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On some days, their patrols are loud and fast. Ladybug and Chat Noir are practically racing to keep up with one another as they make their way around Paris.
But other days, patrols are quieter, more peaceful. That's what today looks like; the two superheroes are sitting on a rooftop, watching the city as they simply… talk. It's a nice change of pace for Ladybug; talking with Chat always puts her mind at ease.
“You know… we’ve been fighting for so long,” Ladybug murmurs as she leans her head against Chat’s shoulder. “It's been years since we first got our Miraculouses, and we’re still…”
“Fighting him?” Chat asks softly, putting an arm around her to pull her closer. “Yeah, we are.”
“I wonder when we’ll defeat him,” she says with a heavy sigh. “It can't be easy for Paris, thinking we’re closer to defeating Hawkmoth when we’re really not as close as we should be.” Ladybug suddenly looks up at him. “What if… what if they think we’ve failed them, Chat? What if they’re losing faith in us?”
She swallows, her throat thick with emotion. She doesn’t want to imagine what she would do if Paris didn’t believe in them anymore.
“I don’t think they are, Bug.” Chat squeezes her hand lightly. “I mean, Heroes’ Day was just a couple weeks ago, and everyone was thrilled to be there. And there’s the statues, to honor our good legacy. Not to mention kids writing notes to us, too. We haven’t failed them. And we won’t.”
“But when, Chat? When are we going to put an end to this?”
He takes in a sharp breath next to her. “I don’t know. I wish I did. But I know there’s no one else I’d rather have by my side than you, Buginette.”
Ladybug rolls her eyes playfully as he kisses her knuckles. “You’re the best partner I could ask for, Chaton. Thank you. I just...” She lets out a long sigh. “I wish we had time to be kids. I mean, I had to leave the school dance a few minutes in because Hawkmoth’s still out there! And my friends keep wondering why I have to leave all the time...”
She stares at the ground. “I never even got to dance that night.”
She’d been hoping to dance that night; it was something she had been looking forward to for months. She designed her own dress, daydreamed about the event for days, and had thought maybe, just maybe, she might able to dance with someone she loves—
But in the end, she never got to experience any of it. Hawkmoth’s next akuma victim attacked, and she’d been forced to miss the rest of the night.
Ladybug sighs. Is wanting a dance really too much to ask for?
“Well,” Chat says, “if that’s what the lady wants, who would I be if I refused her a dance?”
Ladybug looks up in surprise, realizing she must’ve said that last part out loud. She stares at Chat with parted lips.
“Do you mean… are you asking me to dance?”
“Yeah!” Chat gets to his feet and offers a hand. He smiles earnestly at her. “You know, I've done a lot of ballroom dances before. I'm practically an expert! I bet no one could match up to my expertise—“
She scoffs at that. He's always so dramatic.
“—but I’ve… never really been able to dance with someone I wanted to dance with,” Chat says softly. “And, well….” he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly with a hand. “I'd like to offer you a dance. Maybe it won’t make up for the one you missed, but maybe it could be a different fond memory.”
Oh.
Chat wants to dance... with her.
Oh.
She smiles and takes his hand. “I’d love that. I’m a bit clumsy, though.”
“Nonsense. My lady is nothing short of graceful.” He laughs as he gently guides her into the proper position.
Her heart flutters as he twirls her around. “Don’t you remember the day we met? I crashed right into you.”
“Of course I remember; how could I forget one of the best days of my life?” he smirks. “And maybe you were the one crashing but... I did all the falling. Falling in love with you, I mean.”
Ladybug's cheeks burn and she looks away. Normally when Chat says something like this, she'll think of a witty reply and leave it at that, but... it feels different this time. It's never felt like this.
Right now, here, in this moment, it's just them. Two superheroes dancing on a rooftop with no music, smiling at each other without caring about the world around them. Ladybug wishes they could be stuck in this moment forever. No one else understands her the way Chat does; he'll always be by her side like he has been in the past, in the present, and will be in the future. Their legacy will ascend far beyond their time.
Ladybug has no idea whether that legacy will be good or bad, but for right now, they're just kids.
And dancing with him at this moment is breathtaking.
She idly wonders what it’d be like to dance with him in the future after proclaiming their love for one another. A night of celebrations and cheers, their first dance as a married couple.
Married.
Ladybug would love to spend the rest of her life with him, to have him as her partner in more ways than one.
But for now, she’s perfectly content to rest her head against his shoulder as they sway back and forth in the moonlight.
“You’re the best, Chaton.”
He smiles and presses a kiss to her forehead before murmuring, “That’s all you. I wouldn't want to do this without you, my lady.”
Ladybug likes the sound of that.
His lady.