He Saved Me

Chapter Three

Chat Noir almost completely ignored Ladybug the entire battle. They worked together and all, but as soon as the battle was over, Chat Noir left without saying a single word. He even left before their annual "pound it!".

Ladybug didn't blame him, though. She knew it was a lot to ask of him but she was only doing it to protect him. She knew it was best for him and that being in love with her could only complicate things more than they needed to be. Hopefully soon, he'd realize why she's asking him to do it and possibly forgive her. In the meantime, Ladybug's going to have to fight alongside Chat Noir, even in his pouting stage.

She made it back to her room reclined on her bed, forgetting that Chat Noir promised he'd meet up with her after the battle. The tap on her trapdoor almost made her jump out of her skin. When she looked up, she saw those electric green eyes once again glancing down at her.

Marinette stood up on her bed and unlocked the trapdoor to allow Chat Noir through. Once he got down, she gestured him to follow her down the ladder so that they were on the floor.

"As promised, your knight in shining armor is here", Chat Noir bowed jokingly.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Hm, I don't think so."

"Oh, yeah. You're the princess that needs saving and I'm your knight in shining armor. You're welcome", Chat Noir smiled. 

"Hah, you wish", Marinette joked, folding her arms.

Chat Noir's playful mood seemed to fade into seriousness. "Anyways, I wanted to check up on you. I know how stressful it can be to not know when or where these akumas will strike again. I can tell it has you anxious."

Marinette didn't respond. She agreed, it was stressful. But she also happened to be her own superhero.

"If you'd like, I can check up on you often and keep you company if it helps. You don't have to go through this alone", Chat Noir placed a reassuring hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"Thank you, Chat. That means a lot", Marinette smiled. Although the feeling of Chat Noir being here all the time with her didn't sit right with her. He's probably already suspicious of the fact that Ladybug shows up late to every akumatization nowadays.

"So, would you like me to stay longer or are you okay for now?" 

"Chat Noir was really thinking of staying longer? It's like 2am!" Marinette thought to herself.  "No, I'm okay. You can go home, now. Thanks." She led him back up to the trap door and they went onto the balcony together.

Before Chat lifted off, he turned back around to face Marinette. "So, if you're not my princess, then you can be my damsel in distress", he playfully teased.

"I think I prefer princess if those are my only two options", Marinette responded.

"Alrighty, then. Goodnight, Princess!" Chat Noir called out as he lifted off of his baton.

Marinette rolled her eyes and giggled to herself. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to keep saving her all the time. If only she knew why all these akumatizations had been targeting her specifically...

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A week has passed with no akumatizations. It was weird since they were happening almost back to back and now suddenly stopped. Marinette felt relieved and terrified at the same time. Either they had given up or they were planning something bigger.

But had Marinette really done something to anger Shadowmoth? Why all of a sudden did he just start attacking her?

The only thing that racked Marinette's brain was the possibility of Shadowmoth knowing her identity and trying to prove it by distracting her so she couldn't transform. That's the only explanation she could come up with.