Finally done!
Honestly, I absolutely loved writing the ending bit and I sincerely hope you're going to enjoy it as well. X3
Entry 22
Under The Moonlight
''I'm sorry I'm not candid. I can say it if in my dreams. My thoughts are about to short circuit. I want to see you right now! I'm just about to cry – moonlight! I can't call you, either – midnight! But I have a simple heart, so what can I do? My heart is a kaleidoscope.''
– Moonlight Densetsu by Sailor Moon
xXxXxXx
''Agreste did what?!''
It was after school and Bridgette, Claude, Allan, Sophie and Allegra had gathered at the nearby park to discuss the newest development concerning Félix. They were all genuinely stunned when Bridgette shared the news that Félix considered her his close friend and that they had plans for later, while Bridgette was beaming.
''Honestly, I think I'm dreaming! Someone pinch me!'' she squealed in glee, her ahoge having curved into the already familiar heart shape. ''Ow! Allegra!''
Bridgette flinched as Allegra pinched her, rubbing her arm and glaring at the latter. Allegra just smirked in response. ''Well, at least we have confirmed that you're not dreaming.''
''In any case, I'm really excited about us meeting up later on,'' Bridgette added, smiling again. Her eyes were sparkling with joy and her cheeks took a shade of red.
''Hey, hey, Bri, chill,'' Sophie interrupted her. ''What makes you think that Félix doesn't have something else on mind?''
''What do you mean, Soph?'' Bridgette asked, puzzled.
''No offense, but you still don't know him that well. He might just meet up with you and then decide to ditch you,'' Sophie told her.
''I…'' Bridgette wanted to reply, but Allan rose his voice, turning to Sophie.
''I don't know, Soph,'' he said. ''Maybe he's being genuine here. After all, he did join us back at the museum even though he could've just left.''
''True, and he knows that we don't really like him,'' Allegra noted. Bridgette tilted her head, then turned to Claude.
''Claude, what do you think?'' she asked. While she and Claude had their discussion concerning Félix, she was still curious what her childhood friend had to say. Claude had a rather thoughtful look on his expression, being silent for a moment as he stared ahead. He then closed his eyes, sighing and opened his eyes again as he turned to Bridgette.
''Well, I guess there is only one way to find out whether Agreste is being genuine or not,'' Claude said, grinning. ''I think that you should go ahead with what you believe is right. However, if Agreste hurts you, he'll have to deal with us.''
''Thanks,'' Bridgette replied happily, then added in a more serious tone, ''Although, I would appreciate if you guys don't mess with him about this. He was really flustered when he told me that.''
''Hmph, the Ice Prince was flustered over asking you to be your friend? That's a surprise,'' Sophie said nonchalantly, crossing her arms.
''I guess that shows that there's more to him than you guys believe,'' Bridgette replied. Claude stepped behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder.
''Just take care of yourself,'' he told her. Bridgette nodded, winking.
''Of course I will.''
xXx
''Ah, this day is only getting better and better,'' Bridgette said as she fell over on her bed, a wide smile on her expression. She had returned home after her conversation with her friends, eagerly awaiting Félix's call.
''I'm so glad that your greatest desire had been fulfilled,'' Tikki, who was hovering above Bridgette, said. ''Your effort has payed off.''
''Yeah, I did. Or, at least I got really lucky…'' Bridgette suddenly trailed off and sat up, crossing her legs and placing her hands on them as he leaned. She then brushed across one of the Ladybug Earrings with her fingers. ''Although… What if that was the work of my good luck charm? I don't want this to be something that my own power had caused, but a genuine moment.''
''Don't worry about that,'' Tikki assured her. ''Your good luck charm only puts you in a situation that works to your advantage or gives you a sense of what to do at any given moment. It is not a power that can force people to do what you want them to do.''
''That's good to hear,'' Bridgette replied, her ahoge then drooping. ''Although, Félix isn't the only person I've been thinking about. There is also Chat Noir.''
''Oh…'' Tikki didn't look particularly happy that Bridgette brought up Chat Noir. ''What about him?''
