A/N: Originally posted on my tumblr since it was written for MariChat May, Day 7 (Mari protects Chat). Contains Season 2 spoilers, as it's set after Glaciator. No character death, but hypothermia is definitely a thing. Standard disclaimers apply. (I should clarify: currently a one-shot but may be continued if there's interest.)

It wasn't supposed to be like this, but when were things ever the way they were supposed to be?

Marinette sucked in a breath, tasting ice in the now-wintry air, and swallowed hard. She—well, Ladybug—and Chat had agreed to meet for an earlier patrol today, at dusk instead of dark, since she was due to be up before the sun tomorrow morning and working in the bakery. She'd volunteered, of course. Helping out her father like that meant he'd teach her how to bake things for her friends as gifts.

It had been a beautiful spring evening, akuma-free (or so she'd thought), so a stroll along the river had seemed ideal. When André had seen her, still without her special someone, he had insisted treating her to some of the finest ice cream in all of Paris. She still appreciated his description of her lover—mint for his eyes, peach for his lips—but now she was wondering who it meant.

Adrien wasn't the only one she knew with green eyes.

And since Chat Noir had professed his love of Ladybug, didn't that mean he could grow to love Marinette, too? She'd be lying if she said she didn't pine for Adrien, but Chat…. Her heart had started beating faster whenever she caught sight of him unexpectedly. She didn't trip over her words with him—she really did know him too well to be so tongue-tied, especially when conversing with that goofball—and she couldn't claim that he wasn't the least bit endearing or loveable. He was funny, even if she'd never admit it to his face, and kind, and caring, and recklessly brave—

She really needed to make sure he didn't do something stupid. He had a bad habit of doing that.

—and it almost seemed like a relationship with Chat Noir, one of the heroes of Paris, was more plausible for her than one with Adrien Agreste, arguably the most famous teen model in the city. And she…. It was a bit surprising to realize that she wouldn't be disappointed if that were the case. She could be herself with Chat Noir. The only mask she ever needed to hide behind was Ladybug's.

Besides, it was Chat Noir who had found her on the steps by the Pont des Arts before she'd hardly taken two licks of her treat, not Adrien. It was her partner who had jokingly asked why his purr-incess was eating all alone, not her classmate. It was her kitty, not her first crush, with whom she had ended up sharing her ice cream.

They'd both been too preoccupied by the ensuing teasing conversation to notice the gathering storm clouds until they'd been caught in the middle of a torrential downpour.

"Just keep back, Purr-incess. I won't let him hurt you." Chat Noir pushed her behind him and readied his staff, glaring at the self-proclaimed Tempest whose powers were all too reminiscent of Stormy Weather's. "He needs to learn to chill out, anyway."

Marinette groaned. "This isn't the time for puns!" she hissed.

Tempest grinned. "Au contraire. The cat is right, little lady. It was getting entirely too heated between you two lovers." Marinette squawked indignantly—nothing had happened! At least not yet; they hadn't had time!—but Tempest continued, "Don't get to thinking that love will thaw a frozen heart or that you're safe in the eye of the storm. Storms can be amazingly unpredictable."

She felt the first pebbles of ice sting her skin, and then the hail was raining down on them. Chat Noir spun his staff, doing his best to deflect what had grown to baseball-sized projectiles. Marinette cowered closer to him, trying to get under the cover of his staff, but the wind kept changing direction—

If she were Ladybug right now, she could help him, but as it stood, she was a burden. He'd begin to tire soon, and that would make them both easy prey. And hail that size…. If it didn't kill them, it would certainly break something flying at them with such speed.

Tempest laughed, twisting his hands to redirect the wind again. She couldn't pick out a pattern, and with her here, Chat Noir was too worried about defending her to dare attack.

She'd have to try to distract Tempest. She'd take anything over this deadly hail. "Isn't baseball supposed to be the American pastime?" she yelled.

Chat Noir snorted but took the cue for what it was and tried to hit one of the hailstones in Tempest's direction. It shattered on impact, and Chat Noir immediately returned to shielding them. "Good try, Purr-incess," he said, "but don't make him angry. I don't want him targeting you."

