Thank you all for clicking on my story! I hope I can live up to your expectations. Special thanks to klemira for her ASTOUNDING Beta work. This first chapter simply wouldn't be what it is today without her! And the quality of my writing has improved greatly with her help. Thank you!

I have had most of this story for almost a year now. I now know that if I don't start publishing it before the new season comes out, I'm just never going to have the guts to do so. So, before I can think better of it, here is the first chapter of When Scents Don't Make Sense!

. . . . . . .

When Scents Don't Make Sense

. . . . . . .

Chapter 1-

Ladybug vaulted from roof to roof, her feet barely touching shingles before she bounded off again. The sun hung lazily in the sky, making its slow descent towards the horizon. It wouldn't be long before night fell.

Thoughts of her garden on her rooftop balcony swirled in her mind. The little green stems poking out of her armada of egg cartons were finally big enough. She would need to replant them soon, maybe tonight. Ladybug smiled to herself as she moved above Paris.

A sudden shout of "My Lady!" pulled her sharply back to the present, her foot skittered on the clay tile beneath her. Unable to stop her momentum in time, her body pitched over the edge of the roof. Mid-fall, she effortlessly cast her yo-yo up to a chimney, and in one swing, she looped around back to the roof, only to land in Chat's conveniently waiting arms.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for me already?" Chat looked down and gave her a triumphant smirk just as a smell powerful enough to drop flies washed over her.

Ladybug immediately clamped a hand over her nose as she shoved the other straight into Chat's face, a very efficient distraction and effectively breaking his bridal hold on her. She skipped out of range before he could get his bearings, fanning the air. "Not a chance with you smelling like that." Her voice came out nasally with her blocked nose.

Chat fidgeted in place, glancing between her and his feet. "Is it really that bad?"

"It's a repellent! Jeez, you really stink! You always smell funny, but this is ridiculous. When was the last time you showered?" She inched farther away to emphasis her point.

"I always smell funny?" Chat's eyes went wide, "But I thought I hid it pretty well."

"Well, I thought you just didn't like to shower or something, so I never brought it up." She shrugged.

"I bathe everyday, my Lady." Chat replied hotly, looking like he wanted to stamp his foot. She could see a bit of red creeping out from under his mask. "It's not my fault I smell like this."

"Then who's fault is it?"

"My kwami's!" He finally exploded, throwing his arms in the air.

Ladybug furrowed her eyebrows. "You're kwami doesn't bathe?" Now that made no sense.

"What- No! Hygiene isn't the issue." Chat actually stamped his foot this time.

"Then what stinks?" She challenged, gesturing with her free hand.

"Cheese!"

"Huh?" Ladybug's mouth popped open in surprise. She stared blankly at Chat.

Chat sagged like a popped balloon, and sighed, "Yes, cheese. My kwami will eat nothing but Camembert. And it reeks. I hate it. I hate it more than anything, but I don't have a choice." Chat looked off to the side in embarrassment.

She snorted, but with her nose still clutched, it came out sounding strangled. "Really?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. "Who would want to eat that? It just smells like rotting eggs and sweaty feet to me."

"That's what I tell him! But he just says," Chat put both hands behind his back and adopted a haughty, lilting voice, that reminded Ladybug of Cloe's butler. "I don't expect you to understand the subtle nuances of the refined palate required to properly appreciate the finery that is Camembert. The aroma adds to its appeal, making this cheese more than a food; it is a work of art!" He ended his spiel with an exaggerated arm flourish, before returning to his own voice. "Because of his 'refined palate,'" he put up air quotes, "he won't eat anything but the stinkiest of cheeses, so I have to carry the stuff around everywhere. I can only hide the stink if people don't get too close!" He threw his arms up before crossing them in front of his chest in annoyance.

"Okay. So why do you smell so much worse today?"

He gave her tortured expression. "He found my emergency stash and ate the entire thing right before I got here."

"How much was that?"

"Five. Full. Wheels!" Chat's voice rose again as he continued, "How am I supposed to hide that much stink?! I tried laundry detergent, air fresheners, even cologne, but nothing worked! And now I stink worst of all in front of the one person I hoped wouldn't notice." Chat hid behind a gloved hand.

A snicker bubbled up in Ladybug's throat before she could suppress it. Chat was sulking. His outburst was unlike anything she had seen from him before. It was so out of character for the perpetually energetic and smug Chat Noir that she couldn't even try to hide her amusement.

"It's not funny," Chat grumbled glaring at the gravel roof beneath his boots. He kicked a small pebble, his face still half hidden.

"Really, Chat?" She smirked. This was hilarious.

"You don't get it. If people get too close, I have to tell them that I love cheese!" His hands knotted and clenched at his sides.

"So?" She raised an eyebrow.

"My best friend always gives me his cheese sticks and stuff, and I have to eat it! It's torture, and that's just one person! I hate cheese!" Chat turned and stalked to the edge of the roof to sit down and sulk.

She couldn't help it anymore. He was acting so childish, and it was just so ridiculous! Abandoning all attempts at containing it, Ladybug allowed her laughter to roll over the skyline, letting the hilarity wrack through her body.

