The beginning of that day was rough for Adrien but he couldn't afford to stay home from school. He went, even with his headache and weakness. The day dragged on as the only thing he could focus on was about how lousy he felt. A good actor. That's what he was. None of his friends knew and he didn't even mention it either. He didn't want to worry them. Adrien was surprised that Nino didn't notice how far away he sat from him, trying to avoid passing along the sickness. He wasn't visibly sick at first but as the day progressed, his cheeks were reddening and the shakes were becoming more clear.
The day took forever to end and when it did, Adrien hurried as fast as he could to get home and lay down on his bed. There was no photoshoots today so he was free for once to lay down and do absolutely nothing.
Dinner rolled around and he felt even worse. His appetite was almost non existent but with slow mouthfuls, he eventually cleared his plate. Getting through that, he collapsed on his bed for yet again another nap that proved to not help anything.
He managed to lay down for a good twenty minutes before his phone beeped, indicating it was almost time for patrol. Adrien groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He completely forgot about patrol! He had no idea how he was supposed to achieve enough power to do it. Perhaps they'd have to cut it short. He couldn't not show up and leave Ladybug all on her lonesome.
With Plagg's nagging irritating his head, he got up and transformed, heading out into the night. At least seeing the girl of his dreams would help.
Chat Noir was having a hard time keeping up with Ladybug. He was losing his breath and the world around him was becoming blurry as if they were in a fishbowl. He panted like a furry dog in summer and his muscles were gaining on him the longer they went on but all that wasn't stopping him from remaining beside his Lady.
He paused on a rooftop when Ladybug did the same. She stood at the end of the roof and looked around Paris. Night had hit the city and the streets were bathed in glowing lights. Paris was certainly a beautiful city at night and that's one of the reasons Marinette liked it so much. She had to do her best to protect it.
Chat stood beside her and stared out at what she was admiring. The expression on her face was breathtaking. He wished she looked at him that way.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" she said in full awe. "I love going out on the rooftops at night and seeing this."
Chat couldn't help but let a smile grow on his face, even though his body was shutting down on him. "I like it too, m'lady." His heart skipped a beat when she beamed at him. Sure he felt like he was about to lay on death's bed but making his Lady smile made his efforts all worth it.
An overwhelming feeling of dizziness ran down his spine and before he knew it, Chat was sitting on the roof.
Ladybug didn't think anything of it and she sat down beside him. Unusually close or was it just him?
The pair sat quietly for a minute or two and Chat's condition was not improving. The cold air blowing directly at them made it worse but Chat remained seated. After all, he didn't want to worry her or cause a big scene.
Nausea joined in soon with the dizziness and Chat could barely stay silent. The nausea hit him hard and he clamped his hands around his throat as he silently heaved. Was he going to throw up? Sweat formed all around his body at the mere thought of such a disgusting act in front of the love of his life.
"Are you alright, Chat?"
Chat cringed and she noticed.
"Uh," he swallowed hard and let out a mini pant. "Yeah, I'm all good." He placed his hands down and pretended to look casual. With her eyebrow raised, he knew that Ladybug wasn't buying it. Did he truly look that awful?
"You don't look 'all good'," she stated, studying him all over.
His cheeks were already flustered so he didn't have to worry about that. All he could think of was keeping his dinner down. Chat was beginning to regret forcing it down prior to their meeting "Yeah, trust, I'm good." He didn't want to lie but how could he appear weak in front of her? He was Chat Noir for goodness sake!
"If you say so."
It was clear she didn't buy it, but at least she stopped questioning him about it. Standing to her feet, she peered down at him and held out her hand. "Shall we continue?"
Nodding, he grasped it and used it to pull himself back up. Numbness was all he felt from the waist down and it forced her to be his main support. Ladybug wasn't expecting to do all the work and wobbled back and forth before planting her feet on the shingles.
"I'm so sorry, m'lady!" Chat Noir let out, struggling to gain his balance back. He waved his one arm in the air in an attempt to balance it out while the other hand squeezed his partner's hand quite roughly.
A hand grabbed the one that was waving and Ladybug held him sturdy while waiting for the feeling to come back to his feet. His entire body weight was leaning on her at the moment and it was lucky she was as strong as she was. It wasn't too difficult to hold him up but the longer he stayed there, the more tired she got. She knew she couldn't do it forever.
"We need you to sit, now," she instructed but Chat shook his head.
"It's okay. Trust me, Bugaboo. I'm all-"
"Good? No you're not Chat. Don't lie to me," Ladybug said with a slight sharpness to her tongue. She hadn't meant to be so short with him but there was something wrong with her partner and he was hiding it from her. She couldn't stand liars.
She noticed Chat wince from her tone and she lowered her guard in guilt. "Sorry Chat. I'm just," she paused and looked him straight in the eye. "Worried."
Ladybug was worried about him! She really did care! Chat Noir felt as if he was floating in midair. He could feel her warm breath on his face and he probably would have lost the feeling in his legs if it wasn't already gone. Her eyes were bright blue under the dazzling lights and without a doubt, he could get lost in them.
"I-"
He let out a loud cough and winced from the harshness of it. He turned away from her in order to avoid spreading germs. After all, coughing on someone was disgusting.
"Sorry," Chat let out and she shushed him.
"Don't be," Ladybug smiled but shortly after pressed her lips tightly together. "We need to get you home."
He opened his mouth to give her directions to his house but stopped himself. Where was he supposed to lead her to? He couldn't get her to go to his house. It would give away his identity.
