My Kitty

25| Against All Odds

"Will I ever get to know who you are?" He said, his words rather a plead than a question. His tone of voice was the most vulnerable it has ever been. Her heart pounded within her chest, violent against her ribs.

"I..." she trailed off, silence settling over the atmosphere. The tension between them could be cut with the sharpest of knives, and it had her squirm with unease. She carefully placed her hand against the softness of his cheek. "One day." Giving him an apologetic smile was all she was capable of doing amidst his distress. "I'm so sorry, Chat Noir."

"I'm not Chat Noir right now!" He scowled, jolting away from her touch as if she scorched him. "I'm Adrien Agreste. Do you not accept me as that?"

"That—" A sigh passed her lips. It was useless to fight. Especially now that she realized how much she loved him, she didn't want to burden him any further. "Adrien..." She found herself tingling. The urge to kiss him was way too strong for her to subdue. And being Ladybug provided her the confidence she needed.

With the tips of her fingers, she gently placed them on his chin, and turned his face to meet hers. She propelled herself a bit higher, planting a sweet kiss to his lips. It was short. Extremely short, and she felt as if it'd done her emotions no good, only fueled her longing for him. When it came to him, she's always been greedy. And the momentary contact had her wishing for more. Pulling back, they locked eyes. "If you had millions of sides to you, I would accept each and every one."

"Ladybug..." He slightly backed away, averting his gaze. "Why do you keep doing this?" He'd barely just started moving on from her, and accepted his feelings for Marinette. Leading him on like this, then leaving him stranded. It all irked him.

"Because I care for you. I've realized..."

"You're too late." He shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "There's this girl I..."

Her earrings beeped once again, but she remained unmoving. "Who is it?" she asked, her entire body almost giving up on her. She knew the answer. And she hoped it was right.

"She's a classmate of mine. You won't know her."

"What if..." What if I was her? That's what she wanted to say. And nothing really could stop her anymore. She wouldn't have to give her miraculous away, since she was the guardian. Their enemy has come to his own demise. All the obstacles that had stopped her from revealing herself have each crumbled. But still, she wanted things to settle first. To make sure that everything went back to normal before they rushed into it.

Another beep rung through the air, and they both took note that only one dot remained. "Guess you really must 'bug out' then, huh?" He sounded so defeated, and all the liveliness he'd once carried was now all gone. She was used to him being cheerful that when such a drastic change took place, it made her blame herself to no end. She was the main source of his problems. And she was ashamed to know of it.

"Yeah..." Ladybug nodded, absent-minded. She contemplated being the bearer of bad news, and a shaky breath escaped her. "I can't bring myself to tell you this but... you should watch the news, Adrien. And... you're welcome to call me if you need any comfort. I'll always come to you." With no more words left to be spoken, she swung into the night; burdened and weighed down.

Against all odds, she was sure they were going to make it. Through everything and anything. Including their complicated love.

"I don't think so, m'lady," he whispered to himself, staring up at the darkened sky, "I've already got somebody else for that."