A/N: Posted this on my tumblr a while ago after being inspired by an incredible gif by Australet789. Thought I should share it here.

Marinette had gotten used to random thunks on her balcony. It wasn't normal by any means, especially knowing it was always a certain superhero to cause such a ruckus, but nevertheless, she would always go up to greet him.

Lazily, she tossed the trapdoor open, fully intending to harass him by stating how she had her lights out and was getting an early night's sleep. But that flew out the window when she saw him face down on her balcony.

"Chat?" She jumped up to the balcony and rushed to his side. "Chat!"

He groaned when she touched his shoulder, his eye barely cracking open to see her. "Princess?"

Her heart plummeted. "Chat, what happened? What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath then forced himself up on shaking limbs. "I have to find Ladybug."

She's right here. It was right on her tongue, but even after four years, her belief that identities must remain a secret was so deeply ingrained into her mind that she couldn't say it even if she wanted to. "Why?" she asked instead. "What happened?"

Somehow, he managed to stand, though it was clear by the cloudiness in his eyes and the way his whole body was shaking that he wasn't going to be standing much longer. "Ladybug," he grunted. "I need her."

Marinette stepped up to his side—good gracious, when had he gotten so tall?—and slung his arm over her shoulder. "Chat, you're hurt."

"I need Ladybug."

"Why?" Marinette repeated, grabbing tighter onto the swaying superhero. "What is so important that you have to neglect the fact you can't even stand."

He took a few shaky breaths while his knees quivered as though they would give out any second. "I found Hawkmoth."

It took only a second for his words to sink in and several more for everything to click in his mind. "You fought with him."

"And I'm on the run," Chat added. "He's liable to find me any minute. I need Ladybug. Now."

Marinette forced her jaw to move. "No. What you need right now is to rest."

"Princess," he whined. "I can't stay. I can't put you in danger."

"Well, you should have thought of that before crash landing on my balcony," she countered. Gently, she shoved his weight over, forcing him to take a step towards her hatch. Considering he nearly fell over in the process, Marinette was determined not to let him go anywhere but her bed.

"I'm a knight," he said, trying now to escape her hold, but he was too weak to succeed. "Knights don't let harm come to their princess. I can't stay."

"Well, I'm a twenty-first century princess, thank you very much," Marinette retorted, forcing him to take another step towards the hatch. "I'm not some damsel in distress. Now, are you going to go down that hatch willingly, or am I going to have to shove your weak, shaking body over and drag you there?"

He looked at her, his pupils shifting in size as he blinked several times. Her stomach twisted in knots as she looked into his hollow, cloudy eyes that couldn't even focus in on her face. "Please, don't fight me, Chat," she said, her voice now soft with concern. "I don't care about anything other than the fact you're badly hurt. Please, let me help you."

He stared at her a few seconds longer then allowed his eyes to drift shut. "Okay," he whispered.

She sighed in relief. Together, they stepped over to the hatch. Then, somehow, they managed to get Chat to her bed, where he immediately collapsed, his eyes shutting and his chest heaving as he took one labored breath after another.

It was like her heart was slowly being crushed. Squeezed and constricted at the sight of her partner, her best friend, in such pain. Fix him, her mind chanted over and over like a haunting melody. Fix him.

She knelt down beside him, mindful not to shake the bed. "What hurts?" Marinette asked, examining his body for injuries.

"Everything."

"Everything," she repeated, her eyes falling to his chest. Specifically, the tears in his suit that stretched over his chest. She reached for his bell. "Chat," she asked. "Do you trust me?"

She knew he was serious when he didn't make any sort of suggestive comment. "Yeah."

Marinette pulled the bell down to his belly button, unzipping the suit to reveal his chest. Carefully, she peeled the leather away from his skin so she could get a good look at the wound. Even in the pale moonlight, she could see the gashes that littered his torso and shoulders. Her breath hitched at the sight.

"Bad?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"I think it's going to need stitches," she said.

