It was a well-known fact that Chat Noir would rather take a blow from an akuma with his own body than let Ladybug get hit. With the current akuma, however, it almost seemed he was getting hit just for the sake of it. Blows that he usually dodged with ease sent him flying, and attacks that would have had him down for no more than a few seconds had him on the ground for minutes at a time. At one point, the akuma had given Chat Noir a push-and not a hard one at that-that had sent the black-clad superhero careening several feet away.
Finally, Ladybug grabbed her partner by the wrist and used her yoyo to pull them both up onto a nearby rooftop, propelling them several blocks away before stopping and turning to face him.
"Alright Chat, what the heck is wrong with you today?" She asked, hands on her hips as Chat sank to the ground, knees pulled up in front of him and head lowered.
"Nothing's wrong. We should get out there and finish that akuma up before he wrecks anymore of Paris, though."
She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. She could see the sweat beading across her partner's forehead as well as the red flush that peeked beneath his mask. Her face morphed into concern, and she leaned forward to press the inside of her wrist to his forehead. Even through her costume, she could feel the heat his skin gave off.
"The akuma can wait. I'll be able to fix the damages when the battle is over anyway. I'm more worried about you. Are you sick?" she asked, sitting herself down fully in front of him.
With a grimace, he reached up to wipe away the sweat, carding his fingers through his hair afterwards. "Just a little... but really, it's fine! It's not bad, I'm good enough to fight!" he defended, an odd half-smile decorating his face as he lifted his head to look at her.
"Oh kitty," she sighed. "If you were sick, you shouldn't have come out. I can handle this akuma by myself. You need to get home, get some medicine, and rest."
Chat's face seemed to darken for a moment before he shook his head, reaching a hand out to steady himself as he stood. He swayed on his feet for a moment before finally staying still.
"No way. I'm staying with you and helping defeat this akuma. I'm your partner, and I feel fine. I'm not going home until what's-his-name down there is defeated."
She tried to stare him down with her disappointed stare, but he seemed determined to stay. With a sigh, she scanned the nearby area, trying to decide to do with her partner. As much as she trusted him, it was evident that something was wrong with him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Even now, he was swaying slightly on his feet, eyes glazed and unfocused as she continued to think. She couldn't just leave him alone somewhere, because with how stubborn the cat was, he'd drag himself back to the fight as soon as he was able and get hurt again. She could leave him with someone to watch him, but who? She couldn't leave him with his family considering she didn't even know who he was. If she tried to leave him with her family, he might wonder where Marinette was and reveal both of their identities. Humming in thought, she watched as Chat slowly blinked a few times, licking his lips and giggling to himself. Looking over her mental checklist, she realized she had forgotten Nino and Alya, and while Alya was her best friend, in terms of secrets and superheroes, Nino was the one to trust.
Quickly mapping out the way to Nino's, she leapt, dragging Chat with her as she leapt across rooftops and awnings, finally landing on a roof looking over Nino's house. When she looked over to see if his light was on, she saw that he was awake and leaning against his balcony railing, Alya standing next to him and chattering on.
With a glint in her eyes, she quickly grabbed his wrist again and used her yoyo to launch them to the balcony, landing right in front of the two, who both jumped back in surprise.
"Hey," She chuckled, turning to glance at Chat for just a second before turning to the two standing in front of her. "I'm sure this is a big favor to ask, but would you two mind watching Chat here?"
All three of them let out a surprised shout, so she turned to glare at Chat real quick before turning back to the civilians in front of her.
"I'm sure it sounds odd, but somebody decided to fight even though he's sick, and he's already been knocked down more times than I'm comfortable with. I can finish the akuma off by myself, but I need someone to keep an eye on him since he refuses to detransform and go home."
Nino and Alya both turned to look at each other before turning back to look at the two superheroes standing in front of them.
"Uh, I guess we could do that?" Nino hesitated. Alya, on the other hand, gave an eager nod in return.
"I'm not just sitting here while you fight!" Chat disagreed, waving the hand that wasn't being held by Ladybug at the two in front of them. "And there's no way I'm staying here and putting civilians in danger!"
Ladybug turned to him, dropping his hand to instead cup his cheek, a small smile pulling at her lips as his cheeks reddened more.
"I know you don't want to stay here, but I can't fight out there if I'm constantly worried about you, especially since you're not at a hundred percent right now. I already used my lucky charm, so I don't have especially long to finish this up."
