Ladybug sat on the roof of her parents' bakery with her knees tucked up to her chest. She tried to calm her racing thoughts and pounding heart as she watched the sun slowly retreat behind the horizon. The beautiful, warm hues cast a quiet, romantic light across the whole city. The street lights would be coming on soon. She was out of time. Her chest tightened.
She had done nothing but think of this moment all day. The moment when the last chance to run had passed, and she would find herself exactly where she was. The time when the scenario she'd been imagining and catastrophizing was no longer in her future, but in her present. She was going to see Chat Noir for the first time since the martial arts tournament, when she had innocently, accidentally, and stupidly revealed all of her secrets. It had only happened yesterday and her wounds, emotional and physical, were still fresh. She didn't feel ready. She hung her head, she would probably never feel ready.
After finding out she had been injured by the akuma at the tournament, her mother had banished her to her room for some rest and quiet healing. There had been lots of tea, incense, and sweets. All things that would have helped and calmed her normally. But, the only thing her isolation had accomplished was given Marinette time and silence to overthink. Ladybug could feel her bones humming and burning with apprehension. Despite the cold air outside, she was starting to sweat. Along with all she was worried about, she had also split her cheek and lip open. The constant dull ache was painful and made her face and head throb with every strong beat of her heart. Adrien had been filling her with water and painkillers, but they didn't seem to touch it. Either that, or she was in more pain than she cared to think about. She reached up to her lip and hissed when she touched the tender, new scab. She let out a long breath, staring at the sky above and feeling more foolish than she had in a long time. Not only had she revealed her true identity to Chat Noir because she let some old, misogynistic martial artist get under her skin, but she had let her emotions get the best of her. She had been one more uncontrolled moment away from beating a man, probably, to serious hospitalization. She groaned, still not quite accepting that she had actually threatened someone like that. At the same time, she couldn't really afford to have someone going around saying they'd met Ladybug and knew who she was. It was very unlikely after the beating she'd given him that he would do anything. Still, she worried about it. The thought of facing Chat Noir resurfaced in her mind, and Seyong Li was all but forgotten.
She had considered the consequences of just not showing up to patrol. Just letting her transformation go, and disappearing back down into her bedroom. Chat Noir knew who she was now, and had been to her house more than once. He would probably just come to find her. She was tired and injured anyway. Maybe letting him come to her was the best idea. Her heart jolted.
That would put her family at risk. So, not an option. It was one thing for Ladybug to sit on the railing above the bakery every now and again, it would be another if someone saw Chat Noir actually enter her home. La Papillon was growing ever more vigilant, and any more slip-ups would get them caught. She felt her heart ache, if they weren't already, thanks to her.
She briefly entertained the idea that maybe Chat Noir wasn't coming, either. If Chat Noir was feeling even a fraction of what she was feeling then maybe he would be hesitant to show up as well, and she could avoid this whole thing for a little longer. She sighed. No way Chat Noir didn't show up. The more she thought about it, the more she was certain he was probably excited to see her tonight. He had always been enchanted by knowing her secret identity, and had only dropped the issue after she forced him. He was probably elated about this.
She groaned. The sun was setting fast, the air was getting colder, and it was time to go. She climbed to the top of the railing and stopped short. One horrifying thought halted her. She growled in frustration. She didn't have time for this.
She could feel her adrenaline pumping as large, iridescent wings sprouted from her back and started to buzz behind her. She couldn't avoid Chat Noir, not when they had been doing this patrol thing like clockwork for the past few weeks trying to stay on top of the akuma attacks. She took off, and made her way over the rooftops of Paris.
