Been waiting for this one. This chapter is somewhat inspired by the song 'Mercy' by Lewis Capaldi. In fact, most, but not all, of my chapters have a musical inspiration to them. I usually don't use song titles as chapter titles but I made an exception for this one. You, of course, don't have to listen to the song but if you are looking for the mood I'm going for, then that might be something that will help you do so. I might even put in a few of the lyrics in this chapter here and there just for that purpose. I don't usually care for that kind of stuff but if you enjoy a lyrical input here and there let me know and I'll try and incorporate it more. I know some people have playlists for their chapters which I can only assume is for that reason. Anyway! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

For every second you've been talking
I've been trying to count the lines around your face
'Cause I don't know if I'll ever be this close again

When Friday afternoon came, Lucy found herself sitting with Alya and Marinette while they ate lunch. Apparently, Alya and Nino, though probably more Alya, was attempting to set up a triple date that evening. Andre was a semi-famous ice-cream seller, whose ice cream was rumored to have magical love properties. You could get normal ice cream of course, but what most people found him for was his sweetheart's ice cream. The idea was that Andre's ice cream if eaten alone would bring two loves together, and if those loves shared one of his ice creams, they would be together forever. It was a sweet sentiment. Lucy wasn't sure she really believed in magical ice cream having any influence over anything really, but a part of her hoped there was some truth to it. The game plan was that Alya and Nino, Mylene and Ivan, and perhaps Adrien and Marinette would go on the hunt for Andre, who apparently didn't stay in the same place for long. Lucy watched the girls giggle over the possibility of Marinette and Adrien sharing a sweethearts ice cream and shook her head. If Lucy had been invited to an outing with two couples along with one other single person, she knew she would be able to put the pieces together. However, she knew when it came to Adrien, the boy would be almost completely oblivious. She glanced around the courtyard to spot the boy of topic standing near the stairs talking to Nino. As if feeling her eyes on him, he turned his head to meet her gaze and smiled.

"So do you think you can come?" Nino asked Adrien as he brought his attention back to the conversation. Adrien scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

"I don't know man, you know how my dad is. I'll try and make it but I can't guarantee anything."

Nino sighed and nodded. Of course, he knew how Adrien's dad was. Though if he was honest, the only reason he was pushing to ask was because of Alya. When he had asked her to get ice cream with him for the first time, thanks to Ivan and Mylene's suggestion, he expected it to be a normal double date. As she usually did, however, Alya found a way to include Marinette in hopes to pair her with Adrien. Nino dug Marinette. She was a super cool chick and under different circumstances, he would totally be rooting for her. After all, he had had a crush on her himself before he realized how much in common he had with Alya. Unfortunately, Nino was well aware of Adrien's feelings for a particular blonde girl. The worse part was Nino couldn't explain this to Alya. Adrien had made him promise to keep it to himself. That was bro code. To make it even harder, he couldn't explain why he might be trying to push Adrien with Marinette because of his promise to Alya. That was the girlfriend code. So instead, he went along with his girlfriend's plans in hopes that eventually they would let it go. Nino had made the mistake of falling in love with a beautiful, intelligent, stubborn girl who wanted nothing more than to see her best friend be happy with the guy she wanted. He could only hope that in the end, everything would work itself out. What Nino didn't know was that although Adrien was being honest in not knowing if his father would allow him to be apart of the ice cream adventure with his friends, he already had plans of his own. Or at least he hoped he did. After all, Lucy did say she would only think about it. He really hoped she would show up though. A nice, romantic evening for them to talk and clear the air.

OoOoOoOoO

When school ended Lucy went home to find her mother already there. She sat at the kitchen table, typing away on her laptop as Lucy wondered in. Without looking away from the screen, Monica greeted her daughter who tossed her bag on the living room couch.

"You're home early," Lucy commented as she walked over to the fridge, looking inside for a snack. She grabbed some grapes and placed them in a bowl before heading over to sit next to her mother at the table.

"Yeah, short class today. Figured I would catch up on some essay grading. How was school?" Monica brought her fingers away from the keyboard and folded her arms on the tabletop, giving Lucy her full attention.

"It was fine," Lucy replied, popping a grape in her mouth. "Can I get your opinion on something?"

"Of course." Monica reached over and grabbed a grape from the bowl. "What's up buttercup?"

Lucy looked down and picked at her grape. Stabbing it with her nail in different spots.

"I have a friend," Lucy starts. "She thinks she is in love."

