#yes i know his hair is white but that's like super chad blonde shut up

[carmillas-vampiric-rage]

me at this bitch

[frostedpuffs]

A Simple Suggestion - Ch.3

A Simple Suggestion Summary: Breaks from patrol often allow time for Ladybug and Chat Noir to talk and be themselves. But when a silly joke starts to seem all that…well, not silly, the two find themselves considering something neither of them had ever before: moving in together. The tricky part is still keeping their identities a secret. Rated: T+ Pairing(s): Ladybug/Chat Noir

Chapter 3 - A Bad Idea Word count: 5,849 Also read on: ao3

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"You're what!?"

Marinette winced at the loud tone of her best friend's voice. Smiling meekly at Alya's face on the screen of her laptop, she nodded. "Yep. I'm...I'm moving out. Soon, actually."

"How soon?" Alya asked. She sat in her and Nino's little bedroom in the apartment they rented in southern California clad in orange fox pajamas, stuffing a bite of her breakfast into her mouth. Marinette chuckled at the sight of her best friend with her curly hair up in a bun and a half-eaten omelet sitting on the desk in front of her. While it was only eight A.M. in California, it was already dinner time in Paris.

"Probably in less than a month," Marinette replied. Pausing to add lace to a design she was sketching, she smiled, listening to Alya congratulate her from miles and miles away. "I think I've decided on the place, too. It's a little away from central Paris but it's roomy and-"

Alya grinned through a mouthful of food. "Do you have any pictures?"

Marinette nodded and opened up her web browser. "Yeah, I've got the website right here. Want me to send it?"

"Duh."

Sending the link over Skype, Marinette blew her bangs out of her face and leaned back in her chair, lifting her sketchbook up to look over the design. It was supposed to be a ladybug-patterned sundress she would wear around the house, but something was off... "Let me know what you think."

Alya went quiet for a moment. Marinette could see on her screen that her friend was looking at something on her own computer, and after about a minute of scrutinizing, Alya's eyes widened comically.

"What?" Marinette asked.

Continue reading on ao3 or under the cut! ↓

"Um…well, for starters, it's a super cute place. Suits you. I could totally see you living in an apartment like that." Alya sat back in her rolling chair and offered an uncomfortable frown. "But, no offense, Mars...nearly three thousand euros a month just for rent? How in the hell are you going to afford that along with utilities and food and stuff?"

Marinette looked away. Right. She'd forgotten to mention that she might be living with someone else.

(Oh god, Alya was going to kill her when she found out that she was going to live with a guy she'd never met!)

"Well…" Marinette said, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger. "I've already found myself a roommate."

Alya nearly choked on the last bite of her omelet. "What? Who is it?"

Marinette blanked.

How in the world would a person go about explaining her situation? She couldn't just say, "I don't know, he's Chat Noir and his identity eludes me, oh by the way I'm Ladybug so I trust him," could she?

"Um." Marinette blinked. "A friend."

Both girls went completely silent. It reminded Marinette of the old "pin dropping in a room" cliché. Her cheeks flushed involuntarily and she wasn't even sure why. What was the reason for feeling embarrassed?

Alya leaned closer to the screen and gripped the sides of her laptop. Her eyes burned with questions, and her face was frozen in a serious expression—one that made Marinette slightly frightened of her fate. "Girl," Alya said, voice calm. "In the past year I've been away did you get a secret boyfriend that you haven't told me a single thing about? Because if you did oh my god I don't know what I'd do-"

Marinette's jaw dropped. "N-no!" she squeaked. "No, Alya, I'm single. He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend and I-"

"So it is a he?"

"What does that matter? You know I'm not straight!"

"Well-!" Alya held up a finger and paused. "You're bi. So it could still be a secret boyfriend."

Marinette buried her face within her palm and snorted. "Alya, oh my god. I do not have a secret boyfriend or girlfriend or datefriend or anything. He's just...he's just a friend I've known for a while. You don't know him."

At least, Marinette assumed she didn't. How could she? It was Chat Noir, not a friend from collége or something. Just Chat. Her other best friend. The one person she trusted with her life and the only person she could imagine herself one hundred percent comfortable living with. Besides Alya and her parents, of course.

