Author's Notes:

Trying my best to incorporate prompts from both Calendars here.

Beta read by Enberlight (with plenty of title and summary help, too)! Thank you! 3

It should have seemed like any other patrol night. The low whistle of her yo-yo cut through the air, above streets that were mostly quiet, except for the slow, sleepy ambling of the locals heading home from a late supper in town.

For all appearances, everything was normal, which is why it was a surprise when Ladybug began to feel unnerved.

But a certain je ne sais quoi prickled at the back of Ladybug's neck.

Something felt...off.

It certainly wasn't her partner.

Chat Noir chattered happily as he'd dogged her heels along the rooftop run. Something good must have happened to him today.

His good mood was infectious, and he didn't seem inclined to settle down any time soon even as they talked through new possible plans of defense. "Really, my Lady, you should let me get us a pair of pay as you go phones. It would be so much easier to work things out to be ready on the fly."

"Sure, Chaton." Ladybug shook her head fondly, peering back over her shoulder as she steadied her gait over the peak of the roof. "And I suppose you wouldn't just accidently use it to test out new puns?"

He scoffed, the gleaming grin on his face betrayed the feigned affort. "Puns are a very valuable battle strategy, my Lady."

Ladybug snorted. Were it not for the fact that she got to go to the movies with Adrien! - and Alya and Nino of course - earlier today, she might even be likely to roll her eyes a bit more at the threat of puns dripping from his lips.

They were two sparring bouts deep into a training session atop the Trocadero, when Ladybug squared her shoulders and settled her weight over her front foot to prepare for a third attack

Her yo-yo was up to speed, as Chat Noir readied his baton.

Her eyes narrowed. It looked like he was about to break right, favoring the one side heavily.

Instead, he extended his baton, getting it intentionally tangled in her yo-yo string and tugging it free of her hands with the aid of the reverb.

Clenching her jaw, Ladybug tossed a punch. Hand to hand wasn't her specialty, but she knew she needed to take full advantage of the element of surprise to get one over on him.

Chat Noir had just managed to drop his baton and turn to face her head on when her first punch landed against his cupped palm. He danced about, forever fast on his feet.

She'd watched him move often enough to know he could sneak close, so she held herself removed until he beat her to the - literal - punch.

Ladybug barely stifled a groan at the thought. She clearly had been spending a little too much time of late with her partner. His bad habits were starting to rub off on her.

He swung his fists wildly, intentionally swinging wide.

Her eyes narrowed, as she swooped in, knocking him back to the ground with what little momentum she could.

Her eyes rolled up towards the setting sun. There was no doubt in her mind now. He kept conveniently timing his feints so that she kept knocking him to the ground.

Admittedly it had taken until the third go - and one very unrepentant eyebrow waggle from her ridiculous partner - for her to be sure that she'd caught wise to his ploy.

"Ugh!" Ladybug sighed, pressing his shoulder back to the ground as she stood back up. "Kitty, you've got to stop pulling your punches!"

It was almost as if Chat Noir considered these patrols like some sort of play date, instead of the serious superhero business it ought to be.

Ladybug frowned, looking out over the city, still searching for...something. She knew that Alya would be stuck babysitting her sisters tonight, so there would be no furtive Ladyblog photoshoots in progress. There weren't even any rogue vigilantes about since The Owl had settled into his far more tame routine.

Even Hawkmoth had been quiet for the last few days.

If there was an Akuma, there was almost always an air of panic. But there wasn't even the slightest hint of anyone running away from an Akuma in the dusk, or the hew and cry of a crime in progress.

Instead...there was this only uncanny silence.

It was unsettling, to say that least. But if Chat Noir noticed, he hadn't said a thing.

They were nearly back to their usual patrol meet up point, when Chat Noir had decided to play again.

"Tag," He smirked, tapping her on the shoulder with a gloved hand, before he'd vaulted off on his baton.

Ladybug snorted and gave chase, weaving between the buildings on her yo-yo.

Chat definitely thought this was a play date.

But at least it had been quiet for nearly the last hour. She'd extended the patrol a little bit because she wanted to reassure herself that all was well before she dared to sleep for the night.

He was leading her on a merry chase, spinning in circles around the loop of houses that encircled the park beside her house.

On what must have been the fourth loop, Ladybug had heard the oddest crackling noise just after she went careening past.

"Chat!" she shouted, swinging herself up onto the rooftop and crouching down beside the gutter, scanning the houses below.

He spun on a dime, dropping down beside her in no time at all.

She frowned, pointing down to the balcony almost directly below them.

"Am I crazy or did that statue used to be another potted plant there?"