We do a little back tracking and find out how Marinette fared as Chat was fighting. Chat is really starting to grow on her. Also if you were confused by the butterflies... (This is a very simple explanation.) A butterfly in the medical field is a piece of tape that is placed over an injury like a deep cut that helps keep the wound closed. They usually use them on wounds that are glued shut in surgeries although they can and will place them over sutures as well. They have lots of uses and can be made out of anything (even duct tape)

Devious Purrloin... Sorry if there was confusion over the butterflies.

wolfrunnerable12... Awe thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it so much!

NekoRose26... The Akuma are changing (Insert suspenseful music here)... Don't worry Marinette wouldn't actually kill Chat because then she would have to dispose of the body and that's a royal pain. She might choke him out though...

Marinette is a detective who can't keep a partner while hunting down the notorious Hawkmoth gang. Chat is the new cat burglar on the streets who never gets caught. After Marinette gets handed his case it's it won't be long before their fates collide especially when monsters start roaming the streets.


Stitches

Chat had kissed her. Sure, it was just a peck to the forehead but still… Chat had kissed her! Marinette could only gape in shock as Chat vanished over the wall, too stunned by the kiss to even think of tossing her weight after him.

"What the actual frick?" Marinette finally hissed to herself, one hand trailing up to brush against the spot that Chat's lips had pressed.

It was too late to send curses after him for that move and Marinette didn't want to expose herself to another Akuma if one was still slinking around. She had a half a mind to chase after him, but she knew at this point she wouldn't be able to keep up. After all, the quick ride she had been given just a few nights ago had demonstrated that he far-outstripped any speed she could muster, especially in the dark. Spinning around, Marinette took off across the roof, running opposite of where Chat had gone. Really she did want to help him, felt a pull towards him, but as Chat had pointed out, tonight she had her own people to keep safe. That kiss, however, was completely out of the blue and Marinette forced herself to believe it didn't really matter, because dammit, she liked Adrien. She liked Adrien and only Adrien, not some smug idiot who was dressed in leather and had actual cat ears attached to his head. A small, rather contrary, piece of her heart disagreed and her mind registered that fact.

"Oh man, I'm so screwed," Marinette hissed to herself as she ran down the wall line.

Somehow, even through her inner turmoil, she managed to keep a sharp eye out and within a few minutes she spied Stormy flitting through the shadows with Mime still draped across her shoulders. They were close, very close to an entrance so Marinette released a sharp whistle to simply let Stormy know she was in the area. Stormy's head jerked up and Marinette waved, tossing one of her weights out and slinging herself over the side of the roof. Feet touching down moments later, Marinette ran to Stormy's side worried for both of them. Stormy was panting heavily from her exertion so far and Mime was, thankfully, unconscious.

"How bad are you hurt?" Stormy demanded, giving Marinette a once-over when she reached out to take Mime.

"I'm not injured, definitely will be sore tomorrow, but not hurt. How bad are you and Mime?" Marinette returned as Stormy frowned.

It was clear that Stormy didn't quite believe Marinette, especially since she was quite good at hiding her injuries. Knowing exactly what Stormy was thinking, Marinette lifted her shirt with an eye-roll showing off nothing but a meager bruise that had been there since the night before. Marinette could see the relief in Stormy's eyes as she slowly slid Mime off her shoulders and onto Marinette's. They took off the moment she had him settled evenly and Stormy decided to answer Marinette's question before she got cranky.

"Mime took the first hit and you pulled me out of the way of the other one. I didn't even see them coming but you still managed to get me out of the path of those claws. Mime dislocated his shoulder, probably has some hurt ribs at best, plus he got slashed and will definitely need stitches. I put some coagulation powder on it so he wouldn't bleed out, and the pressure of his wound against my shoulders was keeping him from bleeding too much. I also popped his shoulder back into place but he's going to need the hospital or someplace similar to fix the rest. Where did Chat go? Is he still in the shadows?" Stormy asked, rotating her shoulder since running with another human on your back was neither easy, nor comfortable. Actually, she wasn't sure how Marinette was managing it so easily as they jogged onto the running-zone property.

