Chapter 21: Revelations

~Marinette's P.O.V~

I threw out my arms out frantically in an effort to catch myself as I rolled uncontrollably down the side, my hair whipped crazily around my face making it even more difficult to gain my bearings. Before I got to the bottom I managed to roll onto my stomach to take up more surface space while digging my fingers into the slanted roofing tiles to slow my descent. Though I pressed against the tiles as hard as I could, the surface was so slick I couldn't stop my body from slipping towards the edge.

'Not good -not good- not good,' I kept repeating to myself, holding my breath as I neared the drop off.

Just as my legs began to slide off-, Chat Noir came flying over the edge and slid down the roof with his arm outstretched towards me.

"Take my hand!" He yelled.

I wordlessly threw my hand to him, grabbing onto his wrist.

As he worked to pull me back up, the whirring of the shield generator died down leaving the city in a startling silence. Chat and I looked up to the top of the dome where the beam sputtered out its last bit of energy to feed the shield. As the beam faded away, large sections of the shield began to thin and dissipate. The dome held for a moment longer before the entire shield burst outwards like a popping electric bubble, releasing a final blinding light that forced me to close my eyes.

The city was dark when I opened them again, but one by one the lights in the city turned on until every building in the vicinity was lit and for a brief moment of clarity, Paris was once more filled with lights.

I caught onto the sound of cheering somewhere off in the distance, but I didn't get to focus on it long as a strong gust of wind broke through the shield followed by a cold sheet of rain that was no longer being blocked by the barrier.

The rain pounded down on us and Chat clawed at the roof to gain an upper hand against the harsh elements but the added moisture proved too much as the tile became too slippery for either him or myself to get a good grip on. Realising he couldn't stop us from sliding down, he changed his approach. Letting go of the roof completely, he threw his arms around me and we went over the side of the building together.

We experienced free fall for only a few moments before Chat thrust his right hand over our heads and extended his staff into the walls on either sides of the street and we jolted to a stop in mid air.

The force of the stop jerked me out of Chats arms with ease and I would have fallen to the ground far below had he not been holding onto my wrist with an air tight lock. I let out an involuntary scream as the rough strain on my arm exacerbated my broken ribs and tore the delicate laceration on my shoulder sending a wave of excruciating pain throughout my body.

There was a loud wave of 'gasps' that filled the air, and it was at this time I noticed that the once empty streets were now filled with stream of people, all who had rushed outside their homes or businesses to ogle at the aftermath of the latest akuma attack. Their attention now focused on the two of us dangling over the street.

Camera lights flashed like crazy as people took pictures and everyone whipping out phones and various cameras to capture the event.

"Hold on!" Chat yelled down to me ignoring the commotion around us. I could clearly see his muscles straining as he began to pull me back up. "I've almost got you."

It was a gargantuan effort on Chats part, but he managed to pull me up high enough so I rested on his side, where he could hold me more easily before giving his muscles a chance to recover. I let out a sharp breath of relief as the release of pressure lessened the pain of my injured arm.

"Do you think you can make it up to the bar?" He grunted, through heavy breaths.

"I'll.. try.." I huffed, reaching my shaky hand to the bar.

I lifted my arm over my head to touch the metal, but as I reached I couldn't seem to get my muscles to move any higher. Holding my breath, I pushed myself trying to force my body to respond like it was supposed to-, but when my fingertips were mere inches away from the bar a sharp stab from my broken rib jabbed into my skin and I let out another cry as my arm dropped back to my side.

Even more gasps rose from below, a few people shouted words of encouragement, but they were lost in the noise of the crowd.

"I- I can't," I gasped through the blinding pain. "I can't grab it."

He bit his lip and I saw a moment of panic flash across his face before he composed his features. "Can you hold on to me so I can pull us up?" Chat asked instead.

I nodded my head in a weak response.

Pressing myself against his chest, I wrapped my arms under and around his back where I latched onto the top of his shoulder allowing him as much upper body movement as possible. Though my grip on him was secure, my arms felt so weak I knew I wouldn't be able to hold onto him for long.

