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It wasn’t like he planned this.
He very rarely planned anything if he could help it, and he owed that character quirk to his life as Adrien Agreste.
Having nearly every moment of every day scheduled for you and told to you was enough to turn him off to planning in nearly any way, shape, or form.
So how did he end up here, on a rooftop balcony, kissing some unknown civilian girl he had no memory of meeting but felt like he’d somehow known for a lifetime?
If he had to trace it back to a point of origin, Chat Noir would probably go back to the first time he ever met Ladybug.
What started out as a normal day (and by normal, he meant sleep-deprived and under-fed) quickly turned hazardous as an akuma ransacked downtown Paris.
Some unfortunate boxer had been strong-armed (read: threatened) into throwing a match, and it was too much for him to cope with. Hawkmoth, being the parasitic pestilence he was, took advantage of the opportunity to create the Gatekeeper, a man used to being used to create champions, but never destined to become one himself. His anger and frustration showed in his fighting, though his power was less destructive than it was a nuisance as it forced him to stay on his toes (quite literally).
Fighting him was very… inconvenient for Chat Noir, who was low on energy from his sleepless night, early morning shoot, and lack of any food for the day. He wasn’t superhumanly fast, though he was strong, and he often missed Chat entirely when he threw a punch, but the ones he did manage to land when Chat was too slow to dodge were felt by the lone hero.
But the biggest mistake he made was assuming the akuma’s infected item was one of his gloves. He managed to remove each of them separately from the akumatized villain, letting his guard down for a moment to rip them apart, and caught a very well-aimed and powerful Haymaker. It would have knocked a normal human unconscious, most likely left them in serious condition.
Chat was thrown back by the force, catching on the ropes that surrounded the street like a boxing ring.
The akuma as drawing closer, and Chat was trying to get his vision to even out, still seeing double of everything around him, when he heard rather than saw the akuma lurch forward, exhaling a breath forcefully in an almost comedic sound.
Then, there she was, in all her normal-human glory. A girl roughly his age, perhaps a year or two younger, stood on the other side of the akumatized man, standing in a defensive fighting stance. Chat tried to tell her to get the hell out of there, but it came out sounding more like pants than actual words.
Recovered from his surprise, the akuma whirled on her, lining up a heavy-handed sucker punch, and Chat’s heart nearly stopped then. A civilian could possibly be about to die right in front of him, and he was basically helpless to stop it. He dredged up every bit of energy and force of will he could from within him in an attempt to strike the akuma and redirect the incoming blow.
But before he could even move, the girl dodged and spun with surprising speed and dexterity, ducking and weaving out of the way of every punch the akuma sent her way, managing to land quite a few blows of her own. Chat was so surprised, he stood there practically gaping, watching her almost as in a trance as she avoided nearly every hit, and skillfully deflected the rarely successful one to lessen the force behind it. Finally, just as the villain attempted another Haymaker, the girl allowed the akuma to follow through completely, thrown off balance as he missed, and with a speed that almost made Chat dizzy, she jumped up, twirling with one leg extended high, catching the akuma square on the back of the head with the heel of her foot, and taking it down.
Chat suddenly came back to awareness, taking the only other thing that could possibly be his akuma (because God forbid it was the shorts)- a towel tucked into his waistband and ripped it in half, freeing a purple butterfly. As he caught it in his Cataclysm and destroyed it, he sunk to his knees, already exhausted, but also still reeling somewhat from that heavy hit he took. He would have to remember in the future not to give akumas any more openings like that. If that girl hadn’t come along….
Wait a minute. That girl.
Chat looked up wearily, stumbling up to his feet and standing on them unsteadily.
“ What the hell was that?!” he demanded, voice practically growling in rage. “ Do you have any idea what kind of stupid stunt you just pulled?! That is an unprecedented level of dumbassery, let me tell you! ”
The girl in front of him stared, slack jawed and shocked, then a look of indignation crossed her features.
“Uh, you’re welcome!”
