Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true
Someday, I wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me

Ladybug's jaw stretched into a yawn so wide it made her jaw crack. She grumbled and snuggled further into Chat Noir's arms. It was past midnight, the air was warm, and it was quiet aside from the soft nightlife buzz. Their scheduled patrol had ended two hours ago, but by the look of Ladybug's body language, she didn't have any intention of moving.

Chat Noir squeezed Ladybug's arm."It's getting late, I think it's time we went home for the night."

"Technically, it's not late. It's just really early," Ladybug tapped his chest playfully.

She wasn't even trying to make a good excuse. Chat had noticed Ladybug lost all reason when she was tired, even a bit silly. Almost as though she were tipsy.

"My sense of humor seems to be rubbing off on you. It's definitely bedtime, My Lady. Besides, I have to wake up at six o'clock. So, at the very least, I have to get some sleep."

Ladybug sat up and stretched. "What do you have to do that's making you get up early on a weekend… in the summer?"

Chat Noir stood up and smiled, "Trade secret."

"I really hate leaving you. Wish I could be with you all night on a cozy bed instead of a hot roof," Ladybug got up as well, winding her arms around his biceps and kissing his cheek.

He tilted his torso towards her, as though her hands pulled down on his arm with an irresistible force. "I wish it could be that way, too. But this is the price to pay for choosing to date as masked heroes."

Ladybug's eyes fell to the floor. It had been roughly six months since they had started dating, and five years since they met for the first time. Yet she still hadn't worked up the courage to reveal their identities to each other. Chat Noir was so patient and understanding, he didn't show any regret or intention of pushing her.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault."

Chat flinched, taking hold of Ladybug's shoulders. "No! I didn't mean it that way. I'm perfectly happy with the way things are, I still get to see you everyday and that's all that matters."

"But you deserve more. We should be going on dates and dressing up for each other, meeting each other's friends and going on double-dates, having sleepovers…"

"I couldn't live with myself if I pushed you to do something you weren't ready for," Chat lifted Ladybug's chin with his index finger, "I can wait as long as you need me to, My Lady, even if I have to wait till we're old and gray."

She laughed. "Oh, I can promise you it won't be that long," she hesitated, "I'd be too old to have kids."

Chat Noir's eyes widened, both intrigued and embarrassed. "So, you do want to have a family then?"

"Of course." Ladybug turned and held her hands to her chest, "I've even got names I'd want to use."

He shuffled nervously. "How long have you been thinking about this for?"

"Since… well since I was given my first baby doll I guess. So long before I understood the idea of childbirth," she giggled.

"Ah… so long before you met me."

Ladybug turned back to look at Chat, taking easy steps toward him. "It might've been a general fantasy before but you gave it more… development."

Chat blushed. He stuttered as Ladybug's hands climbed his chest and rested around his shoulders, "I- s-so you'd raise a family with me?"

"Yeah, I'll put a ring on your hand and then we'll live together and try for babies over, and over, and… I hope you don't mind being stuck with me for the rest of your life."

Chat Noir swallowed hard. "Why would I ever mind? It's been my dream."

They stared at each other, the rest of their thoughts left unspoken. They knew where the conversation was going, and it was only going to make leaving more bitter. It was only going to make them regret each other's secrets more. Slowly stepping away from each other until they're linked hands were stretched out between them, they waited for the other to leave first.

Ladybug sighed loudly, startling Chat Noir out of his daze. "I guess we shouldn't drag this on any longer, huh?"

"Well, don't say it like it's a goodbye. It's only a goodnight," Chat slid his hand out of hers, letting it fall to his side. "Although, I wish there were some way I could say goodnight to you right before you close your eyes."

Ladybug turned her face away, catching her chin between her thumb and index as she watched the streets below. She glanced down at her yo-yo, then to Chat, and back to the street. Her eyebrows were knit together and her lips were pursed tightly.

Chat waved his hands hastily, "I-I'm sorry, I brought it right back around to… let's just go home before I say something else stupid, ok? Goodnight, Bug-"

"No, I think I have an idea… but it's risky and it can't be a habit. Maybe even just for tonight. W-which sucks, but I guess it could be a taste of the near future?" She hoped, at least. So much of her wanted to just give in, reveal herself, and be a normal couple. But there was the tiniest bit of resistance; similar to the rush of excitement at the entrance of an amusement park water slide, but allowing others to go ahead of you when your turn was up. It was stage fright. But that made it sound as though she felt a level of uncertainty, which couldn't be further from the truth. She trusted Chat Noir fully and wanted the rest of her life to be spent with him.

That was the problem, it was Chat Noir's face that she was used to. It didn't matter what he looked like, but it felt disorienting to imagine him looking any different. Obviously, she couldn't expect him to walk around wearing a mask and sclera lenses, but that was his face, the face she grew attached to. She had a feeling she'd seem a bit off around him before she could adjust, and she didn't want him to take it personally or think she didn't like him anymore.

A small problem with an easy solution… how infuriating that it still held her back.

"What'd you have in mind?" Chat Noir's tail twitched nervously.