"I'm offended I haven't heard anything about him," Alya said. She rested her back against the chair and crossed her arms, a playful smile on her face. "What's his name?"

"Cha-" Marinette clamped her teeth down on her bottom lip before she let "Chat Noir" slip from her clumsy mouth. "Chaaaaa….Shhhaaaa...Chad."

Alya cocked her head to the side. "That's an odd name. Is he American?"

"Yes," Marinette answered without any second thought whatsoever. "Moved here...last year."

God, if this ever got back to Chat he'd never stop laughing. It would be a mix of both hilarity and humiliation. At least him "moving to Paris a year ago" was a valid excuse for Alya not to have met him.

"What's he look like?" Alya asked. She stood from her chair to get dressed and threw her pajama shirt onto her and Nino's bed—who was conveniently out of the room—and Marinette was met with an eyeful of her best friend's bare chest.

"Alya!" Marinette laughed. She cupped a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Alya's voice rang distantly through the laptop speakers. "Um, I'm getting dressed? Nino and I are actually going to spend the day together for once since he's not working. He's gonna be home any minute and I wanna look cute. Why are your eyes closed? You've seen me naked before. Need I remind you that we've been best friends for six years and have undressed in front of each other plenty of times?"

Marinette chuckled, eyes still shut. "I'm trying to be polite here."

"Yeah, yeah. Girl's polite and all, whatever."

After a few minutes of shuffling and other related noises, Alya plopped herself back down into her computer chair and Marinette finally opened her eyes to see her friend in a red flannel and jeans. She watched as Alya friend ran a brush through her curly red hair, and grinned when she tugged on a knot. A giggle bubbled from her lips as Alya cursed at the hair brush as if it was at fault for the discomfort.

Once the monster of her hair had been tamed, Alya set the brush down on her desk and scooted the dirtied plate from breakfast to the side. "You didn't answer my question, Mars."

Marinette resumed her sketching. It was best to act nonchalant. "What question?"

"I asked what M. Mysterious Roommate looked like."

"Oh."

Well that was certainly a question Marinette hadn't been prepared to answer. Chat Noir was…hm.

Chat was something. Blond with green eyes, tannish skin, tall and skinny like a professional model; skin-tight suit as black as the night; perfect white teeth and a smile as wide as the sun.

Ugh, but that all sounded so fake. What features could she possibly describe without sounding like she was talking about a character from a young adult novel or a celebrity, for crying out loud?

Glancing up at her laptop screen, Marinette ripped the failed design out of her sketchbook and crumpled it within her hand. So much for that dress. It would get redone later. "He's, um...blond. Green eyes. Wears a lot of black? Pretty skinny…"

"Sounds kinda emo," Alya said.

Marinette squawked out a surprised laugh and began a new sketch on a clean page. "He's not emo!"

"How old is he?"

"Twenty." It was one of the only pieces of personal information Marinette had learned about her partner.

"Aw, same age," Alya cooed.

Marinette gave a playful roll of her eyes. It was always like Alya to tease. That was just how she showed her love.

"What kinda stuff does he like?" Alya asked.

The lead of her pencil snapped, and Marinette cursed. "The same kind of stuff I do, I guess? Video games, art, staying up late…he really likes puns, and cats. Oh god, he loves cats. They're like his whole life. He's practically obsessed."

"So he's a furry?"

"No! Oh my god, Alya-"

Alya turned her head to the side as the sound of keys jingling in a door came from another room. "Nino's home," she said, enthusiasm in her voice. "I'll talk to you later, okay Mari? Love you!"

Giving a wave, Marinette returned the sentiment and went to end the call, but-

"Oh!" Alya exclaimed as she threw her purse over her shoulder. Marinette's hand stilled atop her mouse. "I forgot to tell you! Nino and I are coming back to Paris for a visit next month! I can meet your roomie. He sounds cute. We should all hang out and get drinks or something."

Excitement flared up within Marinette's chest before she froze.

Oh, shit, she thought, mind reeling, heart pounding, eyes the size of the moon. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! We can't do that!

