Ladybug was in a daze. In shock. Her most trusted companion had just died in her arms and it wasn't quite registering correctly.

And there was so much blood. His blood was smeared and spattered over the sidewalk and it beaded up on her suit and it coated her hands and she hated it because it was still warm. And his body was just laying there, so uncharacteristically still. It was broken and tossed aside and the thought of it made her sick with anger because no one did that to her best friend.

The weight of the guilt though outweighed everything else.

It was her fault, her fault. Someone had just lost their son to the newest villain and they didn't even know because they thought he was safe at school. And it was all her fault.

As she fought the Actor she tried not to look at him for fear of hurling because his black suit was torn and had turned red and in a sick twist he looked disturbingly like a ladybug. One of his legs was bent the way it wasn't supposed to and-oh god, his body wasn't supposed to bend like that.

All her fault.

The thought drove her forward and she fought like a demon, finally defeating the day's akuma and dragging Chat off into an alley so he wouldn't draw too much attention.

He was too still. It was hard not hearing him crack a pun, it was weird for him not to fidget. Ladybug questioned Tikki hysterically, asking why this happened. He was supposed to be invulnerable. She prayed her Lucky Charm would work.

"Chat, please, please, I can't do this without you," she sobbed, cradling his head that was missing a cat ear. Ladybug watched through watery eyes as the Lucky Charm took effect, spreading across the city in a glow of pink.

Oh, she needed him back.

If it didn't work, she'd get Tikki to coax his kwami out of his ring. The small, self-centered cat he often lovingly complained about had had enough decency to keep Chat transformed, but if she couldn't bring him back, it was worthless.

Ladybug kissed his head. "Please."

The Lucky Charm reached them and Ladybug tried not to hope too hard, looking away from Chat in case his broken, bloody body was still in her arms.

But then he stirred.

"M…My Lady?"

Ladybug's eyes snapped open. "Chat, oh thank God!" She turned him around and pulled him into her arms before he could even blink and sobbed into the crook of his neck.

Chat hesitated before putting his arms around her. Yet again, the events of the akuma's effect on him were completely erased from his memory, but he knew something had happened to him that Ladybug probably wouldn't forgive him for.

She hugged him a little tighter. "Don't you ever do that again," she hissed shakily, confirming his suspicions. She pulled away and looked him in the eye.

Chat laughed slightly. "I can't remember what you're talking about, My Lady, but I promise not to do it again."

Ladybug hugged him again, shaking. "No, no. I…have to tell you. Otherwise I might lose you again."

Chat's stomach plummeted. Oh. He wrapped his arms tight around her. "Ladybug…?" he asked her softly, worriedly.

Ladybug was crying again. "Y-you took a h-hit again, Chat," she began, her voice muffled in his chest. "I-it was f-fine aside from t-terrible rhymes until the akuma t-targeted you specifically, and you got hit again." She paused, trying to compose herself. "You…oh god, Ch-Chat, there was so much blood…"

Chat's eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. "Ladybug, I-"

She let out a sob. "Chat, I watched you die!" she cried. "You…y-you can't jump in f-front of me when it's that d-dangerous anymore. You can't. Even th-though my Lucky Charm can fix it I can't bear to w-watch you bleed out any more than once." Ladybug pressed herself closer to him. "I c-care too much about y-you to ever s-see that happen again."

Chat rocked back and forth slightly, whispering into her neck, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

After a moment Ladybug pulled away to wipe her eyes but a flash of red a slightly different shade than her outfit caught Chat's eye and he grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, confused. "Chat, wh-"

"That shade of red doesn't suit you nearly as well as your outfit," he muttered darkly.

"Chat, what are you ta-oh…"

The two heroes fell silent. The Lucky Charm hadn't quite gotten everything.

Chat's blood was still on her hands.

He looked at her, his expression hard to read. "That's mine…isn't it?"

Ladybug nodded. Chat looked to the side and dropped her hand slowly before jumping to his feet and jogging forward a couple of steps to inspect a long brushstroke of crimson along the pavement. Ladybug joined him as he held a hand to his mouth. He was trembling. "That's all mine," Chat whispered. "Oh god, I didn't know a person could bleed that much."

Ladybug whispered shakily, "That's not even close to all of it, Chat."