“ Excuse me? ”
“I said you’re fucking welcome! I’m pretty sure I just saved you from having your identity broadcast to all of Paris!”
Chat’s eyes narrowed.
“Look here, princess, you may have gotten lucky this time, but if you ever try to pull a stunt like this again-”
“You’ll what? Spank me? Carry me home to my mommy and daddy? I hate to break it to you hero , but I can take care of myself.”
Chat looked taken aback, face tensing as he prepared a retort, but people were beginning to gather around them and pull out their phones to record the exchange.
“We’re going to have to continue this somewhere else,” he muttered lowly, grabbing onto the girl’s waist and launching them away with his baton before she could protest, causing her to shriek in surprise.
He vaulted over rooftops, not stopping until he had put a safe distance between them and the onlookers, his ring beeping for the second time.
“Look, princess, I don’t have a lot of time, so I’m only going to say this once. Don’t. Do that. Again.” He turned to leave, thinking that was the end of it.
“Oh yeah?” came the voice behind him, obstinately defiant. “And what happens when you need help again?”
Chat turned to her slowly, leveling her with the most intense glare he could muster.
“I’ve been doing this on my own for years, your highness . I’m better off without you, and you’ll be much better off as soon as you let go of this childish superhero fantasy you’ve cooked up for yourself.”
His ring beeped again.
“I’d love to stay and chat , but I’m about to turn back into a pumpkin, and I’d really rather not be around you when that happens.” Then he turned and crouched to jump.
“But, Chat-”
Slowly, the hero turned, wondering the entire time why he wasn’t just leaving the girl in his dust.
“-you can’t keep doing this on your own. You need someone.”
“I don’t need anyone,” he refuted resolutely.
She appeared to think that over.
“Do you think you could at least get me down from here?” she asked after a few seconds. Chat gave her his trademark grin.
“You’re a smart girl, princess. You’ll figure it out.” And with that, he saluted and leapt several rooftops over and down into a secluded alley just as his transformation wore out.
Depleted of energy, he slumped to the ground, pulling Camembert out of his pocket for his kwami and shakily lifting some of the awful cheese to his own lips. He didn’t love it (didn’t even like it), but he was in desperate need of energy.
As he attempted to catch his breath, Adrien leaned his head back against the brick wall behind him. A nasal voice brought him out of his thoughts.
“So. Princess, huh?”
Adrien opened his eyes to find Plagg hovering in front of him.
“Shut up.”
“Are you sure you’re a black cat and not a white knight?” the kwami teased him, voice lilting.
“Very funny, Plagg. You could earn an award for your terrible sense of humor.” And he closed his eyes again, leaning back once more to rest.
“You know, you were always meant to have a partner.”
Adrien’s eyelids flew open, searching his kwami’s face for any sign of insincerity.
“Wh- what?”
The tiny black cat had the grace to look mildly ashamed.
“You’re supposed to have a partner. Another hero. Your counterpart. The Ladybug miraculous- something happened. You were never meant to do this alone.”
“Plagg, how am I just now hearing this?”
The little sprite became defensive and angry.
“It’s just how it is, ok? I shouldn’t have said anything- it’s not my place.”
The blond man in front of him processed this information.
“Then whose place is it?”
His kwami looked down dejectedly.
“I can’t tell you that. He’ll reveal himself when it’s the right time.”
“Plagg, please, I have to know,” Adrien begged, causing him to sigh resignedly.
“Your miraculous is one of a pair. I’m the kwami of destruction, and my counterpart is the kwami of creation. You have the Cataclysm, and she has the Miraculous Ladybug. Whereas you destroy, she renews. The akuma- they’re meant to be purified, not destroyed. The Ladybug can do that. Ti- the kwami of creation, she purifies akumas, resets everything back to the way it was. You two were always supposed to work in tandem, never alone.”
It was the most Plagg had ever said in a day, much less at a single time. Adrien gaped, unsure of how to respond.
“And… where is my Ladybug?”
Plagg sighed again, deeper this time.
