CHAPTER 3: Testing the waters

[PROMPT: Rooftops]

"You okay, Bug?"

"I'm nervous." She was pacing the rooftop, possibly going to burn a hole in it soon. Also, she could swear her hands were sweating through her gloves—yikes.

Chat Noir raised a skeptical brow; as if there was no valid reason for such a statement. Except that… There were many of them. She was not as comfortable with the crowd as he was, let alone the cameras.

It always felt as if she didn't know what to do with her body. Climbing the Eiffel Tower, jumping from the top of Montparnasse, or even diving into the depths of the Seine… She could do all that. Standing with all eyes on her, expecting her to do precisely what's asked of her and not what she would like to do, was another matter though. She was usually the one making plans, not the other way around.

Her partner though, was like a fish in water, or rather a cat on its hunting ground. It always seemed easy for him, or, dare she say it, natural. He had a natural poise and ease standing in front of the cameras and speaking in public, almost as if he had done it his whole life. He was good at it, and she knew he would be great as an actor. She, on the other hand, could not say the same and was dreading the first day of filming.

"Everything will be okay. You'll be great. Just be yourself, that's what they want after all; pure Ladybug in all her heroic glory, and that, you can do." As always, he read her mind as if he was her conscience; a tiny Jiminy Cricket—although, again, he was more like Figaro the cat, a bit of a little rascal who likes to be noticed and taken care of. "Just imagine you're running and jumping over rooftops without any cameras on you. I mean, you're doing it on a daily basis, it shouldn't be a problem. Half the filming is going to take place over the rooftops and streets of Paris, anyway."

"Familiar playgrounds are going to help a lot, and acting just like Ladybug is not a problem, but playing to the cameras, and memorizing dialogue… That's another matter. They are things that just don't come easily to me. Argh… I'm afraid I won't make it. I'm going to stutter and trip over my words and maybe trip over the electrical cables or even worse, the background!" She rambled, her pitch raising with each word.

Chat Noir chuckled. He patted the spot next to him; he sat on the edge of the roof. "You really sound like a friend of mine, and I can say that she's capable of anything, though she may think otherwise. She has kind of a huge tendency to overthink or overdo it. A bit like you," he pondered with such softness in his voice. "I even suspected that she was you. Once, or maybe twice..." He teasingly poked her in the ribs.

The heroine blinked at him. Chat Noir seemed to think highly of this very friend of his, and it was surely flattering that he thought that she might be her.

"You thought that one of your friends could be me? Really?"

"While there's life, there's hope." He shrugged with a bittersweet smile.

Wow. She had underestimated her own thoughts. Chat Noir seemed to think VERY highly of this 'friend' of his, who sounded more like a potential crush—if you asked her about it.

Also, this sounded a lot like the scenario of the movie they were going to film. On paper, Chat Noir had an oblivious crush on Ladybug's civilian self—without knowing that both girls were one and the same. Again, if you asked her what she thought about it, it was pretty ridiculous. Chat would never have a crush on Marinette. Oh, gosh. She felt a laugh rise in her throat and suppressed it quickly, biting her cheek—it was such a silly idea.

"Sounds like you like her a lot." She bounced back, regaining some serious composure.

"Sounds like you're jealous," he teased back.

"Naah." She waved it off. "I just think that my partner deserves the best. That is to say; a nice girlfriend."

"The best is out of reach," he whispered, looking intently at her, and she felt a knot twist her guts at his helpless tone. "And well… Ma…" He paused, clearing his throat. "My friend… she doesn't see me that way either. My bad."

He was wrong. Well, not for his friend; that she couldn't know. However, for the way she saw him… She could say he was mistaken. Not that he would know since she had never told him. But over the years, her feelings towards the feline had inevitably and undeniably changed. She had tried so hard to build walls around her heart, but of course, her sneaky partner knew how to take them apart, brick by brick. You know, a bit like Mario Bros (yes, the plumber)—'A jump here, a jump there, and I'll break all these bricks until reaching the final boss; the Lady's heart.' It had been just that easy, especially after triumphing and recovering each of the Miraculouses from Gabriel Agreste, until the very last.

Her feelings had blossomed like the most delicate of flowers; slowly but very daintily. And because the flower was so fragile, she was afraid it would wilt easily. She was therefore fiercely protective of it. Protective of her feelings and heart, she kept holding Chat Noir at arm's length. It was out of the question to risk destroying their partnership and friendship. She cared too much about it to take that risk; she could never bear to lose him. That was why she wanted him to find the best woman, even if that meant it wasn't her. She just wanted him to be happy. Wasn't it the most beautiful proof of love to let the one you love go for his own good?