How in the world would she break the news to Alya that she couldn't meet her roommate because he was, dunno, Chat Noir? Savior of Paris? The number one flirt in the whole city (she assumed)? Ladybug's most trusted partner and friend?

"Uh…" Marinette blanched. Blinking, she shook her head and forced a toothy grin to her face, nodding a bit too vigorously to be entirely convincing. "S-sure, Alya! Sounds fun. I'm so looking forward to see you again!"

"Kisses!" Blowing a kiss to the screen, Alya reached out and ended the call. The screen switched back to the text chat they'd started up an hour ago.

Well.

This was bad.

Marinette's heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. While she was beyond elated to see her best friend in person again, the fact that Alya wanted to hang out with her and her roommate—Chat Noir—was immeasurably concerning. After all, nobody could find out Marinette was Ladybug, just like nobody could find out Ladybug was Marinette, and the thought that the whole idea altogether was spiralling into an absolute mess made her want to run and hide and- and- she didn't know!

"Tikki," she breathed after a moment. Her head felt heavy and her stomach felt sick. Grabbing a pillow from her side, Marinette stuffed her face within it and screamed. "We're so screwed."

 "I'm beginning to think this is a bad idea."

Adrien snapped up from the roof he'd been lying on and regarded his partner with a startled frown. Her face was scrunched up with worry under the low light of the evening sun, and her gaze was thoughtful as wisps of black hair kissed her cheeks in the faint breeze. He raised a brow as she nibbled on her lower lip. She appeared to be nervous...but why? What was causing her to be so distraught?

"Bad idea?" Adrien asked. "What's a bad idea?"

Ladybug loosened her messy hair from her ponytail before fixing it and attempting to put it up again. It took her a few tries, which was unusual; it wasn't like Ladybug to have trouble with such a simple task unless something was really bothering her. "Us. Moving in together," she said, voice quiet. "It might not be too great of an idea."

Adrien's heart sank like a brick hitting the bottom of the Seine. Ouch. Okay, so...they weren't doing this now? The past three days of planning and talking and figuring it all out had been for nothing? But they'd both been so excited! He'd been so happy to think about the possibility of moving out...being on his own...away from his father's eye...

After a moment of internal deliberation, "Oh," was all he could say.

"Don't get me wrong," Ladybug said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I want to more than anything. But everything right now is looking so...difficult. And I'm starting to think it might not work out."

"It's not like you to give up so easily," Adrien said. He turned to face his Lady and cocked his head to the side, hoping the hurt didn't show on his face. "What's worrying you? You can talk to me about it, Buginette."

A chilly gust of wind blew past them, giving the air an icy tinge to it. A minute passed, then two, and Adrien was beginning to think Ladybug was going to leave his question unanswered before she finally found the courage to speak.

"I'm just fretting over stuff that doesn't need to be fretted about," she said, sounding defeated. Lowering her head, Ladybug examined her fingers, as if she was trying to find something other than the current subject to focus on. "You know how I get sometimes…"

Adrien hummed thoughtfully. There had to be something rooted within her that was causing her to feel anxiety over the notion of them moving in together. Something was bothering her, something recent, and he wanted to find out what. A calm Ladybug was a happy Ladybug. Poor 'Bug got stressed out so easily these days and he wished he knew why.

Giving his partner a reassuring smile, Adrien patted her back. "Tell me what's bothering you, L.B."

Ladybug was silent for what felt like ages—which in reality was only a minute tops—before she let out a breath she'd been holding and submitted. "I had a Skype call with a friend in America today. She's flying in next month for a visit and wants to meet you."

Oh. Well, that was definitely a problem. Adrien could see why something like that would bother her.

"But she can't," he said. Ladybug nodded in agreement.

"No, she can't. And she's not the only one who will want to meet you. I mean, I don't know how my parents would react to learning they'll never see you—probably not well—and I have other friends who'll want to visit." She laid back against the roof and stared up at the sky. "I'm scared we won't be able to work around that and someone, someday, is going to find out who we are. On accident. And it'll be a huge mess."

Ah. Ladybug was worried about people discovering her identity. That's what this was all about.