"Managed to kill one of the Akuma, then the other Akuma took off and he went after it. I don't know where they're running off to, other than going northeast initially. If you have anyone on the rooftops in that direction, tell them to get undercover and not to engage. The Akuma will kill them and Chat is on a hair trigger chasing after those things. I'll take care of Mime and the zone, you get topside and let Gram know what happened," Marinette managed as they started seeing people.

"Marinette, are you sure? I can put the alert out so you can go after Chat. I'll cover for you," Stormy muttered as people in the zone noticed them, the cries of injury started to propagate outward from their position.

Marinette almost took Stormy up on the offer. 'Almost' being the key word. The stone, Marinette was fairly certain, could lead her to Chat. However, that also meant finding the Akuma and Marinette wasn't positive she had the energy to tussle with another one this evening.

"I'm sure, Stormy. I don't have the energy to engage more of those things tonight. You go do damage control and make sure everyone stays safe. I've got the zone," Marinette answered, her voice firm. Then she raised her voice, stalling the people who were coming at them, "Mime was injured by some kind of animal with claws. Pull all people in right now and get a Hawk-member in the main hub. Mime is going to need the hospital and the Zone is going into lockdown. Also, get me in contact with Alex!"

Stormy slid off to the side vanishing into the shadows, Marinette made her way into the main hub with several people already semi-crowding her. The alert was already going out across the zone in a series of chirping sirens that everyone was able to easily discern from any other sounds in the night. The sound was carried through a network of microphones and walkie-talkies in a system that was nearly as old as the zone itself. By the time Marinette made it into the hub, someone had already pulled a first-aid kit out. A stretcher had also been taken out and placed on the floor. As Marinette gently laid Mime down on the floor, Alex entered alongside a woman who wore a Hawkmoth insignia in her hair as a barrette.

With his shirt already torn and bloodied, Marinette didn't worry about damaging the fabric any further. Scissors were placed in her palm and she cut the shirt open noting the bloody fabric tucked against Mime's side. With gentle hands, she removed the fabric and grimaced at the open gashes in his side.

"An animal really did get to him," Alex hissed, handing Marinette more coagulant powder and gauze.

Marinette nodded, "It came at us from the side. He was too close and I… neither of us could move fast enough to get him out of harm's way. He managed to stab whatever the hell it was but he is going to need the hospital. His ribs are most likely cracked and he's gonna need stitches. Also, Stormy popped his shoulder back in for him. Help me sit him up so I can wrap this."

Hands lifted Mime into a sitting position. He groaned, coming-to as Marinette swiftly pressure-wrapped the wounds.

"Did we get that ugly beast?" Mime asked, wincing as Marinette fastened the bandage.

"Yeah, you and Stormy stopped it in its tracks. You must have passed out when Stormy was climbing down," Marinette answered, taking the opportunity to check his pupils for proper light-response.

"Ribs busted, shoulder busted, pain put me out. I owe you two my life. You especially, since you kept the other one off us on your own. Where is Stormy? She isn't hurt is she?" Mime mumbled looking around rather fuzzily.

"Stormy and I came out fine, worry about yourself first. We don't know what was on that thing's claws and we still need you out here," Marinette teased, looking up into the Hawkmoth girl's face.

Surprisingly, she actually smiled faintly at Marinette, although it might have been relief rather than happiness. "We'll handle Mime and take him to be treated. You worry about the others in the zone, Marinette."

Nodding in turn, Marinette stood, hustling to the bathroom to wash her hands before running out the doors again with Alex. It took less time than expected to get everyone in from the outer reaches of the zone. Everyone tended to heed the alarm system since it was truly only used in an emergency. Usually, it came on when there was a raid or some outside influence became too rough and tumble to ignore. Once, it was even used because a killer had arrived in the area. Marinette and Tiki had been on-site and they managed to take the person down before they injured anyone. That incident had made Marinette rather popular with the runners, so they knew that if she called for a lockdown it wasn't for nothing. Some people took off the moment they heard the alarms, no questions asked. Many others flitted to the main hub to find out the reason for the alarm before heading out into the dark. By that time, Marinette had managed to spread the word to not be out late and not to use the rooftops in the northeast section of the city. Everyone heeded her words and there were no incidents that she'd heard of with the evacuation.

