6. Chapter 6

Ladybug still insisted on going out for patrol at least once a week.

Albeit they were shorter and much less eventful without her partner, but the fresh air paired with a good dose of exercise prompted Marinette to get out more. A concept she had struggled with as of late.

Her summer vacation had started strong. Marinette had practically lived in her bed, making up for all the hours of sleep she had lost over the past few months. Despite most of her time being tied up at the magazine publication she was interning for, Alya still regularly made plans to meet up with Marinette, filling her in on all the juicy details of her experience there.

Marinette had even met up with Nino a couple times in those first few weeks, that is until he started his new summer job at the zoo. Between her shifts at the bakery and the occasional outing with a classmate, Marinette was content.

Of course the magic wore off after about a month and a half. As her friends got busier, Marinette saw them less and less. Her lack of a schedule was no longer freeing and long empty days began to wear on her mental health. Marinette tried to find ways to occupy her time.

 First she tried sewing, quitting almost immediately out of a frustrating lack of inspiration.

 Next was her video game phase. Let’s just say, there’s only so many times you can slay the Archdemon or assassinate the pope before you started you start to burn out.

Now the days had started to blur together, she couldn’t tell you the date if her life depended it on it. Marinette could feel the summer coming to a close though. She was strangely excited over the fact there was only perhaps two or three weeks before school resumed.

‘What kind of teenager’s entire life revolved around going back to school?’ she questioned.

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Of course she had to find something to fulfill her time up until then, so she chose to throw herself into her work as Ladybug.

‘Just because there hadn’t been an attack yet, doesn’t mean there wasn’t one coming’ she reasoned, pulling herself from summer’s lazy embrace to remain vigilant. Hawkmoth had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole break, a fact that worried Ladybug to no end. If he was planning something big, she wasn’t convinced she’d be able to handle in on her own.

Though she’d deny it if he asked, Ladybug found herself missing Chat. His incessant come-ons did grind her nerves sometimes, but they did fill the silence she felt so keenly in this moment.

 And maybe she did like the attention…just a bit.

Ladybug slipped through a dark side street, toeing her way up a chain-link fence in order to hop atop the adjacent roof. Padding the edge, she looked over the Parisian skyline, admiring for perhaps the hundredth time the soft glow emitted by her city’s trademark tower.

She could see why people came here to fall in love.

Of course she couldn’t exactly agree to it being the most romantic place on earth. After all the drunken bums she had found passed out by dumpsters, Ladybug hard a hard time seeing Paris as the City of Love.

But there were also times when the splendor would outweigh the scars, she reasoned.

The sunlight bouncing off an ivy-covered building at just the right angle. The distant sounds of music on a star-filled night. These glimmering moments were the ones Marinette treasured the most, the ones that reminded her how lucky she was to live in such a place.

She let out a distracted sigh, too caught up in her own thoughts to hear the distinctive sound of claws scraping up concrete. Her momentary spell was broken however, when she registered a low, sinister chuckle coming from the rooftop behind her.

She tensed up.

Reaching slowly towards her yo-yo at the intruder’s noise, Ladybug readied herself to strike. Weeks of inactivity only fueled her desire for a good old-fashioned fight and her body lit up with the possibility of finally getting some action. Before she could turn and face her opponent however, the shadow spoke with a familiar bravado.

“If I had known you’d miss me this much, I would have left sooner and returned earlier, My Lady.”

Relaxing her battle stance with a snort, she returned her weapon to its proper place. ‘Who else would sneak up on Ladybug?’ she said, mentally teasing herself for her own paranoia.

“Well, isn’t it nice of you to finally-” her reply was cut short as she twirled to face him, immediately smacking right into her partner’s chest.

With a face full of black latex and a few mumbled curses, Ladybug steadied herself, hands gripping at his shoulders for stability.

His much broader shoulders.

Blinking rapidly at the form in front of her, Ladybug realized her chin was at an equal height to his sternum. So she looked up.

And up, and up.

Until her gaze landed on his familiar green eyes, perhaps the only thing that hadn’t changed about him in the months they were apart.

Chat Noir stared down at her, the rakish grin he wore only widening as he registered the shock written on her features. Driven by the heat of the moment and the high that came with rendering his Lady speechless, Chat poured all his days of missing her into one heart-shattering wink.

Then, by some divine miracle he silently promised to give thanks for later, the impossible happened.

Ladybug blushed.

Chat let out a triumphant yell, eyes widening in glees as jumped backwards to imitate the victory dance she herself had done nearly six months ago. Ladybug glared at him (although there was a discreet smile in the look), scoffing at the way he carried on like a kid with a sugar rush.