She arrived at the small inconspicuous rooftop faster than she thought she would, and touched down quietly. Her wings folded behind her, and she immediately started to pace. Chat Noir wasn't here yet. What would he say? What would they do? How could they move past this? Were things ever going to be the same? What if she'd ruined everything? What if this was the end? Her heart sank, maybe it was time to hand over the reins of Ladybug to a new person. It was too dangerous for Chat Noir to know her real identity. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she could hear Tikki's voice scolding her for even having such a stupid thought. Tikki would never agree to that. Not when it was only Chat Noir that knew her face. Well, Chat Noir and Seyong Li. Ladybug groaned out loud. Seyong Li wasn't a concern. She knew that. She needed to let him go and stop worrying about it. She scowled, feeling the dull pain of her black eye under her mask. A small spark of anger struck her. Maybe she would forget him after she was healed.
There was a sound behind her, and she jumped. Was that him? Ladybug whipped around, then sighed. Nothing. It was nothing. Maybe she would need to convince Chat Noir that their relationship be restricted to work only. No more late-night meet-ups at the Eiffel Tower, and no more patrols where she might accidentally tell him something that would put her family and friends in danger. With a heavy heart, she seriously started to consider how she could restrict their interactions together. They could stop going on patrols. In reality, she had been thinking that the patrols were starting to feel unnecessary, anyway. She was considering talking to Chat Noir about it. Proposing that they maybe didn't need to go out every few nights, or maybe even at night at all. There was rarely an akuma attack after the sun went down. And as an adult with responsibilities, she could see only sense in getting more sleep at night. It made sense not to have patrols at night anymore. Especially in light of the fact that Chat Noir knew who she was without the mask. Restricting the time they spent together and how often they saw each other was probably the best way to make this work.
Still, somewhere inside her, she knew the real reason she hadn't said anything about the patrols being silly or unwarranted to Chat Noir until now. Even in light of the newest development, she didn't know if she could really tell Chat Noir that they shouldn't meet up anymore. She could feel the weight and ache of heartbreak starting to spread even as she thought about this being a new reality. Even if it was the safest and most sensible idea. Despite what Chat Noir knew, she wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the patrols, or their Eiffel Tower meetings. She put her hand over her eyes. If she was honest with herself, it was because Chat Noir was her best friend, and more than anyone in the world, he knew what it was like to live her life. He was her most trusted companion. They had been through so much together. She cared for him. She could feel her heart breaking as she realized she might have to sacrifice even that for the life of a hero.
Her eyes were starting to sting, and her chest started to burn with sorrow. A hero. Is that what she was? Is that what this was? Is this what she had signed up for? Loneliness and heartbreak? Isolation and secrets?
She heard the muffled sound of Chat Noir landing on the roof behind her, and she pressed down her feelings, and turned around with a nervous smile.
"Bonjour, Chaton." She waved half-heartedly, "We have to-"
"Please, My Lady, I…" he interrupted her sternly, "I have been thinking, ya know, since I.." he swallowed hard, losing his resolve a little, "I mean since you… I guess, we?" He looked at her sheepishly, "I want you to be… I want you to have... I want..." He put his hand over his eyes, "I don't…" he pushed his hand through his hair, and looked at her with a nervous smile, "Why is this so hard?"
Chat Noir looked at the sky for a moment, and then looked back at her with a sigh. He opened his mouth as if to say something, and quickly snapped it shut. Ladybug felt the awkward silence creep across her feet, and slowly start to crawl up her legs. There was not going to be an easy way to talk about this was there? She looked over to him, and opened her mouth. Nothing came out, except a small choking noise. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at the roof beneath her feet.
He looked at her across the small space. His voice cracked, "How do I…? What do I…?"