''Honestly, I've been thinking about what happened the last night this whole day,'' Bridgette said, sighing. ''I really wanted to talk to him about our relationship, but after all that stuff Belladonna said, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.''
''I guess you're still not over his love confession,'' Tikki said. Bridgette shook her head.
''It's not the confession, it's just…'' She closed her mouth, a brow furrowing as she pouted. ''I mean, I do consider Chat Noir my partner and my friend...''
''He already knows that, so what's the issue?'' Tikki asked curiously. Bridgette crossed her arms, staring ahead, her ahoge frazzled.
''I don't know… I just wanted to express myself in a different way,'' Bridgette replied. ''Basically, I wanted to tell him that I obviously trust him and that I care about him, and that only because I had rejected him doesn't mean that we cannot be friends…'' Bridgette groaned, falling on her back and placing a pillow over her head, wanting to scream into it. Tikki floated up to her, looking worried.
''Bri, are you okay?''
''No… I'm not…'' Bridgette pulled the pillow down, giving Tikki a tired look. ''Frankly, I can relate to Chat Noir in some way. While he has kept distance for a while now, I'm sure that he still isn't over that love confession, just like I'm not over my crush on Félix. What Belladonna had said the previous night must've affected him just as much as it did me.''
''I think you were the one who got more affected by it,'' Tikki noted in a deadpan tone, then added in a curious tone. ''Why did you even tell Félix that you don't have a crush on him anymore?''
''Because I didn't want to make him even more uncomfortable than he already was,'' Bridgette explained.
''But, that still means that you're not completely happy. Don't you want more than friendship?'' Tikki asked, feeling pity for her holder. Bridgette sighed.
''Maybe I do, but if there's one thing I know about romance, it's that if you love someone, you will let that person go if it's for their own good,'' she replied, then gave Tikki a half-hearted smile. ''Besides, what's wrong with us just being friends?''
''Nothing, but still, I want you too to be happy, Bri,'' Tikki noted. Bridgette fell silent, staring ahead for a moment, then looked up at Tikki.
''I think I'll just focus on me and Félix being friends for now and keep my distance. He is not obligated to respond to my feelings,'' Bridgette told her. ''As for Chat Noir, we'll have a long conversation concerning our relationship.''
xXx
''Finally, I'm done…'' Félix sighed in relief as he exited the dojo, having just finished his karate lessons. He frowned when he saw a black car waiting for him outside the building, aware that his uncle was still trying to control his movements. Still, it wasn't as big of an issue as Félix could easily use this to his advantage. He sat in the car, turning to Simon. ''I want you to drive me to the Dynastie du Lóng tea shop. I still have something to do.''
Simon frowned at first, as he was told to drive Félix back to the Agreste mansion, but realizing that he might get in trouble if there was indeed some urgent business Félix needed to attend to, he decided to do as the teenager told him. Félix just leaned back against the seat, looking through the window as Simon drove him towards Bridgette's place.
He had to admit that he felt a little nervous about this, but his earlier conversation with Bridgette gave him hope that it wouldn't be as awkward as he feared it would be. His plan for today was just to ask her about the commission and learn whether she had any other interests they could talk about. He already knew what her favorite book was, which was a bonus in case he needed to break the ice.
It should be fine. Félix took a deep breath as they arrived at the tea shop. He exited the car, telling Simon to pick him up in a couple of hours and entered the building.
Mei was working at the front, but Bridgette was nowhere in sight. Félix approached the counter, with Mei recognizing him. ''Let me guess, you're here because of Bridgette.''
''Is she at home?'' Félix asked, feeling a bit awkward due to being called out like this.
''She's upstairs,'' Mei said as she pointed at the back of the tea shop. ''Should I call her?''
Before Félix could answer, both he and Mei were startled when they heard thumping sounds coming from upstairs, with Bridgette running into the shop and almost colliding with the counter.
''Hey, watch out!'' Mei warned her, adding something in Mandarin under her breath, which Félix didn't understand. Bridgette, however, gave her grandmother a sheepish look, responding back in Mandarin, before turning to Félix. ''Hi, Félix! We should go upstairs to talk about that commission. Follow me!''
