Fifteen: Backstage Jealousy

We arrived at what passed for the stage entrance at the massive outdoor venue for the Jagged Stone concert a little more than two hours before Kitty Section was to take the stage. I flashed my official crew pass Jagged had personally given me and the two of us headed into the rabbit warren of temporary structures housing everything from the performers to their supporting hair and makeup technicians. Chat hefted all of my bags with ease, and wearing his Kitty Section-inspired costume, surprisingly blended in completely and didn't attract any undue attention.

I was particularly pleased that I'd even managed to hide his tail, which he'd insisted on wearing on the off-chance Hawkmoth reared his ugly head. ("You wouldn't believe how many times Ladybug has needed it for a Lucky Charm," he'd told me, and I couldn't disagree.) About the only thing that could've given him away were those distinct feline eyes of his, still visible through the eye slots of the unicorn mask. Chat had been practicing keeping his face angled in such a way that no one would get a direct look at him if there was enough light; he'd made the point that in the darkness of the venue, it wouldn't be as much of an issue – though he was a bit concerned about the slight glow his eyes gave off.

Luka and the band were housed in the smallest tent furthest from the stage; it took two stops to ask for directions before we finally located them. Luka met us at the flap. "A bit humbling," he said apologetically as he bowed us into the crowded space.

"You're still opening for Jagged, Luka," I reminded him as I leaned up and gave him a quick hug.

"There's that," Luka laughed.

To my surprise, I heard Chat growling. It was low enough that someone not listening for it might miss it; I casually turned to take one of the bags from Chat and shot him a cease and desist look, all the while wondering why the men in my life were suddenly acting so strangely. Chat narrowed his eyes but complied, perhaps in part due to my withering glare.

We were going to have to talk.

Chat seemed on the verge of saying something but decided to change directions. Plastering his cheesiest Chat grin on his face, he held out the remaining bags. "These are yours, I believe," he said. Amazingly, he'd managed to change his accent and pitch his voice a bit.

"Thanks, friend," Luka replied with that half smile of his. "You must be the special song in Marinette's heart," he continued, making no attempt to disguise his curiosity.

"Yes," Chat nodded. Surprisingly, he left it at that, though his masked eyes didn't move from Luka.

"You're a fan?" Luka asked as he pulled his own costume out and slipped behind the small screen that passed for a changing room.

"I am," Chat said, looking at me. His eyes were dancing dangerously.

I arched an eyebrow and mouthed, what?

Chat again started to say something and seemed to think better of it. "I'll be outside," he said before quickly ducking out of the tent.

Luka came around the screen with an arched eyebrow. "A man of few words," he laughed.

"Not normally, believe me. I think he's starstruck," I offered, trying to explain away Chat's chilly behavior with a smile.

"I didn't realize you went for the strong, silent type," he teased, "but if you're happy, I'm happy that you're happy."

"I am," I assured him, placing a fond hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel about me, Luka," I said. "But as you might say, we're in different keys – one sharp, one flat."

Luka smiled wider. "And yet I am still rubbing off on you."

I nodded. "I do care for you; I hope you know that." I waited for a beat. "But that scene on the boat? And then kicking Adrien off the band?" I shook my head. "That's not the Luka I know."

"Not my finest hour. Or finest days, for that matter," he frowned. Luka's eyes flicked to the tent entrance. "I guess, until I saw your friend tonight, I didn't truly believe you'd found someone. That it was just something you told us to keep us out of your life."

"Luka, I've never felt that way," I said softly. "I'm incredibly lucky to have friends like you and Adrien, and-" I nodded toward Chat's shadow, "my boyfriend. All of you are special to me." I smiled again. "It's not a competition. There's a little of me for everyone."

Luka narrowed his eyes. "But more for him," he chuckled.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He put his hands to my shoulders. "If it doesn't work out, Mari, I will be here to complete your song."

Placing my hand over one of his, I looked into his eyes and saw clearly he was still carrying a flame for me. "It will," I said firmly. "You'll find someone to fill your own heart with song. I'm sure of it."

"Maybe," he smiled crookedly before casting another glance at the tent entrance. "Well, wonderful work as always," he said as he switched subjects. "We've got to do a warm up, so…"

"Of course," I smiled again. "Text me if there are any wardrobe malfunctions before you go on."

"Will do."

