The Open Line

by sariahsue

"Maybe, Cat Noir admitted as Oblivio knocked him back once again, maybe it was his fault. Just a little. But in his defense, Ladybug was at the top of her game today, and it was absolutely irresistible." An Oblivio alternate ending, where she never learns his identity but remembers what it was like to fall in love with him, and how she slowly falls in love with him all over again.

7. Partners

Chapter Seven – Partners

It wasn't really lying, was it? His father was a regular source of pain for him, and he didn't want to tell her the reason he had been so quiet wasn't because he was upset but because he was trying to discover her true feelings about him. (She might stop sharing all these personal details, and he didn't want that!) So he'd given her a half-truth, and she trusted that he was being honest.

"I'm sorry," she said. "If it was safe enough..."

"Yeah, I know. We can't share identities now." Maybe not ever, his insecurities whispered, but personal needs had to come second to the needs of the city. He knew that. It still didn't stop the sting.

"We're partners," she said.

He glanced over at her, but she didn't meet his gaze, instead staring straight ahead, determined.

"I promise," she went on, "that I'll help you as much as I can from this side of the mask. I want to be-" Her hands clenched on top of her knees. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but we're partners, and that's what partners do."

"Thank you," he whispered. "I want to be that for you, too."

Their conversation drifted to easier topics after that. Ladybug made fun of his television choices some more. Cat Noir made a few bad puns and was generally more upbeat. She was the cause of so much confusion and heartache the last few days, but tonight she was a source of great comfort. She shared information, she shared her time. It made him feel worthwhile and wanted. And if he fell a little more in love with her? Well, that was inevitable anyway.

He wondered if he was still reading too much into her words. (The number of times she claimed they were just partners seemed to indicate that he was.) But he had the heart of a romantic and he couldn't stop himself from hoping that she meant more by it. And even if she didn't, they were partners, and that was enough for tonight.

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Author's note: Like I said, I would have put this chapter together with the two before and the one after if I weren't breaking it up by prompt. Sorry that it's short! You'll be getting the final piece of this "chapter" next week. (And it's going to be sappy. Fair warning!) Also, fun little fact, I finished my detailed outline of this thing today. In total, it's 8,400 words. The OUTLINE is 8,400 words. That's insane.