Coming down from his high, Chat stopped his celebration (if for just a moment) to turn back towards Ladybug. His heart warmed in his chest, watching her stand there with arms crossed and cheeks the color of her mask, his homecoming was everything he had dreamed it would be.

He imitated her stance, putting on a false pout that caused them both to dissolve into a round of giggles. Being with her now felt simultaneously familiar and foreign, Chat realized, suddenly very aware of just how much he’d grown since the duo had last seen each other.

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Perhaps the best analogy for his situation was that of a potted plant suddenly being allowed to grow in open pastures.

Weeks upon weeks of shuffling between home, work, and school (with only the occasional outing as Chat to break up the monotony) had been stifling Adrien. Apparently it had a negative effect on his health as well.

Turns out, his self-proclaimed summer from hell was just the push his body needed to begin growing again.

It had started in Prague.

 On the company’s fourth day there, Adrien had woken up to a sensation he hadn’t felt in years. Grinning through the discomfort, he tried not to get too excited. There was still a possibility he’d perhaps pulled something, and the shooting pains in his legs had nothing to do with growing.

Later, once the tour hit Barcelona, photographers had a hard time getting the suddenly ravenous model to put down the fork and pose. Adrien was sure he had set a new hotel record with the sheer amount of room service he went through in his two weeks at the resort.

It wasn’t until a moth and a half later, when he’d reached Hong Kong only to find the clothes they had prepared for him were two size two small, that Adrien allowed himself to fully realize the changes he was experiencing. It’s happening, he thought with a shock.

On the plane ride to Berlin, Adrien had to introduce himself to his own father over the phone, the older man unable to recognize his son’s newly deepened voice on the other end of the line.

In London, Adrien no longer had to wear platforms in order to compete with his stiletto-wearing co-models, instead clearing their heads with ease.

By the time he had reached Milan, Adrien Agreste was a new person.

Designers gaped as the lanky, fresh faced, 16 year old boy they all expected to walk through the door was suddenly replaced by a strapping young man.

Photographers went crazy. All of them clamoring to capture the newly cut jawline and rapidly sharpening cheekbones he now proudly displayed.

Even his father had stared him down appraisingly during one of their rare encounters, and Adrien recalled there being just a small hint of… was it pride?.... in Mr. Agreste’s voice as he commented on his son’s sudden growth spurt.

As the weeks wore on, Adrien grew more comfortable in his new form. In between shows, the young man frequently visited the gym at whatever hotel he happened to be staying at. Missing out on his regular nighttime escapades, Adrien had a lot of pent up energy to expend, so he hit the treadmill every chance he got.

He often found himself wondering how his Ladybug was doing back in Paris during his absence. There had been no big news regarding her in quite some time, a fact that both pacified and worried Adrien.

 A small, self-depreciated part of his mind whispered that she was probably getting on just fine without him, but a louder voice reasoned that perhaps even someone as amazing as she was could find it in her heart miss him just a bit.

Needless to say, by the time the tour was wrapping up, Adrien was antsy to get back home.

Very antsy.

He never thought he’d admit to missing his room. He definitely never thought he’d long to go back to school, long for a return to a set schedule and the familiar faces of his classmates.  But as he touched down at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, Adrien felt a sort of peace wash over him, knowing he was back on French soil.

Walking out of the terminal to see Nino waiting for him with a “Mr. Huge Nerd” sign clutched in his hands and a goofy smile plastered across his face only heightened Adrien’s sense of belonging.

After giving him a hearty bro hug, Nino had leaned back to hold Adrien at arm’s length, addressing him as “the giant who ate his best friend.” Adrien slapped him away, chuckling as Nino hauled a suitcase over his shoulder, assuring him the girls back at school would explode once they caught sight of him.

But that wasn’t the reaction he was looking forward to the most.

Almost immediately after reaching home, Adrien had awoken Plagg up from his jetlagged slumber, promising him copious amounts of cheese if he would just cooperate. The kwami begrudgingly agreed, disappearing into his friend’s silver ring with a twinkling pop.

“Claw’s out!” Adrien said to the empty room, reveling in the sensation of becoming his alter ego after so many weeks without transforming. His civilian clothes melted away, replaced by the tight comfort of his cat suit wrapping its way around his body. Becoming Chat Noir after having to masquerade as Adrien for so long lifted a weight from his shoulders, one he hadn’t been away of until the pressure was gone.

Adrien turned to leave he reveled in the feeling of rightness that came with his transformation. He flexed his claws, sliding one up under the window latch to release it.

