Then There Was You

Chapter 15

"Chat!" Marinette gasped, breathing heavily as she sat up disorientated in the dark. Two strong, muscular arms quickly wrapped her tight, holding her close to a warm bare chest.

"Breathe m'lady, it's all right, I'm here." Marinette closed her eyes and just concentrated on the soothing sound of Adrien's voice. It was alright, he was alright.

It had been earlier in the evening when an Akuma had interrupted them at Andre's Ice Cream with Alya and Nino. The reporter immediately ran with her phone after the villain, Nino in tow trying to keep her out of danger. Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and darted into a nearby alley for them to transform before facing the angry akuma. It was one of the most vicious attacks the two had ever encountered, with beams that zapped the very existence out of its victims in order to fuel the akuma's rampage. Nighttime akumas often were more difficult, and the emotions seemed to have been more amplified during a full moon. She had already seen Alya and Nino hit, their eyes growing dark and lifeless. Ladybug was still figuring out her lucky charm when Chat yelled her name, diving in front of her, the life in his eyes fading before her and making her blood run cold. It was all she could do to hold herself together long enough to defeat the akuma and reset everything with the miraculous ladybugs. When Chat stood up and dusted himself off, she had practically knocked him off his feet when she jumped into his arms.

Later that night, she couldn't get the flashbacks out of her mind. Tikki tried to give her comfort, but even she knew the only thing that was going to settle her chosen down was to see Adrien. Marinette transformed, making her way to the Agreste mansion in the middle of the night. Knocking on his window in the dark, it turned out Adrien was still awake, and his smile as he opened the window settled her frantic heart as she collapsed into his arms. She just needed to be with him, needed to feel his heart beating next to hers, she needed to feel his love around her.

Yes, knowing who Chat was did make things harder on one level, but being able to come to him like this, to be able to love him like this, it made the nightmares easier to cope with. Adrien understood too, because he'd had similar nightmares she found out, but his soft and gentle touches soothed her scorched soul and made her feel safe. Later, when she eventually fell asleep in those same arms, the visions that had been taunting her had come back to haunt her dreams.

"I can't keep watching you die Adrien. I can't take it anymore." She could feel the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Adrien turned her around so she was facing him, the full moon streaming through his window illuminating their faces.

"I'm not trying to kill myself Bug, but it's my job to protect you. Only you can set everything right again, and I trust you to bring me back, because I know you would never give up on me." He hooked his finger under her chin, lifting her glistening eyes to meet his. "Paris needs Ladybug." He said gently, wiping a tear away with his thumb. Marinette shook her head as she grabbed his hand.

"And Ladybug needs Chat Noir. You're not expendable Adrien. What if something happens and I don't defeat the akuma? I couldn't live without you." Adrien held her close to him, kissing her head before she laid it against his chest. She closed her eyes and listened to the steady beat within. He knew there was no way either of them were going to win this argument. She hated seeing him sacrifice himself, but he would never be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.

"I'm not going anywhere Mari. I'm the man that wants to marry you, remember? But we both have a job to do. I have to take the hits so you can repair the damage. That's just the way it is." She sighed, looking up at him in the moonlight. He was right of course, and she knew that, but it still hurt watching him disappear before her eyes, to know that for those precious few minutes his life is entirely in her hands.