A/N: (warning for excessive cat puns) there is adrinette to come~

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

x.
nos doutes

Je pourrais l'aimer.

With her homework finished and Student Council duties taken care of, she'd moved to the balcony above her room and spent a fair amount of time leaning on the railing.

The skies had darkened from the pink and orange evening. The sun was long since gone and replaced with wispy black clouds. A little creature nuzzled up to her in greeting, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. "Marinette, do you like him?"

"—Who?" She appeared surprised by the simple question and this caused Tikki to giggle, trilling, "Chat Noir! Surely, you realize I was with you the entire time? Just not in plain sight."

These were the moments that Marinette wished she could better handle her emotions. Despite the flush that covered her face, she was shaking her head. "No, no, Tikki, he's my friend. I care a lot about him."

"Oh, ma chère Marinette." A sigh. "You are too cute!"

The teasing was enough for Marinette to reach over and gently pet her kwami's tiny head with two fingertips, pursing her lips in a mock-pout. "Hush."

"Mm, anyway, I know what you're thinking. I agree that you should meet him, but don't stay out too long. Your rest is important as well."

"I know, I know! I promise I'll be quick. If I dawdle, you'll be there to scold me afterwards."

Tikki clicked her tongue and rested her form on the girl's shoulder. "Which does nothing unless you actually listen." Marinette hummed in response, allowing the remark to hang in the air as they gazed up at the dark Parisian skyline. With a last sigh, she smiled and murmured, "Tikki, transform me," and the kwami went to work.

Tossing her yo-yo and quietly hopping off the balcony in search of her partner, Ladybug disappeared into the night.

Chat Noir felt reluctant to leave his princess, but he had places to be.

Regardless of the fact, he felt elated as he hits the rooftops. Of course, he usually enjoyed his time as a superhero, but this time, he couldn't help the wide smile on his face.

Marinette enjoyed his company. Marinette was interested in knowing more about him. Marinette was open to seeing what Adrien was hiding.

He knew it. He knew she'd be a good friend, and the realization made him downright giddy.

The cat moved towards Alya's neighborhood and hovered about, trying to spot her house. He found perches, looking around, trying to not be suspicious until finally he noticed her rushing out of a building. So, that was her house.

She was already streaming something on her phone and he laughed to himself. Alya noticed and when she tried to call him down, he consented. It was brief—she asked him where he had been, what had happened, had the pressure become too much, was there a fight with Ladybug—

Chat Noir just shook his head, looking amused and assured her it was nothing so dramatic. A family matter came up that he had to deal with out of the country, simple as that! It was dealt with and he wouldn't be leaving Paris anytime soon.

Eventually, he told her that he had to keep up his patrol, that he had a lot of catching up to do. Alya noticed he seemed particularly happy.

He paused, considering his answer. "Well, everything has a silver lining, no?"

And before she could ask for clarification, he was moved to the rooftops again. He wanted to get a good look around the city he'd missed, and hopefully, find His Lady, too.

It had taken some time. Chat Noir had said something about visiting Alya's neighborhood to offer her reassurance and information for the Ladyblog, so the spotted heroine took to briefly patrolling the area. Truthfully, there didn't appear to be suspicious happenings, nor any villains in sight.

Now, think, where could he be…?

Her eyes flickered to the glowing building in the middle of the city, standing out against the darkness. The Eiffel Tower? This had to be it! If there was anywhere to meet, it was the the tallest structure in Paris. She often spent her time at the Trocadéro as Marinette just to gaze up at the monument – the tower also offered an encompassing view of the city, which worked in her favor, all things considered.

Ladybug swung her yo-yo out to wrap around pipes, signs, vaulting over rooftops with ease. And true to her intuition, a certain black cat was lurking around, gaze settled down below as though searching for the exact same thing.

She tossed her cord over a few of the iron bars from the opposite direction, sliding down in silence.

As her feet touched the ledge, she managed to gently seize her partner by the wrist from behind. Too distracted in his search, he didn't notice her approach – and he jumped, going stock still, ready to whip around to face the other.

"Bonsoir, mon minou," Ladybug breathed out the greeting, tipping her head to press her forehead against the back of his shoulder in some attempt to catch her breath. She had undoubtedly caught him by surprise. Chat Noir relaxed at the words, felt her forehead against his shoulder, and his insides grew fuzzy.

He was always so happy they could do this. The casual contact, the easy affection.

When she straightened up, there was no real way to contain the smile on her face.

She didn't want to appear too nonchalant, because, damn it, she had been worried. But, having already been assured of the cat's wellbeing through Marinette, there was no need to fire questions and put him on the spot. He wouldn't tell her the truth, anyway.

Calmly, she released her grip around his forearm and shifted so that she could properly look at him, retracting the cord from her yo-yo. "I was looking all over for you."