Monica stared at her daughter while making an 'Oh' expression. She was curious to know if this 'friend' was an actual friend or if she was actually referring to herself.

"She thinks she is in love but the problem is that in all reality she hardly knows the guy. She thinks she knows him. It feels like she does. The truth though is that she only knows what she can see. What he lets her see. What he lets everyone see really."

"Sounds more like a crush then." Lucy's mother spoke softly.

"Yeah, I thought so too but...I just don't know what I am supposed to do. I don't want her to get hurt by pursuing something that doesn't look like it will work out, but I also don't want her to give up if she really feels she loves him."

Monica drummed her fingers on the table while nodding. Her daughter looked so concerned over the matter and it broke her heart. Love was never a simple subject. Not for anyone.

"Lucy..." She spoke, slowly bringing her hand to her daughters. "Is this...is this about Chat Noir? I know you said that it wasn't like that but..." Lucy sighed and shook her head.

"No...it's...I don't know, maybe." Lucy had not been talking about herself and Chat. She had been talking about Marinette and Adrien. However, as she replayed her thoughts, perhaps those situations were not so different.

"Often, when we have a crush, when we lust for a person, we see only a small percentage of who they really are. The rest we make up for ourselves. Rather than listen, or learn, we smother them into who we imagine them to be, what we desire for ourselves, we create little fantasies of people and let them grow in our hearts." Her mother explained. "And this is where the relationship fails. In time, the fiction we scribble onto a person falls away, the lies we tell ourselves unravel, and soon the person standing in front of you is almost unrecognizable, you are now complete strangers in your own love. And what a terrible shame it is. My advice: pay attention to the small details of people, you will learn that the universe is far more spectacular an author than we could ever hope to be. If your friend...or whoever has true feelings then, they will notice the small things. The hidden things."

"What if you can't," Lucy asked, now actually thinking about Chat Noir. "What if, you are capable but...you can't." Knowing the details is dangerous.

Monica squeezed Lucy's hand and thought of her own husband. Daniel had always been a secretive man. Not excessively, but enough to take note of. When they were first married, Monica had blamed it on his work. His job and the information that he carried, though not top-secret, was not to be shared with outside parties. Similar to HIPAA laws, there are rules to what information can be shared about a case to anyone outside of it. To do so could be considered unethical but also in some cases dangerous. In their years together Monica had learned the dangers of being married to a government agent all too well. She still had night terrors of Lucy being grabbed and tossed out their living room window with a man whose name she had only heard in passing. But even with work aside, Daniel always seemed to have some other turmoil inside him. A weight he carried and refused to share with her. She would have helped him carry it, if only he had let her. Instead, it grew, until she couldn't see him under it anymore. Her husband wasn't there, just the weight was. Lucy still had not clarified if this conversation was in fact about Chat Noir but if it was that worried Monica. Her daughter was strong. She could carry the weight. But just because Monica knew Lucy could, did not mean she wanted her to have to. And she knew all too well that watching the person you love to do it on their own could be just as heavy. You can't win. The weight of the world is love. Under the burden of solitude, under the burden of dissatisfaction, the weight we carry is love.

I feel like I'm just wasting time
Before you pull the trigger
It's the drawing of the line
It's my ghost you're gonna give up
Got your made up mind
It hurts to see you're alright
When I'm not alright
So if you're calling it a night

OoOoOooOo

Marinette raced over to Alya who gave her a hug and cheek kisses while greeting her. Looking past her, Marinette noticed that among her friends Adrien was not with them and was quick to question it.

"Don't get upset, okay?" Alya said, giving her friend a sad look. "Nino just got a text, his dad isn't letting him come out." Marinette closed her eyes and sighed.

"Once again."

Nino, Ivan, and Mylene jogged up to the two girls and greeted Marinette. All, but maybe Ivan, knew Marinette would be a little sad Adrien wasn't going to make it but the pigtailed girl gave them a smile anyway and asked about their mission for ice cream.

"The deal with André and his ice-cream cart is that you never know where he's gonna be. You gotta follow his clues to find out where he's going to set up." Nino explained as he pulled out his phone.

"The first time Mylène and I wanted André's ice-cream, it took us three hours to find his cart! Do you remember?" Ivan asked Mylene who laughed at the memory. Marinette looked at the two and smiled. They were such a cute couple.

"Hey! Someone posted a photo! He's on his way to the Pont des Arts!" Nino shared, showing his screen to them.

