Will o' The Wisps (miraculous ladybug x OC)

Cat Noir

Naya groaned, stretching out on the couch as the remaining rays of sunlight filtered through the window next to her. She hadn't spoken to anyone in the past five hours and her mind felt like it was about to explode from the day.

"Mom? Hi!" She rehearsed, putting on an overjoyed smile. "I was wondering if we could go out tonight, as a celebration for the first day of school? It'd be super fun!"

She thought for a moment, then nodded and pulled out her phone, dialing in the number built into her fingers.

"Mom? Hi! I was wondering if—"

"What is it?"

"Huh?" She frowned but quickly recovered her nerve. "I was just wondering if we could—"

"I don't have time for this, Naya. I told you not to call me at work."

The call disconnected, leaving her in silence.

"Right. That was stupid." Naya set her phone on the couch and laid back down, feeling the exhaustion from the day catch up to her. This time when the tears came she let them fall down her cheeks in hot tails, dripping onto the couch in dark spots.

Oh, wait, doesn't our roof have an exit onto the roof of the building?

Naya wiped her eyes, grabbed her tablet and pencil and started up the stairs. They went up to a metal door that opened to reveal the roof spreading out in front of her, a steep drop off showing the stars encroaching upon the day as it faded away.

And Cat Noir.

The blond haired superhero jumped at the sound of the door opening, scrambling to his feet as Naya stared at him.

"Naya?"

"Have...we met?"

Why—no, how does he know who I am?

"N-no! But, I mean, it's a superhero's job to know everyone in the city they protect! Right?"

Naya smiled jokingly, shifting to her right leg and pulling her tablet up to her chest. "Isn't that kinda creepy?"

"Sorry! I know." He turned and pulled out a silver stick that grew in his hand. "I'll let you—"

"Wait!"

Where did that come from?

"I...kinda don't want to be alone."

What am I saying?

"Unless you have somewhere to be—I don't want to keep you from that but if you're free...and you don't mind?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I don't mind." He put his stick away and sat back down on the edge, patting the roof next to him. Naya smiled gently and walked over, setting down her tablet and stretching her legs over the edge. Down a story or so was another roof, making her believe if she fell she wouldn't get hurt too badly, and so she felt safe enough to swing her legs as they stared out over Paris together.

"Are you okay?" Cat Noir asked after a few seconds.

"What?"

"Well it just—it looked like you were crying."

"Oh. Yeah, that." For some reason all the emotions she'd been holding in started to pour out of her in the form of words. "I used to live in Canada, and I had a whole community there, with friends and a life. Until my mom got a promotion to work at the hospital here and we moved. She didn't even ask me if it was okay. Just, one day we were moving and I had to say goodbye to everything and everyone I cared about. But she's not here for me. She doesn't understand what I'm going through and all she wants is for me to settle down and leave her alone because she doesn't—" her rant was interrupted by a quiet sob and she put a hand over her mouth, tears falling over her fingers.

"That's terrible."

She looked up to see Cat Noir frowning angrily. "Why do parents do this to their kids? Why can't they just care for them and love them?"

"Do you have similar problems?" Naya asked.

"I—" he sighed. "My fa—parents don't let me do much of anything. I'm stuck at home all day or in some stupid, boring meeting. All I ask for is a little freedom. That's what this is to me—freedom."

He reached one clawed black hand towards the stars above.

"It seems amazing, being a superhero," Naya murmured. "You're lucky you have that."

"Yeah." He allowed himself a small smile. "I really am."

They continued to talk for hours, the sun setting and the stars flying overhead as their conversation continued on. They talked about all manner of things, from their lives to their hopes and dreams until Cat noticed her tablet and asked, "what's that? Do you draw?"

"Yeah, I do." She picked it up and started flashing through her finished drawings, most of which of sunsets and sunrises that she'd seen back in Canada.

"Those are amazing!" Cat cried, leaning over her shoulder to get a closer look. "I love them! You seriously drew these?"

She blushed. "I spent a lot of time practicing, so I think I've gotten pretty good."

"You have! They're the cat's meow!"

Naya laughed. "That was awful. Don't you have any better cat puns?"

He shrugged. "M'lady doesn't really like puns, so I don't make them a lot. Actually I do, she just hates them."

"Your...lady?"

"Ladybug," he clarified, sighing happily. "That's my nickname for her. She hates it. That's why I love it!"

"You two are so cute," Naya gushed. "Ever since I saw those posters of you I've been meaning to draw your duo. Would you mind if I got some angles from you? If not, that's totally fine, I mean, it's kinda an invasion of privacy, isn't it? No, no, no, that's not what I meant to say...um..."

"Sure!" he agreed, cutting off her panicked rant. "I'd love to be drawn by you."

"Really? Great!"

He laughed as she started making hurried sketches of his face. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I feel like it's helping me too."

"Maybe we're kindred spirits," she murmured absentmindedly as she took down the specific curve of his nose. "Both sick for romantic and familial love."

"Yeah...maybe we are."

He thought for a minute while she continued to sketch, then hurriedly asked, "do you mind if I come here again? Specifically to see you?"

"What?" Her pencil froze in midair.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! Was that creepy? I really shouldn't have—"

"You'd do that for me?" She set down her tablet, eyes sparkling. "I was too nervous to ask you to do that! I mean, you're a superhero and I'm just a boring nobody."

"Naya, you're not a boring nobody!" Cat yelped, looking horrified. "You're amazing! That's why I want to see you again. I feel like we really connected."

Wow. He's cute. No, no, he's in love with Ladybug. Get it straight. This is platonic and only platonic.

"So...friends?" She put out a hand after setting down her pencil.

"Yeah. Friends." He shook it without hesitation, then leaned back, staring up at the night sky full of stars. "It's beautiful. I get why you'd want to draw this."

I like to draw pretty things. That's why I want to draw you.

She laughed lightly. Imagine saying that to a boy who liked someone else.

"What?" he teased, grinning. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing." She sighed and leaned back as well. "I'll look forward to drawing it sometime. Maybe I'll let you watch."

"Really? That'd be awesome!"

What is this? For the first time since I moved, I feel happy.

Naya closed her eyes and let a real, genuine smile spread over her lips. It felt nice.

It really, really felt nice.