Tell Me Why You Love Me

Little Lady on a Roof

Chat Noir: Why hello, M'lady

Chat Noir: It's been a week since the last attack with the shapeshifting guy, do you want to go out for patrol tmrw night?

Chat Noir: ...

Chat Noir: hellooooo

Chat Noir: I guesssss I'll just be a lil kitty alone on a roofff

M'lady: Ah, sorry Chat

M'lady: I've had a lot on my plate

M'lady: Um yeah we can go tmrw night

Chat Noir: Everything okay, LB?

Chat Noir: You seem pretty unsure

M'lady: Yeah I'm fine. We can do tmrw night

Chat Noir: Sound purr-fect, love^^

"So let me get this straight," Nino said, leaning in towards Adrien at their table in the cafe. "For the past six years, every time that you've randomly disappeared in the middle of the attack and Chat came, that was you?"

Adrien nodded.

"And every time you were late to class or left class for a really long bathroom break, that was you actually leaving to fight the akuma?"

"Precisely."

"Huh," Nino said as he clicked his tongue and leaned back on his chair. "I thought you were just really weird or had bowel issues."

Adrien laughed. "No, no. Just... regular issues, I guess?"

Nino smiled, tapping the handle of his latte with his fingertips. "I'm just... I don't know. I know why you didn't tell me, but I can't help but be just a tiny bit sad that it took me this long to find out."

He pressed lips together with a slight nod in understanding. Adrien figured Nino would say something along those lines. After all, within months of Nino becoming Carapace, he spilled it to Adrien. "I'm sorry, dude. I really wanted to, trust me," Adrien said. "I didn't want to put anyone in any danger. I mean, not even Ladybug knows it's me."

"I know, I know. I don't hate you for it, obviously. If anything, I'm more upset that I didn't figure it out on my own. I mean, you're my best friend. How did I not figure it out?"

"I personally think you should be more impressed with my skills of hiding my double life for so long," Adrien joked, causing Nino to roll his eyes with a slight smirk.

"Oh, shush. You just got lucky."

"Mmmh," Adrien hummed as he took a sip of his coffee. "Pretty sure that's my partner's thing."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about her."

Ah, right. The 'Elle' thing slipped Adrien's mind. He was definitely not ready for that conversation with Nino. He wasn't even totally sure how to explain it. "What is it?"

"So," he started, "I have some questions about Ladybug. I mean, you've been in love with her for, like...ever. First off, are you guys dating or what?"

Adrien stiffened, surprised at how forward Nino was. "Oh. Uh, I mean kinda yeah? We're still, er figuring things out since we can't know each other's identities quite yet."

"What's stopping you guys?"

"Hm?"

Nino shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like there isn't much stopping you two from revealing yourself to each other. None of you have ever been akumatized for the entirety of the time Monarch had made himself known. And it seems odd that the first real relationship you get into, you don't even know her actual name."