Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chat Noir was sitting on the edge of the roof of the Grand Paris hotel, contemplating his miserable life. It was the dead of the night, well over midnight, as he gazed at the Parisian night skyline, without reason or aim other than trying to empty his mind from the loneliness he constantly felt the last few months.

It had been a little more than two years since his life changed for the worst yet again. The same summer that he and his friends graduated, was the same one that they defeated Hawkmoth. And as if a vail of misfortune followed him, his father was the one behind the mask.

Heartbroken and betrayed, he took it upon himself and draged him to the police, with the miraculous team collectively in a solemn mood. Ladybug was the first to break them the news that she was leaving for the US in the middle of August of the same summer.

He had begged her to stay, he had fallen to his knees and offered her the world. He even proclaimed his eternal love for her to no avail. Just a few days later, it was Marinette that broke her the same news, with her unable to look at him in the eyes.

That had been the finishing blow for him. And yet, everyone excepted him to continue smiling. He wasn't nicknamed Sunshine for naught after all. So he smiled. He smiled a happy for her smile, that didn't quite reach his eyes, as he bid her good bye. And from then on, he kept smiling with the same dead eyes that no one dared see because of his father.

Because Ladybug let them keep their miraculous and as Chat became the leader, she told him who they were beneath the mask. And he knew. He knew that they felt guilty for helping put Gabriel behind the bars.

Marinette, her learned a year ago, started dating Bruce Wayne, the multi-billionaire one. He met the guy once, when he went to Gotham for work and run to him and Marinette. They seemed happy and he thought that Bruce probably treated her right. And she wasn't the only one that moved on, because his advanced night vision spotted Ladybug kissing Batman at the very same city.

At least the company survived. It was now renamed to Agreste and like a workaholic, he drowned himself to it to forget his loneliness. As a byproduct, not only did the company dodged the worst, but it thrived once more. Still, despite cutting down his modeling, he was one of the most wanted bachelor of Paris, making it all the harder to find his other half.

They might all seem as a first world problems to most, and they might be, but his romantic heart and depressing thoughts wouldn't give a dime about it, and continue to torment him mercilessly.

"A little kitty on a roof... all alone... without his lady." me murmured unconsciously again and again, as he usually caught himself doing the last few months. He didn't know himself if it was a call for Ladybug, or for whoever was there to listen, but after the first few repeats of the incident, he stopped really caring.

Yet, this time something went deferently, because he eventually heard someone walking and opening the balcony door down below.

"Chat? What the hell are you doing here? And at such an hour!?" she demanded sleepily, rubbing her eyes slowly.

"Chloe... go back to sleep." he ordered weakly, dispiritedly. Wether it was dew to their guilt, or he slowly drove them away, or something else, They stopped really talk to each. With all of his friends, both in a costume and out.

And despite coming together when the police needed help from something unconventional that they couldn't handle, a rare event in and of itself, the others would leave quickly afterwards. only he would go out for patrol regularly nowadays, doing so whenever he had free time.

As such, it had been a while since he last talked to Chloe, in a costume or out. And he'd rather not start now, paradoxically preferring to gloat in his misery and loneliness. It didn't make a lot of sense, but when did it really?.

Chloe on the other hand just stood there, with crossed hands, signaling that she wasn't going to go anywhere. "Not gonna happen. I'm not going to go back to sleep and let a cat loiter my roof. Now as you already woke me up, start talking and hopefully we will get to sleep a little more tonight." she said adamantly.

Truth be told, she didn't really like him at the start. She saw him as just the silly sidekick that always got into trouble. But after Ladybug left, he changed. He became a lot more focused and serious. And despite throwing puns and trying to be silly now and then, his jolly actions didn't reach his eyes. That change had earned him her respect, as well as he sympathy for some reason.

Chat let go of a long sigh before he slid down from the roof to the balcony. "Just thinking about life is all." he answered half heartedly.

"And how is it treating you?" she inquiried, her hands falling to her side.

