Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng were the silent supporters of Ladybug, and by extension Chat Noir. It wasn't until the first few akuma fights passed that they began putting all the evidence together; their daughter sneaking out and in at all hours, making excuses for bruises and missed classes, and the way that evidently no one could ever find Marinette during an akuma attack.
More than once they'd received a frantic call from Alya asking if Marinette was home. The first few times they freaked out, with Sabine running upstairs to check only to find their daughter was nowhere to be found. Later they'd find out Marinette gave some horrid excuse for her absence. Now when Alya called they just said Marinette had arrived home or she'd already called to let them know where she was.
It was hard as a parent because they wanted nothing more than to protect their little girl but she was the only one who could protect Paris. She was the only one who could be Ladybug. They trusted their daughter to come to them when she felt the burden was too much so they never brought it up. They reminded her every day that they were proud of her and that she was loved. They did what they could to help their favorite superhero duo as well.
They were the first to start ushering people away from the attacks if they happened nearby, and they never let themselves get caught in the middle of them if they could help it. They tried to lift the spirits of strangers so they would hopefully have a slimmer chance of being Akumatized.
However, in the end those things are only small things that any person can do. They weren't the ones with lives on the line. Ladybug and Chat Noir fought hard over the past few days and the signs showed clearly on their daughter.
They felt useless as Akumas kept appearing day after day; it was hard to watch the news coverage of Ladybug being throw into a wall or Chat Noir taking a hit for their daughter. They didn't know the young cat personally but he was always welcome in their home whether he knew it or not.
It came down to one of those evenings. They were closing shop and tidying the bakery, when a loud crash came from upstairs. Sabine exchanged a quick glance with her husband before running upstairs to her daughter bedroom.
There in the middle of the floor was Chat Noir cradling Marinette's head and putting pressure of a rather deep gash in her arm.
"Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! I – I can explain! She got caught in the-" Chat Noir was trying to stumble out an excuse while holding back tears.
"Save it, both of you need medical attention. Come on." Sabine lifted her daughter away from Chat and laid her out on her chaise, before leading Chat over to one of her daughters rolling chairs. Thankfully Tom thought ahead and had already grabbed the medical kit.
Chat was sitting in the chair, legs drawn up to his chest, and silently crying. Marinette still hadn't woken but Tom was already beginning to tend to her wounds.
"Come on Chat, I need you to detransform. We already know about Marinette, it's okay, we won't tell." Sabine was dabbing a wet cloth on his face cleaning the blood from a small gash.
Chat froze in fear, "But- but, we never told anyone! She insisted no one, not even us, was supposed to know our identities!" He jumped up angry and upset from the situation.
Sabine smiled sadly, "She never told us. We figured it out. Of course, we noticed how our daughter disappeared, then returned battered and bruised. But we can all discuss this later for now I need to treat your wounds, please. Marinette would be very upset with you if you don't."
That seemed to snap him out of it, everyone knew Marinette cared deeply for her friends even going as far as putting their own needs before hers. If she awoke to Chat refusing Medical attention she would throw a hissy fit and probably forcibly hold the kitten down. Chat sank into the chair and glanced at Marinette.
"Okay." In a flash of green Adrien Agreste was sitting before Sabine. He'd only come over once or twice but Sabine cared deeply for this boy she barely knew. She saw the sadness that lingered in his eyes looking at their family and now he was also the boy who'd protected their daughter.
"Oh Adrien," Sabine stood and wrapped him in a tight hug. He sat stiffly for a moment before relaxing in her hold and letting the tears flow freely. Sabine did her best to comfort him but both the teens needed each other to keep healing. They were so entangled in each other's lives that the mere idea of losing each other was too much to bare.
Sabine pulled away and wiped Adrien's face of tears, leaving a kiss upon his head. "Come on take of your shirt, I need to treat the gash on your shoulder."
Tom was already finished with Marinette's wounds and was sitting next to their daughter running his fingers through her hair. He glanced over and gave Adrien a small smile, before leaving the room. A moment later her returned with a pile of clothes, "Here. You'll want to change after Sabine is done. These will be a bit big but it's the best we could manage on such short notice."
It was just a t-shirt and sweats but it meant the world to Adrien. He wasn't being yelled at for not protecting Marinette better, no her family was treating them. Helping both of them.
"I'm going to go down stairs and get you some food, do you need anything else?" Tom was unable to sit still and he figured he might as well do what he could to make sure both of them recovered swiftly. Already he needed to grab some cookies. Marinette had taken to leaving a plate of cookies in her room at all times, and now it was habit for Tom to already have such a plate made. They didn't know where all the cookies went but they figured they didn't need to know.
"Can I have some cheese?" It was a strange request but no more so than his daughter's obsession with cookies. Tom nodded and left his wife with the teens.
Slowly Adrien was feeling the adrenaline leave his body. At the end of the fight the Akuma threw attacks haphazardly just trying to keep the duo from winning. Both of they were hit but they powered through it. Ladybug had cleansed the akuma and cast the Miraculous Cure. It was a shame that while the cure healed others it couldn't heal them or their kwamis. They were immune in a way as it was only meant to heal humans and while they were Chat Noir and Ladybug they were just slightly less human.
