It's like a breath of fresh air as she laughs, "Cat."
He beams like the cat that just got the cream as he gingerly nudges the blond haired woman by his side.
She pokes dismally at the food the vendors are selling as if it is beneath her, but her smile at him just highlights baby blues and reminds him that not all is as it seems.
"So," She chimes staring at ripe, red apples that glitter in the sunlight before them, turning back towards the superhero at her side, "What do you really think of all this?"
Something in her voice reminds him that she doesn't just mean the marketplace that they are wandering, that if he was allowed to, he would have dropped his transformation ages ago to wander with her in the way that they like just between them as if they've slid away from the center stage into a true mark of friendship and the little hint of more that she spreads when she isn't trying.
He drops a whisper against her ear, knowing that the man selling apples can clearly still hear him, "It's the bees' knees."
Chloe snorts as if surprised by the fact that he's clearly teasing her over her superhero identity even though she's still a civilian right now, "Thank you for coming out with me."
She plucks up the ripest apple, scanning it with unsure eyes before slipping over some money for it, paying twice the amount for it than it cost though moving away as if she truly was indifferent; with him, sometimes she tried more than she let on.
"So," She watches him with a casual smile as if he were just Adrien right now and bites into the apple with a happy look on her face, "What's it like being all that you are?" She says it like it is only a complete picture when you take his civilian identity in, and he remembers how in certain ways, she's grown.
"It's busy." He adds, almost saying another pun before realizing that she'd already caught it without it even leaving his lips.
"I forget what it's like when you wear the mask." She chimes in, staring down at a different table, deliberating over whether she wants to buy the honeyed treat and risk the teasing from the man beside her or just walk on buy.
He buys it for her when she looks away, handing it over with sure claws and sure hands.
Chloe smiles at him, thankful, but doesn't say a word; she easily keeps pace with him, handing her apple over, and he realizes belatedly that she never wanted the apple to begin with, just wanted to buy something deserving of the mayor's daughter for the fact that she took up his time at that stand.
She's a woman, all nineteen years of her, though he still sees the girl from Lycee in the way she'll pause or treat things without much holding her back or he'll still see her five year old self in her obvious enthusiasm when it spun out from her as if it had everywhere to go.
Chloe's much better at hiding that enthusiasm though he pretends that it's clear enough for the world to see sometimes, especially when he thinks that she needs to be seen.
She loves the center of attention as much as sometimes it grows weary over him; she thrives under the spotlight and when she doesn't thrive, she often feels like she does.
Chloe tosses her blond hair back when they walk out of the marketplace, and he can't help but say more, "You're the bees' knees." It's weak to use the same kind of pun or joke rather two times in a row with little adjustment, but he thinks that she needs it sometimes.
"You know you're talking to Chloe Bouregeis, not Queen Bee now, but I'll accept it for what it's worth anyway." She nestles against his side, letting his arm curl around her waist when she presses just close enough.
"Does it matter right now?" He hopes that she can tell within the green forests of his own eyes that he means that she's just as incredible transformed as she is right now, leaving the market with a sweet tinge to her heart and carefully eating the honey treat from before, trying to brush the wet parts quickly into her mouth in fear of them leaving sticky imprints on her fingers.
"In a way, it does." She looks away before she steels herself past whatever is holding her back, "Do you think it's time to move on?"
She craves the freedom that the mask lights up in her like he craves his own though he's aware that she isn't sure where to move right now, just that she wants to claim her own shot at fame, something other than hiding her identity behind a mask.
"Do you know where you want to move?" He lets his clawed hand loop over one of her hands, shifting the apple into his other hand, realizing that he should take a bite from the juicy treat soon.
"Not yet." She looks up at him, and he sees a fighter in her still, something never dimmed by any time at all.
"Okay, than wait." He smiles, "You'll feel more free once you know what you want."
Chloe leans on his side before muttering words that he knows have become muted over the years, words that she puts on a brave face for despite the nervous beat of her heart when she's before other people as if she can't help but feel that way and in a way, she can't, "I just want you."
Cat Noir's eyes flicker closed as he debates his answer, "I'm still not sure which way to go, myself, but I want you to be happy."
She smiles, it's bitter and sad, but she braves through it, and he can't help but admire her show of heroic strength in that moment, "I want your happiness, of course."
Chloe stares ahead of her with a vibrant smile though it probably takes effort sometimes to be patient, to be what few situations have called her to be.
"It's nothing against you." Cat Noir speaks, letting the words sink in.
"It's just that you loved her first." Chloe shrugs as if she doesn't understand the feelings that rage in his heart for him to just listen in on though identities still remain locked up tight with Ladybug; she doesn't seem as smitten as he is regardless.
"I..." He stops before he can apologize, but he realizes that he doesn't mean it even if he says it; he remembers years of being friends with Chloe and knows that he loved being her best friend growing up while a part of that's in reach, always has been, he can't ignore these feelings that developed years ago when he first met Ladybug.
Chloe's eyes flicker back to him, "I'm not going to force you or anything."
"Thank you." He smiles though hates how he can't make her happy just this once when he in part feels like he should; his emotions are mixed and confused. He knows enough to wait.
She looks ahead of herself, "I'm not sweet, but I'm definitely not prickly either." Chloe will carry herself as if she's all bitter most of the time, but he's relieved when she lets her guard down around him even like this.
The young woman pauses before him and can't help her small smile as she stands on tip toes and kisses both of his cheeks with reserved enthusiasm, "One day if you have me, it will mean so much more to us both."
He shakes his head but smiles down at her, still somewhat surprised at the fact that when they were younger, they were closer in height, and yet now he has to look down at her sometimes to properly lock eyes on her.
"You deserve more." He says it not because of her name or her weath, but because of the friendship, the easy companionship that she's given him over the years.
She shakes her head, but it feels nearly like a contradiction; is she denying what he's said or pinning it more to him?
"Cat Noir," She starts before letting her voice drop down to a soft purr, "Adrien." It's nothing more than his name though it's spoken soft enough that only the two of them could hear it though no one is near right now to listen in regardless.
He doesn't respond but lets her smile back at him; it's a relief to share his secret with somebody, and even if no one else sees it, he sees how she's grown from the cause of so many Akuma victims meeting Hawkmoth to the woman that stands before him, looking much the same with few hints to any change on her person.
Cat Noir loves her yet it doesn't feel like enough, not when he also loves Ladybug more than anything, not when he's still unsure of how romantic his feelings go for his long time friend, and definitely not when he still sometimes feels lingering, crush led feelings on Marinette.
Those three women deserve so much better than confused feelings, so even if sometimes he leans closer to Queen Bee than he should or whether he longs to just press closer to Chloe and be the wall that she needs, he can't quite bridge that gap yet.