Chat hadn't even seen what the lucky charm was. Suddenly though, he heard a click and looked down to see a set of ladybug printed handcuffs hanging off his wrist. It was then he realized that there was no way out of the current situation.
"I promise this is for the best," she said with an odd half smile, before clicking the other end of the handcuff to the balcony railing, and with a seemingly sad smile, she launched herself to another rooftop, out of sight in just a few seconds.
Chat sighed and let himself fully collapse, the exhaustion that had been weighing him down firmly taking hold now that he wasn't in the midst of battle. The wrist that was handcuffed to the railing sliding to rest by his side. She had been smart, handcuffing his Cataclysm hand so the only way out was destroying the balcony, which was too much, even for him.
"Uh, are you okay?" Nino spoke, his voice cutting straight through the fog that seemed ready to overwhelm Chat. "Cause you don't look so good."
"I'm fine, just a small cold. Ladybug's making it seem worse than it really is." He assured them, head tilting to lean against the bars behind him.
Alya raised an eyebrow, hand resting on her hip the same way Ladybug's had been but a few moments earlier.
"Really? Cause your face is bright red and you look about ready to pass out." She spoke, hand reaching out to feel his forehead as well. "And you're definitely burning up."
He waved her concerns off with a snort, eyes slipping closed as keeping them open only seemed to be making him dizzy.
"Seriously, I'm fine. I don't feel any different than usual. I don't have any bad symptoms, probably because it's just a small cold."
Alya rolled her eyes before setting a hand on Nino's shoulder, the DJ having been quiet until now.
"Hey, I'm gonna head out to get some akuma footage, are you gonna be okay here with him?"
Nino nodded, turning to glance at Chat, who could have passed for being asleep if not for the furrowed brow.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just get him some medicine and bring my work out here so I can keep an eye on him"
Alya nodded and after a few more moments of conversation, she turned and left, leaving the two boys by themselves.
"So," Nino began, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Should I grab pills or liquid medicine?"
Chat's eyes peeled open just a sliver before sliding closed once more, a groan escaping his lips as he readjusted his position.
"You don't have to. As soon as Ladybug is done, I'll get out of your way and head home."
Nino frowned and took his hat off, running his fingers through his hair before replacing the cap.
"Dude, you're not in the way at all, and with how many times you and Ladybug have saved Paris, it's the least I can do. You should probably tell me which though, or I'll go find the nastiest medicine we have and make you take that."
Chat let out an amused snort before turning and actually looking at Nino. He seemed to think for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Pills please. Liquid medicine tends to make me gag." He explained, adjusting his body again in an attempt to get comfortable.
Nino gave a quick nod before heading inside, leaving the balcony doors open so Chat could see him enter what he assumed was the boy's bedroom before leaving, coming back a few minutes later with a pill bottle in one hand and a glass of water in another. He quickly helped him take the medicine, before leaving again. When he came back this time, his arms were full of pillows and blankets, thick looking ones from what he could see.
"Uh, what are you doing?" He asked, the handcuff jangling against the railing as he moved once more.
"Well, I doubt my balcony is really the comfiest thing to sit on while we're waiting, so I brought some spare pillows and stuff so you can get comfortable." Nino explained with a shrug, already starting to pack the cushions around Chat.
Within a few minutes, both boys were comfortably seated, Chat in a pile of blankets as Nino sat across from him atop a few pillows.
Chat seemed fully ready to pass out, eyes fluttering as his body jolted every few minutes in an attempt to keep him awake.
"Dude," Nino said, watching how Chat seemed to flinch ever so slightly at the unexpected sound. "If you're that tired, go to sleep. I'll be sure to wake you up when the fight is over, okay?"
"But, Ladybug." Chat slurred, body falling to the side as he pulled on the handcuff, the metal jangling quietly.
"She'll be back as soon as the fight is over, but if you're falling asleep like this then, you won't be able to get home later when she comes back." Nino said, pulling one of the blankets up to cover the boy, who had been shivering just slightly.
The superhero let out a hum of what Nino assumed was agreement before finally passing out, body going slack and face relaxing in sleep.
Nino sat there watching the boy for a moment, red creeping up his cheeks when he saw how beautiful the hero was up close, before getting up and heading into his room, grabbing his homework and bringing it with him so he could keep an eye on Chat while still doing his work. His mom would not take 'watching a feverish superhero' as an excuse for his homework not being done, and facing her wrath as little as possible was a goal Nino had set years ago.
