So while you lovelies are waiting for the next chapter to Flirting With Disaster (which is undergoing a rewrite right now because I had a change-of-plot epiphany), I'm gonna hit you up with a sort of same-universe one-shot to "Concerts, Cars, and Kisses" this time featuring Ladrien! My favorite ship corner.

Special thanks to KiannaCat for beta-reading!

Gravity

The party, as such events tended to, quickly grew dull. Not in the sense of vibrancy, of course, for the warm and cheerful color scheme somehow managed to lift the spirits of all who beheld them. Polished floors were awash with the reflected grass greens and sky blues that pulsed gently from light fixtures strategically placed to reflect the upcoming spring season in the party atmosphere. Gowns swished around delicate feet as women sashayed across the dance floor with their respective partners. Models, businessmen, and other influential individuals roamed the scene, expensive wine glasses in hand as they chatted up everyone they came across. The chatter of conversation rose above the light and exuberant music performed by the ensemble situated on the stage at the far end of the room.

Adrien smiled his practiced smile. He was currently trapped in conversation with the chairman of one of his father's departments in charge of publicity. Adrien and the chairman knew each other moderately well. As one of the most popular young models in the fashion industry, Adrien had met the older man on a couple of occasions, but they had never spoken beyond polite conversation.

Adrien wanted nothing more than to vacate this spot he had made next to his father. Gabriel paid his son no mind, for he was deep in conversation with the wife of some important official. These parties, held at least twice a year, inducted Gabriel Agreste's seasonal line, and as his son, Adrien was forced to attend, however unwilling the boy might be. It was incredibly dull to Adrien's teenage brain, and he shifted his weight to the other foot uncomfortably.

The only thing he found exciting about the party was that somewhere here, his Lady roamed.

Gabriel had extended an invitation to Ladybug and Chat Noir publically, personally inviting them via television interview to attend his gala. Adrien had been shocked at first, wondering what on earth his father had in mind, but Gabriel Agreste wasn't the most successful man in the industry for nothing. Of course, Chat Noir had turned down the invitation, citing his bad luck and tendency for breaking things as his excuse.

Ladybug, on the other hand, was ecstatic, to say the least. Though she was disappointed that Chat Noir wouldn't accompany her, she quickly accepted Gabriel's invitation via video uploaded to Alya's Ladyblog. The reporter had been overjoyed when she boasted to the class the next day that Ladybug had personally contacted her to upload the video. Adrien, who had been talking to Nino when Alya burst into the room, had smiled to himself as he remembered the expression on his Lady's face as she began to divulge her dream of going into fashion and attending an Agreste gala. He couldn't tell her though, that the cat-boy who stood only a couple feet away was the son of the man she idolized… That would be weird.

Finally, the young model managed to interject politely while the chairman took a breath and excused himself to the restroom, parting ways with a smile. As soon as he was out of sight, he found a pillar to relax against, pressing his back against the cool marble. The suit he wore was unbearably hot, and he welcomed the chill through the black jacket. From this vantage point, Adrien could see the entire ballroom, the crowd of people fluctuating like a wave on the sea, shapes and colors moving and distorting as people milled around or spotted a familiar face across the room.

There was no sign of his Lady, however. He knew she was here; Plagg had spotted her from his spot in his coat pocket. Adrien had no reason to distrust his kwami. Then again, Plagg had refused to tell his boy what she was wearing, which only told Adrien that she wasn't in costume, a fact that remained at the forefront of his thoughts from that point on.

A couple more people tried to engage Adrien in small talk as they noticed him, but quickly seemed to realize that he wasn't very committed to the conversation and politely excused themselves. Adrien's eyes grew weary with every glance, gaze darting to every dark-haired woman in red he could see. Apparently, there were a lot of them.

Adrien pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, pulling a little at the shirt that seemed just a teensy bit too tight at the neck. He figured a trip to the rooftop would ease his mind and clear his thoughts. He sighed heavily and unhitched himself from the wall, grabbing a cracker from a passing waiter's tray as he did so.

The cracker was slightly stale. He gave it to Plagg.

