Chapter Text
Chat Noir landed on the rooftop where Ladybug and he were scheduled to meet for patrol. As usual, he was earlier than her.
Ladybug had been arriving late even more lately, often citing her new boyfriend as her reason. It was nice seeing the softness in her eyes as she spoke even briefly of the incredible boy that had somehow claimed her heart. Chat Noir couldn’t help but feel a little bit of jealousy, but he was mostly happy to see her so enamored and happy herself.
He’d always love Ladybug, though his passionate romantic affection had mostly faded into a deep friendship. Part of his heart would always be hers, but the most important thing was that she was soundly uninterested in romance with him. What she was interested in was friendship and partnership, and he knew in those ways that Ladybug loved him just as much. That alone meant the world to him, and he would never risk sabotaging it again.
He knew the stress of being guardian had been weighing on her more and more, even if she wouldn’t let him ease it off her shoulders. Having extra support in her civilian life was helping more than her boyfriend probably knew, and he couldn’t thank the stranger enough for that.
She jumped down from behind him, and he turned to greet her. His excitement dissipated as he saw her expression. She was looking down at the rooftop and rubbing her arm, clearly lost in thought.
“Hello, my lady,” he said. (He was so glad she was actually okay with the pun because he would never tire of it for as long as he lived, it was too perfect.) “You seem down about something. Wanna talk about it?”
He hoped if he was a bit more casual with his approach, he wouldn’t spook her again.
She looked up at him and fixed him with an intense gaze. It felt kind of like she was dissecting him like one of her lucky charms, trying to break down and solve a huge problem he couldn’t wrap his head around. It was a jarring change, and he couldn’t help but pause.
She finally sighed and looked away. She hugged herself. “I don’t know how to explain it without jeopardizing… things.”
He nodded in understanding, knowing it was likely related to the life of her secret identity. Still, he wasn’t going to give up on comforting his lady that easily. He sat down on the rooftop and patted the spot next to him. He watched her expectantly.
She rolled her eyes but still came and sat to his side. “I don’t know what you’re expecting here.” Thankfully there was a smile in her voice.
“Come on, there’s over two million people in this city,” he said lightly. “If you’re vague enough, there’s no way I’d be able to figure out who you are. We’ve probably never even met outside the masks.”
That was only half a lie, since she was still wearing her mask whenever she met his civilian self. He genuinely wasn’t worried though. So many people suffered from similar problems, and Ladybug could be any number of those people!
Ladybug’s face twisted in confusion, as if she was struggling to follow the progression of the conversation. He didn’t get time to question it.
“Okay, I guess I can be vague,” she said. She hugged her knees to her chest, and he hated how upset she looked.
He offered what he hoped was a supportive gesture, and he motioned with his hand for her to continue.
"You know how I've mentioned that I've started dating a new boy recently?" she asked.
Chat Noir's chest clenched.
Anger surged through him as his brain tried to connect the few pieces he had. Did that boy do something to upset her? How dare he? He was dating one of the most wonderful people on the planet and he left her near tears? Chat Noir couldn't believe he was just wanting to thank the jerk two minutes ago.
Ladybug deserved someone better than that. He couldn't nominate himself, she had soundly rejected him a lot and being someone to ignore her 'no' would not make a for a good partner even if that was his only concern.
"Yes," Chat Noir said quietly. He tried to contain his anger, wanting to be a supportive friend. "Did something happen with him?"
It wasn't fair for Chat Noir to be living such a perfect fairytale, falling mutually for his bright, clever, silly, beautiful, and creative classmate, while Ladybug was so hurt by her own love. Marinette was so kind and supportive, even of Adrien dating other people. Ladybug deserved someone like Marinette.
Chat Noir considered the logistics of setting them up before Ladybug continued.
"No, I mean- not really," Ladybug replied. She leaned her head against her knees and almost pouted. "Sort of. He and I agreed to an open relationship."
