Author's Note: Chat will do whatever it takes to keep Ladybug safe. Anything. -ep
MR: Are you going for the Fluff Award this month, Ep? Because you're going to get it. And, MAYBE, even your own appreciation day…
Lyra: Frankly, I think Ep fully deserves the appreciation day. He puts up with our constant ribbing every day with a good natured laugh, AND he continuously attempts to counter all our emotionally manipulative stories with wonderful fluff and romance. That in itself deserves some kind of recognition, especially given our penchant for angst….
Ep: I did have my work cut out for me this month. But I love challenges…
MR: Fine. But it's a day not a week. We'll do it just before Christmas.
Reveal: Marinette and Adrien (Are you shocked? Ep wrote a Marinette/Adrien reveal story….)
"Ladybug!" I cried.
The akuma had managed a lucky shot, and nailed my partner just as she'd vaulted into the air, arm outstretched to lasso something with her yo-yo in an attempt to get into position with her Lucky Charm. I'd been perched atop a lamppost, Cataclysm ready as part of her plan, only to watch in horror as she tumbled head-over-heels in one direction, the yo-yo and Lucky Charm flying away in the other.
Without a second thought, I pushed off the crossarm and leapt into the air, the lamp dissolving to ash behind me. Angling as best as I could, I grabbed her in my arms and managed a landing with my precious cargo atop one several very small shipping containers the akuma had carefully placed in the park. Well aware of the dangers of such contraptions after our run-in with Dark Owl, I started to coil up to leap away to safety but was a fraction of a second too slow: the requisite trap door opened beneath me, and we tumbled into the dark space below, hitting the metallic floor hard.
The space was small with barely enough room for the two of us; tangled as we were in each other, it took a precious moment for me to extricate myself from my partner in order to try and leap through the opening, but the door slammed shut with a resounding thud. I smashed my feline head into the solid metal and tumbled back to the floor next to Ladybug, managing only at the last moment to twist sideways to avoid crushing her.
Trying hard to keep from hyperventilating, I squeezed my masked eyes shut in an attempt to keep from feeling like the walls of this very, very, very small airplane-restroom-sized compartment were closing in on me. While not claustrophobic per se, I'd had my fill of being trapped in small spaces - both as Adrien, who generally couldn't do much about it, and also as Chat, who often had been able to break out of the situation.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and opened my masked eyes; my night vision gave the box a green-gray glow, and I could see quickly that Ladybug was out. Leaning closer, I could hear her breathing was regular, and I gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Milady?" I asked, trying to keep the mood light. "I've finally gotten my wish. You and I, trapped together…" I trailed off, trying to ignore the walls again.
"Ladybug?" I asked again, shaking her a bit more forcefully.
She groaned and as her eyes fluttered open, immediately gripped her side, about where the bolt of whatever had nailed her. I leaned closer and gently pressed a paw to her side, eliciting a massive groan and a very un-Ladybug like curse.
"Rib," I frowned. "On a scale of one to ten?"
"Twenty seven," she gasped. "I think it's more than one. And I'm having trouble breathing."
My masked eyes couldn't go any wider, especially when her earrings chirped and I saw she had two dots left. A quick check of my ring told me I was in no better shape. "Will your Miraculous Cure patch you up?" I asked quickly. "No - don't answer, let's just try."
Ladybug nodded, grimacing in the process, and twisted to reach for the Lucky Charm that should have been at her waist - her eyes widened as her fingers grasped in air. "Where is it?" she asked haltingly.
Cognizant that she was in pain and her earrings were getting more strident, I scurried through the space on all fours. "What was it? What am I looking for?"
"Hand… mirror…" she gasped before letting out another cry of pain.
Tamping down my own panic, I covered the small box twice. "It's not here," I said urgently. "Can you still call the spell without it?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that the box had shifted - the akuma had started to move us somewhere. Time was growing short in more ways than one.
"No," she said simply.
Her earrings were about to lose their final dot; I could only see one option left. "Drop your transformation," I said quietly. "If we feed your kwami and re-transform, you can call for a new charm and we'll get you right as rain."