Clearly Ladybug realized this as well and she huffed to herself. "Well, what should we do about this?" She wasn't really asking him but instead was more asking out loud.
Chat paused and looked around for a safe spot for her to bring him to. He wasn't completely useless. He just needed her help to get down from the rooftops, yeah that was it. He could make it home from a spot decently near it. Not too close but enough that he could return home safely without keeling over.
Casually, Ladybug pointed a finger towards an open balcony that was totally not her own. "Here, let's rest you there. I'm sure the owner isn't home." She silently thanked herself that she turned off the lights to her room and her parents were away at a friend's place for dinner. They'd be having no interruptions.
Chat highly considered pushing her away and pretending he was magically feeling better but deep down he knew that she wouldn't buy it at all nor humor him so he kept his mouth shut as they hopped from building to building. Ladybug was mainly doing all the work as Chat's legs betrayed him throughout their travels. He followed her every instruction to the best of his abilities, no matter what direction she told him to lean to or what leg to use to push off with. He felt like complete garbage but having Ladybug taking care of him like this was one of his many dreams about her. He couldn't resist giving in!
When they eventually landed on the balcony, Chat hesitated, knowing exactly who lived there. He felt unsure. He wasn't sure she'd want him hanging around, especially at this hour. He noticed her bedroom light was off and hushed his voice down right away, assuming she was sleeping.
"We'll have to be quiet," he stated, Ladybug looking at him slightly confused. "The person who lives here must be sleeping."
Ladybug continued her expression for a moment before realizing who he was talking about. "Oh." She looked over at her bedroom and hoped Chat wouldn't look too deeply in through the skylight. This wasn't the best idea of hers but there weren't any other options that were any better. She would strictly let him rest for maybe half an hour or so before sending him home. That's all. Half an hour. She could do it.
"Well lay down," she instructed, lowering her voice to play along with Chat. It was clear the girl living in that house was not sleeping whatsoever but try explaining that one without giving her identity away.
He did as he was told almost automatically. He gently and quite slowly laid himself down in the striped pink deck chair. It was built to lean back so Chat found it quite comfortable. The little cover above it helped to block out the wind and Chat was feeling far warmer than earlier, not realizing he had been chilly.
Ladybug wasn't sure where she was going to get some supplies but then figured out where she could go. She had to sneak and do it quietly in the dark.
"I'll be right back Chat so don't move," she hovered over him and gave him a serious look. "I don't want you getting any worse." At the back of her mind, she knew he'd disobey but at his current state, she figured his body would give out on him before he could travel very far.
He watched her like a hawk, curious to where she was heading off to. "Where are you going, LB?"
"Uh," she thought of a lie and she thought it up quick. "Just to the store to buy you some medicine."
Chat sat up suddenly and held out a hand as if to stop her. "No wait! Don't worry about me okay? I'll just nap here quickly and then head home. I don't want you to go to all that tro-"
"Just wait here and I'll be back before you know it," she argued and turned her back to head off to her destination. Ladybug crouched low and jumped down onto the sidewalk before he could disagree any further.
She slicked along the bakery walls and stood there in silence. She looked around to ensure nobody was with her before doing this.
"Tikki, spots off."
A bright light flashed and soon Marinette was standing there with a key in hand. She wouldn't dare get caught as Ladybug in her house. What if her parents came home early or Chat Noir followed her?
She snuck in and quietly closed the door behind her. Reaching a hand on the light switch on the inside of the house, she pulled back as if it was burning her. She had to remember, no lights allowed! Her heart rate increased and she deeply hoped that Chat listened to her and remained where she left him. Having him follow her right now would be a disaster.
Navigating in the dark proved to be rather difficult and Marinette was doing all she could to find the first aid kit. That was her first stop. Luckily her parents kept it in the same spot and it wasn't a hard spot to get to, even in the dark. She shuffled through the various items in the kit in search of some pills to take, some heating pads and bags for ice. Marinette then slowly lifted the tap in the kitchen to allow little droplets of water to fall onto a soft cloth for his forehead. She hadn't checked it but she was expecting his temperature to be higher than normal when she did.
Having found all the pieces, Marinette bagged them up and placed them up on the counter beside the stove, leaving the ice for last so it wouldn't melt before she got it out to him. She stopped and listened for a sneaky cat. Eyes moved all around the room and she couldn't hear anything but her own breathing. Maybe he did listen to her after all, despite his efforts not to earlier.
"Is everything okay, Marinette?"
Tikki popped her head out of Marinette's purse and looked up with worry in her eyes.
"I'm alright Tikki," she whispered. "Just listening for movement. I have to get this stuff and get it out quick before Chat wonders what's taking me so long."
Her stomach growled. It was eight o'clock and she hadn't eaten anything yet.
"You're really good to Chat," Tikki smiled and floated next to Marinette's head as the girl began searching through the fridge for food.
"Well I can't leave him out there. He's a mess." Marinette sighed and sped up her search. It was easy to do with the fridge light being a guide.
She couldn't find anything that would be quiet enough to prepare. There was a leftover piece of lasagna but heating it in the microwave would be far too loud. She groaned to herself but stopped and decided to suck it up. Her identity had to remain a secret and she couldn't risk anything.
Tikki giggled quietly. "It would be easier if you were able to take him to his house, wouldn't it?"
Marinette huffed and giggled along with her. "Tell me about it."
