Title: Never Broken

Summary: He was flying, drunk on the freedom that came with being Chat Noir, and Ladybug a red blur beside him. He whooped as he leapt over the rooftops, his worries disappearing with the wind-

"Do you want to have sex?"

"WHAT?!"

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.

He was flying.

Chat whooped as he leaped over another roof, Ladybug a red blur in his peripherals. Chat threw his arms out, grinning as his heart pounded in time with the wind beating against his ears.

Now this is true freedom…

His descent began too soon and Chat opened his eyes as he fell to the roof and ducked into a smooth roll upon landing. He noticed that Ladybug was a roof behind him and he leapt again, beaming at her as she swung across a different building to pull up aside him.

The two superheroes ran side by side over tiled rooftops, the sparkling city at their feet, and Chat's heart soared with elation as the rushing wind and his burning muscles swept away all of his worries for the night.

No family appearances to uphold.

No questions he didn't understand.

Nothing - absolutely nothing - to make him feel like an outcast.

No, he thought, smiling into the wind, just me, my partner, and all the freedom I could want at my fingertips…

"Do you wanna have sex?"

Chat choked and his foot caught on a gutter. He spiraled through the air, ears pounding and throat closed and oh god could an akuma attack right now please?

"What?"

"CHAT!"

Huh that roof looks a little close, he thought distantly, barely registering that he was hurling to the ground head first.

It took every bit of his cat instincts to get his feet under him in time for his landing, just barely managing to absorb most of the impact through his legs as he tumbled and skidded to a stop.

"Do you wanna have sex?"

Chat choked down the bile rising in his throat and rolled onto his elbows. A dull throb echoed in his shoulder and his knees stung but Chat couldn't register the pain through the question echoing in his head.

"Do you wanna have sex?"

A red blur streaked towards him, abruptly solidifying into Ladybug as she skidded across the roof to him with panic in her eyes.

"Do you wanna have-"

Please dear god, send an akuma now.

He sputtered as Ladybug dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands fluttering over him as bright blue eyes frantically inspected every inch of him. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt? Why di-mrphm."

Chat clamped his hand over her mouth to stop the flood of questions, frantically shaking his head as he tried to think past the blur of panic muddling his head. "Did you-" His voice cracked and Chat coughed, his chest squeezing and making it hard to breathe. "Did you just you just ask me to have sex with you?" he squeaked.

Say no say no say no please say no-

Ladybug's eyes bugged out from behind her mask and what little he could see of her face paled. She scuttled away from him, ripping his hand away from her mouth and whipping her head from side-to-side. "No!"

Silence fell and Ladybug's chest heaved as they gaped at each other. Ladybug abruptly tensed and her eyes somehow widened even further. "Oh my god, I did," she whispered, horror lacing her tone. She froze again, almost appearing to be in a trance, and Chat squeaked out a cough as the silence became oppressive.

Ladybug snapped to attention. "I didn't mean it like that!" She groaned and dropped her head into her hands, increasingly frantic words pouring out of her as Chat just stared, his heart still pounding in his ears. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking and I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind-"

Ladybug choked, her nose crinkling, and shook her head.

"You-" Chat winced at his hoarse voice and licked his lips. "You were thinking about...sex? And...me?!"

...why?

Ladybug flinched and shook her head again. "No! Not really! It's just...it's just…" Ladybug groaned and Chat's ears twitched at the annoyance that seeped through.

"My best friend has a new girlfriend and they apparently like to touch each others boobs now but why?" Ladybug huffed and pouted at Chat as her frustration got the better of her. "I like guys and girls as much as the next person but I don't want to ever see anyone naked, much less touch them naked. And it's not just my friend! I hear some of my classmates talking about that kind of stuff and yeah, sure, kissing doesn't sound that bad but then they start talking about tongues and ew and why would I ever want to do any of that with anyone I'm so confu-"

Relief crashed against him in waves with every word and Chat couldn't help the strained laugh that bubbled out of his as he slumped back onto his elbows, dizzy as his dread vanished and left him afloat. "Oh thank god," he said, his pitch low with his relief.

Ladybug's jaw snapped shut with an audible click and he could see her swallow back her words. She shifted on her knees, her arms coming up to cross over her chest. Her bangs slipped over her ears, her eyes becoming shadowed as she shrunk in on herself. "Wha-what do you mean by that?"

