I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do. Side note: The Baker isn't Marinette's father. Don't worry.

I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.

GENERAL POV

"Cataclysm!"

Chat Noir flung his hand up in the air, letting the bouncing black orbs swirl around his hand and collect in the center of his pam, clenching his fist around them and making a leap for the gloves of The Baker, his lips curled in a snarl.

The Baker merely smirked and in a split second, before anyone could blink, his arm was wrapped around Ladybug's neck, his free hand pinning her to his body as she squirmed. Her yo yo tumbled from her fingers and hit the ground, rolling several feet away and clattering to a halt on the pavement.

Chat froze, stumbling and nearly going head over heels so that he wouldn't hit her. "Let her go," he growled.

The Baker chuckled deeply, his eyes flashing. "Not a chance, Chat Noir. And when I'm done with the two of you, all of Paris will burn."

Fire flickered to life in his eyes and Chat yelped as the building behind them spontaneously burst into flames, bathing them with heat.

"All this over one health violation?" Chat tried to joke, his voice sounding feeble to even him. "Come on, just let her go."

As The Baker cackled, Chat locked eyes with Ladybug, his heart thundering in his ears. Her gaze was pleading, tears gathering in her eyes, and Chat instinctively knew what she wanted him to do.

"No," he whispered, so softly that he wasn't sure she had heard.

Ladybug swallowed hard and struggled to move away from The Baker, but he clamped a firmer arm around her neck, making the hero gasp for air. The Baker's hands flickered with a soft flame and Ladybug squirmed, her eyes terrified as the heat licked at her face.

"Well, Chat Noir?" The Baker hissed. "You going down fighting? Or will you watch your Lady and your city burn?"

He looked at Ladybug through blurry eyes, not sure when he had started crying. "I love you," he told her desperately. He needed her to know that.

Ladybug nodded, a sad smile crossing her lips. "I love you too," she managed to choke out. "Take care of Tikki for me."

Chat's lower lip trembled as he turned back to The Baker, his eyes murderous. "No one is burning except you," he snarled.

Keeping his watery eyes away from Ladybug, he slammed his claws onto The Bakers arm, watching with growing horror as the crumbling sensation that always happened with his Cataclysm spread up the man's arm, straight to where he had his skin pressed against Ladybug's neck.

"NO!" The Baker screamed.

Chat forced himself to look at Ladybug, to see the complete fear in her eyes, but when he met her gaze all he could see was utter trust and love.

And then she was gone, The Baker was gone, crumbled to the ground and blown away as dust in the wind, nothing left but a tiny red and black kwami, too exhausted to even speak as he gathered her in his hands and sat her on his shoulder.

Something tightened in Chat's chest and he ripped the ring from his finger, very well aware of the fact that, despite having cleared the area earlier, Alya was there filming the whole thing on her phone. Very well aware of the fact that the entire city would now know who he was.

Very well aware of the fact that he had just killed the love of his life.

Adrien dropped hard to his knees and, with Plagg on one side of him and Tikki on the other, he howled.