Author's Notes:

P.S. I still don't own Miraculous Ladybug, though one can dream.

- Chapter 2 -

Adrien

"Hey - kid. Wake up, it's urgent!" Plagg frantically whispers in my ear. I groan, rolling over, and check my phone.

"Plagg, you better have a damn good reason for waking me up at-"

I'm cut off as Plagg shouts "MARINETTE GOT IN A CAR CRASH!"

I bolt upright, and immediately spring into action - "Plagg, Claws Out!"

I don't even stop to think, I just do. I run so fast, my feet barely touch the ground, but I come crashing to a halt once I realize - I don't know where her car crashed. So, I quickly pull out my baton and check the news, I mean, how else would Plagg have known? I stumble as I'm running, seeing that her car crashed nearly 30 miles away. I shrug it off, after all, Ladybug and I travel farther than that all the time just to catch one measly Akuma. I run faster, pushing myself harder, jumping farther. I can't get there fast enough. As soon as I arrive, I see the whole place taped off with the classic yellow police stuff. I ignore it, and just duck under it as I run up to the nearest person.

"Where is she?" I demand. They blink, and start to ask who, when I shout "MARINETTE! Where is Marinette?!" They point a shaky finger over to the wrecked vehicle, and I don't hesitate as I run to it, and start sifting through the glass and rubber, making my way towards it. I suck in a breath as I see her. She's covered in blood, her broken form hanging down from her seat, and I can barely see her chest moving. I try to open the door, desperate to get to her, but it's shut tight. I growl, and, using all my strength, rip it off its hinges and toss it aside, not caring where it lands. I tentatively pull her out of the rubble, and that's when I realize - the whole front half of the car is crumpled. Her parents are dead. I don't let myself cry - not yet. I need to get Mari safe, I need her to live. She can't die on me, she's the only one who's ever there for me. Before people can interject, I take off with her, cradling her to my chest, and dash to the nearest hospital knowing I can get her there faster than any of them.

I bolt into the emergency room, and shout for a doctor. He stumbles in shock as he sees me, but quickly gather their wits as they take in the wounded girl in my arms.

I decide it would be better, and easier to explain, to be my civilian self if I want to stay around Marinette. So, I run out of the hospital, and pretend to run off to do more heroic deeds, when in reality, I just swing around the building, let go of my transformation, and walk right back inside. The doctors look just as surprised as when I walked in as Chat, if not more, but ignore them and anxiously ask to see Marinette. They nod, dumbfounded, and quietly lead me to the waiting room. "You'll have to stay here, she's in surgery at the moment, but when she wakes, you can be the first person to see her," they say.

I sigh, but agree for now. As the time ticks by, I start to get more and more nervous. What if something went wrong? What if she's… she's…

"Adrien, don't go there," Plagg whispers from inside my shirt. "Look, I'm not like Tikki - I'm not good with this type of stuff, but I do know, you just can't go there. If you do, you go past the point of no return."

I nod numbly. I bolt up as a nurse comes out of the surgical room. "Don't worry -she's ok. She'll just need rest, but she's on the road to recovery," they say.

I let out a sigh of relief. "When will she be taking visitors?" I ask.

"Not for a few days."

A few DAYS?!

"Please, I need to see her before then!" I beg.

The doctor gives me the side-eye, but then relents. "Ok, you can stay with her until she wakes up, but we'll be watching you, Agreste."

I bristle slightly at the implication, but ignore it and just say, "Thank you so much!"

A few hours after the surgery and Marinette has been moved into a more permanent room, they let me in. My breath catches as I see her: Her ribs are wrapped in thick bandages, her head sporting a small wrap as well, and that's not even the worst part. Her left leg is now in a bulky cast, and I can hardly imagine that being comfortable. I shake my head to clear it, and then go to sit down in the visitors chair. After the doctors leave, I decide I should probably make a few phone calls - after all, no one knows what happened besides there was a crash.

After finishing explaining to worried friends what happened, I let out a sigh and put my head between my knees. "Kid, you should get some rest. You look awful," Plagg says.

"But what about Mari? I want to be awake for when she wakes up!" I retort.

"Yeah, well, by the looks of it you're either going to fall asleep willingly or not. I say you should cut your losses and just take a nap."
I sigh. I was pretty tired, so a quick nap couldn't hurt…

I wake up to the sound of rustling fabric, and I look over to find Marinette blinking sleepily. She immediately tries to sit up, but winces and eases back down. "Wha- What's g-g-going on? Wh- Where am I?" she asks.

