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His boots dragged against the rooftop’s surface, occasionally catching on a loose shingle or rough spot. Despite the toes of his suit stumbling against these roadblocks, he kept walking forward towards an unknown destination.
Chat’s ears flicked at the sound of distant laughter emanating from down below, where Paris’s nightlife was in full swing. The city of love never slept, after all, and the partygoers sounded like college students well on their way to the bars.
His eyes lifted slightly to look at the moon. He guessed it was around two in the morning.
Another loud guffaw caused him to pause, to admire the group of friends passing below. There were three boys and four girls, all dressed as though they’d meticulously picked outfits around six hours ago but were now appropriately mussed from their night’s activities. Two of the girls were supporting each other as they walked, giggling, and the source of the loud laughter was one of the boys. Another boy had jumped on his back and he was now giving his friend a piggyback ride.
Their flushed cheeks and wide smiles fit right in with the twinkling of the streetlamps above them and below Chat. Clumsily, one of the girls tried to take a selfie, and the entire group squished close together in a futile attempt to fit everyone in the shot.
Chat watched as they continued on their merry trek home, the sounds of their laughter and chatter slowly fading as they rounded a corner and vanished. He was left alone with the streetlamps, mocking him in their absence.
It was only then that Chat realized how exhausted he was, once the thoughts of the friend group disappearing faded away. His legs were sore and trembling slightly, and his head swam, full of intrusive thoughts and a forming headache.
Giving into his body’s pressing demands, he moved to the next roof and sat down. He’d been walking and leaping among the rooftops for hours. He wasn’t sure when he’d left Ladybug, but it hadn’t been that late when they’d met for patrol.
He spotted her (heh) standing against their usual place on the Eiffel Tower, leaning one hand against the bars zigzagging their way around her. From where she stood, the glow from Paris below reflected off her face, illuminating her beauty for the world to see. But no one else could see her. Just him.
Chat took a moment to revel in that fact, as selfish as it was.
“Chat? Is that you?” Ladybug turned, her eyes still wonderfully bright even in the dark. The beginnings of a smirk were playing at the corners of her mouth. “I hope you weren’t trying to sneak up on me again.”
“Me?” He feigned offense, dropping down beside her and offering a sweeping bow. “I’d never sneak up on a lady! I am the purr-fect gentleman.”
“Sure you are.” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, but she was smiling, and Chat counted that as a win. “I almost thought you were gonna be late. I don’t usually get here before you.”
Chat agreed with her. His photoshoot had run a bit longer than normal today, and he’d had to scramble to meet up for patrol on time. It may have cost him a few frowns, but it was worth it. She was always worth it. He treasured these stolen moments; their brief time together when no one was watching and they weren’t fighting. Time with Ladybug was precious--the most precious thing in the world to him.
“Are you even listening to me?” His partner’s words cut through his inner musings, and Chat struggled to look properly abashed, even though she looked cute when she was exasperated.
“Sorry, my lady. Just thinking about how stunning you look tonight.” It wasn’t a total lie. Chat decided to be daring and reach to take her hand to kiss the back of it. She didn’t pull away, just raising an eyebrow at him.
“You say that every patrol,” she gave in, releasing her hand from his grasp and waving him off. “Anyway, everything’s pretty quiet tonight. Honestly, we should be at home getting rest. I know I don’t usually say this, but why don’t we skip patrol for tonight?”
Slight panic wormed its way into Chat’s throat. It wasn’t the patrol he’d come for. “Wait, Bugaboo--if you don’t want to patrol--” he grappled for an excuse. “We shouldn’t waste a transformation, at least. Can’t we just hang out for a while? My kwami is always grumpy if I don’t at least do something while wearing the bell.”
Ladybug looked thoughtful for a moment, then reached forward to flick the aforementioned bell. “Well...alright. You do have a point.” Her face relaxed into a smile. “And it’d be nice to hang out a bit.”
Affection squeezed around Chat’s heart, and he beamed back at her. How was it that something as simple as that made his chest fill with warmth and his stomach with butterflies?
The pair sat side by side, Ladybug leaning back on her palms and swinging her legs while Chat rested his hands on his thighs and hunched forward slightly to spy on the people far below. Even though he knew they couldn’t see them, he wondered if they could sense the heroes sitting there.