"We better hurry!" Ivan said as they all began to run off. Alya grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her along and Marinette tried to keep her disappointment at bay while enjoying an evening out with her friends.

OoOoOoOoOo

Chat Noir finished lighting the candles and looked around at his effort, pleased with what he saw. Candles glowed around the railing of the roof and rose petals covered the floor with a few pillows for them to sit on while they ate. Chat had not brought the food yet, he figured they could decide together and he would go snag it up. Everything was almost perfect. The only thing that was missing was Lucy.

Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, you're breaking my heart

OoOoOoOoOo

It was only a second. For just one second Marinette got her hopes up again. She and her friends had found Andre and the couples had gotten their ice cream. Andre had noticed her and practically forced the ice cream in her hand. "Peach pink for his lips and mint green for his eyes. Eat this, my dear, and your love will materialize!" The whistle caught all their attention and then the second happened. The boy dressed very similar to Adrien. So similar that in that second, Marinette actually believed in the magic of ice cream. But it wasn't Adrien and as some guy pushed past her to get to him, Marinette's ice cream fell to the floor earning a gasp from Andre. As he quickly tried to make another ice cream for her Marinette rejected the offer. All she wanted to do was have ice cream with the boy she so longed for, and yet at every opportunity to spend time with him, something went wrong. "I don't think there's something magical about your ice-cream. It's just... ice-cream." She couldn't be around her friends anymore. She couldn't be around the happy couples or the man who was trying to give her empty promises with frozen treats. So she left. Her friends trailing behind her, leaving Andre heartbroken for her.

Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, I'm falling apart
Have mercy, my heart

OoOoOoOoO

"She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me. She..." Chat held the last Candle in his hands and looked at it sadly before blowing it out. Lucy didn't show up at the park. Chat had almost gone and went to see her but dismissed the idea. What was the point? She clearly did not want to see him. He leaned against the railing of the rooftop and sighed, feeling defeated over it all. When they had last spoke to Lucy, he really got the impression that she had forgiven him, but now he wasn't so sure. His eyes drifted across the way and he spotted Marinette on her balcony.

"Hello." He greeted her, getting a small gasp of surprise in response.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette greeted, though confused as why the hero was here.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have like superhero-y things to do?" She asked, making a small joke.

Chat Noir shook his head. "No, I don't feel like being a superhero tonight. And I also don't feel like being alone tonight. Would you mind if I hung out here for a little while?"He asked, getting a small nod from the girl. He climbed onto her railing and sat down. "Marinette, right? We've bumped into each other before."

"Yeah, a bunch of times. I mean- yes!" Marinette replied, catching herself. "We have. One time a supervillain fell in love with me. Talk about bad luck."

"Seriously. I seem to have bad luck in the love department myself." Chat admitted, his gaze remaining on the sky.

"Really? What kind?" Marinette sounded more surprised than she really was. She supposed she was more surprised that he would come to her, as Marinette, to talk about it.

"Well, tonight, I had this special dinner set up for..." He trailed off, not sure how much he should really say.

"Lucy.." Marinette said softly. Chat stiffened a bit at the name. Marinette coughed. "Heh, I mean, sorry if I'm wrong. Its just after the whole...Prime Queen incident...I just assumed.."

Chat scowled a little. "Prime Queen...right." If it hadn't been for that villain, maybe things wouldn't be so messed up now. I have gotten so accustomed to you keeping secrets and needing to lie to me for the sake of your identity...that I forgot how good at it you are. How easy it is for you. Her words still rang in his head.

"You're in love with Lucy." It wasn't a question. Not really. Marinette said it more to herself than to him. Chat Noir and his attachment to Lucy was not new news to her. It was something she had already shared her opinion on in the past. Yet, she supposed she had not thought about just how attached he really was.

"I guess it doesn't matter. She never showed up." He admitted and Marinette couldn't help but find this odd. As of late, Marinette had mixed feelings about Lucy. It always felt like she was unintentionally stealing Adrien away from her. The only reason she didn't let that absorb into her mind completely was that she knew even if that were true, it was in fact unintentional. Marinette couldn't blame Lucy for Adrien's own feelings. Whatever they might be. But that didn't mean it didn't both her whenever she saw them alone together or when one brought the other up. She couldn't help the jealousy she felt in her body to know how close those two had gotten in what felt like such a short period of time. They were friends though. Just as Marinette was friends with Lucy too. In that fact, she knew that Lucy would never go out of her way to hurt Chat or anyone for no reason. She had seen it first hand. Even when angry, Lucy's intentions were never spitful.