Félix just nodded, walking around the counter and followed Bridgette upstairs. ''I hope I'm not interrupting anything.''
''No, you're not,'' Bridgette replied as she stopped at a cupboard at the bottom of the stairs and took two pairs of slippers out, giving a black pair to Félix. ''Unfortunately, you cannot go inside in your outdoor shoes, so you'll have to put these on. You can stay in your shoes in the hallway, though and you can bring them in my room, since I do wear my shoes in my room in case I go to the balcony.'' She saw Félix's questioning look and smiled back. ''It's kind of an agreement between me and my grandmother, but she prefers to keep the shoes out. She says it brings bad luck to the household, although it's mostly about keeping the house clean.''
''I see,'' Félix muttered as they walked to the top floor. ''So, what did your grandmother tell you?'' he asked curiously. ''That is, if it's okay for me to know.''
''Oh, that? Gran Mei was just being exasperated that I almost ran into the counter again. I just apologized for the trouble,'' Bridgette replied, turning her head to Félix.
''Again?'' Félix rose an eyebrow.
''Yeah, the last time I did that I almost knocked over a cup,'' Bridgette admitted, rubbing the back of her head. As they reached the door to the upstairs rooms, Bridgette kicked off her brown shoes and put on red slippers, then grabbed her shoes, with Félix doing the same. Both then entered the room, with Félix following Bridgette to a staircase that led to a hatch and her room.
He feigned interest as he entered her room, having already been there before as Chat Noir. He looked around, while Bridgette stared nervously at him, as if awaiting his judgement. Félix turned back to her, still silent, and realized just how important it was for Bridgette to make a good first impression on him in her own home.
''You know, your room is a lot smaller than mine,'' he started, adding in an assuring tone, ''…but it's really colourful and cozy. You have a good taste when it comes to decoration.''
''Thanks,'' Bridgette replied happily. ''Say, do you want tea or a soda?''
''A soda would be fine,'' Félix replied, placing down his briefcase backpack. Bridgette already went downstairs to get their drinks, leaving him alone. Félix sighed, brushing with his finger through his hair. ''I still can't believe that I'm doing this… huh?''
For a moment, something red caught his attention in the corner of his eye. He turned his head towards it, but only saw the pinboard in the corner of the room. Unknown to him, Tikki had changed spots, having flown into the backpack that was lying below the pinboard. Félix walked up to it, figuring that he must've been distracted by the pictures on it. The one that caught his eye was a photo of Bridgette and her friends.
''Here you go!''
Félix was startled by Bridgette carrying a tray with their drinks and appearing behind him. He quickly composed himself, taking a glass from the tray, while Bridgette placed it on the nearby desk, then turned to Félix. ''So, we wanted to discuss the commission. I have a bunch of sketches you can look through.''
''I was actually thinking about you reading the story I've been working on, so you could get an idea of my vision for the commission,'' Félix replied, taking an USB stick from his backpack. Admittedly, he was a little anxious about the idea of Bridgette reading the story he wrote, fearing that she might tease him about it. However, he had faith that, as a fellow artist, she would understand just how important this was to him.
''Sure,'' Bridgette replied, her ahoge curving up in a heart-shape and grabbing her laptop and placing it at the coffee table next to her bed, with Félix sitting next to her as they waited for the file to open. Bridgette felt a wave of heat rushing through her body due to just how close Félix was to her, but tried to keep herself calm. ''Is this it?''
''Yeah,'' Félix muttered as Bridgette opened the file. ''It is just the scene from the first few paragraphs, though.''
''I see…'' Bridgette muttered as she read through it, concentrating on forming the image in her head and even forgetting for a moment that Félix was sitting next to her. ''It is kind of bleak…''
''What do you mean?'' Félix asked. Frankly, he didn't expect this kind of comment.
''Well, you described a forest with barren trees in a wasteland, and that's kind of bleak, isn't it?'' Bridgette replied, turning towards Félix and smiling. ''It does sound like an interesting setting, though.''