"Don't worry, 'Bug," Adrien said as he lay back with her. Their shoulders brushed, and he allowed himself a twinge of delight at the touch. "We've kept our identities safe for six years now. We're good with that stuff. I'm sure our friends won't find out so easily, not if I have anything to say about it."

"How do you know for sure?" Ladybug asked. She fiddled with her gloves and nibbled on her bottom lip in a way that shouldn't have been absolutely endearing.

Feeling his lips curl upwards into a smile, Adrien reached out and placed a hand over her own, hoping to calm her nerves. He gave her knuckles a squeeze, and Ladybug responded with a turn of her head. Her eyes sparkled curiously.

"What's on your mind, Chat?" she asked, allowing him to hold her hand for longer than he'd anticipated.

Adrien grinned. What was on his mind?

Even when she was lost in her anxieties, Ladybug was beautiful. There was no denying that. Her bluebell eyes, the way her dark hair had grown down to her lower back, her voice and freckles and how she always knew what to do. Her bravery, her stubbornness, her fiery personality and her absolute everything…

Ugh. He was so far gone. So gone to the point that he'd drowned in Ladybug and never felt the need to breach for air.

"Nothing about how you're the most gorgeous person I've ever met," he said. Ladybug clicked her tongue and pulled her hand away; Adrien mourned the loss of her warmth. "And I was absolutely not thinking about how I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you."

Sitting up, Ladybug sighed restlessly. "Not now, Chat Noir. Stop flirting."

Oh, well. It was worth a shot. Didn't stop him from loving her. Her feelings were more important at the moment however, just like they always were to him, so the compliments and affections could wait for a better time.

"You okay?" Adrien asked, sitting up with her. "You seem really on edge."

"I'm just so worried," Ladybug whimpered. Her voice cracked, and Adrien felt a deep pang of sympathy. "I'm scared we're going to screw up really bad, like what if one of us sleepwalks when another is awake and we're not wearing masks or we come home at the same time or accidentally see each other when we do, or if something terrible happens to either of us-"

Adrien sat down in front of his Lady and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Woah, hey," he said, tone calm; soothing. "It's okay, Ladybug. We'll be alright. There are plenty of ways to prevent accidental reveals, okay? Trust me. We're gonna be extra careful, and we're gonna be okay. I know that. We're gonna be okay."

"I don't know if I can go through with this."

Scratching at the back of his neck, Adrien frowned. Ladybug had a tendency to be overdramatic and blow things out of proportion from time to time, but hopefully she wasn't saying that she wanted to eradicate the idea altogether. It had already been three days since they had decided they would be officially moving in together...which was plenty of time for them both to think things through and make a decision.

(Well, enough time for Adrien specifically to think about how much he couldn't wait to be closer to his partner.)

"Okay," he breathed, black ears drooping against his hair. He sat back beside her and his tail twitched in tune with his nerves. "If you're not comfortable with it, we can totally call it off-"

Ladybug shook her head. "It's not that I'm not comfortable with it," she said, her blue, blue eyes meeting Adrien's, "I'm more than okay with the thought of us living in the same space. The problem is how we're going to get to that stage. We've still got so much to figure out, and the whole 'can't reveal ourselves' thing is going to make it a whole lot harder."

With a thoughtful hum, Adrien nodded. Things were going to be incredibly tedious. They had a lot to discuss, and even more to think about. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, you're right..."

A heavy feeling of sadness washed over him.

Who were they kidding, thinking they could move in together at the drop of a hat? Both he and Ladybug knew that there would be trouble behind the idea, and a plethora of difficulties to overcome. At first, it had admittedly been a nice thought, living under the same roof as the girl he loved...but Adrien knew better. He didn't get that lucky.

No, luck was reserved for the Lady herself. But in this case it seemed that even she was getting the short end of the stick.

Still, it didn't stop Adrien from believing.

"We can figure it out," he said, voice full of what he hoped didn't sound like faux confidence. "If we can defeat akuma on a near daily basis, then we can find a way to get this to work, right? We're a team in and out of the masks."

