Chat Noir couldn't think. He could barely breathe, not after what he had just heard. His mind was spinning, but he didn't have time to come to terms with anything, as the akumatization simply fell away from Chloe, and she crumpled to the floor. The girl clearly had learned to read the room however, as she did not say anything.

Rather than deevilizing itself however, the akuma began to fly towards its next target. Chat sent a panicked look to Marinette, whose face continued to stream in tears, and she took in a breath, before choking on another sob. He watched it approach her and knew what he had to do.

Gently yet swiftly, he removed his hand from Marinette's and shouted, "Cataclysm!" He wasn't sure if it would work, or what the consequences were, but in the state that Marinette was in, he wouldn't let her be akumatized.

Not after what she just said. Not when it was his fault.

The butterfly turned to ash in his claws and fluttered to the ground. The room was still, the only sound being Marinette's shuddering breaths. He hoped his action hadn't ruined any potential lucky charm; it would be terrible if Marinette wouldn't have her injured leg healed. But it was worth the risk, the emotional damage of being akumatized at this moment would be far worse.

Chat Noir dialed his la- he dialed Ladybug, his mind still reeling. She didn't answer, must not have been able to transform. The akuma did not last for very long, she probably hadn't gotten a chance to get away from her civilian life. "Ladybug, if you could throw a quick miraculous ladybug that'd be great. I had to cataclysm the akuma this time, it was an emergency," he explained simply.

He then quickly heaved just enough rubble away from the door such that it was passable, then turned to the room. Marinette was huddled to her knees, while the rest of the class was too stunned to do a thing. Half of him was filled with fury, she was clearly not okay, and not a single student came to her side.

The other half was grateful, because he was certain she would not calm down within 5 minutes, which would allow another akuma to come to her. He wouldn't let that happen, and if he didn't want his identity revealed, this would have to be handled… delicately.

So, he simply scooped her up, and nodded to the class, before moving through the rubble, and vaulted away. He hoped the students would understand Marinette missing the day and tell the school. If they didn't, well, he would have a word with them as well as the authorities himself tomorrow.

Marinette held on to him tightly the entire trip without speaking a word. She was sniffling, her sobs having calmed, but her breathing was still uneven. Chat held her tightly, her story replaying in his mind.

First, this… relationship. He knew that he loved Ladybug. He knew it so well, he could never connect with Kagami, and they had quickly fallen apart. But Ladybug kept rejecting him, he knew she loved someone else.

And yet, Marinette… sweet, beautiful, kind, his everyday ladybug. He would be lying if he didn't admit that he truly enjoyed spending his time with her. He would be lying if he didn't admit that she was gorgeous, and that he wanted to be closer with her. He would be lying, no, he had lied to himself and everyone else so many times, that she was just a friend.

"I'm terrified that my love for Chat Noir will destroy the world." Her voice had been soft, quiet, but laced with a terror he had never heard before. From anyone. Ironic that barely a minute before, he claimed that no one would ever love him. He wondered, if that fear that she did not truly love him, had been what got him akumatized. He was uncomfortable that he would never know.

And that he had quite literally brought about the end of the world…. He didn't want to think about it. That would be a later conversation with Plagg.

He landed on her balcony with a thump, but she refused to let go of him, burying her face into his torso. He held her just a little tighter, using his free hand he'd used to vault to open the latch, and let them into her room onto her bed.

Chat began to stroke her hair softly, and asked, "Can you close your eyes for me, princess?" She took a shuddering breath, before making an almost imperceptible nod. "Claws in," he continued, and Plagg dashed out of the ring.

The kwami took in the two, and his eyes widened. "Kid, are you-"

"Shh," Adrien interrupted him. "We may need another cataclysm, can you recharge?" he asked lowly, hoping Marinette wouldn't recognize his voice. Her face was buried in his shirt, her eyes squeezed shut.

Plagg took a long look at Marinette, before sighing. "Tikki is supposed to be the reasonable one, why do I have to do it," he muttered. "Look kid, Pigtails has a lot of pent-up emotion, so you're going to have to be transformed all day, and depending on how many butterflies come, you may have to go in and out. You need an excuse for your civilian self too, you can't just disappear."

He then turned to Marinette. "And you, let it all out. It's not healthy, holding everything in the way you have been. Ti- er, your friend should have known better."

"I can't get akumatized-" she began.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Responsibilities, who cares. You matter too you know," Plagg interrupted her, and Adrien's eyes widened. What was that supposed to mean? "Don't worry, my kitten will be here all day. Just let it all out, 'k?" He took a deep breath. "Now, I'm gonna get some cheese."

