The hazards of being a bakers daughter# adrianette & ladynoir

Convincing myself

"Alright, ready for the last leg?"

Adrien turned as Ladybug stepped up to his side. "Ready when you are, My Lady."

She flashed him a quick smile before launching herself across the gap to the house next door, nearly dragging his heart clean out of his chest along with her. He shook his head to clear his mind before following suit.

Adrien scanned the shadows below as they continued on their way, but he hadn't been lying when he said things were quiet. Soon enough, he found himself glancing at her again. Truthfully, a part of him knew that he should just let it go. Ladybug had been adamant from the start that they keep their identities a secret. It was useless to spend so much time making wild speculations—

Adrien's foot slipped and he pitched forward, stomach dropping as he realized with a jolt that he was falling. He managed to spin in an attempt to right himself, but he had forgotten to factor in the the slick rooftop. The momentum of his spin took him too far—and right to the edge of the roof. He windmilled his arms as he teetered over the precipice, the shadows of the open ground below yawning wide.

"Chat!"

Ladybug's yoyo wrapped painfully tight around his torso, yanking him gracelessly back onto the roof. Taken off guard by the abrupt force, Chat thudded to his hands and knees.

"Are you okay!?" Ladybug asked, voice thick with worry as she knelt next to him.

"Yeah, just a puddle," Adrien assured her breathlessly, trying to hide a wince. He was fairly certain he was going to have a ring of bruises around his chest in the morning. Not that he minded—she had likely saved his life.

He pushed himself back up to standing, both amused and flattered that Ladybug was hovering even closer to him than she had accused him of earlier. Though he hated to admit it, being this close to her made his heart race. He even caught a slight whiff of her scent, which he had only ever smelled when they were in close quarters: the slight tang of cherry lip balm and—freshly baked bread.

Adrien's heart froze, and he suddenly forgot how to breath. God, how could he have forgotten? But it was such a little thing—a small tidbit of information that he had filed away in the back of his mind about her: she had always smelled like bread.

It had meant nothing before. There were plenty of people who made homemade bread everyday. But—

"You know, you're right," Ladybug told him, watching him closely. He could see the concern in her eyes. "We're nearly done—why don't we call it a night?"

"Yeah," Adrien replied slowly, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, that sounds good."

She hesitated, then added, "Will you... are you going to be okay going home alone?"

It was obvious how nervous the unspoken offer made her. Even with his mind racing, Adrien's heart nearly burst with appreciation at her asking. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I'll just take the streets like a normal person should."

"If you're sure..." she said, but already he could sense the relief in her shoulders.

"Yes," he told her, managing a wry grin. "You just be careful yourself, okay?"

She chuckled. "Alright. See you Friday?"

"Friday," he confirmed.

Even so, she watched him as he carefully picked his way to the edge of the roof and crawled down. It wasn't until his feet were both firmly planted on the pavement that she turned and headed off herself.

Adrien watched her swing down the street, heart hammering as he realized that she was heading East. In the same direction as the school. And the Dupain Bakery.

Paris is huge, he told himself. There are thousands of houses and apartments to the East. Somehow, he wasn't quite able to convince himself.

Another chapter out of the way
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