Chat Noir glanced over as she moved, his grin widening and his eyes sparking with glee. He kneeled down to take her hand.

"My apologies for my absence, My Lady. I can assure you, it was torture to be without your beauty for so long," he purred, bowing his head to kiss the back of her hand.

Ladybug froze at the gesture. She pulled back immediately afterwards and reached out to ruffle his hair, a deep sigh parting her lips. He had grinned, leaning into her hand. He expected the contact, short and sweet—but driven by the urge from earlier, the superheroine then proceeded to lean in for a tight hug, wrapping her arms around Chat Noir and drawing him back to his feet, close to her.

He jumped, startled, but followed the pull. There was a moment of uncertainty as to what was going on, but he slowly returned the embrace. He wasn't a fool. He figured she had been worried, that this was a platonic hug, still—

Still, he'd enjoy it for every second it was worth.

"Save the flattery."

It was rare for Ladybug to show this kind of physical affection, yet she couldn't bring herself to care at that moment. They had already been over this, after all. Both Marinette and Ladybug had missed him… the former was just more ready to admit it than the latter.

"Whatever happened, I just want you to know that I'm glad you're alright." She retracted her arms, allowing them to rest at her sides as she nodded, seriousness donning her features, "That's all."

It was a vague response, but it still warmed the cat's heart.

"I'm… sorry for worrying you," he murmured, releasing her as she pulled away. "I had a personal matter to attend to, and in a rare bout of mother henning, my kwami made sure I gave it my focus."

Her expression softened at the apology that left him, deciding that she was being too harsh on the other. She knew full well what had happened and even if she wasn't able to coax it out of him, this was enough for now. "I understand. And it's fine, no need to share if they're your personal matters."

"Thank you, My Lady."

He was glad she didn't ask. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she pried. He definitely couldn't lie to her, but he was hesitant to tell her the truth. To make her question his own abilities, or to make her feel guilty for not being there.

It was just better if she didn't know at all. He was in one piece, and that was all that should matter in the end.

The hero paused before continuing, "I lied to the Ladyblog. I just told them what would get them to not expect me to elaborate."

He knew he didn't have to say it, but while omissions were commonplace in their relationship, he didn't like the idea of directly telling her something false. He knew that his partner paid attention to the Ladyblog and he didn't want it to appear he trusted a reporter more than her.

"I expected you might." Ladybug smiled, hoping she didn't give away more than she meant to. Idly twisting the yo-yo on her hip, she playfully added, "You know, I could get used to the peace and quiet."

"Oh, you wound me!" A dramatic sigh escaped him, hand moving over his heart and she laughed.

She reached out to gently swipe her finger over the cat's nose, playfully poking him. He blinked and grinned. "At the same time, being without you was…" She paused to gather her words—they came easier as Ladybug than Marinette but there were still times that she wondered how to phrase something.

"…Not nearly as much fun as when you're by my side."

"But, of course. Cats are wonderful companions that way," Chat Noir drawled with a wink. "And I like to think I'm the purrfect partner to bring a bit of joy into our work."

"Mm…" She rolled her eyes, unable to hide the amusement in her tone as she mumbled, "I suppose I can't argue with that. There was no one to throw goofy puns at the villains this week. Mine aren't even half as good as yours."

"You try, but it's a fact sad that not even a lady as meowvelous as you can't be great at everything. Just mewst things."

She giggled and he felt his heart soar, "So, that's why I'm here, to make up the witty banter any good superhero adventure needs." A very pleased expression sat on his features. She missed him. She enjoyed his company. He knew she must, but hearing it was so much better.

"Though, when you do make them, I always find them wonderfurl."

By now, Ladybug had pressed the back of her hand to her mouth in some totally indiscreet way of hiding her smile. Really, when given an inch, he would go the mile, and she could only find relief in the jokes that slipped past her partner's lips.

They were the same as before, and there was a kind of comfort in knowing that.

She shifted her eyes to the city lights and buildings below, moving to take a seat on the end of the ledge so that her legs hung freely off the side. Even with everything that had happened, guilt had a funny way of making itself known and Ladybug had to force herself not to frown, to furrow her brow with the sudden pang of uneasiness that reverberated in her chest.

She still wholeheartedly believed that had it not been for her own careless behavior that night, abandoning her partner, he would have never had to suffer through so much pain.

Chat Noir watched her sit down, tilting his head slightly. It wasn't unheard of for them to sit and talk, but he would think after his absence… she'd be a bit more business. A patrol on her own couldn't have been nearly as thorough. Two sets of eyes were better, especially when one saw in the dark.

A glance was thrown back into his direction, a hand lifting itself to beckon the other to join her.

