#superbug

He knew that the pages between her notes were filled with other kinds of art. He'd spotted clothing designs—everything from formal gowns and casual day-to-day styles, as well as hero mock-ups. But she hadn't shown him those. He had seen them by accident and felt guilty about seeing her work uninvited. He kept hoping he could find a way to ask if she could come up with something for him, or if she already had.

Since a handful of the Miraculous users had joined the heroes in the watchtower, Ladybug had stood out—quick to come up with a plan, even quicker to improvise if something went awry. Smart, but not pushy. Oh, she stood up for herself and her ideas if she thought it made sense, but she stood down if another plan seemed more viable, or if she had been missing useful information.

Superboy had become quickly enamored. He had struck up quick friendships with Ladybug, Carapace, Rena Furtive, and Chat Noir. The new members of the Justice League seemed to fit in quickly, and he had quickly added their heartbeats to his catalog of people to watch out for.

Batman called Red Robin up to go over plans for an upcoming event. Superboy glanced over at Ladybug again; her heart rate had slowed a little. She was twirling her pen between her fingers in a mesmerizing display, right up until her eyes drifted across him. The pen went flying from her fingers. He dashed across the room to catch it before it hit the ground.

He offered her the pen. "You okay?"

She nodded. But her heartbeat sped up, giving away her anxiety. He offered her a smile; she shouldn't feel worried about dropping (or even throwing) a pen. There had been a lot more intense incidents during these meetings in the past. The amount of drama that came from the bats alone…

"Take your seat, Superboy. Let's get this over with, shall we?" Batman's irritated voice startled Jon into leaping back into his seat across the table in one smooth motion.

"No flying in the conference room!"

"I didn't fly! That was barely a jump." Superboy insisted, but he didn't really mind the reprimand. Ladybug's heart had slowed a little, and he heard her giggle behind her notebook. Hopefully, he had helped to take her mind off whatever was affecting her.

She was fine on missions. Focused. Clever to the point of casual wittiness—though not prone to punning or clowning around like Chat—she was funny in a way that kept the team from panicking when they had to switch things up on the fly. it was the in-between times, when they weren't working, often when they were all in close quarters, that Ladybug seemed nervous, or scared. Possibly attracted to someone. Jon couldn't tell what emotion drove her sometimes erratic heart, but he was worried about her…and worried about the why.

Had someone said something to offend her? Bruce could be a jerk, if he'd said something to scare her…Jon wasn't sure what he'd do, but he'd help if he could.

For the time being, he watched, listened, and waited. They were friends. Surely if there was something wrong, she would mention it eventually.

Weeks went by. Jon's concern increased as long as Ladybug's heart continued to act oddly. When she wasn't on the watchtower, she seemed fine. He tried not to pry into the civilian lives of the heroes who hadn't revealed themselves, but that didn't stop him from keeping tabs on their health.

Eventually, he knew he needed to act. To tell her that he knew…something. That he cared and would help her if she needed it. He would take on the whole Justice League on her behalf if necessary. He caught her after a team meeting. The conference room was a safe spot to talk, warded against super hearing and free of security cameras.

He waited until the room was dismissed.

"Hey, Ladybug. Wait up!"

Ladybug paused while the rest of the League filed around them. Her heart rate spiked as Batman brushed past her as he left last. Superboy barely refrained from questioning him then and there. If he had scared her…

She turned to face him with a smile.

"Superboy. Hi. Heeey." She buried her face in her hands for a second before meeting his eyes again. "What's up?"

"I have a confession to make."

Her eyes grew wide, panicked. "A confession?"

"Yeah. I-uh. I have this habit of listening to the heartbeats of people I know, to make sure they're okay…and I know everyone's on the team—it's useful in dangerous situations."

"Okay?" Her hand drifted to rest over her heart, and he could barely concentrate with the way it seemed to be about to beat out of her chest.

Jon knew he wasn't as intimidating as Damian or as threatening as Jason, but he was capable, and he wanted to help, if he could.

"I noticed that you seem…distressed when in close confines with the Justice League members. I just wanted you to know that if anyone is bothering you, or if someone scared you…I'd help you out. You can tell me who—"

"It's you!" Ladybug blurted, clapping her hands over her mouth. Jon felt horrified. What had he done to—?

"Me?" His heart sank in his chest. He absently wondered if his dad was worried about him the way he had been worried about Ladybug.

"No! I mean, I'm not scared of you. You're great. I'm just kind of in love with you. I know it's stupid. I don't even know your name…and I swore I wouldn't date in the mask. But my heart has never been good at listening to me."

Jon couldn't help it. He smiled. She liked—loved—him?

"Jon. My name is Jon Kent, and I'm really glad you aren't scared of me, because I can't get you out of my head."

Her mouth went slack for a second before she gripped his hand. "Wait, what?"

He stared at her hand on his before answering. "I've been dying to ask you out, but I was scared you wouldn't be interested in me."

Suddenly, all the reasons he knew he wasn't good enough for her tumbled out of his mouth. "I don't speak French, my handwriting is terrible, and outside of being Superboy, I'm just sort of following in my parents' footsteps—I've never had an original idea about what to do with my life. You're a genius who designs the most incredible things! You make old things better. You're so smart, Ladybug—"

She stopped him with a word.

"Marinette." Her blue eyes looked so open, so vulnerable, her heart was like a hummingbird's wings, thrumming wildly, but this time, he heard it right. She liked him. Enough to reveal her real name.

He reverently cupped her cheek with his free hand. "Marinette."

She smiled, catching her bottom lip with her teeth as she nodded. Jon listened to the way her heart slowed a little, finding a steady beat that said she trusted him.

"Will you go out with me?"

"Yes."