He continued moving his eyes along the trail of blood before his heart stopped. In the middle of the street was a pool of it and in that shallow pool of blood sat bits and pieces of Chat's outfit. A mangled, stained cat ear lay on the street a little ways away. He couldn't even bring himself to feel disgusted, just shocked.

Chat ran to the pool and curiously dipped a claw in, amazed at how fresh it was. How recent it was that he'd died in Ladybug's arms in this very spot.

He straightened. "How are we gonna clean this mess up?" Chat wondered quietly. "Your powers didn't do much to it."

Ladybug looked to the sky. "There's a storm rolling in," she provided, "it'll probably get here in ten minutes to half an hour so the rain should wash it away. I'd suggest finding some caution tape and cones to put around the area simply for the sake of the civilians. Stepping in a superhero's blood wouldn't make for a pleasant end to someone's day. Or maybe it would. Alya would be ecstatic."

Chat nodded. "The press is gonna have a lot to say about this," he tutted, clucking his tongue. He looked at Ladybug. "You don't typically see someone get brutally murdered and then revived and from what we know of Alya she probably got the entire thing on video. Reporters are gonna be coming to us left and right."

"And then there'll be conspiracies followed by 'resurrection is real and could be achieved scientifically in the next decade'," Ladybug scoffed, imitating an assortment of click-bait ads. She sighed tiredly and looked up at Chat. "You should go home. I don't want the press mobbing you for answers you don't have and you need rest."

"No more than you do, My Lady," he replied gently. "I may have gotten pretty beaten up and spent five minutes in purr-gatory but as far as I'm concerned you've had a far more trying time than I have."

Ladybug sniffed and gave a breathy laugh. "I guess you're right, chaton." She hesitated, then hugged him again. "Please be safe," she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Chat's face turned a little red but he smiled weakly and hugged her back. "I promise, My Lady." It was silent for a moment when he felt her shoulders shaking a little; she was crying again. He rest his chin on her head and ran his hands up and down her back to soothe her. "I'm here," he told her quietly. "I'm here. I'm still here, don't worry. I'm not gonna leave you." Chat closed his eyes and buried his face in her hair like a cat would. "Not again. Not ever again, I promise."

Ladybug nodded into his chest. After another couple moments she pulled away and proceeded to wipe her eyes but Cat stopped her again. "Your hands are dirty, My Lady," he said softly. "You don't want that on such a pretty face." He reached forward and dried her eyes himself and she giggled.

"It's getting late, Chat, and my transformation is close to wearing off," Ladybug laughed. "And you need a little cat nap."

"Will do, LB." He grinned and bowed before jogging down the street. He turned to blow a kiss at Ladybug and then pole vaulted away, disappearing on the rooftop. Ladybug smiled after him.

"If he gets hurt I'm going to kill him."

Adrien held the torn cat ear between his thumb and forefinger as he lay in bed. It was night and his only light came from his phone as he stared at the ripped spandex that was stained red.

Out of curiosity he checked the Ladyblog. Out of curiosity he clicked the play button.

He could truly say curiosity killed the cat now, couldn't he? Had he not clicked the button he never would have witnessed himself getting violently ripped to shreds. He never would have heard Alya's sobbing from behind the camera or seen Ladybug hunched over his body, trying to convince him to let her get medical help. He never would have seen the light drain out of his eyes as his head lolled back in her hands.

Adrien wondered if clicking that video was truly the best idea.

"Plagg." Adrien's voice was strained, shaky, choked. He'd seen himself die. "I thought I was supposed to be invulnerable."

Plagg was quiet for a minute. "Hawkmoth is getting stronger, Adrien," he revealed quietly. "He's never had a minion with that kind of power and I wasn't prepared for two consecutive hits like that. It's my fault you…" He trailed off.

Adrien knew he felt guilty. He hadn't touched his cheese.

Adrien swallowed hard, trying to ignore how difficult it was to do so. "If it happened to me it could happen to Ladybug," he reasoned. "And I wouldn't be able to get her back like she did me."

He rolled onto his side and trembled quietly, a soft sob every now and again the only evidence he was actually crying. Plagg watched his boy sorrowfully.

He needed to speak with Tikki.