"Wait!" Chat yelled as he grabbed for Ladybug's arm before she could dash off. "Aren't you tired of all this?"
Ladybug looked up at him a bit confused. "What are you talking about Chat?"
"This! The constant running off right after a battle, the secrets of who we are, all of it!" If Ladybug wasn't going mad over the secrets, Chat Noir surely was. He would constantly wonder who his partner really was that it would sometimes keep him up at night. He wanted to know who this girl who has stolen his heart and been his biggest supporter really was behind the red and black polka-dot mask.
Ladybug was scared and confused about what had come over her partner. "Chat we talked about this." She spoke out, upset that her voice wasn't as steady as she would like it to be. They both only had less than three minutes left of their transformation and Ladybug was not ready for what Chat was asking her to do. "Please let me go."
Chat looked at his grip on her wrist, knowing that he should let her go to respect her wishes. But his desperation kept him from doing so. "What if we already know each other?"
"What if we don't?" Ladybug said as she looked down so she couldn't see the expression on Chat's face.
"Then we get to know each other better. Please, don't you want to know too?" Chat pleaded as he knelt down slightly to look in her eyes.
"Chat, we already talked about this." Ladybug repeated. She then heard her earrings and then Chat's ring beep. Two minutes left now. "Please let me go."
"But I love you." Chat blurted out suddenly when Ladybug tried to pull away. "I've loved you ever since I first met you and I'm going insane just wondering who you are. I want to be able to be with you with and without the mask on."
This was news to her. Ladybug had always just thought Chat's flirting was part of his personality and a way to tease her. She tried to think of a new way of handling this situation since true feelings were involved. "I, I didn't know that." Every possible response she thought of didn't seem to exactly work out when she played them in her head, but she knew she had to handle this lightly. "Look Chat, I'm flattered, but… I already have someone I like and-."
"I don't care about that." Chat interrupted. It did hurt a bit when he heard her say that and he did care, but knowing the truth was more important to him than anything else at the moment. "I'll be fine if we're just friends. It's just I'm tired of the secrets and I know I can't be the only one."
Ladybug thought for a moment. "I do wonder now and then, but then I remember that we agreed to keep our real identities a secret."
"I know you really care about that, but we've known each other for over a year now. I don't know if I can wonder any longer."
Both their miraculous jewels beeped again. One minute.
"I'm sorry you feel this way, but I just…" The words couldn't come to her and her mind eventually went blank.
"You just what?" Chat asked after waiting for her to continue.
Ladybug tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to her. "I don't know." She has no idea what to feel anymore. Part of her wanted to run, and another part wanted to see how this ended. But all in all, she was completely scared of whatever she decided to do in the end.
Chat could feel his partner tremble a bit. He looked into her eyes again. "I'm scared too." He didn't know how this was going to turn out either, but he was ready to take the leap and willing to support the amazing girl in front of him through all her worries.
Ladybug thought for a moment and finally found what she was truly afraid of. "I don't want to ruin what we already have."
"Me either, but I'm willing to work through any issues we have after this." Chat let go of Ladybug's wrist and let it drop to her side. "But, I'll let you choose whether you want to take the leap or not."
Now was her chance to run and hide before her time ran out. Then why weren't her legs moving. Maybe she was ready to finally do this, or at least happy that he was offering to help her though whatever happens. Either way, her miraculous gave its final signal and it was too late to go back.
