You love, love, love,

when you know I can't love.

You love, love, love when you know I can't love you…

"Good evening, M'Lady." Chat Noir said as he landed on the rooftop next to Paris' heroine.

She didn't take her eyes away from the city lights as she replied, brushing her bangs back into place after a gust of wind.

"Hello, Chat."

Frowning, he peered closer at her, noticing the splotchiness of her usually smooth skin and red eyes. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Liar." He sighed and kicked his feet out over the edge of the roof, swinging them back and forth. "You were crying."

She sniffled, only further proving his point. "It's nothing."

"Not if it made you cry, it's not. Ladybug, you can tell me anything." He stressed.

She turned her head slightly to look at him, her eyes reflecting the lights from below in her tears. She wiped softly at her face as they started to escape. He reached out and smoothed away the ones she missed, cupping her jaw. "What's wrong?"

"I don't- I don't want to hurt you." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and pulled away, looking back out over her city. She didn't meet his eyes as she said, "There's a boy."

"Oh." A beat. "Did he do something?" Another. "Or…?"

She nodded barely. "I like him." Her voice was almost carried away by the wind and if he hadn't been holding his breath he would have missed it.

"O-Okay. But… Why the tears?"

"He doesn't even know I exist."

Chat's eyebrows furrowed at that. How could someone miss this girl in front of him who was so wonderful and unique? How could this boy not notice her? "That can't be true, LB. You're too… amazing."

"No!" She said angrily, taking him aback. "I'm not! I mea, sure, Ladybug is. She's so strong and smart and everything I wish I could be, but the girl behind her is none of that. She's clumsy and stubborn and has a terrible temper, and-"

He cut her off before she could continue. "Stop, just stop. Don't say those kinds of things about yourself, or you'll start to believe them." She opened her mouth to respond, but he placed his hand over it to silence her. "And they're not true. If Ladybug is all those great things it's only because that girl behind her is too. You can't become something amazing if that personality isn't already in there somewhere." He took his hand back so she could talk again.

"But-" She groaned, tipping her head back to the stars. "She doesn't feel like any of those things. She needs this stupid mask to be that."

"That doesn't mean she isn't them- she is. You just… Need to let all of that out as her. Let the girl behind the mask shine as brightly as the heroine all of Paris adores."

She sighed again and shook her head. "I don't think it would matter. You don't understand, if he hasn't noticed me yet there's nothing I can do that will change it."

"You never know until you try." He paused before pushing his luck, "Who is it?"

Ladybug shook her head again. "No. No, Chat. You know we can't say anything about who we are."

"But-"

She shook her head once more, effectively cutting him off.

He sighed and looked out over the city. "Alright. What is he like, then?"

She was silent for so long he thought she wasn't going to answer, but eventually she opened her mouth again and it all poured out into the night air. "He's… perfect? No, not perfect. It's what he wants everyone to think, but he's not perfect at all. He's smart but only because he tries so hard. He's always trying to make everyone else happy and I wish he would just do something for himself for once. He likes physics, and he could something so great with that if he only went for it. He's kind and funny, when he lets it show anyways. And honestly I should just be happy when he tells people I'm his friend, but I don't want him to see me as M-mundane and a 'good friend.' I… I want to be more than that."

Chat nodded in understanding. He felt like she understood him more than she even knew. "Do you love him?"

She frowned, kicking her legs aggressively as she thought. "I'm not sure. Sometimes, I think I do. But then I ask myself if I even really know what that means. What the hell is love? And if I do love him, who knows if it's the right kind. And he deserves more than me- than this clumsy girl who doesn't even know if she loves him or not."

"I think you do."

She looks over at him, surprised. "How can you tell?"

He shrugged and picked at the material of his glove. "It's just something in your voice, and your face. When you talk about him, you're invested, you know? You can see past that facade he puts up and get to the real him, and I believe it takes real love to do that. I think you love him Ladybug, but you're scared of what that means."

"Of course I am!" She exclaims, throwing her arms in the air. They fell back down limply to her lap. "Because if I do, what happens then? He continues to look right past me and- and I've wasted all that time and emotion-"

"It's not a waste. It's never a waste. Because even if they don't see it, they had somebody who at one point loved them with everything they could. And I don't think anyone could look past you forever. You're brilliant, LB. And- I'm sure you already know this, but- I love you if it's any consolation."

She looked at him, her eyes slightly wide. "Chat-"

He held up his hands. "No, it's okay. I know."

"This is why I didn't want to say anything. I'm so sorry, Chat… If-" She stopped.

He raised a masked eyebrow. "What?"

"Maybe if I had gotten to know you first- I could… I could have-"

"Ladybug. Really, it's okay. Don't go beating yourself up like that. Please."

She pursed her lips but nodded in acceptance.

"Good."

They sat in comfortable silence, just watching the city fall asleep under the dark blanket of the sky.

Yes, he loved ladybug. And yes, he probably always would. But he wanted her to be happy, and if that meant she wanted someone else, then he would support her. She deserved it. He loved her, knowing she couldn't love him.

"Chat?"

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Don't- Don't let that hold you back, though."

"What do you mean?"

She met his eyes before looking away again. "I mean, don't waste your time loving me. Please? I don't want to hold you back like that. I know you could find a girl who would love the hell out of you."

He blinked before nodding. "Alright."