The Hawkmoth people left with Mime fairly quickly, managing to get a slim Smart car through the back alleys to pick him up. The girl with the clip in her hair promised to pass word of Mime's condition and Marinette had to be satisfied since she didn't think that they were going to take him to a real hospital. Marinette sighed as she sent the last of the kids off with chaperones. Part of her wanted to be the one watching them since she knew she could protect them, but she still had other things to take care of. Moments later, Alex returned from her last check throughs of the zone.

"So, you gonna tell me what happened out there?" Alex asked

Marinette nodded, "Is everyone cleared out?"

"Yeah, and if there is anyone out there, they'll be running alone in the dark," Alex muttered flipping the main power switch that was kept under lock and key.

Marinette turned her phone light on so Alex could see to lock the box, then the two of them moved out of the main hub taking a different exit than the one Marinette had entered by. Noting how Marinette turned her light off the moment they hit open air, Alex sighed.

"Ok seriously, what the hell happened and how can you see?"

Marinette twitched, not having realized that the alley was so dark. Feeling sheepish and deciding that the stone in her waistband would warn her if any Akuma came upon them, Marinette fished her phone back out and turned the light back on.

"Sorry Alex, I have really good night vision and I don't want to make a target out of us. We should be fine though." Marinette trailed off for a moment catching the raised eyebrow and slight glare that Alex was shooting her. "Alright... but don't call me crazy, because you just saw proof of it. There are these… monsters… roaming the streets. We're calling them Akuma and they've attacked several people. I just found out about them myself the other day, and tonight is the first time I've really gone toe-to-toe with one. If you see anything bigger than a cat on the rooftops at night, get under cover immediately because it's probably one of these things and they will kill you."

Alex hissed her confusion evident as she managed, "Monsters, Marinette?"

"The thing that hurt Mime was like a misshapen tiger, merged with one of those… oh I don't know, like a mastiff or something? It had sharp claws, a full maw of sharp teeth, and it was massive. Not to mention that there were multiples of them," Marinette murmured as they moved in a fast walk down the side streets.

"I believe you. But seriously, what happened that threw us into a sci-fi world all of a sudden?" Alex grumbled in return, noting how Marinette kept a tight grip on her jacket sleeves.

With a shake of her head, Marinette growled, "I'm not sure of the source, but believe me when I say I will find it and exterminate it. Whoever these people are, they will regret letting these monsters loose in our city."

Alex didn't bother coming up with a comment to that. She knew Marinette fairly well at this point and she knew that if Marinette decided to do something, it would get done. Come hell or high water, Marinette was the one to go to if there was a problem, crime, or any number of things that needed to be solved or found. It might take a while but Alex knew Marinette would take down whatever was causing this 'monster' problem. For now, Alex decided to focus on the immediate future, especially since they were making their way down deserted backroads and such. The area around them was unusually silent, with even the usual watchers and slummers having taken the alert to heart.

"Do you think the zone will be safe tomorrow? I can spread the word to not come out if it won't be," Alex queried.

She hated the idea of the zone not being safe, and to her relief, Marinette shook her head.

"The Akuma should be taken care of tonight. If they aren't… well, I'll call you and let you know if it's not safe. Just assume that no news is good news, ok?" Marinette grumbled, her mind clearly elsewhere as they came to a final turn-off before the main streets.

Seeing her distraction and wondering what had caused it, Alex left Marinette's side without another word, although Marinette kept an eye on her until she turned the next corner. Slowly, Marinette let a breath hiss out from between her clenched teeth and decided a bath or a shower was badly needed. Mime's blood was on her jacket and she knew a good, hot shower would make her feel much better. Just before she reached the main street, Marinette slipped out of her jacket, not wanting to alarm people or draw attention to herself and the blood on it. She didn't like the sensation of not having it on and the night had become fairly cool, but Marinette had already decided it was better to walk the last of her journey without it. To her relief, Marinette made it to her door without incident. With a bit of a sigh, she slipped inside her flat thankful that she didn't have any nosy neighbors that stayed up late.