''Really?'' Félix was surprised, but then quickly composed himself. ''Well, it is supposed to be like that. After all, the main heroes are at their lowest point, so their surroundings fit the atmosphere. So, do you think you could draw the scene?''
''Of course,'' Bridgette got up, grabbing her tablet and opening an empty file. It took her about 10-15 minutes, but she did make a very rough sketch of the scene, mostly trees and debris, and then showed it to Félix. ''It would take me much longer to do the whole scene, but I believe that this is what you're thinking of.''
''It looks close to it,'' Félix replied, feeling quite impressed that Bridgette had figured out what he wanted. He then nodded, smiling. ''Yeah, I think that if you keep working on it, it is going to look exactly how I imagined it.''
''Great,'' Bridgette replied, feeling quite happy to see the genuine smile on Félix's expression. Wanting to keep the conversation going, she remembered just how happy Félix was when talking about the stories he wrote and asked, ''So, what exactly is this story about? You said that the heroes are at their lowest point.''
''Well, it…'' Félix was about to explain her what happened in the story, when his smartphone suddenly rung. Sighing, he took it out and saw that it was Adeline calling him. He frowned, answering, ''Yes, Mme. Arsenault.''
''Félix, where are you? You were supposed to be at home at this point.''
''I still had something to do.''
''May I remind you that the dinner was scheduled today? Monsieur Agreste would be disappointment by your lack of respect for his plans.''
''But, he just told me it would be this week, not specifically today,'' Félix replied, feeling annoyed. How was not knowing when the dinner would be his fault?
''No excuses. You need to come back home this instant,'' Adeline replied, cancelling the call. Félix sighed, lowering his smartphone and looking at Bridgette.
''I'm sorry, but I'll have to leave. I wish I didn't have to,'' Félix told her. Bridgette's ahoge drooped, but she nodded. She then perked up, giving Félix a curious look.
''Would it be okay if I copied your story to my computer and read it? I'm really curious about what you wrote,'' Bridgette asked.
''I wouldn't mind it. I always appreciate some constructive criticism,'' Félix replied. Admittedly, he was glad that Bridgette was interested in the story he wrote. As a matter of fact, he was looking forward to that conversation. Bridgette accompanied him downstairs, with Félix realizing that, considering how it was a commission, he'd also have to pay for it. They were already on the street when he turned to her, asking, ''So, how much do you charge for the commission?''
''Uh… Well, I do have my prices on the blog I'm managing…'' Bridgette started, but then continued with a smile on her lips, ''However, I will give you a special discount since this is the first time you commissioned anything from me – it is going to be for free.''
''I don't think that that is a good business deal,'' Félix replied, surprising Bridgette. He crossed his arms. ''I do want to compensate you for your work.''
''Then how about I commission a story from you?'' Bridgette suggested. Félix tilted his head, then nodded.
''That actually sounds like good idea,'' he said just as car drove up to the tea shop. ''You can text me what kind of story you want.''
''I'll do that.'' Bridgette nodded, waving goodbye to Félix as he entered the car. He waved back, closing the door, with the car leaving. Bridgette then took a deep breath, feeling her head spin. She was incredibly happy about their meeting, even though it was short. This is just the first step in our relationship, though. I'm sure that there is more to come.
xXx
''Mademoiselle Bourgeois, a package has arrived for you.''
''Finally!''
Amber grabbed the package out of her butler's hands, grinning widely. The butler, Thomas Becheur, frowned upon seeing the teenager's joy at the package. He had figured that Amber had probably ordered some expensive clothes or jewelry, as usual. Having been employed by the Bourgeois family, he seen enough of Amber's spoiled behavior to consider her a complete brat, someone he doubted would ever change, even if she reached adulthood.
''You may leave now, Thomas,'' Amber told him in a haughty tone, carrying the package into her room. She completely ignored the eye-roll from her butler, closing the door right into his face and placing the package on her bed. She unwrapped it, with black and yellow clothing material spilling out of the package. Amber rubbed her hands in satisfaction.
