing that Ladybug was likely talking to her Kwami, he did his best not to eaves drop. Instead, he focused on finding himself some clothes. He wanted to look nice, but not like he was trying too hard, but defiantly nicer than usual. He settled on a gray cable knit sweater and some dark jeans. With Ladybug in the bathroom, however, he could do little to fix his bead head. He needed a hat, but which one? A beanie would fit with the outfit, but it wasn't exactly nice. He had a derby hat, but it made him sneeze. A fedora...? No, he thought darkly, Adrien Agreste is not the type of guy to wear a fedora. He settled on the beanie. He sprayed a hint of cologne on his chest for good measure. "Okay," he sighed to himself, "I can do this. Chat Noir flirts with Ladybug every day. This will be a breeze." He almost believed it.

Marinette paced anxiously around in the large bathroom while Tikki ate her cookie. She was feeling very conflicted over this. Being Ladybug was a huge responsibility, and she felt like using it to talk to her crush was an abuse of power. But on the other hand, maybe what her had to say was totally related to Ladybug. Maybe he had important information about the akuma or the miraculous. He did have that book about them, after all. Somehow, Ladybug didn't think it was about that.

"Calm down, Marinette!" Tikki counseled. "Whatever he has to talk about, you should at least hear him out! What would Ayla say if she knew you turned down a private conversation with Adrien?"

"I know Tikki," Marinette exhaled, "But being Ladybug is a really big deal! I can't just use it for my own personal gain…"

"Of course not." Tikki agreed, "But Adrien seemed like he really needed to talk to you. It's not just about you, it about him too. You have a duty to help and protect the citizens of Paris. That doesn't stop just because you have a crush on one of them!"

"I suppose that's true…" Marinette agreed. "But what if-?"

"No more what ifs." Tikki said, "You'll only stress yourself out. Just talk to him! We can figure it out from there."

Marinette nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Tikki." She said. "Are you ready?" She asked, as Tikki finished eating.

"Are you?" Tikki teased with a giggle.

"As I'll ever be..." Marinette muttered. She took a deep breath. "Tikki, Spots on!" she called. The bathroom became awash with pink light.

Adrien's heart leapt in his chest as he saw a flash of pink from under the door. Should he stand to greet her? Should he sit? What do I do? His mind raced. As the bathroom door opened, Adrien made the split decision to sit on the couch. Ladybug stepped shyly into his bedroom. She bit her lip anxiously. Adrein's heart seemed to stop suddenly. She was so stunning. Could he really pull this off? "L-Ladybug..." He said. "Um... sit down? If you want to." She nodded and sat a few feet away from him on his couch.

"So… Adrien," She said, trying to maintain her trademark Ladybug confidence, "You said you had to talk to me about something?"

"Yes." He said, "So um... I was thinking... about you. About, well, us… that is…"

"Us?" She asked. Color crept into her cheeks. She wasn't expecting this. She knew that Adrien followed the Ladyblog, but she assumed it was to be a good friend to Alya. Could it be that he was actually an admirer of hers? She found it hard to believe. He spent so much time around beautiful models. Countless girls around town have celebrity crushes on him. Could her really like me?

"The thing is, Ladybug," He said, getting a grip, "I think that you're amazing. And I'd be honored if you'd- if you would like to, um, go on a date with me, sometime?"

Ladybug's mind went blank. Heat rose to her cheeks so fast that it surprised her. Unwillingly, a smile spread its way across her face. "You want to go on a date with me?" She asked, her voice sounding small and surprised in her ears.

"Yeah." He said sincerely, "I really do."

Ladybug was at a loss for words. She'd been waiting for this moment for so long, but she couldn't date someone as Ladybug. If just talking to her crush was irresponsible, then dating him was surely a gross misuse of power. "Adrien…" She hesitated, "I'm not sure what to say…"

Adrien felt his heart fall. "It's okay," He said, "I'd totally get it if you're not interested. I'm not going to blog about you 'friend-zoning' me or anything like that…"

"No! No!" she said quickly, "It's not that at all." Her face grew redder, despite its already deep shade of pink. "Adrien," She said, taking a deep breath. "I… I really like you, and I'd love to go on a date with you. But I can't"

"You like me?" He asked, surprised, apparently not hearing the last part. "Really? Me? Wow. I… This is the best day of my life!"

"Of course I like you." She said shyly. "Aside from being a gorgeous super model, you're always so kind and sincere. Your so trust worthy and just… I... you're one of the best people I know…" she said, surprising herself even.

"Do you know me? Outside of being Ladybug, that is." Adrien asked on baited breath.

"Well," covered Ladybug, "Let's just say that I have my sources." She winked at him playfully. Adrien was over the moon. But Ladybug knew that she had to pull him back down to earth. She sighed. She couldn't believe that she was about to turn Adrien Agreste, the love of her life and human cinnamon roll, down. "But that doesn't change the fact that I can't go on a date with you." She did her best to look stern. "my job is very dangerous, if people knew that we were dating then you'd be at a huge risk!"

"So we won't go public!" He said. "We can have dates in private! I don't care, so long as I get to see you! We could even date right here, in my room! I'll deck it out super fancy and romantic! I'll have our chief make food ahead of time! It won't be very formal," he admitted, "But it could still be super fun!"

"It sounds perfect." Ladybug confessed. "But these powers that I have, they are mean that I have a responsibility to the city of Paris. I can't just use them for my own personal gain."

"I don't see why you can't do both!" Adrien retorted. "Enjoying yourself a little bit won't prevent you from saving the day when you need to! Ladybug, I know you're a fantastic hero. You've saved this city and the people in it more times than I can count. Nothing can stop or change that. Don't you think that you deserve to have a little bit of fun, too?" She was silent for a little while, still battling herself over this. Adrien understood where she was coming from, but he also knew that he was right. Going out on a limb he said, "What would Chat Noir do?"

That snapped her out of it, "Chat Noir would already be kissing you by now." She chuckled ruefully.

How narcissistic of him. Adrien thought with a grin. "Well I'd understand if you wanted to save the kissing for a later time." He said, feeling bolder, "Maybe Friday night? Around 7?" He asked.

Ladybug sighed. Is this really happening? "It's a date." She said, grinning in spite of herself.