"following the tangled and complicated thread, searching towards the other side, and I will finally catch you." -manga-hands

☾ ☽

Adrien Agreste thought he discovered his chance when the Akuma arrived. He held out his hand with the silver ring next to his red string, "Plagg, transform me!" The poor kwami, who didn't have time to eat due to his laughter, was torn away from his block for cheese and was sucked up into the ring. His held back hair was immediately released into a messy bedhead, and the clothes he wore grew tight and taut around his arms and legs.

After the green lights died down and he was in his outfit, Chat Noir suddenly felt a surge of confidence. It filled him from the top of his head all the way down to the toes of his feet, and it tingled like a static shock. He finally felt free. Chat pulled out his silver staff, twirling it like a baton enthusiastically. "Now, where's my lady?" As soon as these words left his lips, a flash of red darted at the corner of his eye and he saw a familiar and assertive Ladybug swing by on her yo-yo outside of the window.

They locked gazes for the briefest of moments. Her crystal, blue eyes that always managed to see straight through him were peering straight into his own. Time froze between the two. Chat frowned. He knew those eyes. He thought this thought before. But from where? A strong tug from his red string pulled the poor cat forward, causing him lose his train of thought and trip over himself in the classroom. Luckily for him, for once he may add, the place was evacuated so no one would have to see that embarrassing moment.

A blare from his phone erupted, and he stood up quickly while shifting the baton so he could rest it against his ear, acting nonchalant. "Hey there, Bugaboo. What purr-fect timing! I was about to call and ask if you wanted to check out this nearby restaurant with me-."

"Not with the puns now, Chat! I saw you in the school, and now that you've arrived, can you come help me?" The annoyance in Ladybug's voice only caused him to find it very adorable. "I'm having a bit of trouble due to that ridiculous red string. We're a team, remember?"

Even though it was only a simple sentence which merely consisted of four words, they hit Chat Noir straight in the heart with a strong impact. The two of them were a team. Together. Chat's fingers tightly grasped his own string, knowing that the only person he wanted to see on the other end was the love of his life. Launching himself forward like a pole vaulter, he flew through an open window and rushed Ladybug's aid. Twirling the baton in the air, Chat Noir created a brief propeller that brought him gently to the ground.

Ladybug, being the amazing superhero she was, dodged an oncoming attack by performing a series of back flips before standing in her battle pose by his side. "Finally, you're here," She breathed a sigh of relief, "Now come on! Are you ready to fight?" Her pigtails shifted as a soft breeze blew through them, revealing the nape of her neck. A light scent of sugar hung around her, almost like freshly baked cookies. It reminded Chat of someone's bakery, but he couldn't focus on that now; there were more important matters at hand. Or, on his hand.

"Wait just a moment, my lady, I meow-st tell you something," He tried holding up his pinky finger for her to see, but sadly her emotions were solely set on the Akuma in front of them. She rushed to the sight, swinging her yo-yo to create momentum. Chat shook his head, taking his thoughts off the thread and ran right behind her.

☾ ☽

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug smiled as she released the white butterfly into the air. It fluttered away into the skies of Paris, and soon disappeared from their line of sight. Chat grinned at the smiling girl, burning the image into his memory so he couldn't possibly forget. She was simply the definition of perfection: the way she moved effortlessly in a fight, how she could make a flawless plan within a few seconds, and the way she would grin whenever they got the job done.

Perfection.

The two held out their fists and bumped them against each other, continuing their tradition every time they succeed in an Akuma attack. "Good job!" They said together in sync. A wave of warmth flooded his heart as this happened, allowing him to calm down after an exhausting yet exhilarating fight with his lady.

A small beep echoed in Ladybug's ear, reminding her that her transformation was about to wear off soon. "I'll have to leave now," She said while gently touching the piece of jewelry, "See you, Chat." Ladybug waved as she began to swing her yo-yo.