She looked at him again. Really looking at him. He was so tall and handsome. But she didn't know who he was. How could she? They'd made an agreement long ago not to pursue their secret identities, and she had always believed that would be the end of it. She had never imagined this scenario, where it happened by accident. She felt a seed of distrust plant itself in her heart, and she closed her eyes. She urged herself to think rationally. He was basically a stranger, a handsome stranger. They knew so much about each other, but without context it really meant nothing. Now, Chat Noir knew who she was. There was so much to lose. She would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to someone she loved. She thought of her mother and father, tender and simple. She thought of Alya and Nino, and what a scandal like this could do to them. She thought of what consequences there could be if her life in fashion and her life as a hero collided. She thought of Adrien, who was more than capable of defending himself normally. But, with his injury struggled with normal tasks. The situation suddenly seemed more frightening than it had been before. She looked back at him, and saw the desperation in his eyes. She ripped the seed from its place and squashed it. This wasn't about mistrust. This was about the devastation of her realities crashing together. And in the middle of the chaos was Chat Noir. Sweet Chat Noir who had never done anything but support and care for her. Love her, even.
Ladybug's split lip started to quiver, and the pressure in her chest pressed against her ribs. She felt her heart contract tightly, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She fell slowly to her knees and then felt herself collapse into sitting on her feet, crunching the gravel on the roof. With her hand over her chest, she felt the hot tears start to rush down her cheeks.
Chat Noir rushed to her, "My Lady! Are you-" he stopped just as he was about to touch her shoulders. He kneeled down in front of her, "My Lady... look at me."
Ladybug sniffled and turned her head away, and started trying to wipe her tears away.
Chat Noir gently slid his hand into hers, pulling it away from her face, and with his other hand gently turned her head towards him, "Look at me, please." His voice was soft, and desperate.
She looked up at him, finally, with watery blue eyes. Chat Noir felt his heart break. She was defeated. She was obviously trying to stop crying, but the tears just kept welling up in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks. She was trying not to sob, and in doing so had stretched her lips into a frown so deep that her lip had split open again. He tried to see her as the hero she truly was, and tried to think of a way to comfort a hero. But, at this moment he could only see Marinette. Sweet, sassy, loving Marinette in a Ladybug costume, crying because she felt she had lost everything.
His voice wavered, "I'm so sorry."
"I'm frightened, Chaton." She choked. She heaved a large breath and let out a sob, "I didn't know I would feel this exposed and fragile. It was just a moment, a moment of clouded thinking and," she sucked again, "what could have happened if it had been somewhere else? Someone else?"
Chat Noir frowned, "Seeing you like this," he held her hand between his larger ones, "It makes me wish that I'd stayed to help you yesterday. Maybe if I'd protected you, or if I'd been a decent partner I would have stayed to make sure you were safe. I…" he looked away from her, "I guess maybe I wish I'd never seen anything. Maybe I wish that I could go back to being able to think that you weren't a real person behind your mask. That you didn't have to sacrifice things, like I know I have, to live this life. I wish this didn't have to happen to you, Marinette." he looked back at her, sadly.
Her voice cracked, "Everything I love, everyone I know, they're all potentially in danger now. And it's completely my fault." She sucked in a shaking breath and let out a sob, "If I hadn't stayed and let my pride get the best of me, if I'd just left him there, if I'd just…" a sniffle, "just let it go then maybe I. Maybe they. Maybe we…" she pressed her fingers against her eye to wipe her tears and hissed as the pressure ignited a hot pain in her bruised eye. She ripped her hand away, and slammed her arm to her side, "Damn it!"
Chat Noir's hands hovered near her, ready at any moment to come to her rescue. He wanted desperately to reach out to her and hold her close, to stop her from crying if only to keep her from hurting herself further. And yet, with the truth hanging between them like this, he didn't know if he should. He slowly lowered his hands, and twisted his fingers together awkwardly, "I'm sorry you're hurt. It's breaking my heart to see you like this. I should have stayed."
Ladybug's heart twisted, torn almost in two again by the thought that she might have to end this relationship, and strip it down to its most heartless and transactional state to keep them both safe. She looked up at him, eyes watering again, "Why can't I just have my cake and eat it too?"
Before he could stop himself he raised an eyebrow and quipped back, "Don't you live in a bakery? Do you not eat cake?"
Ladybug frowned.
