He is no Angel

by

Agent X

The mysterious supporter of pairs!

A/N: Inspired by the line from the French theme: "…et le chat noir n'est pas un ange."

And the Black Cat is no angel.

She looked calm, almost beautiful. Auburn hair fanned around her head, the dirt gathered from the pavement the only thing marring what was otherwise a perfect face, a perfect body.

A perfect corpse.

Ladybug could only stare at how miraculous it was that the young lady could look so lovely, and warm and whole. So human, considering the tonnes of steel and concrete that had only just evaporated from above her crushed form.

Ladybug's Lucky Charm was incredible. It could repair walls, unbend iron, remove rubble. It could mend scrapes, rearrange objects, and restore order. It could fix all the damage an Akuma caused until everything was like new. It had fixed the body before her. It was unmarked. You couldn't tell…

But, as she was learning, there were some things that could never be fixed. The human soul was one. Once that spark left, there was nothing that could bring it back.

Who was this lady? What had she been out doing today? What had she thought when the steel and brick cascaded towards her? As she'd cried out for—

"Ladybug."

She was numb to the tugging on her arm.

"We need to go."

Couldn't comprehend the hushed panic in his voice, or the noise of the cars, the cameras, the people that were starting to move back in now that a miracle had happened.

"Ladybug, they're coming."

All she saw was the wind gently tease the woman's hair like fingers. All she felt was the grit digging into her calves from where she'd dropped, disbelieving, beside the sprawled form.

There was a sudden dizzying change of perspective as her breath whooshed out of her and she was dragged up and over a bony shoulder. It felt like something inside of her was breaking as the lone figure got further and further away.

"Chat," she thought she heard a whisper. She supposed it was her. There was no response.

"Let me go," she said dully.

He kept walking.

"Put me down, Chat." It was stronger this time.

She started to move, tried to turn, catching sight of his jaw. His jostling strides dug his shoulder further into her stomach.

"Put me down!" she yelled, moving, struggling.

He set his mouth mulishly "No."

She squirmed, uncoordinated, and was momentarily unbalanced when the ground rapidly started to disappear beneath them as his staff extended.

"Let go! Let go, let go, let go!" He only gripped her tighter, clenching his jaw as she tried to find a handhold to push away from. And then they were on the roof, and once she had her purchase it took no effort for her to spill away from him, back down onto the rooftop, heaving, eyes burning.

She kept them pressed closed, fighting down gasps.

"It's not your fault," came a voice, "Ladybug, you couldn't have—"

"No," she cut him off. She looked at him still standing where he'd landed, unmoving. Unmoved. Her eyes burned at him. "But you could have."

He clenched his fist, looked away, but he made no move to deny it. He didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. Just stared, stared at anything but her, with those bright green eyes.

"Why?" she asked him, the tears finally falling as she dragged in a ragged breath, pulling her legs under her. "Why didn't you?"

"You know why," he whispered.

Her voice was hard. "No, I don't. Tell me."

He met her eyes. "It was falling on you, too."

"She was a civilian!" she cried, shaking her head. "I was fine, I could've—"

"No, Ladybug."

"There was—"

"No."

"I—"

"No," he snapped, "I know you. There was nothing there. You wouldn't have made it."

"I know me." She snapped back, standing abruptly. "I could've done it. You don't know—"

"You didn't see—"

"Why couldn't you—"

"What do you want from me?!" he yelled, arms flung wide. He hadn't moved from where he'd landed and she surged toward him in her fury.

"I want you to DO YOUR JOB!" she roared.

"I DID!" he roared back.

"She called for you!" Ladybug screamed at him. "She called out for you to save her!"

With a lunge he bridged the remaining distance between them, hands gripping her shoulders like talons.

"I don't care!" He hissed, almost shaking her. She froze. "I don't care that she called! I don't care who she was! It could've been the mayor of Paris, it could've been a fucking baby! It could've been anyone down there and it wouldn't have changed a thing. I'm not their hero. I'm not their saviour. I don't belong to them, I belong to you! My job is to protect you!"

His voice cracked with his last proclamation, and Ladybug sucked in a surprised breath as the tears gathered in his eyes. She had only a glimpse before he threw his arms around her and crushed her against him. He sank to his knees and she was pulled down with him.

Ladybug was paused, her own tears dried on her cheeks. She felt the shuddering of his form as he drew in deep uneven breaths. She felt the movement of his neck as he kept muttering, kept talking, though she wasn't even sure who he was addressing. It might have been apologies or pleas or promises that tumbled from his lips, but she couldn't comprehend any of it through the rapid mumbling.

"Chat."

She brought one hand up to rest on his shoulder and he stilled. Reluctantly, he moved back onto his heels, creating enough space between them that she could breathe again. She found her eyes tracing the outline of tears on his cheeks.

They stared at each other, unblinking, and before she could get in a breath to say something - though what she didn't know - he spoke again.

"I saw it." He whispered. "I saw her when it fell. When it… she was…" He closed his eyes briefly, and Ladybug felt a tingling horror creep up her spine when she realised what he was seeing. But then they opened again, burning, and with a tone that was caught between declaring and begging he finished, "Don't ever ask me to make that choice, because I can't. I won't. Not even for you."

She couldn't say anything, couldn't move, and his expression crumpled.

"Please… please, Lady," he stretched out clawed hands towards her. They rested gently by her cheeks, so light. Light like a butterfly's kiss. Light like he was afraid she would break if he touched her.

She had never felt like Marinette in the mask before. She'd always thought of Ladybug as a separate entity, her better self. But here, now, she knew the truth. Now, she only felt like a stupid girl in a stupid polkadot suit. And for the first time she didn't think of Chat as just her partner, a superhero in his own right. A cat: incorrigible, unflappable, inescapable. She thought of the boy beneath the mask. She thought she could see him: his confusion, his horror, his sorrow.

She brought one hand up to catch his, hovering at the side of her face, and pulled it softly to her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she said. She felt her heart crack at the way his eyes widened, the soft rush of breath that shuddered from his lips. His head slumped forward, forehead pressing against her shoulder, and the tension seemed to seep out of him. Like he'd spent all his energy just waiting for those words.

Slowly, gently, she placed her arms around the taller form, hunched over himself, hunched over her. She moved her hands against his shoulder-blades and he tightened his hold around her back.

"I'm sorry." She said again, "I understand."

She wasn't perfect. She was no miracle. And he was no angel. They were just kids. They were just people who were stumbling through this together. She ignored the beeping of her Miraculous. She could stay just a minute longer. They needed each other. They were the only ones who would be there, struggling to keep each other upright as they fell.

Please don't hate my Marinette. She is just shocked and sad and lashing out.

And sorry for the title. I couldn't think of a better one.

Any comments or criticisms are welcome.