Drawing his ire had been her next plan, but she could wait a moment to see if Chat Noir already had a plan. She didn't dare wait longer. Tempest was hardly lifting a finger in this fight, and without her to provide backup…..

"Now, now," cooed Tempest, "is it really fair to let this go on for so long? You know how the weather is. It can change in an instant."

The temperature plummeted even more. Mercifully, the hail stopped, but the cold didn't. She shivered as it began to snow. She wanted to think of that as an advantage—she'd take snow over hail any day—but it was falling thick and fast, making it difficult to see, and Tempest had directed the wind so that it blew in his favour.

The wind went right through her soaked spring jacket—all her clothes, really—and now that she wasn't too preoccupied with dodging hailstones, she could feel the chill settling in her bones.

"Of course," added Tempest, "if the gentleman would give up his Miraculous, we wouldn't need to see how long it would take his lady friend to freeze to death."

"Ladybug will be here soon," Chat Noir murmured. "When she comes, use the distraction to run. It should be any minute now."

Except it wouldn't be, because she was already here, and she couldn't ask Tikki to transform her in front of them and anyone else who might be watching.

Marinette couldn't think of the right words to say—she wasn't supposed to know that Ladybug was to meet Chat here—so her only reply was chattering teeth.

"Rather foolish, don't you think, going over your plans in front of me?" The wind picked up, and Marinette's shivering became more violent. She could feel her clothes beginning to freeze, and that wind—! "You might be able to handle the cold, Chat Noir, but do you really want to risk the lady?"

Chat Noir cast her a worried glance. He didn't see Tempest thrust out his hands and blast them with a plough wind to rip them apart. He recovered quickly enough, springing to his feet, but she went down hard. Her joints felt stiff. Her skin and sinuses hurt from the biting cold, and she had to keep blinking or she feared her eyes would freeze shut.

She'd only taken three breaths since the wind had let up, and she could already see frost gathering on her lashes.

"Alternatively," Tempest drawled, "if you won't just give me your Miraculous, why not come with me and help me get Ladybug's? I'll let your little lady friend live if you do."

She saw Chat frown and realized what he was willing to give up to protect her. Something inside twisted. He had said that he loved Ladybug, but since she hadn't appeared to reciprocate his feelings and since he'd found her as Marinette here, now…. Maybe Tempest's taunts had been more truth than she'd realized. The heart really could realize things before the brain. Surely Chat Noir wouldn't have spilled his feelings to just anyone, and surely he wouldn't have shared her ice cream if he didn't harbour some hope, too. André's work was famous across Paris; Chat would know what it meant.

And the treat really did describe her kitty perfectly.

But now he wanted to sacrifice himself for her. Give in to Tempest, to Hawk Moth. To protect her. Over Paris.

She couldn't let him do that.

She couldn't bear to lose him.

"D-don't!" The word was forced out in a burst of fog. She wasn't used to being this cold. She took a deep breath, and her lungs burned, the cold air somehow feeling like it was scorching her windpipe. Her chest ached. "It's—it's not…worth it."

The wind began to stir up the snow again, growing to a howl.

Marinette hoped the sharp pain she felt in her fingers and toes—somehow stronger than everywhere else—was a good sign rather than bad. It meant she had time, didn't it? Because she could still feel them?

"Marinette." Chat Noir's face suddenly filled her vision. His hair was frozen in a spiky mess. "I'm going to protect you. Don't worry. Just hold on. Ladybug and I will show this guy he's just full of hot air."

Marinette shook her head violently. "N-no." If Chat Noir's plan was to hold off Tempest until Ladybug showed up, it would never work. He was just exhausting himself this way, and if he kept this up, Tempest would wear him out. Controlling the wind as easily as he did, she wasn't even sure Chat would be able to get close enough to use Cataclysm on anything effectively.

The only way she could protect Chat Noir now was to separate them and give him time to come up with a decent plan. He was quick and clever; he'd work something out if she couldn't get free. She turned to Tempest, who was still clearly amused by the exchange and who looked utterly unaffected by the weather he was causing. "Take me."

"Marinette!" protested Chat Noir. The raw emotion in his voice made her heart ache for an entirely different reason.