I found Chat leaning against a pole, arms crossed and boot against the rough surface. He appeared to still be in his strangely dark mood from earlier. "You'd think he'd be closer to Jagged," he observed with a high degree of snark, "given how he's the opening act and all."

Looking at him agog, I tapped him on his chest. "This is behavior unbecoming of my boyfriend," I said quietly. "I know you're green-eyed and all, but where is this coming from, really?"

Chat hung his head slightly, a movement that normally would push his bangs forward to hide his face from me. With unicorn mask, though, I could still see his eyes quite clearly and the conflicted uncertainty in them. Blowing out a breath, he kicked at a stone on the walkway before speaking and tried to turn away from me; I countered the movement by stepping around to him and gently putting a hand to his exposed cheek (which I could now see had flamed a bit). "Tell me."

He blew out another breath and pursed his lips. "I… can sense how badly he wants to be your boyfriend," Chat finally said, so quietly I had to lean closer.

"Sense?" I laughed. "No kidding. He's been giving off that vibe for months now."

Chat coughed a bit. "That's not all he's giving off."

My eyes widened with the dawning realization of what Chat was saying. "Oh," was all I could come up with.

He nodded and looked around to ensure we were still relatively alone; not satisfied that someone wouldn't overhear, he tugged at me and we moved out of the backstage area and toward a relatively secluded spot by the power generators. They were humming as they pumped out the power needed on stage, loud enough to mask our conversation but not so loud that I couldn't easily hear my partner.

He leaned up against the trailer housing one of the generators, recrossed his arms and looked away. If I'd not known how to translate the movements of his tail, I'd have assumed he was as nonchalant as normal; the twisting, though, gave lie to his attempted bad boy aura.

"I've been… changing," he said slowly. "As I get older, I'm finding I have a greater degree of control over my feline enhancements. But I'm also now experiencing what it means to be a... grown up cat, too." Chat looked at me meaningfully. "A mature cat."

I'd assumed it was something along those lines, and nodded encouragingly. I couldn't tell him that as Ladybug, last spring had been a nightmare for me. Especially when the tulips had come into season. But my Miraculous was from a bug - an insect; not an animal with more primal instincts. I couldn't help the widening of my eyes as I started to get a broader picture of what he might be dealing with.

"I think I understand," I smiled, running my hand along his arm. "And I'm here to help you work through it."

Chat nodded as he looked down and shifted uncomfortably from boot to boot. "I'm still learning what it means to be Chat," he admitted. "I thought I knew; I mean, at fourteen, I had everything down." He looked up with a sly Chat smile. "It would've been nice to have gradually gotten here, but I started experiencing… everything… differently... between transformations this summer. One moment I'm a kitty, the next, I'm a cat on the prowl." His eyes flicked to the tent in the distance housing Luka and the band. "A cat with palpable territorial instincts that are hard to control."

I looked at him, astonished at the admission. "You can literally sense Luka's desire," I stated.

He swallowed. "Yes," he said and looked away again. "It is one of… many new triggers for all sorts of instincts I didn't realize I had, especially when I'm transformed."

Especially? I thought. Does he mean his civilian alter-ego has been affected, too?

"I'm getting better at it," he said as he turned back to me and ran his gloved hand through my hair. "But the downside is, my green-eyed monster could be really dangerous if I ever truly let it out."

"No kidding," I smiled. "And a prime candidate for Hawkmoth, too."

He nodded. "That fear alone has been quite the motivator to tamp down my emotions," Chat smiled. "But some things are instinctual still."

"Hence the monosyllabic conversation we enjoyed with Luka."

Chat rolled his eyes. "You really didn't want me to take him on, right?" He blew out another breath. "The way he was looking at you, how he talked to you…" he trailed off, a low growl appearing again. "I was ready to shred that sorry look-"

"Down, kitty," I said, leaning up to kiss him and derail the homicidal glare that had appeared in his masked eyes. Not for the first time that evening was I glad I hadn't left him alone with Luka.

"This is going to take some work," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Well, as long as you don't tear every boy I come into contact with limb-from-limb, we'll call it a win," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. "But seriously, we'll get through this together."

Chat drew me into his arms, and placed his unicorn mask on my hair. "How was I ever lucky enough to be your boyfriend?" he mused.

"Fate," I laughed. "Now, if you please, I'd like to actually watch the concert my boyfriend is taking me to."

"Of course, Princess," he smiled.