"Seems like you and I could both use a bit of cheering up." She said leaning on the railing.

"You've gotten your heart broken too?" Chat asked, surprised at the coincidence.

"Yup." Marinette admitted, thinking of Adrien. Chat stood and held out his hand to Marinette.

"Come with me." He said, having her hold on tight and close her eyes. Marinette, feeling compelled to listen, agreed, and held onto Chat as he leaped into the air with her in his arms. When they reached their destination a moment later, Chat told her to keep her eyes closed for just a moment. When she opened them, Marinette was taken back by the lovely set up that was displayed before her.

I felt you slip away so slowly
I lost my grip a little more each time we touched
I've got no hope I guess I'll never get it back again

"Chat Noir! This is beautiful!" She looked over to see Chat leaning sadly over the railing. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" He asked looking over his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"No— Yeah— I mean— What I mean is I'm very sorry for you because, um, you prepared all of this and then... she didn't show. Maybe she had something come up..." Marinette suggested. Chat shook his head.

"You know Ladybug advised me against this." He said, getting an eyebrow raise from Marinette. "She said it would be dangerous for me to show too much interest in a civilian."

"Well..." Marinette pushed her fingers together. She wasn't wrong.

"Lucy did too." Of course, she did. "She warned me back when I had feelings for... or well thought I had feelings for...Ladybug. That dating as a superhero wasn't really optimal."

Chat Noir's flirtation was something she had never taken to heart. She had always figured it was just part of his personality. Charming and annoying. She had never felt any romantic feeling towards Chat, thus putting too much thought into if he was serious or not simply never was a priority for her. In the end, she supposed it didn't matter. Any feelings Chat had carried for Ladybug, real or superficial seemed to have been erased and replaced with that of Lucy. Marinette let out a small laugh. "Yeah, Lucy wise that way."

"Marinette?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever wanted to be with someone so bad, but you instead keep being hit with the realization that it may never work out the way you want it to?"

Heartache was something Marinette was used to feeling for herself. She was not, however, used to feeling it for someone else. Especially not the carefree Chat Noir. He carried so much sadness and loneliness, so much heartache. Yet he put his identity first. He persevered. As Ladybug, she respected that. She understood that. She'd had the strangest desire to shrink Chat and tuck him in her pocket. She mentally chided herself. He was a comrade, not her little brother. He wouldn't appreciate the gesture. She thought about Adrien and the never-ending need she had to earn his affection and attention. Like it would validate her. Yet at every turn, it seemed that fate was pushing him in a different direction.

"Constantly." She spoke, her throat felt tight.

"So what do you do?"

"Keep trying." She answered honestly. "In new ways. Everyday. But our situation is different Chat Noir. You're pursuing a civilian as a hero. There are going to be even bigger obstacles with that. You have to consider-OH! Look out!" As a ball of ice cream shot towards them. Chat jumped in front of Marinette, deflecting the ice cream with his staff before picking her up and hopping away as the villain called out to her. "Marinette, party pooper, you're looking so sad and surly, but Glaciator will make it all better. Don't you worry!"

"What was that all about? Another villain in love with you?"

"No! It's Andre the ice cream maker!"

"The sweetheart's ice cream guy?" Chat asked. "He's not looking so sweet right now."

"It's a long story," Marinette told him as he brought her back to her house.

"Go inside. I'm gonna lead him away from you." She grabbed his belt before he could get far.

"Chat Noir, thanks for cheering me up."

He smiled at her. "It's the least I could do."

Tiki came up as Chat leaped away in awe.

"I've never seen this sensitive side of Chat Noir."

"Yeah...maybe I was wrong about him. And wrong about him and Lucy. How can a sit and push forward my own impossible love, and not encourage him to do the same?" Tiki and Marinette smile at one another and Marinette tells Tiki 'spots on'.