Taking a forkful of the cold pasta, she put it in her mouth and chewed uncomfortably. It definitely wasn't going to be a tasty dinner but she needed food regardless, especially if he was as weak as he was. She couldn't afford to be weak as well.
Chewing the cold, hard noodles, Marinette checked the freezer for more instant meals. She was forced to dig deep to get to the bottom of it. There were a lot of frozen foods and nothing would be good to cook in silence. After a few minutes of searching, she found what appeared to be frozen soup. It was in a personal sized container to boot. Her lips curved up in thought. When was this made? Shrugging, she nodded to herself. This would have to do!
Tikki flew in front of Marinette's hands, blocking her path. "Do you know how old that is!?"
Marinette shook her head. "No idea to be honest. But it was in the freezer so it's got to be okay."
Tikki almost facepalmed. "That's from last Christmas!" She watched as Marinette's mouth wrinkled in disgust and continued. "You can't serve him this!"
She opened it and it smelt just fine. "It smells fine. It can't be... that bad...," Marinette slowed her speech the longer Tikki stared at her. "But Tikki, I don't have any other options! It doesn't have mold and it doesn't smell bad!" She tried to defend herself but Tikki wasn't agreeing at all. She pulled on her pigtails and ran a hand through her bangs in frustration. Since when were they a little sweaty? She was so stressed out!
Marinette sighed in defeat. She felt a tad guilty but she had to come up with food quick and she didn't have time to run out to grab something else. "How about I taste test it and if it tastes bad, I'll go out and buy him food?"
That seemed to sit well with the kwami and she nodded, giving Marinette permission to continue. She flew out of the way and hopped back in the purse to observe.
Marinette quietly got out a pot and plopped the frozen ball of goodness into it and set the stove's temperature to low. She had no idea what flavour it was but Chat would have to deal with it. In went another mouthful of her cold and sad dinner. The more scoops she took, the happier her stomach felt and soon enough, the soup was beginning to melt beside her. The smell wafted through her nose and she identified it as her Dad's homemade turkey soup. It was delicious and she knew Chat would think so too. The last scoop of the dinner was shoved into her mouth and the dish was placed in the sink. Her tummy was happy but she definitely wasn't going to be volunteering to have cold lasagna in the future anytime soon.
A few stirs later and the soup was steaming madly. Marinette dipped a spoon in and gave it a few soft blows of air to cool it. Cautiously, she put it in her mouth and braced for a horrid taste. Her shoulders lowered as the familiar flavour of her Dad's turkey soup filled her taste buds.
"It's fine Tikki!" Marinette practically cheered, then lowered her voice, remembering she had to keep it down.
Tikki smiled. "Good. Don't go poisoning your sick partner."
Marinette rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle. She carefully poured it back into the container and even added some pepper to taste. She liked it that way. The pot was left in the sink, and water was almost instinctively poured on it in order to let it soak. Unfortunately, she had to leave it as is to avoid making running water noises. That was going to be a horrible mistake that Future Marinette would be forced to deal with.
She scurried over to the freezer again and grabbed a few ice cubes for the bags of ice. Settled, she slid the bag of first aid supplies onto her shoulder and balancing the hot soup in her arms, Marinette began traipsing towards the door. It was a blessing the soup came in a closed container or it would have been impossible to swing back up to the balcony.
Almost forgetting, she wrote her parents a little note saying she'd be at Alya's, just in case her parents returned home before she was done with Chat.
The door was opened and out she went before she could pull a typical Marinette and drop everything everywhere. Successfully locking the door, she peered out into the streets. It sure was quiet out tonight. It wasn't too cold but it was decently windy which probably kept everyone inside.
A poke went into her side and Marinette stood still in her tracks. Tikki giggled and shot out of the purse. "I'm ready when you are!"
With a nod of her head, Marinette turned the corner to hide behind a streetlight. "Tikki, spots on!"
Once transformed, she swung her yoyo to connect to the balcony railing and lifted herself up to it. With everything still in one piece, she landed on the balcony and hurried over to Chat Noir. To her relief he was still there but to her amazement, he was fast asleep, laying on his back.
Ladybug tiptoed over to him and placed the food and first aid items down on the tea table. Her eyes were glued to him. She couldn't tear them away. It was just so fascinating of how calm he looked instead of his usual smirky self. It was an oddity to see his face so relaxed and at peace. How long had he been out? Should she wake him?
Chat needed food and with the cold wind blowing, he could use the warmth in his stomach. She made a mental note to pick him up a blanket and pillow after he ate. Ladybug knelt down beside him and carefully shook his arm to wake him up.
"Chat?" she whispered gently.
He laid there still as a board and she shook him again.
"Chat?" she repeated.
His breathing remained the same. It was slow but steady and she could barely hear it. She felt a tinge of guilt hit her in the face the longer she observed him. Ladybug needed to do this. Chat had to eat.
"Chat Noir?" she tried again but this time a little louder.
His mouth scrunched up and he stretched a little before fluttering his eyes open. It was clear he didn't know where he was and he was glancing up at her with innocent eyes. Ladybug couldn't believe Chat Noir could look like this. He was like a fragile glass ornament!
"M'lady...?"
He must have been out for a good chunk of time. Chat sounded completely drowsy and he rubbed his eyes before attempting to swing himself up to sitting.
Ladybug didn't say a word and decided it was best to wait until he woke up a little to avoid confusing him. She watched his brain click into place on where he was and his ears perked up in attention.
He let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I saw you up close to my face and assumed I was still dreaming," he sent her a wink which caused her to send him back an eye roll.
