Gonna be honest, I had no idea what to do with this prompt for a little bit. So I decided to try my hand at writing an akuma attack. I'm still trying to figure out how to write action sequences, so I hope this isn't too clunky (even if there's not a whole lot of action here). -Colorado

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Ladybug looked beautiful in the candlelight. The glow illuminated her face, illuminated the way her eyes sparkled as if they held all the stars in the night sky. Even when she was breaking his heart and telling him about another boy, she still looked beautiful.

Chat Noir hadn't dared to set up a romantic candlelit rooftop since then. It was still too raw, plus he was sure that Ladybug would give him the exact same answer. That being a big fat no. She was in love with someone else, he needed to get that through his head.

It was a shame though, because Ladybug really did look beautiful in the candlelight.

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Chat Noir looked different in the candlelight. He looked sweeter, vulnerable, as if he actually meant the sweet words he was telling her. And it turns out, he did. Ladybug had always thought he was just some flirt. A well meaning flirt, sure, but a flirt nonetheless. Then it turned out he was actually in love with her.

She remembered the way her heart fluttered as he approached her with that red rose. She had just broken his heart and yet the way he was looking at her was so sweet, Ladybug could feel her heart speed up. But she was in love with Adrien, and no amount of candlelit rooftops could change that.

Still, it was a shame though, because Chat Noir really did look different in the candlelight.

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The night they saw each other in candlelight again had started out like normal. There hadn't been an akuma attack, so both Ladybug and Chat Noir were in high spirits. Patrol was less of an in-depth scour of Paris, and more of an excuse to run along the rooftops for an hour. She could tell with the way Chat smiled it had been a good day. He could tell with the way she laughed it had been a great day.

"You seem to be having a lot of fun tonight," he hummed as they came to a stop. Even with their extended stamina, there was only so much running they could do.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Ladybug mumbled, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her yet.

"It's nice, you deserve it," Chat Noir reassured her. "Seriously, if anyone deserves to have a little fun, it would be you."

"You're such a flirt Chat," she teased, but thanks to his night-vision he could see the faint blush on her cheeks.

"I only speak the truth, My Lady," he sang, grinning.

"Uh-huh, sure you are." Chat's grin only grew wider as Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"You doubt how genuine I am?" he gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "I can't believe this! My heart has been shattered into a million pieces. How am I supposed to move on when Ladybug has hurt me so?"

Ladybug only stuck her tongue out at him, a grin tugging at her lips.

"See! That's why everyone calls you overdramatic," she said, laughing.

"Yeah, but you love my humor," he teased, a light flutter going off in his chest. Then again, that flutter always seemed to be there when it came to Ladybug.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night kitty," Ladybug replied, shrugging. She was trying to act all casual, but Chat Noir knew her better than that. She knew he loved his humor, she just showed it differently.

Not that he minded, their banter was one of his favorite parts of their relationship. 

He opened up his mouth to respond but a large BOOM in the distance stopped him. He groaned and Ladybug sighed, their break was over, time for a bit of action.

"So much for Hawkmoth not attacking today," Chat Noir grumbled as they took off towards the noise.

"It had been so peaceful, so quiet. Maybe he just hates it when people are happy," Ladybug bemoaned.

"I don't doubt it. The sourpuss wants to change reality for something, maybe he figures that if he's going to suffer, so should everyone else."

"Well that's stupid," Ladybug grumbled, her eyes growing wide at a trail of smoke coming out of a building.

"Great," Chat Noir groaned.

The akuma was going to be a destructive one, which of course, was just so much fun! Except they weren't. Fighting destructive akumas was absolutely miserable. He'd take Mister Pigeon over this mess any day.

Sooner than either of them would've liked, they arrived on the scene. He could see several buildings on fire, and a crowd of people on the street below. Several firetrucks aligned the street, and he spotted several firemen helping civilians down from their buildings.

Thank God.

"Any sign of the akuma?" Ladybug asked, her eyes surveying the sight.

"Other than the buildings on fire? Nope."

"Looks like we're dealing with a pyromaniac, kitty."

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! You're here!"

The two jumped at the voice behind them, immediately drawing their weapons. The akuma floated over to them. A sash of unlit candles was fastened around a white dress. The girl's hair had been changed into nothing but a flame, and her eyes were nothing but heavy bits of coal.

"Can you please give me your miraculous?"

Well, at least this akuma got right to the point. It was kind of refreshing, Chat Noir couldn't lie.

"You know we can't do that," Ladybug warned, readying her yo-yo as a shield. The akuma sighed, long and tired. Chat Noir would've felt bad for her if it weren't for the fact she was about to attack them.

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way. Since that's all that matters to you," The akuma shrugged, Chat Noir tensed, ready for whatever move she may have and then-.

She disappeared in a puff of smoke. The only thing left behind was a small lit candle.

"Okay, that was easier than I thought," Chat Noir remarked, grinning over at Ladybug.

The universe must really hate him, because as soon as the word left his mouth, the candle exploded. He and Ladybug were sent back, hurling themselves at a wall. His suit took most of the impact, but he could see Ladybug's gritted teeth.

