Masked (Miraculous Ladybug Fan-fiction)

Part 28. 8:00pm

My heart nearly sank to my ankles when he said my name. "W-what...?" I managed to utter in a shocked whisper. Cat Noir's eyes widened when he realized what he had said. "Shoot! I meant to say M'lady...agh!" He growled as he messed up his hair. I stood there dumbfounded, not sure I understood. "I'm sorry for calling you that M'lady, I've just had alot on my mind today..." he trailed off sheepishly.

   I let my body relax as I began to understand. "Oh...s-so you were thinking about Marinette?" I asked cautiously. He rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at the city. "Y-yea...she was the one who helped me catch the akuma, remember?" I nodded. "What happened to you anyway? You disappeared, I thought something bad had happened to you. I was..." he trailed off as he glanced at his boots. "I was worried..."

I could feel heat rise to my cheeks when he said that. "Y-yea, sorry about that..." I begun sheepishly. "My kwami didn't have enough to eat and I ended up de-transforming after the hit. I forgot to bring food for her so I had to run back home to get some..." Cat Noir shook his head. "I don't believe you..." he said as he walked over and sat on the edge of the tower. My heart raced uneasily in my chest.

"I can't believe you would make such a rookie mistake" he said without looking up. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Yea hehe, I don't know where I had my head at the time..." I lied as I made my way over and sat next to him. "You could've said something. I always carry cheese with me, even though my kwami is a pig and does nothing but eat all day..." he said as he played with his unopened baton.

"Cheese?" He nodded. "Yea it stinks to high heaven but hey, we gotta save Paris you know?" I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "My kwami doesn't eat Cheese, it eats cookies!" I said trying to stifle a laugh. "Awww! Why couldn't I get one that eats cookies? That way I wouldn't have to smell like stinky Camembert all day!" He groaned. I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing, causing him to frown. "It's not funny..." he pouted as I held my sides. After a second he smiled and laughed alongside me.

"You wanna trade?" He joked with a smile as he held out his ring. I pushed it away, my eyes watery from laughing. "Nooo thanks, I'll take smelling like cookies any day" he let his shoulders slouch exageratedly. I giggled again. "That's what I like to see..." he began without looking up, a serene expression framed his face. "I love to see you smiling, it makes everything worthwhile..." he trailed off. My heart raced in my chest, I could feel my face warming up beneath my mask.

He turned his gaze out to the horizon. The full moon illuminating the city effortlessly was a breath-taking sight. "We should get going..." Cat Noir said as he stood up. "Wait!" I shouted as I pulled him back by his tail. He turned to me curiously. "T-there' s something I want to ask you..." I began in a small voice. He walked back over and sat beside me again. "Is something wrong M'lady?" He asked cautiously.

   "D-did you see the news?" I began nervously. "You mean the announcement for hero day? Yea I saw it" he confirmed. "W-what do you think?" I asked cautiously. He glanced up at the sky for a few seconds. "I think it's great. It's an honor to protect the people of Paris. The fact that they assigned a day especially for us is humbling..." I nodded as he glanced back at me. "What about....the celebration?" I asked cautiously. He arched an eyebrow wearily. "What about it?" There was a small pause between us then.

"Are you going to attend?" He furrowed his brows when I asked that. "Of course, why wouldn't I? It is a party in our honor. It would be rude to turn down the Mayor's invitation..." he trailed off. I nodded. "But you're gonna have to go with me. Are you sure that's okay?" Cat frowned at my question. "What's this about?" He asked bewildered. I took in a deep, steadying breath.

"Cat I..." I trailed off as I struggled with the knot in my throat. He stared at me anxiously, his emerald eyes seemed to glow beneath his mask. "I haven't been very nice to you lately...I'm--" I didn't get a chance to finish, Cat placed his finger over my lips and silenced me. "Don't apologize..." he whispered, his expression softer than before.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when he placed his hand on my cheek and pulled my face closer to his. "Hold still..." he whispered as he leaned in and pulled a strand of my hair. "There, you had a leaf in your hair..." he said with a smile as he showed me the small green piece. My face flared red against my mask when I realized I was expecting him to do something else.

He stood up after that and extended his baton. "There's no need to apologize for anything..." he began as he looked at the floor. "I've already made my decision..." he trailed off. My heart skipped as he walked to the edge of the tower and glanced at me. "I'll meet you at 8pm..." he shot me a crooked smile, just before jumping off the tower and vaulting off into the night.