He stammered, "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I mean. It was, I wasn't thinking. It just, I just…"
He watched with heat creeping up his neck and across his cheeks as her frown morphed into a sad smile, and a small laugh escaped her lips. He sniffled as a giggle played in her throat, "That's. I mean, yes I do. But that's. That's not what I meant."
"Obviously." he grimaced sheepishly, and touched the back of his neck. A moment passed before he looked back at her with a small smile and offered, "Would you like to tell me what you meant?"
Ladybug felt her walls and reservations crumble, and threw her beloved caution to the wind, "What I meant was why do I feel like I have to lose even you so that Paris can be safe?"
Chat Noir looked at her with wide eyes "Lose me, My Lady?"
She sighed, "I've given up so much for this life. I gave up what should have been a far richer friendship with my best friend to keep her safe. I gave up the full-transparency relationship I had with my parents to keep them from worrying about me. I gave up fun, intimacy, maybe even true love." she shuffled her legs up and pulled them close to her chest, "I had this part of me that I couldn't share with anyone. A stress and a secret that weighed on me, that even though it felt like the safest and smartest option, left me feeling a little like an outsider. There's a whole part of me that no one knows or understands." She looked up at him, "Except you."
Chat Noir felt his heart flutter.
She continued, "And it was safe, because no matter what I told you or what we did together, you never had a second point to run a line through. You couldn't connect dots that weren't there. Stories of my family and my friends were kinda pointless. It was nice. But now, if something were to happen to you, information about me and my life could end up in the wrong hands." She paused, and her lip started to quiver. Her voice cracked, "I could never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me. I could never do this alone. I wouldn't be half the hero people think I am without you. Our relationship started as something silly and flirty, born of circumstance, chance, and necessity. But, I started to genuinely enjoy your company and companionship, and slowly our co-worker status congealed into something I cherished, a true friendship." She smiled, then frowned again, "And now I think that I'm going to have to say goodbye to even that small treasure so that everyone but me, apparently, can be safe and happy."
Chat Noir furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a moment, he sat down sternly, crossing his legs, and leaned forward to look her in the eye, "Is that what all this fuss is about? Me? Are you worried about losing me? About my feelings? About what I might say or do? Is that why you pushed me away last night? Why you showed up here so much more upset than I thought you would be? Me?"
Ladybug felt the gears turn in her mind, "I think it is." she looked at him with wide eyes.
He laughed a little, "Because, My Lady, if you asked me to never speak to you again, I would. Not because I don't care, but because I do. If you wanted me to only be your hero partner, I would never ask for more. If you asked me to stand outside your house every night for the rest of my life I would do it, because you deserve to have a rich and fulfilling life, and if the safety of your loved ones is what keeps you from doing that, I will ensure they are protected. My Miraculous Ladybug, you are the most important person in my life, and I will do anything," he grabbed her hands in his and squeezed lightly, "anything, for you."
Ladybug felt her heart swell and press against her ribs as she processed the magnitude of what Chat Noir had just said to her. She felt her rationality returning as some of her irrational fears and worries melted away. Of course, of course, this was how it would be. They were so much more than just partners, more than regular friends. If she thought about it, only Chat Noir knew, and nothing really had to change. Did it? A distant and familiar sense of stability started to blossom deep in her stomach, and she started to sift through her distorted thoughts quicker than she could think.
As her fear faded, her confidence returned. She notched an eyebrow in his direction, "Don't you have a girlfriend these days? What would she have to say about that?"
Chat Noir choked, "I. She. We aren't, not quite, I mean." he cleared his throat, "Don't worry about her. She'll be fine. I don't, I don't think she'll mind."
Ladybug smiled sadly at him, "I don't know about that. But thank you for your precious words, Chatton."
"I can assure you of this, my Marinette, dearest Ladybug, Dupain-Cheng," He looked at her seriously, now holding both of her hands in his.
Ladybug's heart skipped and she felt a flush across her ears and shoulders.