“I can’t tell you that. It’s not for me to tell. There’s someone. A person who watches over all the miraculouses, hands them out to people that are worthy when they’re needed, and keeps them safe when they’re not.”
Adrien’s whole world had changed in the space of a conversation.
“Miraculouses? You mean, there are more?”
Plagg looked at him in mild amusement.
“What, did you think you and old Hawky were the only ones?”
Back at home, Adrien mulled over everything he learned. He was supposed to have a partner, but somehow, something went wrong. For whatever reason, the Ladybug miraculous wasn’t being used. Was… was it possible the universe was compensating for that? Did it send him someone to be the help that he was so lacking?
He thought back to what she looked like. She was quite short and small, but she was also quick, agile, and an excellent fighter- much better than him, that was for sure, at least out of the suit.
She had such midnight black hair, almost blue, especially in the sunlight, and it practically glowed. Her eyes were as bright and blue as the sky above their heads, and if he wasn’t in the middle of scolding her for an asinine stunt, he probably could have gotten lost in them.
She was wearing a mask, too, and the longer he thought about it, the surer he was that her mask was red with black spots .
Could it be…?
Was the universe trying to give him a Ladybug?
Adrien wasn’t sure, but his biggest fear was that a person of only (albeit extraordinary) normal human abilities shouldn’t be fighting in a world of super heroes and villains.
And the more he thought about it, the more he decided he couldn’t let her do it again. The universe would have to find another way.
But the universe ended up taking his conclusion and throwing it in his face.
Because for the next several weeks, every time an akuma appeared, the mystery girl did as well. She would suddenly pop up, clad in black pants, a red shirt with black spots, and a matching mask, and his world would shift.
He couldn’t deny she was extremely helpful at times. And the more times he encountered her, the more difficult (and pointless) it became to tell her to stay away. She kept coming back. Eventually he stopped saying it.
Then, one day, he found himself actually looking for her, before she even arrived, like he was expecting her to show up.
Even hoping for it.
She had taken to bringing him snacks to help him with his energy depletion after using Cataclysm on the akumas. The first time she pulled out a banana, he stared at it, first in confusion, and then in awe at her thoughtfulness.
“What kind of sidekick would I be if I didn’t try to help you in any way I could?” she would ask.
After a while, he started correcting her.
“ Partner , you mean.” She would just shrug noncommittally, neither accepting nor arguing with what he said.
It didn’t take him long to start calling her Ladybug, though he didn’t tell her the real reason. He said it was because of her costume, and because she brought him luck. She liked it because she was always fond of ladybugs.
Somewhere along the line, he started to truly believe she was a gift from the universe. After a while, he could barely remember what it was like before she was around. He couldn’t imagine fighting without her- didn’t know how he ever did. And he didn’t want to imagine his life without her in it. She was so extraordinary to him. He began to wonder who she was underneath that very fragile material.
It didn’t escape his notice that she was distinctly not super , as she often ended up with bruises and scrapes when he walked away from a battle without a mark or sore muscle.
Frankly, it made him feel guilty.
Eventually, he brought her a tool to give her an advantage.
It had a special, military-grade cable wrapped around a nearly indestructible housing- red with black spots. His own joke (and token of endearment). She begged to know where he got it, to pay him for what it cost. He refused to tell her where it came from, or what it was worth.
She didn’t need to know those things.
And part of him wanted her to know who he was under the mask, too, but he knew deep in his heart that, especially when she had no miraculous to protect her, and he couldn’t be there outside of akuma battles, it would place her in more danger than it was worth.
He couldn’t find a word for what she meant to him.
He called her his friend, but that didn’t feel quite enough .
He called her his sister once, but it kind of left a bad taste in his mouth. It didn’t really fit.
There was no word for her except miraculous , and he often mused how, if he could find someone just like her in his civilian life, he would be very tempted to pursue that person to the ends of the earth and never let them go again.
So it was that, not long after deciding that he would never find another woman like his Ladybug, he happened to catch the eye of a strikingly familiar girl during an akuma attack.
