Seven Seconds

Weak in the Knees

Once in the dining room, Adrien couldn't help but get the feeling of déjà vu as he sat down at the table.

It was crazy, and kind of depressing, that the exact same thing happened when Marinette came over for dinner. Ladybug even sat in the same seat. But he couldn't lose focus. He had to pretend that everything was fine, so he pushed those sad thoughts away.

"So, Ladybug," Gabriel started as Nathalie brought out the food. "Tell us a little about yourself."

"Oh well, I can't really say much," she replied, looking down at the plate in front of her to find another fancy meal.

"Come now, I'm going to need to know a little about you. You are dating my son after all."

She blinked at him. "Mr Agreste, you have to understand that this isn't personal. I need to protect my identity from everyone, even you and Adrien."

"Of course I understand. I wouldn't want to put you in danger. That being said, a few minor things won't hurt."

Ladybug glanced over at Adrien, who gave her a weak shrug. "Alright," she said slowly, looking back.

Gabriel almost smiled. "Excellent. So, have you always lived in Paris?"

"Yes, I have," she replied before taking a bite.

"And I assume that you live with your parents and your siblings?"

Thinking of how to answer the question without giving too much away, Ladybug chewed her food meticulously. Then she finally responded. "I live with my family."

A pause. "Do you and your family live close to here?"

"Every place in Paris is close when you have a magical yo-yo to transport you."

Gabriel's eye twitched. This was quickly getting them nowhere. "And how does Chat Noir feel about you dating Adrien?" he asked, trying for another angle. "It's no secret that he's quite enraptured by you."

Ladybug almost smiled. That was a convenient opening for what she really wanted to talk about. "He's taken the news rather well. Of course, I explained to him that it's not a real relationship. He understands that I'm just trying to help you out." She shook her head. "He's actually reacted a lot better than everyone else."

"Everyone else?" Adrien asked, going along with the plan.

"Well, not everyone else," Ladybug clarified. "Just a few people."

"Just a few people... what?" Gabriel asked, taking the bait.

She shrugged. "Just a few people seem... upset about the fact that I'm not dating Chat Noir. Apparently there are a lot of Ladynoir shippers out there."

A blank expression. "Ladynoir shippers?"

"Yeah, like people who want Chat Noir and I to date each other. They combine the names Ladybug and Chat Noir into one name. Ladynoir. And they're shippers because they want us in a relationship. Get it?"

"I suppose so," he murmured.

"Anyway," Ladybug continued. "I've gotten quite a few comments about it. Some even went so far as to blame Adrien."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "They blame Adrien?" he asked.

"I know, I couldn't believe it either. There's a lot of emotions running high right now about the whole situation. But please don't worry, I'm sure no one will try to do anything to Adrien or anything like that." After speaking, Ladybug looked back at her plate but eagerly awaited Gabriel's reaction.