Chat Noir's eyes widened. What were the odds that both his and Ladybug's relationships would open around the same time?
Apparently more than 0.
("Open" was a strong word, since Adrien and Marinette's current agreement was only that they could both date Chat Noir. In practice, that just meant Marinette could kiss him while he had super strength and a cat costume.)
(...If Marinette fell in love with anyone else though, Adrien was more than willing to open up to more people.)
However, while the mutual decision left him and Marinette feeling giddy with new possibilities and understanding, they seemed to leave Ladybug feeling defeated.
Chat Noir and read horror stories about failing marriages or relationships, where one partner forced the other to open when they don't want to, causing hurt and mistrust. Was that what was happening to Ladybug? Was her stupid boyfriend trampling over her reasonable boundary for monogamy?
He wondered if he could enlist Marinette to help him jump the guy. What an asshole.
"Did you… want an open relationship?" Chat Noir asked, failing to keep as much of the protective anger coursing through him out of his voice.
Ladybug's eyes widened as she seemed to realize his train of thought. "Yes, I did, it was actually my idea first! That's not why I'm upset, it's really nothing to do with my boyfriend, it was just part of the explanation. He's wonderful and would never spring something like that on me if I didn't want it, I assure you."
Chat Noir's anger melted away into relief. Good, Ladybug's perfect boyfriend wasn't a complete jerk and he could like the guy again.
(And if the two were open, maybe he could still play matchmaker. Marinette seemed to have a thing for superheroes, after all…)
"I'm glad to hear that," Chat Noir said, far more relaxed now. "What's bugging you, then?"
She shoved him playfully at his pun, and the smile on her face was more than worth it. She looked at him for a few seconds longer, and her expression once again held that intensity he couldn't describe. She quickly jerked her head away, looking somber.
"I'm in love with someone else too," she said. She didn't look at him as she spoke. "My boyfriend even noticed it, and he suggested I go for it. But that boy doesn't love me like that. It- it almost makes it worse, knowing that I could have dated him, I could have had him and my boyfriend and I wouldn't have had to turn anyone down, but… it's too late now. That other boy has moved on."
Chat Noir tried to follow the story and wished she could give the characters nicknames. Still, his heart ached to hear about her facing the pain of rejection. He knew it wasn't easy.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, bug. Heartbreak is not fun."
She leaned into him, and he treasured the contact. He hoped it was offering some sort of comfort for her too. "I feel ridiculous. I have my boyfriend, I should be completely happy! But my feelings for the other person won't go away."
"I don't think that's ridiculous at all," Chat Noir reassured, squeezing her tighter. He hated when she got down on herself like that. Such a wonderful person didn't need to have such a cruel inner critic. "If you love that person, that's that. You can't just turn it off."
Ladybug quieted, and he let the moment rest. The sun was still out, but the sky was slowly dimming. The city before them was starting to light up and glow to make up for the change.
"How did you do it?" Ladybug asked quietly.
Chat Noir's heart clenched because he knew exactly what she was asking.
" I didn't," he wanted to say.
But it wasn't entirely true. He may still have some feelings, but they didn't hurt as much anymore. He was able to move on, think about other things, and spend less time focused on his attraction to her. He carefully rerouted his mind when they were together to try to think of her platonically, and it was slowly working.
"It wasn't easy," he admitted. "But you weren't interested, and I was hurting our friendship when I pushed. I'm sorry for that."
She nodded and gestured for him to continue.
"So I stopped entertaining the idea. When a fantasy would come into my head, I reminded myself that you wouldn't be happy in that fantasy. When my heart fluttered, I remembered that yours didn't. And I focused on other things. With lives like ours, it's not hard to find them."
"You can say that again," she muttered with a soft smile.
"And admittedly, letting myself fall for others helped a lot," he finished. "It's hard to feel lonely and heartbroken when M- my girlfriend is by my side, you know?"