She was lying on the ground of a cafe, no doubt knocked down by the blast of the supervillain of the day- Grenadier- when her haunting blue eyes caught his own emerald ones. He was startled for a moment, almost overcome by the sense of deja vu. Had he seen her before somewhere? Met her in his daily life? Did she know him as Adrien Agreste?
Then he was reminded (by an explosion) of just what kind of situation he was in. He was only thankful that the akuma was focused more on destroying things and places than people. He couldn’t imagine that kind of power in the hands of a murderer.
He fought the akuma, somewhat distractedly as he felt himself constantly tempted to glance in the mystery girl’s direction, when suddenly, he found himself blown back by a blast, coming to land close to the very girl he had been so acutely aware of for the majority of the fight.
She reminded him somewhat of Ladybug.
Then he had a thought.
“I hope Ladybug is all right wherever she is.”
Behind him, the girl gasped, and he realized he had spoken the thought out loud.
At the sound, he turned in her direction, finding himself tongue-tied as he looked in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, uh, citizen, I’m sure Ladybug will be here any minute and we’ll have this all wrapped up soon. But let’s get you out of the range of fire- it’s dangerous in this spot.”
But when he stood (groaning only slightly, thank you very much), she cried out in pain as he attempted to grasp her by the arm. Shit , he cursed internally, forgetting to see first if she was injured. Much more carefully this time, he inspected the injured arm and determined it didn’t look broken. Lifting her up carefully in his arms, bridal-carry style, he nearly tripped over his own tongue.
“Come on, princess, we’ve got to get you to safety.”
Princess? He hadn’t called anyone “princess” since he first met Ladybug and didn’t know her name. Even then, it was more of a mocking term than one of endearment, but as he gazed down at the girl in his arms, he could feel his heart flutter. Calling her princess wasn’t an act of derision; it was reverent. She looked soft and small and beautiful like he imagined a princess would.
Then her response almost made him laugh out loud in surprise.
“Oh, princess now is it? I’ve been upgraded from random citizen?”
Resisting the urge to chortle, he smirked instead.
“Would you prefer I call you citizen again?” he asked, smiling stupidly and hoping she couldn’t feel his heart fluttering in his chest.
“Can you just take me home?” she requested as he tried to decide which direction was the best to follow. “It’s not far from here. You can leave me on the roof- it’s sort like a balcony to my room.”
Seeing no harm for it, and realizing he could use that as an advantage to check on her afterward, he replied, “As you wish, princess. Where am I going?”
The girl seemed to pause for a second, then swallowed.
Man, I hope I don’t come off as creepy.
“12 Rue Gotlib,” she finally replied. “The bakery on the corner.”
Distracted by his thoughts, Chat nodded minimally and continued on in the direction of her neighborhood. It wasn’t long after that they arrived on her rooftop.
It was quite charming, with flowers in pots, lights hanging all around, and some chairs for lounging comfortably.
“This is quite the setup you have here, princess,” Chat found himself commenting as his mind returned to the task at hand. He still had an akuma to catch, and he hoped Ladybug hadn’t shown up there while he was gone, fighting it alone.
“Well, this cat’s gotta scat. See you around, princess, and take care of that arm!”
Luckily for him (or perhaps, in some ways not), Ladybug still wasn’t there when he returned.
He found himself looking for her again, wondering if she happened to be one of the citizens who had managed to get injured by the blasts.
Just then, Grenadier surprised him, an explosion going off very near to where he was standing, and he flew backward. It was close enough that the force caused some abrasions on his cheeks, and his landing was much harder than it was before. He hit his head quite hard on the wall of a building, causing him to suffer instantly from a sense of intense disorientation.
Then he noticed a flash of red.
Ladybug.
She had jumped between him and the akuma, who was taking advantage of Chat’s lack of focus to approach him and retrieve his miraculous. He couldn’t leave her alone to fight for long, though, and pushed himself to stand steady and fight by her side, taking as many blows for her as he could, though she was quite adept at ducking and dodging them.
