When Love is true

The night air was cold as Ladybug sat atop a parisian rooftop, waiting patiently for Chat noir to join her for patrol. The stars out from the shadows, a sour look on his bright and they seemed to twinkle in the the night sky. As Ladybug sat, admiring the stars, Chat was attempting to sneak up on her.

"I know you're there Chaton," She said without even glancing towards him . he stepped

"I can't anything past you My lady," He teased, holding a hand behind his back. Ladybug looks over at him, his black suit reflecting the city lights like he was wearing the night sky. She stood up and walked over to meet him.

"No you can't Chaton," She tried to look around him to see what he was hiding but he kept twisting away from her.

"Eh eh eh, my lady," Chat waved his left finger in a wagging notion. Ladybug gives her partner a curious look.

"What is it Chat?" She asked.

""I'll tell you but close your eyes first." He bargained. Willing to play along, Ladybug closed her eyes. She heard some shuffling. "Ok you can open your eyes." Chat finally said,

Ladybug opened her eyes to see chat standing there holding a small red and black present box that fit nicely in the palms of her hand. Ladybug reached out to pick it up.

"Happy Anniversary Ladybug." chat said, his black mask barely hiding his blushing face.

"Anniversary?" She held the box in her hand, spinning it in her fingers, looking over it.

"A year ago today, we fought together for the first time." He explained. Ladybug's eyes went huge and looked up at him from his gift.

'Chat i can't believe you remembered. I mean i knew the day was coming up but I hadn't realized that it was today." she muttered nervously, " I'm so sorry. I was making you a present. It isn't done yet. I was gonna give it to you next week."

"My lady," he said with a warm smile, "it's fine, I can wait." he reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder. "Aren't going to opening it?" he asked, reminding her of the little present in her hands. She jumped, suddenly remembering the small box in her hands. Ladybug let her inner Marinette show as she fumbled with the box causing it to jump up into the air like a trapeze artist. She finally caught the box and gave Chat an apologetic look. He just smiled reassuringly and nodded as if to say, "go on, open it". She lifted the the lid to reveal a gold band. About a half inch wide, it was a golden cuff bracelet. A phrase was etched onto the outside of it.

"It's a braclet, well it's actually more of a cuff." Chat explained, fiddling his fingers.

"Omygosh Chat I love it. Did you get this engraved? How did you manage that?"

"Well since the phrase is pretty basic, I'm sure the jeweler didn't think much of it." Chat explained.

"Basic?" Ladybug questioned. She looked closely at the engraving.

"Today is your lucky day," they said together simultaneously.

"Yeah pretty simple right, but I wanted it to be something you could where on both sides of the mask." Chat said sheepishly.

"No chat it's perfect. It's almost like a secret." She said. She then threw her arms around Chat. "Oh Chaton it's perfect. Thank you so much." Chat Noir froze and then returned her hug.

"I'm almost in embarassed to give you my dumb present now," Ladybug said as she pulled away from. At this Chat noir quickly grabbed both her hands in his and pulled them them together.

"My Lady I would be honored to receive a handmade gift from you." Chat looked deep into her eyes. Ladybug felt herself blush. "Promise me you'll finish it it for me?"

"I promise." She breathed out quietly. Chat let go of her hands, suddenly embarrassed. The jumped apart quickly and stood awkwardly for a moment.

'Well,' Ladybug said placing the bracelet on her wrist, " We better get to patrolling if we want to get home before 2 am." then she walked forward and left off the balcony

' "Oh, um yeah." Chat Muttered, following her closely.

…

"Hey," Chat said as the pair took a break atop the eiffel tower. He was gazing at the stars, the night air in his lungs.

"Yeah Chat?" Ladybug said, standing beside him, leaning against the railing.

"You see that star right there?" He asked simply pointing to a one of the brighter stars in the sky. Ladybug gave him a confused look.

"Uh, Yeah." She said.

"That isn't a star at all. It's actually a planet. It's Saturn to be precise." He explained.

"Oh that's really neat. I didn't know you liked astrology chat." she said genuinely. He glanced over at her, her red suit like velvet in the night, the gleam of the lights reflecting off the suit as if it were a mirror.

"When we first started out, I thought I was a lot like Saturn. From far away i looked like a hero, a star, but in reality, I was just some pathetic kid."

"Chat," she whispered softly.

"And then I met you and you were crazy amazing. You were confident and cool, and you always posed right when you landed. It made me feel even worse. But then we were on the bridge, you were scared and nervous just as I was, but despite that you still got up here and declared to all of Paris how you would always protect it. That we would protect paris, together." Chats smile seemed sad. "But now, I'm still like Saturn. The people who know me, the real me. It's like they can only look at me from a distance, and they all see me how they want to. But this me," Chat Noir pulled his hands to his chest, his eyes glistening as they looked up at the stars. "The me i am as Chat noir, when I'm fighting with you, is the real me. But would the people in my life be okay with this me? Or would they rather pretend I'm just a star."

Chat noir went silent. Ladybug just looked at him softly, even though he didn't see it. She saw the tears glistening in his eyes, trying to fall but failing.

"You know, I felt the same way." She said scooting a little closer beside him.

"Huh?" he said breaking his deadlock with the sky and looking at her.

"When we first became heroes, I was scared too. Who i really am isn't smooth or confident at all. I'm shy and dorky. I thought there was no way I could be Ladybug. After we screwed up purifying that first akum, I actually almost didn't come back."

"What?" Chat's eyes went wide. Ladybug turned away a little ashamed.

"Yeah, i tried to give my miraculous to one of the girls in my class. She was brave and smart, and crazy confident. I figured she'd be a much better Ladybug. But then she got captured by Stone heart and I made a choice. I chose to be Ladybug, I was still nervous though. But it was your words of reassurance that helped me gain the confidence I needed."

"Really?" Chat asked shocked.

"Yeah. And I feel the same way you feel. Everyone loves Ladybug, even you think I'm great and amazing. But that isn't me. It's not all of me, and what if people don't like that other part of me? But then Tikki said something to me. She said that I am Ladybug and Ladybug is me. All the things I do as Ladybug, I can do in my civilian form and vice versa."

"Plus, who said you weren't clumsy and dorky as Ladybug. You literally almost just dropped a box cus you got nervous." Chat said teasingly. He watched as Ladybug blushed a little and then continued. "But don't worry, it's very adorable."

…..

"So are you gonna wear it to school tomorrow" Tikki's voice met Marinette's ears as she jumped in through her window at 3 am. The pair had de-escalate a lover's quarrel that had taken almost an hour of patrolling time. It was a simple misunderstanding, but that didn't make Marinette less sleepy. Marinette glanced at the gold cuff on her wrist. It was actually quite lovely and Marinette hated the idea of not wearing it.

"You know why I can't. Aside from the fact that if Chat sees me with it in civilian form he'll know who I am, it's so pretty that at least Alya will ask about it. I can't very well tell her I got it as a present from Chat Noir. And if I say it's a gift from a friend she'll say something like, 'Oh Marinette you have a secret boyfriend do you." Marinette placed her hand on her forehead, 'And if she says that in front of Adrien, he'll think I'm taken and all interest he might have in me will be gone." Tikki chuckled at the tired yet somewhat excited girl. Marinette, dressed in pajamas, climbed the ladder to her bed and wished tikki goodnight, and fell asleep where she dreamed of Saturn.