Chapter 29 – Roses

Night fell steadily over the Notre Dame cathedral and the two superheroes perched on the bell tower. The rising moon was the only indication of passing time, but the whole night could have passed and Ladybug wouldn't have cared.

Dinner had been delicious. Cat Noir swore he didn't cook any of it himself, so it was safe for human consumption. The admission had made her laugh, and the expression on his face when she offered to bring him a homemade dinner to their next patrol had made her kiss him again. Happy and shy and hesitant, so unlike the loud reveling she'd been expecting.

They sat side-by-side at the table, at her insistence. It was cramped, and their arms brushed together as they ate, but it felt nice to be so close to him. Besides, sitting like this made it much easier to sneak kisses onto his cheek when he wasn't expecting it. He still shook a little every time she did it. Like he was never expecting it, or maybe that he couldn't quite believe this was real. It was a reaction she planned on curing him of as soon as possible.

Nearly an hour later, she was sopping up the last of the sauce with her bread, taking her time swirling it around the edges of the plate. Taking her time, because she didn't want to leave him, didn't want the night to end so quickly.

"Dinner's taking a lot longer to finish than I thought it would." Cat Noir looked down at their nearly empty plates, a little confused.

Ladybug smiled knowingly. "Hmm," she said said, drawing out the sound to pull his attention back to her. "I think I know why your calculations were so off."

"Really?" He turned, and their faces were only inches apart. "Why is-"

Ladybug cut him off with a kiss. "Too many of these," she said, before giving him a second. And then a third.

Cat Noir responded slowly, stiff under her touch. She'd surprised him again, but he recovered quickly, his shoulders dropping as he sighed against her mouth. His hands found her waist, sliding her to the edge of her chair, like he couldn't get close enough to her, even while kissing her.

He was the one who pulled away first, nuzzling his nose into her cheek. "I'll never have too many of these." His breath tickled. "But we have to get going. We're going to be late!"

"Late?" she asked, excitement bubbling. "You mean there's more?"

Chairs scraped and the tablecloth rustled as Cat Noir helped Ladybug to her feet. "Oh, come on," he said as he guided her to the edge of the tower. Lights sparkled below them. "You know how over-the-top I am, especially when I'm trying to impress you." And he flipped over the edge, spinning in midair until he landed on the wooden spine of the roof 100 feet below. Like the show-off he was.

Ladybug chuckled before following.

"See? I told you I was faster than you," Cat Noir said two minutes later. They landed in front of the marble steps of the Palais de la Découverte, the Palace of Discovery science museum. White stone columns and black bronze horse statues stared down at the new couple.

"You are not," Ladybug said. "You beat me here because I didn't know where we were going."

"And that's somehow my fault?"

Ladybug shoved his shoulder, not finding that comment worthy of a response. Everything she had loved and missed about their relationship was back in full force, the banter, the friendship, the trust. Really, it wasn't much different now than it had been before. There were just new types of touching, and a happier Cat Noir.

Together they walked up the front steps, and a cold gust of wind made her shiver and pull closer to him.

"So does the second half of this date include breaking and entering?" she asked. The glass double doors were shut tight. All the lights beyond were dark. "Because I think this place is closed."

"It is closed," he said, reaching into his pocket. "But I've made a special request." The key jangled on its ring as he held it out for her to examine. "Being an- I mean, being me has some benefits."

The way he said it, the way he scuttled off to unlock the door, eyes averted... Ladybug wasn't sure if he'd meant his superhero or civilian self.

She walked up slowly behind him – then watched with delight as he fumbled the key when she put her hand on the small of his back – before he swung the door open for her.

"After you." He slipped from underneath her fingers as he pulled away and bowed for her to enter. Strange. Had he been keeping his distance all night? Considering how she'd been hanging off him all night, she'd expected... But maybe she was just imagining it.

She reached out and brushed her hand over his chest as she past him, but was quickly distracted.

Her footsteps seemed louder than normal as she stepped through the door and the outside world hushed. Whispers of their conversation echoed through the enormous atrium. "I have no idea where we're going," Ladybug said. "You still want me to lead the way?"

"Only if I can follow you to heaven."

"Uh..." Ladybug was grateful it was so dark. Another difference in their dynamic: How easily she blushed at his flirts.

Cat Noir waved for her to follow and walked deeper into the empty building. She let him get about three steps before she caught up and looped her arm through his. They passed paintings and statues, whispering to each other until they arrived at another set of doors that opened on what looked like a small auditorium, minus the stage. Seats ringed around a circle of space in the center of the room, which was empty except for a desk with a computer and some other electronics on it. They walked down to the front row, where he motioned for her to sit down.

With a few sharp taps of his claws, the computer turned on and started to hum. "I believe I once promised you the stars, My Lady."

Lights sparkled above her, and the seats leaned back easily to let her see the night sky – filled with more stars than she'd ever seen – glowing on the ceiling. The chair next to her squeaked as her partner sat down and started giving her the grand tour. Galaxies swirled. Planets flashed by. He knew so much.

And Ladybug's fingers felt so lonely. Expecting him to take her hand at the first opportunity, she'd left it on her armrest for him. But in the dim light, she could see his hands tucked neatly on his lap. Come to think of it, he hadn't touched her first all night except to help her to her feet after dinner. In the darkness, her concerns resurfaced. She'd kind of expected him to be all over her, all hands and lips and soft whispers.