Adrien climbed the staircase to the upper floors, glancing over the railing as he watched the gala grow smaller and smaller beneath his feet. The chatter of incoherent voices faded as he left the gathering behind in favor of solitude. It didn't take long to find the entrance to the roof, and Adrien smiled as the cool night air flushed across his face and soothingly countered the stuffy heat that had accumulated under his collar. He pulled his tie to hang a little looser around his neck, and unbuttoned his cuffs as he reached the top of the set of stairs that opened up onto the wide roof of the venue.

The city lights danced across the dark Parisian skyline like millions of fireflies, sharp against the backdrop of inky blackness that lay beyond. The Eiffel Tower stood taller and brighter than anything else, its lights twinkling different colors and patterns in a vivid dance. Though the Eiffel Tower paled in comparison with the other shining light that suddenly captured his attention.

This was the first time he had seen her out of costume, though she still concealed half of her face with the mask – her kwami's doing, most likely. Her strapless dress exposed her graceful shoulders and arms, currently pressed against the chilly railing where she leaned and stared out over Paris. The red, black-laced bodice accented the small rise of her breasts and graceful curve of her hips, even as they disappeared into the silk black and red asymmetrical skirt that flowed around the back of her calves and exposed her thin knees to the wind. The skirt was sewn into a bright crimson cloth belt that wrapped delicately under her breasts, held together with a rose. Black heels on her feet bestowed a couple extra inches to her height. Her dark, raven hair was pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head, a red silk rose tucked into the dark strands. Dark bangs rustled across her forehead as the wind picked up a little and revealed her Miraculous earrings, the only thing in this world that tied him and her together.

She hadn't appeared to notice he was there, and he was okay to go on staring at her. He might never get the chance to see her again like this, looking so beautiful, so relaxed and at peace, a smile gracing her red lips. Adrien was completely awestruck, and in the back of his mind, he wondered if this was how grooms felt when they saw their bride walking down the aisle.

He finally moved when he caught her shiver, noticing that she had no coat to protect her from the chilly air. Without thinking, Adrien quickly shed his own coat and cautiously approached. She must have heard his footsteps, because she turned suddenly, eyes widening beneath the mask as she realized who it was behind her. It might be the makeup, but he could swear her cheeks turned just a little bit redder.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you."

She quickly overcame her initial surprise, grinning. The string of lights that encircled the railings glowed and cast a golden light upon her beautiful countenance, and Adrien thought his heart might explode. "It's okay. How're you doing, hot stuff?"

Now Adrien was blushing, the blood creeping up the back of neck as his brain went into overdrive, warning sirens sounding in his ears as his emotions ran terrified circles around his consciousness. Hot Stuff! Hot Stuff! Ladybug called you Hot Stuff!

"I- uh, well… that is…" He stopped, cleared his throat, and tried again, determined not to stumble over his words like an idiot this time. "Sweet."

Nailed it.

She giggled, the sound like wind chimes in a summer breeze. "Sweet."

Adrien moved forward when he detected a tiny shudder in her bare shoulders as the wind picked up again. Not trusting himself to speak, he wordlessly draped his suit jacket across Ladybug's shoulders, adjusting the shoulder pads so they fit comfortably. She looked at him with a mixture of thanks and admiration in her eyes, accepting his gentlemanly gesture and pulling the coat tighter across her chest as she returned her attention to the skyline.

Adrien leaned on the railing beside her, beating back the little voice in his head that screamed, She's wearing your coat!

They remained that way for a couple minutes, standing side by side on that rooftop. Adrien resisted the urge to just blatantly stare at the beautiful girl beside him, lost in her own world as she studied the horizon.

Woman, Adrien corrected, sneaking a glance at his partner. They had both grown up well, any traces of baby fat exterminated thanks to puberty and constant battles against evil akuma. They grew together, and the changes were so subtle, that one day Ladybug appeared and Chat Noir was suddenly struck with how… adult she looked. Her breasts had filled out, a sight he had tried not to notice but always seemed to zero in on, and even through her glaring red suit, he couldn't see the thin, gangly limbs she had once possessed. Her face elongated slightly, lips a bit fuller, and eyes even brighter blue if that was possible.