She grabbed the soup and placed it on his lap. "Here, I got you some food." She pointed to the bag of goodies on the table. "I'll give you your medicine afterwards. I don't want you taking them on an empty stomach."
Chat stared down at the food in appreciation. Without a doubt he was hungry. It smelled absolutely delicious and he couldn't wait to dig in. How sweet was his lady!? His heart was so happy and he knew he was probably beaming at her brightly. He loved her so much!
He took the spoon in hand and then stopped, smirking with the sudden idea. He lifted the spoon and then pretended to drop it roughly by accident. The bang it made when it collided with the container, forced Ladybug to jump.
She leaned down in alarm. "What happened Chat? Are you okay?" Worry lined her features and it almost guilted him enough to cut the act. But being fed by his lady? All the guilt was worth it.
"My arm is too weak to lift the spoon," Chat frowned and gazed at his dream girl. He continued with the act, ignoring when Ladybug lowered her eyes at him. "I really want to eat this but I'm too weak…" He trailed off and pouted when Ladybug wasn't buying it.
"Uh huh," she crossed her arms. "I'm not falling for that."
"I'm not faking anything," he insisted. He let out a real cough and put an arm to his forehead. Heat filled his hand and noticed the cold air was no longer helping to cool him off. He mentally put that on the backburner. Getting fed by Ladybug was his main priority.
"Feed me…?" Chat pleaded and even pulled out the big guns.
His puss and boots eyes.
Ladybug flinched and her eyes widened. Begging eyes like that always made her cave and she knew that if he kept doing that, she'd give in and give him what he wants. She turned her head to avoid eye contact. "In your dreams, Chat."
She had her head turned and she could still hear the smirk growing on his lips. That darn cat!
"You are my dreams."
Ladybug walked towards the tea table. "Just eat so you can take your medicine before you get worse."
"I caaaaaan't."
She facepalmed and groaned in frustration. He was now whining. Talk about desperate.
"Ladybuuuuuuuuuug. Pleeeeaaaaaasssseeee?"
"No!"
"Ladybuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuug!"
"No Chat!" Her back was still turned to face him. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back a yell and began opening up the pills, getting his dose ready for him.
"I'm so weak and hungryyyyyy! Please Ladybug? Pleeeeaaseeeee? Pleeeeeeaseeeeee? Ladybuuuuuuuuuuug!"
Ladybug turned around and Chat swore he saw a flame in her eye. "Okay okay! Give me that spoon!"
Chat cheered on the inside. He did it! Sure he had to resort to whining and begging but whatever worked! He was thrilled and couldn't hide the tooth filled grin that spread across his face. He couldn't wait!
Spotting that grin, she knelt down and lowered her eyes and then rolled them at him. "I hope you're happy."
"I'm ecstatic, Bugaboo!" He couldn't wipe that grin off his face. He was overjoyed that the love of his life was agreeing to feed him!
She sighed and held out the first spoonful to him, trying to ignore how fast he took it.
"Wow!" Chat Noir exclaimed. "This is delicious!" He examined the container in an attempt to find a company name. He had to know where this came from. "Where did you get this?"
Ladybug pretended to think. "Uh, I don't actually remember," she clearly lied. "Just some store." She chuckled nervously but relaxed when he seemed to buy it.
"It's so delicious!" he repeated with glee. "This reminds me of the family meals that we used to have." She noticed that he just couldn't stop smiling.
Used to have? Ladybug lowered her eyes to the ground and carefully chose her words. The choice of his words threw her off. Maybe he didn't mean it like that and she was just reading it wrong.
"What do you mean?"
He thought for a minute but then shrugged it off when he knew what she was referring to. "Oh, nothing. Just speaking out loud."
Switching the subject, Chat leaned his head forward. "More?" he said in a sickeningly sweet voice, holding back on a wink.
She rolled her eyes and dipped the spoon in the soup to hold it up to his mouth. The next few spoonfuls of soup, Ladybug couldn't stop thinking about what Chat had said. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it so she didn't want to press any further. But what he said did worry her a bit and she hoped he was okay. Was Chat's home life not as peachy as she naturally assumed? She had an amazing home life so sometimes she forgot that others weren't always as lucky.
Ladybug noticed how thankful he seemed to be eating something homemade and guilt crawled up her spine as she remembered how old the soup he was enjoying was. Sure it was still fine but he was sick and Chat was her partner. How could she have been so cruel? She had to make this up to him. Maybe a treat would do? Without him begging, Ladybug dug the spoon into the dish and with a slight force of a smile, she swooped it in his mouth.
Chat Noir could barely focus on eating. She was so close to him and she was volunteering to spoon feed him! He wished he could pause this moment and play it looped for eternity. He studied the way her lips pressed together when she focused on taking another spoonful.
They were about halfway done the soup and Ladybug placed the container down on the chair beside Chat's leg.
"But I'm still hungry!" he whined and reached out to grab her arm playfully.
"It's medicine time," Ladybug declared, ignoring his protests. She grabbed the two pills and knelt back down next to him. "These are okay to take with food," she claimed and held out her hand for him to take them.
Chat shook his head. "Can you do it?" When she opened her mouth to retort, he reverted back to his whining. "Pleeeaaaasseeee?"
She huffed roughly at first but then remembered what she made him eat. "Fine." Ladybug grasped the spoon and dipped it in the container. Placing the pill on top of the soup in the spoon, she faced it towards Chat. He opened his mouth eagerly and in it went. He swallowed it without complaint so she loaded up the second round and it went down easy as well.