"I hope so, Chat Noir," Ladybug said. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head upon them, eyes cast wistfully at the city below. "I haven't told anyone besides my parents and one friend that I plan on moving out yet. I don't know how I'm going to tell my other friends, because they're going to want to visit, and, well...they don't know I'm Ladybug."

Adrien hadn't really given any thought about friends visiting. What would he do if Nino randomly turned up to hang out and he and Ladybug were both home? Would she have to hide in her room the entire time—pretend she wasn't there? That would be tough, and unfair to his partner. It would be her place too, and Adrien didn't want to force her to stay locked in one room just because he had a guest.

"Maybe we can plan around it?" he offered, voice cracking slightly at the end of his question. "You know, make a day where I can hang out with my friends at our place, you can hang with yours...whichever one of us has company gets a few hours alone at the apartment and the other can have a day out or something. I dunno."

A groan rose from beside him. Adrien looked over to see Ladybug throwing herself backwards against the panels of the roof with a soft clunk. "This is so hard," she whined, draping her forearm over her face. "Why can't stuff like this be easier? I just want to move in with my best friend. That's all I want."

Adrien smiled at his partner's dramatics and reached over to pat her on the shoulder with a chuckle in his throat. "We could just disobey our kwamis and drop the transformations right now and be done with it."

"Chat." Ladybug's expression flattened. She glowered at him from underneath her arm. "No way."

"Hey," he laughed with a shrug, "it was just a simple suggestion." Standing up, he brushed his suit off and stretched, mouth opening in a wide yawn before he placed his hands on his hips and let his gaze fall down to the world below. Cars flowed down the street like a river of red and yellow beams. People walked along the sidewalk, entering and exiting shops left and right. In the distance, Adrien could see the Eiffel Tower's lights switch on just as the sky grew dark, and the sound of a jet zooming above caused his ears to twitch.

He needed to be heading home soon. He had a dinner with his father to attend to within an hour. The news of his leave had to be broken somehow, and he'd thought a peaceful dinner would be a nice way to ease into it. He'd admittedly been surprised his father had accepted his invitation for a "family dinner" on such short notice.

"You know," Adrien began. "I think we'll be okay, Ladybug. I know we have quite a bit of legal stuff to figure out, but what's a few signatures and adult conversations? In the end, it'll be worth it. We'll have our own place and be able to do whatever we want. I could eat cereal at four in the morning and nobody would judge me."

"I would," Ladybug snorted. She kicked her legs over the edge of the building and as her eyes met his, she blessed him with a smile. "I think we'll be okay, too. But I have this feeling that even though I am an adult, I'm not-" she paused to laugh, "-I'm definitely not ready to be one. I mean, learning how to do my taxes was hard enough. How do I take care of a place that's mine? How do I handle that responsibility?"

"Same way you do now, I guess," Adrien said as he sat back down. "Wash the dishes after you use them, take out the trash every night, clean your room once a week and don't leave the oven on while you're out. That's what you do to keep a place clean and safe, right?"

Not that he would know. He'd had people to clean up after him all of his life.

(He was too embarrassed to admit that he had no idea how to use a washing machine.)

"I'm warning you now," Ladybug cautioned. "I'm going to set the apartment on fire. Whichever one we choose, it's going down in flames because of me. That or I'll flood the place."

Cocking one of his felt ears, Adrien laughed. So much for reassuring her. "Jeez, Buginette. Have some faith in yourself, okay? Also in me. I can totally keep you from igniting the kitchen or something."

"How? You have no idea how clumsy I am at times."

"I seem to recall that the first time we met, you called yourself maladroit after nearly giving me a concussion with your yo-yo."

Ladybug grinned as she playfully punched him in the side. "You shut your mouth."

"Meowch," Adrien snickered as he rubbed the spot she'd assaulted. Despite her best efforts to be gentle, it still hurt. "You know, I change my mind. I think living with you is gonna be unbearfurble. Absolutely catastrophic. Pawful. A hissterical-"

Ladybug buried her head within her palms and groaned. "Oh my god, one more pun and I'm going to punt you across the city, Chat Noir, I swear to god-"

"Wait," he pleaded, laughter in his voice, "one more, one more. It'll be appawling-"

Adrien squawked as Ladybug began to push him off of the edge of the roof. Oh, now he'd done it. He'd punned too much. He had punned one pun too many. Somehow, he had always known this was the way he would die: from puns. His fate was sealed. Done. Completed. Do not pass go, do not collect the twenty euro reward.

