My Boss is Felix: Alternative Miraculous Ladybug Tale

Ch56: The Angel

The room felt as if it was growing smaller and smaller - as if the darkness was suffocating me. There was no one else in this world besides Luka and me. And he would soon leave me at this rate.

I wasn't sure how much blood he had lost, but I could see his skin fading into a snowy white, as the crimson surrounded us in a puddle. What was I doing wrong? Why couldn't I stop the bleeding? Why did there have to be so many holes?

I rested Luka's shoulders and head on my lap, as I pressed on his stomach - attempting to apply as much pressure as my shaking hands could. I couldn't tell if my vision was blurring because of tears, dizziness, or the overwhelming saltiness of blood's oder. Maybe all the above.

But I couldn't afford to lose consciousness. I needed to make sure Luka was safely handed over to the hospital. Why was it taking them so long? Granted, it'd only been six minutes since I called, yet somehow Luka's condition grew worse in that short period of time. Every second mattered - and quite frankly, I feared there weren't many seconds left before Luka was taken into the hands of death.

"Stay with me," I whispered, my voice sounding choked, "You're going to be just fine. The doctors are almost here."

His eyes were half open, as he took slow, heavy breaths that seemed to demand every ounce of his strength. Yet, he found the strength to give me a weary smile - actually, it wasn't a smile - just an upward twitch of his lip - but I knew his intent. He was trying to comfort me.

"I'm happy," Luka said, it was barely a whisper.

"Yes. They are coming and you will be saved. I'm happy too."

"Not what I meant," he gasped, "I..."

No. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to say goodbye to me. Attempting to say his final words before slipping into an eternal sleep.

"I won't let you," I cried, a fresh batch of tears streamed, "You aren't doing this to me! You are going to live!"

"Please," he said, "My lung. There's blood. I won't be able to speak soon," he coughed, droplets of blood splattered my face.

I nodded, "These aren't your final words though, okay? You can't die. You can't leave me."

He nodded - which consisted of a faint head gesture.

"I know it's selfish. But it won't matter soon," he began, weakly burying a hand in my hair, "I will always love you, Marinette."

His hand fell back to the ground as if he no longer had the strength to lift it. A loud wail escaped my lips.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked.

"Anything," I yelped, leaning closer to his face.

"Smile."

"What?" I questioned.

"For me. Just for me," he murmured, his eyes running over my features as if he was trying to remember every detail of my face. Lastly, he met my gaze with the most intense, soft expression I'd ever seen. This was a man who somehow knew me - he was familiar with my heart and all it's flaws - he knew how awful and pathetic I was - yet he still claimed to love me. Why? Who could love this?

I was just Marinette. Coward. Weak. Idiot. Desperate. Liar. Awkward. Isolated. Lonely. Angry. Jealous. Selfish. Ugly. Petty. Sad. Very, very sad - but no one actually knew that about me.

I wished I was Ladybug - the girl I pretended was me. The girl I admired - the girl I envied. The girl I compared myself to and the girl I hated more than anyone, even Marinette. Ladybug was perfect, and I was far from that. Ladybug was worthy of love - Marinette was not. Ladybug could have saved Luka, while Marinette watched him die helplessly.