Ladybug groaned, swinging her yo-yo around to combat Chat's baton. "Hey I know being evil is kind of your thing and all, but do you think you could like, not, for just a few days? I'm exhausted."
"And why exactly would I want to do that?" He asked, swinging his baton towards her head.
She rolled her eyes, and in one fluid motion, pulled his baton out of his arms and flung it off the side of the tower, "I haven't slept in like three days because I've been keeping up with your Akuma." He did the same with her yo-yo, forcing them to fight hand to hand. "I have three assignments due and this is not helping. Do you think you could give me a break, just this once?"
He tackled her, pinning her to the tower. For once, it seemed like he had won. Then he did the unspeakable. "Cataclysm."
Ladybug closed her eyes and waited for the feeling of death. She waited to dissolve into dust. She waited to be defeated, but that feeling never came.
When she opened her eyes, Chat had singlehandedly taken down the akumatized person and was holding the butterfly out to her. "This is a one time deal."
She blinked in disbelief, rubbing her eyes. "What?"
"Purify it. Get some sleep. But don't expect me to do anything like this ever again." Chat crossed his arms and glared at her, before mumbling to himself, "My father's going to kill me, might as well make it now."
"Bye bye little butterfly." She swung her yo-yo and purified the Akuma. Ladybug have a soft smile to Chat Noir. "Why?"
"What?"
"Why'd you help me?" She stared, waiting for an answer.
He chuckled. "Lets just say I have a hard time getting to 8am classes when my father sends out Akuma at two in the morning. This kitten needs his beauty sleep. I'm constantly falling asleep in class and... I just felt sorry for you, okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks."
"Just don't expect me to do this again." He crossed his arms. "You're my enemy, remember?"
Ladybug sighed, a tired sigh, and it broke his heart, not that he would ever let her know. "You were supposed to be my partner, Chaton."
"Maybe you're supposed to help me." His bottom lip trembled, eyes watering. "I just want my mother back."
She rolled her eyes. "Your mind games won't work on me, Kitty."
Chat smirked again, that playful smirk that made her wish they were friends. "I knew you were too smart for that buggaboo, but it doesn't hurt to try."
"You know," Ladybug looked at him, "I feel like in different circumstances we would be good friends."
"I don't have any friends."
"Please," She chuckled, "you probably have everyone falling at your feet. You were the most popular kid in school, the model student."
"Actually, I was homeschooled!" He interjected.
"Huh." She shrugged, "That explains your lack of personal space boundaries."
"Can I have your miraculous?"
"We've discussed this. I can't. I can't let someone who would terrorize Paris have that much power. I can't give away my miraculous to someone who could destroy that many things. The universe chose me to have this miraculous and I won't let anyone take it away from me."
"The universe chose me too. It gave me the miraculous of destruction so that I could fix my broken family. The universe chose me to fight you." He shrugged. "Like it or not Lady, that's how it is." He sat down on the edge of the tower.
"You and me are like yin and yang. Good and evil. Opposites. You can't have one without the other. We are supposed to be partners. That's what the universe chose us for." She sat next to him.
"Do you think I want to fight you?"
"Actually yeah, I kinda-"
"I don't! I hate this. It goes against the very core of my being. Every time an Akuma is sent out, I want nothing more than to stop it."
"I don't understand. You can help me."
"But I can't. My father would disown me, take away my miraculous. I'd lose the little bit of freedom that I have and I'd lose you."
"What do you mean? I thought we were chosen to be enemies by the universe or whatever." She tilted her head at him. "You don't have to fight me."
"If I don't fight you, someone else will."
"So let them. I'm not afraid of someone who sends his teenaged son out to fight me instead of facing me himself."
"I am." Chat looked away. "Because if he fights you, he won't hold back."
"Why do you care? Don't you want me to be defeated?"
"I'd rather Hawkmoth was defeated. You have no idea how I feel. I've always cared about you more than I should." He frowned, as if it was painful for him to admit. "I don't want you to get hurt. I really don't."
Ladybug looked at him. "Then what do you want?"
"I wish my family could be whole again. But my mom died. There's no coming back from that. My fathers fight is crazy and we can never reach his goal. But he won't stop until someone stops him. He won't see logic or reason. He just wants her."
"But you don't?"
"Shes been gone for four years. It's not worth the fight. I don't think I will ever get over losing her, but I know that she can't come back. Nothing like that comes without a price."
"What do you mean?"
"If he brings her back, he's going to lose me. The universe tends to have a terrible way of working against me at every turn."
"Well maybe the universe is right." She smiled gently at him.
He flinched. "What the hell LB. You want me to die? I thought you were like perfect and good and kind."
"No, not that at all." Ladybug chuckled. "I mean maybe this is the universe's way of telling you that you're making the wrong choices."
