They had a nice few hours of playing the Switch together before Ladybug started yawning. By that time, Chat was exhausted and he was surprised he hadn't already fallen asleep there. "Getting sleepy?" he asked her. Her nod in response was drowsy and he couldn't help but think how cute she looked.
He stood up first and extended a hand to help her up. She accepted it and he helped raise her to her feet. "Can I escort you as far as l'Arc de Triomphe?" She smiled as much as she could in her sleepy stupor and he took it as confirmation. They both packed up everything they brought out to take back home.
The two of them bounded over the rooftops from the Eiffel Tower toward their temporary destination. They came to their stopping point and neither of them were ready to say goodbye, despite both being mentally and physically exhausted by that point. It was nearing 06h00 and in the distance, they could see the first rays of daybreak.
"How are you feeling, little bug?" Chat asked, voice filled with genuinity and concern. She took a deep breath and wondered what her answer should be. She was better than she'd been before they came out, but that was about the lowest bar possible.
"Better," she admitted, "mostly I'm just stressed, though." She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She knew that it was reasonable for her to be stressed, but she didn't like to admit it out loud because it made her feel like she wasn't able to handle things well.
She leaned over to give him a thankful hug and he wrapped his arms around her. She squeezed him in the hug and he squeezed her in response, trying to fill her with the love and warmth that he felt for her. "Can I suggest something?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, willing to hear out her partner. He stepped back from the hug and she looked up into his bright peridot eyes. He took out the remote for the little cat toy she'd given him years ago. "If we trade, you can always let me know when you need me," he said shyly.
"I want to be able to be there for you whenever you need me, not just when I happen to be Chat. I feel like you would benefit from letting me know when you need me more than I would. I know you probably need to go home and get the little toy, but if that's something that would help you, I'd really like to be here for you as much as I can."
A smile grew across her face. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Chaton," Ladybug told him. She leaned up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. She grabbed her yo-yo from her waist and opened it to get the toy she was now thankful she'd put in before she left home that night.
She picked up the little toy cat and felt her heart start to race in her chest. She'd had it for years and she did her best to always have it nearby, just in case he needed her. It felt wrong to be considering giving it up, even though his logic was solid and reasonable. She needed to be able to call on him and she knew that.
With a deep breath, she held out the toy to him. It was the first time he'd seen it in years, but he wasn't complaining. As far as he thought, the fact that they didn't need to use it often was a blessing moreso than a curse.
The toy was smaller than he remembered it being, but he figured that was to be expected when it had been years since she showed it to him the first time. It was smaller than her palm and he couldn't help himself but press the button. It vibrated in her hand, seeming to shake her whole hand in the process and let out a quiet little 'mew'.
He chuckled at the small sound and found himself practically cooing over how small, cute, and sweet the toy and sound were. He took it from her hand carefully, scared that it would break if he picked it up too quickly. She took the remote while he picked up the toy and felt the same desire to set it off.
She pressed it and he felt the vibration in his hand. It ran through his arm and straight into his heart. He felt warm, emotionally, even though it was still early enough that the temperature hadn't warmed up yet.
"I'll let you know when I get stressed next time," she told him, gently squeezing the sides of the remote as though she was going to drop it and lose it.
"Press it once if you want to say hi, twice if you need me as soon as possible." She agreed to his suggestion with a brief nod of her head and smiled, pressing it again to just say hi. "Thank you for coming to spend time with me," he added after a few seconds.
"Thank you for setting this all up, Chaton," she replied. Her heart was fluttering in her chest at the knowledge that he went out of his way in the middle of the night to set up a place for them to hang out and play video games. "Stardew Valley was just what I needed tonight." She stepped toward him to give him one more hug.
He was happy to oblige and return the hug, loving the feeling of his partner in his arms, even if the two of them were exhausted. "I love you," she added a moment later, "you're the best partner I could've asked for, and there's no one else I'd rather have by my side against Monarch.
His heart warned under her praise, but he was also aware of the fact that she hadn't gotten much, if any, sleep that night and it was possible that her words were part of a stage of delirium. He kissed her forehead, not wanting to accidentally risk overstepping and making her uncomfortable with more affection than that.
"You should get home," he whispered, "you should try to get some sleep before you get started with your day." She nodded in agreement and took a step back, leaving the embrace of his arms. "I'll see you soon, my lady. Let me know if you need me in the meantime." He placed the little toy in one of the pockets of his suit so nothing would happen to it.
Ladybug took off in one direction and he took off in another. It didn't take him very long to get home and he found himself briefly wondering when Ladybug would get home, despite knowing he wasn't allowed to ask.
