Even if the world was falling apart at that moment, Chat didn't think he could look away from the sight next to him. Of his Ladybug, in all of her astonishing glory. A mix of perfect, of pain, and of a bravery that sewed it all back together.

There was a world in her eyes.

She stared off into the distance, standing there like the world was on her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled, twisted, and shone with the hidden hardships that neither of them spoke of. An unspoken and exclaimed boudry that both could not cross if the masks stood on their faces.

More than anything, Chat wanted to. He wanted to see the beautiful girl behind the mask. Even if he knew the reason that Ladybug hesitated—the fear in her eyes, her confidence shattered for only a split second where fear gripped her very being—there was no way he couldn't find her any less bewitching.

"What are you thinking about, Ladybug?" he asked, sliding next to her.

He was so close their elbows touched. Such a little thing like that was enough to bomb is heart. It burst, slamming against his rib cage. The air was hard to breath, and truth be told, he thought it was a little embarrassing that only barely touching her could leave him so breathless. But he expected nothing less from his lady.

Ladybug shifted her eyes to the side. She didn't look directly at him first, instead she went straight to where their elbows touched before quickly blinking to look up at him. Her mouth parted as if she was about to speak, but something else caught her attention as she stared at him.

Not a word was spoken in the silence they stood in staring at the other. The wind whipped through the air, a slight breeze that crackled at the electricity in the air between them. It was cold and Chat could see the color start to perk up in her cheeks. Of course it was cold, it was late at night. The kind of late where time seems to be standing still, where the lights of the city sparkle like a million stars—a million mirrors that reflect the light all around them.

"About us," Ladybug said.

Her eyes looked away from him, but Chat noticed that her body stayed facing him. He also knew that he us she spoke of was only partners, but that didn't mean he couldn't secretly take it out of context. Because he never wanted to be just partners. It was something so much more that burned inside of him. That started a revolution that left him without a brain most of the time.

With one breath, his nerves were settling. His pace was coming back to him. He leaned forward, hands at his hips as he smirked.

"Finally curious about this hottie behind the mask?"

As expected, Ladybug rolled her eyes. She even shook her head. The blatant turndown, however, still left a smile on his face as he pulled back from her to stand tall. He looked out to the night, the twinkling city that Chat knew would become a chaotic mess in the morning and ruin the spell it had over both of them at the moment. It was Ladybug's voice that pulled him back.

"Maybe," she said, a whisper. "Just a little bit."

Chat's eyes widened. His heart stopped. Had he really just heard what he thought he did. She said it. She said it—the words that he wanted so badly to hear since the moment he fell in love with her and so much longer. Maybe it wasn't to the extent that he wanted to know about her, to have her wrapped in his arms, freely able to express his love to her in anyway that he wanted, but it was still something.

It was the beginning.

Perhaps, at the end of the day, all his hard work wasn't for nothing. The thought sent a smile creeping on his face. His eyes dropped as he looked at her innocence absorbed in him. For the moment, they were the only two in their world. And it was fine with him.

He took Ladybug's hand in his and bent down. She came down with him when he gestured for her to join him. When she did, he jumped behind her, pressing his back against her own. He placed his hand down on top of hers, entwining their fingers together, and let his head rest against hers as he closed his eyes to the heavens.

"The miraculous will deactivate in a few minutes," Ladybug said. "We should leave soon before then, Chat."

She squirmed in his touch for a moment. Chat gripped her fingers tighter.

"I still have a few minutes," he replied in a bit of a breathless voice, "and I want to spend every second of it with you, My Lady."

Chat couldn't see her face. He couldn't defer anything from her body because it was still against him. Just like any other time, he was sure she would reject him again, leaving him with a few words that would shake his how world as he could only stare at the image her back.

To his surprise, she flipped her hand over and held his, squeezing his hand just as tightly as he was holding hers. His eyes shot open when he felt her Miraculous transform her back. He shifted his head to the side, but before he could see her, he stopped himself. She trusted him. It felt like sandpaper against bricks as he turned his head back.

She trusted him and he wasn't about to break that trust. Because right now he was with her in a new way that he'd never been before. It was exhilarating and fun like a child in the midst of pulling a prank.

There was only two minutes left for him, and he was content to lose himself against him and her more than delectable scent.

He smiled as he let his eyes close once again.