"Don't you know never to say that?" Ladybug threw her hands up in the air, clearly exasperated.

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, his eyes trained on the spot where the candle was. He brushed himself off and offered a hand to Ladybug. 

"I bet the akuma is in her sash, the one surrounded by candles," Ladybug hummed, beginning to pace on the rooftop, "but how-?"

Chat Noir's eyes widened.

"Ladybug! Look out!"

He tackled her out of the way of an incoming candle, no doubt about to explode on top of her.

"Thanks," she whispered, as they hit the ground.

"You can run from me, but you can't hide!" The akuma appeared above them again, a diabolical grin on her face. She took a candle from her sash, and lit it with her hair before throwing it down on Ladybug and Chat Noir.

They leaped out of the way, but the explosion left a gaping hole in the street. Chat Noir turned to one of the firemen.

"Evacuate the area now!" he ordered. The fireman nodded and began escorting people to their cars.

"You think that's going to save anyone?" the akuma cackled. She threw down candle after candle, each one hitting a car.

Ladybug gasped, but Chat Noir was pretty sure he was the only one who heard her.

"Now give me your miraculous!"

The akuma swooped towards them, throwing candle after candle. Ladybug and Chat Noir did the only thing they could do. They ran.

"Since she can apparently turn into smoke, I don't think we'll be able to land a hit on her," Chat Noir explained, nearly out of breath. Ladybug nodded in agreement.

"And did you see? She was lighting the candles with her hair. I don't think they explode unless they're lit. So if we stop her from lighting candles..." she began.

"We stop the explosions!" Chat Noir finished, a proud smile on his face.

"What are you two talking about?" the akuma demanded, suddenly appearing in front of them. The two stopped dead in their tracks. "If it's not giving me your miraculous, I don't want to hear it!" She threw down two more candles, each of them aiming for a hero. Ladybug grabbed Chat Noir's hand and pulled the two of them out of the way.

More explosions, more holes in the street. Chat Noir gulped. Thank God for Ladybug's cure, he didn't know what he'd do without it.

"We're never giving you our miraculous!" Ladybug called. The akuma's eyes flashed red, the coals getting hot.

"You're going to regret saying that!" she shrieked, readying a large amount of candles.

"Run!" Chat Noir called, spotting a sewer tunnel they could possibly take refuge in. He grabbed Ladybug's hand and took off. He was well aware that the akuma was throwing her candle bombs into the streets and buildings. He could only hope everyone had made it to safety.

"We've got to get rid of those bombs! We haven't landed a single hit on her!" Ladybug's voice was filled with desperation.

"I know Bug, come on, I have an idea. Do you trust me?" He gave her a wink, but she knew he was serious.

"With my life, kitty."

Chat Noir nodded, and came to a halt over the sewer grate.

"Get ready to drop," he whispered in Ladybug's ear.

"Have you two finally given up?" the akuma asked, a gleeful smile on her face.

"Never! I just realized we didn't know your name. You know, it's quite rude to fight someone without knowing their name."

"O-oh," the akuma looked shocked, "my name is Candlelight."

"I see, very fitting with the whole candle bombs. Although I have to wonder if it's really worth it," Chat Noir hummed, putting on a look of sincerity. "Hawkmoth only uses his victims, you know, he disgards them after they do his dirty work like trash. Do you really want that? You can break free!"

Ladybug shot him a confused expression. While yes, talking akumas out of it had worked before, it was a very rare case. Most times, it had only worked when a friend or family member was nearby.

"I'm different," Candlelight boasted, "I'm going to be the one to actually get your miraculous."

"Is that so?" Chat Noir cocked his head to the side innocently. "Then come and get them."

Candlelight shrieked, throwing a candle down at them. When it exploded, Chat Noir burst through the sewer lid with his pole, knowing the smoke would hide their location. He and Ladybug dropped down into the sewers, both a bit out of breath.

"Good thinking, kitty," Ladybug said, scratching a bit under his chin.

"This buys us some time," he said, leaning into her affection, "even if she does figure out where we're at, I doubt she'd want to come down here with all the water."

"You think her hair isn't water-resistant?"

"I mean, it looks like actual fire, right? So I figure if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck," Chat Noir explained. "If we put the hair out, she can't light her candles anymore."

"But just how do we do that?" Ladybug asked, her mind going a mile a minute.

"That's where you come in, my lovely bugaboo," Chat teased, tapping her on the nose. "Call your power, it's time to show this akuma we're not scaredy-cats."

Ladybug groaned at his joke, but she called for her lucky charm anyways. A fire extinguisher fell into her hands, she closed her eyes in thought, but then after a moment opened them smirking.

"You got it?" Chat Noir asked, trying not to sound too eager. He couldn't help himself! He loved taking down akumas.

"I've got it," she confirmed. "Alright, so here's the plan..."

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Chat Noir popped out of the sewer to see the street in ruin. He gulped and tried his hardest not to be worried. The cure would fix everything, but that didn't mean the destructive state of Paris wasn't hard to swallow. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, he felt his resentment for Hawkmoth growing.

"So, you finally decided to show your face," Candlelight drawled. She was sitting on a lamppost, lighting a candle and blowing it out.

