Moonlit Dreams

blackberry & peppermint

There she was, walking along the Pont des Arts bridge.

Her bright red suit stood out against the dark night sky, and her black hair shimmered blue under the dim street lamps. I know I shouldn't talk to her-I mean, a villain and a hero? We're worlds apart.

Still... there's something inside me that longs to be her friend. Perhaps the company of a superhero outshines the tools of the villains. The akuma was a nice gift, but if anything, Ladybug made my trip worthwhile.

And with that in mind, I walk up to her and tap her shoulder. She turns around, probably expecting a lost kid, or someone who has just been robbed since she's doing her rounds.

Ladybug jumps at the sight of me, and she's stepping back, reaching for her yo-yo.

"Wait! I just wanted to tell you that I paid back the Dupain-Chengs, that's all."

Ladybug stands up straight and retracts her hand away from the yo-yo.

"I assume you saw the umbrella I left outside then, since it's gone now."

The umbrella... she doesn't know it disappeared when I was de-akumatized. I plan to keep it that way.

"As a matter of fact, I did. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about, um, if you don't mind." I wait for Ladybug's permission to keep going. A slight head nod was all I needed. "Words can't begin to describe how sorry I am for waking you up at 1 AM, you must've been very tired. Please, allow me to treat you to some ice cream as an apology."

She fiddles around with her fingers, most likely a sign of nervousness. I don't blame her-our meeting wasn't the most graceful. A supposed thief and Paris's guardian eating ice cream together certainly isn't an imaginable duo.

"Alright, only because I ended my patrol early. I pick the place though."

I smile, digging my thumbs into my pockets and swaying back. "Of course, m'lady." She turns her back towards me, gesturing with her hand to follow. I skip to her side, taking my stick out and playing around with it.

"Why are you dressed like a cat?" She says in a jokingly tone, looking at me up and down.

"U-Um, costume party! I think it's a paw-some costume, don't you think?" She tries to hide her laughter by turning her head to the side, but her shaking shoulders give it away. Who knew Ladybug was down bad for cat jokes?

She reaches for her yo-yo and slides it open, revealing a map. She looks up at me and notices my curious gaze, answering my question before I could ask it.

"It's for André's. You can never pinpoint him, at least not without a map and clues from the Parisians." I try to hide my growing smile from Ladybug. Ever since Mother died, Father has been... protective of me, rarely letting me out and keeping me on quite a schedule. Going to André's was something we used to do when it was their anniversary. It's been so long since I've had André's ice cream...

Ladybug glances at her screen again, and sees a red dot near the Arc de Triomphe. "He's close by!"

She offers out her hand for me to take, assuming she'll yo-yo her way to the Arc de Triomphe with me in tow. "May I?"

I take her hand, not wanting her to know I could easily travel by stick.

We arrive in seconds, and scour the place for André's ice cream stand. I quickly spot him due to his unmistakable tune, and place a hand on Ladybug's shoulder to inform her of my findings.

"Spot on, Cat Noir." I chuckle at her wordplay and follow after her, under the Arc de Triomphe. André is finishing up serving a couple, thanking them in a series of rhymes. He lifts his head up and puts down his ice cream scooper, grinning when he spots Ladybug.