Memories of fencing practice popped into his head and Chat wrinkled his nose. "Have you ever been in a boy's locker room? The loud ones never shut up about who they kissed or who they fucked. The rude ones even demand everyone else talk about their sex lives." Chat's lip curled and he shook his head to get rid of the memories of earlier that afternoon, ducking his head to watch his feet fidget as butterflies whirled in his stomach. "I don't get why people like or even want that kind of stuff but everyone looks at me funny when I say that."

Chat peeked up from under his fringe. Ladybug's arms had fallen from their defensive position and she gaped at him. "You mean…" She gulped and tugged on a pigtail. "You feel the same way I do?"

Chat's breath hitched. He swallowed and pursed his lips, mulling over her words as he tried to think up an explanation. "I think so?" Ladybug's brow pinched and he scratched the back of his head as he offered her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but I don't know how to describe how I feel about…" 'Sex' stuck on his tongue and Chat gulped. "Stuff. I just...don't want it? I think?"

Ladybug slumped back with a pout and drew her knees up to her chest. "I have crushes on guys and girls all the time," she admitted, vulnerability flickering across her face as she hugged her knees. "I wanna spend time with them because they're sweet and amazing and I wanna cuddle with them and talk to them through the night and maybe even occasionally kiss them but...but…"

She trailed off, her brow pinched and her cheeks puffed out as she glared at her knees. Chat waited a few seconds for her to continue but Ladybug's glare just grew darker. "But that's all you want to do with them? Nothing else?" he offered.

Ladybug hmphed and Chat couldn't hold back his smile. "Yes? But no?" Her nostrils flared and she rest her chin on her knees in a sulk. "My feelings seem so small when you say it like that but I guess that's what I mean?"

Chat drummed his fingers on the rooftop and let his head fall back. He stared up at the night sky, the bright light pollution surprisingly soothing as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I...I don't really know how to describe it either," he admitted. "I've seen movies. Like, romance movies. I like the kid ones better. I want that type of love but now I see sex everywhere and I can't find anything for our age without it and it just seems...exhausting? And gross?" Chat wrinkled his nose, his claws clacking on the roof tiles. "It's just...people keep talking about wanting 'more' and I don't get what they mean by that and-" he blew out a frustrated breath, his claws going clack clack clackclackclack on the tiles.

"I don't want this supposed 'more' but then people act like my feelings aren't as valid. And that's just...it's just wrong." Chat scowled at a pigeon flying overhead. "I know what I'm feeling and it's not less just because I'm not interested in sex."

"Yeah…"

Chat looked back at Ladybug. She was nibbling on her lip, her head tilted down as she lost herself in her head. Her eyes glistened in the dim night light, making her look even more vulnerable, and Chat had the sudden urge to crawl over and give her a hug.

Ladybug stiffened and her eyes flashed back to his. "You really feel that way?"

Chat stomped down the brief flash of annoyance at the familiar question. "Yeah. I don't get the appeal of sex or kissing or-" he grimaced and made air quotes- "'hot bods'."

Why'd Nino even say it like that?

Ladybug sniffed and Chat snapped his head back around, panic flickering. Ladybug wasn't crying but the rims of her eyes were red as she offered him a watery smile before ducking her head back in the crest created by her knees. "I'm not broken…"

He wasn't supposed to hear that. He wouldn't have heard it if not for his suit-enhanced senses. But he did and the awe in the words felt like a stake in his heart.

"What."

Ladybug stiffened and her bright, watery eyes peeked over her knees before she ducked her head again and curled up tighter. Chat stared at her small form with his jaw on his chest, mind scrambling as he tried to comprehend Ladybug and 'broken' being in the same sentence.

Why would she…

Chat shook his head. Not now dumbass. He willed himself to crawl over and crouch in front of her. He hesitantly placed his hands on her shoulders, iron bands squeezing his heart when he felt her trembling underneath his palms. "Did someone call you…" 'Broken' sat heavy on his tongue, the sheer impossibility of it making his throat close up. "Did someone say that to you?"

Ladybug didn't say anything but, she didn't need to. Her trembling underneath his palms spoke volumes. She fell against his chest and Chat didn't hesitate to wrap her in a hug. He squeezed her shoulders, his heart stuttering when he felt her nod against his chest.