"I've come to a very hard decision," Chat Noir sniffed, the smoke bringing tears to his eyes. Good, maybe his performance will be believable then. "You are clearly the most powerful akuma that Ladybug and I have fought. We don't hold a candle against you," he could practically hear his lady's groan now, "and we obviously can't defeat you. If we even try you'll throw more candles at us and if we come closer, you'll just disappear in a puff of smoke."

"That's right," just as he was hoping, Candlelight bragged, a smile coming over her face.

He had been fighting akumas for a long, long time. And he knew a tell-tale trait of each and every one. No matter how suspicious it may be, if you flatter the akuma for just a couple of moments, they will lap up each and every word. They won't even pay attention to where Ladybug could be. Hawkmoth could really use some unpredictability when it came to his villains but then again, the predictability made Chat's job a lot easier.

"Although, turning into smoke takes a lot of energy out of me, so I'd rather not do it, if it's the same to you. Plus it makes my fire smaller," Candlelight complained, her hand patting the flame on top of her head. Chat Noir's eyes gleamed. This may work out even better than he and Ladybug hoped.

"So your fire controls your powers, no wonder you're such an admirable foe!" Candlelight's eyes narrowed, oops, may be laying it on a bit too thick there.

"Yes, now I believe you said you've come to a decision? Are you finally going to give me your miraculous?" Candlelight began to move off from the streetlight.

"Wait! Yes, I will give you my miraculous, but I need you to stay right there."

"Why?" Candlelight sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Because I want to say goodbye, and it could get quite personal. You understand, right?" Chat Noir shot her finger guns, a reassuring grin on his face. Hopefully, she wouldn't notice the bit of red behind her.

"Ugh, fine, just make it quick," Candlelight groaned, a signature purple mask coming over her face. Hawkmoth must have seen through his little charade, not that it mattered. Ladybug was here, and they were going to win this fight no matter what Hawkmoth said. "Where's Ladybug?" Candlelight suddenly realized, the mask disappearing.

"Right behind you."

Chat Noir couldn't help the massive grin that spread over his face as his Lady appeared. Fire extinguisher in hand and ready. Candlelight turned around, her eyes growing wide as she realized what was about to happen.

"Wait!" she called out, but Ladybug only smiled. The foam poured out of the fire extinguisher, drenching Candelight's hair.

"Noooo!" she screamed, the force of the can knocking her to the street. Chat Noir was waiting for her.

"Cataclysm!" he called, taking perhaps a bit too much delight in the way her eyes widened. With one finger tap the sash fell apart and the akuma fluttered away.

Ladybug hopped down on the street below, catching his eye. She was on cure duty, he was going to deal with the victim.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Chat Noir asked, perching down towards the young girl.

"Chat Noir? What happened?" The girl blinked up at him, rubbing her eyes.

"You were akumatized, don't worry, it's not your fault. Ladybug and I were able to save you," he reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I was? Oh, my mom had gotten so upset at me for using up her candles. I really didn't think she would mind but," the young girl sighed. Chat Noir bit his mouth closed. A mother who got so upset at her daughter that she got akumatized... over candles? Sounds like something his dad would do.

But the girl was still in an emotionally vulnerable state, so Chat Noir kept his thoughts to himself.

"It's okay, Hawkmoth is the real villain here, that's why Ladybug and I are around."

As if on cue, a swirl of Ladybugs flew around the city, fixing up the damage done by the bombs.

"What my partner said," Ladybug said, walking over to the two of them. She held out her fist for him, a grin on her face. Chat Noir tapped his fist against hers.

"Mom!" the young girl cried, rushing over to a woman who gave her a tight hug. Ladybug smiled.

"Seems like everything worked out for the best." She turned to say something more to him, but was interrupted by the beeping of their jewelry.

"Five minutes? Then we can continue patrol?" Chat Noir asked, hoping that she'd fall weak to his kitty eyes. It must have worked because she nodded and gave him a small smile.

Chat Noir tried not to look too happy as she disappeared back into the sewers to feed Tikki. He ducked into an alleyway to give Plagg some cheese and five minutes later, he was back out on the rooftops again. Ladybug joined him, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Another well-fought battle, bugaboo," Chat Noir began, kissing her hand.

"What have I told you about calling me that?" Ladybug teased, but she didn't pull her hand away.

"You know you secretly love it," Chat Noir hummed, giving her a wink.

"Sure, kitten, whatever you say," Ladybug laughed and the sound was music to Chat's ears. "Although, I think I've had enough candlelight for the next year and a half."

"So when you finally agree to go out with me, skip out on the candles, duly noted." She rolled her eyes at his salute.

"It's not gonna happen, but yes, if I ever were to go out with you, skip out on the candles."

"Will do My Lady, but red rose petals are still okay, right?" He pretended to get out a notepad, jotting things down.

"Oh my God," Ladybug laughed, "sure, Chat. Rose petals are fine."

As beautiful as Ladybug looked in the candlelight, Chat was pretty sure the moonlight suited her even better. 

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Thank you everyone for sticking with this series! I appreciate each and every comment (I see them, I promise, I'm just bad at replying) and like! See y'all tomorrow -Colorado