Chapter Text
“Marinette, you need to talk to Chat Noir,” Tikki said as soon as Ladybug had dropped her transformation.
“Hmm?” Marinette said. “What for?”
“Something is wrong,” Tikki said. “His energy is wrong. I’m afraid for him.”
“What do you think is wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Haven’t you noticed that he’s acting differently? He looks different, too.”
Now that Marinette stopped to think about it, Chat was acting differently. He was as competent as always, honestly perhaps even more so. He was more capable of battling the akumas and giving her the space she needed to execute her plans. He threw himself into every fight regardless of any danger. He always had been reckless, but she realized that it had gotten worse lately. He was getting stronger, so he didn’t get hurt as often, but his attitude seemed to be different.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Marinette said slowly. “He has been acting differently. He doesn’t joke anymore. And he doesn’t flirt with me anymore, either. I guess I was just glad he stopped flirting and that made me miss everything else.”
“You need to be more in tune with your partner,” Tikki chided her. “I know you didn’t like his flirting, but it’s no excuse for turning a blind eye to him.”
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said. “You’re right. I’ve been pretty wrapped in myself and I haven’t really paid attention to Chat. I’ll talk to him.”
Two days later, they had a scheduled patrol. Ladybug made sure she was early, but Chat was there even earlier. Now that she was paying attention, Ladybug noticed several things. Chat wasn’t sitting and swinging his legs like he used to. He was crouched, like he was ready to spring. His tail lashed restlessly. His gaze was hard, with no trace of the warmth that Ladybug was accustomed to.
“Hey, Chat,” she called as she walked closer.
“Hi, Ladybug,” he said, his voice neutral.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” he answered dispassionately. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she said. Suddenly, she noticed something. “Your bell is gone!”
“I removed it nearly three weeks ago,” Chat said. He still hadn’t so much as looked at her.
Ladybug felt like she had been punched in the gut. Three weeks? Had it really been that long since she’d paid any attention to her partner? She looked away, ashamed of her neglect.
“I’m sorry, Chat,” she said softly.
“No need,” he said, his voice lifeless. “You have much more important things on your mind.”
The deadness in Chat’s voice scared her. How had she not noticed this rift between them? Was she really so self-centered that she didn’t notice something so obvious as his bell?
“I was wrong,” she said.
“You’re Ladybug,” Chat said, shaking his head. “You’re always right.”
“No, Chat, I’m not,” she said. “I’m human too, and I make mistakes.”
Chat didn’t answer immediately. He crouched silently on the railing, staring down at the city. While he did, Ladybug looked at his suit and realized that Tikki was right. Chat’s suit had changed beyond just the bell. There were subtle green lines running all over his suit. They looked sort of like cracks in the leather, but they weren’t actually cracks. The effect was subtle, but she couldn’t miss it now that she saw it. Chat’s tail flicked.
“Let’s patrol,” he said. Without waiting for an answer, he launched himself off the tower and plummeted toward the ground. Ladybug hastened to follow.
Their patrol was uneventful. They talked with civilians, took a few selfies, and generally made themselves seen around the city. Ladybug was more focused on watching Chat than watching for threats. When they were interacting with civilians, Chat was just like he always had been. He smiled, he laughed, he danced with the children, he let them chase his tail, everything he had always done. But as soon as they were out of the public eye, he lapsed back into silence.
Ladybug tried to start conversations with him, but his replies were perfunctory. She tried to make some of his favorite puns, but he didn’t even twitch a whisker. She tried to goad him into a race, but no dice.
By the time patrol was finished, Ladybug was worn out emotionally. Chat wasn’t engaging with her at all. If she was honest with herself, he was acting exactly like she had told him to act many times. Less joking, fewer puns, more professional. Just what she always wanted.
Except now she was realizing that it wasn’t what she wanted. She missed the banter they used to have. Used to. How long had he been this way? Had it really been weeks…or months? She tried to think back. Chat had been doing well in akuma battles. He was always on time for patrols. He did a good job interacting with civilians. He was always polite and friendly to everyone.
