Aventure Amoureuse

You sleepily roll over in your comfortable bed to snuggle with Chat Noir, but much to your dismay he isn't there. Instead you groggily wake up from the night before to a note on his pillow with a fresh red rose on top of it. You give your eyes a second to adjust as your vision is still a bit fuzzy from Chat's expensive wine. "Did I do something to piss Chat Noir off last night? Did he write me a Dear John/Jane letter?" you ask yourself as your vision clears and you grab the note and the rose. You smell the rose before you decide to read the letter in case it may say something unpleasant. The rose smells fresh and sweet and faintly like the Adrian cologne Chat Noir wears with a hint of camembert cheese.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay and have breakfast with you, but Hawk Moth sent another villain to attack Paris last night. By the time you read this everything should be fine, but Ladybug needed my help. Remember how I mentioned the festival coming soon? It's almost time for Bastille day this Saturday. It would be nice if you'd go with me to watch the fireworks before you go back to your country. Maybe I'll give you something special before you go. Don't worry, I'll see you before then too. We cats have a way of showing up when you least expect us. ;)

                                                                         With love,

                                                                                       Chatton🐾"

You smile while reading the letter delighted at it's contents. You're not sure what makes you happier: The fact that Chat Noir wants to take you to a festival, or the fact that he signed it with the pet name you like to call him. You take another deep whiff of the rose before sighing in contentment and falling backwards on the bed.

Just then you hear keys jingling outside of your door as the bolt unlocks and Jean pushes the breakfast cart into your room. "Good morning. You look like you slept well last night." the slim Frenchman says with a pleasant smile. "Yeah, you could say that." you say grinning and quickly hiding Chat's note. "A secret admirer? No wonder you're in such a pleasant mood." Jean says as he sets down your tray on the nightstand. "It's forbidden love actually. I'm kind of just borrowing them until I leave Paris." you explain to the butler as he raises an eyebrow in concern. "Love on loan isn't a wise idea. A borrowed heart is more easily broken." Jean says to you with a wisdom that's unsurprising for a man of his demeanor. "I won't break their heart. I'm trying to help them find true love." you explain. "I wasn't referring to their heart, I was referring to yours. How are you going to cope when you have to return this lent love?" he inquires. It almost annoyed you how smart Jean could be sometimes, but you knew he was only trying to help a friend. "I honestly didn't give it much thought, Jeano. I guess I can cry about it on the way home and stick my head in the oven when I get back to my apartment." you chuckle as you attempt to hide your emotions behind poor humor. Jean's face remains like granite, he doesn't even crack a smile. Instead he gives you a very serious look. "You're playing a dangerous game, my foreign friend. Hearts are not playthings. Paris can be a beautiful city for those in love, but it can shatter your heart just as quickly sometimes. You're playing with fire, don't be surprised if you get immolated." Jean tells you bluntly. "I'll cross that bridge when it comes I suppose, but I'm going to try. I made them a promise." you explain to the thin butler hoping he won't pry too deeply. "A promise? Or a fool's errand?" he asks you condescendingly. You don't respond to his question as you're slightly hurt and have a lot to ponder about Chat Noir, Ladybug, and a third wheel you see in the mirror looking back at you. "Don't say you weren't warned. Heartbreak is looming over your head like the sword of Damocles, and it's only a matter of time before it impales you upon your own vanity." Jean says heading towards the elevator to finish his rounds. "Normally I'd have a clever retort, but this time I'm drawing a blank. You've given me much to brood over." you tell the Frenchman before he leaves. He gives you a polite nod as the elevator doors silently close.

You spend the morning picking at your breakfast that you barely ate before breaking down in the shower. You let the steaming water wash your sorrows down the drain as Jean's warning burned in your mind like an inferno. He was right. How were you supposed to be able to give the man of your dreams to someone else? Your mind wouldn't be able to take it, and were pretty sure Paris wasn't known for their pleasant mental health facilities. You had options. You could leave Chat Noir and focus on matching him up with Ladybug. You could greedily try to keep him for yourself, at the risk of knowing his heart didn't belong to you. You could do a swan dive off the balcony taking yourself out of the equation. Or you could continue to enjoy it and lie to yourself some more. Your head was swimming. You needed some air and a stiff drink.