It is just a throwaway pick-up line, like all the thousands that have come before it. But with her heart still freshly broken by Adrien's words, ("The girl I'm in love with…") Ladybug suddenly finds that she can't take it.

"Just stop it, will you?" she snaps, turning to shoot Chat a dirty look.

Chat jumps, his eyes wide. "My Lady?" he asks hesitantly.

Ladybug pinches the bridge of her nose, holding her hand out to stop him. "Just… what are you trying to accomplish here? What if I did return your feelings all of a sudden? Would it even matter?"

"Of course it would matter!" Chat exclaims, taking a step towards her.

"See, I don't think it would," Ladybug answers coldly, looking up. She doesn't quite know where her words are coming from, or why she keeps going despite the hurt already visible in Chat's eyes. But now that she's started, she can't stop herself. "You don't even know who I am, and I don't know who you are! What are you aiming for here? Do you want to go out on dates in our costumes? We can't even text each other unless we're transformed! What kind of relationship is that?"

Chat's ears droop until they lay almost flat against his hair. His eyes are downcast, his posture withdrawn. Ever so softly, he says, "I'm sure we would find a way."

"I can't even 'find a way' when I don't have to hide my identity," Ladybug snaps back, and it is supposed to sound bitter, but instead it just comes out sounding sad.

Chat watches her in silence for a moment, and something seems to be crawling underneath Ladybug's skin, filling her with a rising sense of unease.

"What?" she demands, taking a step back.

"Are you okay, my Lady?" Chat asks carefully, his eyes searching as his ears peak up warily. "It seems like this is less about me, and more about… something else."

All at once, Ladybug deflates, all of her energy seeming to rush out of her body at once. It isn't until she hears herself sniffle that she realises she's suddenly started crying.

She rubs her eyes, willing the tears away, but it doesn't seem to work.

"Oh, no, Bugaboo," Chat murmurs, and then she is pulled into a tight hug that smells vaguely of camembert.

"The boy," Ladybug says between sobs as she clings to Chat Noir, burying her head against his chest, tucking it just beneath his chin. "The boy I like, he's in love with someone else."

A soft rush of air is the only indication that Chat has let out a huff of a laugh. "I'm familiar with that feeling," he says, and his voice is warm, even though she feels like she deserved spite.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," Ladybug whispers after a long time of hugging, letting go of him to rub at her eyes. "It's not your fault."

"I forgive you," Chat says, a small lopsided smile on his face. He lays a hand on her shoulder and squeezes gently. "A bit of unfortunate timing on my part, I'm afraid."

"You couldn't have known," Ladybug says, looking down at her feet.

The words hang heavy between them with their truth. He couldn't have known, because he doesn't know her. And she doesn't know him.

"I hate this," Chat says, his voice soft. "I want to be your friend — I want to be more than your friend — but I don't even know when something is wrong."

"You know we can't reveal our identities," Ladybug says, and though she has always been more strict about that than he has been, her words sound hollow even to her.

"I know. But a kitty can dream," he says wistfully. "Twelve to sixteen hours a day, even!" he adds with a wink.

Ladybug snorts with laughter. "You know you're not a real cat, right?" she teases.

"I'm a human with cat benefits," Chat says proudly, puffing up his chest. "And one of these nine lives I will win over your heart, my lady."

Ladybug rolls her eyes. "In your many, many dreams."