There was still half of the soup left so she figured it was best to get it over with. It was later out now and the wind had picked up a bit compared to earlier. The temperature was dropping each minute so it was vital to his health that she go get that blanket for him. Plus, she had to grab him a nice treat from the bakery. Ladybug wasn't sure what he liked but if he ate year old soup, he would like anything.
"Are you cold at all?" she asked Chat before scooping up another spoonful of soup.
He shook his head but she could tell he was lying by his shivers that were struggling to be hidden. His head felt hot but his body had chills but of course, Chat Noir would never admit to it.
"Here, Chat, please finish this. I need to get you a blanket." Ladybug stood up and placed the container on his lap. She spoke more to stop Chat from complaining. "It's getting really cold and I can't have you getting worse. Please hang in there for me okay?"
His eyes flashed at the last sentence. "I'll do anything for you."
Those words hit her like a ton of bricks. She had to shake her head to dismiss the effect it had on her. It was too sweet and he said it genuinely instead of in that flirty tone he usually used. "A-Anyway, just sit still and eat up. I'll be very quick."
Off she went to calm her nerves and Ladybug dashed down the building to quickly detransform and run into her house. Luckily her parents weren't back yet.
Once inside, she ran to find a cookie for Tikki.
"Sorry Tikki," Marinette said softly. "I don't mean for this to take so long."
"It's okay Marinette!" Tikki smiled and took a bite of the cookie. "Chat Noir needs your help."
Marinette quickly grabbed two of the thicker blankets from the couch and the better pillow of the bunch. She was cold herself but didn't want to have him feeling bad for forcing her to stay outside. She'd just toughen up and endure it. Besides, it wasn't too much longer that they'd be out there. It was about time for him to go home and sleep it off. She just had to get the dizziness and weakness out of him.
Marinette's hands dug through the treats in the display case. They were still fresh because they were made that morning. With the thought of that old soup sliding into her mind once more, she sighed and felt extremely guilty.
Tikki looked up at her with a slight frown and look of worry. "What's wrong Marinette?"
She sighed again and looked like she was going to cry. "What was I thinking feeding him that old soup? Sure it was still good but he's my partner Tikki. I betrayed his trust. Why would I do that?" Marinette buried her face in her hands and the kwami flew up and pet her knuckles.
"It's okay Marinette. You didn't do it on purpose. You were just in a rush and were focused on getting him the food as quickly as possible." She smiled. "I'm sure if there were better options, you would have been more up for choosing that. I know you didn't purposely give him old food."
The usual words of comfort didn't help Marinette this time around. "But Tikki, he said he never gets family meals at home! He didn't share much but I'm guessing that his family doesn't sit down for meals or doesn't cook or something and here I am not giving him the best experience! Oh Tikki!" she cried. "Why am I so horrible!?"
"Marinette!" Tikki gave her a warm smile. "It's okay. You made a mistake and you're trying to fix it. That's what's important."
She sighed, not fully believing what Tikki said. "I guess so."
Tikki flew over to the case and pointed at a large croissant. "Now pick him something awesome!"
Marinette's eyes fluttered over and scanned the food items. She was going to pick something great and nobody could stop her!
Her eye went over to a giant chocolate chip banana muffin. It was the large one of the batch that she remembered eyeing that morning before school. It seemed that nobody bought it so she called dibs and took it to bring out to Chat. She wished she could butter it and heat it but it would have to do the way it was.
She went by outside and locked the door. Hiding behind the same post, Marinette transformed once more and hurried up to her cat popsicle.
Chat's ears perked and he sat back up when he heard her return. The container was empty and he was smiling at her.
"I got you some blankets," Ladybug said, scurrying over towards him. "I hope I wasn't gone too long." She removed the empty soup container and placed it on the table quickly. Chat had to get warmed up now! She opened the first blanket and fluffed it so it covered him entirely. Covering him up and containing heat was top priority. Snacks came later.
The warmth hit him almost immediately and Chat didn't realize how cold he actually was. That probably didn't help his condition. When she fluffed out the second blanket, he smirked at her and decided to play with her again. Since when would this happen again? "Could you tuck it in a little more?"
Ladybug did as instructed and shoved the covers underneath his legs.
"A little up there too Bugaboo," he advised and held back a snicker when he heard a light groan escape her lips.
A ruffle of the fabric later and then it was still. "Good?"
"Perfect," he grinned. "Like you."
A pillow was whipped and it hit him square in the face. Chat let out a little chuckle and placed it behind his head.
Without a word, Ladybug approached him and Chat felt the back of her hand rest on his forehead. His eyes widened at first from the surprise but then he settled into it and his eyelids rested closed peacefully. It was all over too fast as she removed her hand and hissed. "You definitely have a fever."
"I feel okay," Chat assured her but she shook her head and frowned. "No Chat. This isn't good. You can't possibly heal being out here." Ladybug noticed his face flushing more than before and she could only imagine how many degrees his forehead had risen since the beginning of the night.
He sighed sadly. It hurt to see her so stressed out and having him being the reason made everything worse. Things like this happen when he decides to be a baby. "Here, why don't I just go home? I can make it there. I know I can." Chat tried to stand up but was knocked back down by Ladybug's arm.
"You're not going anywhere," she ordered. "Not by yourself." She flicked her bangs out of her eyes and angled them according to the wind so they wouldn't be blinding her.