Ladybug was often good at formulating schemes to bring their victory sooner, and as he watched her looking at their surroundings evaluatively, he realized she was in the process of putting one together. Unfortunately, he suddenly saw the akuma on the other side of her, too far for him to get between them, and it was swinging in her direction with something large and metallic.
He screamed.
“LADYBUG LOOK OUT!”
She turned to face the akuma at the last second, ducking to miss the blow while raising up an arm protectively, though it would shatter her forearm if it hit full force.
It seemed to make indirect contact, almost sliding off her arm instead of plowing into it head-on, but she collapsed in a scream nevertheless.
Chat saw red.
In what he could only refer to as a momentary blackout, he attacked the akuma with every bit of strength and anger he had, absolutely determined to make this villain pay and regret ever having been vulnerable enough to be akumatized. He couldn’t remember swinging, but when he was done, his arms were almost like jelly, and the akuma was lying on the ground. He located its akumatized item, snatched it from the motionless form, and shattered it over his bent knee with every bit of remaining rage left inside him. Then he called for Cataclysm and relished in the way the corrupted butterfly dissolved under his touch.
As soon as it was over, he knelt next to his partner, and breathed out, exhaustedly, “My lady. Goddammit, sometimes I forget you’re still so fragile under that costume.”
Part of him wanted to cry as he saw her chuckle and wince painfully.
“You sure do know how to sweet talk a girl, Chat Noir,” she retorted, ever his playful little bug.
Relieved that she was mostly ok, Chat sighed, unable to resist grasping her face between his hands as his ring gave a beep.
“Are you ok?” he couldn’t help asking. “Is anything broken? Should I take you to a hospital?”
Her identity was important, but he honestly couldn’t give less of a shit in that moment, if she was truly hurt.
“Try to be a little less dramatic, Chaton,” the girl in front of him responded, rolling her eyes at his intensity. Chat felt understandably irritated by her nonchalance when she was so close to being gravely injured.
“If he managed to hit you in the head, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, my lady, because you would be dead. I think I’m entitled to overreact a little.”
It gave him some satisfaction when she looked sheepish.
“I’m ok, kitty. It doesn’t feel broken. I’m sure it will heal on its own.”
Chat continued to hesitate, feeling like he should do something more, protect her health more than her anonymity (at least with him). His ring beeped again, however, annoying him to no end.
“Come on, Chat,” Ladybug argued, knowing how serious he was about keeping them safe. Chat could feel his resistance crumbling. “You have a secret identity to protect, and so do I. Just leave me in that cafe over there, and take off. I’ll just change out of these clothes and act like any regular injured civilian. It’ll be fine.”
There was a brief second of silence as his last remnants of objection disappeared.
“ I promise .”
He lost.
“Ok, bugaboo. Let’s get you up.” Making sure not to handle her injured arm, Chat carefully supported her as she stood, encouraging her to lean on him for support as they walked toward the building. “I guess this is where I leave you,” he said, trying to ignore the tension in his chest. As if determined to make him worry more, his ring beeped again.
“You’d better go,” she urged him. “You don’t have much time.”
“Just… take care of yourself, my lady. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
Then she smiled, and it warmed him up inside.
“See you next time, Chaton.”
Almost unwilling to leave her, but unable to stay any longer, Chat walked out to the street, repeatedly looking back to see if she was really ok, finally (and out of necessity) launching himself up onto the rooftops, leaping several blocks over until he reached a vacant alley and detransformed behind a dumpster.
As he and Plagg munched, he caught his breath.
Then, finally: “Plagg do you think she’s all right?”
“Who?” the kwami asked around a mouthful of cheese. “Ladybug?”
“No. Yea. I mean, both of them. The girl, too. Do you think they’re all right?”
Plagg smirked, mouth still stuffed.
“ They’ll be fine, kid. No broken bones. No internal injuries. It’ll heal.”
Adrien nodded, still thinking.
“When you said…” he trailed off. The little sprite met his look. “When you said… Ladybug’s power resets everything, did you mean… can she heal people, too?”