"You think the universe is telling me I should stop studying physics and become an underwear model?" Seeing her confused face, Chat mumbled, "long story."
"I think the universe is saying that you should stop fighting me." Ladybug replied softly.
"You really think so?"
"I do... Although," she looked up and down his body, "you're probably the right proportions to be a model."
He laughed, something she had never heard. "Thanks Bug. But I can't disobey my father."
"You can't disobey the universe either."
"I can try." He smirked.
"Or, you could try to do the right thing." She looked serious again.
"I." He paused, with inner turmoil and conflict. He wanted to help his Lady. He wanted to be the hero, but he couldn't. "Ill think about it."
...
The next Akuma wasn't for another week, and it was in the middle of the day.
"You know," Ladybug grunted, flipping and ducking to avoid the akuma's shots, "it's not much easier to get to a fight when I have to leave in the middle of class. That's not something I can easily explain."
"Just make excuses, that's what I always do." Chat wasn't exactly fighting her, but he wasn't helping either. He was just sitting on a nearby rooftop, watching.
"I can only ask to go to the bathroom so many times before it starts to get suspicious." She crushed the akumatized object and purified it, freeing the person from evil. "You, know?"
"Sorry for the inconvenience, let me make sure my rather schedules akuma specifically for times when you can fight them, how does early evening sound."
"Horrible." She joked back. "I have a job you know. I've missed too many shifts already."
"But we've established that mornings and middle of the night don't work for you. You really need to get a more flexible schedule."
"Or you could just stop sending Akuma."
"You know that's not up to me."
"It would be faster if you helped."
"You know I can't do that. The most I can do is nothing."
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
"Hmm Edmund Burke? Impressive quote " Chat shrugged. "Bold of you to assume that I'm a good man."
She shook her head. "See you soon Chat."
...
Three fights later, the Akuma had Ladybug nearly beaten.
She was tied by some sort of magical webbing, unable to escape. She'd already used her lucky charm and had five minutes till she transformed back... at least the akuma seemed to be taking it's time.
Maybe if she kept wiggling she would be able to free herself enough to reach the yo-yo. Then, she could-
"Cataclysm!" As everything around her crumbled to dust, she saw Chat Noir grab the akumatized object, a necklace, and hand it to her.
Ladybug broke it, and purified it, fixing all the disaster across Paris. "What happened to not helping me?"
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."he repeated back to her. "I don't want evil to triumph. I want you to."
She held out a fist. "Pound it."
He stared, confused. "What?"
"It's a fist bump. It means, like good job. Hit your hand against mine."
He did so and she smiled.
He smiled back, knowing that it was the right decision.
...
Six fights later, and Chat began to fight by her side every time.
"What happened to not helping me?" Ladybug joked.
"Maybe I forgot how to hate you and started to fall for you."
...
Another four fights and he admitted that they were better partners than they ever were enemies.
"Thanks Chat."
"You really shouldn't be thanking me."
"But I am."
...
Two fights later, all of Paris called him her partner.
...
Five fights later, they hugged and agreed to patrol together.
...
Following another three fights, they met every night, just to talk and snuggled on the rooftops.
...
Then they met up at night to make out, almost nightly escapes to kiss each other.
Chat felt what it felt like to be loved and Ladybug fell for the guy who she had sworn to never trust.
...
They trusted each other with their lives. The Akuma didn't stand a chance against Ladybug, not when she had Chat Noir backing her up.
After the most recent fight, where they both had nearly died, they declared their love, and decided to start officially dating.
...
Ladybug trusted Chat with her life.
Chat Noir loved Ladybug more than he had ever loved anyone.
But he still couldn't bring himself to destroy his father.
...
"I love you." Ladybug closed her eyes, and leaned in for a kiss.
"I know." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" She laughed, "you're the best partner I could ever have. You're so thoughtful and kind and, I love you."
"That's exactly why I'm sorry. I never thought it would go this far."
"What do you mean?"
"I was never supposed to get feelings for you." He started to let her hair.
"You were never supposed to help me either." She gave him a soft hug.
"Actually." He paused, placing his hands on her ears, "I was. Getting you to trust me was all his plan. Me loving you back, never was. I'm sorry."
She leaned into him. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Actually," He pulled her earrings out quickly, before she had time to react. "I have everything to be sorry for."
She glared at him, tears in her eyes as she detransformed into a weak, civilian girl. "How could you? I loved you."
"I know." He looked at her face, hiding his emotions. "I told you I would only help you that one time."
"God." She spat, "I hope your father is proud of you now."
He growled. "You. Don't. Know. Anything."
"Oh, really," she chuckled. "Cause it sounds like I know too much... Adrien."
He glared.
"I trusted you." She wiped tears from her eyes.
"I told you not to."