She had been working on a costume during the past few days and had ordered the kind of material that would be used for a catsuit. She already had the sketch for how the catsuit was supposed to look like and now all she had to do was to sew it. Amber paused for a moment, staring at the material. Frankly, she didn't want to even bother sewing her own costume. Sure, being the daughter of a fashion designer, she did pick up some sewing skills, but she knew that making the costume would be a lot of work and she just didn't want to do it.
I could just pay someone else to do it for me, but… Amber glanced at the comics scattered on her bed. She had been searching for superheroes who were just normal humans in an attempt to find the kind of superhero she could relate to, and ended somehow up with Batman and Iron Man. She opened the Iron Man comic, landing on a page depicting Tony Stark working on his suit and sighed. I know I need to keep this a secret. If I want to be a superhero, I need to work for it… But, this is going to take me so long! Amber groaned in annoyance and grabbed her smartphone. ''Fine, where is that stupid sewing machine?''
xXx
Félix tried to stop himself from constantly glancing at the old grandfather's clock in the dining room as he ate dinner alongside Gabriel, Charles Guillebeau and his wife Rosalie. They had been already talking for an hour about Gabriel's upcoming fashion show, Charles' business and Rosalie gushing over her decorating the house. Frankly, Félix was completely bored by their conversation and never contributed anything to it. He was just waiting until he was allowed to leave so he could join Ladybug for the patrol.
''So, Félix, I have heard that you started attending public school.'' Félix lifted his head, looking at Rosalie. Gabriel and Charles were having their own discussion, which is why she turned to him. ''How is it?''
''It is… interesting,'' Félix replied.
''Oh, really?'' Rosalie replied, giving him a curious look. ''Have you managed to adapt to it? Do you have any friends?''
''I did, and I do,'' Félix answered. He didn't like the idea of sharing information about his private life, even if it were just topics concerning school, but he had no other choice. Despite still talking to Charles, Gabriel's eyes shifted towards Félix, glaring at him. If he didn't play his part here, he would get punished.
''I'm so glad about that,'' Rosalie replied innocently, not even noticing the wordless exchange Félix and Gabriel had. ''It must've been very difficult for you to move on with your life after the tragedy that has befallen you.''
Félix felt his heart skip a beat and lowered his gaze, pretending to be interested in the cake that had been served. His hands were in his lap, shaking. He did NOT want to talk about this, especially not with a person who was pretty much a stranger to him.
''It was,'' Félix muttered. Rosalie paused for a moment, now feeling awkward.
''I mean, it is so sad that your mother had been claimed by a terminal illness, but I'm sure she'd be happy to see you thrive,'' Rosalie continued, attempting to save the conversation. She then turned to Gabriel, who had just finished his discussion with Charles. ''It was really generous of you to take your nephew in.''
Félix clenched his fist, his gaze being just as cold as Gabriel's. He was already uncomfortable due to Rosalie bringing up his deceased mother, but calling Gabriel generous for taking him in just enraged Félix. They had absolutely no idea that Félix completely despised Gabriel.
''I was merely fulfilling my duty as Félix's remaining family member,'' Gabriel responded, glancing at Félix. Félix just stared at the table, avoiding Gabriel's gaze and stayed silent.
''Well, that's why I'm glad that we're doing that charity gala,'' Charles said, lifting his glass and drinking the wine. ''You will attend it too, right Félix?''
Félix looked up, eyes wide in surprise. No one had told him that he would have to participate at a charity gala. Félix looked at Gabriel, trying to read the latter's expression, but Gabriel remained as unreadable as ever. Despite that, Félix had a feeling that Gabriel was enjoying himself seeing Félix being this confused. Félix composed himself, looking at Charles.
''No one informed me about this,'' he explained.
''Don't worry, young man. It is supposed to take place this Friday, so there would've been plenty of time to inform you about it,'' Charles told him, then turned to Gabriel. ''Gabriel, Rosalie and I still have a lot of preparations to do, but most of the work had already been done during the past weeks.''
''Indeed, it had,'' Gabriel replied, sounding a bit too nonchalant for Félix's taste. He had to wonder what the old man was planning.
''So, what kind of charity gala is it going to be?'' Félix asked politely, turning to Rosalie.
