Dearly Despised, (I love you)

Don't Rock the Boat

A/N: Luka definitely rocks the boat

GUYS IMPORTANT: ART FOR LAST CHAPTER WAS ADDED GO SEE (or on insta @/snacc_noir follow me babes there's extra enemies content)

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"But I looked so good."

"We're not swapping miraculous again! That was dangerous and we had no other choice."

Chat Noir held out his wrists. "Red just felt like my colour for a moment there."

"Oh yeah, Buga-boy? The other week you said black made your eyes stand out."

He planted his hands on his hips. "It's not my fault I look good in everything."

"How about you start looking more for who could be a good Hawk Moth? As much as I loved that time you saw how hard being Ladybug is, we have to use this time off to do our job."

Chat scoffed and a piece of his short hair blew out of his eyes. The afternoon sun dipped between buildings and spread their makeshift workplace atop East Avenue with clean light, which bounced off Chat's black suit in her peripheral as she paced.

The last time they had free time together, he was pausing her life-altering confession to – in the most perfect-masculine-gentlemanly way – fire an AK-47 at her hopes of a romantic pursuit of him. Add "friend-zoned by a hot furry superhero" on her achievement list under, "eaten by a dinosaur", "swam through Paris" and, "aggressively made out with her (non-superhero-related) enemy". That last one, no comment.

Chat Noir saw her as a friend and nothing more. Maybe forever. She hadn't debated how times could change. What if one day they shared identities? What if he was actually some despicable person she ended up loathing, then she could heal, and realise his perfection came with the mask?

Honestly, even if he was a nightmare as a civilian, she betted that her idiot self would find a way to fall in love with him again regardless.

For now, the charming smile and absence of nicknames would distract her from remembering the vermin that came to school today, the too-short a kiss, and the fact she'd be meeting Adrien at Luka's house an hour from now. Or two, since being late came more naturally than getting herself into inhumane situations.

All teens had stress. Some had slipping grades. Some were named Kim. Some were in love with and rejected by their superhero partner while nursing a burgeoning temptation towards their enemy-slash-fake-boyfriend-slash-new-deskmate-slash-maybe-friend? And was also responsible for everyone's lives in Paris, daily.

Despite everything, she had an unpaid job to do. Investigating the leads, motives, and likely drugs to do with Hawk Moth could get them closer to the final goal of his capture. That way, she just so happened to never have to see Chat again... which had nothing to do with her being a responsible Ladybug!

"I say we rule him as an underground nutcase and call it a day." Chat shook his short mane. "I gotta be somewhere in an hour."

"What? That's plenty of time."

He extended his staff discreetly and it caught up under her feet, causing her to yelp and faceplant on the roof before a cackle filled her reality. "I like to be early. Late people always get tripped up," he giggled.

Cheek to the cement, seeing his bright face reminded her that this idiot somehow managed to woo her. Once upon a time. "That was so lame it's not even funny."

"I know," he laughed. "I've just been waiting for a good time to do that. You haven't stopped walking in circles for thirty minutes now."

She groaned getting up. "It's important we unmask him, that's all. We have no leads. Gabriel Agreste got akumatised and now we have nothing!"