I Can't Lose You ~ A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

3 - Is it Love?

Chat was incredibly worried for Marinette. He still had no idea of what this akuma was capable of so for all he knew, she could fall into an eternal sleep or turn into a frog or-

No. He needed to stop thinking like that. Now he needed to find Ladybug and fix it. Then his friends would be okay. He followed Ladybug in her efforts to follow the akuma, but it was to no avail.

"My Lady I saw the akuma heading near the Eiffel Tower. If we hurry we can beat her there." Ladybug almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Chat landing next to her. God she was so DRAINED. She hated feeling so weak. She was easily surprised when she was tired.

"Right. Right. Uhm...yeah let's go," she said as she composed herself.

"You sure you can do this LB?" Chat asked with the most kitten-like look in his eyes. God why was he so cute when he did that. WAIT NO. ugh. Ladybug cursed herself internally.

"Yeah I'm fine let's just go." With that, Ladybug forced her feet off the ground and toward the akuma. This was gonna be f u n.

~~~

Ladybug's reflexes were at least 5 times slower than usual. She would have to manage like this. She needed to get used to it fast before she gets hurt, or before anyone else gets hurt.

"M'LADY I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE THINKING OF A PLAN BUT COULD YOU GIVE THIS ALLEY CAT A PAW?! I'M NOT EXACTLY BULLETPROOF... or light..beam..proof??" Chat mumbled the last part. He couldn't land any hits because every second he spent dodging hits. Ladybug looked at him with her weak eyes, but as she saw how close the akuma was to landing a hit on him, the adrenaline kicked in and Ladybug timed her attack just right. With a swift swing of her yoyo, she knocked the akuma off balance and ran toward Chat. With grace, she picked him up and landed them safely onto the nearest rooftop, just out of the akuma's line of view.

Ladybug's head began to spin.

"Thanks bugaboo that could have been a cat-tastrophe," Chat smiled. When she didn't answer with her usual sigh or groan, he stared at her blankly, analyzing her face for any sort of reaction. All he saw was weakness.

"M'lady are you okay? Are you sick? Do you want to sit this one out-"

"Oh my God Chat would you stop asking!? I'm fine! Besides how can I sit this one out?!" She snapped at him. "This is one of the worst akuma's we've come across and you're asking me to sit it out?! You are incapable of accomplishing anything without me, let alone this!" Ladybug immediately covered her mouth in shock of what she just said. Tears began to form in her eyes. She had forgotten that she usually says things she regrets when she's tired.

Chat took a step back as if he had been shot with her words. His ears drooped as if they had become ragdolls, and he quietly dropped his head and turned around to head off for the akuma without another word. He hoped she didn't mean that. She was probably just tired but he couldn't help but feel truth in her words. Just thinking about that made him feel worthless and hurt.

"WAIT!" Ladybug cried. But he didnt turn around. She ran up to him and grabbed his hand from behind. "Stop! Please! I'm so sorry I didn't mean that!" Chat stopped in his tracks, unable to keep walking due to the desperation in her frail voice. "I'm so sorry Chat Noir I didn't mean that! You know I'm nothing without you right?! You're not worthless! You're so good at everything you do, you're sweet and funny and your lame jokes make me laugh. You always know how to make me smile and you're always there for me! You're an amazing person and I love yo-"

Damnnit Marinette. There she goes again saying things that she was going to regret. She covered her mouth again. Cursing herself internally. Did she really just say that?

Chat snapped his head around to face Ladybug. W h a t. Was she about to say what he thinks she was about to say? Dear God this escalated quickly.....

Her face was smeared with pure guilt. Tears emulated from her eyes. She opened her mouth to contradict what she had just said, but the words refused to leave her mouth. With that, Ladybug weakly fell to the ground, face in hands, gently crying. (AN: Jsyk the akuma is off somewhere else rn and no one can see them where they r) With droopy ears and a look of pity on his face, Chat slowly walked over to Ladybug, arms outstretched, bent down on his knees to reach her height, and pulled her in for a hug. They sat there for what felt like hours, but what turned out to be minutes.

"My Lady?" Chat questioned.

"Y-yes?" She replied.

"I-I really don't think we should do this one without help. What do ya say about heading home and getting a few helping paws." He asked with a smile.  Ladybug sat there for a minute longer before replying.

She let out a deep sigh. "Okay."

With that, Chat lifted his grip on her, stood up and outstretched a hand to help her up. She smiled and reached out her shaky hand to take his. He swore he saw her blush under her mask. It couldn't have just been her red mask. Maybe he just wanted to believe it. Ladybug didn't really love him, right?

Chat bent down and picked her up bridal style, and lept off the roof with the grace of a cat. Ladybug tightened her grip around his shoulders. She couldn't help but wonder, did she really mean that when she said she loved him? Had her alley cat really stolen her heart? Or was it just the heat of the moment and her lack of energy?