Ladynoir July 2023

Change

I'm back!!!! And I'm doing Ladynoir July! If you were here for last years Ladrien June or Adrienette April, you'll already know the drill. Prompts are thought of by me and will not match the official prompts because I'm writing one-shots ahead of time. So enjoy! -Colorado

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Ladybug fidgeted with the bracelet in her hand, gazing out at the Parisian sunset. She knew it was risky to have her lucky charm out in public, but she needed something to keep her grounded. Even if the one who gave her the charm was contributing to her issues.

Adrien, her first love, the one she swore her heart to forever. But it seemed as though the universe loved to laugh at her, because as soon as Adrien showed some semblance of interest in her, she felt her heart run to someone who felt safe. Someone who felt like home. Someone who, under no circumstances, could Ladybug ever love. Not if she wanted to keep Paris safe, and Paris would always come first. If her heart even began to entertain the idea, her mind would supply an onslaught of memories proving it was a bad idea.

If the universe wanted to prevent her and Adrien from their happy ending so desperately, could she at least catch a break with Chat Noir? Nope! It seemed as though her luck only applied to saving Paris, because the universe gave her constant reasons on why her and Chat Noir couldn't work.

Ladybug heard a whirl behind her (speak of the devil), and quickly slipped the charm in her yo-yo. She had enough to deal with without Chat Noir linking her to Marinette.

"Good evening, My Lady." Her partner walked over to the edge of the roof, taking a seat next to her. "I didn't think it was your night to patrol."

"It wasn't," Ladybug shrugged.

A heavy silence settled between the two, and Ladybug didn't need to turn her head to know Chat Noir was worried.

"So... with all due respect, what are you doing here? It's not like you to be out like this." Chat Noir bit the bullet after only two minutes, much to Ladybug's dismay.

She bit down a laugh. No matter how hard she tried to run or hide, somehow Chat Noir always saw right through her. She couldn't let him read her so easily this time; it was simply too dangerous.

"I needed to get out." Try as she might to play it off as casual, she knew that Chat Noir could see the extra tension in her shoulders, the tiredness in her eyes, the hairs out of place. When he didn't say anything for several moments, Ladybug looked back over at her partner.

He seemed to be fighting something, too, opening his mouth and closing it repeatedly.

"You?" She finally asked, it wasn't either of their night to patrol.

"The same." He gave her a grin she hardly ever saw, a grin of pain. She wanted to wipe it off his face, but she stamped down the urge as soon as it came. Ladybug nearly said something, but a flash of a blue world stopped her, so she merely nodded and turned back to the sunset.

As the seconds ticked by, she could feel the tension between the two get harder and harder to ignore. A new emotion rose up in Ladybug, frustration. She had transformed to try and escape her heart and her mind's war. Yet here was Chat Noir, showing up and being him and making things much more difficult. As her heart rejoiced, her head cried out, and Ladybug was stuck between them.

"Have you ever thought about change, Ladybug?" Chat Noir's question made her flinch.

"It seems as though it's all I've been thinking about." She muttered, but Chat Noir's hearing picked up on her words regardless.