With two arms, Chat was able to pull the two of us over of the bar far more easily and the crowd below us burst into applause as he quickly made it onto the bar and then to his feet.

He placed an arm behind my back to add extra support and my shaking fingers to slide down his back until my grip on him release completely, allowing him to carry me bridal style.

Not wasting time, he sprinted us across his extended staff in the opposite direction we came and the sound of cheering dimmed. Once we were over a solid roof once more, he didn't go very far. Stopping as soon as he was out of the eye of the people, he fell to his knees with exhaustion letting out a few groans as his muscles tried to release the tension undoubtedly due to the strain of the event.

I understood only too well how he felt.

My entire body ached in so many places the pain blurred into one confusing whole and I couldn't tell what part of me was in worse shape. What I was really worried about however, was how hard it had suddenly become to stay awake. As I felt the draw of sleep pulling on me I tried to focus solely on breathing but even this didn't seem to help as I could still feel myself flicker in and out of consciousness.

"Ladybug? Ladybug!?" Chat Noir yelled at me and I realised I had let my eyes close for a bit too long.

"Y-yes?…" I muttered in response, making a point to look up at him. His shoulders relaxed, and the crinkles in his forehead lessened once I responded to him.

"Why?" He asked, shaking his head down at me. "Why didn't you stay hidden?"

"You.. needed help…" My words came in short wheezes. "I..couldn't just sit back and watch..." My chest heaved and I leaned over to the side as I coughed more blood onto the ground.

Chats eyebrows rose in shock, then deepened, giving his face an intense look of worry. "Shhh I'm-, I'm sorry don't try to speak," he interjected, placing his hand on the back of my head to give me more support. "It's over, there's nothing we need to worry about."

"Profes-... D-Dr. Sanguine?"

"He's back to normal," he assured me, throwing a dirty glance in his general direction. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to kill him anyway."

"And the akuma?" I pried.

"It's right here," he reached behind his back revealing my red yo-yo.

"You got it," I huffed in disbelief, immense relief swept through me.

"No," he placed the smooth disc in my hand. "You did."

My hand closed around the yo-yo's smooth surface, then slowly I slid a single finger down the center of the sphere. The top opened to reveal a brilliant light and a bright white butterfly spilled out from the center. The purified akuma fluttered around our heads aimlessly and I parted my lips to wish it fare well-, when instead of flying away it fluttered back down to my chest and landed softly on the tip of my nose. I blinked a few times trying to focus my eyes on it-, when a final warning rang out of my miraculous.

The butterfly flitted away just as I lifted a hand to my ear and Chats ring let out another beep as well, announcing he had only a minute or more than I did before he transformed back and we shot each other knowing glances.

This was it. There was nowhere left for me to hide, no more excuses to give him. Whether or not I was ready, he was going to find out the truth. On one hand, I was relieved the charade had come to an end as it left me with a comforting sense of finality… but on the other hand, I was completely terrified. After tonight there was no going back.

"There's… a lot I should probably tell you," I gulped, not sure how I could even begin to explain myself.

"That, is an understatement," Chat huffed, then getting a good grasp on my body we rose off the ground. "But we'll make time for it later. Right now we need to get you help."

"There's something… you should probably know before that..." I said, gritting my teeth as he broke into a full out sprint. Every jerk sending a wave of pain through my body.

"Don't try to speak," he interjected, "You need to save your strength."

"I … n-need to tell you now," I gripped my ribs with my free arm. "It has to be now."

"Ladybug for once will you just-"

"Please," I pleaded, reaching out to gripp onto his chest. "Please..."

His forehead creased into a tight line, glanced down at me with eyes full of uncertainty. He looked me over for a while before he finally let out a sigh.

"Alright, I'm listening," he gave in, looking forward again as he continued sprinting across the rooftops. "Maybe you'd like to explain how it is you got hurt."

I sighed, letting my grip on his arm relax ever so slightly as I began to organize my thoughts.

