Chapter 1: rejection or confession?
"No kitty..." Ladybug responded softly but sternly. Her words felt like knives had just been jabbed into his heart.
"But you said… so you don't want to?" Cat Noir felt his eyes water. He tried to hold them back as best as he could. He rubbed his eyes quickly to not let her see his pain. However, Ladybug did notice it. It broke her heart seeing him like this.
"Yes I do but, even if I do have feelings for you, we can't do anything about it." She looked up at him. She could see his eyes were glossy, tears daring to spill. She could see the pain he was in, the feeling of being rejected once more. "Hawkmoth could use our relationship against us. I am now the guardian. I am now responsible for the safety of the Miracle Box and our Miraculous. We have to protect it at all costs… That's why we must keep our identities a secret." she paused for a moment. She put her hand on top of his.
"I'm so sorry kitty… I really am. But I promised Master Fu that I would do my best to keep the Miraculous' safe and get back the butterfly and peacock Miraculous…" Ladybug turned away from Cat Noir, she crossed her arms while looking down sadly. "I really don't want to hurt you..."
Cat Noir knew that she was right. All she was telling him was true as much as it hurt him. They trusted each other with their lives every day, knowing their identities would make them a stronger team. It would make things easier for the both of them. He would be able to help her keep the box safe if she needed to be out of town. They could even help keep each other's identity a secret from everyone else. And even if they couldn't be together as their superhero form, he hoped they could date as civilians. He didn't want to argue with her though, he would probably get her mad and things would get worse. He just wished that she could at least trust him with their identities.
"I understand… Just know that for you, m'lady, I'll wait a lifetime. That is… if you'll ever let me." he gently grabbed her hand and planted a soft kiss on it.
Ladybug looked at him. He really did love her like he said. Tears started to form in now her own eyes. She hugged him tightly as if it was going to be the last time she'd see him. He hugged her back weakly, finally letting the tears fall freely as she couldn't see him. "Thank you… thank you for understanding… Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for being the most amazing partner ever…" She felt the dampness of his tears on her shoulder. "I- I love you Cat Noir…" she whispered.
Cat Noir's eyes widened as he pulled away a bit to look at her. She smiled at him sweetly. He hugged her tighter if that was even possible. "I love you too… more than you can ever imagine… "
They stayed like that for what felt like forever until they finally pulled away. "See you tomorrow for patrol?" Cat Noir nodded despite his tear-stained cheeks, he had a soft smile. Ladybug smiled back as she grabbed her yo-yo from its place. She threw it as it wrapped around a nearby building, pulled on it, and took off. He stood there for a few more moments until he grabbed his stick and went to his home as well.