Still idly stroking Marinette's hair, Adrien blinked as the kwami disappeared into the floor. He felt warm, being called Plagg's kitten, had he done that before? And when he wanted to, the kwami could be so caring. He swore he would buy the cat as much camembert as he wanted, before fishing his phone out of his pocket. How was he going to disappear all day? He was originally going to have just said nothing, he didn't really care what his father thought, not right now.

His face darkened, the truth that had left him from Chloe's akumatization had not left him. "My father doesn't love me," echoed in his mind. It was true, wasn't it? He knew how he was going to do this. It was petty, but honestly if it got him away from responsibilities, Adrien didn't care for the consequences.

Before steeling himself for the call, Adrien shot Nino a quick text reading, "I'm not going to be in school for the rest of today. If Nathalie calls, don't worry about giving me a cover, I'll handle it."

He then opened his contacts to his father, turning the volume incredibly low such that Marinette could not hear the voicemail message. He already knew the man wouldn't answer, so he didn't bother asking her to cover her ears.

"This is Gabriel Agreste voicemail. To leave a message, please call my secretary," the phone warbled, though to be honest Adrien couldn't really hear it. He just heard when the sound ended.

"Father," Adrien began, his voice frigid. "I'm not going home today. Not that you would notice, thanks to the fact that I literally never see you. I don't know if you'll even care to listen to this message. I could expand, but honestly, I don't care right now. I don't know if you heard about the akuma today, but thanks to it, I'm done ignoring the truth for your sake."

Adrien took a shuddering breath, and he could feel Marinette holding him tighter. "You don't love me. I'm your son, not your employee, and- and I don't want to deal with you today, or maybe tomorrow. I don't know. Don't look for me, I'll show up eventually." He ended the call with a heavy sigh.

"Kitty…" Marinette whispered.

He laughed humorlessly. "I'm supposed to be the one comforting you, not the other way around."

She shook her head in his shirt. "I want to help you…"

Adrien smiled down at her. "You already have."

"Alright, I know you wanna get to the gooeyness already, but it's been long enough, and the bug can't cast the cure. Not since you cataclysmed the akuma," Plagg declared, causing Adrien and Marinette to jump. "You need to get that leg of yours looked at, plus the school's called your parents, pigtails. Not specifically about you, just that school is cancelled thanks to the collapsed hallway. They need to know where you are, and I don't recommend keeping my kitten's presence a secret."

Adrien's eyes widened. How had he forgotten about her leg? "Thank you so much Plagg," he smiled. The kwami scoffed, and muttered about needing more cheese, but Adrien knew it was a front. "Plagg, claws out!"

"You can open your eyes, Princess," Chat told Marinette, and she shifted to look up at him.

Their faces were close, and suddenly he became flushed. He looked away, and said, "W-we need to get your leg looked at," he parroted Plagg.

She winced. "I had forgotten all about it, but now that you mention it…"

He nodded, swallowing. "Do- do you want me to stay here, and call your parents? Or do you want me to go get supplies?"

"I can go-"

"Ah ah ah- you are not moving," Chat waved his finger. She looked down, and he sighed. "I'll go get the first aid kit, give your parents a heads up, and be back. It will take five minutes."

She looked uncertain, but then her phone began to ring. It was Mme. Dupain-Cheng, and she answered, "Maman?"

"Marinette? Are you okay? We heard from the school about the attack, and we haven't seen you-" Chat could hear her muffled voice through the phone. He was grateful he turned the volume down on his own, Marinette most certainly would have heard.

"I'm-" She began, as if she was okay, but she couldn't say it. "I'm in my room, Maman, Chat Noir brought me back. He's… he was about to go downstairs to get a first aid kit. Actually, could you bring it up for us real quick?" She winced.

"Of course sweetie, just a moment."

As promised, Mme. Dupain-Cheng was up the stairs in moments, bringing a first aid kit.

"Thank you, Mme.," Chat Noir took it from her.

She glanced up nervously at her daughter, "Thank you, Chat Noir. Marinette, are you sure you're alright?"

Marinette looked like she was about to burst into tears and looked away. Chat was unsure if it was his place to say, but he answered, "She took a hit from the akuma, and… she's been thinking about things. I swear that I will be here for her until she is okay."

Mme. Dupain-Cheng watched him closely, and Chat swallowed. Eventually, she nodded. "I want to know what happened, but I understand you need to take your time. Tom and I will be in the bakery, if you need us just give us a call."

Chat nodded. "I will."

AN: Thank you for all the kind comments and for reading! Next chapter is conversation time, and fluff time, and I'm excited. I'm thinking about 5 chapters again, but I'm not positive how long it will take.