All in all, Marinette was exhausted as she walked out of her room sometime later, rubbing at her eyes. Everything was starting to ache from having to fight the crazed Akuma, and now that she had truly run into one, she hoped to never run into it again. Once she had gotten home, she had taken apart her jacket to check all the components in it since the Akuma had been far stronger than Marinette could have ever expected. She had then cleaned the blood off completely and taken a quick shower. Marinette was really glad that her jacket had held up to the strain, but she really hoped that she would never have to face a beast like that again. After all, no matter how much she reinforced it, used industrial and military grade components, all her jacket was in the end was fabric and metal. A sigh slipped past her lips as she wandered into the kitchen deciding that a cup of tea was badly needed. A bath would have been far better than a shower for any sore muscles, but she hadn't wanted to get too comfortable in case Stormy called her out into the streets again.

It's going to be a busy night, Marinette thought to herself, although she couldn't quite place the reason why she felt that way. Swiping her damp hair from her face, Marinette put some water in a cup and slid it into the microwave. Usually, she liked heating water up on the stove for her tea, but tonight she wanted a hot drink quickly and if she didn't get one soon, she might be tempted to go for something a little heavier. The microwave dinged and Marinette popped the door open as a slight thump echoed from an area not quite behind her. Marinette froze, one hand on her now hot mug as she listened out, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her. Another thump sounded out making Marinette turn, her mug forgotten and she strode out of her kitchen, listening for any other out of place noises. It stayed quiet and just as she was about to return to her tea again, the stone she now carried everywhere with her gave off a humming, buzz-like vibration. Marinette jumped, instantly on edge and decided the stone, as weird as it seemed, was telling her to check the noise out.

In a regular building, thumps and other sounds might be normal since neighbors often made noise or were unintentionally loud. In her building, however, there was no one above her, the flat to her one side was occupied by an elderly couple and to her other side was an empty flat, confirmed by Adrien since he was probably going to purchase it for himself. Just as she thought that maybe it had been her neighbors possibly dropping something and the stone was making her paranoid, a light tapping made Marinette's head jerk up. Green eyes stared at her through the glass and Marinette felt her jaw drop as he raised a clawed hand, as if in greeting, before slumping out of sight. His disappearance prompted her movement. Marinette practically flew up into her loft, slamming her skylight open to find Chat Noir lying on his side on her balcony.

"Chat?! What in the hell are you doing here?!" she demanded, her voice an octave too high as fear and anger tightened her throat.

He shouldn't be here. Hell, he shouldn't even know where she lived and considering the last she had seen of him was his chasing after one of those monsters, Marinette was really worried one might follow him to her home. Chat blinked at her before trying to shove himself into a sitting position. In doing so, Marinette caught a glimpse of his back and the wicked parallel gashes that sliced through leather and the flesh beneath.

"Oh my god, you're injured! You idiot! Why didn't you go to the Whisperers?!" She was out onto her balcony in a heartbeat hauling him up off the ground, all thoughts of the danger he might have brought with him gone.

Chat managed a slight chuckle, accepting her help as she half carried, half dragged him into her home. "Sorry, My Lady, but I don't quite trust them and if my transformation wears off, I'd rather you knowing who I really am over them."

Marinette froze at the admission and wondered what he had meant by his words.

"Transformation?" Marinette prompted once their feet were on solid ground and not teetering on a blasted ladder.

Chat blinked at her looking surprised then he scowled, "I've lost too much blood. Ignore me."

Marinette returned his scowl, hauling him toward her spare bathroom, thankful that the water was working properly in the sink at least. "I don't think I can ignore that little tidbit, Chat. When you say transformation, do you mean you don't always have cat ears? You can trust me you know, it's not like I'll tell anyone."

"You told your friend Alya about me," Chat hissed in pain, not at all in his right mind as Marinette set him down on the floor.

"I'm not under a promise to keep you a secret, mister. Besides, with you popping up wherever I go, it won't be long till you meet everyone I know anyway." Marinette replied, pulling a medical kit and towels out of the cabinet. "Plus, that isn't fair, I didn't reveal anything that she didn't already know, other than the fact your tail and ears were real. Also while we are on the subject, how in the hell do you know I told Alya anything about you? I just talked to her this morning!"

