Chat Noir finally understands why Ladybug insists he doesn't patrol solo.
The threat of having no one to back him up in a fight never really registered with him. How could he have nobody? His lady would always be there for him. She always is, she always seems to know when and where trouble is afoot.
So her warnings of 'If one of us gets caught up in a situation and the other isn't able-' went in one ear and out the other.
Now, he finally understands her concern, unfortunately his understanding comes 40 minutes and 15 centimeters too late.
Of course he would finally understand in the middle of a blizzard.
The storm really hit Paris like a train, a couple of hours ago it had just started a light flurry, but soon Chat was miles from home, unable to see (or hear, really) or rooftop travel.
He's spends most of his exile outside attempting to assist stranded civilians home, luckily not too many caught the worst of the storm and now instead of cries for help he hears the gentle muffling flutter of snow.
Finally, the feline finds his school. And he perches on the front right corner, attempting to find his bearings and discern which direction his house would be in.
"Chat Noir!" someone shouts at him. First, he looks down for anyone who may have spotted him, and might need his help, but there's no one there, just a blanket of white. "Chat Noir!" next, it sounds like Ladybug, calling him towards some unknown destination. But he can't see her dazzling suit anywhere, so he has no idea how she would see him. "CHAT NOIR YOU DUMB CAT GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"
Chat leaps on the ground and runs toward the voice of his lady. He scales a building, and climbs over a railing expecting to see red with black spots.
But it's not his lady, it's Marinette Dupain-Cheng, leaning heavily on her banister covered in every warm item known to man.
She looks at him, blinks slowly like she's just registering he's appeared and then an exhausted tiny smile tilts her lips.
She looks so breakable that he immediately steps forward like hie proximity would heal her.
She grabs one of his hands and presses something warm and metal into it. A thermos.
Any other time he would be overjoyed to look inside and see the goodies that await, but Marinette had never looked so vulnerable to him. A blanket is draped over her shoulders but it's covered in snow, she's visibly shivering and starting to turn a sickly grey, so he stifles his impatience and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's get you inside, Princess. Your lips are turning blue." he says, and the nickname 'Princess' comes so naturally to him that it shocks him. He works his jaw, imagining the name rolling off of his tongue. 'Purr-rin-cess'. He likes it, so decides to keep it.
"Yours too." Marinette whispers, and pokes his nose with the tip of her finger. She turns around and bends down to open the hatch of her balcony, and gingerly climbs down. Chat stomps his boots off and lands on her bed as well, watching as the girl gently falls back into the covers.
He squats down over her, watching as her eyes close slowly and she blinks up at him.
"Chat?" she asks gently. He leans closer.
"Yes, Princess?"
"Could you close the hatch?"
Chat nearly drops the thermos in his hurry to close the door, a blush lighting up his face because he was too busy gaping at her to even have the slightest common sense.
Once its closed Marinette buries herself even deeper into her covers and then lightly tosses the stray corner of a cover at him. He stays sitting up, legs crossed but throws the cover over them.
When he opens the thermos he's assaulted by smells, cinnamon, milk, vanilla. When he drinks it the concoction pours down his throat, and it has a sweet honey taste to it as well. It sinks down, sitting heavy in his stomach and warming him from the inside out. He hadn't noticed how cold he was.
"Marinette, how did you know I-" but when he looks over, his princess is already sleeping with a pink comforter tucked high around her neck.
He brushes her bangs out of her face, and smiles gently when her nose twitches.
He's slightly amazed that Marinette's kindness extends so far to superhero's stranded in a blizzard. Her warm heart somehow reaching through the snow to engulf him. He stands, he was hoping to stay longer but felt it was rude to watch her as she slept.
Marinette catches his hand, and squeezes his freezing fingers, surprising him.
"Stay… until it's… over." she whispers, and he sits back down.
"As you wish, Princess."