"Not really good..." he admitted, turn to the opposite of her and leaning on the railing. "I'm just really lonely these days." he continued gazing at the view from before.

Chloe joined him at the railing, looking him in his dead emerald eyes. "So there's no missus Noir?" she attempted a joke, earning a lifeless chuckle from him.

"I wish" he said, briefly remembering Ladybug and wondering what life they could have had together.

"Then why not go out there. I'm sure you could find someone." She advised, an advisor that she remembered Adrien giving her once years ago.

Chat, shaking his head and remembering his own advice, said, "I wish I could. I'm a public figure you see, I have to be careful with that. And when I could choose almost anyone I wanted because of what I could offer, you have to wonder whether the other's love is real, or just greed." he said, giving her clues about himself, and answering with the same comeback she gave him years ago.A real irony at how their sides got reversed now.

They both went back to looking at the Parisian night down below. The city seemed just as lively as ever, filled with its street lights and the many couples that somehow decided to take a walk at this ungodly hour. The City of Love they said, and yet he found nothing but pain there. If it wasn't for the company he would have left long ago.

"What about going back to your family?" she questioned without looking back at him. For some reason she hoped that his family would be better than hers, able to fill that void for him.

As if to crush her odd hope though, she caught him lightly shaking his head, throwing them back to their silent observation of the city below.

"Why...?" he asked at the void a few minutes late. "What did we do to deserve it, Chloe?" he continued, still looking forward, but her tone held an urgency that made her turn to him.

"Why did everyone leave me, Chloe?" he asked once again, as if he truly needed an answer that she didn't have, as he turned to her. And she finally saw him. A truly broken man that had every dream or ambition he ever had. That had lost the with to live and had been running on fumes for far to long, as his eyes let go of unending tears in their cry for someone, anyone.

And then he fell to his knees, his legs unable to hold him and his demons anymore. "What did I do!? Why did mother had to disappear!? Why did father had to forget me!? Why did Ladybug had to abandon me!? Why did Marinette had to leave!? Why!? Oh God why!?" He cried his thoughts for the world to hear, but it was just Chloe that did.

And she really wasn't good with emotional stuff, or how to support someone. Still, he approached his kneeling form and slowly took his head and cradled it to her chest. She didn't know if she did it right, or if it would even help, but it was they sometimes did at the dramas she secretly like to watch.

And she continued to do so for a long time afterwards. Even after his ring beeped the first time, or after it beeped the second. The only thing she said was "I get it. I don't know how deferent it is, but my mom... she... she doesn't care at all about me, half the time forgetting I even exist.It really had fucked up half my school life." she admitted. She remembered how mean she acted up until the end of middle school and how grateful she was for still forgiving her. Both the heroes and her classmates. Even if her mother's attitude didn't change

Chloe only tried to push him off at the fourth and final beeping, but he wouldn't budge, clutching at her as if for dear life. He was tired of hiding from everyone. He needed to open up to someone. And Chloe was a really good choice right now.

She waited with a baited breath as the five beeps of the final warning echoed and the green light filled the balcony. And understandably, she was shocked when she saw Adrien at Chat's place.

But then, with his pleading eyes trained at hers, he asked once more, "What did I do Chloe, to have everyone leave me?"

And she remembered that her childhood friend, her best friend and first and only ex-crush, was in pain and needed her help. After a little thought, and a few tears at the pain he hid all this time, under his smile, she pressed him to her once more, and said, "We were always together. From when we were babies. Even if we had deferent approaches to loss, we still had eachother. Me and you, against the world. We don't need anyone else. We can do it. We can be eachother's family." she offered hopefully. She didn't know if she still loved him, or if he loved her back, but that could come in time, and her heart soared when she saw his face.

His eyes had once again the glint of hope that they lost so long ago. He quickly rose to her level and taking hold of her face, he gave her a long kiss to her lips, sharing with her his new hopes and dreams that just started to sprout once more, for a new home, a new family.