Chat hummed, whether in affirmation or disagreement, she wasn't sure. Even still, she was a bit surprised when he murmured. "Well I guess if I tell you, it might make you give the damned thing back anyway… My transformation happens due to a miraculous stone."

Marinette froze, then jumped as the stone in her waist band buzzed slightly as if in confirmation. Feeling a bit freaked, Marinette put the stuff in her hands down and pulled the stone from its hidden pocket. Its colors were definitely darker Marinette figured, since she distinctly remembered it being a featureless grey rock before.

"You mean this thing?" Marinette asked, holding it out

Chat eyed it and sighed, "Yeah, that thing. Of course mine doesn't look like that, but my stone allows me to transform into Chat Noir. Sorry My Lady, but I'm usually not this spunky or adorable outside the suit."

Marinette frowned, putting the stone on the edge of the sink before dropping to her knees. "You really have lost too much blood," she observed as he swayed slightly before her. "And I'm guessing you need me to sew you up since I don't think those gashes will heal well on their own or with butterflies."

Chat nodded and nearly fell forward, "I could sew myself up if it was on the front, but I can't get my own back. I already got the slash in my leg."

Marinette's eyes shot to his leg, taking notice of the black bandage that wrapped his thigh. "You realize gauze is supposed to be white so you can see staining through it, right?" Marinette demanded, wondering where in the world he had found black bandaging.

Chat chuckled, "I'm a black cat, My Lady, white would stick out too badly and it doesn't pay to let enemies know when you're injured. Besides, I had to glue it up first to get here, otherwise I would have left a trail that a blind man could follow. I still might have, considering those gashes in my back are still bleeding."

Marinette let a growl slip past her lips, making Chat look up at her hazily. "Take your top off, Chat, and let me see those wounds. You realize I am not a medic in any way, shape, or form right? All I've done is take the basic first-aid course, and the Whisperers have trained me on quick-aid when it comes to gun shots or knife wounds. Your injuries are neither of those."

"Those claws were sharper and harder than knives, My Lady. This suit stops all but the higher caliber bullets and most bladed objects. That's why I was surprised the first few times we fought, your little ninja weapon was leaving bruises on me," Chat answered, slowly peeling out of his top.

Marinette rolled her eyes at the ninja comment but was secretly shocked by the strength of his suit. She wanted to know more, and since Chat seemed to be in a talkative mood, Marinette hoped to get some more information out of him. About to ask another question, she nearly let out a squeak as his top slipped down his back revealing that he was entirely shirtless underneath. Truly she didn't know why, but Marinette had almost expected him to have a shirt on under the leather. There was no shirt though, and Marinette's breath caught as he exposed his entire back to her. There were several scars across his back, and bruising was already showing across his lower rib cage. Going down on her knees, Marinette pressed a towel into the hem of his pants as gently as possible, all thoughts of asking questions gone from her mind.

"I'm going to clean the wounds off first. Then you'll have to lie down while I stitch you up," Marinette sighed, noting how blood-covered the entire inside of his suit was. "This is going to hurt but I don't think your super suit prevents infection. You aren't allergic to anything medical, right?"

"Just feathers," Chat answered dazedly and then hissed, his whole body jerking harshly as antiseptic hit the wound.

"Sorry, sorry," Marinette mumbled, patting the wound dry after she had rinsed it out with antiseptic first, then saline syringes. The Whisperers had made her first-aid kit for her and Marinette was certain that most first-aid kits didn't come with half the items she had.

The wounds on Chats back were clean edged, the bleeding already slowing down. Satisfied with the cleanliness of the wounds since she didn't know what had been on those Akuma's claws, Marinette tapped Chats shoulder, "Ok, lay flat for me, arms under your chest so it keeps your skin taut back here. Also, try and relax because this is going to hurt."

Chat didn't have the energy to grumble as he lay forward. Honestly, he was terribly dizzy and laying down was a far better idea in his mind than staying upright where he knew he would start swaying at any second.

"Alright, I'm going to start now., Marinette murmured, setting to the task at hand.

