In which Plagg finally gets his cheese.


"Y-your father tried to take away your r-ring?" Marinette blurted after several seconds of staring dumbfounded at her floor. Chat Noir hummed in affirmation but offered her no real reply. "W-why would he do that?! You're Chat Noir! This city needs you! Ladybug needs you!"

Chat Noir's labored breathing was the only sound in the room. He'd fallen asleep.

Marinette couldn't process why anyone would want to prevent Ladybug and Chat Noir from saving Paris. Well, aside from Hawkmoth but there was no way on earth Chat Noir's luck was that bad. Not to mention she couldn't exactly imagine the supervillain being a "father". A tug at her sleeve several seconds later drew her attention to Tikki. The pinkish sprite had already zoomed over and covered Chat's face with the blanket and was now pressing Marinette to tend to Plagg.

She glanced at the cheese that she was practically crushing in her arms. Oh right! She turned back to the room. Chat's arm was hanging out from under the covers, his fingertips nearly brushing the floor. A shimmer of light glinting off his metallic ring in the glow of the late afternoon sun that shined through her window.

Placing the paper sack on the desk she peeled open the first box and set it next to the little black cat kwami. He didn't move. Tikki nestled in next to Plagg and stroked the side of his face so tenderly that Marinette suddenly felt as though she were observing a pair of lovers. She blushed slightly at the thought.

"Plagg," Tikki said gently lifting him to rest propped up against her tiny chest. "are you going to be able to eat? We brought you some cheese."

His large chartreuse eyes cracked open just enough to take in his surroundings, his glowing gaze landing on the box of Camembert. He lifted his tiny arm but he couldn't reach. It was so close and yet so far. Taking his melodramatic arm flop as her queue, Marinette lifted a wedge from the container and set it in his tiny paws. If Adrien had been watching he would have commented on how this was the slowest he'd ever seen Plagg consume a piece of Camembert.

He nibbled at the cheese, seeming not to have enough energy to chew a full bite. After the first few nibbles, he seemed to become a bit more invigorated, eating faster and in bigger bites. Once the wedge was gone he reached out to the carton again and Marinette placed another wedge in his lap. This repeated several times until the entire carton of Camembert had been exhausted.

Plagg leaned back against Tikki with a heavy sigh, his tiny belly seemingly a black hole. It was inconceivable that all that cheese could fit into his tiny stomach... He'd probably just eaten twice his own body weight! Still weak but at least feeling a little bit better for the food, Plagg rubbed his stomach and looked up at Marinette for the first time.

"You probably want answers," he said before she could think of anything to say. She nodded, watching the tiny cat's expression furrow. "I can't tell you everything but I can tell you that he didn't end up here by accident." Plagg turned his gaze over to the sleeping boy and his expression darkened. Marinette took a seat in her computer chair and leaned in close despite the stinky cheese smell.

"He..." Plagg paused and rubbed the back of his neck as he searched for the words that weren't so easy to find. "Well, you see. He had a sort of... falling out... with his father last night and so he kinda, sorta ran away from home. He was in one of his moods, laying on a rooftop and being all sulky!" Plagg was becoming visibly agitated at the memory pointing at the boy under the blanket and waving his little arms. "That stupid kid kept on thinking that he was better off dead! He was going to let himself die up there but I couldn't let that happen! So I made him remember that Ladybug would be the only person who would find him up there! And so the idiot decided that throwing himself in a dumpster was a better idea!" Plagg's voice was rising with every sentence. His worried eyes becoming moist as he fought to stay angry.

"So I used that! I knew I had to get him to you somehow, so every time he found a dumpster I kept talking him out of it and coming up with excuses!" Plagg couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks. "He was only half conscious when he was walking down your back alley, I kept his stupid legs moving! I'm the one who brought him here! That stupid kid's legs were so numb I accidentally made him trip and hit his head instead of jump up onto your roof like I intended! I tried to get him here, I thought I'd failed! I thought I'd lost him!" Tikki wrapped her arms around Plagg and pulled him into a tight hug, rocking him ever-so-slightly in a comforting fashion. At some point, Marinette had covered her gaping mouth with her hands and had formed tears of her own. After several seconds of trying to compose himself, his little voice cracked and he released a sob into Tikki's shoulder. "I... I held onto the t-transformation as long as I c-could..."

"Ssh, you did so well, Plagg," Tikki hummed rubbing his back as she held him. "You got him here. You saved him. Everything's going to be okay now, you'll see."