He glanced at the heroine beside him. Ladybug’s presence was hard to miss, after all.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Something on my face?” Ladybug’s tone was teasing, giving him a half smirk as he chuckled.
“No, no, just wondering how I got so lucky to spend time with you like this,” he answered, surprisingly truthfully. “You just make everything feel so much better.”
Red grew from where her mask met her skin, matching the color of her suit quite nicely. Chat was delighted.
She coughed and turned away, but he could see the blush spreading to her ears. “Oh, quiet. Flattery will get you nowhere.”
He did laugh outright at that. Ladybug didn’t like to be flustered, but it sparked a hope deep within him at the fact he could fluster her. Even if it was just a little.
They talked about everything and nothing, as often their conversations went. They couldn’t talk about anything revealing, but the conversations they did have tended to lean into deeper territory. There was just something about the mask that made it easier to speak freely.
“You did not,” Ladybug gasped, barely containing her laughter.
“Cat’s honor,” Chat swore, crossing his heart for good measure. “And before she could realize the milk was gone, one of her cats caught me and I got a good scratch for my trouble.”
Ladybug threw her head back and laughed, wrapping her arms around herself. “You’re so ridiculous! The catsuit doesn’t make you a cat, you know!”
Chat feigned ignorance. “What? That’s just im-paws-ible!”
They both laughed together then, Ladybug wiping her eyes. He’d gotten better at making her laugh over the time they’d been partners, and her laugh was just as lovely to hear this time as the first.
As they quieted down, Ladybug said offhandedly: “I don’t know if cats love or hate you. They don’t usually form that strong of an opinion right away, do they? In fact, the only person I know who cats seem to really like is…”
Her voice trailed off, taking on a slightly higher credence as she ended the sentence: “Someone I know.”
Chat’s curiosity was piqued. Ladybug wasn’t quite looking at him anymore, apparently lost in thought about this mystery person. He nudged her. “Who’s that?”
Her teeth caught her lower lip as she hesitated. His smile slowly slipped until a look of slight confusion hung there instead. “My lady?”
“It’s, well…” her eyes stared at her hands. “The boy I like…”
Chat shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. He knew what happened next, after all, that conversation had taken place mere hours ago. What-ifs and regrets had already been hounding him all night. He didn’t need to keep reliving it.
Standing once again despite his protesting legs, he hopped down from the roof he’d been stewing on and walked freely down the streets. People weren’t wandering into this part of town, as it was full of residences and daytime businesses. Anyone up at this hour would be headed to the nightlife districts.
As such, he was free to walk around without anyone seeing him. He passed by his own school, eyeing it for a moment. He had a test tomorrow. At the moment, though, he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.
He paused at the steps leading up to the front entrance. This school looked so bright and fun during the day, but right now it just looked lonely and empty. Chat could sympathize.
Sighing, he was turning away when he heard a faint noise. He paused.
There it was again. His ears flicked forwards. A cooing noise. A girl’s voice?
He moved forward, blending in with the shadows as he made his way towards the source of the noise. Chat didn’t usually investigate every noise he heard, but it was out of place amongst the empty alleyways.
Peering around a corner, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
A girl was hunched over, squatting on the ground beside a dumpster. She had medium-length dark hair and wore pink sweatpants, but he could only see the back of her from his vantage point.
“C’mon,” she was saying softly, “I won’t hurt you. It’s okay.”
Chat edged forward, his curiosity piqued. What was she doing?
She started, yelping as she fell backwards on her rear and whipped her head around to look at him with wide eyes. Chat winced. Did I say that out loud?
“C-Chat Noir?” The girl stammered, and as Chat focused, he suddenly realized it was Marinette. How hadn’t he recognized her sooner? Perhaps it was the hair. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her without her signature pigtails.
“Hey, Marinette.” The familiarity wafted out before he could stop it. Marinette was just always so comfortable to be around. She was a good person, and he trusted her, even as his superhero persona. “Sorry I scared you. I was just wondering what the noise was. What are you doing up at this hour?”
