Just Fine

Timing

"You what?" his voice rang over the phone.

He didn't know if he should be shocked or not. True, she was a superheroine, but she was also human. That's something people often forgot about them. They weren't perfect.

"I....I'll explain once you get....ugh...here." she hissed between her words, knowing it was going to be a pain to get anywhere.

Literally.

"Ok. On my way." He smiled to the blank screen, just in case she was looking at him through it.

He still couldn't see her face.

He quickly made his way through the city, following the directions illuminated on the little screen in his hands.

Ladybug was lucky that Chat had decided to patrol tonight.

It was strange how neither of them had planned to patrol, nor had they told each other when they did.

Yet it seemed to work out for both of them. Chat got to see Ladybug, for the first time in a couple of days. Which hadn't seemed like alot, But compared to getting used to seeing her every day, it was like years. And she needed his help at the moment, so it was a win-win.

He arrived quicker than expected.

He approached her, and he could have swore he saw her wince just before she saw him, and pretended she was fine.

He caught sight of her twisted and out of place ankle.

"Oh....." he cringed.

"I know....just....take me to....." She stopped.

She hadn't thought this through had she?

If he took her to the hospital, she would have to detransform there, and her identity would be revealed. But if she changed into Marinette now, it would be too.

"You need to go to the emergency room." he stated.

She knew that, of course she did.

"I.....I can't...." she realized, talking more to herself than anyone.

Well, eventually, she could go to the hospital, but not as Ladybug.

"What?" he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"You have to go to the hospital." he stated, already down to her level to pick her up.

She pressed her hands against his arm, just as he was reaching around her bacl, the other looping around her legs.

"I know chat. But if I go as Ladybug, I'll end up detransforming at the hospital." she paused, taking in his thoughtful expression.

"But if I go as ma-"

Shit.

"M-myself....then....you will know my identity." she quickly recovered, though it hadn't gone unnoticed by a certain blonde alley cat.

He secretly saved that slip up into a little file of Ladybug facts stored in his brain.

"I'll close my eyes." he offered.

He understood her, and he respected that she wanted to remain a secret. He didn't have to like her decision, just respect it.

It was a good thing to live by, though it wasn't always the most enjoyable.

"Okay." she sighed.

There was no point in arguing, considering she really had no other way to get off of this roof. Or to the hospital. She didn't even trust herself to swing away, since she knew she couldn't land it.

She let him scoop her up with ease, and watched as he barely even strained to carry her.

Had it always been this easy to carry her?

Chat had carried her before, or at least lifted her. It wasn't quite noticable, but she did feel slightly lighter. Something that a normal person wouldn't have noticed, be he had picked her up plenty of times.

Since Hawkmoth she must've lost a little weight.

She didn't know he had noticed, since she didn't show it.

She shivered a bit.

Say it's out of pain, but he could've swore she was cold. She was never cold in this kind of weather, even if it was a bit cool.

"How are you cold in weather like this?" He chuckled, looking at her with a bit of amusement in his eyes.

She was almost shocked that he had noticed the small movement.

"I don't know. Cold chill?" she chuckled slightly too.

But she did know. She knew why she was cold, and why she was so tired and weak, and lost.
But she was a good liar. She wasn't even honest with herself.

It had been what, about 2 weeks since the whole Adrien situation? She couldn't remember having a full meal.

This is good for me.

She knew it was a lie but she didn't care.

People will compliment my weight loss...

She knew that kind of thought was toxic, but she let it burn away at her mind anyways. She figured it was something to look forward to. She wouldn't let it get too far. She wasn't hungry with everything going on, so giving it a positive excuse would make her feel better.

She forgot about the pain in her foot, forgot that she was even Ladybug for a moment.

She wasn't sure who she was really. She knew her name, she knew her fake facade, and she knew how to act like everyone wanted her to.

But she didn't know herself. She didn't know who she used to be. Who she used to want to be. She only knew who she was becoming.

And the thought of it....didn't seem so scary anymore, not like it had that day in the cafeteria.

"I'll drop you off in the alleyway next to the hospital." Chat spoke.

His voice almost sounded foreign to her ears, which had been ringing with her own voice inside her head. She almost didn't hear him.

"Can you make it from there?" He furrowed his eyebrows in concern, though she could only see the creases it formed on her mask.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Once you drop me off I need you to leave, I don't want you to see me walk out of the alley." She had replied, but she sounded distant, her eyes wandering anywhere to escape looking at his.

He assumed she had pride, and didn't want him to see her in pain. It wasn't entirely untrue.

How could a few little white lies hurt anyone? She didn't have to burden him with anything anyways.

He nodded his head, and leaped carefully off of the roof, heading to the next one. It was such a familiar thing that felt so wrong. He felt wrong leaving Ladybug, injured in an alley.

He was her partner, and her injuries should be more important than some stupid secret identity.

He didn't understand why It mattered so much. Hawkmoth had been so quiet these days, he might as well have been dead.

Not that it would've been a problem.

Thinking about akumas made him realize how much he hated Hawkmoth. How could someone terrorize a whole city?? For Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous???

There was no way he would want it for a good reason, He was clearly selfish.

Ladybug let out a sigh, followed by an angry groan, as her eyes glued onto the scene below them.

Chat did the same once he saw it.

A civilian was being engulfed in a black and purple cloud, which meant two things.

Hawkmoth had sent out an akuma.

And Ladybug was in no place to fight.

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