''It'll be a ball-like event, with an auction once all the guests have gathered,'' Rosalie explained. ''Charles had agreed to finally sell all of his rare finds and the money would be donated to the less fortunate.''
''I see,'' Félix muttered, realizing that, aside from seeing whatever items would be sold during the auction, he'd be bored out of his mind during the event. He lifted his head, seeing Rosalie smiling innocently at him.
''Of course, you'd be allowed to bring your own guest,'' she added. ''After all, you said you did make friends at school and it would be lovely to meet at least one of them.''
Félix froze, having not expected this kind of response. A memory of Bridgette immediately flashed in his mind, but he wasn't sure how to feel about it. He turned to Gabriel to see his reaction, but Gabriel remained completely calm. Félix figured that they would have a talk about this later, but it was clear that Gabriel approved of the idea. Félix brushed with his finger over his ring, hoping for something to happen to get out of this situation, but surprisingly, the Ring of the Black Cat didn't activate the curse at all. Maybe it felt that Félix was already miserable enough and didn't want to rub more salt into the wound? Therefore, Félix decided to take matters in his own hands.
''May I leave?'' he asked, looking at Gabriel. ''I still have school tomorrow and I don't want to bother you further with my presence.''
Gabriel glanced at Félix, then at Charles and Rosalie, as if calculating whether he should tell Félix to stay or not. Félix knew that, if Gabriel wanted to keep up the image of having a perfect nephew who would do anything for him, he would tell Félix to stay, otherwise he'll come off as rude. On the other hand, Félix's request was quite reasonable and Gabriel would come off as the rude one by denying it.
''Fine, you may leave,'' Gabriel told Félix. Félix remained calm as he left, but the moment he was in the hallway, he sighed in relief.
Finally! Now I can leave for the patrol.
xXx
Ladybug was sitting on a steel beam on the Eiffel Tower, swinging her legs as she waited for Chat Noir to arrive. More than half and hour had already passed, making her wonder whether he would even arrive. She had tried the communication device, but there was no answer, meaning that Chat Noir hasn't transformed yet. She hadn't been in a hurry though, so she decided to just wait for him.
''What if he doesn't show up at all?'' Tikki asked her.
''Then I'll have this conversation with him some other day,'' Ladybug replied. Tikki hummed.
''Still, isn't it quite irresponsible from your partner to not tell you that he would be late to this patrol?'' Tikki asked.
''Maybe he has an emergency. I mean, there is a lot of stuff that can happen to cause him to be late or not show up,'' Ladybug replied. ''I'm sure that there is a logical explanation for this.''
''Bug!''
Ladybug was startled by the crackling in her ear, followed by Chat Noir's voice.
''Chat? What happened? Where are you?''
''I'll explain it to you in a bit, just wait where you are.''
Ladybug smiled, then brushed with her fingers across one of the Ladybug Earrings. ''I told you, Tikki. Chat Noir wouldn't just leave me hanging without an explanation.''
Tikki didn't respond, leaving Ladybug to wait a few more minutes in silence. Eventually, Chat Noir landed on the Eiffel Tower and approached her, albeit breathing heavily.
''I'm sorry for being so late…'' he said, trying to catch his breath. ''I couldn't get out of the house because of family matters.''
''Don't worry, it's fine,'' Ladybug assured him, holding up her hands and waving. She then crossed them on her back. ''I'm just glad that you're here.''
Chat Noir's ears twitched as he looked up at her her, surprised by the gentle smile Ladybug gave him. Frankly, he thought that she would be annoyed at him for being late, especially since this wasn't the same kind of situation like when she went out to patrol during a storm.
''Honestly, I wanted to leave, but it was just impossible,'' Chat Noir told her, giving her a sheepish look. ''You're really not mad at me?''
''Do I look mad?'' Ladybug asked. Chat Noir wondered for a moment if that was a rhetorical question, but then realized that she was being genuine.
''No, not at all,'' he quickly replied. Ladybug then crossed her arms on her chest.
''There is something we need to talk about, though,'' she said. Chat Noir's tail flicked and his ears stood up.