Adrien realized he was staring and quickly turned forward again, fighting down the flush he could feel rising in his cheeks and thanking every deity he could think of that she hadn't noticed. He gripped the railing as hard as he could to keep his attention elsewhere.

The silence between the two was welcome in contrast to the commotion of the party below, but something finally prompted the model to speak.

"Do you…"

His voice faltered as Ladybug turned her attention to him, her eyebrows quirked and lips slightly parted in an expression of curiosity. Adrien forgot what he was going to ask.

"…have a light?"

Shit.

Now Ladybug's expression morphed into blatant confusion, shifting her weight on the railing to turn her body directly to face him. There was a genuine surprise in her gaze, and Adrien cursed his inability to think in her presence.

"You smoke?"

Adrien forced himself to not break eye contact, breathing deeply as he tried to cover up his blunder with a laugh. "No."

Ladybug seemed to understand that he hadn't meant to say that, and was just trying to break the silence. Her expression relaxed, and she chuckled, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. Adrien noticed the red and black polka-dotted nail polish that adorned her fingernails.

It suddenly hit the young Agreste that this was the most skin he had ever seen on his Lady, his knowledge limited to her face and the gentle slope of her neck before her damned suit covered the rest of it. He found himself studying her slender fingers, thin wrist, and arms that betrayed the amount of muscle tone that she possessed. If anything, it made her even more attractive.

"I should get back to the party," Ladybug finally murmured, recovering from her giggle fest. It was clear from her tone that she wanted to remain here with him for just a few moments longer. "Your father was kind enough to invite me, and I'm being rude by staying up here."

Her dress swished as she straightened, pulling Adrien's jacket from her shoulders and draping it across the railing. Her heels clicked against the concrete as she began to make her way towards the door.

Time slowed as Adrien was suddenly acutely aware of every move Ladybug made, her warmth radiating from her body as her shoulder brushed past his. His heart rate picked up, a tingly feeling suddenly shooting off like fireworks through his arms. He turned his head, almost in slow motion, watching as the last flutter of her skirt escaped his vision.

He couldn't let this opportunity pass. Ladybug and Adrien in civilian form had skirted each other for the past four years, occasionally running into each other but never exchanging more than a few words before she had to scurry off into battle. But he could feel the tension between them, like gravity, pulling him closer and closer… if he was the earth, then she was the sun, and he orbited everything that she was and would ever be as she warmed his being to the very core. And he could tell that she felt it, too.

Adrien gave in to the gravity.

He moved before he could think. Whipping around, he gently seized her shoulder and turned her body to fully face him. A whiff of perfume drifted in his direction, and the sweet smell of lilacs wafted into his nose. The heat beneath the collar of his dress shirt was making it hard to breathe, but he didn't care. His green eyes held her blue ones with an intensity he himself didn't know he possessed. Her expression was surprised, but she didn't fight, cocking her head slightly as she waited for him to speak.

His eyes drank in what he could see of her face, moving from her eyes to petite nose and finally to her plush lips accented with a shade of red lipstick that probably resembled the color of his face.

Before he could lose his nerve, he dropped one hand to her hip and brought the other to the back of her neck, closing the distance between them as he kissed her, pulling her body as close to his as he possibly could.

Ladybug made a tiny squeak in surprise at suddenly finding herself lip-locked with the only son of the man whose party she was supposed to be attending. Adrien didn't care that the scene was right out of a romance drama, kissing on the roof of a building with a shining city skyline, stray music drifting from the stairs below. It was only him and her, cat and bug, two figures hidden from the world as they shared a tender moment with only the stars as their witness.

Adrien didn't let the contact last long. He drew away slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as his skin prepared itself for the sharp sting of a slap against his cheek. He hadn't meant to do that… Now, she was going to hate him; their relationship was ruined. He wouldn't be able to look at her as Chat Noir anymore without remembering this night, how this corner of the love triangle between himself, Chat Noir, and Ladybug collapsed in an instant.