His voice wavered a little as she reached over and slid her hand into his, but he kept up with his explanation of star clusters and stellar nurseries as he laced their fingers. The speech was only paused when he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips, one by one.

Ladybug loved listening to him. He was attentive and understanding of her questions, though in her completely unbiased opinion the armrests detracted from the presentation. They were downright obnoxious, getting in her way and creating a barrier between them like that. She had half a mind to climb into his lap, she started to get up, but then the stars above dimmed to faint pinpricks and the house lights come back on.

"So, what did you think?" he asked. He turned her hand over in his, tracing the large dot in the center of her palm.

She thought a lot of things. That she wished she'd realized earlier how wonderful her partner was. And how time was really unfair, speeding up like this when she wanted to be with him longer. When she didn't answer his question right away, his ears flattened and his fingers stilled.

"I think," she quickly said, "that I'm not quite ready to go home yet." This time, she did lead him, just to the center of the room, where there was a small space between the first row of chairs and the computer. The hum of electronics and her own heartbeat were the only music, but she put her free hand on his shoulder and guided him into a slow dance under the starlight sky.

Instead of the bright smile she expected at their closeness, Cat Noir seemed distant and maybe a little sad. His steps were slow. He tried to hold her at arm's length, and she had to keep stepping closer. What on earth was bothering him?

"You really went all out for me, didn't you?" she asked, when she couldn't stand his silence anymore.

"Was it too much?" he asked, sounding nervous. His wide eyes blinked rapidly. "Sorry. I've never been on a real date before."

Before she could formulate a witty response about his lack of experience, he took another step back, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to stand this close to a girl while on a date.

Okay, that was it. Ladybug was done feeling like she was chasing him across the room instead of dancing with him. Tightening her grip on him, she pulled him in, until she could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder.

That finally seemed to be enough permission for him. The hand on her waist lightened, until only one finger remained. He pulled it up, outlining her curve from her waist up her side and sliding back down again. She shivered when his fingers brushed her hip and melted into him a little further, before his palm flattened against her body once more.

"No, it's not too much," she whispered. "You just did all this work while thinking I wasn't coming."

"But I hoped," he said. "Just like I've always done."

***[break]

It was another hour before the duo made their way back through the dark corridors of the museum. Their footsteps echoed on the tiles, and Ladybug watched Cat Noir out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling, but it was small, and aimed at the floor instead of at her.

Now was the perfect opportunity to ask him what was wrong, but before she could figure out how best to frame her concern, he stopped at the front door and turned to her. The only light was from streetlamps and headlights that filtered through the glass. The shadows it cast were soft, blurring the edges of his mask, though it couldn't hide how his expression went from pleased to hesitant.

"I have something else for you," he said. "I promise it's not over-the-top this time."

Ladybug waited expectantly as he ducked behind a pillar and pulled out an enormous bouquet of roses, pink and red, her favorites. It overflowed in her hands as she pulled them into to smell them. There must have been three dozen. Her hands barely fit around them stems.

This was his idea of a reasonable gift? Not that she minded – she was flattered – but it did raise some questions.

She smiled and thanked him as he led them outside and locked the door behind them. The crescent moon was soaring above the city now.

"I hate to say it," he said, "but it's probably time to go."

"We've stayed out later before." She rubbed a rose petal in between her fingers. "And I don't really want to leave." She doubted he did either.

Cat Noir cleared his throat. "Then maybe we-" He took his guiding hand off her elbow. There it was again. The distance that she hadn't expected, that she'd been fighting so hard against all night.

"Never mind," he said. "I'll let you make up your mind before asking again."

"Make up my mind about what?"

He looked confused. "Don't you remember? I promised I wouldn't bother you for a second date until after you'd made your choice."

Ladybug's mouth fell open. "Are you serious? This is what's been bothering you?" She hadn't intended it to come out as a shriek, but the way his cat ears flattened, she thought she might need to turn the volume down a little. "How many times have I kissed you tonight?"

"Thirty-eight."

His tone was so matter-of-fact that Ladybug paused. "You... you counted."

The ears pressed further against his hair. "Is that weird?"

Carefully passing her bouquet to one hand to get it out of her way, she shook her head and closed the space between them. "Thirty-nine." And she kissed him. This one was slower than the others had been, lingering, as she poured everything she felt into it.

Honestly, how could this boy not have realized what he meant to her? He needed to know.

"Forty," she whispered, letting her free hand wander up his arm and ghost over his cheek as she kissed him again. "Forty-one." And again.

When they broke apart, he didn't step away this time. He was solid and there, and she thought he finally understood, with his hands firmly around her waist, his lips resting against her forehead. But she had to make sure.

"If it isn't clear," she said. "I'm picking you. I've already picked you."

The grip around her tightened. "Then can we please, maybe, do this again sometime?" The vibrations of his voice rumbled through her. "Because I have about a million other ideas I want to spoil you with."

"I'd love to."

"Yeah?" There was the smile she'd been waiting for all night. Brilliant and glowing, blinding her to everything that wasn't him (while still managing to squeeze in that adorable goofiness she'd always loved).

"Yeah," she said. "But there is one thing I need to ask you."

"Anything."

A car whizzed by. People across the street walked slowly, watching them. A window light flicked on in the next building. And Ladybug felt suddenly too exposed and nervous to keep going.

"But not here," she said. "Follow me."

Author's note: I'm posting on Monday because I couldn't get it done over the weekend, and I'm *still* not entirely happy with it. :/