Chat quickly grabbed her arm, holding her back. She recoiled like a spring in surprise, and turned around with her eyes widening and full of question. Holding her arm, Chat realized how light and thin the superhero was by how his index and thumb could easily encircle her wrist. "But I need to explain something to you-!" He had no time, and all the citizens surrounding them for photos didn't make untangling the threads any easier. He had to tell her. They could've been fated together, and the moment he just earned was almost over.

She shook her head, and the earring began to beep again, "Next time, kitty. We'll talk over it over tonight's patrol. Right now, I've got to recharge and figure out who's been pulling me all over the city!" Soaring off into the sky, Ladybug took flight and disappeared over the rooftops of Paris.

Almost instantly, the string on Chat Noir's finger yanked him forward, and once again, the cat who was in desperate need of love nearly fell on his flawless model face. This time, it was witnessed by the people around him to contradict his earlier luck, and due to embarrassment he pushed himself away as far away from the scene as possible like a pole vaulter thanks to his helpful weapon. He traveled through the air with the wind stinging his cheeks.

He couldn't lose it now: the opportunity to talk with Ladybug once again and at the perfect time where not many people would be around. Would she be the one who was on the end of his string? Would he be able to learn of her identity?

But a somewhat worse thought entered his mind.

If they were to reveal their identities to each other, what if Ladybug knew who he was... And hated him?

Chat shook his head, completely enveloped in doubt. It had to be impossible. Back at the museum, Ladybug mentioned that she was older than five thousand years old; there's no possibly way that someone like her could know who he was. That didn't entirely settle down his questions, though. A beep came from his ring and a print disappeared from the green paw, reminding him that the transformation was beginning to wear down.

An idea hit him. In reality, it was a pigeon that decided to take him down while he was halfway into the sky and caused him to hold the world's loudest sneeze while falling to the concrete ground. He groaned, rubbed the back of his head which had slammed very uncomfortably against the floor and sat himself upright. As he looked around and tried to get a sense of his surroundings, he spotted a local bouquet shop with a couple purchasing one together. They seemed genuinely happy together, and his eyes wandered down to the red string connecting the two.

That's right, Chat Noir thought, Last Valentine's Day, I wasn't able to tell Ladybug my feelings. If our strings are connected, I could possibly do something to make up for it. He then decided to return home to the Agreste Mansion, which luckily wasn't too far, release his transformation (while ignoring Plagg's continuous complaints for a new longing for Swiss while his Camembert desires were undying), and walk back onto the streets without Nathalie or the Gorilla noticing anything. His footsteps were light as he tried to figure out what to get for her.

Plagg clung to his shoulder, moving up and down on the bumpy ride like a rollercoaster. "So you're gonna buy her a nice, romantic gift? Why not cheese? I'm sure she'll love it!" The kwami giggled, "I wish you gave me cheese on Valentine's day."

Adrien sighed, running his fingers through his blonde hair. "It's a week late. Would she still accept it?"

The black kwami's eyes grew with delight, and he flew up right into Adrien's face with enthusiasm, "So you're actually going to follow my advice for once and get her cheese?! Aw man, this has got to be the happiest day of my life!"

He immediately shoved Plagg under his white shirt, hoping no one noticed anything out of the blue. "No, Plagg. I'm going to ask someone else's ideas. You've recharged, right?"

Plagg's head popped out, shaking it wildly and obviously disappointed that Adrien didn't listen to him again, "If I say no, will I get more Camembert?" The word itself was enough to remind Adrien of the stench, causing him to gag as a reflex. He wondered if Ladybug's kwami ate anything near as disgusting as Plagg did.

"Get ready to go, Plagg," Adrien smiled while ignoring the comment and holding up his ring. He ran behind a building where no one would obviously go look. Plagg flew out his shirt, swirling into the ring as the transformation began again. As it finished, Chat tightly grasped his pole, preparing himself to take his leave.

"It's time to find a certain Princess that I know of."

---

thanks to multiedits for the lovely media art! it's so gorgeous that it makes me tear up TT-TT

sorry for the late valentine's day update, i was a bit overwhelmed with homework. hopefully i made it up to you with that cliffhanger.

xoxo,

arisa