Chapter Text
Paris was beautiful at night. The warm lights in the windows twinkling like the stars shining above. The full moon reflecting off the Seine and the Eiffel Tower glowing like a beacon. I grabbed my yo-yo at my hip and swung it over to the next chimney. It made a satisfying zipping sound and I gave it a tug to be sure it was secure before launching myself off the roof. I swung over the quiet street below and up onto the next house. There was a whirl of freedom every time I ventured across the rooftops of Paris behind my mask. Ladybug could do anything.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself my lady," a cooing voice came from behind me.
I smirked and reattached my yo-yo to my hip. "It's just such a beautiful night," I shrugged and turned to my mysterious partner. Only to find him leaning in uncomfortably close, our noses almost touching.
"I'd hardly noticed with your dazzling beauty." He smiled at me with a Cheshire grin.
I shook my head and regained my composure, he always liked to catch me off guard. I shoved him back playfully. "Watch it kitty. We are on patrol remember."
Chat Noir rolled his eyes, exaggerating with a dramatic sigh of his shoulders. "There never are any akuma attacks at night though. I'm starting to think these evening patrols are just so you get to spend more time with me."
"They are to keep an eye out for the people of Paris. Hawkmoth has been getting more desperate and desperate. Who knows what he is going to do next," I reminded him. We continued to walk side by side at a leisurely pace along the buildings, looking out at the sleeping city.
Chat Noir collapsed his staff and attached it to the back of his belt. "Questions?" He asked.
I shrugged and kept my eyes on the horizon. "Go ahead."
"Whohoo!" He cheered. "Alright! First one! Favorite..." His voice trailed off as he's tried to think of a good question. "Season?"
"Easy, spring. You?"
"Fall of course. Since I'm always falling for you." He batted his green eyes at me and I snorted. "Your turn."
"Ok, favorite sport?"
"Fencing! I'm a natural at it. You should see my uniform."
Questions was a game I had made for our nightly patrols. Mostly it was to stop Chat from pestering me about my identity. Plus, it was a good way to build a partner bond. We could ask each other any question, no limits. But, the other could pass the question if it was too personal or could lead to the other finding out their secret identity. If we did answer, it had to be truthfully. Chat would always try to trip me up with questions like what was my last name, who was my dad, who was my favorite teacher, did I go to his school, stuff like that.
"My turn!" Chat chimed in glee. He stepped in from of me so I was forced to stop and look at him, his emerald eyes glowing in the darkness. "Do you have a boyfriend?" His voice tried to play the question as one of his flirting jokes, but I had known Chat long enough to hear the earnestness behind his words. He wanted to know.
Of course as soon as the last word left his lips I immediately thought of Adrien. When wasn't I thinking about him? I mean, I've barely said two full words to Adrien but yet I can't think of my life without him. He's the first guy I've ever crushed on, the first guy I've ever liked. I found myself stammering, face flushed red. "Well-I-I-" I focused back on Chat Noir who was curiously studying my face. I shook my head and regained my cool. "No, I don't. But-" I added when I saw his face light up. "I'm a little busy with saving the world every day to have one." That brought up a truth I had never thought of before. I rarely had time for school, I never had time for Adrien. How could I balance Ladybug, my life, and him?
"Our's shall be a work romance then! Forbidden by reality!" He added a dramatic sweeping motion with his arms, pretending to swoon.
I gave a half laugh, forgetting my troubles for a moment. "Alright, my turn. Do you have a kwamii?"
Chat stood up straighter with new found interest. We never really got to talk about this stuff on patrol, usually it was things about our other lives. Through the game we had gotten to know tiny random tidbits about each other. Second to Alya, I think Chat knew me best. I knew he had a strict household and no pets. He was allergic to feathers and a terrible swimmer (not really retaliated to the cat thing but I don't think that helped). He was smarter than he let on, and listened more than people thought. His favorite series is Percy Jackson and he had never had the classic last minute breakfast-for-dinner meal. Chat was into fashion (squeal!) and could play the piano. He was a morning person too, of all things. Hard to believe with all the late nights we have.
"His name's Plagg. And he's a total pain in the stomach," Chat grumbled. "All he does is eat cheese! But only the stinkiest camembert cheese! Now I smell like it all the time."
I let out a laugh and he smiled up at me. "Really? My Tikki is so nice! She helps me out all the time and gives great advice. I just gave to listen to her more. Oh! And she eats cookies to refuel. Which is nice since I-" live above my parent's bakery. "Um. Always have so many around the house." Yes! Nice save!
"That's nice, I wish Plagg ate cookies. That way I would have to keep asked people for camembert every time I un-transform." We jumped to the next building, the cold wind whipping through my hair and Chat's golden locks.
I shuffled my foot against the hard roof when we landed. "I know it's not my turn but can I ask another?"
"Anything you desire my lady."
Here goes... "When we first met, back when Stoneheart was around. That was my first time being Ladybug." Chat probably already knew that, and I and a hunch that was his first time as Chat Noir too. Neither of us had just addressed that out loud to the other. But I wasn't done. "And well, I was scared. I didn't know how to be Ladybug. I didn't want to... I tried to give my friend my miraculouses at first since I thought she would make a great Ladybug. Probably still would now I mean, it's not like she'd be any worse that how I am-" I realized I was rambling. I turned to Chat to see he was listening closely and nodding along. I took a breath. "Did you-did you want to be Chat Noir when you first got the chance?"
My partner became quiet, gazing out at Notre Dame which was brightly lit up. "I didn't really think about it. I kinda just went with it I guess," he chuckled to himself. "With what was happening at my home, I needed something to take my mind off things. Something to get my energy out on. Something I wanted to do. An adventure. Then Plagg showed up and it was everything I had wished for. Then I met you-" He turned back to me, his green eyes warm like fire. "And it became more than what I could have ever wished for."
I looked at him, gaping. Everyone always saw Chat Noir as a hero of bad puns and terrible flirting. But here he was showing me another side that no one else knew.
"You've been staring a while. Am I just that handsome Bugaboo?" He gained back his cheeky grin. "Here's my question: Have you told anyone about your identity? At all? Cause you know I haven't."
I sighed. "No. No one knows who I am behind the mask. Not my parents, not my friends, not-"
"Even me, I know." Chat finished downtrodden. "No one knows mine either, just as I promised."
I couldn't let Chat be sad, it seemed to go against his nature. "Hey! One last question." I took my yo-yo off my hip and swung it to a faraway building. "Do you think you can beat me to the Arc de Triumph?"
He gave a Cheshire grin. "In any lifetime LB. I'll even give you a head start." He bowed graciously and motioned me to go ahead.
I laughed and flicked his bell. "Your mistake Kitty." And we were off into the night.