Chat Noir's P.O.V

I was waiting for Ladybug on the usual rendezvous rooftop. A few moments had passed and I was beginning to think I should go back and make sure something hadn't happened to her when I saw a familiar figure, a blur of red, swinging over the rooftops.

I leant against one of the roof barriers, waiting for her to arrive. My heart, as always, quite fluttered as I saw how gracefully she leapt through the sky.
"She really is amazing" I said to myself with a small sigh.
It was beginning to seem that, no matter how many times I tried to confess my love to her, she always brushed it off by saying she was in love with someone else, and she didn't want to lie to me.
I understood. It wasn't her fault. Though I always hoped that she may one day return my feelings. That joking pun of hers earlier must have meant something, right?

I was brought back from my silent reverie when I heard the light landing of feet upon the roof. Looking up, I saw Ladybug. I smiled and gave a minor bow,
"Thank goodness. I was beginning to worry something had happened to you M'lady".
She smiled in response and shook her head,
"Some of Cleanser's cronies grabbed my foot as I was swinging away, but I manage to wriggle out of their grasp".

Her smile died and then she looked down, speaking so softly that I had to lean forward to hear her.
"But no more of that. I've tried to hold it back but I simply can not!" Her voice rose at the end of the sentence and I seized my slouching, hurriedly bounding across the rooftop towards her, in order to comfort this quiver I heard in her words.

"M'lady, what is it?" She sadly smiled at me,
"You" I started and gazed at her, uncomprehending.
"W-what about me?" I struggled to maintain my cool under the hopeful jump of my heart.

She almost swooned with emotion, falling into my arms, and cried out,
"I've tried to keep it in for so long Chat Noir, but I simply cannot hold it in any longer... I-I love you."
The last words of her sentence seemed almost to drip from her lips, and she, now standing upright, pulled me even closer to her. I tenderly stroked her hair, though my thoughts were racing.

I should feel happy right now, but I don't. Something just doesn't feel right. Even if my lady did finally return my feelings, it wasn't like her to confess such a thing whilst there was an Akumatized villain on the loose. I sensed Ladybug's hand near my own. My eyes widened slightly but part of me so desperately wanted this to be real. I kept my voice steady as I gently said,
"I'm so happy that you finally return my feelings my dear Bugaboo".

I felt her immediately stiffen and she queried underneath her breath, no doubt forgetting my keen cat hearing,
"Bugaboo?"
I immediately knew that something was terribly wrong. I had always used this pet name for my lady, and although I admit she at first detested it, I knew she had come to almost like it.

"Cataclysm!" I cried out.
Ladybug immediately pulled back and I was chilled to feel how close her fingers had been to grabbing my ring.
She looked up at me with an air of confusion, a puzzled smile upon her lips which did not quite reach her eyes,
"Why Chat, whatever did you do that for?"

I faltered, uncertainty wreaking havoc on my mind, only able to stammer out,
"I-I... thought you... but you were.. " as I trailed off, Ladybug looked down, as though steadying herself, then she looked up and said in reassuring, yet almost quivering, tones,
"Of course, it's understandable for you to be confused my dear Chat. I... have rejected you so many times you may think it unbelievable that my stone heart has soften. Yet... seeing you wait there for me made me realise that you were always there for me. I always admired you but I feared that relations between us would only be strained by fights and secrets."

My head jerked up at this and my eyes narrowed.
"Secrets?" I repeated numbly, nursing my hand which still contained a whirling black Cataclysm. She delicately blushed and uttered,
"Yes, secrets. How can two people truly be in love if we don't know who we truly are?"
She gently traced her finger on my chest. An action that made my heart ache for this to be...

"If only..." she paused, as though deep in thought, then she said with sickening seductiveness,
"My dear kitty. Why don't we put an end to all of these secrets. For, if we know each others identity, surely our love would only strengthen us... then we would be free, truly free" at this mention of freedom, which I so often craved, it took every ounce of me to not believe her and accept the irresistible words as truth
"We would be able to finally defeat Hawk Moth".

I desperately wanted to put an end to this dream... or was it a nightmare? But my very soul ached to think that my Lady was not in her right mind. My thoughts were shattered as I heard the end of her speech, which was said in an almost-bitter tone,
"Come on, kitty, why don't we reveal our identities to each other... the knowledge will only make our love stronger".

I could no longer deny it. This was an imposter standing before me. I hurriedly backed away, and as her last words tauntingly echoed in my mind I cried out,
"No... no! Don't tell me that he got to you!"

Ladybug was looking at the ground, then she changed her direction of gaze towards my face, and it almost broke my heart to see the ugly sneer upon it, a dark shadow in every line of her face.
She gave a hiss of annoyance and at once advanced, attacking me. There was no denying it, at once all my hopes that my suspicions were wrong, were crumbled.

Having dodged her first influx of attacks, Ladybug gave a snarl
"You mangy... street cat! Give me your miraculous!"
I sprung backward, desperately dodging every harsh blow.

With every attack it felt as though not only my body, but my soul were being battered. It was horrific to see her in this way.

All her kind, sweet and gentle manner gone. In its place, stone cold hatred.
I could feel a sting of tears threatening to brim over my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to fight her, all I could do was hopelessly dodge her strikes.

Backing away, I felt the barrier against my back. There was no way out. Then, glancing down, I realised that we were now above an empty building. I looked up at her with an attempted smirk, which unsuccessfully turned out as a sad smile. Then I, dodging her arm and sliding underneath her, ran my Cataclysm-powered hand along the roof beneath her feet.

The effect was instantaneous.
Ladybug looked at me, loathing in her eyes, uttering a string of curses before the roof gave way and she plummeted into the dark warehouse, a maze of crates.

Hearing my ring beep, thus causing an awareness of how dangerously close I was to de-transforming, I immediately fled the scene, getting as far away as possible before I ducked into an abandoned alley.

Now alone, I felt the tears freely flow, for my inner pain greatly surpassed my pride.

With a whoosh, my transformation was released, and a black shape whirled out of my ring and into my cupped hands, panting with exhaustion.