Marinette had apparently recollected herself, standing up and dusting herself off. “I heard a cat meowing out here from my room. There’s this stray that’s been hanging around lately, and he has an injury. I was hoping to lure him out to take care of him…”
They both turned to look at the dumpster, where a pair of reflective eyes were staring back at them.
“Anyway…” Marinette’s tone turned his attention back to her. Concern was flickering in her eyes. “I could ask you the same thing. It’s late, even for superheroes, isn’t it?”
Chat grinned guiltily, but it fell flat. “Yes, I suppose so. I just…” he tried to think of something, but his brain was too tired. “...couldn’t sleep.”
Marinette seemed to accept that, thankfully, and she sighed, turning back to the dumpster and putting her hands on her hips. “You can’t stay under there forever,” she told the cat. “You’re hurt. Poor thing.”
Chat squatted down, and held out a hand, palm up. He met the cat’s stare. “It’s alright,” he purred in his throat, his tone low and calm. “Everything’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”
There were a few beats of silence, the only noise Marinette’s soft breathing. Finally, the cat inched forward, tentatively sniffing his hand. It blinked slowly, then purred brokenly, rubbing its head against his ankle.
Chat scooped it up gently as Marinette gaped at him. “How’d you do that? We’ve been trying to trap that cat for ages!”
He glanced down at the purring feline, petting behind its ears. The cat was a cute, scruffy calico, its yellow eyes tired but bright. “You don’t trap cats. You have to offer friendship and to listen and respect their boundaries. That’s the only way they’ll trust you. You have to earn their respect.”
Marinette appeared to mull this over while Chat inspected his new friend. Sure enough, its back leg was injured. The poor thing mewled pitifully.
He turned to look at his classmate. She was staring at the cat, her eyes far away. Blinking, she looked up at him with an impossible to read expression. “Can I try?”
“To do what?”
“Befriend the cat.”
Chat smiled and nodded encouragingly. “He’s a boy, I think.”
Marinette chuckled, slowly reaching her hand towards the cat. He eyed her warily, despite still purring in Chat’s embrace. She pulled back a little, and at Chat’s nod, extended her hand again.
“I’m sorry I tried to trap you,” she said softly. “I only want to help. Can we be friends?”
After several seconds of deliberation, the cat moved its head to sniff her fingers. She giggled as his wet nose bumped against her hand gently. The cat meowed.
Chat moved to transfer the cat from his arms to Marinette’s. The cat moved slowly, but accepted Marinette’s hug as she petted him happily. “Oh, he’s precious.”
Chat smirked. “Cats are purr-etty great, after all.”
Marinette laughed lightly, and they took a moment to admire the now-purring feline lounging in Marinette’s arms.
“What’s his name?” Marinette asked.
“What’s his name?” Chat asked, his throat suddenly very dry. He didn’t know where that question came from, but it tore out unbidden. It was like a scratch he couldn’t quite reach: annoying and persistent.
Ladybug finally met his gaze, her lips pressed together. “Chat, we shouldn’t--”
“Knowing who your crush is doesn’t reveal you,” he insisted. “Especially if he doesn’t know. What are the odds I’ll know him, anyway?”
“Pretty high, actually,” she muttered, her face dark. “He’s famous.”
Anger and jealousy coursed through his veins at that admittance, but he shoved it aside in his quest for his answer. “All the better, then. Tons of people probably like him, so just tell me.”
Ladybug hesitated. He could practically see her inner turmoil. She was tired of his questions and just wanted to give in, but her own need for absolute secrecy was warring with that.
He was about to reign himself in and apologize for being so insistent when she spoke quietly: “Adrien Agreste.”
His whole world tilted sideways and his stomach flipped on itself. “What?”
“My crush. It’s Adrien Agreste, the model. You know, from the Gabriel fashion line?”
Her voice sounded far away. He could barely think over the rushing in his own head. His brain was desperately trying to reconcile the fact that Ladybug’s crush wasn’t someone else, it was him, his own self, and she liked him--
A chill fell over him, dousing him with reality. “You like Adrien Agreste?”
Ladybug still seemed embarrassed, but she nodded, her ears red. “I do. He’s perfect.”
He’s perfect.
“Perfect,” he repeated, several emotions battling inside of him. He should be happy. He should be cheering. The love of his life loved him. Right?