The sharp sting never came. Terrified, he peeked through his eyelashes to face the repercussions of his impulsiveness. The girl didn't seem angry; on the contrary, the skin beneath her mask was flushed a deep crimson, her blue eyes wide as she stared eye to eye with him. Normally, he was taller, but these heels… The notion that she could look him directly in the eye made his emotional state even more precarious.

"I'm so—" Adrien began.

Ladybug was quick to get over her initial surprise, and brought her hands – her bare hands – up to either side of his face, not leaving any room for talk as she quickly reconnected their lips in a much more needy kiss than the one he'd given. Her mouth moved furiously against his own, extracting a happy grunt from the boy. Adrien pushed away his sudden surprise at her persistence, for once letting his anxieties float away with any other coherent thought he might possess. Her hands gathered in the front of his shirt, pulling their chests even closer together, not allowing an iota of space between them as he in turn rested his hands on her hips.

She was strong, and he didn't fight when Ladybug backed him up until the cold metal of the railing pressed into his lower back and shoulders, sandwiching him between nothing and everything. Adrien's lungs heaved, sucking in tiny pockets of air whenever their lips parted, but it only lasted for a second before they were right back at it with even more aggression than before.

Agreste-sion, Chat Noir whispered from his subconscious.

Shut up, Adrien told him.

The world faded around the two teens as they melted, bodies molding together like they had been created to do just that. Stars flashed behind closed eyelids, his senses on overdrive as they tried to compute the sudden influx of dopamine, testosterone, and other hormones his preoccupied brain vaguely remembered learning about in class.

Dopamine on steroids, Adrien decided as Ladybug suddenly ran her tongue across his lips, using his gasp as an opportunity to stuff her tongue into his mouth. Not that he was complaining. His hands began to roam, from the small of her back and to the soft skin of her shoulders, desperate to feel as much of her exposed skin as possible before it disappeared beneath red spandex once more.

As he grew older, Adrien's photo shoots had become much more… risqué. While he hadn't graduated to shirtless yet, he was often featured with young female models in varying poses and outfits that quickly proved that he wasn't a fourteen-year-old boy anymore. And as such, some of those shoots required kissing. There was no emotion beyond the simple act, but over the course of time, he'd become quite good at it.

Ladybug was better. He didn't want to know exactly how she'd gained this experience, this knowledge, this skill that she used to expertly explore him with hands and tongue, since it meant that she had kissed other people, but he was grateful. Adrien was slowly loosing feeling in his legs, and was glad that the railing provided some kind of support for his weakening knees.

Hands, tongues, teeth, lips. Roaming, licking, nipping, caressing.

Adrien vaguely hoped that Ladybug couldn't feel the physical evidence of his pleasure against her thigh.

She was trying to be careful, he could tell. Some part of her remembered that they were supposed to be at a party right now, and going back looking like they'd hooked up in the bathroom wasn't the best picture for their images. Still, this didn't deter Adrien from breaking away from her lips and planting kisses along the corner of her jaw. The scent of lilac was stronger now, penetrating his lungs and sticking to the corner of his lips, spicy against his tongue.

She threw her head back with a sharp intake of breath, angling her neck to grant him more access. Adrien had done this to her. The cool, calm, and collected Ladybug, the Ladybug who constantly refused the affections of her partner, whose duty to Paris was strictly professional, who disappeared after every battle… that hero was reduced to a squirming mess against him, and Adrien added it to his list of accomplishments.

He tried to stay clear of her ears; he couldn't have her Miraculous falling off. So he moved downwards, planting soft kisses along her collarbone, much to her delight, before moving back up to capture her lips with his once again, gently this time. He memorized the way her lips, cold at first but now warm, melted against his own like they were molded perfectly to fit the other. She removed her hands from where they had gripped his shoulders and folded them behind his neck, his own hands firmly on her hips as they slowly dwindled to final caresses.

