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Adrien sighed, staring up at his ceiling. He was painfully bored. There was nothing left scheduled for him, yet his father didn't allow him to make plans with his friends. It was too early to sleep, yet too late to try and spontaneously schedule a joined patrol with Ladybug. She was busy with her Guardian duties, he knew, but he missed her.
Over the last few weeks, he'd seen her more while being a civilian than when he was Chat Noir. Just like he'd found a great friendship with Marinette while he was Chat Noir, it seemed Ladybug had with him. It was nice to see her more often, but hard to act like he didn't know her that well or that he wasn't totally head-over-heels in love with her.
As though he'd summoned her with his thoughts, he heard a light tap on his window and found her waving from outside. She looked ethereal with the sunsetting behind her, her midnight hair swaying in the evening breeze. Adrien scrambled over to her, opening the window and letting her in. Her blue bell eyes tentatively met his as she handed him a red rose.
He took it from her gingerly, his heart pounding. Did she know what red roses meant? Did she understand how much that would mean to him? Or was he being too hopeful? He was a giant hopeless romantic, after all.
His eyes locked with her blue, blue stare, blue like an ocean he was sure to drown in. Her cheeks were pink. Or maybe it as just the warm lighting as the sun slowly faded away, leaving pink and orange clouds behind.
"I, um, have a surprise for you," Ladybug told him, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her hands were fidgeting as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Was she really nervous around him?
"What's the surprise?" She giggled at that, making him grin, probably like a lovesick fool. He loved making her laugh, even if it was just a little.
"I can't tell you or it'll ruin the surprise, silly." She held out her hand as she stood on the window sill, her yo-yo attached to something up above. "So, do you want to see it?" She grinned at him, confident, teasing, yet a little nervous. She was going to be the death of him. He set down his rose on his desk before he took her hand, cheeks heating up as she wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close.
It seemed as though as soon he'd been in her embrace, he was out of it, with his feet on the roof of the mansion. A few feet away from him were lanterns that light up a pillow fort. The pillows were all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes, a few fuzzy blankets near them, along with a laptop and a clear container of pastries. Adrien gasped at the sight of it all, the urge to tightly hug Ladybug almost too strong to resist.
"Do you like it?" Ladybug asked. "I thought that maybe a movie night would be fun."
Adrien turned his attention to her and nodded enthusiastically, having been rendered speechless by the surprise. The set-up was beautiful and must've taken a lot of work. With the stars and the moon creating a stunning backdrop, Adrien could almost call it romantic. But he knew it was just a friendly—and much appreciated— gesture.
She beamed at him before hurrying to sit down on the blankets and pull one over her. She patted the space beside her and he eagerly sat next to her. She handed him the pastries as she grabbed the laptop, opening it up to a Netflix account. "So, what movie do you want to watch?"
Adrien took a pastry, then passed the pastries to her so she could take her pick. "What do you recommend? I'm a romcom or anime type of guy."
Ladybug smiled, "I know just the romcom to watch." She exited out of Netflix and went into Disney+, pulling up a film from the 1980s titled, “The Princess Bride.”
”What’s that?” Adrien asked, trying to read the summary. He’d never heard of the movie or watched it, but it said it was based off a book. He probably hadn’t ever heard of it because his father didn’t deem it a necessary read.
Ladybug gasped, aghast. “You’ve never watched this iconic movie?” He didn’t understand why that would be so offensive as he shook his head. Nodding solemnly she said, “Well, tonight we’re going to fix that. You’ll thank me later for introducing you to this wonderful movie.” She threw in a playful wink and Adrien felt his soul leave his body.
Ladybug winked at him. Playfully. He must’ve died and gone to heaven. As his cheeks hurt from how warm they felt, Adrien noticed Ladybug was pointedly looking away from him, a bright red peeking from beneath her mask. Surely he wasn’t imagining things again, right? He hoped that was the case.
Ladybug pressed play, settling in more comfortably. As they sat there, the stars shining above them, blankets, pillows, and laughter warming them, Adrien decided that there couldn't be a better surprise than that.
It was a little over two hours later that Ladybug set him back down in his room, after he’d insisted to help her fold all the blankets. He wasn’t very good at folding them, but she assured him he’d been of help. The movie had been great; he loved the witty humor, sarcasm, and the romance. Ladybug had said it was obvious that Westley was the so-called Dread Pirate Roberts. (“It’s so unrealistic! He has the same eyes, voice, and body type. How did she not figure it out?” She’d said. Adrien had thought it was ironic that she said that when she didn’t realize he was Chat Noir. But then again, there was quantum masking and magic involved.)
Standing in his room, twisting the red rose in his fingers, Adrien sighed happily. He’d enjoyed the night he’d spent with his Lady very much. He only hoped there’d be more surprises like that in the future. When he finally went to sleep that night, Adrien dreamt of red roses and movie dates under the stars with Ladybug.