"I, Chat Noir, will go to my grave before I let any harm come to you, your friends, your family, or before any parts of you or your life that you maybe do or don't want me to be a part of are jeopardized. I gave everything, and everyone, to be here with you. You saved me from myself - my isolation, my loneliness, my useless, meaningless life, my ignorance, my misery…" He smiled a genuine, emotional smile, "and whatever or whoever has gotten in that beautiful mind of yours, telling you that I would betray you, your secrets and confidences, or anything of the sort, is lying to you. I would never. I wouldn't. I couldn't." He pleaded, "To lose you would be the end of everything for me."
"Chatton, I…" Ladybug whispered, almost silent, with tears welling in her eyes.
He laughed, "I came here tonight ready to accept whatever punishment or restriction you had in mind. You have always been so confident and strict about this, that I was sure I was ready for anything. Well," he huffed, "I wasn't expecting that you'd be the one asking me to stay, and not the other way around." he winked.
Ladybug felt her face heat up, and snatched her hands away from him, quickly swiping her tears away, "You mischievous kitty cat." She folded her arms and glared at him for a moment.
Her expression softened and her shoulders slumped, "To be honest, I didn't even really know that's where this conversation would lead. I came here full of fear and apprehension and confusion. My emotions have been all over the place and I feel so out of control." she sighed, "though if I think about it logically, so long as you're on my side, and promise that if something does happen, that you'll stay on my side, then it's not as big of a deal as I always thought it would be."
"Perhaps as a teenager, to be fair to you, knowledge of your maskless life could have led to disaster." He sighed, "I have always been a little reckless with the balance between my life as Chat Noir and my life as a faceless member of society. As a teenager, I was exceptionally careless, longing for adventure, yet striving to be normal and accepted by my peers. Knowing that the akuma prey on the emotionally weak and vulnerable, I had just as much chance of being akumatized as anyone else within La Papillon's grasp." He smiled at her, "And if he'd gotten to me, I might have accidentally done something stupid. So you were probably wise beyond your years to keep your face from me then."
Ladybug looked at him, surprised. Then frowned, "You don't have to say that now just to make me feel better about behaving like a teenage girl."
He smiled sweetly at her, "No, I mean it. You had good reason to be afraid. But, not anymore."
Ladybug felt her whole body loosen, like something inside her, that had been coiled tightly from stress and worry, was released. She felt weak, and laid down in the gravel to keep from tipping over.
Chat Noir turned his head to match, and pushed her fallen hair out of her face, "You also probably have a pretty nasty concussion, and should maybe get that checked out." he flashed her a classic cheshire grin.
She shot him a look. She heaved another heavy sigh, "I've been selfish, haven't I?"
"I don't think that needing support makes you selfish, My Lady. And having me all to yourself, while selfish, is a kind of selfishness I would be happy to indulge in."
She relaxed, and smiled at him, "I know we can't go back to exactly how it was, but I hope we can move past this, and you can forgive me for my, honestly, irrational behavior. I hope that you won't look at me too differently, and that your opinion of me hasn't changed too much."
He laughed, "My Lady, nothing between us has to change."
She laughed a little, "That said, I'm going to extend the same threat to you that I gave to Black Belt, which is this - if you tell anyone, I will hunt you down and make your life hell."
"I hope you do." he smirked at her.
She couldn't find it in herself to be mad or frustrated at his overly flirtatious comment. Only at peace as the familiar friendship between them settled back into place. And, maybe a bit foggy and tired as she realized that Chat Noir might be right about the concussion.
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"Looks like the tables have turned, Miss Marinette." Adrien grinned mischievously as he came around the edge of the couch with a tall glass of water in his hand, a heat pack draped over his cast, and a fistful of painkillers in his other hand. "The caretaker becomes the wounded, and the wounded becomes the caretaker." he said in a dramatic voice.
