You Will Never be a God

Ladybug needs better chapstick

It was at that time that Adrien ran.

He didn't know what he was doing, he just wanted an escape. He felt a strange guilt over Lila's death, telling himself there was something he could've... should've done to help her. Yet he didn't. He didn't even try. And that's why he felt guilt.

He didn't think he could handle school being canceled for another few days because of it either. He couldn't face his father. His overbearing, gaslighting father that robbed him of joy. A wretched man. He disgusted Adrien.

He wouldn't be able to attend Lila's funeral either. Not with that guilt. He couldn't face his classmates again, and certainly not her family. It's not like it really was his fault, but that guilt would always linger.

Marinette had worried him with her panic before the news of Lila came to them. She wanted to talk about something to him and he was unsure if they were thinking of the same thing. Did she want to apologize for her stalker behavior? Or was she still oblivious to it and wanted to "confess her love" to him? So of course, he avoided her too.

Adrien disappeared and in his place came Chat Noir. This was only temporary, or so he told himself. But little did he know, Chat Noir would be staying a lot longer than he anticipated.

The last person he wanted to see was Ladybug but really, she was the only person in this world he couldn't avoid.

"Chat!" He heard her voice. He had positioned himself over the ridge of a particular low building shaft under construction, hoping for quiet while on his patrol. But she found him. She always could.

"Ladybug," he responded as she stood next to where he crouched.

"I'm so glad I found you,"

"Is there a problem?"

"No... yes... no. Not really."

"What's that mean?" He rose a brow and shot her a teasing look.

"Just so much has been going on lately and I... ugh..." she sat down next to him, dangling her legs off the shaft.

"Are you ok?"

"Not really." It was at that moment he realized she had tears in her eyes. "I might have killed someone actually."

"You... you what?!"

"The more I think about it the more sure I am of it. It was my fault. I'm such... a horrible person." She tried wiping her tears though it was evident that after she'd started talking, the floodgates had opened.

"What are you talking about? Ladybug?" He looked at her with great concerned. He had subconsciously placed a hand on her back for comfort.

"Chat," she looked at him, tears now falling down her cheeks, "I... I need to tell you something. And you're going to get mad at me for it." She rubbed her eyes again. "I need to tell you my identity."

"I- wh-what?!" Chat felt his muscles tense up.

"I... we'll someone I know may have found out and I didn't mean for that to happen. My best friend found out too and I didn't want that either- and- I just think after all this, you need to know. What's the point in hiding anyways? Hawkmoth isn't even akumatizing people anymore."

"C-can we just take a step back for a moment-? You jumped from almost killing someone to wanting to reveal your identity really fast."

"I did kill someone. I think."

"What happened?"

"She... was a girl in my class. She's been akumatized a few times before so I should have known. I just... I've been really hard on her ever since I met her... I said things I shouldn't have said. I- I even abused my power as ladybug to humiliate her and I feel like such a child now!" Ladybug sniffled, hiding her face from Chat. "She killed herself yesterday. I walked in on her in the school bathroom and she was dying on the floor and I didn't know what to do. We were too late to save her."