I stare at her. She doesn't know? "You don't… remember?" I ask slowly.

"Remember wha-" she cuts herself off, and I see a look of pure horror cross her face, before she bursts into tears. Without thinking, I get up and sit next to her, quietly comforting her. As she starts to cry harder, I pull her close to my chest, and rub her back in soothing circles like my mother used to for me. She looks up at me with those big, beautiful sky-blue eyes, and I gently wipe the tears from her sweet face, before pulling her against me once more. She shudders slightly, and eventually her tears dry as she stops crying. Then, she looks at me once more, and quietly asks, "Where are my parents?"

I freeze, and I start trying to find a way to tell her, when I am saved by Nino and Alya bursting into the room. "MARINETTE!" she yells. I stop Alya just inches before she can crush Marinette in a hug. "I wouldn't," I warn. "She has multiple broken bones." Alya huffs, then carefully leans over to hug Marinette. I feel a twinge as I pull away from her, and watch as the two girl hug each other, Alya crying, Mari offering what comfort she can before… "Alya, where are my parents?"

Alya just cries harder, causing Marinette to get flustered. "What's wrong? You guys, please, what's going on? Are they… are they hurt to?" she whispers the last part, her voice trailing off.

I brace myself, before Nino quietly says, "Look, just know, no matter what comes next, we all love you and support you." Marinette just looks at him, confused. "Marinette… your parents… your parents are dead."

She freezes, before pushing Alya off of her. I can see her lip quiver as this sinks in, and can see her face scrunch up in pain before she starts to cry again. Just like last time, I go to her and offer comfort, but this time, Nino and Alya are here as well. I here Alya whisper something, and we just stay together until suddenly Marinette coughs furiously. She sputters out "Ah! Um… I'm ok just… tired! Yeah, tired. Would you mind, uh, leaving me here to take a nap?"

I look at her closely, and quickly realize sure, she could be tired, but there's something else. She looks distressed. "Sure…" I say slowly, before following Nino and Alya out the door. I give Marinette one last concerned look before it closes.

I find myself in the janitor's closet, about to transform into Chat Noir, when Plagg interrupts me. "Adrien… what are you doing?" I sigh, before quietly muttering, "Well, I'm trying to transform, before someone interrupted me. But, if you really must know, I'm going back to see Marinette."

"But she's going to be asleep! Why bother?" Plagg complains.

I sigh again, before quickly explaining. "Look, she might claim to be tired, but that's not what's really happening. She looked stressed, and freaked out. She needs someone to be there for her, or she might go crazy stuck in her own head," I say, before looking away. "Listen, when I lost my mother, I was devastated. And, on top of that, no one was there for me. I had to deal with it myself, and I almost lost it. But Marinette… well, she just lost both of her parents, and it'll be a cold day in hell before I let her go through that alone. Now Plagg, Claws Out!"

For once, Plagg shuts up and does what I say without complaint. I quietly crack open the closet door, and once the coast is clear, sneak out. I quickly wind up outside, trying to figure out how to get to Marinette unnoticed. After all, she just lost her parents, and if a superhero visits her press will be soon to follow and… she just doesn't need that right now. So that's how I find myself slipping through her hospital room's window. Taking just one look at her, I know I was right. She looks even worse than before, her brow furrowed in a frown as she's clearly upset. However, as soon as she sees me, she perks up ever so slightly. She looks almost… relieved.

"Chat, what are you doing here?" she asks.

"What, can't a knight visit his purr-incess?" I muse. She huffs at the pun, but smiles ever-so-slightly. I take that as a good sign.

"Wait… how did you…"

"Know you were in the hospital and what room you were in? Well, I was the one to save you and bring you here, y'know."

"You-you were?" she says, surprised.

I grin at her. "What kind of knight would I be if I didn't save my princess every now and then?"

She smiles gratefully, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey… uh… Chat? What happened to my parents?" she asks hesitantly.

I suck in a breath, before slowly saying, "They… they were already gone by the time I got there. The whole front half of your car was crushed, and I barely got you out. You're lucky to have even survived."

"I don't feel lucky," she murmurs.

"Hey, I know it's hard…" I trail off. Ladybug doesn't like us going into our personal lives but… Marinette needs me right now. "When I was younger, I lost my mother. She just up and left. I'm not going to tell you that it's ok, because it's not. It hurts. It still hurts. And it probably will continue hurting."

She looks up at me, bewildered. I've never gone into great detail about my life with anyone, especially as my hero alter-ego.