OoOoOoOoOo

Eh, eh, eh felt like I was just wasting time
Before you pulled the trigger
It's the drawing of the line
It's my ghost you're going to give up

Perhaps she got her glass-half-empty personality from her mother. She used to think it was her dad. The ever so logical man that he was. Every problem had a solution, every situation was a system of events that could be broken down and analyzed from moment to moment, every person an equation, every emotion a chemical. But no, now that Lucy thought about it that was just her dad's only way of talking. He didn't know how else to do it. Monica on the other hand...her mother. She was a woman not of science but of literature. She was educated in the familiar aspects of emotion and how they play in a person's ever-growing story. Then you can't. That was her answer. She had no encouraging words to give, not hopeful words that told Lucy it would all work out. Instead, she was transparent. Not in a cruel or menacing way. But in a way that she supposed most parents had to be with their children sometimes. Her mother had never been one to give Lucy unobtainable expectations. She wouldn't get her daughter's hopes up just to have to pick up the pieces when it didn't pan out the way she wanted it to. Can't or won't? She had asked Lucy. Can't. Lucy knew it was not a lack of willingness. Then you can't. There was no other explanation needed. So when Lucy's mother asked if she had any plans for the evening. Lucy said no. She knew it might hurt him. No, not might. It would. But maybe that was what was needed. Then she wouldn't have to do it anymore. Not to him. Not to herself. She had another dream the other night. They happened so often now that it really didn't phase her anymore. She would dream and then she would see things. Things that seemed like nothing until she saw them again while she was awake. It was odd. Deja vu is what she kept calling it but as time went by it seemed to be so much more than that. It wasn't always the same. Her dream and reality would often have small differences in them. Last night she dreamt of Chat Noir. She dreamt of him and her. She was yelling at him. I hate you. Those were the words that she watched come out of her mouth but she didn't know why. She didn't want to hate Chat Noir. She couldn't. She could only guess that she wanted more than he could give her, and eventually came to resent him for not being able to do that. Then You can't. No. She would make him hate her for a choice she made before she let herself hate him for a choice he couldn't.

OoOoOoOooOo

"That's weird. It looks like he's leaving the couples alone." Ladybug observed Glaciator from above.

"Too bad for us." Chat said bitterly, but Ladybug ignored it.

"You don't understand. We know he doesn't attack couples so we could pretend—"

"Pretend?" "Okay Prime Queen, you win. I confess, Cat Noir and I are entangled, as you said. We, Lucy and I are.. in..love..with Chat Noir." "How easy it is for you."
"To be in love!" Ladybug said as if it was obvious.

Chat scowled at her. "Sorry, Ladybug, it's not cool to play with people's feelings."

Tigress sighed and looked at Ladybug. They didn't have to speak to know they were on the same page about Chat's mood. Even if Ladybug had not just been confessed to by Chat just a little while ago in her civilian form, her Male feline partner had been a bit on the mopy side for the past few days. Tigress on the other hand did know about the date he had planned but had no idea how it went. Guessing by Chat's aggressive tone, she could guess that the answer was somewhere along the lines of "complete shit". Something she wanted clarity on but would have to wait until after they took care of Frosty the Snow Cone.

He jumped toward Glaciator and attempted to strike him with his staff but it only cut through the Akuma. Glaciator shook his body slamming Chat into a building. As Chat rolled across the street Glaciator went to shoot him with his icy blast but Ladybug intercepted.

"Does this have something to do with Lucy?!" Ladybug asked, playing off knowing what she already knew.

"Because it always has something to do with Lucy." Tigress commented as they hid behind a car.

Chat groaned in frustration. "She blew me off. I had a thing planned and she didn't show up."

"What the fuck? Why!?" Tigress asked, now also annoyed.

"I'm sorry Chat." Ladybug said placing her hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm frustrated and I'm taking it out on my teammates." Chat apologized with a sigh.

"We are gonna put this on the back burner but we are definitely not done talking about this. Now let's deal with this guy!" Tigress said, getting a nod from her partners. "Alright so. Who wants to play the couple. Boy kitty-girl kitty, Boy Kitty-Girl bug, Girl kitty-Girl bug?" Tigress winked at Ladybug with her last combo. "Oh! do you think we could pass as a thruple?"

"Thruple?" Chat asked as Ladybug's face tinted pink and swatted Tigress.

OoOoOoOoOo

"This is adorable Tigress said as she looked around at Chat's setup.

"It's beautiful." Ladybug agreed.

Chat gave them a weak smile and leaned against the railing.

"So what happened? Why didn't she show up?" Tigress asked crossing her arms. Chat shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess she hasn't forgiven me yet." That was where Ladybug was out of the loop.

"Forgiven you for what?" Chat looked at Tigress who gave him a small shrug and he sighed.

"Lucy kissed me." Ladybug looked at him with wide eyes.

"What! When?"

"After Prime Queen."