"Oh, ha-ha," Chat grumbled. Ladybug attempted to sober up at his sardonic tone.

As funny as it was, Chat had a point. She would absolutely hate having to smell like cheese all the time, especially stinky cheese. It's a wonder he survived as long as he had; she could barely even handle being near him right now. As she smothered the last of her giggles, she took a deep breath and dove into the pungent cloud hanging around Chat. With effort, she managed to avoid gagging or clutching at her nose as she moved to sit down next to Mr. Droopy-Ears.

Dropping down next to him, Ladybug sat in companionable silence, waiting for him to let off steam on his own. He would tell her when he was ready. Ladybug focused on breathing through her mouth for several minutes, before her nose became bearably desensitized to the Chat's particular odor.

Ladybug was admiring the view of Paris sprawling out in front of her, when she wondered at how lucky she was she came to be here, on a rooftop, with an amazing friend at her side, even if he was little smelly. He was always there for her when she needed him, whether it be in the thick of an akuma attack or just sitting on a rooftop together. She couldn't ask for a better partner, so she'll take him, smell and all, gladly.

A few minutes later, Ladybug caught a glimpse of Chat with a smile on his face, contentedly basking in the sun's glow with his eyes closed. A light breeze tugged at her bangs, perfectly balancing out the gentle heat. The distant sounds of the bustling city echoed from below. She could hear the screech of playing children in some park to her left.

Chat took in a deep breath before he spoke, "I think it's going to rain tonight."

Ladybug laid back against the roof, considering the azure sky. "Really? I thought the rain would be over by now" she hummed. There wasn't anything on the forecast, but she would take Chat's word over the local news any day. "How can you always tell?"

He copied her and flopped back onto the roof watching the only wisp of a cloud float by. "I don't really know exactly, but my ears feel weird whenever a storm is coming."

"Which ones?"

"My ears, thank you very much," he turned pointing to his human ear. "Sort of like when you get on a plane and your ears pop."

"Good to know." Despite sounding nonchalant, Ladybug was grateful for her partner's uncanny weather sense. She definitely wouldn't replant her sprouts tonight. They wouldn't survive a downpour if she didn't take them inside. Her thoughts returned to her balcony and where she should put the plants for the night. Her desk? No, she needed it for homework she had to finish...

The sun had drifted lower in the sky, a few gossamer threads of clouds drifting overhead, when Chat broke the silence a second time. "What does your kwami eat?"

"Sweets," Ladybug chirped, sitting up again. "She likes cookies best." She swung her feet back and forth as she fondly thought about the little red squish-ball she loved.

"Lucky," Chat sighed.

"What did you expect? I am Lady Luck after all." She swept her hair back in a joking imitation of Chloe but couldn't hide her smile. "It's in the title."

"No fair," he whined good-naturedly. "You get all the perks. Why can't I get any of that?"

"Because you're annoying and smell like cheese."

"Hey!" He shoved her shoulder playfully. "I don't smell, it's my kwami that smells, and I guess, it just gets stronger when I transform."

"Really?" Ladybug's brows scrunched up in thought. "I never noticed anything like that when my kwami eats a lot of cookies."

Chat scooted closer with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Perhaps we should test that theory?" He waggled his eyebrows and offered a cheeky grin as he leaned in.

Aaaaaaaaand the regular Chat was back.

Oh well, the moment had been nice while it lasted, but this was definitely her cue. "Not a chance Tom Cat." Ladybug chided, she flicked his forehead away and stood, squinting at the sun's position above the horizon. "Anyway, if it's going to rain soon, we should call it a day." Chat opened his mouth to protest, but she plowed on over him. "There is something I need to do before it starts raining, and," she pointedly looked at sun nearing the horizon, "I'm running low on daylight."

A shadow fell on his face, and his shoulders sagged before Chat shook it off and stood. He grinned, flourishing a bow, "Nonsense. Sunshine follows you, my Lady."

Unsurprisingly, his scent wasn't the only thing that reeked. With a final roll of her eyes, she cast her yo-yo westward and swung into the distance. Just before he was completely out of sight, she saw his solitary form on the rooftop watching her go. She smiled. He really was a great friend. Only when she was well out of Chat's sight did she divert south to head home.

As always, Chat had been right. Dark, heavy clouds rolled in shortly after the sun disappeared. They dumped their entire load onto the unsuspecting city below. However, one girl fell asleep easily, comforted by the thrum of raindrops on her roof and the relief that all her plants were safely stowed inside. 'Thank you Chat.'

. . . . . . .

Thank you so much for reading it this far! Please let me know if you liked it. I'm doing the best I can, and every little bit of encouragement helps. Even just one word helps. I have a plan for this story, but actually finishing the writing for them is going to be hard. As a math person, I will have struggles, but I plan to finish this story to the end no matter what!

Bring on the flames! I want to get better as a writer, so any criticism is welcome. I can't fix an error I don't know exists. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make this story the best it can be. Thank you so much for reading!