Chapter Text
Marinette has no clue how she got herself into this position. Actually, she kind of knows how. She just isn’t quite sure how it escalated so quickly. She drags her hands through her hair and bites back a groan. She should have paid more attention, or something. Maybe she should have told him the truth...She lets herself briefly think back to an earlier conversation,
“Princess,” comes a relieved sigh.
Marinette jumps and turns around to see Chat crossing her room quickly.
She flushes and has the decency to look ashamed, “Chat-I am so sorry for earlier. I should have been paying more attention and maybe been quicker. I’m so sorry, Chat! I know, I’ve said it before, but I truly am!”
Chat gathers her in his arms and crushes her to his chest tightly.
He kisses the top of her head and allows himself a few minutes to just hold her, “God, princess. You can’t do that! You have to stop endangering yourself, please.”
She flushes brightly, “I-I know, I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you getting hurt because of me and it just happened all so quickly.”
Chat cups her face and looks at her desperately, “I don’t care about what happens to me! I care about what happens to you! Do you even understand what would happen if something happened to you?”
He doesn’t give her a chance to respond, he only lowers his voice and looks at her scared and desperate, “Marinette, please don’t make me lose you too. I cannot lose you too, okay? I can’t handle that. You’re one of the few I have left. I don’t want to even imagine a world without you.”
Marinette freezes and reaches up and holds his face gently, “Oh, Chat, I-”
She doesn’t get to finish because her touch seems to waken him. He jumps away and seems to realize he’s said too much. He’s gone before she can tell him to stop. She stares where he was standing and for a moment she allows herself to think it was about her. For a moment she realizes that sounded scarily like a confess, but quickly shakes her head and shoves the thoughts out of her head. It’s never Marinette, always Ladybug. She’s just overreacting. She doesn’t see him much after that, as Marinette or Ladybug. He only seems to be around when necessary.. It’s about six weeks before he even shows up again to Marinette. It feels awfully close to what she’d imagine what a break up should feel like, not that she’d admit it.
Two weeks after he leaves she learns there are worse pains with Chat Noir.