"Chat," she gasped. I thought her lips were turning a bit blue, but my night vision could have been overcompensating. "I… don't… food..."
"I have cheese," I said. "Just a slice, but it will have to do for both of us."
Completely spent, she just nodded. The fact that she didn't even argue with me made me extremely worried. Seeing her earrings were about to lose their final dot, I scooted to slide beneath her and then gently wrapped my paws around here. "Let your transformation go, Milady," I repeated quietly as I put a paw on her hand. "I'm closing my eyes now. We'll do it together."
Sagging against me, I started to close my eyes but had misjudged how much time was left and was shocked into watching the red glow of de-transformation as it enveloped my partner; as it faded, my night vision clearly saw Marinette Dupain-Cheng in my arms. And she was still in pain. There was no time to process the enormity of what had just happened, so I filed it away for later.
A small red kwami floated up to me, a concerned expression on her face. "Chat, you are right - if she transforms again, we can help her. But I need to be fed."
"All I have is cheese, my mini lady," I said.
"Plagg will share," she said.
My ring chirped it's final tones, and my own transformation faded away. Carefully, I shifted beneath Marinette so I could reach the spare cheese I generally kept for Plagg; I handed it to him, and watched as he carefully split it in half.
"Hurry, Sugar Cube," he said with an affection for the tiny red kwami.
The box lurched again, and then I felt the motion pick up. "I don't want to rush you…" I said urgently.
The red kwami grimaced and bolted the cheese, Plagg- like. Plagg had already downed his portion of the slice. "Ready."
"Plagg - claws out!"
Once I was Chat again, I shifted Marinette slightly and whispered in her ear. "Call for your transformation, Milady. We're ready."
She stirred, barely on the edge of consciousness. "What...?" she gasped.
Taking another tact, I whispered: "Repeat after me," I said, my masked eyes flicking to the small kwami, who mouthed the activation words to me. "Spots… on…"
Marinette repeated them, slowly, and in a flash was back to Ladybug but no nearer coherent. I repeated the process to get her Lucky Charm called (this time it was unironically a first-aid kit), and then the moment of truth appeared. Gently holding my paw over her hand, I helped her slowly toss the kit into the air and call for Miraculous Ladybug.
The small space exploded in a burst of red and white light, and instantly her helpers swarmed all over her body; it took far longer than it normally would, sheathing her in ribbons of energy as they worked their magic. I held my breath, right until the final helper vanished in a puff of light. "Ladybug?" I asked carefully.
She groaned and moved slowly. "Ow."
"It didn't work," I said. "I'm getting us out-"
"No, it did," she said quickly. "I'm just really, really sore at the moment."
I kissed her hair. "I'll take sore and living over the alternative," I laughed quietly.
The rest of that particular akuma went by in a blur. I used my Cataclysm to free us from the box, and kept the akuma distracted long enough for Ladybug to find a quiet nook to re-transform a third time (thankfully, we were near a small outdoor cafe where I presume she found something for her kwami) and call for a new Lucky Charm.
Once it was over, we regrouped on a rooftop. I'd not had to use Cataclysm again but was nearly out of time. "I really need to go," I said, looking meaningfully at my ring.
"I know," she said. "Me, too." Still, she made no move to leap away, and was looking at me hard. "Did you see?" she finally asked. "My identity?"
I thought about how to answer, and started with a Chat smirk. "Do you want the truth or a lie we can live with?"
Ladybug smiled. "All right. How about a lie I can live with?"
My smirk grew as I leaned in toward her. "You're madly in love with me, and have been since the first day we met," I whispered before leaping up into the air and helicoptering away from her.
"Wait - what? Chat - wait!" she cried after me.
Knowing how smart my lady was, it didn't surprise me the following day at school when I found Marinette was already in class as I walked in. I couldn't keep the Chat smirk off my face as I slipped into my row. "Mari," I nodded, letting her take the lead.
"Adrien," she greeted, her eyes dancing with merriment. "Purrfect morning, isn't it?"
I smiled wider. "It's getting better by the moment, Milady."