Marinette groaned, and pulled the blanket up over her head, hoping to further darken the already dark room, and block out Adrien's voice which seemed to ring and echo between her ears. He had been babying her all day, shutting all of the windows and blinds and bringing her pillows and blankets as she tried to recover from her injuries and significant concussion. Making her tea with honey and lemon and making sure she was hydrated. After coming down from the emotional roller coaster of Seyong Li and Chat Noir, she had forced herself to visit a doctor's office, and they had confirmed that she had a concussion. She had spent the last forty-eight hours sleeping and waking in 4-hour increments, and wishing that she had some kind of control over how sleepy and stupid she felt.
Adrien smiled, and laughed a little, "I wouldn't really want an invalid taking care of me either," he reached over and flipped the blanket back just far enough to reveal Marinette's eyes and nose, "but you're going to be very sad in about thirty minutes if you don't put these pain killers in your mouth."
Marinette made a whining sound, but pushed herself up into a sitting position and held out her hand.
"These," Adrien emptied his fistful of pills into her hand, "are for your concussion." He held out the water glass, and she quickly downed the pills and took the water from him, quickly emptying it's contents into her mouth. He held out the heating pad, "And this is for your black eye, which is looking a lot better today."
Marinette glared at him a little. But took the heating pad anyway.
He laughed, "No I mean it. It's gone from a deep black-purple to a sickly kind of blueish-green. That means healing. I know." he put his hand on his chest.
Marinette deflated, and turned on the couch so that she was facing forward, And pushed her hand through her hair, "Thank you for bringing those. How are you feeling today?"
"Oh," Adrien cooed, "Let's not worry about me right now. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"
Marinette slowly melted back down onto the couch and into the pile of blankets and pillows she was nesting in, and draped the heat pack over her face. She mumbled, "Let me take a little nap and then I'll let you know."
Adrien snickered, and lifted the edge of the blanket back over her, until just her nose was showing past the heat pack and from under the blanket, "Okay. I'll come back in a little bit."
Marinette made a small sound, and Adrien figured she was already half asleep. He stood up from the couch, and double-checked all the windows, shades, and blinds. The more light he could keep out, and the quieter he could make the house, the better she could sleep and the faster she would heal. He made his way back towards the kitchen where he quietly set down all of the things he was balancing, and wandered back to his room, where he could continue to wrestle with the fact that he was so thoroughly in love with one woman that it was borderline insanity.
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Ladybug landed gracefully on the tilted vinyl roofing of a modernized townhome, feeling the muscles in her legs contract and stretch to make the landing quiet and seamless. She smiled to herself. She was only getting stronger, and she surmised that any trained gymnast would be just a little jealous of her perfect landing. She didn't have time to congratulate herself any further as a worrisome thud came from behind her. She winced as she heard the sound of scratching and scrambling. Unlike her landing, Chat Noir seemed to be having trouble. She turned around slowly, daring to look back at him, praying that her companion hadn't fallen all the way to the streets below. She hadn't heard him fall that far, but she was ready to hear the thud of his body hitting the sidewalk at any moment. She blinked, a cold chill of horror coming over her at the thought. Maybe she wasn't ready to hear that. She turned around in time to see Chat Noir right himself and continue along the pointed center to the other edge of the roof. He stopped just short of the edge, and she watched as his shoulders drooped just slightly. He looked at the distance from his building to the next with a frown. He quickly squared his shoulders again. She turned back around quickly, hoping that Chat Noir hadn't seen her looking. Her face twisted with worry. She let out a soft sigh, and swung to the next rooftop with ease, only to pause again.