"I got injured that day that Professor Bolt showed up," I began. "That's why it took me so long to contact you."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were injured?" He questioned again, his fingers clenched slightly. "Why were you avoiding me after that?"

"I w-wasn't really trying to avoid you…" I paused to take another breath. "Professor Bolt was still on the loose and I knew you would needed my help to look for him… b-but I also knew you wouldn't let me help if you found out I was hurt."

"Of course I wouldn't have!" He scoffed. "I'm your partner! We're supposed to help each other not put each not put each other's lives in jeopardy!" He pressed his lips together in a tight line avoiding my gaze to look straight ahead. "You should have told me the truth."

"I know," I whispered. "I just didn't know how to come out with the truth... I didn't want you.. to think of me as less..."

"As less?" His tone turned incredulous. "You've always been better than me at all of this, I… I even told you I loved you! How could I possibly think of you as less just because you got hurt? It certainly better than thinking you didn't want to see me because you didn't share my feelings."

I pressed my lips into a hard line. "It's the fact that I wouldn't have been able to tell you without revealing who I am." I finally blurted.

His eyes widened as this bit of information came to him as a surprise.

"You've… been avoiding me this whole time because you didn't want me to know who you are?" He asked slowly.

"There's.. more to it than that," I shook my head. "Everyone holds me to such a high standard as Ladybug… sometimes it feels like I've been placed on a pedestal, and I have to be perfect all the time because everyone is looking to me set the example... but in reality, none of you even know who I am," I let out a weak humourless laugh. "When I got hurt I thought I could keep it to myself and make up some excuse so no one would find out anything happened, and I thought I'd be well enough to help again before you or anyone got suspicious but…" My voice cracked as an overflow of emotion began to spill into my words. "But then I got worse..." My voice trembled again and I had to take a moment to steady myself before I could continue.

My vision got blurry and I blinked my eyes rapidly in an attempt to clear the moisture away. I glimpsed Chat Noir looking down at me in alarm, but I tried not to focus on his face as I continued speaking.

"I didn't have a plan for what I'd do if I got worse," I half sobbed. "And then my excuses became outright lies and I'd been lying to you for so long... I just didn't want to disappoint anyone." I looked up to finally meet his gaze."Especially not you."

Chat gawked at me with a completely dumbfounded expression, struck totally speechless. As he thought over my words his face changed displaying some unreadable emotion, then eventually he slowed his pace to look down and meet my gaze.

"Ladybug," He finally said looking at me gently. "You are many things, stubborn for one."

The smallest hint of a smile pulled at my lip and I made an effort to glare at him.

"But you could never be disappointing," he chuckled, continuing to smile at me sweetly. "It doesn't make any difference who you are underneath that mask because with or without it, the person you really are won't change."

A smile pulled at the corner of my lips. "You know.. w-when you aren't joking around and bombarding me with your silly cat puns… you seem to have a talent for knowing the right thing to say," I coughed out a small chuckle. "I wish I knew how to do that too."

"I'm just trying to tell you the truth," his torso shook in a half sob.

"The truth…" I huffed. "Is what I should have told you.. in the first place."

"You still can," he said in a tight voice, hope now peeking through his words. "You can tell me anything."

My chest swelled with a surge of affection for him. I opened my mouth to speak-, when we were both startled as my miraculous let out its final warning beep.

"At t-this point.. it might be better to show you…" Another wave of exhaustion swept through me so strongly I had to fight to stay conscious. "I j-just want you to know.. that I always felt lucky to have you as my partner and I would never do anything to put that in jeopardy."

I broke into a fit of coughing, clutching at my chest as if it would stop me from falling apart.

"Just a little longer," Chat pulled me closer to him as if he was afraid he was going to drop me. "We're almost there," he assured me.

"I wish.. I had figured this out sooner," I tried again, fighting to keep my voice steady. "And I understand if you don't feel the same way after all that's happened, but I want you.. to know…"

I wasn't sure if my heart was faltering from lack of oxygen or from the clenching grip of fear, but I fought past the sensation either way. Reaching up I cupped my hand around the side of his face so he had to come to a stop.

