Genre: Slightly angsty

Word count: 901 (Without an)

Setting: Canon

Summary: Chat misses the times where his lady trusted him, but time heals all wounds, even those we can't see.

He hated this.

He hated how they would fight together just for her to disappear right after, not staying a second longer than needed. He hated how she never greeted him in the hallways anymore, and how she stayed quiet whenever they hung out together as a group. He hated it when her eyes flickered towards him, only to stray away once he tried to keep eye contact.

But most of all, he hated that she would never say his name with affection anymore.

No more chaton, kitty, Chat or mon minue. When they were civilian and she had no other choice than to call out to him by name, she said Adrien, but it was stripped for the emotions she used before. When protecting Paris, she would say Chat Noir. Nothing more, nothing less.

Oh, he hated that it was his fault as well.

He thought it would be easier after they revealed themselves, but oh, how wrong he was. Maybe if the circumstances were different, then she wouldn't look at him with such a hurt and betrayed expression, but the past was written in stone and the future might as well be too in this case.

Sometimes, he would think back to the event that caused this, and wonder if there was something he could've done different. Was there something he could've done, that would've spared Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, from the pain that came with betrayal? He was beginning to doubt that he'd ever find the answer.

But at times like these, he couldn't help but hope.

(Insert line here)

She was beautiful.

He held his breath, scared that the sound would have her come to her senses, and she'd be gone. Her dark hair swayed gently in the wind, dancing with her red hair ties in a way that made it look like the finest silk. They were on a roof and she was standing right at the edge, with one foot raised and resting on the edge that was a few inches higher than the rest. Her figure was illuminated by the setting sun her face was turned to, and the light gave her red suit an orange tint.

This was one of the rare times where she'd stay after the fight was over, though they could never stay long since they had just defeated an akuma. It was also one of the times where he could pretend everything was okay. That they were still a team, friends and partners. He liked to think that if he teased her, she would tease back, cause that was just the way they were. Used to be.

A warning beep sounded from her earrings, signaling the end of his fantasy. She turned, and for the first time in way too long, blue eyes bore into his greeen ones with an intensity he would always connect with her. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again.

"What is it, M'lady?" He asked with a ghost of his usual cocky smile. He was shocked when she actually answered back, considered their lack of a normal conversation these past few months.

"I.. Eh.. Uhm.." She hadn't stammered like this in front of him since when they still didn't know each other's identities and she tried to talk to him at school.

"It.. It was a close call for you today, huh?" Her voice was low, easily carried away by the wind, but his ears still picked them up just fine.

It was true that the akuma they'd fought today was stronger than usual, and he had nearly been hit a few times, but they'd faced worse before. Why was she.. -Oh. She had arrived earlier than him this time, but when he came, she was just about to be slung into a building. He had managed to push her away and taken the hit himself, but he was back in the game fast enough. It was still a bad hit though... No doubt that he'd have the bruise for a while.

"Don't worry, Marinette, you would've done the same for me." He answered sheepishly and scratched his neck with a real smile on his face this time. Her eyes widened when he said her name, and she was quick to turn her face away. The part of his mind that wasn't occupied by mourning over the loss of eye contact was thinking back to a time where she'd do the exact same thing to hide her blush.

Her earring beeped again, and his ring followed right after. He looked down at his ring to see how much time he had left, but when he looked up, Ladybug was already at the other sid of the roof, yo-yo in hand, but she looked back at him one last time. Her voice was tender, but strong.

"See you around, chaton."

And she was gone.

(Insert line here)

Later that night he laid in bed with Plagg on his pillow beside him, already snoring and mumbling about cheese in his sleep.

He couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier that day. His ears had never failed him before, so he knew for sure what she had called him.

Chaton.

He smiled up at his sealing and felt better than he had in months.

The future he had been so convinced was set in stone was slowly beginning to crumble.

An

You don't have any idea how hard it was to write this! This was supposed to be fluff. Fluff. I feel like all I ever try to write ends up as angst nowadays.. TT-TT Left it kinda open, though I was planning on writing the conflict that started it all, but I couldn't make it fit in. Chat messed up badly, let's just leave it at that. :P I know it's short, arrest me. I will come with at least one entry in ML Fluff Month, promise.

Look at me, writing as if this isn't my first entry in this fandom. cx

Reviews give me life. Please don't kill me with lack of feedback.

Thanks for reading! :D

~Vilchen