‘Had the suit always been this form fitting?’ He thought idly, catching a glimpse at his reflection before heading out for the night. 

With a practiced ease, Chat had slid out from between his window panes, having to crouch more than he could ever recall in order to squeeze through. Leaping his way through the familiar streets surrounding the Agreste house, his adrenaline surged, not entirely due to the exertion.

He was going to see his Lady again.

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His mind snapped back to the present situation, looking over to see her still standing with arms crossed and just a hint of a smirk playing at her features.

 God, how he’d missed her.

“You stupid cat, I almost knocked you out.” She grumbled, playfully punching at his shoulder. Her face had returned to its regular tone, he noticed with some disappointment.

‘Now that won’t do at all.’

He snatched at her hand, holding it out grandly as he had done many times before.

“Oh but you’ve already knocked me out with the sheer force of your beauty. I didn’t think it was possible, but I’d dare say you’ve grown even lovelier since the last time I saw you.”

‘Ah, there it is’ Chat thought triumphantly as her face slightly flushed once again. But he didn’t stop there.

“Of course… you do seem to have shrunk a few inches as well…” he remarked snarkily, earning a huff from his partner as she slipped her hand from his grasp.

“In fact…” he continued in a falsely innocent tone, crooking a finger to beckon her forward, “Come stand here beside me for a second.”

She whirled on him, stomping her foot as she suppressed a chuckle. Maybe she had missed him more than she let on.

“Now you’re just being cocky.” Ladybug sputtered out, unable to completely hide the grin that had snuck onto her face.

“Suit yourself.” Chat shrugged, taking the initiative by padding over to plant himself directly in front of her.

Thus ensued round two. Ladybug stood up as straight as she could manage, rolling onto her toes when she still didn’t stack up to him. Chat called her out with a tsk, pushing her back down as they squabbled about what constituted standing on your tiptoes.

In the end it didn’t matter. With both of them stock straight, stretching to their fullest height, Chat was still a good head taller. He smirked, she glowered.

They stood in face-off for a few moments, Ladybug silently fuming as Chat attempted to reign in his excitement. He knew he had won, but that didn’t mean he would let her off that easily. After the taunting she had given him when their roles were reversed, Chat was intent on returning the ribbing two-fold.

He leaned over, trying to control his laughter as he crooned out her name.

“Oh, Ladybuuuuuuuug…”

 She pointedly ignored him, trying to swallow a grin as she looked everywhere but at him. Chat circled around her, attempting to catch her eye as she swiveled to avoid him. With an evil glint, Ladybug glanced briefly in his direction before sprinting towards the edge of the roof. Her yoyo zipped to latch itself around a nearby chimney, allowing her to swing over and perch atop it.

 Hearing her laughter echo across the space between, Chat accepted her silent challenge with a grin. He leapt after her, scrambling up a nearly vertical wall as Ladybug shot off in a different direction.

 This continued for the few minutes, Paris’ beloved heroes laughing and taunting each other as they raced across starlit rooftops

“I’m not quitting till you say it!” Chat called ahead of himself, wind whipping through his mused hair as he gave chase.

“Say what, alley cat?” Ladybug responded innocently, taking a brief pause to stick her tongue out.

Apparently her short diversion was all the time Chat needed to gain on her. He flipped himself over the edge of the roof, land just feet away from her as she squalled at his sudden appearance.

Chat made a swipe to grab at her, but she was too quick. Ladybug ducked gracefully under his arm, still refusing to meet his gaze as she twirled out of the vicinity with a triumphant “ha!”

 With another flick of her yo-yo, the chase was back on.

Chat jumped after her immediately. Feeling his heart soar and adrenaline rush as he weaved his way across turret and trellis alike, his eyes never left her back.

 Being able to joke around with his Lady so freely, for them to be so comfortable with each other even after their months apart…  it made Chat feel as though he had never truly left her side. The familiarity between them made everything about the night feel warm and golden.

“You say it, and I stop chasing you….” He sing-songed, quickly gaining ground towards her.

“Not in your dreams!” She shot back confidently.

Of course that confidence was short lived as she realized they had reached the end of the row of houses. Ladybug’s eyes scanned her surroundings, shoulders drooping as she realized there weren’t any buildings close enough for her to lasso her way around. She was cornered.

‘Gotcha’

Chat traipsed lazily towards her, watching as Ladybug resumed her crossed-arm stance, eyes glued to the ground. Not a gesture of defeat, he realized, but one of amused defiance. Seeing her standing there, pose confident and jaw working to ward off the grin that threated to split the bottom of her face…

It reminded Chat of why he’d fallen for her in the first place.

