theres gonna be a real balcony scene lord have mercy

xo moobaby

...

Chat Noir paced in his room, his stomach turning with worry. He'd never seen, or rather, heard, his Lady so upset before. She'd never missed a moment of action before either, and except for that first fight against Stone Heart, her confidence had never so much as flickered. This was serious.

But what could he do? Patrol as usual, he told himself, firmly. That's what Ladybug needs me to do—I can't let her worry about Paris on top of whatever is bothering her.

He leapt from his window and made his rounds, checking for troubles, but all was quiet, too quiet without Ladybug's banter and laughter to keep him company. Despite the suit, he was feeling a lot like Adrien—helpless against the misery of his loved ones.

The light was on in a familiar rooftop apartment, and his heart twinged with hope. Marinette always has a solution and a smile, he thought, but hesitated, catching his breath on a ledge a few buildings away. Is it really appropriate to drop in?

Chat Noir leapt closer, trying to think of what to say, when he pulled up short. Marinette was on her balcony, curled up in a chair with a blanket.

"M-Marinette?" he called out, one roof away.

She started and stood up, wiping quickly at her face. "Who-who's there?" she called softly.

Guilt flickered in his stomach. Marinette was upset too! But he couldn't leave now. "Its Chat Noir, may I come over?"

She spotted him and leaned against the balcony, clutching her blanket around her. "Ok," she said, sitting back down in her chair.

Chat Noir landed softly on the balcony, and Ladybug was briefly forgotten as he took in Marinette's tear-stained face and her dejected posture.

"M-Marinette! What's wrong?!"

She shook her head a little. "It's nothing, Chat Noir. Do you need something?" Her voice was small, but she was still Marinette, going out of her way to help people.

"Wait but you—can I? I mean, what's wrong?" Chat Noir couldn't figure out what to do, his feeling of helplessness doubling. He knelt next to her chair, looking up at her.

Marinette wiped her face again and shook her pigtails. "It's..embarrassing, ok? I don't want to talk about it. But why are you here?" She had a good idea why, but scrambled to sound plausibly confused. "Where's Ladybug?"

Chat Noir's ears drooped at that, and he sank down and crossed his legs, his tail limp on the floor. "She took the night off…she sounded really upset but…well, she wouldn't tell me what was wrong either." His shoulders sagged. "She's never missed a day before, and I'm so worried about it because she is so tough, you know? And she won't tell me and I—I just..!" His voice caught in his throat and he buried his face in his hands.

Marinette's heart twinged. Of course she knew that Chat Noir cared for Ladybug, but she hadn't anticipated him being this worried about her. It brought a little warmth back to her, taking up some of the space left by giving up on Adrien as totally unattainable.

Chat Noir dug the palms of his hands into his eyes and clenched his teeth, trying to force back the tears that threatened to escape. Something touched his hair gently, and he relaxed a little, his breath shallow.

Slowly, Marinette sunk her fingers into his hair and petted him a little, and he sighed gratefully, scooching a little closer to lean against her chair. She dug her fingertips in to rub his scalp and a second hand joined, gently running through his hair and around his ears in a soothing pattern.

"I bet Ladybug just needs time," Marinette said, her voice weary. "I think if she was really hurt or in trouble, she would tell you and ask for help."

Chat Noir hadn't considered that. "Y-you think?" he asked, his eyes fluttering from the pleasant petting. It was making him feel a lot better, and a little sleepy.

"She probably needs space to deal with some civilian stuff, and you're doing the right thing by giving her that."

The tension in his shoulders had leaked away, but then he snapped to attention. He took Marinette's hands from his hair and turned to look at her. Her face was drawn and pale.

"What about you, Marinette? Do you need space? I just—I guess I knew you could help, but I—I'd like to help you too. I can go, or-"

"Don't go…yet." Marinette cut him off, a touch of urgency in her voice. She took her hands from his and returned to his hair, staring at it instead of making eye contact. Her lip trembled and her eyes filled again as she played with his cat ears and randomly smoothed his bangs.

"Marinette."

She stopped petting and stared off over Paris. Chat Noir waited, saddened to see her so upset. Marinette was always so positive at school, Adrien figured it took a lot to make her this sad.

She looked at him. "Have you ever had your heart break, Chat?" A tear slipped down her cheek.

He folded her hands into his. "Yes," he said softly. The morning my mother was gone. He rested his chin on her knee and took a deep breath.

Marinette sniffed. "Does it ever stop feeling…broken?" Her eyelashes sparkled with tears. Without thinking, she put her hand on his cheek and rubbed with her thumb. His heart leapt from the touch.

"It..you have to…ummm.." Marinette was stroking his hair again, and Chat Noir struggled to form a sentence. Her fingers felt so good on his scalp, and he didn't know how to answer. "Umm…it helps, I mean.." His eyes dropped closed.

A little giggle came from above him and the petting stopped. Chat Noir looked up wildly. Marinette giggled again. "Did you just fall asleep?" A watery smile lit up her face.

Chat Noir blushed. "I don't…it just.. that feels really good, ok?!" He was a little flustered. She giggled again, and he felt a little warmth flare in his stomach.

"You really are a cat," she smiled, touching his black ears gently, then dropping her hands to touch his human ears. He shivered at the gentle touch on his earlobes and she drew her hands back suddenly, her cheeks a little pink as well.

"Uhm, I should get some, uh, sleep, Chat Noir, and you should too," she said, her voice a little loud. "I think Ladybug will be fine and you are doing the right thing." She stood up and pulled the blanket over her shoulders like a shawl, crossing quickly to pull open her trap door. "Thanks for, uhh, listening."

Chat Noir stood up quickly too, running a hand through his hair. "No, thank you, Marinette, I—I think you're right and…" He trailed off, looking her in the eyes. "I hope—I hope you feel better. You're very.." he scuffed his boot on the ground. "You're a very strong person."

He stepped toward her and she started a little. "Can I, um.. hug you?" he asked, worried that he'd crossed a line.

Marinette's shoulders relaxed and she nodded, stepping forward into his open arms. They hugged tight, and both felt warm and safe there, and comforted. With a deep breath, they let go.

"Th-thanks, Chat Noir." She looked up at him and smiled a little, her blue eyes shining from leftover tears.

"Thank you, Marinette." Chat Noir gave her a swift kiss on the cheek, and then turned and leapt back onto the railing. "Goodnight," he said, taking a last look at her, before jumping into the night.