Chapter 2, enjoy :3
Chat Noir stared out over his city, an ache in his heart. Ladybug had be silent during the battle, the pair depending on years of fighting together to communicate. It was becoming more and more common- an akuma attack would be officially announced, they'd get there as they always did, the fight would be over within 20 minutes. Repeat.
Over and over.
He didn't doubt that Hawkmoth was sat in his lair somewhere, watching them struggle and lose any will to go on, waiting for one of them to slip. He hated to say it, but he didn't think it would be him to give in first.
Though he had unending faith in his Lady, built over years of friendship, they were both tired. No, not just them; the whole city was tired.
No amount of akuma prevention classes or newly trained heroes can suppress a human's emotions. They knew it, Hawkmoth knew it, and Paris knew it. There wasn't a family left that hadn't been personally affected by an akuma anymore, and the population of those who had never been akumatised was dwindling into double digits.
It wasn't exactly helping with keeping their identities secret, a fact that seemed to constantly torment Ladybug. Even through all the chaos and loss and despair, she still wouldn't let him know who she was. Really, all he's have to do would be look through the Parisians their age that had never been akumatised, and find a girl with black hair, blue eyes who disappeared a suspicious amount. He suspected he'd already subconsciously come up with a couple options, but he tried not to focus on anything specific, no matter how much Plagg prodded him to actually consider it.
He'd assured her he wasn't looking, and he wasn't one to break his promises.
"Chaton?"
He turned with a soft smile at her voice, "Hey, M'Lady."
He patted the spot next to him, and she sat down, leaning her head on his shoulder. "How are you today?" He asked, "Did you have fun at work?"
She nodded, and he sighed happily at the warm light in her eyes, "Yeah, I had a really good day, actually. A couple new clients called, asking about me helping them out." Ladybug yawned, rubbing a hand over her face, "How about you, Chat?"
"It was…" he stopped, struggling to find a good word to describe it. At 21, his days of being controlled by his father were far behind him, but he'd lost out on choosing what he wanted to study when he was younger. Now he was stuck with a degree in business and not a lot to do with it- certainly not anything he wanted to do with it, anyway.
Instead, he was still modelling for Gabriel, and studying physics- as well as going for a qualification in teaching- in his spare time. While they were 'noble' choices, as his father put it, he didn't have the funds to afford not to work.
That morning he'd spent most of his time in the rain, the weather being a factor that his photographer had obviously forgotten to take into account. Gone were the days where Nathalie would be waiting with an umbrella and standing beside Gorilla, who would drive him home. No, the 'great Adrien Agreste' was forced to find his own shelter nowadays.
Luckily, the shoot had been right outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He would never say it out loud, but not freezing and proximity weren't the only reasons he'd chosen the bakery.
Marinette.
One of his first friends, the girl that had impressed his father when even his own son couldn't, the women whose designs he now saw in stores that used to house exclusively Gabriel garments.
Her rise through the fashion industry was impressive, but it didn't surprise him. Marinette had always been a problem solver, even if no one else noticed, and she knew how to sell herself.
It was when they were about 16 that he saw it first, her confidence, fiery and certain and teeming with life. It was satisfying to see her crawl out of her timidness and become so strong and sure of herself. It reminded Chat Noir of Ladybug in a way.
Marinette was no superhero, but she was powerful nonetheless. And most importantly, she was smart. Starting a successful online business while she was still in school had left her admired among her peers, and gave her a steady income to expand her fashion empire in the future.
That fashion empire was something she had built herself, and Chat Noir was honestly proud.
Unfortunately for him, she's moved away from her parent's house and he'd lost contact with her as Adrien over the years. He had absolutely no idea where she lived anymore, and he was way too scared of Alya to ask her or Nino. They may of been best bros, but nothing said to Nino didn't eventually make its way to Alya, and from Alya to Marinette.
Oh well, maybe he could stop by Tom and Sabine's bakery again and ask there.
Apparently their daughter was also still a regular (as he had hoped she would be), and they'd met briefly that morning. Marinette looked exhausted, a hoodie pulled close around her face, clutching a coffee to her chest and dark circles under her eyes. She looked much older too, and physically fit, much more muscular and toned than she'd been when they were kids, as if her job required hard labour. Even swathed in thick, loose fabric, he could tell she held herself with authority, with a cold command.
Something about her told him she hadn't just changed on the outside either; the way she stood, bolder, her assertive gaze, wiser.
Why he found himself analysing her so closely was lost to him, but he supposed it was just curiosity. There was something so familiar about it all.
He wondered exactly what had happening to her to-
"Chat?"
He shook his head, breaking away from from his thoughts. With a fond but apologetic smile, he turned towards Ladybug, "Sorry, I zoned out. I had a pretty awful day at work, but I bumped into an old friend in the afternoon."
"An old friend?" Ladybug asked, "Where do you know them from?"
"From school. We lost contact after she moved away," he replied, stretching his arms above his head, "It was good to see her after so long apart, though I wished we could've talked longer."
He frowned and Ladybug giggled, "The little kitty doesn't have a crush, does he?"
He shook his head, narrowing his eyes before sticking his tongue out at her, "My heart lies with you, M'Lady, and no one else."
Laughing again, she ran a hand through his hair, rubbing at a spot behind his ears for a moment. He leant into her touch happily, but watched doubt flicker over her expression, one of his cat ears twitching in concern. Feeling him fidget, she stopped, her hand running down his face to cup his cheek, warm and soft even through her suit.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"After all these years of me telling you how much I love you, even after finally giving into my overwhelming charm-"
"Oh please," Ladybug muttered.
"Even after finally giving into my overwhelming charm," he enforced, not needing his ego hurt anymore than it already was, "You still don't believe it."
"W-what? Yes, I do!" She spluttered, "I know you wouldn't say it without meaning it, Chaton. You're not one of those people who throws 'I love you's around so easily, I see that now."
He chuckled, a little sadly, "You're worried I won't wait for you?"
After a moment, she nodded, and he sighed heavily.
"I'm not one to give up on what I want, M'Lady," he stated, "And there is nothing I want more than to be by your side. If that's only as your partner, I can live with that, as long as I'm still with you."
Ladybug raised an eyebrow at him, "So you'd past up an opportunity to date me then?"
"I'd rather just marry you," he told her, internally evil laughing at her fierce blush.
"Flirt!" She shouted, hands pressed against her cheeks in an attempt to cool them, "You're so annoying!"
Chat Noir scoffed, "At least I'm not weak-willed enough to fall for someone as utterly scandalous as moi."
"Weak-willed? I'll show you weak-willed, mon petit Chaton."
He gulped, but smiled to himself, pushing his dread down. This is was his Ladybug. Not the one that Paris saw, not the woman who doubted she was loved by him, not even whoever she was outside of superhero-ing.
And she was going to destroy him for that last comment.
"Race you to the tower-"
Reviews and criticism welcome, crossposted on ao3! Have a good day uwu