With no other option, he looked at her very seriously and grabbed her hand. "Ladybug, I don't mind if you know who I am."
"Chat you-" Ladybug opened to her mouth but he shushed her.
"I don't care. I trust you. I trust you with my life," he said firmly, standing up. The food he ate helped with his strength but he was certainly still weak and in no condition to travel on his own. Still holding onto her hand, Chat took a shaky step toward her so their faces were mere inches apart. Ladybug's eyes were as wide as saucers and she pressed her lips tightly together.
"I don't mind. Not at all," he told her. "In fact," he smiled a smile so genuine, Ladybug felt her heart skip a beat for a second. "I'd love for you to know."
"Chat-"
"Plagg, claws-"
"CHAT!" She shoved him away from her harsh enough that he almost toppled over backwards.
"Chat, what are you doing!?" she shrieked at him, seemingly forgetting about the supposedly sleeping resident beneath them. "We can't know who each other really are! You know that! I can't know who you are, Chat! It's dangerous if I know!" Glaring eyes shot at him and her volume was increasing. "Hawkmoth would target you as a civilian! Don't do that again!"
Ladybug was letting loose on him pretty badly and Chat felt immediate remorse for what he almost did. "I-I'm sorry Bugaboo…I just thought it'd be easier."
"It would be, Chat, but I can't have you pulling stunts like that!" she waved her arms dramatically. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"
He frowned and his ears lowered. "I'm sorry Ladybug." Chat Noir was embarrassed to say the least. He hated nothing more than upsetting Ladybug.
Calming down a bit, Ladybug exhaled loudly and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry too Kitty. I didn't mean to freak out so badly. You just scared me!"
"I won't do that ever again," Chat said sheepishly. "I promise." He returned the hug and couldn't help but rest his head on her shoulder. Like during their patrol, Ladybug was doing most of the work, holding him up but he had improved in that department since.
She noticed a light turn on in the bakery. Letting go of the hug in a rush, she tilted to the right to be positive. Sure enough, her parents' voices could be heard below. She froze. "Chat," Ladybug whispered. "My pa-I mean, the Dupain-Cheng's are home."
He stiffened and listened; his ears twitched as he heard what Ladybug was hearing. "Should we go?"
Ladybug stood, thinking about what to do. Maybe her parents would let Chat come in to stay the night? After all, he was Paris' superhero! She didn't necessarily want to have him sleep over in her house but his condition was worsening and she had to act fast. His health was far more important than her uncomfortable feelings.
"Maybe they'd let you stay the night?" Ladybug suggested.
Chat shook his head. "Oh no, I don't want to impose that on them. They have a bakery to run."
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Plus, you'll be out of the cold."
He shook his head again. "I'm fine really. I can just go home. See, I'm feeling stronger now!" He flexed, earning an eye roll from his lady.
"You have a fever." She pointed to the striped chair knowing very well that Chat would not agree to reside in her house. Standing there arguing back and forth was useless. "Go lay down and I'll cover you up with blankets again."
Chat did as he was told and regained that comfy spot he had before.
Ladybug came over and began covering him up with blankets again to keep him warm. She heard him gasp. "Hey, the lights went out."
She paused and leaned over to have a look for herself. He was right. The bakery went dark and she figured her parents went to bed. She exhaled in relief. They must had bought the note she left. Hopefully they wouldn't come up to her room and check up on her.
"Looks like they went to bed." Ladybug went right back to tucking him in properly like he requested prior. "We'll have to be quiet again."
Suddenly remembering, she reached over towards the tea table that had the giant muffin resting on it. "Oh, before you lay down, I brought a treat for you." She handed it to him and smiled at the sight of his eyes lighting up.
"Oh, Bugaboo, you didn't have to do that!" Chat insisted and admired the object of beauty in his hand. It looked very fresh and of good quality. It was one of the largest muffins he'd ever seen.
"I thought you might need some cheering up given that you're sick and all that," Ladybug went off and he sniffed it. It smelled decadent and his mouth watered. He couldn't wait and took a larger than normal bite. He gasped and politely waited until he swallowed before speaking.
"This is so great!" Chat complimented. "Where are you getting all this tasty food from?"
Ladybug shrugged and played it off. "Oh, I was just popping into random stores along the main drag."
Buying it, Chat Noir beamed. "Thank you!" He dug back into the tasty treat. She giggled when he got a chocolate mark on his cheek.
"You got a little-" she pointed and he laughed and wiped it up with the back of his hand like a cat.
Once the muffin was fully consumed, Chat layed back down comfortably and couldn't keep his eyes off her. Ladybug was the sweetest thing on this planet! The muffin left a pure sweet tang on his tongue, something he'd admire for the next little while. If he were being honest with himself, he totally wanted another one but he'd never ask. She was incredible enough to have brought him one to begin with.
Ladybug tucked him back in without him asking her to and Chat's heart swooned. With her touches, he nodded and sighed happily. "I feel better already." A cold cloth was laid on his forehead and he gazed dreamily at Ladybug who was focused on his comfort. She was close to him again, kneeling by the chair he was laying on. Chat loved how she stuck her tongue out an inch whenever she concentrated on a task. It was adorable!
She did say to herself that they'd only be there for half an hour but he was truly in rough shape so it was a requirement to have stayed later. "You'll have to stay here for a few hours until your fever fades." One of the bags of ice was held against his forehead and Ladybug watched him sternly. "How does that feel?"
