A/N: this story is not abandoned, I'll just post the backed up chapters once a day since I have them. Day 9: Cinema.

When Ladybug suggested they go to the movies, she saw Chat Noir flinch.

"What? What's wrong?" She frowned. Her partner never passed up an opportunity to spend time with her.

"Are you sure you want to go to the movies?" He asked, carefully. "Don't you remember what happened the last time?"

Ladybug rubbed her arm, flushing. "It wasn't that bad."

"The movie tanked after the news of Ladybug trashing it leaked."

"I tried to take it back!"

"The director prepared a press conference to apologize for offending you with that movie!"

"I said I was sorry!" She said, exasperated, and rolled her eyes when she noticed Chat Noir turning purple from trying to hold back his laughter. "Stop making fun of me!"

"Sorry, my lady, it's just too easy."

"Haha, very funny. So, want to go?"

"I would never turn down a date with my lady." Chat Noir said, smiling teasingly, and she silently scolded her heart for jumping in her chest. "What do you wanna see? The new animated movie about us?"

Her nose scrunched. "I don't think there's even a trailer out yet."

"Really? But I was so sure… maybe I got the dates mixed up." He shrugged. "What, then?"

"There was this school class that got their movie playing in a cinema. How about that?" Ladybug said casually.

Of course she had already seen the movie with her class, Alya on one side and Adrien (!) on the other, high on the feeling of a production with her designs being played on the big screen. It was great and she had a lot of fun, but she couldn't help wondering what Chat Noir would think, which of her classmates would he get along with and if he would have liked her designs. She couldn't call him over to find out, she knew that, but watching his live reactions wasn't off the table.

"Oh, sure, sounds good." Chat Noir agreed easily. "Last one pays for the popcorn?"

Their race was mostly symbolic, it wasn't like any cinema allowed The Ladybug and Chat Noir to pay for anything in their premises, no matter how much they protested. So when they sat down in the almost empty room, it was with a bag of free popcorn and soft drinks of their choice. Chat even got a free bag of licorice for working his charm on the female attendant.

"What can I do about it, my lady?" He said, popping on into his mouth. It stained his lips red. "I'm irresistible."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Ladybug grumbled, munching on her popcorn. "The movie is about to start, so shhhhh."

Chat Noir was a quiet watcher, he just hummed and gasped appropriately at the right times. He smiles a lot during the movie, even in moments of monotony between plot points, so he must have been enjoying that a lot. She found herself staring more at him than at the movie.

It's because I already watched it. She told herself. The light playing patterns on her partner being mesmerizing had nothing to do with it, surely. Just that.

It was by the end, when Zoé's character was convincing Mylene's that balance must be kept that she noticed his eyes getting moist.

"Everything okay?" Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir.

He nodded, running his right arm against his eyes.

"That line about destruction being as important as creation was… different." He said and even though his voice was quiet, it rang through her.

"It was a good one. They're right." She said, taking his hand and squeezing it lightly. "Creation would be nothing without destruction."

"You think so?" Chat Noir asked, voice small.

"I know so." She said firmly. He seemed content with the answer, turning his eyes back to the movie.

Ladybug forced herself to do the same, not letting go of his hand at all. When the movie ended, they stared at the credits in silence.

"Sooo, did you like it?" She asked, trying to hide how eager she was to know.

His eyes lit up. "It was great! The production was amazing and the actresses were really good."

"Oh, wanna know a secret?" Ladybug whispered, leaning in his space. Predictably, he nodded eagerly. "You know the creation actress, Zoé? She 's Vesperia!"

"No way!" Chat Noir exclaimed, jaw dropping.

"Shhh, not so loud." She said, waving her hands. "But yeah, she was around and someone I trust said she's a good person. Zoé wanted to help her sister, so it made sense to choose her."

"That's why I thought she was Queen Bee when we met, I thought it was just the glamour messing with me!" He chuckled, followed by the light in his eyes dimming. "That's great, my lady."

"Are you sure? You don't look like you think so." Ladybug pointed out. "Did you think Vesperia was a bad choice? I thought she did fine."

"No, no, Vesperia did pretty well, especially since it was her first try." Chat Noir said, sounding sincere. "It's something else, Bug. I would rather not talk about it."

"Okay, then." She agreed, filing away the information for later. "You know, it's the first time in a while that I managed to finish a movie in the cinema, I missed it."

"I don't really come here much, last time I kinda watched a movie with a friend."

"Ohh, anyone I know?" Ladybug teased, sure he was talking about their disastrous movie session before she revealed herself to Alya.

"Oh, it's just the friend I told you about, Sallie." Chat Noir said, instantly cheering up as he mentioned her name.

"That 's nice." She said, stomping down on the sudden rage that bubbled in her chest. Is it possible to hate someone she didn't even know the real name of? "What did you watch?"

"An indie movie called Solitude." He said fondly as her mind came to a stop.

"What? Wasn't there only one showing of it a few months back?!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"I went there with a friend too!" At that, he gasped. "I can't believe we were in the same room." Without the masks, she didn't say.

"Do you think we saw each other? There weren't a lot of people."

"I… don't know. I wasn't paying attention." Ladybug said, searching her memories for a grinning boy, probably flirting (ugh) with a giggling girl.

"Not paying attention? Why were you so distracted, my lady?" He teased, giddy. "Were you on a date?"

"Ugh, I wish." She sighed lovingly, regretting it as his face fell. "Chaton, I didn't-"

"It 's fine, really." He said, smile strained. "Was it the other boy, the one you came with?"

Ladybug nodded hesitantly and he took his eyes of her to stare ahead.

"I wish I had seen you that day." Chat Noir said softly.

"Me too, Chaton." She agreed, squeezing the clawed hand in hers, unwilling to let go.

A/N: please share your thoughts if you can, I appreciate each review.