Chapter 27 – Love

Cat Noir soaked in Ladybug's words, letting them wash away the hopelessness and fear that he'd been bathing in for days.

Her sweet voice rolled over him, lifting him up, carrying him, until he found himself walking toward her, watching as her eyes grew wider, and wishing he could be closer, wishing he could reach out and touch her.

She hadn't been angry? She'd just been lost and afraid like him? It had never occurred to him that Ladybug, who always knew what to do in battle, was scared of starting a conversation.

Ladybug waited patiently as two sides roiled inside him. How could it be true that she wasn't angry? His memory of that day was so sharp. Her face contorted with rage as he lay crumpled on the floor at her feet. Saying she didn't need him. The cold shock when he had showed up to the fight anyway.

But his Lady wouldn't lie to him about his. And the look she gave him now, a shy smile, asked him to give her another chance. Believe her.

"I do trust you," he said, answering her unasked question and his own doubts. "It's just... hard for me to talk about things. Ask you for things." The excuse sounded feeble. A flimsy shield for his actions, and he wanted to run and hide again, but her hands took his and kept him anchored in place, so he kept talking. "It's like I need to prove myself constantly, that I'm worth the miraculous I've been given. Worth your attention."

All the pieces he'd been leaving her started to fit together now that he'd given her the frame for them. He saw the exact second that she understood. Felt it. Her hands tightened around his. "You needed to prove that you could help me, and I told you to stay behind. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. You're so different from everyone at home, and I need to learn how to stop thinking that you're the same. It's my fault for not knowing how to do that yet."

Ladybug shook her head, but didn't push the point. "Is there anything else you're holding back that I should know? I promise I'll listen."

Fear shot through him as she waited, expectant, inviting. Oh, there were things he wanted to tell her, words he'd rehearsed a thousand times. None of them he was certain she wanted to hear. His mouth felt like sandpaper as he swallowed, dry and scratchy. Rejection loomed heavy over his head.

"You want me to tell you everything and be honest?"

She nodded once, pulling him closer, waiting for him to let her in. There would be no escaping this time. He was sure she wouldn't let him go without telling her something. [italics] It may as well be the truth.

"I know your feelings for me have been changing, and I'm sorry for getting hurt and messing up the mission. And that I flirt too much. I'm sorry I'm not always the partner you want, but..." His voice dropped along with his stomach. "Did I mess up my chance with you?"

Ladybug pressed four fingers against her lips to cover her reaction, hiding the shape her mouth made, but her eyes grew softer, so he kept going.

"I think about you all the time. I want to be with you all the time. Not just when we're in the masks. I want you to meet my friends and be there for you when you have bad days. And..."

"And?" she prodded.

This was it.

"And I love you," he whispered. "I'm in love with you."

Author's note: ONE.