"I love you," I whispered, holding his gaze.

Chats eyes went wide, then my final beep rang out as the area lit up in a flash of red.

A significant amount of my remaining energy drain from my body with the transformation making me realise just how weak I really was. My vision blurred in and out at an alarming rate so I closed my eyes letting them rest.

Tikki's voice was the first one to call out to me.

"Marinette!" She yell, her tiny voice was more shrill than normal and I could feel her small hand press against my cheek.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Chat, then all was quiet and I could feel his fingers shaking beneath me.

"Mari..." Chat barely breathed.

My eyes closed as I was too exhausted to look at him, and honestly, I was too afraid of what I would see if I did.

"No," his voice broke and something wet splashed down onto my face making me twitch. "Ma-Marinette no," he sobbed, grasping me in his arms even tighter. "It.. it can't…"

"S-sorry," I whispered to them, letting my head fall back.

"No! No-no-no Marinette!" Chat fell to his knees putting a hand on either side of my face.

I couldn't help but think that his hands felt so nice on my face...

"Don't let her fall asleep!" Tikki yelled to him urgently.

"Don't close your eyes," he commanded me in response to her words. "Look at me! Stay with me!"

My eyes opened into tiny slits but awareness of my outside environment was becoming duller and duller. The only thing really tethering me to reality was the persistent presence of pain, but I'd been dealing with that for so long now, I just didn't want to anymore.

"I need.. to.. sleep," I insisted.

"I-I know, I know you're tired but you can't go to sleep yet," Chat said, his voice wavering. "You have to stay with me Mari."

"I was going to tell you..." I fluttered my eyes up at him, fighting every second to keep them from closing. ".. I was..."

"It's not important right now," Chat hushed me. His face seemed paler than usual.

"Don't try to speak," Tikki sniffled, her voice was thick with emotion.

"I'm sorry," I said again anyway.

His lips trembled and his whole body shook as if he were holding back a sob. "How could you possibly be sorry? You were with me this whole time and I didn't…" His face contorted as an uncontrollable stream of tears rolled down his cheeks as he seemed to finally push him over the edge. "I-, I didn't even know," his voice burst out from the strain of his emotions.

"Chat," I whispered his name comfortingly.

"A-and all those horrible things I said to you," He shook his head in disgust. " I didn't-"

"Chat," I said again trying to raise my hand to him, but I found I could barely lift it off my chest.

He noticed my movement and immediately took my hand in his own, pressing it against the side of his face as he shut his eyes closed. I rubbed my thumb along the side of his cheek wiping away the trail of tears left behind.

Water blurred my vision as well, but I did my best to blink it out of the way and force my lips into a wobbly smile.

"This isn't your fault."

"Like hell it isn't," he sobbed out a defeated breath.

"You didn't find out who I was… because I didn't want you to. N-not taking your help.. was my mistake."

"I still should have known," his head shook in disagreement. "If I was half as good as you are, I would have figured it out. Nothing will change that."

I shook my head at him sadly. "Do you.. remember… the first akuma we ever fought together?" My words came out in short wheezes.

He nodded his head.

"When we went to the stadium and came face to face with stone heart… I didn't know what to do. I just stood there, but you," I couldn't help but grin. "You charged in prepared for anything... From the very beginning you didn't have to try to become a hero, you already were one. You just did what you knew was right."

"I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without you," He sobbed and a new stream of tears gushed down his face."I'll never be as good as you."

"We made.. a great team," my voice sounded muffled to my own ears and my heartbeat pounded so loud it felt like it was echoing through my very core. "Don't ever think you aren't good enough on your own."

I brushed the back of my hand against his cheek, giving him one last smile to try and express all my affection for him, then I let my eyes close and my hand fell back to my chest.

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Authors note:

Oh darn, the chapter ends here... But wait! There's another chapter? Oh mah gawd!