Trust me, kitty. I trust you.

She forced herself to ignore him, climbing slowly to her feet and staring down Tempest, who had snorted in disbelief. "Ladybug will sa-sacrifice herself for i-innocent people." Hawk Moth would remember the incident with Pharaoh. He would also remember being tricked, but that couldn't be helped. And then there was the time Volpina had taken Adrien, or at least she'd thought she had. If Chat Noir hadn't figured out the truth and stopped her….

Besides, Hawk Moth wouldn't know he had already captured Ladybug, and she'd rather go with Tempest as Marinette now than try to track him down as Ladybug later. Even with Tikki's magic on her side, she wasn't sure she'd be able to catch up quickly enough to do her kitty much good. He was far better off rescuing her this time. "Chat Noir…is a hero. He knows…the risks." She tried to will her chattering teeth into submission. "He and Ladybug will put Paris above each other."

She didn't know if her words were true. They should be, but could she really take things that far? There had been some close calls, but she and Chat Noir had come through so much together. They hadn't had to face a choice like that. Not really. They'd always managed to find ways around it.

Except this time.

She wasn't Ladybug right now, and she wasn't sacrificing Tikki or her Miraculous for her partner, just herself, but….

She didn't look at Chat. She didn't need to. She could imagine his face.

He wouldn't know if what she'd said was the truth, either.

And he wouldn't like what she was trying to do now.

She was shaking, smaller shivers interrupted by larger shudders. "Take me," she repeated. "I'm b-better bait. L-Ladybug and Chat Noir…." She trailed off, glancing at him and hoping he'd read the message in her eyes. Let me go. Don't give up your Miraculous, whatever you do. "They're more likely to g-give you what you want if I'm your h-hostage."

If she could sneak away and transform at some point, later claiming Ladybug had freed her, then all the better. But if she couldn't…. Chat Noir would find a way to rescue her, once he'd worked out how. She could help him more then. Now, all she could do was try to convince Tempest that this was the better trade.

She didn't know how else to protect her kitty besides buying him time.

Tempest titled his head to one side, considering.

Chat Noir's hand appeared on hers, and a distant part of her mind realized she couldn't feel him. His suit was keeping him warm, but it was a cold on the outside as she was. "Marinette, please, don't do this."

"I have to." She'd stopped shivering. She wasn't sure when, but that was good. Tempest must have let the weather warm some, even though she could still see water droplets frozen on Chat's mask and ice fog with each breath. Perhaps Tempest was letting his guard down, or at least seriously considering her offer instead of trying to lull them into a false sense of security. Maybe she'd be able to do this after all. "You're always protecting people, kitty. Let me protect you for just a little bit longer."

His expression was agonized. "Marinette—"

"Just— Don't wait for Ladybug, okay, kitty cat? You're brilliant on your own. You'll find a way around this even if something's got her tied up." A burst of giggles erupted out of her at the words; for all she knew, they wouldn't be far off the truth. "But whatever you do, don't give up your Miraculous for me. Paris needs you. And if me going with Tempest means you're still able to be the hero I know you are, then I'll go."

He stared at her, but before he could find the words to dissuade her, she leaned forward and kissed him. It was the only thing she could leave him with right now, a promise of what may be in the future if they got through this. He stiffened for a moment, not expecting it, but she felt him relax and lean into it. He felt so warm against her lips, a sanctuary in this world of ice. She wanted to embrace him, to throw herself into his arms and melt into him, to extend this moment together—but she couldn't. She had to protect him. "See you soon, kitty," she murmured, her lips still brushing his. A pleasantly warm feeling had filled her. "Rain or shine."

Wind shot between them again, forcing them apart. "Oh, come now," taunted Tempest. "You can't expect me to believe this'll be a fair trade if I let you plan how to trick me." She saw his hand close on her wrist, and he pulled her towards him. "Till next time, Chat Noir. Bring me Ladybug and your Miraculous if you'd like to see your little lady alive again. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll get a rather icy reception from her."

Chat Noir's eyes narrowed. She saw his lips move, but the wind stole his words and then snow swirled in front of her vision, robbing her of that as well.

Good luck, kitty.