Ladybug was the one to finally pull back, giving Adrien's lips a couple extra pecks before leaning her forehead against him, keeping her eyes closed and face angled downward. Adrien's own eyes opened drowsily, looking at his partner squirm adorably in her embarrassment, with her cheeks as red as her mask and smeared lipstick barely obscuring the kiss-bruised and slightly swollen flesh. Small strands of hair had come loose from her bun. God, she was beautiful.

Breaths misted from their lips, mingling in the space between their faces. Adrien was still pressed against the railing, and admittedly, it was getting a bit uncomfortable. But he would much rather endure that discomfort if it meant Ladybug remained pressed against him for a few moments longer.

She pulled away first, unwinding her arms from around his neck and retreating a few steps, her hands shaking like she didn't know what to do with them. Adrien gripped at the railing to keep from losing his balance now that Ladybug's supportive weight was gone. She slowly raised her eyes to look at him, and Adrien guessed, based on the breathy giggle that escaped her lips, that he didn't look much better.

"Lipstick."

"What?"

Ladybug flushed an even darker shade, hiding her eyes behind her hands as a pinky finger rubbed the outline of her lips. Adrien gulped. "There's lipstick on your face."

He finally understood what she was getting at, and he instinctively licked his lips. Indeed, the taste of her was still lingering, along with a strange texture he couldn't identify. He pressed his lips to the inside of his shirt sleeve, rubbing frantically to remove the incriminating evidence of his spontaneous make out session with Ladybug.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Ladybug admonished, dropping her hands and staring wide-eyed. "That's high quality stuff!"

Adrien shrugged and glanced at the stain on his arm. "It's fine. I can say I spilled something and just wear my jacket for the rest of the night."

Ladybug looked a bit put out but didn't offer anything more on the topic. She glanced at him once more, and he could see the slightly smudged lipstick on her bottom lip… he licked his thumb and gently wiped the smudge away, secretly giddy at the shudder he felt run through her body. She squeaked out a thank you and retreated back down the stairs and into the event, leaving Adrien standing alone on the roof with lipstick on his face and shirt.

Adrien somehow managed to shake himself from his stupor, grabbing his jacket and casting one last fleeting look at the view before following Ladybug down the stairs. She was already lost in the crowd by the time Adrien finished making himself presentable in the bathroom. The lipstick stain on the inside of his sleeve was easily obscured by his jacket, and the smudges left over on his lips came off surprisingly easy. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it, all the while ignoring Plagg's snarky comments about human mating rituals.

"I bet Ladybug's kwami is a million times nicer than you," Adrien sighed, pushing open the bathroom door once he was satisfied with his appearance.

"Hey, I resent that."

Adrien didn't have time to look for her in the large party room before Gabriel Agreste suddenly took up a microphone and addressed the crowd.

"Good evening! It is my great pleasure to welcome you all here to my annual gala." A brief clatter of applause. "The time has now come to reveal the theme of my new line. And to help me with this, I present to you the inspiration for the designs: the hero, Ladybug!"

A thunderous applause now as a spotlight located the stunned girl, barely visible across the crowd from where Adrien stood. His eyes drank in the sight of her, and almost as if she could sense he was watching, she glanced to the side and their eyes met. He smiled brightly at her, and she grinned back before taking a deep breath and joining Gabriel on stage.

"It is a pleasure to have you here tonight, Miss Ladybug," Gabriel said, all formalities. "Please accept these designs as a token of Paris' appreciation for the work you do."

Doors on either side of the venue opened. From Adrien's left and right, four models, two male and two female, strode with purpose into the room. Both pairs were dressed in designs that were clearly inspired by Ladybug and Chat Noir, the men in black and gold themed shirts and jackets, the women in sexy black and red casual and formal outfits. The models paraded onstage and struck a variety of superhero-like poses (which, for the record, paled in comparison to the real thing).

Adrien himself was speechless; Gabriel never shared his designs with anyone before the unveiling, not even Adrien (unless Adrien was the one doing the modeling, which he'd had to do a couple years previous when one of the male models called in sick). As distant as his father was, the blonde had to admit that he was skilled, and judging by the expression on Ladybug's face, she believed it, too.