She turned around more quickly this time, hoping to try to deduce what was wrong with her friend, and if there was anything she could be doing to help him. She hoped that he hadn't noticed she was stopping at every building to make sure he was okay. Ladybug watched as Chat Noir jumped from the last building to this one. She winced on his behalf as he clumsily tripped over himself, tumbling to the crunchy gravel surface. At least this one was flat, giving him somewhere to land without falling too ungracefully. He stood up with as much dignity as he could, and dusted himself off. He ran past her and jumped again towards the next rooftop. He narrowly missed the edge, and Ladybug bit her lip as she watched him fumble with the ledge, pulling himself slowly up and over. Once safely on the rooftop, Ladybug heard a frustrated, muted curse of some kind come from his mouth. She jolted, and quickly jumped to the building next to him, and then to the next, leaving him behind her. She silently hoped that he would be less embarrassed if he thought she couldn't see him. She stopped, and looked back at him once more. She felt her heart starting to ache for him. Something was obviously wrong. It was almost like when they had been children, first learning how to navigate the city as heroes. He had fallen from many a rooftop before he figured out how to use his body to leap across the skyline of Paris. She could tell from the way he carried himself that he was frustrated and embarrassed about it. She fought the urge to rush to his side and help him. Her hair on her arms and neck prickled with the need to rush to his side, and pick him up. Her instincts as a hero, his partner, and as a woman practically forced her to help him. But, not wanting to bruise his pride, or draw attention to something he clearly didn't want attention drawn to, she continued to carefully watch him.
She waited atop the next building and waited for him to climb up before she swung over to the next building. She frowned, and tried to think of what could have possibly happened. It was only recently that he started showing signs of slowing down. She had noticed that he was getting a little slower a few weeks ago, but decided to ignore it then. Something more must have happened, she mused. He was struggling more than seemed right for her to ignore, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up or ask him about it without making a judgment that might not be right. She landed on the next building, and looked back to see Chat Noir land on his feet and then topple forward. She sighed, and moved to the next building. Perhaps he was struggling with his eyesight. Ladybug stifled a giggle with a snort as she pictured the handsome hero with glasses over his mask. She shook her head, that was very unlikely. Chat Noir had always boasted about his perfect vision and acute cat-like senses. It had to be something else.
Had he noticed that she was waiting for him at every building? She hoped not. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. She sighed again. What could she do about a problem she didn't understand?
88888888
Adrien's heart sank as he looked at the letter in his hand. Handwritten by Cherlie, and signed by the precinct officials, he was not to come back to duty or to training until he had the doctor's permission. He sighed and threw the offensive paper to the coffee table. He leaned back against the couch, wincing as he collided with the back a little too harshly, and groaned. How was he supposed to prove himself worthy of a life without his father if he couldn't go through training? All he wanted was to get this training over with and move on to being an officer. And now he was stuck in the slow lane. Why? Because of his rotten luck, that's why. And there was nothing he could do about it now. Just as he was about to dive into a pool of self-pity, he heard the door creak open.
His heart skipped and a wide smile broke across his face. Marinette.
Her sweet voice came lilting over the high back of the couch, calling his name in a sing-song tone, "Adrien? Are you awake?"
He felt himself smile, and felt as his cheeks got a little warm, "Yes I'm awake."
She appeared around the edge of the couch and smiled at him, smelling like frosting and fresh bread. He swooned. She raised an eyebrow at the paper on the coffee table.
"I came to check on you, make sure you're feeling alright." She caught him staring at the paper and decided to ask the dreaded question, she pointed, "Is this the official letter from the precinct? What did they say?" She looked at him with worried eyes.
Adrien deflated a little, and went a little bit limper on the couch, "They said I can't come back without clearance from the doctor. And the doctor says that we can't come back for at least two weeks when the stitches will come out." He huffed.
Marinette sighed, and looked at him with a little bit of pity, "I'm sorry Adrien. But, they're right. It doesn't do you any good to help around the office or even file paperwork if it's going to prolong your healing. The sooner you can go back, the sooner you can finish the training program. They've even agreed to allow you to continue where you left off, right?"
"Yes." Adrien huffed, "And you're right, and I don't like it."
She sat on the edge of the coffee table, and smiled at him, "Come on now, I know it feels like it's far away, but he meeting with Dr. Lys to remove your stitches is in a mere two weeks. After the past eight weeks of having your stitches in, you can make it two more."