It stung. Deeply. But she couldn't do otherwise. Not yet. Not while she was still recovering from the shock of Gabriel Agreste's defeat. Not while she was still so worried about the future and a possible new villain, because after all, there would be a future Papillon; she knew it for a fact.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ladybug smiled gently at him. "The other girl is stupid then," she whispered.

"Yeah, she probably is. Just like you, M'Lady." As usual he hid the heartache behind a cocky smile and a daring tease.

"Hey!" She bumped her shoulder into his. She did it so strongly that he lost his balance and suddenly fell off the rooftop. "Oh my god, Chat!" She stood up in a hurry, eyes frantically searching for her partner in the street below. He was nowhere to be seen down there, and she had a feeling that he was planning a prank on her. She turned around instantly and gave him a forward-warning. "I swear you're not even funny! You've already done that one a dozen ti—" Her words faded away, one finger assaulting the empty space in front of her. He wasn't there either. She looked back, and finally spotted him on a nearby rooftop—phew, he was doing okay.

She pointed a threatening finger at him and he laughed, blowing her a good-night kiss. "Sleep tight, and don't let the bugs bite," he shouted as his shadow slowly merged in the twilight falling over the Parisian rooftops, their playground—their very own place.

Chat Noir felt like a child dropped in a toy store as the producer showed them the whole studio and introduced them to the whole filming staff and the 'cast'.

As boring as modeling had always been, acting was something which had always made him curious. Let's face it; shooting three solo commercials is not what he considered acting. No, what interested him was the real deal—put yourself in the shoes of a character, learn your lines, exchange them with other actors,... He was currently looking at this full-blown world with eyes of wonder.

The whole cast was great. Actually, he'd talked a lot with the two American actors chosen especially for the movie. And they were still having an interesting discussion about filming anecdotes.

"Is there anything you're not good at?"

Chat's attention, previously focused on the two actors, instantly turned to his partner at the sound of her voice. His body physically mirrored the path of his brain, turning to face her. She stood with her arms folded over her chest, and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Things I'm not good at? Let me see… Getting tired of you. I just can't bring myself to even try," he almost purred, cocking his eyebrows. "Also, ironing clothes," he admitted, wincing at the thought.

Ladybug rolled her eyes; predictable. "Your English sounds perfect."

"Purrfect, you mean."

It was true that if he compared his English skills to hers… His Lady's English was rather… sub-par. And her accent… Well, it could probably make ears bleed.

"I know what you're thinking right now. My accent isn't that bad!"

He smiled helplessly, and she sighed heavily, arms dropping limp on her sides.

"No, you're right. I think it's cute." His gaze softened as he reassured her. "With earplugs, though." He couldn't help it.

His partner punched his shoulder, obviously outraged by his boldness. He couldn't hold back the laugh rising in his throat and bursting out blithely—bicker and banter had become something familiar between them and he could say he loved that very much.

"You two make a very nice couple." The comment coming from the actress who was to play the role of Ladybug (well, her civilian self, a girl they called Léa; a pretty name, but truthfully, he didn't see his Lady wearing that name) made him smile wryly. She wasn't the first one to say it, and he knew she wouldn't be the last one to think such a thing. He really couldn't blame her.

Ladybug on the other hand, could.

"We're not a couple!" she squeaked in French, almost jumping out of her skin as her cheeks flushed bright red, putting her own mask to shame. "Chat Noir is just a very good friend."

The actress looked sheepish and hid her discomfort behind a helpless laugh. Clearing her throat, she quickly apologized for mistaking their relationship status before dragging her filming partner away in order to leave the two alone.

"You scared them."

"I panicked, okay? They were getting the wrong signals!"

"Did you ever think that maybe it's because we're sending the wrong signals that people around us think we're a couple?"

There. He had nailed it. Ladybug was looking at him, speechless, her eyes wide and her mouth open in a slight 'o' shape.

"I… I don't… I… don't know what you're talking….about."

Chat leaned casually against a wall, arms folded over his chest. "M'Lady, you better improve your acting skills, because you're not very convincing." A snide tone was palpable in his voice and a shimmer of mischief sparkled in his eyes.

Did she think he was a blind fool? (Okay maybe he had been, but forgive him, he didn't know what real life was like back then). He could clearly see that things had changed between the two of them. Of course they were sending the wrong signals; the banter, the flirting, the lingering touches here and there while having a simple conversation… It was all more than friendly. However, Ladybug obviously wasn't ready to admit it… and he didn't want to pressure her.

With a bit of luck, the time spent together to shoot this film would help his partner to let go of whatever was still holding her back.

Ladybug huffed and walked over him. "I can act much better than you can." She pointed a finger in his direction before flicking his golden bell. "Kitty cat."

Your reviews are very welcomed. Feel free to tell me what you think.

Miraculous kisses.