I almost lost you, Ladybug thinks, and she wraps her arms around Chat Noir's waist when he thrusts his fist out proudly for her to bump. His body tenses, unused to such displays of affection from his Lady; but after a second he relaxes, resting his chin on the top of Ladybug's head as his arms drape around her shoulders.
"Uh, Ladybug?" Chat Noir asks, drawing back to look down at his red-suited partner, "Is everything okay?"
It was too close this time, she thinks, and the stress of the battle finally hits her, seeping into her bones and causing her to tense. Ladybug moves away from Chat, a glare on her face and her hands placed firmly on her hips.
"Do you have a death wish?" Ladybug demands, eyes narrowed through her mask. Chat blinks in confusion at the sudden change in atmosphere.
"...No?" he replies, eyebrows raised questioningly at the girl glaring at him.
"Then what," she says, gesturing to the park where her partner had thrown himself at a particularly dangerous akuma, "was that?"
She's knows she's lucky that nobody is around yet; the park is still empty, the akuma attack having caused everyone to flee to safety. The akuma victim herself ran off once she'd been saved, needing to check that she hadn't done any damage to her friends, leaving Paris' superhero duo alone.
Chat Noir shrugs, grinning at her as he moves to lean against one of the lampposts scattered throughout the park. "I thought it was paw-sitively heroic, don't you?"
Ladybug's hands move from her hips as she crosses her arms, her glare never wavering.
"Really? Nothing? I thought that was a good one," Chat sighs dramatically. "Why are my purrfect puns never appreciated by my Lady?"
Ladybug lets out a huff of frustration. "Now is not the time, Chat!" Ladybug says, worry saturating her words. "You threw yourself in the direct path of an akuma attack, and not a harmless one! You were seriously hurt; you've got to stop needlessly putting yourself in danger like that!"
"I knew I'd be fine-"
"There was so much blood-"
"It's okay, though, you fixed it. You always do."
"You could have died, I didn't know if Lucky Charm was going to work-"
"But the akuma was aiming for you!"
A heartbeat passes, and Ladybug's anger drops at her partner's words. Her shoulders sag, and she rubs her face with one hand.
"I - Thank you. I should have started with that, shouldn't I?"
"Well, yes, but I forgive you." Chat Noir shrugs. "It's not a problem, my Lady. Nine lives, remember?" He grins, twirling his tail as he winks at her. Ladybug shakes her head, and Chat's tail stops spinning as he sees the look in her eyes.
"You said it yourself, that's just a legend. You've got to stop doing this, Chat - it was too close this time. It wasn't like when you disappeared, or when you sided with Dark Cupid; Chat, you weren't moving!"
Chat Noir meets her eyes as he straightens up, and Ladybug is surprised by the steel in his gaze.
"If it comes down to me or you, I'll always pick you," he says quietly, and Ladybug has to look away. Her folded arms become an embrace as she holds herself together, the sincerity in Chat's words breaking her heart.
"Don't," Ladybug says, and steps towards him. Placing her hands on his shoulders, her blue eyes meet green, and she pales at the memory of those eyes shut as Chat Noir lay still on the ground, thrown callously to the ground by the akuma like a crumpled ball of paper. "You're not expendable, Chat. I need you, okay?"
Her partner's hands move to her forearms, his eyebrows furrowing as he begins to speak. "Ladybug, I-"
A shrill beep interrupts Chat's words, and he blinks when Ladybug curses under her breath. Her hands leave his shoulders as she grabs her yo-yo, beginning to spin it so she can make a swift exit.
"Just... be more careful, please? We're a team, and that kind of falls apart if you die." Ladybug stares at Chat Noir firmly. "Promise me you won't do it again?"
Time's running out, her earrings trilling loudly, but she waits until Chat Noir raises one hand and nods before she leaps away to de-transform.
She doesn't see the crossed fingers behind his back.