To Fall

Tall

One step.

Two step.

A step in the right direction. 

Left.

Right.

Keep your head forward. 

Up.

Down.

Stay centered on the task. 

In.

Out.

Breathe.

Chat fumbled with his tail as he stood on the roof, the moon high above reflecting off his suit. He was nervous. Ladybug had requested his presence, and he would be lying if he said that didn't terrify him. He knew she had no reason to care for him or his dilemma. He had done atrocious and inexcusable acts. He was a villain. He was a monster.

Monster.

That word ran through his head like a freight train, every thought pushed away to make room for the undeniable truth. He was a sentimonster, a literal monster. His hands clenched as the years ran through his mind. He could never say no once his master put force behind his words. He could never disobey what his master truly wanted. Chat shook as he thought of the silver ring on the man's finger, the key to his existence. His blood boiled as the implications prodded him. 

He had no free will.

True he could make his own choices and even tell his master no, yet all it took was one touch. One concrete demand from the man he used to call father would reduce him to a puppet, a means to a selfish end.

He had lashed out when Gabriel dropped the bomb, throwing anything in sight and standing over the tired man. He had screamed it wasn't true. He was a human, a human with free will and his own destiny. He was ready to slam his fist into Gabriel's face before the man smirked at him, a finger grazing the wedding band. 

He was ordered to sit. 

He sat. 

He was ordered to calm down and listen. 

He did just that. 

A thud jarred him from his memory, a glimpse of red catching his eye and his heart stopping. 

Ladybug.

She stared at him from a distance, arms crossed and stoic expression firmly set. He dropped his tail and slowly walked to her, eyes low and body tense. He didn't know what to expect, and she showed no signs of any emotion. She watched him as he stopped in front of her, never taking her eyes from him. He gulped and looked up into her eyes, trying to make himself small.

"Uh..Hey."

She gave him a nod and motioned for him to sit, dropping onto the roof and crossing her own legs. He followed suit, taking slow movements. She watched him get comfortable, Chat grunting in pain as he dropped down. He shot her a glare as she smirked at his discomfort, his eyes taking in the lack of injury on her.

"Aw. Did I hit you to hard kitty cat?"

He growled but let it go, reminding himself he had to play nice. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes and faced him, expression softening slightly. "We need to actually talk. No fighting. No threats. Just understanding." He nodded, expecting this after Plagg's little adventure. The cat had refused to tell him what he had said, Adrien not having the heart to order the god into spilling. 

He refused to order him.

Ladybug eyed him before speaking, her voice low. "I'll make you a deal." Chat looked at her, eyes narrowing. "Oh yeah?" She nodded and held her hand out, offering a handshake.