Luckily, the homework wasn't difficult, so it was done within a few minutes, but that left him sitting outside, watching a feverish, black-clad, catboy superhero, with absolutely nothing to do. Humming for a moment, he stood, stepping back into his room to set his work down before coming back out to sit in front of Chat, pulling his phone out of his pocket when he felt it buzz.
Alya had sent him a selfie with Ladybug fighting the akuma in the background, a wide grin on her face and the hand not holding the phone giving a thumbs up. With a smile, he texted back to tell her to stay out of danger before tucking the phone back into his pocket. Looking up, he watched as a red and black blur flew through the air, landing on the edge of the balcony and straightening to reveal Ladybug.
"I am so, so sorry." She started, hands raised in front of herself as if she was ready to ward off an attack from him. "But this akuma is a bit nastier than I thought since he's not distracted by batting Chat around anymore, and since I already used my lucky charm, I'm going to detransform soon. I wanted to let you know since I'm going to have to go recharge, so you'll be stuck with him for a little while longer."
"It's no problem at all. I'm sure Chat's enjoying his his nap anyway, and I got nothing better to do." He shrugged, watching as the superheroine seemed to visibly relax at his words. "Anything I can do to help you recharge or is it just a time thing?"
"I don't suppose you have any cookies?" She asked, smile brightening when he paused and blinked at her.
"Uh, I think I have a few chocolate chip ones left over from when Alya came over." He said as he stood up and walked back in his room, grabbing a plate of cookies off of his desk and handing them to Ladybug. "Alya brought these over after our friend Marinette gave her too many, and it seems you need them more than me."
She smiled and reached out to grab them, leaving the plate in his hand. She turned to glance down at the sleeping Chat before turning back to Nino.
"Thank you so much. I'll come pick him up as soon as this akuma is dealt with, I promise."
Nino waved her off, sitting back down as her earring let out a loud beep, startling her into raising a hand and touching one.
"Don't worry about it, he's fine. I mean, not physically, but he hasn't been any trouble. He passed out almost as soon as you left, so obviously he needed the rest. Although, it might also be that I accidentally gave him the night time cold medicine."
The both of them turned to look at Chat as he made an odd chuffing noise, adjusting himself in his sleep before settling back down.
After a short thank you, Ladybug leapt off the balcony and out of sight, leaving Nino alone with Chat Noir once again. Nino was content to sit and wait for Ladybug's return, one earbud in with his music playing on low as he watched Chat sleep. After a few song changes and a text from Alya, Chat stirred, groaning as his eyes slowly blinked open.
"Nino?" He slurred, non-handcuffed hand reaching up to push some of his hair out of his face.
"Hey buddy! You've been napping a while, but Ladybug said she'll come back once the akuma is done with and you can head home."
The superhero seemed to blink at that before looking down at where he was still bound to the railing.
"It's too hot." He whined, wiping sweat off his forehead with a look of disgust. "Why is it so freaking hot?"
"Uh, might be because you're sick, wearing all black, and wrapped in a huddle of blankets." Nino spoke up, reaching forward to pull a few blankets away so Chat could feel the slight breeze.
"Oh yeah." Chat said, looking down as if he was just realizing that he was still transformed. "But it's too hot to be wearing this! Stupid Plagg."
Before Nino could try to comfort the superhero, the boy was groaning, yanking the bell zipper down, exposing a lightly tanned chest and causing red to bloom across Nino's cheeks.
"It's not enough!" Chat growled, brows furrowing in anger as he yanked harder on the zipper. "Plagg, claws in!"
Nino slapped a hand over his eyes, mouth agape as he tried not to think about the fact that Chat Noir was now sitting on his balcony, detransformed, and wrapped in blankets. What was the protocol for this situation? Did he look? Did he go back inside and wait for Ladybug to come get him? What if he looked? What if he knew Chat's civilian identity? Before he could think to ask, a small voice chimed in, quickly devolving into an argument with Chat.
"What is wrong with you? Why did you detransform right in front of him!" The voice yelled.
"It's fine, it's just Nino. Look, he even covered his eyes, and even if he didn't, I trust him. The suit was too hot, I was getting dizzy."
"Alright, but what are you going to do when Ladybug comes to get her partner and instead, you're sitting here?"
"I'll just hurry up and transform before she gets back. You know she's use the miraculous cure before she comes, so as soon as the handcuffs disappear, I'll transform, okay?"
"Fine, now where's my camembert? If you're going to be transforming again, I'm going to need more cheese."
There was an awkward pause before Chat muttered something quietly and the other voice groaned.
"Are you seriously telling me that you left your bag, full of my sweet, sweet camembert, just lying on the floor at home?"
