Chat becomes ecstatic once he finally sees Ladybug as a small red figure swinging up and over buildings toward the eiffel tower. In a panic he hurried to straighten the scene he had made for the both of them. It was simple, a blanket laid down on the top floor of the tower, and beside it a basket of food and a bouquet of roses. Chat wonders if he should spread the flowers out, or if maybe he should've brought candles. Did he even bring the right food?
His thoughts are interrupted by a sound of someone landing on the floor behind him.
"Good evening Chat." Chat turns, his heart pounding and a broad smirk stretching his mouth. He couldn't help but notice how well Ladybug looks in the light from the setting sun. The reflection off her hair makes it appear dark blue, like the colour of the night sky behind the stars. Her eyes shone brighter than ever, half hiding behind her long eyelashes.
Chat reaches out and grabs her hand, bringing it to his lips. Even through the fabric of her suit he can feel the warmth of her hand on his lips. He separates himself and looks up at her, remaining to hold her hand and stay bowed. "You look lovely M'lady," he purrs.
Ladybug smiles, and the colour of the sky did not do justice to hiding the blush on her cheeks. Something sparks in Chat at the sight.
"I didn't change much about my appearance Chat," she says with laugh and she took her hand back to herself to flick one of the ponytails her hair is held in. "I didn't really change anything at all." Chat straightens and smiles.
"Doesn't change the fact," he says. In one motion he turns, opening his arms wide to gesture to the scene he made. "Do you like it?" Chat pauses as he notices Ladybug's smile has disappeared. He should've remembered the candles.
"It - It's not much, but I thought you'd like the flowers. And I have a really nice meal ready in that basket! And I-," he stutters over his words, hoping something impresses her.
"It's wonderful Chat," Ladybug says, and her mouth once again turns up in an easy smile. But Chat finds his own smile fading and he takes a timid step toward Ladybug.
"Is everything okay Bugaboo?" he asks, keeping his voice soft. Ladybug nods almost too enthusiastically, displacing the bangs on her forehead.
"Yes of course!" she says, "and what did I tell you about calling me bugaboo?" A teasing laugh rose out of her. Chat didn't like that she isn't telling him something, that she is hurting herself keeping it from him. Why wouldn't she just tell him?
"Ladybug...," Chat began, but she puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles largely at him.
"Seriously Chat, I'm totally fine! Now, what do we have to eat?" she asks. Chat smiles, excited to show her more of what he prepared.
"I remember one akuma attack...," his voice casts off as he tries to remember who was akumatized, "Anyways, you mentioned that you loved a classic pulled pork sandwich. So, I thought maybe we could have that tonight!" Ladybug's eyes light up and the corner of her mouth pulls up in a pleased smile.
"I didn't really think you were listening to me, to be honest," she explains, her smile becoming more hidden and shy.
"I'm always listening to you," he says and he takes in the whole view of Ladybug's face as her eyes seem to become wider. It's like she's really trying to see him.
For a moment Chat feels a bubble of a cry get stuck in his throat. God, he wants her to see him. To really see him. Everyday he sees people, he smiles and talks. He's always kind and caring. But when was the last time someone really paid attention to him?
It's like he can hear his mother's laugh in his mind. He can see her right in front of him, for only just a moment. She noticed him.
Quickly Chat turns and walks away from Ladybug as unexpected tears well at the bottom of his eyes. In vain he tries to blink them away and he clears his throat.
"Do you want to start eating?" he asks, hoping to distract her from his odd change in mood. After a moment of silence he turns to Ladybug and finds her standing there with her eyes darting in thought. She seems to relax and she smiles.
"I'm here when you need me Chat," she says, her voice gentle and soft. His eyes widen slightly and he blinks quickly a couple times. His lips form into a smile to hide the surprise he feels. It probably doesn't do a very good job.
"I know," he says calmly. Never has he felt this amount of love for Ladybug before. She does see him. She - she really does.
"But I would really like to start eating those sandwiches," she says in a laugh. Ladybug sits down on the blanket and Chat sits down beside her and he opens up the basket with the food. It'd sure be an odd sight for an observer, seeing Paris's superheros having a picnic on the top of the eiffel tower eating pulled pork sandwiches.
"These... are so amazing," Ladybug mumbles as she swallows down another bite of her sandwich. Mistakingly a piece of pork hangs off her lip and Ladybug makes a strange jerky movement to catch it before it falls. Chat leans over as he tries to contain in a laugh in order to avoid choking on the food in his mouth. He makes an effort of swallowing and Ladybug barely swallows before she begins laughing at her own messiness.
"Your quite the eater M'lady," Chat says with a chuckle. Ladybug feels her cheeks warm in embarrassment.
"I must get the quality from my parents," she says with a shy smile.
They both finish off their sandwiches and find themselves sitting on a beam with their legs dangling off the edge. Ladybug's toes tingle from the height, but it doesn't scare her, she's too used to it now.
Chat sighs as he looks out to the sun, now half hidden behind the horizon. It casts an array of colours across the sky until eventually they all fade into the darkening blue. Ladybug smiles as she notices the way his eyes take in the whole scene. How they glow with the sun's light. Sometimes she finds herself studying his eyes, fascinated with their colours and the way they really look like a cats. She knows she shouldn't, but a part of her wants to see what they look like without the mask.
Obscured, they must keep their identities a secret.
"Is everything all right?" Chat asks. He must've notice her intense stares. Well, she wasn't really subtle about it.
"Well, uh... Chat?" she asks, stumbling over her words.
"Yah?" She takes a deep breath, her inner self fighting against it's desires.
The desires win.