Plagg swallowed the remaining Camembert in a single gulp.
“Anything that happens because of an akuma, she can reverse, including injury. I’ve seen her power bring people back from the dead, under specific circumstances. It’s a pretty powerful and amazing thing.”
All the breath in the blond man’s lungs left him in a whoosh. Bring someone back from the dead? That was possible?
“So you mean… she can resurrect people?”
“I know what you’re thinking, kid, and the answer is no. The Ladybug miraculous cannot resurrect anyone who’s already dead. It’s only when circumstances during an akuma battle cause someone to cease to exist. When the reset activates, it returns everything to the way it was before the damage started. So, if a person dies because of an akuma, then that’s undone.”
Adrien nodded, speechless.
“So… the Ladybug miraculous isn’t active right now? It sounds much better than mine. Why would Hawkmoth even want this?” he asked, looking down at his ring. “He’s always trying to take it from me.”
Plagg hesitated, unsure how much he should say.
“He doesn’t just want the Black Cat miraculous, I’m almost positive. I mean, sure, he can destroy whatever he wants with it, but on its own, it’s really not that powerful. If anything, I think he’s trying to force a holder of the Ladybug to appear, and then get both.”
“But you said there’s something stopping that from happening. Why would he want both?”
“Look, kid, I- I can’t tell you that. Just know that, if anyone were to get their hands on both, they could potentially be the most powerful being in the universe. The effects could be catastrophic.”
Adrien paled, staring into space.
“Is it selfish of me, then, to wish that she would appear? I mean, I’ve already kind of got a partner, but she’s so much more vulnerable than I am, I can’t- If Ladybug died, I don’t know what I’d do, Plagg. She’s everything to me. I don’t think I could survive that.”
Plagg gave him a sad half-smile.
“That’s part of the bond. Ladybug and Chat Noir- they’re not just chosen at random. They’re destined to be, meant for each other. She was always going to be your partner, kid, miraculous or not. And if it was active now, there’s no doubt in my mind that the girl behind that mask would be the one to wield it.”
His chosen inhaled a shuddering breath, nodding as his own thoughts were confirmed. He suspected there was something bigger at work here, something cosmic, and Plagg seemed to agree.
“Wait- does that mean- are Ladybug and I meant to end up together together? We’re not even supposed to know who the other is- it’s too dangerous.”
Visions of blue eyes and blue-black hair filled his mind, but whose were they? His partner or his princess?
My princess.
Adrien wondered about the weird feelings rising up within him. Why did he feel so protective of this girl he just met, someone he never knew before? Suddenly he had the irrepressible need to see if she was ok.
“Adrien-” Plagg was saying. He never called him by his first name. It was always “kid.” “-I can’t answer that. It does happen sometimes, but it doesn’t always work out that way. I will say that, this time around, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. The right person for you will be obvious.”
He didn’t really believe that, but still he responded, “Right. I’m sure you’re right.”
Standing, he realized he had been missing for too long, and transformed again to make his way over the building and toward home. Not that it mattered.
When he returned to the mansion, it was as though no one noticed he was gone.
Nathalie was still at her desk, working on God knows what. He ordered dinner, which he ate alone, food cold as he toyed with it, mostly without an appetite despite his general lack of food that day. He had hours to sit on his own, hours for his mind to wander and fixate on the beautiful noirette he saved earlier that afternoon. And even though he knew she was fine, he figured it was within reason for him to want to see it for himself.
That was how he found himself bounding over the rooftops for the umpteenth time that day, a specific destination in mind, one he didn’t have any trouble finding.
As he came closer to the building, however, he noticed the girl was standing out on her balcony, arm thoroughly bandaged, leaning against the railing and looking out at the landscape of Paris at night. It was quite a beautiful sight.
Paris, that is.
Suddenly feeling very nervous, he landed clumsily, with a much louder thump than was typical of his cat-like stealth. The girl turned to see him, surprise clearly written on her face.
Tentatively, she asked, “Chat Noir, what’re you doing here?”