His eyes shut tightly in dread. "Do what you have to."

It was like a knife in her gut to see him so resigned, so helpless. She hated the fact he was so beaten and battered. Before she could leave to find her first aid kit, she grabbed her pillow, fluffing it a few times before carefully positioning it under Chat's head.

His eyes cracked open when she lifted his head up and stuck the pillow underneath.

"Comfortable?" she asked.

"As I'll ever be, Princess," he said without a smile.

That knife twisted, but instead of her gut, she felt the pain in her heart. "Let me go get my supplies. I'll be right back."

His eyes drifted shut again, and Marinette hurried out of her bed.

After smacking the light switch, illuminating the room, she tore apart her bathroom in search for her first aid kit, the one she had assembled herself with everything necessary to patch herself up as Ladybug. She washed her hands before grabbing a hopelessly stained washcloth and wetting it. With supplies in hand, she scrambled back to her bed.

First thing she did was take the washcloth and gently patted his chest clean. Despite biting his tongue and clenching his jaw, a hiss still escaped him.

"Sorry," she said, hating that her attempt at healing him was only going to cause more pain.

"Don't be," he said, his breathing coming heavily once again. "Just hurry, please."

This was by far the worst thing she's done since becoming Ladybug. Even cleaning up the cuts and bruises that she received was better than watching her partner flinch in discomfort as he lay bleeding on her bed. "What happened?" she asked, thinking maybe it would serve as a distraction for both of them.

He took a few heavy breaths. "Hawkmoth…" he started, "I found him, and he found me."

Marinette froze, needle in hand. "What?"

He looked at her, the pain increasing in his eyes. "Princess, please just finish."

That was when she noticed his hands shaking. Looking back at his chest, she saw his breaths come in faster pants. The adrenaline was wearing off, meaning the pain was kicking in, reality was slamming back full force into his mind, and his body was crashing. He was calm right now, but who knew what sort of mess he would dissolve into once adrenaline wasn't coursing through his veins in huge doses.

Her mind kicked her body into high gear. Pretend he's a shirt she said to herself. Stitch the seam together. Just like fabric. Just like fabric.

Except fabric didn't hiss and writhe and whimper in pain. She made it half way by the time the tears that filled her vision broke free and rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she repeated over and over. "I'm sorry."

"Just finish," he growled through gritted teeth. "Just finish."

Finish she did, but not without both of them ending up in tears. Chat's breathing was heavy and fast, his claws tangled in the sheets and his head pushed back into the pillow as he mentally begged the pain to go away.

"I'm sorry," Marinette choked out, her own hands shaking as she put the needle as far out of her sight as possible. "I'm so sorry."

Eventually, Chat's eyes cracked open, gaze landing on her. He forced one of his hands to release the sheets and grab her knee instead. "Don't be," he said, huffing all the while. "Don't be."

She sniffed, wiping away the tear trails with the back of her bloody hand. She took a few deep breaths herself, trying to steady herself before realizing, "Bandages. I need to wrap that."

Before Chat could say a word, Marinette was out of bed and back into her bathroom. Using her elbows, she turned on the faucet then watched as the red on her hands melted away and tainted the sink instead. Shaking all the while, she held her hands under the stream of water until it carried away all traces of red. Only then could she reach for the soap.

By the time she made her way back to Chat, his breathing had evened out, and despite drooping in exhaustion, his eyes remained open.

"Can you sit up for me?" Marinette asked, her voice embarrassingly weak.

"Help," was all he said.

Marinette bent down, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him up into a sitting position that they both knew he wasn't going to last long in. She grabbed a couple large gauze pads, unfolding them then stacking them together to create a layer to cover his stitches. "Can you hold this?" she asked, pressing it gently against his chest.

Taking one shaking hand, he held the gauze over his chest as best her could.

Marinette wasted no time in pulling down the back of his suit and began wrapping bandages around his torso as well as the other cuts littering his body. Those cuts, while bleeding a lot, didn't need stitches, which was good considering Marinette doubted she'd be able to touch a needle for a while.

