When I got home, I was still thrilled from the encounter. Adrien Agreste had saved me from a creepy date! Although it really did make me question what was going on with Nathanaël. He'd never been so forward in any of my encounters with him. Pushing that aside, I thought instead of Adrien. He seemed so vicious towards Nathanaël! I probably should've questioned this instead of reveled in it, but Adrien seemed genuinely jealous! Although I chalked it down to wishful thinking, I still let out a quiet squeal before collapsing onto my chair, limbs flailing excitedly.

Continuing to think of when Adrien intervened, I shuddered at Nathanaël calling me babe. And his arm around my waist! Yuck! That was a name and move reserved for my one and only, Adrien. And then I scooted straight into Adrien! Oh how foolish! But he seemed so understanding when I squished against him, feeling his warmth penetrate my clothing. A blush spread across my face as I recalled the feeling of muscles under his shirt. And then we held hands! Well, he helped me out of my seat, which was very considerate and gentlemanly, but it still counted. But Nathanaël was such a creep! I shivered again, standing and jumping from foot to foot, as though something disgusting was on the floor. But then Adrien was so protective! Rescuing Marinette, he called it! I swooned, tipping into my bed.

His arm around my shoulder! Contrary to my usual encounters with him, I believe I handled the situation well. And he even asked to come to my house and meet my parents-again! Well, not exactly, but who's keeping track? Obviously, in order to keep from embarrassment, I needed to avoid the situation at all costs. But then I patted his shoulder. I patted it! How childish! Although he did pat my hand back in reaction, which I did not regret, not one bit. 

Oh his cat! It was marvelous - all black with green eyes. Un petit chat noir. Although he reminded me of that frivolous Chat Noir. Which made me wonder my feelings towards the feline. Meeting him sent shivers down my spine - although in a good way. I could even become a believer of the common "love at first sight". But he had killed that feeling with malicious violence with his simplest of remarks. Although I will admit that I did feel the slightest surge of butterflies with him, despite the joke. By the end of the night, I was surprised to not be tripping and tumbling over my words like no tomorrow. So I will begrudgingly admit to feeling the slightest of feelings towards this crazy stray.

My phone buzzed, interrupting my mental honesty. I looked at it, finding nothing on the screen. I stared at it, confused, before remembering where I had met Chat. I dug through the clutch I'd carried yesterday, finding the phone, under a lip gloss and various other beauty products. I swiped across the screen to look at the text.

[ Meet each other somewhere nice. How about the park? Eiffel Tower? Then choose your challenge together. Pick a casual outfit for just hanging out. Wear your mask, and don't feel self-conscious. You're likely to meet other people within the challenge, but do not stray from your task. Have a nice night, 31 Day Challenge Committee. -- This is an automated message. Please do not respond. -- ]

I stared at the screen for a second, tapping it when it dimmed from inactivity. How was I supposed to contact Chat again? We hadn't exchanged numbers. I exited to the home screen, search for and finding the contacts application. It loaded up quickly, and I found Chat's number, already registered for me. My finger tapped on the picture, dashing and Chat in all his glory. His mouth was hooked to one side in a smirk, and one eye was closed in a wink. His suit was the same from last night, which led me to assume that the images taken from the previous evening had been immediately uploaded to the phones. My finger hesitated over the little speech bubble to send a text message. I was about to hit it when a notification appeared at the top of my screen. I tapped it, and I was transported to the messaging app.

[ Hello, M'lady. ]

Simple. Two and a half words. Yet my heart sped up, unsure how to respond. Say hi, you dummy! I thought.

[ Hello, Chat Noir. ]

[ Hi ]

[ As we've established ]

I was impressed with my clever response, although it wasn't anything special.

[ That's besides the point, M'lady. ]

[ Is it really, though? ]

[ Yes ]

[ Yes ]

[ I was trying to keep the conversation flowing ]

[ I can tell ]

[ Talking through text isn't as... real... as talking in person ]

[ And not nearly as awkward ]

I laughed aloud. It wasn't really funny, just really true. 

[ Well then, we ought to meet in person ]

I suggested.

[ Yes! ]

Before I had the chance to respond, a new message appeared.

[ I prefer somewhere romantic, to fit our needs ]

It was accompanied by a winking emoji, and I sent one in return, this one rolling it's eyes. 

[ What needs would that be, cat? ]

[ If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. ]

[ Fair enough. ]

[ Is that a yes ]

[ Now that you point out my mistake, it is a no. ]

[ Dang ]

[ So where are we going? ]

[ Where would you like to go? The Eiffel tower will be crowded. ]

[ The Louvre? ]

[ Crowds. Not the park either, that'd be too full of people. ]

[ I gathered. Any suggestions? ]

[ Um... ]

[ Hey! ]

[ Yes? ]

[I know this great bakery ]

No. We were not going to a bakery. I spend every day of my life there.

[ No ]

[ Dupain-Cheng sweets or something ]

[ Wait why ]

[ Uh... who hangs out at a bakery.... (?) ]

[ Tru, tru. ]

An idea struck me then.

[ Let's take a walk. I'll meet you on love lock bridge. (Don't get comfy there - we'll leave it faster than you can think about putting a lock on it.) ]

[ But ]

[ ok fine. No locks. I'll see you then. ]

[ Wait when ]

[ Now? ]

[ The sooner, the better, Bugaboo ]

[ Shush. See you in twenty-ish. ]

[ Ok, M'lady. ]

I shook my head at the the messages, a smile blossoming on my face. I picked clothes that were sensible for the weather, a sweater and some thick skinny jeans, before jumping into a pile of discarded clothes. I hunted for my lucky scarf, coming up victorious.

I wrapped it around my neck, cherishing it's warmth. Pulling out my Ladybug mask, I examined myself in the mirror. Perfect? No. Close enough. I pushed the mask up my nose, squishing the material to my face. Good enough. The last part was the toughest. To pigtail, or to not pigtail? I reasoned that it was cold, an leaving my hair open would keep from making me become too cold too fast. I tugged the ribbons from hair, letting them land on my vanity. I ran a brush through my blue-ish tangles before pulling a knitted red toque over top.

[ Leaving the house in moment. ]

I typed excitedly, feeling myself grow giddy at meeting my mysterious-masked partner again. "Mom, I'm heading out. I'll be back before two." I called, pushing the front door open.

"Alright. Two more late curfews, and you're grounded for the amount you're over. One hour is one day!" Mom called back as I shut the door. I skipped down the stairs, my pouch gently bouncing against my thigh.

[ I'm almost there. See you in a minute. ]

The message that sent my phone into a frenzied buzz ended with a winking emoji.

[ Just got outside, so go slow. See you in a bit, Chat. ]

My own message ended in a smiling face, devoid of the dreaded blushes that usually adorned the little face. Even though I had told Chat to go slow, I myself rushed to the scene of of our meeting. I was surprised to find the bridge only dotted with a few people, only a fraction of them wearing masks.

At first I couldn't find Chat. I stood on my tip-toes, searching for the familiar mess of blonde locks. I was about to give up when I was approached from behind, hands landing on my waist. I shivered, despite the warmth that suddenly surrounded me. "Chat Noir." I greeted.

"M'Ladybug," Chat said, and I turned around, pulling his hands from my torso.

"Not so fast, buster." I said, shaking a finger at him.

"Buster?" Chat raised an eyebrow at me, and I blushed under his gaze.

"Yes." I said.

"Okay then.... Shall we?" Chat held his arm to me and I took it, looking down, my face warm with a blush.

"We shall." I smiled, involuntarily pulling closer to Chat's warmth.