"Fantastic, m'lady," Chat smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Thank you."
She smiled back at him. "No problem. I want you to feel better." She removed the ice for a few seconds before placing it back on him. They stayed like that for many minutes and Chat had his eyes closed, a sudden drowsiness hitting him. It must have been the pills he took during dinner.
Despite the cold wind, he was warm and he was loving the feeling of Ladybug, his lady, beside him healing him back to health. He had dreams like that in the past but no dream was as great as the reality occurring right now.
"Could you hold the ice for a second?" Ladybug suddenly asked, standing up. He nodded and watched as she went over to the table. He heard her digging in the bag of goodies and when she came back, she shook some little pads and placed them underneath the blankets. One by each leg and one by each arm. Then one on top of his stomach. They started expelling heat and Chat Noir shivered from the change of temperature. Why was she so good to him?
"How's the heat on those?" Ladybug wondered, hoping they weren't too toasty.
Chat grinned. "They feel amazing." He shuffled under the blankets and rested his eyes shut. He was really starting to lose consciousness.
Ladybug sighed a sigh of relief at how her care was finally working its magic on him. She couldn't keep her eyes off him when his eyes closed fully. That relaxed glass ornament look reappeared on his features and it was like she was mesmerized under his spell.
A strong wind blew and she clutched her sides. It was frosty out now. If she was chilly, he must be too. Instinctively, she snuck up to him to pull the blanket up to just under his chin.
Chat sighed happily and kept his eyes closed. The heat from the heat pads Ladybug placed were doing wonders on his body. Shivers traveled up and down his spine as a breath escaped his lips. His brain was becoming fuzzier and was having a rough time staying conscious. Chat trusted his partner with his life but he wanted to feel each and everything she would be doing to him. After all, getting this attention from her was mind blowing. He would file these moments away for future use and just knew it would be what he would fantasize about for at least the next upcoming months.
Chat's brain's laziness forced him to slip in and out of consciousness as he tried his hardest to stay awake. He wanted to stay awake for his lady!
"Goodnight... m'lady," he murmured quietly and heard Ladybug let out a little gasp.
"Are you going to sleep, Chat?"
Chat's ears twitched and laid back to match the calmness of his breath. Nodding, he was so out of it, he wasn't sure if she actually saw the movement.
Ladybug bent over to do one last tuck check. She couldn't have any cold air hitting him while he was asleep, minus his face of course. Noticing that he didn't move or even say anything her hands went to work on his sides. She stopped for a moment and eyed him, asking softly. "Chat?"
His mouth continued to stay still and his eyes didn't even move a muscle.
Ladybug let out a breath, having finished the tucking. He must be out. When it was completed, she stepped away from her cozy looking partner. She sincerely hoped he felt better in the morning. The idea of having Chat rest inside her house entered her mind again but remembering what he said, it was dismissed. A hand rested on his forehead after she took a step back forward towards him. Chat's temperature was improving and she felt like she helped his illness, whatever bug he had. Ladybug removed the cloth but his temperature was still a little too high for her liking so she placed the ice bag back onto his forehead and studied his face a little more.
Ladybug held it there for a few minutes while brushing his bangs out of the way with her free hand. Chat's cheeks were flushed and she noted on how slow his breathing was. Concern rose in her at his slow pulse but she figured he must have always slept that way. He seemed to be breathing fine with his nose being clear. Feeling her arm tiring out from holding the ice firmly, she leaned on her elbow and rested her eyes closed.
His body shook and Chat Noir jerked awake in a panic. He had to stop having those horrible falling dreams!
Gasping, he said out loud. "Plagg, you won't believe what I-"
Chat's mouth slammed shut and he moved his head around, almost in a complete circle. Where was he? This wasn't his bedroom.
It took him a good ten seconds to remember. How long had he been out for? He felt the sudden warmth on his chest. Seeing the cause, his heart beat irregularly and looked down with frozen eyes.
The girl who had spent her entire evening and more taking care of him was resting on his chest. She was completely out cold. An arm was outstretched across his chest, touching the other side of his waist. The now melted ice was dripping down that side but he was too distracted by the beautiful girl who had decided he was a comfortable pillow.
Chat was glad Ladybug was asleep as his heart was beating so loud, anyone could have heard it for miles. His eyes were glued to her and he was frozen, unsure on what to do. There was one thing he knew though. There was no way he was going to wake her up. The smart part of his brain knew that was the right thing to do but would he do it? Heck no! He wasn't missing this! Not in a million years!
Even though she was sprawled over him, Chat still took great attention to how light she was on him. He had lifted her before during akuma fights but never really paid too close attention to how tiny she really was. Ladybug was astonishingly strong for her body type but that didn't stop him from occasionally lifting her up into his arms. He just couldn't help himself.
Chat felt chills as he stayed as still as his heartbeat would allow. He had gotten close to Ladybug a few times before but never THIS close and he had trouble convincing himself that the heat in his face was just his fever acting up again. Being this close to Ladybug was surreal. He couldn't believe he wasn't dreaming! He wasn't… was he? Swallowing hard, Chat pinched his cheek.
Ow, felt that.
He sighed as he stared down at her resting face. He wished for nothing more than to be able to do this more often. Chat loved being her partner of course but he longed for something more. Being able to hold her hand wherever they went, being able to kiss her so tenderly and telling everyone how lucky he is for being able to have Ladybug as his girlfriend. He bit down gently on his bottom lip. Not like that was ever going to happen. But it had to eventually! She took care of him tonight. That must have meant something, didn't it?
