Eighty-Eight: The Discussion

With the wedding date set, Chat dusts off their original plan and, with the help of the Ladyblogger, plants some seeds for Parisians…

I'd not been on the rooftop for more than a few moments before Rena Rouge lightly dropped down onto the tile in her classic crouch; as she looked up, a warm smile brightened her masked face as she slowly stood then moved toward where I was perched on the concrete half-wall.

"Damn," she sighed as she deftly leapt up and then took a seat beside me. "That felt good."

Holding out my hand for a fist pump she quickly took me up on, I returned the smile. "Welcome back."

Rena brushed back some of her extremely long hair. "It's good to be back. I was worried that with as much time away as I'd taken, I'd be a bit rusty, but my rooftop skills came back almost immediately."

"Carapace is babysitting the twins?"

"Literally," Rena smiled wider.

I found myself arching a masked eyebrow. "No way."

"He's spent too much time hanging around you, Chat," Rena chuckled. "Unfortunately, that means the twins have gotten used to falling asleep in his shield." She paused. "I'm not sure if I should reveal that on more than one occasion, he's taken them to the rooftops to get them to nod off. Something about the fresh air seems to do it every time."

"I purromise not to tell Ladybug," I said solemnly, crossing my heart with a claw tip. "If you let me help Carapace the next time he does it."

Rena rolled her eyes. "The two of you are incorrigible."

"Guilty as charged. Deal?"

"Deal. I'll have him buzz your baton."

"Clawsome."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Rena asked as she crossed her long legs.

"So, Mari and I are getting married," I began.

She rolled her eyes again. "You were supposed to do that ages ago."

"Life got in the way," I replied honestly. "But we've finally got some dates set."

Rena's eyes widened. "No shit. For real? You're finally going to do it?"

"Yes," I nodded. "We need your help, though."

"Name it."

"Seeing as though you're the world's leading expert on Ladybug and Chat Noir," I started, referring to her hugely popular Ladyblog, "how will Paris react if I break up with Marinette – as Chat – so I can 'date' Ladybug finally?"

Rena's masked eyes narrowed as she considered me. "Those early photos I snagged of you taking her to Nice went viral," she mused after a moment, "but once Marinette straightened me out, I've kept your private life out of the Ladyblog." She looked at me. "I mean, I can't erase what is out there on the internet, of course, but it's been more than a year since photos of the two of you trended."

"We've been exceedingly careful since I proposed to her," I said. "I wanted the furor to die down so we could move to the next phase."

"I think it has," she said.

"What about the Heroes of Paris?"

The fox smiled fondly. "That angle has never been more popular," she sighed. "There are entire message boards – not just on my website, mind you – dedicated to discovering whether you and Ladybug are an item. Every photo of the two of you in action gets scrutinized and cataloged. Honestly, half of Paris thinks the two of you are an item, and the other half thinks it's just a matter of time before you are."

My tail flicked behind me. "Do you think… do you think it would be better for Ladybug if we kept it that way? That we are just two masked heroes doing out thing?"

"Are you asking me as a journalist? Or as your friend."

"Both, I guess."

Rena sighed. "Putting aside for a moment what sort of danger that might put the two of you in with Hawkmoth, as a journalist, the romantic tension that pours off the two of you each time you appear in public is part of the mystique of the Heroes of Paris. Announcing that the two of you are an item would make it something… less, I think."

I nodded. "That confirms what I was thinking, too," I replied. "And it would give our civilian alter-egos a bit of cover."

"It would." Rena smiled sadly. "As your friend, I say 'screw Hawkmoth' and give Paris a feel-good story."

"I like your style," I chuckled. "What about Adrien?"

"What about him?" she laughed. "He's never been more popular."

"Exactly," I sighed, glancing meaningfully toward a billboard facing us. My naked torso was at least two stories tall; frankly, it was a bit embarrassing. "Much as with Chat, I've been damn careful about appearing to be connected to anyone, dating-wise. Unfortunately, we've never successfully figured out how to ramp up our relationship properly."

"Like I said, the Chat-is-dating-a-civilian angle has died out," she reminded me. "Mari is going to have more trouble with any friends or colleagues that are part of her inner circle and know about you. But Paris as a whole – don't take this the wrong way, Chat – doesn't care about that any longer."

"Fame is fleeting," I laughed. "In this case, it's welcome."

"True." Rena tapped her chin with a gloved finger. "If you are asking me for advice in this area, too," she started.

"I am."

"Then yes, I think you and Mari need to concoct something so her colleagues feel like she has come to the end of the line with Chat Noir; in fact, if you play it right, Adrien could be the one she turns to for comfort."

My ears went straight up. "That… that's brilliant," I said. "But I don't want Chat to hurt her, even if it's fake," I added. "I've tried very hard to ditch that catsanova rep you tagged me with back at Dupont."

Rena's face colored. "For that I truly apologize, but can you blame me? The way you were hitting on Ladybug—"

"I was young and didn't understand that what I saw in the movies wasn't the way to go about wooing a woman," I replied with a smile. "But the damage was done."

Still tapping her finger on her chin, Rena looked distant for a bit. "Maybe… maybe we can use that mystique I mentioned earlier to our benefit. Something along the lines of Chat unwillingly giving up on his love for Mari since it would place her in danger; maybe Ladybug could support him on that, reminding Paris of the costs the two of you are paying to be the Heroes of Paris."

I cocked my head slightly and looked at Rena askance. "But we'd be lying," I pointed out. "Since the two of us are actually together."

Rena nodded. "Let me noodle on it for a bit," she said after a moment. "I think there is a soft, human-interest angle here that would work; it might mean doing a sit-down with me, though. Would you be okay with that?"

"We assumed as much," I nodded. "Will it work?"

She nodded again. "I think so, yes. If Carapace will take the twins again tomorrow night, can both of you meet me at Trocadero Gardens tomorrow evening? We can do a run-through and see if it pans out."

"Shouldn't be a problem," I nodded. "Thanks in advance."

Rena smiled. "I owe the two of you many times over. It's the least I can do."

"You don't owe us anything."

Rena smiled as she stood. "And that, right there, is why Paris is in love with the two of you. See you tomorrow night."