It was still dark when Tom and Sabine heard the startling noise. A heavy thump, followed by a yowl of pain coming from somewhere outside the bakery. They paused getting ready for work and looked at each other in concern.
"We should probably check that out," Sabine said.
Noticing the worry in her voice, Tom placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm sure it was just a stray." He grabbed his sweater to protect himself from the early morning cold, and made his way downstairs. Sabine trailed behind him, an umbrella clasped tightly in her hands. It doubled as protection against the heavy downpour, as well as against the unknown creature outside.
As they passed through the bakery, Tom grabbed a rolling pin from the counter. The ground was slippery, so the two walked carefully around the side of the bakery. As they drew nearer to the source of the noise, there was a distinctly human groan of pain. Sabine clutched her husband's arm as they rounded the corner.
In the alleyway, half propped up by the wall and hidden by some damp boxes, was Chat Noir. Blond hair was plastered to his face, matted with blood coming from a wound on his forehead. He hissed in pain as he held his gloved hand to his face, trying to stop the flow of blood.
A sharp beeping came from his ring, signaling the last warning before his transformation would wear off. They knew they had little time to react. Tom took a cautious step towards the hero, wary of startling him. The movement caught the hero's attention, and he watched the man with weary eyes. When he didn't react, they made their way over to him in a hurry. Crouching down next to him, Sabine assessed the injury on his face, as Tom held the umbrella over their heads.
With little warning, the final beeps of Chat Noir's ring echoed throughout the alley as the transformation dropped. In a last ditch effort to conceal his identity, he turned his face away. A small black blur darted into Adrien's shirt pocket. Even from the side, the boy's identity was obvious. They had seen his face plastered all over their daughter's room.
There was no time for shock, though. Blood from several small cuts on his face had already begun to stain Adrien's clothes. They had to get him out of the rain. Tom put an arm under the young boy and slowly helped him stand. Adrien winced from the movement but didn't try to pull away. As they walked towards the bakery, Adrien stared blankly at the ground. Sabine shut the door quietly behind them so as not to wake Marinette up from her slumber.
"Sabine, could you run and get the first aid box," Tom asked in a hushed voice. Sabine nodded and hurried out of sight. As she left, Tom turned his attention to Adrien once again. "Now, we have to be quiet so we don't wake Marinette." Adrien stiffened at the mention of his classmate's name. "Don't worry. We won't say anything," Tom reassured. He carefully helped Adrien into a seat just as Sabine returned with the first aid box. Rummaging through the kit, she began treating his injuries.
"And," Adrien said softly, fidgeting in his seat. "Please don't tell my father."
Sabine's worry deepened. "Oh Honey, I-" she went to hug him but paused when Adrien flinched away. She shared a look with Tom. "We won't say anything," she assured him. "We know how dangerous it would be if people knew."
Relief washed over him, and he sank into the seat. "Thank you."
Once they were done, Tom put the first aid box on the counter then knelt in front of Adrien. "If you don't mind me asking. How did you get those injuries?" Tom asked.
Adrien couldn't meet his eye as he responded. "I slipped on one of the roofs. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and lost my footing."
"What were you doing out there so late? You know it's not safe to be out at night," Sabine said.
Adrien grew sheepish at her motherly behaviour. "Oh, um. I'm not really allowed out much on my own. So, sometimes at night I like to spend some time outside by myself."
"Are you safe?" Sabine asked, putting her hand over one of his. This time he didn't pull away. "Out there, fighting monsters all the time?"
Adrien cracked a small smile. "Yeah, I'm safe. Ladybug looks after me."
Sabine wrapped him in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, and all the work you do for the city. We all are." When she pulled back Adrien was blushing from embarrassment. Adrien glanced over at Tom who smiled at him.
"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Tom asked.
Adrien's smile fell, and he shook his head. "I can't. My father would be, um, worried about me if I wasn't in my room," Adrien said. Tom and Sabine shared concerned looks. Adrien stood up in a hurry, the chair screeching across the floor. "A- actually, I should go." Adrien made for the door.
"Wait!" Sabine begged. "At the very least, let us make you some food before you go."
That was enough for him to pause. "What if Marinette wakes up?" Adrien asked. "There's no way I could explain being here in the middle of the night."
They both chuckled. "Don't worry about that, dear, "Sabine said. "Marinette won't ask many questions." Tom was still laughing as he nodded in agreement. Adrien didn't quite get the joke. Surely, Marinette would still question it, right?
At their insistence, the three went upstairs to the living room. Midway through making some pancakes, the trap door to Marinette's room opened. Slowly, she wandered down the stairs, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. The smell of food woke her up. The first thing she saw was Sabine cooking breakfast. "Maman?" she asked questioningly.
"Oh, sorry, dear. Did we wake you?" Sabine asked with a smile.
Marinette looked around to find her father but instead locked eyes with Adrien, sheepishly sitting on one of the kitchen seats. Behind him on the couch was her father. Marinette let out a screech before looking back at her mother questioningly. "Wha-"
Sabine wasn't fazed by her daughter's behaviour, and continued to make the food. "I was just making Adrien some breakfast. Did you want some?" Marinette was unable to answer, having been left completely speechless at her crush's sudden appearance in her living room.
Sensing her discomfort, Adrien spoke up softly. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I can leave if you're uncomfortable."
"No! No, it's fine," Marinette rushed to assure him.
"Okay! Breakfast is served," Sabine interrupted, as she began to pile food onto Adrien's plate. Adrien smiled at Marinette, and suddenly noticed what she was wearing. Following his gaze, Marinette saw that she still had her pajamas on. She shrieked once more, trying to cover herself up with her arms.
"Maman! You should have told me he was here. I don't want him seeing me in my pajamas." Adrien tactfully looked away from her, choosing instead to stare at his plate.
Sabine looked at her kindly. "Oh sweetie, he's already seen you in your pajamas, remember? You two went on that date to the movies." Marinette went even redder. "Now are you going back to bed or did you want some?" Sabine held up a second plate. Marinette's eyes darted between Adrien and the plate a few times before her hunger won out. Steadying herself, she sat down next to Adrien. "Wonderful," Sabine said, as she began to stack pancakes onto a plate.
When Sabine put the plate in front of her, Marinette finally worked up the courage to ask in what she thought was a casual voice. "So, what are you doing here?"
Adrien paused with a forkful of food in his mouth and gave a terrified look to Sabine. Stifling a giggle, Sabine answered for him. "We invited him to have breakfast with us."
Marinette looked incredulous. "At four in the morning!?"
"Y- Yeah," Adrien said, swallowing his food, and attempting to match Sabine's casualness.
Marinette looked between the two, unable to think of anything to say. She stared at her mother. It was obvious to her that her parents invited him over so she would have to spend time with him. What other reason could there be for having her crush over for breakfast. But it's not like she could say anything to them with Adrien in the room. After a moment of hesitation, she gave up and started eating.
AN: Thanks for reading. I'm open to constructive criticism if you have any.
Beta read by myimaginationflows