Chat was so caught on watching Ladybug that he didn't notice his tear ducts becoming active. He sniffed and gently laughed to himself. What was he doing?
He knew Ladybug cared for him, it was obvious. It was just that her actions tonight really revealed it and he had no doubts now, not that he had doubts to begin with. Chat couldn't believe someone cared for him as much as Ladybug did. In her eyes, she spent hours in the cold with him on a stranger's balcony playing caregiver by buying him supplies. Who else would do that? She could have just waved him off and made him go home on his own but no, his sweet lady took care of him until the very end and tired herself out. He was dumbfounded and getting overly emotional about the whole ordeal. Chat was incredibly lucky to have Ladybug in his life and he thought about the pact he made to himself. He'd never forget her for as long as he lived.
Knowing she was asleep, he felt zero fear in showing his affections towards her that were dying to come out. He knew he couldn't do so when she was awake so he lifted a paw and smoothed out her hair, caressing her head as lightly as he could. If only they could lay like this more often. Chat felt his heart increasing to dangerous levels the longer he touched her. He found himself endlessly grinning as his fingers traced down her pigtails, finding the red ribbons that held them together. He slid his hand across the side of her neck and stopped when he reached her cheek.
He was touching Ladybug! Ladybug! Chat's brain could barely comprehend what he was doing as he rested his hand there and held as still as possible. She was as warm and soft as he imagined and he thoroughly wished he could feel just how soft she was without either of their suits blocking the path.
Ladybug's mouth was slightly open and she was breathing calmly and slowly. A tingly feeling attached itself to his lips as he studied hers carefully. He held his breath and highly considered his next move.
He could imagine Plagg floating beside him, sneering snide remarks about how he was too chicken to do it. Chat leaned down, breathing so heavily one would think he just returned from a long run. There were mere inches between their faces and their lips were lined up perfectly. He paused and waited for that ounce of courage to come back.
It didn't come back.
Chat felt dizzy and he thought about how he always imagined their first kiss to be. It wasn't when one of them was asleep. He wanted Ladybug to feel it and he longed to see her reaction. Last second, Chat chickened out and planted a soft, loving kiss on her cheek instead. "I love you Ladybug," he murmured without thinking. "I love you so much. I wish I could thank you properly for all you've done for me tonight."
He leaned back up and sighed sadly. Maybe if he wasn't such a chicken they'd be dating by now. If only he could make a move and tell her how he really felt.
"Chat…?"
With the sound of her voice, Chat's heart stopped beating for two seconds. Muscles all stiffened and he froze like a post when Ladybug lifted her head up, clearly still half asleep. Did she hear him? More importantly, did she feel him kiss her? Did she know what he did? She'd kill him! Chat was panicking on the inside but did his best to seem totally nonchalant.
"H-Hey Bugaboo," he greeted nervously, preparing for the worst. "How'd you sleep?"
"Uh," she glanced around, clearly trying to figure out where they were and remember what was happening. "Good I think." She must had figured it out and gasped. Ladybug leapt up straight, not noticing who she was sleeping on moments ago and began throwing apologies. "Oh my gosh Chat I am SO sorry! I didn't mean to pass out like that! Are you okay? Is everything okay? How long was I out? More importantly, how long were YOU out? Is your fever okay? Do you need meds?" She felt like a complete failure as a caretaker. How could she fall asleep on the job?
"Hey hey, calm down. I'm okay LB!" Chat Noir grinned, beginning to realize he was not going to be destroyed. Ladybug didn't hear him! If she did, she would have mentioned something by now. "My fever's gone!" he smiled and flashed her a wink. "And it's all thanks to you!"
Her mouth went from a smile, to a smirk and then back to a smile. "I'm so happy to hear that kitty!" Ladybug couldn't help but place a hand on his forehead and he held still to let her examine him. "You're right! Oh I'm so relieved!"
Chat's eyes lowered to the ground and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks from what he was about to say. "H-Hey, uh, I wanted to thank you for all you've done for me tonight," he started, trying not to stutter or trip over his words. "It was really kind of you. Thank you, Ladybug." His cheeks warmed right up and he knew she could see. She simply smiled down at him and flicked his bell, earning a heart skip from him.
"It was my pleasure, kitty. I'm really glad it made you feel better," Ladybug said. She ruffled his hair and smirked playfully at him. "You better get home before you catch a worse cold." She looked around the sky and wondered out loud. "I wonder what time it is."
"Probably really late." Chat stood up and placed the blankets on the chair, his panicked heart still reviving from the scare before. "Do you need help bringing any of this stuff home?"
Ladybug waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. I've got it." It was a miracle for her skylight.
"You sure?"
She nodded. "Positive. You run home, get warm and sleep it off." She smiled the sweetest smile Chat had ever seen in his entire life and he thought his head had burst. "Goodnight sweet kitty. Feel better for me, okay?"
Practically drooling at her, he mindlessly nodded slowly. Chat's eyes twinkled and a toothy grin formed on his face. "Goodnight bugaboo. Sweet dreams." He held back on blowing a kiss to her and stepped on Marinette's railing. "Thank you again."
Ladybug smiled brightly. "Anytime."
"My heart will always belong to you," Chat whispered quietly and jumped down, leaving only to give her a sweet smile before facing forward and focusing on his landing below. His eyes caught her and he wasn't sure if the bright red colour on her face was real or if it was from the dark shadows of the night.