"But even though it hurts, we still are here." I continue. "We still live, we still breath, and we move on. I know it seems impossible now, but it does get easier. I promise - Cat's Honor."

She just blinks up at me, staring slightly, before slowly nodding. "It's just… it hurts so much… and… oh my god," she says. "I'm an orphan!"

Tears trail down her face, carving rivers in her features. I sit down next to her, and offer a tentative hug. She immediately throws her arms around me, and snuggles close, seeking comfort. "Oh, Chat! What will I do?" she frets. I just hug her tighter, soothing her. I feel her shudder as sobs wrack her body, but don't say anything and just let her pour out her emotions. My heart breaks a little with each gut-wrenching sob she lets out. It's awful to see her like this, she's such a kind, caring soul, she never should have to deal with this kind of pain. She shifts slightly in my arms, and gently lays her head on my chest. I stiffen, not quite enough for her to notice, before gently resting my own head on top of hers. I hear her sniffle, and she shudders as she chokes back another sob. I bury my nose in her hair and we stay like that for awhile until eventually her breathing evens out, and then starts to slow. I look down at her to find she's asleep in my arms. I gently lower her back down into the bed, before tucking her in.

As I'm stepping out the window I hear a small voice.

"Adrien…" I hear Marinette mumble sleepily.

I stumble, almost falling out the window, before blushing furiously and whipping around to find Marinette still sound asleep. Maybe I'm just hearing things? I quickly shake my head, trying to clear it of what obviously isn't possible, before stepping fully out and shutting the window firmly behind me. Besides, I'm in love with My Lady, no one else. I try not to think of the implications of what just happened, but my thoughts are quickly disrupted.

"Chat Noir?" a small red and black kwami coughs, before slowly floating towards me. "Ch-chat I nee… need your help."

I blink in surprise. What is Ladybug's kwami doing here? I clear my thoughts quickly, and scoop up the injured thing.

"Wait… what are you doing here? Why do you need my help?" I question.

"Chat… I need you to… take me to… Master Fu…" the kwami says, shivering.

"I… I don't know where he is," I say helplessly.

"That's… that's ok… I do…"

A little while later, I find myself in a small chinese healing center with Master Fu sitting in the middle of the floor, meditating quietly.

"Hello, Adrien" Fu says, startling me. I didn't think he noticed me coming in. "No need to stay as Chat, you can detransform now."

"Claws In," I mumble. Plagg bursts out of the ring, and immediately flies straight to Tikki.

"TIKKI! Oh no… NO! What did you do?!" the little red kwami eyes him before sighing. She doesn't respond.

"Master Fu, please, heal her!" Plagg begs. Yes, you heard me, begs. I've never seen him do anything so selfless before, after all he only cares about himself and camembert. Fu smiles to himself, before asking me to lower Tikki onto the pillow he was sitting on. I do as he says, and watch curiously as he performs some sort of Ancient Chinese ritual on her. Once it's over, she seems just fine, honestly maybe even better than before because she's certainly perkier than Plagg is. Plagg lets out a sigh of relief, and goes to hug her. Tikki squeaks, and then uncertainly hugs him back.

I watch this all with quiet interest, before turning to the little kwami. "So… now that you're healed… what happened to you? Why were you hurt so badly?" I ask.

"I… I don't remember. I think I was hit really hard, because I must have blacked out…"

"Wait, WHAT? Where's Ladybug then? Is she ok? Why didn't she take you to Fu? Whe-"

Plagg cuts me off. "Kid, relax. Ladybug is ok. I know for a fact, we- uh… I saw her earlier today! Yeah!"

"Plagg… where did you see her? I've been with you all day."

Plagg gulps, and quickly shuts his mouth. "Ladybug is ok!" Tikki cuts in. "She just got a broken leg. My Ladybug is rather clum-" She slams her mouth shut to. I sigh, before looking away knowing that they won't reveal Ladybug's identity. "Alright. Fine. But how do we purify Akuma's if Ladybug isn't here? After all, she's the only one who can." I ask.

They look at each other thoughtfully, before saying "You could capture the Akuma in a jar. It's been done in the past when Ladybug got injured to the point she can no longer fight. We can set up a place for you to drop off the Akuma for Ladybug to purify. Just drop the Akuma back here - Master Fu will take care of the rest."

"Alright," I say. "So I just drop them off after battles?"

"Yep"

I nod. "Plagg say your goodbyes, 'cause we gotta go or my dad will kill me"

Plagg mumbles out a sheepish goodbye, and I transform once more before heading back home.

Chapter 2 End