Chat didn't squirm or hiss as she stitched him up, but it may have been because Marinette decided to sing softly as she did what needed to be done. Getting stitches hurt, Marinette knew that from experience, so she gave him something to focus on other than the pain. It took her quite some time to do both gashes and when Marinette was done, she sat back with a sigh, eyeing her work critically. The wounds were neatly sewn shut with small stitches and she gently wiped the skin one final time to clean off the rest of the blood that had seeped out while she had worked.

"I'm done but you won't be real comfortable reaching forward or scrunching your shoulders for a few days, so be careful not to pull your stitches out. I refuse to do a re-stitching," Marinette sighed, standing to wash the blood from her hands. Really, she should have worn gloves but since she had no wounds on her hands, Marinette had decided she desired dexterity over safety this time around.

"Aw, come on My Lady, like you've never pulled your stitches before," Chat teased, making Marinette scoff at him as she turned on the water.

Turning to snipe a comment back, she didn't realize she had knocked the miraculous stone into the water until Chat's blood from her hands hit the stone making it flash with bright pink light. Marinette yelped, flailing back and nearly tripped over Chats legs since he was so tall. Chat winced as he twisted to see, but whatever had happened was already over.

"Marinette?" Chat queried, watching Marinette as she moved warily back toward the sink.

Her hands were dripping light pink water since she hadn't gotten all the blood rinsed off yet. Almost tentatively, she shut off the water not bothering to rinse her hands totally off quite yet. The stone glistened in the light, the colors markedly darker than before and she wasn't confident that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, but were those faint circles coming up in the red area? Marinette really wasn't sure if she should pick it up, but steeling herself, she did. A warm, buzzing energy flowed through her, making her tense shoulders relax and Marinette's breath caught as the energy dissipated leaving her no longer sore. The sensation was totally gone in an instant, now all she felt was a tiredness akin to a hard run before bed. It was weird and Marinette wasn't sure if she should say anything about it or not.

"Uh… the um… stone flashed?" Marinette said, the tone of her voice portraying more of a question than an answer.

"Of course it did," Chat sighed, allowing himself to slump back to the ground, exhaustion pulling at him. He was going to have to de-transform soon, and he was going to sleep like the dead tonight since he had lost quite a bit of blood.

Marinette's eyes were still on the stone, noting how the colors now seemed to shift like one of those gel smoke balls. It was odd but entrancing, and even stranger, the stone still seemed to be warm to the touch even though it had been doused in cold water. Under her fingers the stone hummed as she rubbed it, so with a bit of a frown Marinette turned the water back on, washing both her hands and the stone free of blood before returning the stone to her pocket. In the back of her mind, she noted how Chat had been watching her handle the stone and she wouldn't put it past him to try to steal it back now that he knew for a fact that she had it on her. It seemed to be an almost trivial thing to worry about. Really, she was a bit more concerned about the fact that she now had a half-naked cat-man in her house, on her bathroom floor that she had just stitched up.

"Chat? I'm happy that you trust me enough to come to me injured and all, but how in the hell did you know I lived here? Also, you really need to explain these miraculous stones and the Akuma," Marinette said, bending down next to Chat's head.

Chat blinked blearily at her, "Can I do it later?"

Marinette could hear the exhaustion in his tone, the resignation since he seemed to think that she was going to say 'no.' Nibbling on her lip, Marinette gave a small sigh, reaching out and tweaking his ear so he looked up at her again. His gaze was a bit unfocused, and his skin looked a touch pale making Marinette wonder if he needed more medical attention than stitches.

"I'll let you off the hook this time, but the second you feel better we need to have a talk, because you popping up everywhere I go is getting a little ridiculous. Also, I'll have to remove those stitches at some point since I'm assuming you don't have anyone to do that for you, either. For now, let's get something covering those stitches and you to the spare bed."

"Ok," Chat answered, since he knew he wouldn't have the energy to make it home on his own.

He felt Marinette's gentle hands smooth a gauze pad over the twin lines, then press tape in place to hold it all. Once she was done, it was time to move and Chat withheld a groan of pain as she helped pull him to his feet. She was so much shorter than him that he was practically draped across her, and if he hadn't been so damned worn out, he probably would have cracked at least one joke about it. Instead, Chat allowed her to take his weight since she didn't seem to be having any trouble and let his eyes slide shut.