"That makes sense," Ladybug said with a sigh. "It's so hard to get time with him though. His- guardians are pretty strict."
Chat Noir winced in sympathy. His father had definitely spoiled more than one potential date with Marinette.
"Well, if you're open, maybe try dating around? Get into some lighter, less serious relationships!" Chat Noir offered. He wasn't sure if it was the best advice, but he hated seeing her look so dejected. He trusted her to take good care of others' hearts, and maybe the distraction would take her mind off the boy who didn't like her.
"I don't know," Ladybug said.
"Paris is a big city and I'm sure most of its teen population is in love with you," Chat Noir said. Then his eyes lit up, and before he could stop himself, he decided to try playing Cupid.
"Like, take Marinette Dupain-Cheng! We've rescued her a few times, and she used the Mouse Miraculous once? I've heard she's also polyamorous, and she's bisexual!"
The energy of his matchmaking left him at her expression. Ladybug looked appalled.
“Uh-” he stuttered out, unsure what to make of her sudden shock.
“How would you even know that?” Ladybug snapped. Her anger seemed more disbelieving than anything else, so he willed away his instinctual shame at causing it.
It was a good question. If Ladybug somehow knew anything about Marinette (which she likely did, they had interacted a few times,) she’d know that the girl wasn’t going to wave down Chat Noir to blab about how available she was. Even if he really wanted her to.
He also knew himself, and that Adrien would totally blab on about how available Marinette was.
“Her boyfriend actually told me!” he lied easily. “Apparently she still likes me despite our disastrous last meeting, and he was trying to set us up.”
For some reason, Ladybug buried her face in her hands and groaned.
Chat Noir frowned, completely bewildered by her reaction. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s just so embarrassing… for her, I mean,” Ladybug let out through gritted teeth. “Why would he try to set you up with someone you’re not even into?”
Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think I’m not into her?”
Ladybug’s eyes widened further. “You told me? You rejected her, remember? Something something ‘power imbalance?’ Also you have a girlfriend now!”
Chat Noir had explained the whole date with Marinette to Ladybug. It just seemed right, like reporting a workplace relationship to a superior, even though he was terrified Ladybug would be mad at him. She did seem a bit frustrated, but she told him he did nothing wrong regardless. It was a very confusing conversation that Ladybug cut short.
Right. He was still concerned about that, but his main reason for not wanting to date Marinette as Chat Noir was that she had no clue he was Adrien. He was someone close to her, and it felt scummy to date her when she had no idea she was also dating one of her friends. Now that he knew she was also in love with Adrien, that was no longer an issue.
He had also been worried that Marinette was blinded by celebrity worship, turned up to 11 due to him being a hero instead of a mere model. But the way she talked about Chat Noir to Adrien made him start to doubt that. She seemed more than willing to view him as his own person, unafraid to speak her mind and reject him in any way she wanted to.
Explaining this without explaining that he was Adrien Agreste was not easy, but Ladybug’s frustrated face made him feel like he had to try.
“It’s complicated,” he said slowly. “Not the girlfriend part, she and I are actually in an open relationship too, funnily enough. But with Marinette, some of it has to do with life changes in my civilian life, but… I’m also less worried since she has another partner? So she’s less likely to lean too much on someone who can’t spend much time with her. My feelings for her never went away, I just didn’t think they were worth hurting her.”
Ladybug gaped at him, and the dumbfounded expression was pretty funny on her face.
“I don’t think it would be a problem if you were interested in her too,” he continued. He felt a little too vulnerable, rambling on about how much he loved his secret identity’s girlfriend, so he wanted to shift the attention away. If that caused both Marinette and Ladybug future happiness, that was just a bonus. “She’ll speak her mind to you, and I know you’d never use your power or position to hurt her.”
Ladybug buried her face in her hands again. “What the fuck is my life,” she muttered.