"What colour are your eyes? You know... without the costume," she asks quietly, almost embarrassed with the question. His eyes widen and Chat raises an eyebrow in confusion. Which is really just his mask rising at the side.
"What about the whole secret identity thing?" he asks. Ladybug rubs her hands over her eyes.
"Unless you have red of purple eyes I'm sure it wouldn't make things too obvious," she says. Chat smiles, one Ladybug doesn't see on him often. She finds herself admiring it.
Her imagination scolds her and suddenly she's imagining Adrien sitting beside her instead of Chat. What is she doing?
"Actually, my eyes don't change much. Their green all the time," he explains. Ladybug studies them again and she tries to picture them without the elliptical pupil and with white around the irises. Yes, she thinks she'd like his eyes very much.
Ladybug notices the red creeping up on Chat's cheeks and finally it occurs to her how close their faces are. She clears her throat uncomfortably and leans back away from him.
"Sorry, I - I get how that could've been uncomfortable," she mumbles, angry with herself. Chat looks down and smiles. It causes Ladybug to smile too.
"It's okay," he says. They both look out at the sunset to find the sun gone, and all is left is a flaming horizon. Ladybug looks up at the dark blue of the sky.
"Look over there," Ladybug says and she points up to the sky with her finger. Chat's eyes follow where she points. "You can start to see Orion's constellation."
"You can too," he mumbles, obviously in a trance as he studies the figure. After a few moments of silence as they study the appearing stars, Ladybug feels Chat's eyes on her as he turns his head.
"Ladybug?" he asks, his voice quiet as if he's careful not to disturb the coming night. Ladybug looks over to him, waiting for him to ask what he wants to. "What does this mean?" he asks. All the playfulness is gone from his words, and Ladybug realizes how little she's seen him actual be... completely serious.
"That it's the end of the day?" she answers, confused. He smiles and laughs lightly.
"No, what tonight means. Are things going to change after this?" he asks. Ladybug's heart jumps in panic for a moment.
"Do you want it too?" she asks. Something in her screams that it is the wrong thing to say. Chat's mouth parts and she sees him thinking in his eyes on what to say.
"I - I want... I want you Ladybug," he admits timidly. Ladybug's heart beat goes haywire as she looks in her partner's eyes. Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my, OH MY! What does she do? Does she push him away before she makes a mistake? Why is she still looking into his eyes?
Tears well at her eyes and she looks away. Everything seems so alarming in the moment. But she notices how Chat looks away also with a frown, right after his features recover from his worried and shocked expression.
"That was uncalled for, wasn't it?" he murmurs. Feelings stab at Ladybug's heart like arrows. She's wishes Tikki could be here to help her through this situation.
But she reacts to her partners sadness and she grabs his shoulders with her hands.
"No Chat! Never! It's just that...," her voice trails off and the tears still sit at the bottom of her eyes. Chat looks at her blankly for a moment before shifting his body to face her more and taking a hand to wipe the tears that finally come to falling down her cheeks. His hand lingers on her cheek and his thumb runs along the mask under her eye, even though the tears have stopped falling. He smiles, almost a sad smile, but she can see the worry in his eyes.
Even now, he's still worried about... her. Not himself.
"It's okay M'lady, I'm the tougher one remember?" he says jokingly. Ladybug laughs lightly and their hands go back to themselves.
"At least you think it to be that way," she teases, but quickly she turns serious again, "But Chat? I'd say you actually are the tougher one... in many ways." A silence looms between them, and both of them are so distracted by it that they don't even notice the clusters of stars in the sky above.
"I haven't been honest with you Chat," Ladybug admits. She watches as a crease forms in between his eyes as he looks at her.
"What do you mean?" His voice sounds fragile, and she suddenly realizes... he's afraid to get hurt.
"There's a boy... and I know him in my civilian form and...," suddenly Ladybug feels something in her pull a little too tight and tears come falling from her eyes. She leans over and holds her face in her hands. A feeling of isolation falls over her, a feeling of just being so alone. Chat's gaze is like a breath on the back of her neck, and it occurs to her that she's fighting for a one sided love. And he's doing the same thing.
But is it really one sided for him? Do I not love Chat in some way?
"I - I'm so, so sorry," she weeps and it takes her three deep breaths to finally stop the flow of tears.
Paris's hero, savior of the world, defender of the city, is crying on the top of the eiffel tower about her complicated feelings.
Finally she looks up, thankful for the dark of the night to hide her red eyes. Chat leans away from her on a beam and he looks at her with his eyes telling. Telling what? She... honestly doesn't know.
At first she thinks it's a trick of light, but sure enough she sees tears falling down Chat's cheeks. He openly sobs and like a reflex they both embrace each other in their arms. Chat digs his face in the dip of her shoulder and she does the same to him.
"Your my best friend Chat. Your my partner. Your my teammate. And there is no one, no one that is like you in my life," she sobs, her voice muffled against his suit. "But..." Chat pulls away, however slightly and he looks at her with a smile.
"I know, because you're mine to," he says, which pulls a smile up to Ladybug's lips. They both find themselves looking up to the stars, leaning against each other for warmth to fend off the chill of the night. Maybe it's not for warmth entirely, but for that feeling of safety, and maybe a feeling of comfort.
Ladybug knows that now she must confess to Adrien. She has to, now that she used him as her reason to put that certain divide between her and Chat Noir. Then again... it almost feels as if a divide has also been lifted.
Tomorrow, she tells herself. But for now, she scouts the stars with her kitty.
Please comment on what you think of this chapter! I'm completely open to critiques if you have any because I'm always trying to improve my writing. Hope you all liked it! (Hope none of you mind that I change it to present tense. I find it way more easier and enjoyable to write)