Adrien pouted, "It could have been this week if I hadn't tripped and dislodged them earlier."
"That's true," Marinette rolled her eyes, "but there's nothing we can do about that now." She smiled at him, "Do you want to come down to the bakery with me instead of just pouting up here by yourself?"
"Sounds like you're telling me to suck it up."
"I am a little." She shrugged, and then ruffled his hair, "And, I'm desperate for company. My parents are out doing business things today, so it's just me and the rising bread dough down there."
"You really twisted my leg. I'll come down." He sighed and leaned forward on the couch.
Marinette moved quickly to his side and helped him stand. As he reached his full height, he wobbled a little, and Marinette put her hands out on either side of him, ready to catch him if need be. Worry lodged itself into her chest and she looked up at him nervously, "Are you feeling okay?"
After his eyes seemed to point back in the right direction, he smirked down at her, "Well, sometimes, when you're as tall as I am, all of your blood pools in your feet so when you stand up too quickly the world goes dark and spins around a few times while the blood and oxygen make it all the way up to your brain and eyes." he snickered, "So yes, I'm okay."
She visibly relaxed, and grabbed his hand, "Then it's off to frosting cupcakes we go, and maybe to get some sunlight, huh?" She teased, and pulled him towards the door.
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Sunlight indeed. Marinette had coaxed Adrien down to the bakery, where the large tinted windows were letting the bright winter sun into the small dining area. It was cold and windy outside, but inside the sun was warm. After frosting a few cupcakes, and realizing how tired he truly was, Adrien took a cup of coffee and a muffin to sit at the table and rest for a minute. He had consequently fallen asleep in his normal patch of sunshine. Marinette smiled to herself as she continued moving around the bakery. She hadn't seen him in that patch of sunlight for a while, and it was nice to have a little normalcy back.
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Ladybug looked down from the bridge and into the water of the river beneath her, catching a glimpse of herself before looking down the river towards the boat that the recently akumatized ferryman was driving. She sighed. Every akuma since Black Belt had been unpredictable. Some of them had been difficult to face, though nowhere as difficult as Black Belt. Others, like the akuma she was currently facing, were almost disrespectfully frivolous. The ferryman had been scolded by his employer for being too strict about the ticket prices and was now going down the river with a pricing gun, making sure everyone was following the rules and paying the right prices. If she didn't know that the akuma would multiply and wreak havoc, she would have almost left him alone.
Chat Noir landed gracefully next to her, perched on the railing with perfect flexibility and muscle control, "My Lady, a romantic boat ride down this garbage river with you would be priceless."
Ladybug groaned, "Not now Chatton, we have to stop this akuma."
"But he's not even really hurting anyone, and we haven't been on a date in so long." he grinned at her, mischievous, and knowing how handsome he was.
"We've never really been on a date." Ladybug huffed.
"There is an easy fix for that." He purred.
She turned to him, a little frustrated, ignoring the akuma that was moving towards them slowly, "You're insufferable. Why would we go on a date, especially right now?"
He stepped down from the railing in a fluid motion and stood next to her, "The time I spend away from you is what is truly insufferable, My Lady. Besides, if we want to keep an eye on the akuma," he looked down at her with slanting, flirtatious eyes, "and each other, I'm sure he would let us ride on his boat while he enforces the rules. Two birds, two lovers, one stone." he gestured to the river with one hand, and put the other over his heart.
"Chat Noir, don't you already have a girlfriend?" Ladybug rolled her eyes, "Why should I be interested in going on a date with a man that's spoken for?"
Chat Noir grabbed Ladybug's hand gingerly, and brought it to his lips, "The only heart that speaks for me is yours, My Lady." he kissed the back of her hand.
She plucked her hand away with an annoyed smile, "You shameless flirt." She looked down the river and mumbled to herself with a dusting of pink across her cheeks, "I thought we were past this."