He couldn't stop the growl that erupted from him. Ladybug jerked back so that she could face him, her eyes wide and watery and still looking as though she wanted to hide from the world for a week.

Chat had the sudden urge to go punch down a wall.

Or maybe ten.

Ladybug's hesitantly raised her hand, her fingertips ghosting his cheek. "Chat?"

Chat took a deep breath and slowly unclenched his jaw. "Ladybug," he said, unwrapping his arms so that he could cradle her face. He looked her in the eye, careful not to clench his fists as her red rimmed eyes met his. "The next time you see that asshole, break their nose."

Ladybug giggled. A hiccup cut it short but Chat beamed at her, his heart soaring when her lips twitched in response. "I don't think my parents would appreciate me getting suspended from school for punching Ch-her."

Chat snorted. "She'd deserve it. You're one of my best friends and wonderful, she never should've called you that. No one should ever be allowed to tell someone they're-" he choked and shoved the word to the back of his mind- "...you know, and get away with it."

Ladybug gave him a watery chuckle and shook her head. "The girl...the girl who said it...she's not nice. I don't like her. But…"

Ladybug ducked her head. Chat held back his sneeze as he hair tickled his nose, his ears perked as he held her close.

"She...she wasn't trying to be mean. She had just overheard something I said and then she was like 'well everyone else feels the same way so you're just weird or broken' and she didn't even mean anything mean by it for once, she was just confused. And...well…"

Ladybug looked up at him, her eyes huge and watery and shit he never wanted her to look like this ever again.

A tear streamed down Ladybug's cheek. "When it's said like that and no one else feels the same way...well, it's kinda hard to think they're wrong."

Something spiked through his heart and Chat adamantly shook his head. "No. You're not broken. No."

"Chat…"

Chat's ears drooped at Ladybug's weak, disbelieving smile and he shook his head again as he cupped her cheeks. "No. You're not broken. You don't need fixing. Never. You are perfect and wonderful just the way you are, who cares if you don't want sex, you're not broken."

Her lips twitched before her whole face slid into a blank mask as her eyes flicked over his face. Chat blinked at the change, his brow pinching in concern until her cheeks split in a huge smile - the first real one that night, he realized with a jolt - and she lunged forward to bury her face in his chest as her arms wound around his waist.

"Chat...Chat…" Ladybug looked up from his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks and looking so damn happy he swore he fell in love with her all over again.

"Thank you," she said, her voice thick with some emotion he couldn't identify. "Thank you...I just…" She laughed, a new wave of tears spilling down her cheeks as she buried her face in his chest again. "You're amazing."

Chat's heart stuttered painfully as Ladybug sobbed happily into his chest. He wasn't quite sure what he did, but as Ladybug pulled away beaming, he was just happy he had. He froze again as Ladybug cupped his cheeks, her smile never wavering.

"You know what this means yeah?" Ladybug's thumbs brushed over his cheekbones and Chat really, really hoped she couldn't feel his cheeks heat up. "If you feel the same way I do, then we're not alone in our feelings! So, I'm not broken, and you're not broken-"

Well now that's debatable.

"-we're not broken," Ladybug finished with a laugh, looking so inexplicably free and happy and Chat wanted so badly to feel the same.

Ladybug's laugh trailed off, her eyes huge and wet as she stared up at him with a grin still stretching her cheeks. "Right Chat?"

Chat closed his eyes and bowed his head until his forehead rested gently against hers. Her breath fanned his cheeks, her palms still warm against his jaw as her fingers stayed cupped on his face, and Chat soaked up every bit of hope and happiness she had to offer.

It felt like a promise.

He grinned as he answered, "Never broken."

AN: I was originally gonna just keep all my ml stuff over on AO3 but this site can always use more ace superheroes. I like sin fics as much as anyone but ace!ladynoir is so cute? Plus them reaffirming each other's feelings like yes pls? I just really love the idea of these two as ace and it's taken over my life to the point where now I'm gonna write the ridiculously long slow burn ace ladynoir fic bc I can.

Also, I do want to stress that I don't mean anything against sex-favorable people when Marinette and Adrien talk about how they don't find sex appealing. It's nothing against anyone but trying to puzzle out the appeal of it-esp when the other person is ace af as well (not to mention also sex-averted)- it gets confusing quick and that frustration leaks through in their conversation.

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