"Imagine the headlines," Adrien said, clapping a hand over his head dramatically as his partner attempted to throw him off of the music shop they'd been resting upon. "Paris' most beloved hero, Chat Noir, was murdered to death last night by renowned super-heroine Ladybug. He was thrown off a building around seven P.M.-"

"Murdered to death," Ladybug guffawed. She paused her attempts at homicide and placed her hands on her hips to squint up at him, chest heaving with laughter. "I'm pretty sure murder and death aren't mutually exclusive!"

"You would know," Adrien retorted with a toothy grin. "You're about to murder me."

(As if Ladybug would ever purposefully harm him.)

"Chat, this is only a two story building," Ladybug deadpanned. "Besides, you have your baton to break your fall. Also your fat ego."

"I take offense to that."

The heel of Adrien's boot slipped on the edge of the roof and he wobbled, teetering over the edge with his arms flailing. His heart leaped and he gasped, but just as he was about to fall Ladybug caught him by his bell. Adrien smirked down at her and felt a flutter in her chest as she returned the expression almost just as flirtatiously.

"How many times am I gonna save your ass, chaton?" Ladybug asked, slowly pulling him down by his bell so she could look him in the eye. "Isn't this the third time this week?"

Adrien's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. He loved how she teased. Their faces were so close he could practically taste her breath on his lips.

Leaving her question unanswered, Adrien instead chose to grin as his reply. "To be fair, you were the one who attempted to murder me over too many puns."

Ladybug snickered. "I only dislike them because they're terrible. Now, if they were good puns, maybe I'd have a different mindset."

"You know," he said as Ladybug grasped what was essentially the zipper to his suit, "when we finally move into our place, I'm gonna get those magnetic fridge letters and wake up every morning around five A.M. to make a horrible cat pun out of them, just so you get to wake up to a new one every. Single. Day."

"You evil, evil boy," Ladybug snorted. She let go of his bell—which jingled merrily—and crossed her arms, sticking her tongue out in a very mature fashion. "I'll just take those puns and rearrange the letters to make bad words."

"Of course you would," Adrien said, to which Ladybug nodded proudly. "That's why I love you so much."

"Because I would make bad words out of other words?"

He booped her nose with the tip of his finger. "Because you're so creative."

"Stop." Ladybug waved his hand away. She feigned annoyance, but the smile on her face convinced Adrien she felt otherwise. "Shouldn't you be getting home? I thought you told me you had an important dinner with your dad to get to."

"I do," he admitted. "But can't I just enjoy my Lady's company for a moment longer?" Reaching out for her hand, he grabbed it within his own and nuzzled his face against her palm. Even through the fabric of her suit he could feel how warm her skin was. It felt so nice against his cheek…if only he could keep it there.

Ladybug pulled her hand back, pink lips stretched into a sweet smile. "Go on, kitty. Can't be late for dinner."

"Beautiful and punctual. You're out to steal my heart."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Leave already, fuzzbutt."

"I'm going, I'm going." Adrien blew her a kiss and stood, walking to the edge of the roof as he made to leave. He hopped onto the ledge, did an exuberant pose just to get some giggles out of his Lady, and extended his baton to his full height before bounding into the air.

Landing on the roof adjacent, he paused mid-crouch and froze as he remembered he'd had a very important question to ask before he left.

"Wait!" he called. He did a one-eighty and leaped right back next to Ladybug, who raised her brow at his speedy return. "I forgot to ask: did you decide between the two apartments yet?"

"Sort of," Ladybug said. She placed her yo-yo back on her waist, which she'd produced as soon as Adrien had left.

"Well?" Adrien asked. One of his black ears twitched with interest.

Ladybug's gaze fell downcast. "I know which one I want, but really, I don't want you paying more per month than I am, Chat-"

"Your happiness is important."

"I'd be happier if you weren't covering most of the rent."