"But that's just it..." Plagg said regaining a dark composure as he looked back at Chat Noir. His eyes were distant. He shook his head solemnly. "I don't know that he will be." he raised a paw to silence them before they could question him further. "I can't tell you why... that's his secret to tell, not mine."

Plagg curled up on the sweater, facing away from both Tikki and Marinette. His despair was almost tangible as it permeated the room around him. It was obvious that he wanted to be left alone.

Marinette looked back at Chat Noir as she left the room, vaguely wondering what had truly happened to the boy beneath the blanket.

oOo

It felt like he was in a boat gently rocking from side to side. The subtle motion lulled him from his sleep. He reached up to touch whatever was pressing on his shoulder. Slender fingers attached to a small but strong hand. He gripped it gently and pulled it to him when the hand returned the embrace, pressing it to his chest.

"Yer hands're so small M'Lady..." he sighed into his pillow not opening his eyes.

"Chat Noir," he heard her voice beckoning to him. The sound making the corner of his mouth pull upwards into a tiny smile, he loved the sound of her voice. "Chat Noir, you need to take this medicine. Your fever is still pretty bad."

"M'Lady," he breathed again pulling her hand up and kissing it. "are you implyin' that I'm hot?"

"Chat..." her usual rebuff in place, his grin widened. "would you please look at me?"

"It would be my purr-leasure." he cooed and opened his eyes.

The dim light of her desk lamp cast its glow on half her face as she looked down at him. That wasn't who he thought it was. Marinette stood next to him her left hand still trapped in his and her right hand holding a small cup of something reddish in color. He released her fingers feeling his face heat up in embarrassment.

"I'm... I didn't-" he started but she rolled her eyes. He looked down suddenly part of himself panicking that she could see him. His eyes fell on a black gloved hand. When had he transformed?

"Your little friend Plagg said that he had enough strength keep you transformed," Placing her free hand on his back she helped support him as she placed the little cup of medicine to his lips. He swallowed the thick, sticky, bittersweet liquid. He scrunched his nose in distaste. "but he told me to tell you that he's too weak to do anything else and that your usual powers probably won't work right now."

Chat Noir nodded feeling the panic subside as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Also, I'm sorry to disappoint you." Marinette sighed moving over to her desk and retrieving a bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and handed it to Chat. He took it gratefully and drank a third of the bottle in an attempt to wash the taste away. "I can only guess you were hoping for Ladybug just now."

"I'm sorry about that..." his voice cracked. Marinette gave a small laugh as she reached down next to the chaise and picked up a couple pillows. He sat up just enough for her to place them behind him. "I'm not feeling too well and being around her always makes me feel better. I guess I kinda wish she was here right now." he stared at the water bottle in his hands, his eyes misting over. He looked away from her and rubbed his face. He hated how easy it was to be emotional when he was sick. Marinette's brow furrowed as he turned back to her and smiled. "But you are doing a really great job taking care of me and Plagg. We really appreciate everything you're doing for us. I'm sorry if he's eaten all your family's cheese."

"Well, my parents didn't have any cheese so I had to go to the store." Marinette eyed him, noting the slightly worried expression on his face.

"How much?" he asked his tone a bit hollow. He knew very well how much Plagg could consume.

"Just over sixty euro." Chat sighed in relief making Marinette tilt her head. Was that not a substantial amount of money to spend on cheese? The idea of this irked her slightly. "That was all of my savings... I was going to use that money to buy enough material to make myself a dress for spring."

"S-sorry, it's just, I know how much you could have spent on Plagg... he's got a really big appetite." Chat bit his tongue, he hadn't meant to belittle her. It really wasn't that much money to him but she didn't have a famous fashion designer for a father... a supervillain father. He added bitterly. His expression soured and he chewed his lip in irritation. "I'll pay you back, I promise."

"You keep doing that..." Marinette said quietly drawing attention to his downcast attitude. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his face away from her, deciding that the sympathy in her eyes was more than he could currently bear.

"Your pillows smell nice," he said jarring Marinette slightly at the sudden topic change. She sighed and drew her hand back. Chat found himself sad at its loss and longing for it to rest on him again. Its presence had been a small comfort but now it was gone.

"You don't have to tell me what's going on with you Chat," Marinette finally broke the silence her voice quiet but steady, self-assured. The sound hinting at an underlying confidence that he'd never witnessed as Adrien. "but I'm here to listen if you need me. Your secrets are safe with me."