Everyone except her.
With her, he was distant. He was aloof. He did his job and nothing more. She had appreciated that he wasn’t flirting with her anymore, but that was the extent of her noticing his changed attitude. He had always been so carefree and happy, even in the middle of a fight, that she knew something had to be seriously wrong to make him act this way.
They finally landed back on top of the Eiffel Tower to complete their patrol. Chat leaned on his baton.
“Quiet patrol,” he observed. “Do you need anything else for tonight before I go?”
“Actually,” she said slowly, biting her lip nervously, “I think we need to talk.”
“Oh? What about?”
“About us.”
“Us?”
“Yes, us,” she said. “Something is wrong. You’re acting differently.”
“Differently from what?” Chat asked.
“Different from how you used to,” she said. “You don’t joke with me anymore. You don’t laugh. It’s like there’s a wall between us, now.”
“Ladybug,” he said, looking her dead in the eye, “there has always been a wall between us. The difference now is whose wall it is.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“What were our interactions like when we first became superheroes?”
“Our interactions? I don’t know. I mean, we were friends, right?”
“I certainly thought so,” he said. “I thought we were friends and I thought we could be more. But you erected a wall between us. Telling me off for making jokes. Getting angry at me for flirting. Throwing me into a trash can. You built a very solid wall to make sure that we were ‘just partners’ and nothing more.”
“I…guess I sort of did,” she said, looking down. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Chat.”
“Try or not, you succeeded. And now you’re only noticing because I have my own wall. All the things you used to chastise me for, they’re gone. You said my bell was silly. It’s gone. You told me to stop flirting. That’s gone. You groaned at my puns. They’re gone. Now you have the perfect partner. Exactly what you always wanted. Professional and nothing more.”
“And I’m realizing that I was wrong,” she said. “I miss the way you were.”
Chat shrugged. “Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Either way, it’s a little late. I became what you wanted and now that’s how I’m going to be. I certainly have no intention of being the way I used to be and having you shit on me again.”
“I…” She didn’t know what to say. Chat’s words cut deep. His bitterness was palpable and she didn’t know how to salve it. On the one hand, she knew he was right. Not only had she neglected him (she couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed that his bell was missing, or the other changes in his suit), but she had actively discouraged him from showing his friendship and affection for her. Her cheeks flamed red as she remembered throwing him in the trash can. No matter how much he annoyed her, that was really uncalled for.
“Chat, I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it doesn’t make up for anything, but I am really sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” he said emotionlessly, staring down at the city.
“No, Chat. That’s not what I’m looking for.”
“Then what are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for a chance. I haven’t been a very good partner over the last few years and I want to change that.”
“Actually, you’ve been the perfect partner,” Chat said. “Professional, dedicated, and focused. Everything a good superhero should be.”
“No, it’s not,” she disagreed. “Whenever we’re around civilians, you’re a completely different person. You laugh, you play with the kids, you’re so patient with akuma victims… That’s what a good superhero does. They know when to be a warrior and when to be kind.”
“I’m not seeing a problem,” Chat shrugged. “If you truly believe what you’re saying, then I’m doing just fine. Around the public, I show the warm side of Chat Noir, just like they need. Around you, I show only the warrior. Exactly what you’ve demanded ever since the beginning.”
“Chat, please,” Ladybug pleaded. “I was wrong. I thought I wanted just a professional, but I’ve realized how much I miss my kitty.”
“You killed ‘your kitty’. You didn’t want him and now he’s gone.” Chat said, his voice cold. “It’s getting late. Do you need anything else from me?”
Ladybug sighed unhappily. She didn’t want to leave things like this, but at the same time it seemed like their relationship had been damaged for a lot longer than she’d realized. It would probably only make things worse if she tried to keep pushing tonight.
“I guess not,” she said. “Just…please don’t hate me.”
“If anything, it’s the other way around,” Chat snorted.
Then he was gone.