"I honestly don't mind," Adrien assured her. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I prefer the bigger place too. I've kind of lived in a big house all of my life and to be honest, I would feel super cramped in the cheaper apartment." He reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "But ultimately what I care about most is you being comfortable. If you feel you would be better off in the small place, then-"

"I don't like the small place," Ladybug admitted, quite stubbornly. "Well, I mean I do, but it's just...we would have no room. And since we can't reveal ourselves we really need the space…"

"You've got your pouty face on," Adrien said. He smiled, offering a hand to help his Lady up onto the ledge. She took it and climbed up, but crossed her arms as soon as she righted herself and looked away with her lower lip jutted out.

"I am not pouty," she pouted.

Adrien poked her cheek. "C'mon, Mlle. Pouty Face...tell me the truth. What is it you really want?"

"Food," she muttered, not meeting his gaze. "It's past dinner time and you should be home with your dad."

Adrien laughed. Was she avoiding the subject?

"Besides food," he said. "Which apartment can you see yourself being happier in?"

Ladybug murmured something under her breath. She kicked a stray pebble off of the roof and turned her back to him.

"What was that?" Adrien asked.

She mumbled the same unintelligible reply as before. Her lips were sealed and the brow of her mask was lowered in irritation, and Adrien had to resist the urge to squeal at how absolutely adorable she was in that moment.

Oh, she was too damn cute. She was so cute when she pouted and she was so cute when she wanted something but was too embarrassed to say it.

Was it that hard to admit that she liked the spacious apartment more than the other? Because it was pretty easy for him. If only he could get it out of her.

"Bug-Bug," Adrien whined. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin upon her shoulder, head butting into her jaw. "Come on, you can tell me."

"Okayyyy," she admitted with a huff and a stomp of her foot. "Okay, okay. I like the expensive place better, okay? I just feel really bad because if I can't contribute as much as you can, then I-"

Walking around to face her, Adrien pressed a clawed finger to her lips and leaned down to her eye level. "Hey," he said. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Ladybug. If it's really bugging you that much-" he snorted as her expression soured at his pun, "-then we can figure something out. But have you made your decision? Because I've made mine."

Ladybug hesitated. She blinked, her gaze lowering to the floor...before she met his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I have."

"Good." Grabbing her hand, Adrien placed a kiss to her knuckles. "I've gotta go now, but tomorrow we can meet at the Tower and talk some more, okay? No matter what, the only thing that's important to me is your happiness. Even if we end up in a cramped, one-bedroom apartment with no heat, I'll be happy so long as you are."

Much to his delight, Ladybug blushed. "Fine," she said, looking away. "But we're meeting at six P.M. tomorrow on the dot, and we're going to figure this out. We're a team no matter what, right? Akuma fighting, apartment hunting...both deadly, deadly forces." Her lips quirked upwards into a smile. "I'm actually really excited."

"Me too, 'Bug," Adrien said. "Me too."

Ladybug pulled away from him and gave him a lighthearted shove. "Now go on," she said, grinning. "Go meet your dad and have some father-son bonding time. Talk about cats or Camembert or whatever it is you do."

"Wow," Adrien laughed. He grabbed his baton and gave her a wave. "I'll have you know that the Camembert isn't for me or my dad. It's for Plagg, and you know that."

"Tell Plagg I think he's gross."

"He'd take that as a compliment, Ladybug! You'll inflate his ego-filled head with that talk!"

Ladybug threw her head back with a chortle. "Go already! Your dad's gonna be sitting at wherever it is you live waiting on your slow butt!"

"Fine, fine." With a salute, Adrien extended his baton and prepared to leap. "Goodnight, my Lady. I'll see you tomorrow."

Smiling, Ladybug waved. "Get outta here, you silly cat."

"I'm going," Adrien chuckled. With one last kiss to her hand, he was off into the night, mind already reeling with fantasies about what living with his Lady would bring. The only thing that spoiled those wonderful thoughts was what events would occur during dinner with his father. Cold stares, an entirely one-sided conversation...the possibilities were endless.

His heart, however, pulled him towards the hope that the evening would go well, and that breaking the news would be as easy as pie.