He clenched his eyes and teeth as he fought back his sobs as tears trailed from his eyes and into the pillow. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to release the transformation and spill all of his secrets to this good, kind, and caring girl; his friend. His chest heaved as Marinette's hand found his shoulder once again.

Before he could stop himself he reached back and pulled Marinette to him, wrapping her up in his shaking arms. He sobbed quietly into her shoulder. He knew he shouldn't be acting like this. He was a hero, he had to keep up appearances as best he could. He had to be above reproach. But things were different with Marinette. She made him feel safe to just be himself, even more so than Ladybug who always seemed to put him off when he got too close.

There, in the dark of the late winter evening in Marinette's room, he didn't have to be Chat Noir. He could be the boy that he truly was. Desperate and hurting, a brokenhearted mess, the boy beneath the mask.

Shocked at being suddenly pulled from her seat, Marinette took a moment before returning his embrace. He clung to her like a needy child sobbing into her shoulder. She rubbed his back and rocked him slightly from side to side, mirroring what Tikki had done for Plagg only a few hours ago. The rocking motion, along with her hands that rubbed his back and stroked his hair, soothed him and he relaxed against her. After a minute his sobbing subsided and he began to purr.

"I'm sorry." his voice caught in his throat making him speak just above a whisper. "I know this probably doesn't make any sense at all... I wish I could tell you everything... I really do but..."

"I understand," Marinette offered still stroking his hair, though the rocking had stopped. "I figured that there was something going on that you couldn't tell me. I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you, alright?"

The sweetness of her smile made his chest feel warm... or was that the medicine kicking in? Either way, he felt as though he could stay there with her forever.

"Y-yeah... thank you, Marinette... I really appreciate it." he sniffed and pulled away to cough into his elbow. He immediately regretted pulling away. As soon as he let go she stood up and moved back over to her desk. His hands reached for her as she got up but he reined them in quickly. Chat mentally reprimanded himself, he couldn't expect her to sit here and cradle him all night long. He wasn't a baby, he didn't need her to hold him... but that didn't really stop him from wanting her to do so.

Marinette's father came in a minute later to check on him. The large man kneeling down next to the bed as Chat Noir ate more of the soup Sabine had made him.

"You gave me quite the scare this morning," Tom laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, his worry was apparent in his body language though he tried not to show it. "The last thing I expected to see out my back door was Chat Noir covered in snow and unconscious with a nasty gash on-"

"Papa!" Marinette scolded rolling her eyes.

"Oh, sorry," he jumped at the reprimand but accepted it, knowing he'd perhaps been rambling in the wrong direction. Chat loved watching their family dynamic.

"It's alright," Chat Noir said with a small smile. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I never should have troubled your family like this. I shou-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Tom waved his hand dismissively at Chat's apology. "quite the contrary. We are more than happy to help! If you ever find yourself in need, you come straight here! The Dupain-Cheng's are here for you, all of us! Even Marinette and she's a bit of a tough cookie."

"Papa..." Marinette groaned. His baking puns were just as bad as Chat's cat puns. But the joke made Chat smile. He found himself liking this family more and more.

"Doughnut worry Marinette, I won't make any more jokes." Tom winked at Chat who caught his laugh just in the nick of time. Marinette glared at her father, practically challenging him to continue. "What? That one was an accident! At yeast, I think it was..." Chat started coughing as the strain of holding in his laughter was too much for his throat to handle. Tom tapped his chin as though he were actually trying to figure out if it had truly been an accident. Marinette's unconvinced expression was just too priceless. She rolled her eyes and scoffed at her father's puns. "Don't you s-tart that with me, young lady. Even if it wasn't an accident I've got Chat Noir eating from the palmier of my hand."

Chat Noir gave up trying to hold back and just let himself laugh, though his throat was so hoarse that he sounded more like he was wheezing. Tom did a little bow and Chat clapped for him calling for an encore. Tom laughed and rubbed the back of his neck as he started to feel the heat of his daughter's ire bearing down upon him.

"No, no, I'll leave you alone now Marinette, I promise." Tom waved off the encore as he made his way out of the room. "The cat-mosphere in here is a little too intense for me."

Tom scuttled out of the room laughing at Marinette's expense as she covered her face and moaned. The cat pun sent Chat Noir into another roll of laughter that brought tears to his eyes and made his stomach hurt.

"I'll be here all week!" Tom called as he closed the hatch.

Chat Noir really liked this family.