She took the microphone when Gabriel offered it to her, and she smiled at the models showcasing the newest designs, who by this point had stopped posing and stood as a pair on either side of where Ladybug was speaking. They smiled back.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Agreste," she said with practiced ease. "But I must correct you when you mentioned the work I do." She turned purposefully to the crowd, the kiss-mussed mess of a girl from only a few minutes ago gone and replaced with the cool and collected Ladybug he'd fallen in love with. "I could never do what I do without the help of my partner and friend, Chat Noir, who unfortunately could not be here tonight. So I will speak for him when I say that we are honored to provide inspiration for such a well-known designer."

Adrien's heart swelled. He wanted to kiss her again. Unfortunately, that would have to wait.

Ladybug returned the microphone and exited the stage as music began to play again, the newfound spring in her step unmistakable. His father was announcing his final thoughts of the evening, something about thanking everyone for coming and looking forward to next season. The night was slowly winding down, and Adrien knew the party would be over soon. His eyes followed Ladybug as she was suddenly swarmed with important people, and by the expression on her face, they were complimenting her dress.

Adrien resisted the urge to barge his way through the fray, grab her hand, and drag her away so they could talk in private. But that would be rude. So he waited until she broke away and located the refreshments table. He wanted to follow her, but would she even look at him? Their secret rooftop rendezvous wasn't exactly a topic of small talk, but Adrien couldn't just stand there. He had to know what that kiss had meant. He'd technically initiated it, but Ladybug was the one who had reciprocated with a kind of ferocity he had never seen in her before. Was it just being in the right place at the right time? Or did she…?

Adrien inhaled deeply, coaxing awake the side of him that currently lay dormant in his mind; the confident, flirtatious, and absolutely hilarious alter ego with whom Ladybug could talk to with ease. Adrien could feel the conviction inflating in his chest, and, with a snickering grin that was every bit Chat Noir, he began to saunter toward the refreshments table, taking advantage of Plagg's seemingly infinite supply of mettle. The awkwardness of their impromptu kiss was still there, but Adrien swallowed it down in favor of a new kind of excitement bubbling in his chest.

"Good evening."

She jumped, nearly spilling her punch. She started to apologize until she saw who it was that had approached, and her sweet smile flatlined slightly into a nervous grin. "Ah, right. Good evening."

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Ladybug seemed to absorb his confidence, her shoulders visibly relaxing. If Adrien looked close enough, he could see slightly darker patches along her collarbone where he'd -

"How about you?" Ladybug asked, and they vacated the refreshments table to loiter by the same pillar Adrien had occupied earlier that evening. "I'm sure these things get pretty boring for you."

"I suppose," Adrien mused, nursing his own punch. This was it… this was his moment, now or never! "I prefer garden parties, though. The band really turnips the beet."

Ladybug went still next to him, and Adrien's brain went off at a hundred kilometers a second. Some rampant thoughts planned his funeral, and others beat themselves up for something as unoriginal as turnip the beet.

"Did you just…"

Adrien didn't respond, instead meeting Ladybug's incredulous gaze. They stared at each other for a moment before Ladybug suddenly began to laugh, her eyes squinting slightly and mouth open in a pure grin.

Adrien cocked his head, unused to this reaction from his Lady when it came to puns, Chat Noir's or otherwise. "My L-Ladybug?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Adr-Mr. Agreste," Ladybug giggled, fortunately not catching his slip up. "You just never struck me as the punny type."

Was that a challenge? Adrien thought it was. His heart ached at the thought that she preferred Adrien's jokes over Chat Noir's, but he took it in stride. He'd take it where he could get it. Adrien opened his mouth with a smirk, prepared to unleash possibly the best string of puns he could retrieve from his stock he kept in a special part of his brain for reference, but he was suddenly interrupted by a voice through a microphone.

"And now for the last dance of the night," the voice called over the loudspeaker, and men and women shuffled onto the dancefloor as the ensemble began to play. Adrien glanced at Ladybug from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction to the announcement. She didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it, watching with an unidentifiable look in her eye that led Adrien to believe she wasn't quite sure whether to join in or not.