“Chat?” She sounded uncertain. “Are you okay?”
He stood, resolutely trying to avoid her gaze. “Fine, m’lady.” Even his voice sounded hollow. “I was just thinking it’s time to get to bed.”
She stood too, the crease between her eyebrows giving away her uncertainty. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry, Ch--”
“No, it’s fine,” he cut her off, leaving her blinking in confusion. “I was the one who asked. Don’t worry about it.” He tried to reassure her with a smile, but he knew it was bad. “Let’s call it a night. Goodnight, Ladybug.”
Before she could answer, he had extended his baton and swung off to hide his pain. As long as he kept moving, kept going--maybe the pain couldn’t reach every part of him.
“Chat?” Marinette was staring at him.
“Huh?” He blinked away the memories, trying to focus on the girl in front of him. “Did you say something?”
“I asked what his name was,” she prodded gently. “It seems only fair that you name him.”
He stared at the cat, who seemed to sense his inner distress. The purring intensified, the sound relaxing his shoulders despite himself.
“Lucky,” he finally murmured. “Call him Lucky.”
“Lucky.” Marinette mulled it over. “Why that?”
“Because he’s pretty lucky to have found you.” He meant for that to sound lighthearted, but his tone was anything but. Even he could hear the defeat in his tone, and Marinette’s concern has finally won out against her politeness.
“Chat,” she started, her voice hard, then stopped. She took a deep breath, and tried again with a gentler tone. “Would you like to come up for some hot chocolate?”
He stared at her, unsure where she was going with this. “What?”
“You’re not--I mean--” Marinette raked a hand through her loose hair, frustration with...him? Herself? leaking out. “I’m trying not to be blunt here, but you’re clearly not okay. Something must have happened. I’m just...worried about you.”
The thought warmed him. Marinette was a kind person. The evidence was right in front of him: here she was at ungodly hours of the night, dressed only in pajamas, trying to catch a random cat so she could take care of it.
“A cup of hot chocolate would be nice,” he acquiesced, if only to make her feel better.
She gave him a small smile, hoisting Lucky in her arms. “Meet me up on my balcony.” She pointed upward, and Chat belatedly realized they were right next to the bakery. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She held out Lucky. “Could you take him with you?”
Wordlessly, he took the meowing cat and gave her a tired smile in return. She disappeared inside the bakery, leaving silence in her wake.
He climbed up to the balcony carefully, minding the injured Lucky. Once he was situated somewhat comfortably on the railing, he stared out into the night sky while he waited for Marinette.
She emerged soon enough from the trapdoor, carefully lifting two steaming mugs to the small table. Once they were safely placed, she hurried back down to retrieve a first-aid kit. She’d put on an oversized black hoodie over her pajamas, although he was happy to see she’d kept her hair down.
Marinette held out one of the mugs to him, and he traded Lucky for the mug. Taking a sip, he enjoyed the delectable chocolate taste on his tongue while Marinette fussed over Lucky.
“You poor thing,” she cooed, resting him in her lap while opening the kit. “You’re certainly lucky, all right, since this scratch isn’t infected. You should be fine in a few days.”
Chat watched Marinette tenderly wrap the cat’s leg after cleaning the wound. Lucky seemed completely at ease with her now, allowing her to fuss over his leg while he laid there and purred.
Once his injury was taken care of, Marinette kissed the top of Lucky’s head and scratched his ears. Lucky’s purring increased, nuzzling into her side. He watched with amusement, and a slight forlorn feeling he couldn’t quite place.
There were a few minutes of companitive silence, both of them sipping their hot chocolate while Marinette absently petted Lucky. Chat closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of chocolate and letting his weariness set into his bones.
“I found out who she likes,” he whispered.
His eyes were still closed, but he could feel Marinette’s eyes on him. “...what?”
“You wanted to know what happened.” He opened them again, meeting her stare. Her fingers were gripping her mug too tightly. “Ladybug told me the name of the boy she likes. And it’s Adrien Agreste.”
A part of him selfishly wanted to see Marinette’s reaction to the fact that the great hero Ladybug liked her classmate. He couldn’t find it in himself to regret telling her Ladybug’s crush. After all, he trusted Marinette. And Adrien Agreste was a famous model, wasn’t he? So maybe she’d take that with a grain of salt.
