Seventeen: Superhero Chat

Chat arrived just a few minutes after I'd spoken to him as Marinette, landing perfectly along the raised decorative accent of the rooftop and once more easily defying gravity in his three-point stance. I'd been sitting atop it myself, pondering what exactly to say to him as I watched the sun start to sink below the tops of the buildings.

"Milady," he said with his usual grace as he used his free paw to take my hand for his usual knuckle kiss.

"Kitty," I smiled. "Marinette is—"

"Fine," he said curtly. "But I'll be checking in with her purrsonally after we wrap here."

It was an odd sensation realizing just how much my relationship with Chat had changed (as Ladybug, that is). Where once he would do anything to spend time with me, now he rarely made any of his old excuses to hang out with me as Ladybug. Chat continued to be the perfect gentlecat; he always made me feel like I was the center of his universe when we were together, of course, and had never rushed off post-akuma without first ensuring I was fine or didn't want to go over anything from the battle. But neither was he going out of his way to extend his face time with Ladybug, either.

He still flirted with me, of course, for that seemed to be an ingrained part of his superhero persona – hence the knuckle kiss – but it had more of a playful quality to it these days, instead of the hint of desperation for a connection that had infused our early years together. As Marinette, I had gradually begun to understand his motivations as I slowly peeled away the layers to my kitty. Still, every now and then I felt a wave of guilt at how dismissive I'd been of his feelings as Ladybug.

Fortunately, I was more than making up for it now.

"Good," I smiled, and then carefully chose my next words. "About this afternoon… look, I might have been a bit harsh—"

"A bit?" Chat smiled, and I felt heartened that it was of his humorous variety. "You had me by the tail. Literally."

"Yeah," I said. "It's the easiest way to attract your attention."

"And it hurts like Hell," he reminded me. "You forget that you always have my full attention, Bug," he added with that Cheshire Chat grin of his.

"Not this afternoon," I pointed out. "You were a single-track kitty until I hauled you back to your feline senses."

Chat looked away, and I watched his masked eyes follow a distant flock of birds as they moved across the darkening sky. "That's true," he admitted softly. "I've learned how to deal with times when you are in danger – it's part of my job description, really," he said as he turned back toward me. "And I know that I compliment you; together, we can fight off anything."

He looked away again. "Marinette only has me. It's bad enough that I'm putting her into danger just dating her; it sends me into full panic mode when she's in trouble and I can't get to her to help."

"She's stronger than you imagine, Chat," I said, running my gloved hand along his arm. "She has to be, to date the likes of you."

"I suppose," he smiled wryly. "I do test her, I think."

Oh yeah, I agreed mentally.

"Today was the first time I nearly put her safety over that of the people of Paris," Chat continued, and I could hear in his voice how upset he was with himself – and torn. "I was faced with the ultimate dilemma: do I save my girlfriend, or save the schoolkids?" He looked at me again. "It's that awful superhero choice I never expected either of us would have to ever make."

There were a hundred things I wanted to tell him, and none of them appropriate if I wished to keep my true identity secret. So instead, I opted for something more in line with Ladybug, though it tore me up inside as I said it. "We have to make the tough choices, Chat. That's why we're the Heroes of Paris."

I put a hand on his costumed back. "Part of the cost of being able to run around like an overgrown housecat is being faced with those decisions, and for what it's worth, I think you made the right call today. As hard as it was."

Chat slumped his head forward a bit, his bangs falling across his mask as he moved. "It was hard. And I know it will be one I have to make again. And again." He sighed. "I'm glad you are by my side, bugaboo," he said fondly. "That's about the only way I was able to get through it."

"We do everything together," I reminded him. "Even the hard stuff."

He cocked his head sideways slightly, one masked eye peeking out from beneath a bang. "A piece of advice?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Don't fall in love with a civilian," he said with a wry smile.

"Oh, Chat! That's the worst advice you've ever given me," I said. "Your dating Marinette has clearly helped you grow into the more mature partner I always knew you would become." I paused. "Nearly."

He laughed. "Nearly?"

"I suspect deep down you'll always be a kitten around me," I replied as I leaned over to kiss him. At the last moment, I remembered which persona I was and redirected to his exposed cheek instead of those super-soft lips of his. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chat pulled me closer with his free arm. "Me either, Milady."

We sat like that for a bit, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon, and I fought the urge to burrow into my partner as I was wont to do as Marinette. Chat's normally warm body temperature made it quite difficult to ignore, though, so I reluctantly pulled away from him. It didn't hurt that as accommodating as he was being, I could feel his tail was twitching – the only sign of his impatience to head over to the Bakery.

"I should go," I said as I pulled my yo-yo from my waist. "I know you want to check in on Marinette."

"Is it that obvious?" he smiled, slightly abashed.

"Only to me," I smiled back. I stood up on the edge and he joined me, and I realized I needed some way to distract him long enough to beat him back to the Bakery. "Might I return a piece of advice?"

"Of course, Milady," he said.

"Be gentle with her," I said. "She probably is just now coming to terms with what you told her earlier."

"I will," he smiled, and then frowned as he popped open his baton to check the time. "Damn," he breathed. "My alter-ego needs to… be seen… somewhere before I can get to Marinette's place," he groaned.

"Go take care of it," I said, trying not to look relieved that he'd conveniently solved my dilemma. "I'm sure Marinette will wait."

Chat smiled, saluted, and launched himself into the night. I watched him sail off into the gathering dusk – long enough to ensure he wasn't headed to the Bakery – and then lassoed the chimney across the way to head there myself. All the way there, I reminded myself just what kind of a special kitty my partner was – and just how much I loved him.

That, and I needed to figure out what the surprise was I'd told him I'd bought…