Masquerade

Chapter 1: Une Nuit de Bravore | A Night of Bravery

Patrols across the city wasn't exactly the most glamorous of superhero work, but necessary. Not that Ladybug minded, however. The nighttime runs were a great chance to get some thinking done, and a good stretch of the legs after a whole day of being Marinette. She found the quiet solitude comforting and swung up on top of a nearby chimney to get a good look at Paris. The view from up high was breathtaking, with the lights of the busy city reflecting far across the horizon. She leaned into the chimney with a small sigh of contentment. Up here, the small stresses Marinette faced were utterly insignificant, completely meaningless to Ladybug. She closed her eyes, letting the cool of the night sink in. Everything was as it should be. Of course, until she heard the soft thud of boots landing behind her. Of course he had to come along right now and ruin the moment.

It wasn't a surprise for her to see Chat Noir. The two patrolled the city at night and met together after they both finished their rounds to make sure everything was in order. Although Chat Noir often tended to interrupt at the wrong times, she noted.

"Find anything tonight, milady?" he asked, head deep in an exaggerated bow. She rolled her eyes, still facing away from him. His flair for the dramatic could really be annoying at times. Of course, not everything about him was awful. The way he looked in his tight black suit, for example, wasn't so bad. She blushed a little under her mask at the thought.

"All's good in Paris tonight, Chat. Nothing going on."

"Well, it's a shame to have to go to bed so early, don't you think? I almost wish there was an akuma, just for something to do, you know? It's such a nice night."

Ladybug's thoughts raced to a different part of her mind. Sure, it didn't seem right to just say goodbye and go home. She did want something more, but it wasn't exactly along the lines of fighting…

It had been about five years since she had received her Miraculous, just a student in high school. It was an awesome power to have, but trying to balance her own normal life and superhero work often grew difficult. These kinds of things often served to get in the way of things she wanted to do as Marinette, not Ladybug, the biggest thing being…well…Adrien. Between her alter ego and the stresses of beginning university, she hadn't found much time to explore her relationship with Adrien. Not for lack of interest, though, that's for sure. Her legs still got wobbly every time he walked by, just as they did when she was fourteen. He just had that effect on her, like every time he looked at her she was the only girl in the room. The only person that mattered…and god, that's exactly who he was to her. It felt kind of silly to still hang onto a childhood crush, but then again, it's hard to get over something that intense. Getting older only made it worse, as her mind began drifting from worrying about nervous first kisses and scribbled love notes to…other things.

She noticed similar changes in Chat Noir. It was no secret he was a good-looking guy, and it only became more and more obvious as time went on. Honestly, he had a lot of the same good qualities Adrien had, she thought. He had the right hair color, the toned body, and the same piercing green eyes. Of course, some of it was the Miraculous doing its thing, but there was still a sort of raw power behind them. Whatever it was, it only helped his case. It was the kind of thing she'd think about late at night, stuck awake staring at her ceiling. Her thoughts drifted more and more to Adrien, then Chat, over and over, getting more and more exciting until she just couldn't bear it. Those nights often ended in a hand working its way down her lower half and sticky fingers in the morning, she noted.

She shifted somewhat uncomfortably. This train of thought always did her in just a little bit. It's one thing to be a 19 year old drooling over a boy, but another to be doing it in a skintight superhero costume, she thought. Something about tonight felt…different, though. She couldn't put her finger on why, but it felt like a good time to take the first step.

She thought to herself for a moment, then turned around to face Chat. Glad to see her face, he straightened up a bit and gave her a toothy grin. "Well?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah, actually. But…it's kind of…well…different," she said, nervously.

"Alright, I like a change of pace," he said. "This kitty loves new toys."

"Okay…well…you can totally say no if you want, but I have an idea…involving…us…"

The end of her sentence trailed off. It was difficult to keep talking under that piercing, beautiful gaze. Her plan was something she only dreamed about telling him, never actually planning to act on it. Unless you count the feverish hours of preparation just in case she ever built up the courage. Or got just horny enough. Either was acceptable motivation.

Chat Noir stared at her quizzically, waiting for the end of the sentence. By now, he was keenly aware something was going on, and it only intrigued him further.

"Well I should hope it does," he teased, "otherwise it's not much of an activity for us!"

"Shut up," she snapped back. The teasing annoyed her somewhat, which gave her just the burst of courage she needed. "Look, I want you. I don't know why and don't know why now is the time to tell you, but I have an idea if you want to hear it."

Chat Noir blushed deeply, mouth slightly agape. It was a good thing his cheeks were hidden beneath his mask, or their deep scarlet would have given away exactly how much he had been waiting to hear something like that. How could he not want this, he thought to himself. He'd spent the last six years of his life pining after this Ladybug and now she outright comes out and tells him she wants him? This was even better than how he ever planned on breaking the news to her, he noted.

"W-well, I'm all ears," he said, bravado faltering for just a second.

"Okay, here goes." She took a deep breath to steady herself. This was a lot more truth than she planned on spilling tonight. "I really want you to…be with me. I'm not dumb and I know you're really into me, and honestly, I'm more into you than I ever thought I'd be. I just want to see how this goes because god I need someone like you right now. I've planned all this out, we won't reveal who we are to each other, and we can just…have some fun and be all the better for it."

Chat Noir wasn't listening very intently anymore. Ladybug lost him somewhere around the "be with me" part. Did she mean like, sit on the couch together watching a romcom kind of together…or like…the sexy kind? Is she telling me that she wants to fuck or is something up with her tonight? His internal monologue raced feverishly as he tried to keep his composure.

His lack of a response threw Ladybug off her guard. She expected many different answers as she fantasized about it, the most common one usually being an enthusiastic yes immediately followed by a long, fantastic night together. She hadn't planned for an uncomfortably confusing silence, though. Small beads of tears welled up in the corner of her eyes as Chat stood in front of her, silent, his mind running a mile a minute. She slowly began to realize the impact of her words, and the blow she might have just dealt to their relationship. Of course he doesn't want this, stupid Marinette! Why would he ever just agree to fuck his best friend out of the blue, that doesn't even make any sense-

Her internal chastising was suddenly interrupted by another mouth on hers. Her eyes widened with surprise before fluttering shut as a sudden heat flushed through her body. Chat Noir had taken her into a full hug, lips locked with hers as if to say, Yes, I'm on board. Tell me where I need to be. The relief shooting through her veins was almost as powerful as the sudden feeling building up in her loins. Mercifully, after what felt like an eternity, Chat pulled away and looked at her with deep, lidded eyes.

"What's the plan, Bugaboo?"