"Stay alert, kit. You don't need to be passing out just yet," Plagg grouched, and Adrien knew the grumpy kwami was probably starving.

As Marinette helped him into the room, she said, "I'm not sure if you need clothes or not, but your suit is all bloody so you probably shouldn't put it back on when you decide to go home."

"The suit can heal itself. As much as I hate to use the word, it's a 'magic' thing," Chat answered, allowing her to lay him on the bed. "I'll be gone before dawn. I'll have to be if I want to use the shadows like I need to and I don't think you want me here alone in your house all day, since I'm assuming you have work tomorrow."

Marinette kneeled down next to the side of the bed looking Chat in the eye, "Rest, Chat. If you need to stay, then so be it. Do you need anything to eat?"

Chat's face twisted, then he sighed, "Do you have any camembert? Or any aged cheese?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the downright odd request but she nodded, "I'll be right back."

Chat huffed as he watched her move out the door, letting his body slump completely against the bed and praying he didn't bleed on her sheets. "She is far too trusting… You sure we won't make it home, Plagg?"

"Oh, I'll make it home but the condition you're in, you'll probably take a nap in a roof gutter. Matter of fact, the only reason you've made it this far is because you actually slept last night. I'm already speed-healing you so you're going to need a bit of sleep. Once I get something to eat, I'll let you pass out and wake you at dawn so you can sneak out," Plagg replied.

"How long am I going to have to deal with the stitches?" Chat grumbled, already hating the way his skin was itching. It was because Plagg was speeding up the healing process and Chat was already not looking forward to work in the next few days. Thankfully, his father had just given him tomorrow off, which was a stroke of luck in his usually unlucky life.

"At least two days, kid. That Akuma cut you deep and you've lost a ton of energy using Cataclysm as you did," Plagg answered with a note of disapproval in his tone.

Chat gave a noncommittal grunt and felt himself slipping off the edge of consciousness when a hand brushed against his bare shoulder. He jolted slightly, making Marinette jump back as his eyes fixed on her.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to startle you. Turns out I had some camembert. Do you need to stay awake or…?" Marinette trailed off.

Chat felt himself smile, seeing her indecision at what she should do. "I'll be fine, My Lady. You have already done more than enough for me. Fair warning though, I will be gone by dawn."

Marinette nodded, "You already said that, but you'll come back and explain things tomorrow though, right? Otherwise, I will hunt you down for this."

Chat couldn't help but chuckle even though he knew she meant every word. "If not tomorrow, I'll return the next day to get my stitches removed. I promise."

Marinette nodded deciding not to argue about removing the stitches so soon and placed the cheese on the dresser by the bed. "I'll be close, so if you need anything, just holler. If I need to come back in I'll knock or I can just talk through the door. There are some extra guy-clothes in the bottom two dresser drawers… so, um… yeah…"

Having no idea what else to say and knowing Chat was very patiently waiting for her to leave, Marinette slipped out the door. Frankly, she felt rather awkward leaving him in the room on his own. She wasn't sure what other injuries he had sustained, and his minor slip-ups earlier had her burning with curiosity. At some point she was going to get some answers out of him, otherwise she was going to tie him down and pry the truth from him one way or another. Mumbling to herself about stupid felines and how this should be the Whisperers problem, not hers, Marinette decided to return to her now-cold cup of water in the microwave.

Chat waited, listening to her move around in her living room mumbling to herself before he guessed she was going into the kitchen, "Claws in, Plagg."

A flash of green briefly brightened up the dimly-lit room leaving Adrien sprawled across the bed, shirtless and dressed in a pair of running slacks. He had meant to toss on a shirt but he had been chafing to get up and away, and he hadn't really cared since he hadn't been planning on de-transforming anyway. He didn't even have shoes on, which was a blessing and a curse. Adrien groaned out loud as the de-transformation left him feeling as if a truck had hit him. "Ugh, Plagg, how many of those things did we fight?"