Ladybug took a deep breath, looking down at her folded hands. "Stay transformed for a few minutes when you get home. When we get close, we'll message each other. Once we're both near home, we slip into our rooms and well… make believe, I guess," she smiled fondly, then looked up with sincerity, "But we have to promise each other we won't look at the location tracker."

Chat Noir eyed her warily, "Are you sure? If we get caught…"

"We won't. We'll be careful. My parents rarely visit my room out of nowhere, and I'd be able to hear them coming up the stairs anyway. What about you?"

"I'm normally alone, I should be able to hear someone coming too… it's so quiet in my house that I could hear a crumb roll off the table from a different floor," he laughed stiffly.

In that moment, as his laugh scraped up her spine like nails on a chalkboard, Ladybug almost changed her mind. She almost revealed herself right there. At the very least that part was easy. She could take him home and snuggle him all she wanted; who would notice he was gone? What was she thinking, letting him be alone over cowardly assumptions? But that would be out of pity, which might also upset him.

"So, we're doing this?" Chat continued, extending his baton as he started turning away again.

Ladybug nodded. "See you soon."

They both jumped in different directions, hurrying home just a little bit faster than usual.

Ladybug rushed around her bedroom as she held her yo-yo in one hand, thumb hovering over the call button. She threw her clothes - she had temporarily detransformed to get ready for bed - into a hamper and switched off all of the lights except the ones above her bed.

She sighed with relief as she leaned against the giant cat-shaped cushion at the head of her bed. She pushed down on the call button and sat up a little straighter as she framed her face within the view of the front camera. A few seconds later, her camera shrunk down to a picture-in-picture on the bottom right, and a lovely face appeared on the full-screen. They'd agreed to quickly detransform and go through with their regular bedtime routine so they could feel more comfortable, and she could see he'd decided to take a quick shower. His damp hair hung over his eyes, more disheveled than usual, and his cheeks blushed due to the steamy water. His room was completely lit, but it was dim, as though there were mood settings. Behind him were tall windows, his tail occasionally swaying over them. His shoulders were pushed forward and the edges of his pillow peeked from the bottom of the screen; he was lying on his stomach.

"Oh, my~" Chat's eyebrows bounced as he brought his hand to his chin, "I can't believe this is the first time I see you with your hair down."

Ladybug tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Well- aaAAck!" her eyes shifted down to her video-chat window, where she noticed the wall behind her and immediately slipped onto her back. Aside from the nightlight and a couple of books, the shelf held a dried red rose and her handmade Chat Noir plush. Beneath the shelf were pinned up sketches of Chat Noir and Chat Noir themed designs, and in the far corner hung one of the pictures of Adrien she had yet to take down.

"Woah, woah! Are you hiding something, Bugaboo?" he grinned, "could it be… that drawing of me I glimpsed?"

"Oh no…" she facepalmed. She hoped that was the only thing he caught, otherwise her secret identity was completely and utterly fucked.

"Aw, don't be embarrassed, that's cute~"

But it was still embarrassing.

Ladybug snuggled into her bedsheets and grumbled. "I'm glad you liked it…"

"Wait, I didn't get to see it that much, can I see it again?"

"Actually, I just realized my camera was pointed at a wall that has a lot of personal stuff on it, so I was worried it'd give me away."

"Oh," Chat Noir glanced over his shoulder, "alright, guess I'll roll over." He turned over with the camera, revealing his dark gray sheets. "You have nice covers by the way, much better than mine. Pretty and pink, just like you."

"Hold on, did you just use bedsheets to imply I'm prettier than you?"

"I did, and there will be no arguing about it, you're very beautiful."

"Yes, but if we're comparing ourselves to our bed covers… you're gorgeous, can't say the same for your thunderstorm-gray bed."

"And in comparison to yours, that's how much superior your beauty is to mine-"

Ladybug grinned. " Please , don't even start with me. I'll admit that I'm cute but you're absolutely heavenly."

"I'm glad we agree that you're cute, but I think you forgot to carry the three, so in reality you're-"

Ladybug giggled,"Why are we even discussing this when we need to address your depressing bed sheets. What's up with that? They don't suit you at all!"

"Well, what does suit me?"

"Hmm…" she scanned him up and down, watching him pout curiously. "Probably something niche, like an anime print."

"Hey!"

" PFff , sorry!-"

"You know me really well, huh?" Chat tilted his head playfully.

"I should hope so…" Ladybug paused, "well, why don't you have something like that, then? An anime bed set or something"

"My father would probably rather I jump off a building than own something as distasteful as anime bedding."

" What ?!"

"I was… kidding-"

"No- I mean, you don't have control over how your room - what physically represents your heart and soul - looks?!"

Chat looked to the side, the corners of his lips turning upward slightly, "Heh… I don't even have control over what I wear," he paused at the ungodly sound erupting from Ladybug's mouth, "but it's ok, I can only be controlled to a certain extent right? The closet isn't mine, but at least I can choose what I take from it."

"Is your closet just a million shades of gray or something?"

"Fifty, actually," Chat grinned.

Ladybug snorted. "Maybe what you're wearing now."

