Chapter 11: Night out on the Town
She leaned against the railing, looking up at the night sky. A gentle caress of her thigh, which a few hours earlier ached like hell, reminded her of the time spent icing her leg. Grimacing at the memory she slowly moved her hand from her thigh to her yo-yo. 9:25, he's late. Ladybug sighed and resumed gazing at the night sky. Due to Alya wanting to capture every minute of the akuma attack that she could, she called off the study date soon after Marinette left. Marinette felt relieved that she would not have to come up with another excuse as to why she completely bailed on their get together. Sometimes it helps having a friend who is obsessed with super heroes and villains.
"If he's not here by 9:30 I'll just have to patrol by myself." Ladybug said to herself out loud. A flicker of movement directed her eyes northward where she saw the familiar sight of Chat Noir maneuvering across the plaza with his baton.
"You're late." Ladybug stated sternly when Chat landed. Her crossed arms and tapping foot told Chat she was not pleased.
"Please forgive me my lady, I was up most of the night unable to sleep and then the akuma attacked so early in the morning, followed by the two consecutive attacks. By the time I got home I just passed out on my bed, but I forgot to set the alarm clock ahead of time and… why are you laughing?" Unable to contain herself any longer, Ladybug burst into a fit of hysteria. Clutching her sides she slowly regained her composure.
"Relax Chat," she said in between giggles, "I'm just teasing you."
Relief spread across Chat's face only to be replaced by a look of annoyance a few seconds later. "So you think that funny huh?"
"I think my reaction speaks for itself."
"You're going to pay for that one," his lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"Oh really," Ladybug crotched down ever so slightly, yo-yo in hand. "If its revenge you want, you'll have to catch me first." And with that Ladybug took off swinging into the night sky.
"I'm puuuurfectly ok with that." Chat Noir began pursuit.
She raced across the rooftops, her earlier injury and pain forgotten in her excitement. Chat Noir pursued, a playful glee present in his eyes.
"Here kitty kitty," she cooed while Chat chased her. The chase was exhilarating, with Ladybug routinely stopping or slowly down allowing Chat to get close, but jumping or twisting away at the last second, causing him to barely miss her. Thrice Chat Noir leaped right passed her giving her the opportunity to playfully yank his tail before swinging away.
"You'll have to do better than that if you want to catch me, mon minou," Ladybug teased after Chat Noir missed her for the twelfth time.
"I'll show you better," Chat replied as he circled back around towards Ladybug. Ladybug leaped across an alley way and began running away when she heard Chat Noir yelp behind her. Turning around, she noticed him sitting on the rooftop holding his head.
"Chat Noir are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" Ladybug inquired as she approached him.
"Gotcha!" Chat cried while pulling Ladybug close to him.
"Ah, you cheated." Ladybug whined when she realized what Chat had done.
"Last I checked, the game of chat and mouse had no rules to speak of other than the chat finding a way to capture his prey. Besides, you don't seem to be trying to get away." Chat Noir began caressing her cheek with his claw.
Ladybug blushed slightly. "Well getting caught was the plan all along," she stated as she wrapped her arms around Chat's neck. Positioning herself comfortable between Chat's legs, she slowly pressed her lips against his. As the two melted into each other, Ladybug slowly pushed Chat Noir backwards onto the roof. Eager to feel her warmth, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
A few moments later, Ladybug broke away and nuzzled herself into Chat Noir's collar bone. Chat Noir gave Ladybug a small peck on her head before rubbing her back with his hand. They continued cuddling together, both feeling incredibly serene, until the adrenaline wore off.
"Ouch!" Ladybug cried.
"Ah, I-I-I'm sorry! Did I accidently scratch you?" Chat Noir asked looking flustered.
"No," Ladybug replied as she sat up, Chat Noir following suit. "It's just my leg again. All this running around put a lot of stress on it." Ladybug gave a short laugh. "I guess luring you into a game of chase wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do."
"I-I-I'm sorry, I should have known better than to chase after you. I knew you had injured your leg and about the continuous akuma attacks all day, but I still…how could I be so stupid!"