By the time she was done, Chat was shaking violently. She wrapped her arms around him, scared he was going to pass out if he didn't lay down again. Carefully, she lay him back down on the bed, taking a little extra time to situate his head on her pillow.

After a long minute of quiet, Chat reached behind his back and pulled out his baton. He forced his eyes open as he held out the shaking baton to Marinette. "Listen to me," he said, his eyes drooping heavily in exhaustion. "I need you to take this," he began, pausing to take a hard breath after another. "And call Ladybug… I need you to tell her I found Hawkmoth…"

Marinette took the baton so Chat could lay his shaking hand back down. He was grasping at the last ounces of consciousness that remained after an adrenaline crash, and she couldn't watch him exert himself over something as simple as holding his baton out to her.

Even after she set his hand down on the bed, he didn't let go of her hand. His grasp was weak, but Marinette knew he was trying his best to cling to her. "Please."

"I'll tell her," Marinette said, somehow managing to keep herself together and not blurt out her identity then and there. "I'll tell her you're here."

Thankfulness warbled across his exhausted expression.

"But not this second." She put the baton carefully behind her and grabbed the duvet cover.

"Princess," Chat whined.

"I'll tell her soon enough. I promise." She pulled the blanket up over him before fluffing the pillow under his head. "Comfy?" she asked.

He sighed, and she watched him sink into the sheets. "Mostly."

Marinette frowned. Pulling the covers over her, she settled down next to him. She managed to lift his head, curling her arm under it and began to scratch at his ear in that way she knew he liked so much.

He let his eyes drift shut, the pleasure and exhaustion proving to be too much to handle.

"Sleep," Marinette whispered.

He couldn't even open his eyes. "Promise to contact Ladybug?"

She put her hand over his heart, somehow sparking a low purr from him. "Trust me." She knows.

With that he settled his head down, his neck comfortably draped over her arm and head resting in the pillow. "I do."

Marinette never stopped playing with his hair, toying with his leather ears until his breathing deepened into a slow and steady rhythm.

The lights suddenly clicked off, and Marinette blinked a few times in surprise. When Tikki appeared in her sight, Marinette relaxed.

"He knows Hawkmoth's identity?" Tikki asked.

Marinette sighed. "Apparently. And Hawkmoth knows his." She could feel the edge of exhaustion come over her, but it wasn't a surprise considering that she felt as though her heart had gone through the wringer. "And it must have been an awful battle if Chat looks like this." She turned her gaze down to her partner, and her heart fell to pieces. "Why didn't you call me?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. "Why didn't you call for me?"

Before she knew it, tears were pouring down her face. "I could have been there, you stupid cat," she choked out, her voice whispery. "I could have helped you."

He didn't move. He didn't flinch. He laid there, his only movement the rising and falling of his chest with each breath.

"Don't you know I care for you, kitty?" she continued. She shut her eyes, leaning forward until her nose was pressed against his cheek.

Skin on skin, so close and personal, Marinette was able to calm herself. She swore to herself Ladybug would appear for him in the morning and together they would work this out. They were a team. Partners. Best friends. They were each other's strengths and weaknesses.

They were each other's truest loves.

No matter how badly Marinette wished she could deny that fact, she couldn't. Not with how badly her heart was battered and bruised at the sight of him so hurt. Every little fluttery feeling and heart break he gave her further solidified that fact. Somehow, in between the battles and under the guise of masks, she'd fallen for her partner. Life without him… it just wouldn't be the same.

And that scared her. Especially with the final battle looming in their future and Chat being so injured now.

Marinette eventually managed to get ahold of herself and stop crying. He would be okay. He had to be. When she opened her eyes again, all she could see was the blurry image of Chat so close. She continued to scratch his head and swore she could feel the heartbeat that drummed under her hand. "We'll make it through this, Chat," she whispered before allowing her eyes to fall closed. "No matter what. I promise."