''What is it?'' he asked nervously, his brain completely fried as he tried to figure out whether he was in trouble. So many things had happened through the day that he had completely forgotten if there was anything he had done to displease Ladybug.
''I had been thinking about what Belladonna had said, as well as what happened before,'' Ladybug said, her words causing Chat Noir's heart to skip a beat. He did remember what happened during the battle against Belladonna and how she had riled Ladybug up, as well as their conversation afterwards. He knew that Ladybug told him that she considered him her friend, but he had to wonder whether she was really comfortable talking about it, especially since both of them were aware that their relationship was quite complicated.
''You know, if you're not completely comfortable with talking about our relationship, you don't have to force yourself,'' Chat Noir told her in a gentle tone. Ladybug shook her head, taking a deep breath.
''No, I really need to tell you this, else I think I'm gonna go crazy,'' she replied. ''It's been bothering me the whole day and I just want to get it out of my system.''
''Okay, then I'm listening,'' Chat Noir said. Ladybug exhaled sharply, clasping her hands as she tried to figure out how to convey her thoughts and emotions.
''I've been thinking long about this, and I know that in the beginning, I never really thought about having a partner, especially not you,'' Ladybug said, then quickly added, ''No offense.''
''Don't worry, I agree with you. The way we had started out was a complete mess and I didn't really make things easy for you,'' Chat Noir replied, remembering the times Ladybug would yell at him for causing unnecessary trouble. Still, he was curious where this conversation was going.
''Right, so, even thought things weren't always peachy, we still somehow ended up as partners,'' Ladybug continued, pressing her fist into the palm of her other hand. ''Honestly, I'm really happy that things have turned out like that. At this point, I couldn't even imagine having anyone else as my partner.''
''I'm pleased that you think so highly of me, Ladybug,'' Chat Noir said, placing one hand on his chest and the other on his back, bowing. He then looked up, grinning. ''I couldn't imagine having anyone else as my partner but you either.''
Ladybug nodded, taking another breath as she carefully thought of her next words. ''However, recently, I had realized that you're not only my partner, but that you also became my close friend. I know that I did say this before, but I don't think I expressed myself properly just how much I appreciate you.''
''Thank you, Bug, but…'' Chat Noir trailed off, wondering whether he should bring up the reason why things had been awkward between them. He then decided to go for it. ''I haven't really expected you to consider me your friend, not after that confession I made.''
Ladybug's mind flashed back to the memory of Chat Noir confessing his love to her, offering a rose to her, and her rejection of him. She had realized that they were standing in the same exact spot and positions when that had happened, the moonlight illuminating them once again.
''I will admit, it took me a while to process everything. I didn't want to talk about it at all, but…'' Ladybug shook her head, placing her clenched fist on her chest. ''I think that we both finally need to confront that part of our lives in order to move on. So, I really hope that we can from now on work not only as trusted partners, but also as close friends.''
She extended her hand, waiting for Chat Noir's response. Chat Noir's ears twitched as he stared at it, looking stunned for a moment. Surprisingly, he appeared to be reluctant about shaking her hand, making Ladybug wonder what was going through his head. Chat Noir then took her hand, but instead of a handshake, he leaned over, holding Ladybug's hand. A soft smile formed on his lips.
''I agree with you. We shouldn't work only as trusted partners, but as close friends as well,'' he said, pressing his lips against the top of Ladybug's hand, his gesture sending a wave of heat through Ladybug's body. He looked up, noticing Ladybug's cheeks taking a shade of red that matched her mask. ''However, I would be lying if I said that I only ever saw you as a friend. I still have feelings for you, Ladybug, and that is something I will never get over. Nevertheless, for your sake, I will keep my distance. If this relationship develops into something more, than so be it, but let me assure you, you aren't obligated to respond to my confession.''
Ladybug's eyes were still wide, her lips parted as she stared at Chat Noir in stunned silence, unable to respond. Chat Noir just stepped back and nodded.
''I believe that we should go now,'' he said, with Ladybug nodding, still speechless. Chat Noir leapt off, leaving Ladybug behind as she still tried to gather her thoughts, with one standing out in particular.
Why do I feel like this?!