Ladybug placed a comforting hand on Chat's shoulder. "There's no need to berate yourself, it's just a bit of pain. Besides, if it wasn't for your help, then I wouldn't have been able to take the time to properly heal these past few days. Thank you."
Chat Noir turned bright red at the sight of Ladybug's beautifully sparkling smile. "You have the most amazing smile you know."
"Thanks," Ladybug replied as she turned slightly pink. Adopting a more serious look, Ladybug rose to her feet. "I guess we should start actually patrolling now, we were already 30 minutes late as it was." Chat Noir shifted to his feet as well. "The flics haven't contacted us and there has been no movement from the crime syndicated, but we shouldn't let our guard down. You never know when the criminal organization will strike again." Ladybug peered off the side of the rooftop. "Let's go."
"Wait!" Chat Noir reached out and grabbed Ladybug's hand before she could take off. "Are you sure you should continue running around on that leg?"
"Don't worry, my wound has healed completely and I can handle a little pain." Ladybug placed her free hand over his. "I'll be fine."
Chat Noir nodded in understanding, before taking off with Ladybug into Paris' Night sky.
"Looks like patrol tonight wasn't a total waste of time. Two drug deals, a purse snatcher, and one home invasion. Four criminal acts all averted thanks to us. We may not have gained any new leads with regards to the crime syndicate, but we definitely helped keep Parisians safe tonight." Ladybug walked over to the railing of the Eiffel Tower and gazed out at the city below. The cool breeze felt good against her skin.
"You mean four crimes that you prevented, quite flawlessly I might add." Chat Noir leaned against the side of the Eiffel Tower as he spoke, tail swaying back and forth. "You were truly amazing how you managed to take out the criminals before I even had a chance to react." Chat Noir chuckled, "those criminals didn't have a spot of a chance once you showed up."
Ladybug groaned slightly at the terrible pun. "I wish the flics were as amazed and thankful for our presence." Ladybug sighed in frustration. Remember Ladybug, although the cops did not accept our help at first when it came to the super powered akumatized victims, eventually they came around. Now they accept and even assist us when it comes to capturing akuma. Surely in time they will come to accept our help with all crime, whether mystical in nature or not; I just have to be patient.
"Don't worry Ladybug, if worst comes to worst I can win them over with my natural charm." Ladybug laughed at Chat Noir's eyebrow roll.
"I'm not worried kitty, I know they'll come to accept our help eventually." Ladybug let out a long yawn.
"So," Chat Noir began, "should we call it a night?" Ladybug glanced at Chat Noir. He looked exhausted, three akuma attacks in one day and several late nights in a row had clearly taken a toll on him. Ladybug herself wasn't exactly feeling very energetic either, being with Chat for all three attacks and handling crimes nonstop for several hours during patrol. Plus we still need to continue studying for our finals taking place this week.
"I guess," Ladybug said with a heavy sigh. Truthfully, she didn't want to say goodbye just yet. She was enjoying her time with Chat and wished the night could continue forever. Sensing her reluctance, Chat Noir walked over to her and placed a gentle kiss upon her hand.
"We weren't able to today, but next Saturday let's go somewhere special just the two of us." Chat Noir said with a smile. "We can celebrate the end of our exams with our first official date."
Ladybug blushed slightly before replying. "Sure. Where and when should we meet up?"
"Let's meet here at 6:00, before patrol."
"Where will we be going?"
"It's a surprise."
"You and your surprises," Ladybug replied with a humorous tone.
"What can I say, the thought of seeing your sur-purrr-rised yet excited face makes me purr."
"But waiting a whole week, I might just die of anticipation."
Chat Noir thought for a moment. "Well if that happens, then I'll just have to become a necromancer and bring you back from the dead."
"A zombie, ladybug heroine, huh." Ladybug giggled. "That just might be worth dying over to see. See you later cat-agator."
"After a while bug-a-dile," Chat Noir responded. The two shared a short kiss before swinging off into the night.