"And then he ran away and left her on her roof." Tigress finished, wanting to get past the shit she already knew.

"Chat no!" Ladybug squeaked making him squeeze his eyes shut, putting his head down in shame.

"I thought you guys talked though! That's why you did this." Tigress spoke.

"I asked and she said she would consider it. Never gave me a firm yes. I guess I just figured she would come around."

Tigress tapped her foot and placed her hands on her hips in thought.

"Okay..okay. I'm gonna go get her."

"What? No!" Chat argued but Tigress help up her hand to him.

"No, you guys need to work this out. I'm sick of you moping about. You fucked. Okay You did, that was shitty, seriously." Chat gave her an annoyed glance that sang the words 'I know.' "But she knows you would never hurt her on purpose. You're trying to make it up to her. She needs to let you. Even if you guys go your separate ways after, you need to talk. This can't be it." With that Tigress leaped from the roof and headed in the direction of Lucy's home.

Chat rand his hand through his hair and looked at Ladybug who looked like she was in deep thought as she stared at the ground. Feeling his eyes on her she looked up at him at first with disapproval but then what he could only describe as pitty.

"Gonna tell me how stupid this was?" He asked as he brought his head back down. Ladybug shook her head no.

"Chat...I don't want to step on your hopes. I care about you. You are more than just my partner, you are my friend and I want you to be happy. You and Lucy...it's not smart. My opinion on that has not changed but...Love is stupid sometimes." She admitted and Chat looked at her. "We cannot help who we love. Lucy is...she's great. I really want this to work out for you, I do, I just...I'm worried."

"Me too." Chat said quietly.

"Talk to her." Ladybug continued. "Maybe things will work out...maybe they won't, but you both deserve to be on the same page. I'm not the one to give out love advice. I have my own issues in that department..."

"M'lady has love troubles of her own huh? Who's the lucky guy? Anyone, I know?" Chat asked with a grin. Ladybug gave him a small smile and shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. My point is that I don't know if it's going to work out either. Every turn is telling me that I am heading in the wrong direction of my destination...but I just keep going."

"Why?"

Ladybug paused and let out a breathy laugh almost unsure of her answer. "I don't know...I guess where I am supposed to be and where I want to just happen to be two different places and I've never been good at reading a map."

Well," Chat said, giving her a friendly smile. "Life is always a bit more of an adventure without a map anyway."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Got your made up mind
It hurts to see you're alright
When I'm not alright
So if you're calling it a night

Lucy wasn't prepared when Tigress showed up. She was even less prepared when she literally kicked in her window. The lack broke open the doors swung inward making Lucy jump at the intrusion.

"What the fuck?" Lucy asked as Tigress jumped onto the floor.

"I was about to ask you that same question." Tigress retorted crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Now get dressed. You have a date."

"A date?" Lucy looked at her baffled for a moment when the realization hit her. "What are you- oh, Ti..."

"No, I don't wanna hear your lame excuse. Now get dressed and stop being a little bitch."

"Tigress!"

"TiGResS" She mocked. "No. I've seen you walking around playing mother hen to all your little friends, well guess what?! The tables have turned. I'm mama Tiger now and I'm telling you to get dressed."

"It's none of your business!" Lucy whispered harshly, trying not to wake her mother who was asleep across the hall.

"It is my business," Tigress whispered back, getting in Lucy's face. "You are my friend and so is he! You are not the only one hurt by this Lucy!"

"I know that!" Lucy cried. "You don't think I know that?" Lucy placed her head in her hands and Tigress sighed and sat on the bed.

"It's just gonna keep happening." The blonde said, bringing her knees to her chest. "He can't be with me...not really. I knew that. I know that and I still kissed him anyway."

"Lucy..." Tigress started, softer this time.

"I told him that looking for relationships in his hero persona would be complicated and a bad idea. Then I went and did this. What kind of person does that make me? How cruel?"

Tigress took Lucy's face in her hands and wiped away her teary cheeks.

"Lucy, he thinks you hate him." She said frowning. "He thinks you're mad at him for running away."

Lucy shook her head. "I'm not...I was hurt at first but...I don't blame him, I blame myself."

"Then you need to tell him that," Tigress advised. "You guys will work it out. Rather you end up dating or just friends or you go separate ways entirely. You will figure it out together. You have to."

This was the advice she wanted. The advice she needed.

"Okay..." She said nodding. "Okay. Let me get dressed."