He moved over to sit beside her on the ledge, crouched at first. Looking her over once, before letting his legs slip over the side to sit on the ledge properly. "Is there something on your mind, My Lady?"

Ladybug could sense his hesitation—maybe a little bit of confusion, too. Was it pointless? She hadn't spent too much time with the other as Marinette and yet she was already very comfortable in his presence.

But, there was something else, some lingering emotion she couldn't quite place. The fluttering in her stomach, the way her heart raced in his proximity or how genuinely fearful she had become seeing him hurt. [The first two things she only experienced with Adrien? It was peculiar.]

She was afraid to confirm anything without being one hundred percent sure of herself. And lately, even the things she thought she was so sure about were decreasingly rapidly in their percentages.

They should be patrolling, she knew, and yet she wanted this to last a tiny bit longer.

"Yeah," Ladybug admitted, shoulders slumping a little and loosening her yo-yo so that the cord dangled off the edge along with her legs.

"Maybe I'm thinking too much. Chat Noir, have you ever—ah, doubted yourself?"

Too vague. "Not in ability, I mean, we all do that sometimes. But… feelings, toward anything. Whether they're good or bad doesn't matter."

"Doubt?" repeated Chat Noir.

At first, he almost wanted to say no. It was the partner she was used to. Cocky, confident.

Except… looking at her, she seemed bothered by something. And again, he couldn't lie. He didn't want to lie.

It was a vulnerability he hadn't shown yet, but maybe it was about time he did. He wanted her to love him, and that included knowing the parts of him that weren't so great. And if knowing those parts helped her figure out her own problems, then it was worth talking about them, right?

"All the time," he said, looking out at the view of the rooftops, his grin falling from his face. He leaned back on his hands, kicking his feet idly.

"I can understand the thinking too much. Sometimes it feels like that's all I'm doing. But there's a lot that I've questioned my feelings for. I think being a superhero is the only thing I haven't wondered about at some point." He offered a weak laugh and lightly scratched his cheek.

It wasn't an easy admission. Most days, people's opinions on Chat Noir didn't matter too much as long as they didn't think he was a criminal. [There were bad days, where that changed, but… those were unavoidable.]

Chat Noir didn't exist for approval. He existed to do good, to function as an escape, to be there for Ladybug. Ladybug's opinion always mattered.

She listened intently to the admissions that passed his lips while keeping her eyes settled on the buildings below. "I see…" Then, it wasn't only her. "Merci."

It was obvious now. With Marinette, he spoke more of himself, and more openly. Ladybug felt undeserving of this, and yet he still allowed her to access this part of him after just being asked. In all honesty, Chat Noir didn't want to run from her. He knew she wanted distance, professionalism. He would respect that and while there would be the occasional poke, a test for more closeness, he was very careful to never give a forceful push.

If His Lady asked, then he would give what he was allowed to. It was a moment, of vulnerability and mutual understanding.

Another few minutes passed in silence before Ladybug stood, walls drawn up again. She wanted to keep talking, but that luxury wasn't always available when wearing these suits.

"Let's finish checking the city out and head home," she suggested quietly before offering a hand to help him up.

He smiled wistfully and took her hand, pulling himself up to his feet. His grip on her hand lingered. "Doubt … isn't always bad. Sometimes it lets us see what we couldn't before," he said and then let go of her hand, and a wide grin spread across his face.

"And purrhaps it'll let you reclawsider charming cats~"

She blinked.

Doubt...

Doubt wasn't a bad thing. He was right. And how many times had she realized this? How many times had Chat Noir had been right thus far? How many times had she doubted herself?

She didn't want to admit that his remark had struck her for once. Head spinning, heart rate rising—there was no way she would let him know that he was just short of having her wrapped around his finger.

One exasperated sigh later, Ladybug offered a gentle smile and reached out to playfully prod the other's chest.

Roses bloomed in his cheeks. He hadn't been sure if he should say more. It was a more serious personal conversation than was usually allowed with Ladybug. He knew she wanted to keep the two lives divided, and it always felt like a tightrope when he pushed those boundaries, trying to not make her actually uncomfortable.

Ladybug leaned in and he swallowed hard. "Mon chaton, and purrhaps, it'll help you understand how absolutely clawful your puns are!"

Then she laughed, drawing back, retracting her yo-yo just enough to swing it past the ledge—and hopped down.

His heart was pounding.

"And yet, mew still smile for meow," Chat Noir called after her, following along to begin their patrol. He had always adored her, but at times like this, he couldn't help but fall for her all over again.

Somehow, there was a fleeting moment, a flicker of his own doubt. Thinking of delicate hands working on fabric, of worried whispers in the dark, of a scarf created with so much dedication and affection.

Just a moment because now he had a city to focus on.