A healthy does of self-consciousness welled up in Chat’s chest, causing him to almost panic. He tried to offer her an excuse for his presence.
“Princess, I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you were all right. I hope it’s not presumptuous of me to come here. I really should have asked first.”
Chat tried not to pay attention as his conscience nagged at him. He shouldn’t be here. What was he thinking? If Ladybug knew, she would chastise him for risking a civilian’s safety. If Hawkmoth ever found out he had been here on a social visit, it could spell bad news for the unwitting girl.
He was about to bid her a good night when she responded.
“If I’m a princess, does that make you my knight?”
As though he hadn’t just been ready to smack himself over the head for his stupidity, his face transformed from one of chagrin to near absolute contentment. Who was this girl? He felt like he knew her, and he had spoken less than a hundred words to her.
Grinning widely, he bowed, saying “At your service, princess. In shining black leather.”
To his surprise (and to the benefit of his ego), the girl in front of him rather openly looked him up and down, a very satisfied and hungry look lighting up her eyes.
Chat gulped as his face felt like it lit on fire. He was in trouble.
The girl approached him, steps slow and measured as if purposely drawing out the distance, and Chat took a few steps back as though he was afraid she would unexpectedly pounce.
“And how would you like your thank you for saving me, sir knight?” Her voice was smooth and sensual, and he couldn’t help but notice as she licked her lips when she said it. “Would a kiss from your princess do?”
Was he about to die? She had him cornered against the railing, and Chat had to wonder if there could possibly be any better way to go. He thought his heart might beat out of his chest, but for some reason, he didn’t mind.
Chat watched as she reached up with her good arm, drawing it up his chest and neck as she stood taller and taller until she was tiptoe in front of him. Almost as on instinct, he felt his body bend slightly at the waist and lower until their lips were barely a breath apart.
Was he dreaming? Did he die and go to Heaven?
He must have, because the next thing he knew, he had an arm wrapped around her tiny waist, supporting her as she continued to hold her elevated stance. He wanted this- he wanted her- he wanted her so badly, and he couldn’t even understand why.
Lost somehow under their spell, he whispered against her lips, “ Would you deign to give a kiss to your lowly knight ?”
The brief second between his question and her answer was the longest one he could ever remember living. But finally, she responded.
“ I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want it .”
Reactively, he pressed their lips together, holding her tightly against him as he desperately breathed her in.
The hand that was protectively grasping the elbow of her injured arm let go, unable to resist migrating to touch the skin of her exposed shoulder and neck. If it was possible for them to get any closer, he would make sure it happened. She was like the breath of life, and if he let her go, he would drown.
Finally drawing back, he leaned his forehead against hers, unwilling to truly break their contact.
“That was some thank you, princess.”
“What can I say? I’ve been wanting to thank you for a really long time.”
Chat wondered if she was trying to break him, and he chuckled breathlessly at the thought. God, was she serious? Where did he sign up?
“You can thank me anytime you want, princess.”
Then her bright blue eyes were looking into his, suddenly so unsure for someone who basically just told him she fantasized about kissing him.
“Do- do you mean it?” Her voice wavered slightly, filled with insecurity.
Chat could be nothing but honest with her. “I don’t know what it is about you. I don’t even know your name, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. Is that ok? Can- can I come back and see you again?”
Part of him couldn’t believe he just asked that. There were risks, and this was crazy. They didn’t even know each other. Surely she would reject him.
But she surprised him again. “Yes,” she breathed. “Please do.”
He couldn’t believe it. Nodding purely by reflex, he found his eyes drawn back to her mouth, and as though it was the most natural thing in the world, Chat leaned forward, kissing her softly again on the lips. Looking at her through a haze, he only knew one thing.
“Anything for you, princess.”
Much to his pleasure, she rose up and kissed him again, just once.
“I’ll be waiting,” was her reply, and she smiled softly at him- a smile he returned with great enthusiasm.
“Then I’ll be seeing you soon, princess.”
And with one final look back, he extended his baton and leapt up toward the sky.