OoOooOOOoOoOoOoOoO

Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, you're breaking my heart
Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, I'm falling apart
And I just don't know how we got
So wrong, for so long
Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, mercy my heart

When Tigress arrived with Lucy, Ladybug was already gone. She had asked if Chat would like her to stay and wait but he declined. He needed to think. Tigress squeezed Lucy's shoulder, looking at Chat who faced away from them, before heading off. Lucy looked around, the setup still there. She frowned. It was lovely. It was lovely and she ruined it.

"I'm so sorry." She said but Chat didn't look at her. She didn't blame him. "I understand if you hate me." At that Chat turned around and looked at her with sad eyes.

"Of course I don't hate you, Lucy." He said, sounding so defeated. "I just wish you would let me make it so you can forgive me."

Lucy shook her head, her eyes already tearing up again as she started to make long strides in his direction.

"Forgive you? Chat, you have nothing to be forgiven for. I did this!" She said pointing to herself.

Somehow I can't let go
But I know I've been holding on too long
Somehow I can't let go
But I know I've been holding on too long

Chat closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her as she cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He shook his head and rested his chin on her head.

"Please don't be. Don't be sorry for kissing me. Don't be sorry for loving me. I won't be sorry about the reverse."

"It's not going to work." She whispered, calming down a little as they still held each other.

"I know." He said. "But that doesn't make it any less real."

They stayed that way a while, till eventually moving to the pillows pilled up on the floor where they sat and whispered reassuring words to one another. Soon, it was midnight and Lucy's eyes began to feel heavy while Chat's ring moved to two paw pads. Without using his power, his ability to stay Chat Noir extended significantly, however, like everything else, it wouldn't last forever. He knew he owed Plagg a big hunk of cheese when they got home. This was...a goodbye in a way. An ending before a beginning. Chat and Lucy knew that being together would be harder than either of them were ready for. He supposed that Lucy would take it harder than he would. He couldn't be with her as Chat Noir. He could give her the things she needed from a significant other as his hero persona. Adrien wasn't giving her up. Chat was. It would be safer that way. Yet, as he brought her to her window, he still felt like he was losing her entirely. Like this really was goodbye. How strange it was.

Oh, oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, you're breaking my heart
Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, I'm falling apart
And I just don't know how we got
So wrong, for so long

"Are we okay?" Lucy asked as Chat laid her on her bed.

"We're okay. We'll always be okay. I'm still gonna visit you. Just because I can't love you doesn't mean I wont. You're my friend Lucy. That doesn't change."

"This sucks."

Chat let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah..yeah it does. But you are gonna be okay. I am gonna be okay. We, are gonna be okay." He said wiping her hair back from her face. "I am going to do what I signed up for. I'm going to keep Paris and the world safe. And you...you are going to live your life and be happy. With me and without me."

Lucy brought her hand up behind his neck and pulled her down to him, pressing their lip together. This time, he didn't run.

Oh please have, have mercy
Have mercy on me, mercy my heart
Have mercy my heart

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Adrien got into bed Plagg laid next to him exhausted from the extended transformation.

"You did the right thing kid. And you know the best way to get over a heartache? A bunch of cheese!" Plagg said earning a small smile from Adrien.

"I don't have a heartache Plagg. Not really. I want Lucy to be with me, but I understand that being with her as Chat is just not a good idea. As much as I want it to be otherwise. That doesn't mean I'm not going to give up though. Chat can't be with Lucy, but I can. Now its just waiting game."

"Wating game? Is that not what you have been doing this whole time?"

"Well, yeah but, Lucy needs to get over me before she can...be into me? I guess...? She needs to not be hung up on Chat. I will be there to comfort her, as friends do and then when the time comes, I'll swoop in as the guy of her dreams that she didn't realize was right in front of her the whole time!"

Plagg squinted at Adrien. "You know...I blame myself for putting that idea in your head, but now that you are saying it out loud...its a little creepy."

"What?!"

"I mean...you and Chat are the same person. You're gonna help her get over you so that she can be with you? Sound a little "YOU" ta me."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "That's it, no more netflix for you."

"Hey wait! I'm just kidding! Go get her tiger! Now, bring out the cheese and had me the remote!"

Oh man. Let me tell you, I got watery eyed a little bit writing some of this one. Nice long chapter full of that sweet sweet angst. I hope you guys like it! Remeber to comment and like and all that jazz as I do love hearing your feelings! See you in the next chapter!