However, she didn’t look surprised or confused. She set her mug down, and her expression could only be described as mournful. “You don’t look happy about discovering that.”
He laughed humorlessly, gripping the now-empty mug in his hands. “She likes Adrien Agreste. Of course she does. Who doesn’t? He’s a perfect model boy with a flashy smile and polite attitude. Everyone loves a guy who’s the version of himself everyone expects him to be.” Bitterness poured out before he could stop it.
Marinette’s lips tightened. “You do realize there’s more to Adrien than just that.”
Part of him swelled at the fact she was defending him--she knew Adrien personally, after all. But his bitterness was stronger, pushing words out of his mouth he otherwise would never have said. “Maybe there is. Who can say? But at least now I know why she doesn’t love me. After all, she never really knew me in the first place.”
Because that was the heart of it, wasn’t it? After all this time and everything they’d been through together, Ladybug loved a pretty face she’d seen in a magazine. She loved the perfect poster boy who was only close to a handful of people.
She didn’t love the boy who’d been by her side since day one. She didn’t love the partner that had cultivated trust and understanding between them. And even though he’d only ever truly been himself with her, she had chosen a celebrity. Because really, he was pretty sure he’d know if he knew the Ladybug in his civilian life.
It hurt. It hurt far worse than her loving some random Parisian boy. It hurt to know, at the end of the day, she’d chosen Adrien, a pretty celebrity crush, over her partner. The heart was fickle. He didn’t blame her, really. After all, she had no obligation to love him. But she did love him. And that’s what hurt worst of all.
She didn’t truly love Adrien. Not really.
Dimly, he was aware Marinette’s hands were on his shoulders, her panicked face blurry. Why was she blurry?
Oh, he was crying. Sobbing, actually. He blinked, broken shards of glass coming into focus, and he realized he’d dropped her mug.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I broke it.”
Marinette froze.
And then she threw her arms around him, squeezing him so tightly it was as if she were trying to hold together all of his broken pieces. She was crying, sniffling, pressing her face close.
“You stupid cat,” she warbled. “You stupid, stupid cat.”
Tentatively, he reached up to return her hug. And once he had his arms around her, receiving her comfort, he found he couldn’t let her go.
Her fingers were tangled in his hair, and she’d gone quiet as he cried. Chat felt like he should be embarrassed. Maybe it was the exhaustion, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care.
Once his own cries had died down, they stayed there, Marinette standing while he sat on the railing, holding each other. A small part of him felt the tiniest bit better.
“Chat,” she murmured.
He released a soft noise, burrowing in closer.
“Do you want to sleep here? I can make up the chaise for you.”
He nodded.
His brain was only following along as Marinette moved him away from the balcony and down the trapdoor. He sat down on the chaise while she hurried around, getting a pillow and blankets.
“Chat?” Her voice was timid as she approached. “For what it’s worth, I’m sure Ladybug cares about you a lot.”
She looked almost frightened, standing there in front of him clutching a pile of blankets close to her. Timid. He almost smiled.
He reached a hand out. Automatically, she took it.
“I know she does,” Chat said softly. “And that’s what hurts.”
He expected confusion, but an odd understanding passed over her features. Silently, she nodded. They looked at each other with a newfound companionship.
Gently, she squeezed his hand and released it.
“Here’s some blankets. I’ll be up in my bed, so I won’t look. Here’s an alarm clock if you need it.” She set it beside the chaise. “Get some sleep, okay?”
Chat found a real smile for the first time. “Thank you, Mari.”
They exchanged smiles, which was broken by Marinette’s yawn. “Guess I need sleep, too,” she commented ruefully. “Night, Chat.”
“Night, Marinette,” he replied, watching her disappear up into her bed.
He laid down, swallowing as he tried to relax. He pulled the blankets up. It smells like her.
He heard a faint noise, and then something had jumped up on his chest. “Oof!”
A meow. Lucky.
Lucky gazed at him in the dark, curling up in his chest and purring. It sent a pleasant feeling throughout his body, warming and comforting him in a way only a cat can.
To his surprise, sleep came relatively easily after that.