He stopped before her, appraising the girl with amusement for before continuing in a victorious drawl.

“My Lady.”

“Chat.”

“I just want to hear you say it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

That was a lie. Ladybug fidgeted below him, unwilling to admit defeat just yet.

“Oh, I think you do know,” Chat continued, leaning down in an attempt to draw her gaze.

He turned his head every which way, chucking when she petulantly refused to look up from her feet. Chat realized his victory would not be easy to seize, but when had that ever stopped him in the past?

Without thinking, he slipped two fingers up under Ladybug’s chin, slowing lifting her head until their gazes where even. Her blue eyes snapped to his, sending an unidentifiable jolt down his spine as he realized the intimacy of their position.

“Who’s the tall one now?” Chat whispered, surprised at how low his voice came out.

 The words hung between the pair like a physical presence. A challenge and a prayer all at once.

Chat’s body lit up like a lightning rod when he heard her gasp in response. Ladybug’s eyes widened, pooling with an unexpected heat before dipping down to trace the line of his jaw.

 ‘She…she’s certainly never looked at my like that before’ he thought distantly, chest tightening as the pair unconsciously moved closer to each other, his hand still lightly grasping at her chin.  A surge of confidence, real confidence, shot through his veins.

Because here she was, pining for him.

 For one brief moment it was Ladybug who was completely entranced by her partner and not the other way around. Chat reveled in the feeling, taking advantage of the moment by pulling her impossibly closer… until her chest flattened against his.

The sense of control was dizzying.

 Knowing beyond a doubt it was him (and not some fancy chocolate) that caused her to stand there, faced flushed and breathing labored, was enough to drive him insane.

Chat had the sudden urge to pin her against the nearest wall and see if he could make her purr.

His hands moved on their own accord, planting themselves roughly on the sides of her hips when…

Chat’s mind shut down, air whooshing its way out of his lungs when he spotted it.

The very corner of his Lady’s lip, trapped delicately between rounded teeth. A tiny, most-likely unconscious movement that suddenly had him floundering.

And just like, the control was hers once again.

Amazing how Ladybug always managed to somehow seize the upper hand.

Adrien melted like putty in her grasp, arms slipping from her body to hang deadened at his side. She made a mournful noise at their sudden departure, shooting him look he thought should be illegal. The want on her face was intoxicating, drawing Chat closer until he felt his mind spiral out of control with thoughts of her.

He found he didn’t dislike the sensation of falling.

Intent on erasing the space between them, Chat placed his hands on Lady’s flushed cheeks, heart pounding a dangerous staccato against his ribs as he pulled her back towards him. An expectant breath escaped her parted lips head angling subtly upwards when…

BEEP! The sound of her miraculous broke the spell surrounding them with a snap.

 Both heroes jumped apart, severing the contact between each other as if they had been burned.

Never before in his life had Chat wanted to physically fight a piece of jewelry, but there was a first for everything, right?

“Ladybug…” he began, reaching towards her in a desperate attempt to recapture the moment. Chat’s heart sank as she stepped back, shaking her head as if trying to clear it of the lingering emotions still hanging heavily in the air

In a moment, ladybug’s gaze returned to his, an intense and unreadable look swimming in her eyes.

“Sounds like my cue to go.” She chirped out in a forcibly casual tone.  Chat deflated further, watching as she stalked to the other end of the roof, prattling on about how busy she was going to be tomorrow morning.

“And you know what they say,” Her voice had reached a fever pitch at this point but she soldiered on, still avoiding his gaze while desperately trying to force the air back into her lungs, “Early to bed, early to rise!”

Chat didn’t trust himself to say anything. Or perhaps just he didn’t trust himself not to beg. So he nodded, swallowing the lump of raw emotion in his throat in order to muster up a fabricated grin

Ladybug must have seen through the half-hearted smile, he realized pitifully. She turned to leave with an awkward wave.

‘Don’t let her go’ Chat’s mind screamed desperately, watching her take a few steps backwards in preparation to sprint off. But he was frozen, unable to make his voice cooperate with his thoughts.

Ladybug eyed the adjacent building, grasping her yoyo from its place on her hip (‘God, her hips’ Chat thought plaintively) and twirling it absently between her fingers. She wound up her throw as he prepared himself for the ache of her departure.

It didn’t come.

Ladybug suddenly dropped her aim, turning with raw determination written across her face.

Taking five long, purposeful strides in his direction, Ladybug threw her arms around Chat’s shoulders, squeezing him tightly before whispering into his collarbone.

“I missed you.”

Then she was gone, disappearing with a flash of red into the dark Parisian night.