a/n: ok, this totally could have been up this morning, and it was Marichat, but then it just felt so awkward, so I decided to do Ladynoir cos I'm still high on that after watching Chat Blanc. Tomorrow will be Marichat, though! Thank you for reading!

Lovesquare Fluff Week Day 5: Stargazing. / LadyNoir

Ladybug had everything prepared.

In a duffel bag, she had a thick blanket (she'd been sure not to grab one from her own room, lest Chat recognize it) and a small box that contained fresh pastries. It was a patrol night, but she'd noticed over the past couple of days that Chat hadn't been acting like himself, and it worried her to pieces. He still flirted and made those awful puns, but none of his smiles reached his eyes.

Something was eating at him. Ladybug didn't like it.

So she'd figured, once he got here, she'd spread out the blanket, eat, and watch Paris from their favorite rooftops. Patrolling the city didn't take that long, anyway, and she was fairly certain that, given that there was an akuma attack this morning, there wouldn't be a second one.

Or at least, she hoped.

"And here," she said to herself as she landed on the rooftop, nodding firmly.

She set the bag down gently, lowering herself to the ground next to it, and waited patiently for her partner to arrive. It was a surprise that he wasn't already here—most nights, Chat beat her to patrol.

She waited. And waited. And waited. Still no Chat. A frown surfaced on her face and just as she reached for her yo-yo to give him a call, she heard footsteps.

Ladybug turned her head. "Hey, Chat, there you are! I was..." She stopped as she caught a glimpse of his expression, which was wiped clean of emotion. In the moonlight, she could see the glimmer of tears. Her heart constricted and then pounded and then dropped, her smile fading instantly. "Chat? What's wrong?"

"Sorry I'm late," was all he said in reply, and his voice was strained. Almost robotic. Like he was trying to cleanse that of emotion, too, but couldn't quite squeeze out that last drop.

"It's... not a problem," she said slowly, before pushing herself to her feet. "Kitty, you look like you've been crying."

"Nah. I'm ok." He gave her this weird grimace thing that was probably supposed to be a smile. "Where do you want to start? The East? Or the West?"

Her mouth opened to reply, but no words came out. She could only stare.

"I was thinking I'd take the East side," he continued when she said nothing. He twirled his staff in a way that told her he was getting ready to vault off, and the idea didn't sit well with her at all. Not when he looked like this.

"Wait," she croaked, reaching for his wrist. She'd almost missed, but he froze when her fingertips grazed over his suit. "Tell me. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing I won't get over," he murmured.

"But still! You're upset! And I will destroy anyone who upsets my kitty."

That made Chat pause. Her expression was fierce as she said the words, but it softened when he finally looked at her, because his eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth was agape.

Then he was finally smiling, but it wasn't his usual "I'm-going-tease-you-relentlessly" smile. He said, "I appreciate the offer, My Lady, but this... I don't think you could get away with destroying my father."

Her heart did that thing again. Convulsed and plummetted like a stone in water. She didn't know much about his father—only bits and pieces—but from what she'd heard, she knew he wasn't all that great of a person.

"Yeah?" she said anyway, with a deep scowl, but it was not directed at Chat. Never at Chat. "I'll accept that challenge, kitty. You're my partner. I will defend you against anyone till my last breath."

It was a vow. A promise. And she meant it with every fiber, every thread, of her being. Because nobody—nobody—messed with her partner, family or not. Because Chat deserved that.

"...thank you, My Lady," he breathed out quietly. "That, um. That means a lot."

She reached forward to tap him on the nose. "Of course. Is..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to make him tell her more than he was comfortable with. "Is that what's been bothering you all week? Your father?"

Her question was met with silence. Chat swallowed, his gaze dropping to his boots. "You're the only one who can see through me, huh, LB?"

The smile she gave him was gentle. Soft. "I worry about you, sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

Ok. Moment ruined. She gave him a playful shove, rolling her eyes. The smile remained. "You know what I mean, Chat."

"Yeah," he murmured, and this time, when his lips twitched, it was genuine. "I do."

The look they shared was full of warmth and understanding. She reached up again, rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs and wiping away the tears. She could never truly understand him—not his life, at home or elsewhere—but she could still offer him her unwavering support. He leaned into her touch like he'd been starved of physical affection for far too long, eyes starting to close before he realized what he was doing.

"Um..." he hedged suddenly, clearing his throat. "Should we, uh, start on patrol?"

"Actually," she said. "I was thinking... that we could take a small break?"

He blinked at her. Echoed, "A break?"

She turned around to grab the duffle bag that sat untouched near the edge of the rooftop. Then she was zipping it open, pulling out the box of pastries. And the blanket. When she looked back up at him, she was beaming. "I know it's not much, but I... I really wanted to cheer you up. I made the croissants myself, and—"

Her words were cut short when Chat suddenly threw his arms around her, squeezing tightly. Her heart thundered in her chest, startled almost enough to drop what she'd been holding, but recovered quickly.

"Thank you," he murmured into her shoulder, voice quaking. His grip tightened as he spoke. "Thank you so much, Ladybug."

Slowly, she returned his embrace—well, as best she could when her hands were full—and she squeezed. "You're so welcome, Chat. I just want you to be ok."

Because outside of the suit, she couldn't see him. She'd always thought that she'd be able to notice him immediately, could pick him out of a line-up. But the truth was, the magic wouldn't allow that. The magic of the miraculous blocked so much more than she could ever imagined. So she wouldn't know if this boy who trembled in her arms was hurting. She wouldn't know unless she saw him in costume.

Even though she knew the reasoning behind keeping their identities secret, the thought made her heart ache.

She lingered in his embrace for just a few moments longer because it was obvious that he needed this. But in the end, it was Chat who pulled away, and she saw him blinking away tears again.

"Help me set up the blanket?" she whispered.

His laughter was full and rich. "Of course, My Lady."

She set the box of croissants down, but only for about ten seconds. Then she was popping it open, sitting under the stars with her partner, her best friend. She watched as Chat plucked one from the box and lit up as he took his first bite.

She beamed. "You like them?"

"My Lady, I love them. They're so good."

The rest of patrol was spent enjoying the croissants and stargazing, pointing out the vague shapes of the constellations and basking in the soft ivory glow of the moon. Chat was grinning the entire time—a genuine, beautiful grin that she was used to seeing, one that warmed her up inside and made her traitorous heart thump, thump, thump.

Yes, she thought to herself. They deserved this night off.