"Five, and you used Cataclysm on two of them to turn them to dust since breaking them didn't stop their attacks," Plagg answered while scarfing down the cheese Marinette had left on the table.

"You're right, that wasn't smart. That's why I'm so worn out," Adrien murmured, finding it a bit hard to keep his eyes open.

Chat's powers originated from the kwami and the miraculous stone, or ring now; however, Plagg's powers were strongly integrated with Adrien's own stamina and abilities. He could use Cataclysm up to five times per transformation, and depending on how much power he put into one Cataclysm, he could maintain his Chat persona for varying lengths of time afterward. Using a large Cataclysm to ash a rampaging monster for instance, tended to steal enough energy from his reserves that he needed a small nap or a good meal to match the calories he had just lost. Adrien had used two that night alone, plus been injured, and dinner had been anything but satisfying.

"Don't forget the blood loss," Plagg piped up, seeming to read Adrien's mind as he tossed the last bit of cheese into the air and down his gullet. "You really should have asked for something to eat, too."

Adrien grumbled, knowing that Plagg knew he wasn't going to stay conscious much longer. His limbs were already turning to lead as his breathing evened out. Marinette really did have the most comfortable beds, and the sheets still managed to retain her scent although his own now masked it slightly.

"Adrien, don't fall asleep without activating the ring! You don't want your precious Princess finding out who you really are, do you?" Plagg called, floating down to poke at his cheek.

Adrien twitched and Plagg felt a twinge of worry seep through him. If the kid didn't call him into the ring before passing out, there was a chance Plagg might not be able to wake him when needed. Plus, he wouldn't be able to continue healing the stupid kit while sleeping.

"Adrien, I will bite you and mess up your hair if you don't wake up and call me in," Plagg threatened, kneading at Adrien's cheek.

"Claws… out…." Adrien managed, sucking Plagg into his ring before he passed out totally.

Plagg felt Adrien lose his battle for consciousness moments later and he sighed. The Akuma attacks were starting to become more frequent since they couldn't track down the main stone or the monster that was making these minions. They really needed to track them both down but so far they hadn't been able to get a good scent of either. With another sigh, Plagg was settling down to concentrate on healing when a small knock echoed out.

"Hey Chat, I have some food if you want it," Marinette called through the door.

Adrien was out cold and Plagg really didn't have much practice moving him when he was in the suit. Talking was also a bit out of the question but Plagg could perceive the world around Adrien through his eyes and ears, plus, if absolutely necessary, shock Adrien back to consciousness.

"Chat, are you awake?" Marinette called and then when there was still no answer, shifted the door just the slightest bit open.

The room was dim but seeing the all-black suit and black ears in the mop of blonde hair, she figured he had already de-transformed and then returned back to normal. Well, normal for him. Pushing the door further open, Marinette moved into the room holding the plate of pastries out in front of her.

"Chat?" she tried again, watching, and feeling a touch relieved as she saw his back rise in a breath.

Like the other two times, he didn't answer. Marinette set the plate down intending to look at the bandages on his back, only to freeze when she saw the suit was whole once more.

"Magic, indeed," Marinette whispered, awed by the thought of a suit magically healing itself. It was like something out of a fantasy or a movie and she reached forward, gently pressing a hand to the suit.

To her it felt like leather, albeit warm leather, and just as she was lifting her hand she saw the single slightly glowing slitted-eye staring at her.

"Chat…" Marinette started, then froze as something in that green gaze left Marinette feeling like she was no longer talking to anything human.

The stone in her pocket hummed making her feel slightly better, so Marinette reached up to run a hand through Chat's hair. "I don't think you're really conscious, but in case you are slightly, I'm leaving this plate for you. The pastries will be good hot or cold so make sure you eat something before running off."

To her surprise, a slight purr thrummed in Chat's chest making her smile. She wasn't sure when his eyes had closed again but he appeared to be asleep now. Running her hand through his soft hair once more, Marinette moved back toward the door wondering how in the world this stupid cat had earned her trust so fast. Normally she would have contacted Stormy or Gram by now, but for some reason she just didn't want to this time around. Slipping back out the door, Marinette moved toward the couch, realizing that this was indeed going to be a long night.