“Sorry, was that bad timing?” he asked, cringing. He wasn’t as worried about being too pushy if he wasn’t suggesting himself as a potential partner, but maybe he should have been.
“So… you like Marinette still?” Ladybug asked. The fact that she ignored his question did not go unnoticed.
“Yes,” he said plainly. There wasn’t any point to denying it, and it wasn’t like it put his secret identity at risk. Was there anyone who hadn’t fallen for Marinette at least once? It wasn’t really an identifying feature.
“But what if…” Ladybug stopped, trying to find the words. He rubbed her back encouragingly.
“What if she’s not who you think she is? What if she has a whole side to her personality that you can’t begin to understand?” Ladybug asked. She curled in on herself more.
Chat Noir felt whiplash at the sudden shift. It seemed very much like this conversation wasn’t about Marinette at all anymore. Did Ladybug share his insecurities about the girl she was under her mask, about how that would impact her relationships?
Marinette’s crush and rapport with Chat Noir had been a huge source of encouragement when Adrien asked her out. Seeing her bravery when she was Multimouse didn’t hurt either. He already knew that Marinette would like all of him, so he didn’t have to worry so much. Ladybug likely didn’t have that reassurance.
He thought back to Plagg’s words of comfort when he had finished being Cat Walker.
“There’s probably a lot I don’t know about her,” he replied. “There’s a lot I don’t know about all sorts of people. I don’t know everything about my dad, my best friend, my girlfriend, Plagg, or even you. But what I do know about her is enough for me to want to be closer to her. I want to have the chance to learn more."
He pulled back from their side hug to nudge her. “You’ve gotta give people that chance, you know?”
Ladybug’s eyes widened in alarm. It was as if she just realized he knew she was talking about herself and not Marinette.
She was unfairly cute when caught off guard like that, almost as much as Marinette was. He couldn’t resist the desire to have the two girls meet each other. He knew they’d get along. They were pretty similar in some ways too. They’d probably understand each other in a unique way that even he wasn’t privy to despite their closeness as partners.
A mild jealousy rose in his chest again, but he let it pass like an old, stern acquaintance going down the street to his left with a brusque nod.
“You didn’t seem to give Marinette that chance,” Ladybug finally said tentatively.
“Maybe I should have,” Chat Noir said in reply.
The sky was stretching far above them and the pinks and orange clouds were fading slowly to the dark blue of night. Their patrol time would be over soon. Chat Noir had homework to do and had told Marinette he’d call her later. He didn’t regret one second of it though, as one of his best friends breathed easily against his side.
The tenseness in her shoulders had eased, and it meant so much to him that he had helped cause that.
“Maybe you should too,” Chat Noir said, breaking the easy silence of the dusk. “Give Marinette a chance, I mean.”
Ladybug snorted out a surprised laugh. “Why are you trying so hard to set me up with a random civilian? It’s weird.” She was smiling though, and her voice carried the lightness of her mood.
It was a very good question.
“You’re an amazing girl, you know that already,” Chat Noir tried to explain. “You’re so intelligent, brave, focused, it’s hard to imagine you being able to find someone ‘on your level,’ you know? But Marinette is incredible. If you saw how she comes alive when planning her next project, or the way she cares so completely for her friends, you’d understand. And I find it hard to imagine her being able to interact with you for long without forming a bit of a crush herself. Since you're hurting over the boy who doesn’t like you back, I feel like opening your heart up to someone else might help.”
He turned to her, and to his horror, she was tearing up.
“Ladybug, what’s wrong-”
She leaped forward and crushed him in a hug. He took a moment to freeze and process, but he naturally found his arms wrapping around her.
“Stop complimenting me,” she said with a weak giggle. Her head was nestled between his shoulder and neck, so her words ticked. “It’s overwhelming.”
Chat Noir let out a laugh of relief. Happy tears, he could work with.
“You’ll figure this out. You always do,” he said softly.
Her response was to hug him tighter.