Well, luckily, Adrien was still feeding off of Chat Noir's charisma. He plucked her empty punch cup from her hands and discarded it on a passing waiter's tray. When she looked over in surprise, he flashed a gentlemanly smile, holding out his hand, palm up invitingly. "May I have this dance?"

She looked from his face to his hand and back again, a flattered smile pulling at her mouth. "It would be my pleasure," she said, resting her hand gently in his palm.

This contact was different than before. A warm feeling spread from the tips of his fingers and immersed his entire body like he'd just sunk into a warm bath. The way her hand molded perfectly into his like puzzle pieces, her eyes that reflected the chandeliers dangling above their heads. The lights, the sounds, it was all in slow motion as Adrien and Ladybug floated onto the dance floor, eye contact never wavering as they took up positions with her hands on his shoulders and his on her waist. Adrien's skin tingled where she touched him, and whether it was remnants of their kiss or a new sensation, he couldn't tell.

The music swelled, and they began to dance, Ladybug following his lead as they floated across the floor. Adrien couldn't keep his eyes away from her, and apparently she couldn't tear her eyes from his face, either. Their gazes remained locked on one another as they moved, guided by the music as they shuffled, awkwardly at first, along the floor.

They quickly got the hang of it, swaying together in perfect synchronization, working off of each other as easily as if they were fighting an akuma. The gentle click of her heels kept the rhythm of the music, the blood that pounded in his ears in time to the beat. Adrien was vaguely aware that the other dancers were looking curiously their way, but his attention was solely focused on the beautiful girl in front of him.

Adrien wanted to say something, but he didn't trust his voice to work and simply allowed the dance to do the speaking for him. He wanted Ladybug to know exactly what he felt about her even if he wasn't in costume. As if that kiss earlier didn't clue her in or anything.

The song was quickly ending, and there was a question burning the back of Adrien's tongue. But he didn't ask it, not yet. Not when Ladybug's heavenly blue eyes were gazing at him so intensely like that, and her lips looking perfectly kissable.

The song drew to a close, the final notes piercing the air just before the crowd began to applaud the final performance of the night. Ladybug was smiling at him, shifting her weight as if in preparation to move away. He couldn't let her get away, not when they were so close.

"What were you doing on the roof?"

The question fell from his lips, a perfect alternative to the other thing he wanted to do with his lips at that moment. They stood in their final position, neither daring to move lest the spell be shattered. Ladybug was silent, still looking into his eyes, but her expression suggested she was trying to figure out exactly how to answer him. He wasn't sure what her silence meant; if she didn't want to tell him, or he had no place to ask at all.

He was about to retract his question when Ladybug finally seemed to come to a conclusion. She blinked at him, a mysterious half-smile gracing her features. "Since you're so curious, I suppose I could tell you." She stood closer, leaning forward until her lips brushed at his ear. Shivers exploded down his spine. "Hoping you'd follow me."

Adrien had no time to react before Ladybug was suddenly gone, dissolved into the crowd of departing guests. He stared at the spot he had last seen her, his feet rooted to the ground as his muscles forgot how to function. It was only when his father approached that Adrien forced himself to move, straighten his back and smile brightly.

Gabriel Agreste stood with his son as the last of the guests departed. Without warning, the man placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder, prompting the boy to look up surprisingly at his father. "Excellent work entertaining Miss Ladybug tonight, Adrien," Gabriel said, his voice level and controlled, but there was something lurking there, something Adrien couldn't quite place.

In an instant, the weight was gone, and Gabriel was already halfway across the ballroom, Natalie at his side. Adrien stared after his father, heart swelling even further until he thought his chest might burst.

Excellent work.

His gaze returned to the door.

Hoping you'd follow me.

An incredible kiss with Ladybug and undeniable praise from his father. Adrien's face split into a genuine smile, deciding that, just this once, a party didn't have to be so dull after all.

Three cheers for my longest fic yet at almost 6,000 words! Hope ya'll enjoyed!

P.S., there's a part 2 coming soon, and it may even be turned into a multi-chapter fic!