Chat feigned offense, placing a hand over his chest. " Well. "

His face slipped into a crooked smile, "But no, it's got plenty of color. The clothes chosen for me is…" he chose his words carefully, "so I look my best at all times and… represent my family."

" Represent your family ? So, what, you look really uptight all the time?"

"It's still casual clothes…"

"Do you like it?"

"Enough. At least I can mess things up out of spite. Nothing drastic, but not what you would call fashionable."

Ladybug squinted as if to say 'I'll be the judge of that'. "Like..?"

"I've got these bright orange shoes-"

"Say no more," Ladybug cringed.

"Wait, wait, orange shoes can look good!"

"If you have a good sense of color."

"And I so happen to think I do," Chat slipped his hand behind his head, then jumped up suddenly and pointed at the screen, "except in this case, and that's the key."

He smiled as he prepared to tell a joke. "My father might look down on me but he hasn't noticed my shoes-"

"Hey, can I be honest?" Ladybug frowned.

Chat Noir blinked. "Sure…"

"I don't like how your dad sounds, why is he like that?"

"You wouldn't be the first. What's there to say? He's just like that. I mean there might be a reason, but I don't know if I can tell you that much detail… until, you know."

Ladybug shifted, her camera shook as she brought her legs under the blanket and lowered her head to the pillow. "Yeah… ok. Well stop joking about him like that, makes you trick yourself into validating his actions."

"Oh… yes, madam."

Chat watched her pull the blanket and comforter over her shoulders as she turned on her side. She snuggled in and brought the camera closer to her face. "About time you got some sleep?" He looked towards the top of the screen, 2 o'clock, he would get four hours of sleep, but that was alright with him.

Ladybug's eyes widened. "Oh man, I'm eating up your sleep time, I'm sorry… uhh, are you tucked in?"

He chuckled. "No, just laying on my bed."

"Well, go on! Get under the covers, you should be nice and cozy."

"I am."

"No one looks that good when they're really comfortable," she smiled at him. He held the camera directly above him, his chest was pushed out and his hand was behind his head, he looked picture ready.

"Then you must be really uncomfortable," he winked.

"Chat!"

"Ok, ok!"

Ladybug huffed at the sight of the gray comforter draped over his shoulders. "You need more color in your room…"

Chat tapped his bottom lip. "That's what you'll be for in our future. You'll add some color to my room. What will you wear for me? Pink lace? Or green to match my eyes?"

She lifted her finger, "Be right back, I'm gonna ask Tikki how to smack you through the communicator."

Chat Noir snickered and she continued. "Anyway, by that time in our relationship, you're coming to my place."

He squished his face into his pillow, his mouth only turned upward enough to speak. "No problem with that."

Chat Noir yawned, Ladybug following soon after. "Get some sleep, Chat Noir."

"You too, Bugaboo."

"Goodnight."

"Night." After a long pause of staring at each other Chat Noir smiled awkwardly reached forward, "Guess I'll hang up-"

"How about we just detransform instead? We'll see each other until the very last moment…"

"Ok."

Ladybug counted to three, and they both whispered their commands. The lights shone beneath them, crawling up their legs and to their waists. Ladybug wondered if lifting her arm would make the call last a little longer. She wondered if there were a way to accidentally see each other's faces. The light swept over her hand, it seemed like fragments of Chat Noir's face fell to her empty hand. She pictured the black fragments as Chat Noir's hand grasping onto hers, but she blinked and he was gone. Nothing but her empty hand, her fingers flexing in his absence.

Marinette flipped onto her back. She sighed and waited for Tikki to settle into the pillow beside her, a macaron snack settled between her paws.

"Tikki, there's so much I want to give him, and so little holding me back. Look at him, always so cheerful. His home life is… suffocating, his room looks like a glorified prison cell, and we barely get to talk so peacefully. How do I fix all of these problems quickly but without rushing into things I'm not ready for?"

Tikki hummed before swallowing a bite-full. "For one, I think you shouldn't blame everything on yourself and take full responsibility. Although he would appreciate it, he wasn't really crying for help."

"Still, I'm Ladybug, I'm supposed to fix everything."

"There isn't really such a thing as fixing a life, only building up from it. Maybe you can do something to lighten things up for him."

" Lighten. Tikki, that's a great idea!" Marinette closed her eyes tightly, attempting to fall asleep quickly. "I can't wait for tomorrow. Goodnight, Tikki."

"Sweet dreams, Marinette."

Ha, I missed July by two months oh well
tbh tho, I had some ideas to keep going with this even after chapter two... so maybe it's worth being late, maybe I'll make a collection.

I hope anyone who was stressed felt warm and fuzzy the way I did writing it.
I should go off to work on a project and study and all that jazz, but this wouldn't get out of my head, I couldn't ignore the call!

Hey, I might have shamelessly squealed at my own writing, let's see if it matched up with anyone else. What part made you squeal or want to squeal? Also, does anyone else want that lamp? Because I sure do... it exists btw, but I have no fabric money :/ that was really sweet of Mari tho, that was probably like at least 25 yards worth of some average material.