Chat went in for their customary fist bump when he saw the gash on her arm. She was already staggering from exhaustion and the blood loss wasn't helping. He made a quick decision to get her away from the crowd first. He swept her up bridal style and launched them quickly across the Parisian skyline.
He settled them into a deserted alleyway and tried to figure out what to do. There was no way for him to take Ladybug to the hospital as her miraculous were already counting down. If he waited until she detransformed than he'd know who she was! Instead he wasn't given a moment to choose as her transformation wore off and in place of Ladybug lay Marinette. The shy, clumsy, wonderful girl who sat behind him in class.
He couldn't afford to freeze, "Let's get you home. I'll make up an excuse for you M'lady." He couldn't think straight, all he could focus on was her. She was his lady, the one person that he'd give up everything for, and yet they barely spoke. He was certain that he'd know her as civilians as soon as they met but he didn't.
He'd failed to protect her; her parents were going to hate him forever. Her parents were wonderful people they didn't deserve this, he should've been faster and gotten her to safety before she'd even gotten a scratch.
Sabine shook him from his memories, "Come on, go change, the bathroom is right down the stairs and to your left." Adrien grabbed the clothes and slowly dragged himself downstairs passing by Tom who was cooking a light meal for them.
It was strange how accepting they were and willing to help. They hadn't been angry with him.
Sabine gathered up the used supplies and made a mental note to restock what they needed. It was funny how calm she was but it was the least she could do for them. They needed someone to be their rock. She could cry later, when it was just Tom and herself, she would probably break but for now she was here for them.
Tom heard the water start in the bathroom and he took a deep breath. Adrien wasn't their son but he sure felt like it. Marinette knew how much they cared and loved her. They couldn't say the same for Adrien; everyone knew how Gabriel treated his son. The fashion designer probably hadn't even noticed his son missing. It made Tom angry for the first and only time that night. Adrien was putting his life on the life, the least his family could do was support him but since they wouldn't Tom and Sabine would be willing to offer him a permanent place in their family.
Tom plated the food and walked upstairs with two dishes. Cheese and cookies on one plate, and a simple soup in another bowl.
"How's she doing?" Tom slide the food onto the desk and walked over to join his wife by their daughter.
"She'll be okay." Sabine turned and wrapped her arms around her husband. They watched as their daughter drew in deep breaths and slept peacefully. The silence of the night was only broken by Adrien coming back up the stairs.
Tom drew away and ushered Adrien to sit and eat. The blonde sat hesitantly at first not wanting to disrespect their hospitality but he wanted nothing more than to stay by his lady's side.
"Don't worry once you eat you can lay with her." Adrien stared at him shocked that the couple wasn't going to separate them.
Adrien sat down and scarfed down the soup. It was soothing on his stomach. It warmed him from the inside out and gave him a small sense of security. The anxiety that bubbled within him calmed a bit in such a safe heaven. Marinette's room felt inviting as did her family. He didn't know how she would react once she woke up so for now he was going to enjoy being surrounded by her presence.
"Marinette cares a lot about you." Sabine spoke softly as to not accidently wake the previously mentioned. Tom was seated next to Adrien in the other rolling chair and nodded his affirmations.
"We aren't really friends at school, she doesn't seem very comfortable around me, but I plan to do whatever I can to make her comfortable around me." Adrien set the empty bowl back on the desk.
Sabine chuckled lightly, "Oh I don't think you should worry about that. She likes you a lot actually."
Adrien looked confused and didn't know how to respond. Tom let out a deep rumbling chuckle, "Come on Sabine. We'll let them rest now. We're just downstairs if you need us Adrien." Tom grabbed the empty bowl and left the dish of cheese and cookies.
"Goodnight." Sabine kissed his cheek and brushed his hair back from his face before leaving with her husband. They closed the trap door behind them.
"Plagg!" A streak of red darted out from behind Marinette and crashed into the floating black kwami.
Adrien glanced between the two as they settled on the plate and started eating chattering away and replenishing their energy. He had barely noticed Plagg after he detransformed but the black Kwami must have hidden some place.
"Um…" Adrien didn't know how to talk to Marinette's Kwami but he wanted to introduce himself, "I'm Adrien. Nice to meet you."
"Oh, I'm sorry Adrien! I'm Tikki! Marinette's Kwami." Tikki floated up and kissed his cheek giggling as she did so. "Plagg you chose a good kitten this time."
Plagg let a small smile slip, "I guess he's pretty good." Plagg wasn't one for emotions so that was the highest compliment Adrien would ever get from the black cat.
"You should get to sleep Adrien." Tikki tugged lightly on the t-shirt he was wearing and lead him over to the chaise where Marinette was curled up on her side. "Don't worry, you'll both feel better in the morning. You can talk then."
Adrien stared at Marinette for a moment before climbing onto the lounge chair and curling up next to her with a small whimper. His lady was the strongest person he'd ever met, for her to have taken such damage was beyond what he believed could ever happen.
Tikki and Plagg pulled a blanket from the foot of the chair and covered the two teens. Adrien stared at Marinette's face listening as Tikki and Plagg spoke in low voices. The quiet lull of their voices and Marinette's steady breathing put him to sleep as well.