"Uh, yes? Sorry Plagg, but I promise I'll give you extra tonight!"
Without thinking, Nino opened his mouth, hoping that if they noticed him, he'd be maybe a little less confused about what was going on.
"I uh, I have a little bit of camembert if you need it? It's not a lot, but some kids were doing some kind of dare thing at school, and they had leftover camembert. I was gonna give it to my boy Adrien since he seems to really like the stuff, but if you need it, I can go grab it."
There was another awkward pause, that was only broken by what sounded like Plagg snickering.
"Wow, Nino has camembert cheese just for his friend Adrien. How nice of him. How very well prepared." Plagg said, the last word being said almost mockingly.
"Oh my god Plagg, bite me. If you wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate some of the camembert Nino."
Nino nodded, using the hand not covering his eyes to push himself up and guide himself inside. Once he made it out of his room and the door was shut behind him, he pulled his hand away from his face so he could hurriedly walk to the kitchen, grab the cheese, and walk back, covering his face once again. With one hand on his face and the other holding the cheese container, his only choice was to step slowly and carefully, using his foot like a walking stick to see if there was anything he might trip over.
"Uh, Nino? I really appreciate you trying to protect my identity, but your room is a mess, and if you keep walking like that, you're going to kill yourself. I don't mind you knowing. I trust you."
Nino stopped, one foot still outstretched while the hand on his face twitched, the temptation of pulling it away feeling like a lead weight in his chest.
"As much as I appreciate the offer dude, Ladybug leaving you with me isn't really a good reason to trust me, and I prefer the term 'organized chaos'."
Chat let out a snort as Nino continued to navigate through the mess that was his room, finally making it out onto the balcony, setting the cheese down before lowering himself to the ground.
"Alright, fair point there but, I do have better reasons for trusting you, you know that right?" Chat asked, causing Nino to raise an eyebrow.
"Like what? It's not like we know each other in day to day life." Nino joked, pausing when there wasn't a response. "Oh my god, are you telling me you know me in everyday life?!" Nino yelled, slapping his other hand over his eyes and falling onto his back.
"Uh, yeah? I mean, obviously I act different as a civilian, and the miraculous gives us a kind of glamour, so it's hard for people to identify us, but I trust you. You're my best friend, and really, the only person I'd one hundred percent trust with my identity, besides Ladybug of course."
Nino's face flushed a little more at the thought that not only did he personally know Chat Noir in everyday life, they were apparently best friends, and Chat trusted him. Not with a little secret, like a crush, but his secret identity. With a deep breath, Nino sat up, licking his lips as he thought of what to say next.
"Do you...do you want me to know? I know you said you don't mind me knowing, but there's a difference between not minding me knowing, and wanting me to know."
As another bout of silence filled the air, Nino started sweating, mind briefly telling him that maybe, just maybe he should've kept his mouth shut, and if that if the silence continued for even a second more, he was going to stand up, and throw himself off the balcony. Before he could even think of actually going through with it though, he felt a hand grab his, gently pulling it away from his face, Chat's thumb stroking the back of his knuckles as Nino contemplated whether he really wanted to open his eyes.
On one hand, he would know Chat Noir's secret identity, and from the sounds of it, he'd be the only one. On the other hand, Chat had told him that they knew each other personally, and while Chat said he trusted him, Nino worried about if he really could be trusted. He'd been akumatized once, what was stopping him from being akumatized again and betraying him?
"Nino, open your eyes for me. I trust you, and I know you well enough to know you're getting anxious over nothing, so either you open your eyes, or I open them for you." Chat said, his other hand reaching up to cup Nino's jaw, thumb stroking underneath his eye.
"I am not worrying over nothing! It's just, I've already been akumatized, so I know Hawkmoth can get in your head. What if I get akumatized again, and he finds out your identity, or I attack you in your civilian form because I know that you're Chat Noir? Or what if-" And before Nino could continue his ramblings, he was cut off by the feeling of soft lips on his own.
Nino's brain short circuited, unable to comprehend the fact that the Chat Noir was currently kissing him. Of course, it was the stuff of dreams, only slightly complicated by his raging crush on his best friend, Adrien. Before he could fully think about it, he was kissing back, the hand that had been limp in his lap coming up to cup Chat's jaw. He sank into the kiss with ease, letting himself relax fully as Chat chuckled. When the superhero pulled away, Nino blinked his eyes open without thinking, freezing when he finally saw the person behind the mask, and before he could help himself, he screamed.
"ADRIEN?!"