Rose ducks under her desk and throws the book she's holding at the air. Everyone starts scrambling for the door again and I leave Alya in charge of covering for me, as always.

This akuma should be easier to fight now that I know he's powers. And that Chat's going to die.I shake my head to make sure that last part erases itself from my mind but the vision keeps replaying over and over as I run for the washrooms.

Chat Noir's early standing atop the school roof waiting for me I'm assuming.

"My lady." he bows like his usual gentlemanly self. "Not like you to be late." I shrug and stretch out my yoyo for another building. "So, what are we fighting today? Aliens?—"

"Chat, let's not distract ourselves today."

I use my yoyo as an adjustable Zipline and hurl myself closer to the akumatized victim: Combustion. Looking at him again makes my blood boil and boy, do I hate when my blood boils! Pfft. This guy? This guy's gonna kill Chat? The venom I have just by being in the same vicinity as this idiot makes me want to hit him with a meteor and hurl him into space.

I breathe in then out and turn to observe Chat who's obviously oblivious to what's going to happen to him. His face is serious, unlike any of the faces I've ever seen him in but I know he's observing the enemy and thinking of a way to bring him down the fastest way possible.

He suddenly turns to me and I look away for a moment not realizing I was staring but he doesn't give it much thought.

"Seems like we're dealing with fire? Maybe, if we could lead him to the Pont de Arts bridge? We could easily overpower—"

"No!" I yell, surprising even myself then I clear my throat. "No. That won't work."

"We should try—"

"No. It's too risky." I look off to the side and pace back and forth. Yeah, we could try Chat's plan again and maybe it'll turn out better than last time...

"Ladybug?"

"Yeah Chat, I'm thinking."

"Maybe... use your lucky charm?"

My mouth opens at the thought and a lightbulb glows above my head. "Of course!" If I remember correctly, my lucky charm wasn't working in my dream. That would make sense since it's a dream. I can't just conjure stuff up in a dream, right? At least, I can't naturally.

So I throw my yoyo towards the sky and try charming up something and...

"It's, er, not working."

Fuck!

Fuck fuck fuck fuck, why is it not working now then?!

Unless...

This is a dream too?—

"Ladybug! Watch out!"

Everything happens fast. Too fast for my mind to understand but when I don't feel any pain, my eyes widen.

In the dream, I was hit but now, right here, it's Chat that takes the hit.

I see him fly across Paris as Combustion laughs at my frozen stature. Should I just finish him off or check on Chat?

Argh! Shouldn't it be obvious?

I dodge some fireballs and run towards the general direction of where Chat had been thrown off to. I try to keep the tears from flying off the edges of my eyes as I run, recalling once again Chat dying right in front of me. I was given a second chance at this and I've still messed it up. What kind of partner am I?

I'm no hero if I can't save my own partner; one of my best friends.

A groan makes me fall out of my pathetic reverie. I swear if Chat's still alive, I'm going to kill him myself for taking that hit for me. It's me who was supposed to be hit. I'm a big girl, I can take a hit. Heck, I've been taking hits these past two years.

I didn't even get to wish him a happy anniversary again...

"Chat!"

"Ladybug?" I hear a weak cough. "I'm over here!"

I follow the voice to a dark alley but see no one. I navigate through the darkness and catch Chat bleeding through his mouth so of course I rush over and kneel by his side.

"Not again! It's happening again! Chat, please don't die." I plead. "Please."

It's kind of psychopathic that, in a moment like this, Chat laughs but his laughter turns into a rabid cough. "Let's head to the hospital, yah?"

"What about the aku... akuma?"

"Your life's more important Chat."

I focus my eyes on the open wound bleeding out close to his chest where I only notice now has been impaled by some sort of sharp pole. I feel like puking at seeing all the blood but I manage to make out a few more coherent words.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore," he slurs and his eyes start to roll in their sockets.

"Chat? No, don't close your eyes."

Then he smiles. "It doesn't hurt, I swear. It hurts more seeing you so worried," he clarifies.

"So I'm just supposed to see you bleeding out of your mouth and not worry?" I'm furious. "Why can't you stop smiling and making everything so... so rose-tinted!"

He coughs again and I try pressing at his wound this time. "I'm... not making anything... rose-tinted. And... it's my job to smile... I just like... making the world feel more positive."

His eyes start to close again and I slap him lightly on the cheeks. "Then don't die."

I try my best not to sound like I'm sad but who am I kidding? My voice cracked and tears are making my vision all blurry. How am I even supposed to get him to a hospital like this? He'll bleed out before I can take that thing out of his chest. How do these stupid costumes even work? They can't just tear it off him and sew his wound shut anyway, the dumb magic, that's utterly so dumb, makes them stick to our bodies like glue!

I start panicking immediately but I'm not supposed to panic, I'm Ladybug. If Ladybug panics, what hope does Chat have now? What hope do the Parisians have? My mind wrestles with these thoughts in silence but, somehow, Chat can tell. He's holding my hand and squeezing it, or at least trying to, to encourage me or something.

"Ladybug," he says with a sense of sincerity and finality, like he was always planning on saying these exact words as his last. Like, he was practising saying them every day, ever since he learned how to speak. "I... love..." His voice trails off and I can only hear a low throaty hum from him until everything is silent. Even the birds and bustling roads are on pause, I imagine, to mourn Chat's death. And then, in no time, I'm back in my room again with my pajamas still on and Tikki hovering over my face. I blink and rub my eyes then look at the clock.

"Sorry, Marinette, your alarm clock—"

"I know," I interrupt her as if she'd just woken me up from a really good dream. If she only knew it was the opposite.

I close my eyes again and attempt to remember Chat's last words again. I... love...

"I know, Chat," I whisper to myself as I hold on to my chest and feel it beat slower than the last time it beat.

"Aren't you gonna get ready for school Marinette?" asks Tikki and I nod but I feel extremely agitated agreeing to it and I feel justified in doing so because the world's messing with me. Why did I have to witness Chat dying again? Is this some cruel punishment for whatever awful thing I've done in life? Am I stuck in a nightmare?

"Marinette?"

"I heard you the first two times Tikki! Gosh, shut up!" I shout out but wince instantly when I acknowledge what I've just said. I'd like to apologize but realize soon enough that letting out my frustration has actually made me feel way less awful. Besides, this is supposed to be a dream and everything will just repeat itself, right? What's the point of doing everything perfectly when I just keep messing up? The world thinks it's a fun joke to pull on me anyway, what's so bad about pulling one back?

"Tikki..." I glare at the still speechless kwami. "Spots on..."

a/n

hey!... how y'all doin? :D So, here's chap 5! Finally. roll your eyes, I'll allow it for now lol. also, review this i guess? idk. do what u want (EXCEPT stealing my work, don't do that) anyway, farewell! see u at chap 6.. :)