~.*~*~*.~

Her

~.*~*~*.~

The night was long.

Wind cracked at twigs and whistled through leaves and Marinette was tucked in between the boy who was Chat Noir's knees.

She couldn't even find the energy to be embarrassed. He'd already muttered enough apologies for the both of them and she knew he had only shifted his legs around her to keep her warm.

When she still didn't stop shaking, he asked for the jacket. She selfishly wanted to keep it, but he was probably freezing. At least she had long sleeves.

"Oh, s-sure," she said, sitting up to unthread her arms from the sleeves. He moved to give her more room and she immediately missed his warmth.

"I just want to fix it for you," he explained when she handed it over.

"You can take it back, I'm f-f-fine."

Chat Noir just gave a snort and fumbled for a minute before he let out a couple of irritated grumbles. "This is really hard to do with my eyes closed."

"I'll help," said Tikki.

"Thanks. There's some snaps in the collar."

Every second that passed felt like torture. Marinette shuttered and rubbed her arms and felt Chat Noir's knees squeeze around her.

"Almost done," he assured her, so gently that it stilled the chill for just a moment.

Then the jacket was back around her shoulders. He held it still while she thread her arms through the sleeves.

"Thank you," she murmured and before she could ask what he had been doing, he pulled a hood over her head.

"There," he said, sounding breathless. "There was a detachable hood in the inner pocket."

"N-nice design," she managed through her chattering teeth. "P-practical."

Chat Noir gave a noncommittal hum. She felt guilty when his bare arms wrapped back around her, pulling her close.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I've got a limited edition Ladybug blanket."

His chest bounced under her as he laughed and she joined him, feeling at ease for the first time since they'd de-transformed.

"S-s-silly Kitty."

He made a show of rubbing her arms and she let her head fall into his chest, listening to the drum of his heart, beating too fast.

It was only then, in the quiet, that she thought of Adrien. How she could only dream of being this close to him. How that spot was for Kagami now.

And that made her think of Chat Noir and how hard it would be for her if their roles were reversed. If she had to hold the one she loved knowing he loved someone else, knowing she would have to let him go in the morning.

Her heart sunk while his pounded. She slid her arms around his sides, felt his ribs through the soft cotton of his shirt, and held him tight.

When Marinette woke the first time, it had grown even colder. Her nose was so frozen it made her head hurt and her fingers felt like little blocks of ice even though she had tucked them into Chat Noir's shirt.

His heart had slowed and she could feel his chest rise and fall softly underneath her. She shifted, trying to get comfortable and found it was hopeless. The earth was frigid beneath them and the warm glow of the fire behind her eyelids had faded, which could only mean it died away. She turned her head from Chat Noir and peeked into the darkness, finding nothing but glowing embers and the moon shining through the evergreens.

"Tikki," she hissed.

Chat Noir stirred, a sharp inhale. "Everything okay?" he asked groggily.

She pulled from his arms and gave a short nod.

"Ladybug?"

It took her a second to remember his eyes were closed.

"I don't see Tikki," she said, continuing her search of the forest for the kwamis. The moon was just bright enough that she should have been able to make out Tikki's distinct red among the leaves.

Chat Noir straightened under her, suddenly very awake. "Plagg?"

Nearly a minute of silence passed before Marinette lost it.

Oh God, what if they were captured? And now we're alone. In the woods. At night. Without powers. What if they are gone forever and we have to open our eyes and—

"Tikki!" she screamed. "Tikki!"

A sharp groan followed.

"She went to get more kindling," said Plagg, sounding very much like he had just been woken.

"Oh, thank God," Marinette gasped.

Chat Noir took in a deep breath beneath her. "Well, that was invigorating."

"Sorry!" Tikki chirped in the distance.

Marinette caught a flash of red emerge from the trees, carrying a bundle of dried sticks. She could feel Chat Noir relax and it was only then that she realized how tight his knees had drawn around her.

"I thought you'd been captured," she hissed to Tikki.

"The fire needed more wood. I could tell you were getting cold," said Tikki. "Plagg was supposed to keep watch."

"Yeah, he was keeping watch alright," grumbled Chat Noir. "On the inside of his eyelids."

"Please, you were fine," said Plagg.

Chat Noir's legs straightened out on either side of Marinette and she could hear him let out a yawn while he stretched.

She shivered again, but whether it was from the cold or the idea of being left defenseless, she wasn't sure. Then, when Chat Noir shifted again, just a tuft of moonlit hair came into her peripheral vision. She clamped her eyes shut.

"How long until the sun is up?" he asked.

"At least four more hours," said Tikki, putting down the kindling she had gathered.

Marinette gave a loud groan. "I can't believe I'm wishing for morning."

"Try to rest," said Tikki. There was suddenly a warm glow through Marinette's eyelids where the fire had rekindled. "You're both going to need your strength tomorrow."

"Worst akuma ever," Marinette grumbled.

"I don't know about that," sang Chat Noir. His arm rubbed across her back as he continued to stretch out and she swore she could feel his smug grin.

"Oh?" she said. "What other akuma did we have to fight overnight?"

"None that I can remember, but Sandboy definitely robbed me of some sleep for a few weeks straight."

Marinette shuddered, remembering the Adrien of her nightmares. "Don't remind me."

"This isn't so bad," Chat Noir said over her shoulder. "Maybe just not the best place for rest."

There was a long beat before he could no longer contain himself. He gave a giddy snort.

"C'mon bugaboo. For rest? Forest?"

"Don't make me leaf you."

He laughed and let his legs lift beside her waist again. "You know I can't resist acorn-y joke."

"Stop." Marinette leaned back into his chest as another breeze blustered through the brush. "Wood you?"

Chat Noir went stiff as a board (pun intended) and let out a choked guffaw.

She immediately went red, realizing just where her hip was nestled. She tried to withdraw and he snapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," he wheezed, chest rumbling with laughter he could no longer contain. "I'm sorry!"

"Chat Noir!" She squirmed under his grip even though she was laughing too. "I'm never punning with you again."

He grasped her tighter. "You're no pun."

She stuck an icy hand in his armpit and he let out a gasp, but didn't let go. "I am so punny."

"You're both hysterical," hissed Plagg. "Now go to sleep."

"Hissterical?" asked Marinette.

"Wood?" asked Plagg.

She went red and hid her face in Chat Noir's chest, even though he couldn't see her. "I hate puns."

"But you're so"—he snorted—"wood at them."

"I'm not going to axe you again…"

Chat Noir's chest rumbled again. "God, I lo—" he instantly stilled, the rumble drawing to a sharp close, and his voice grew quiet, "—love puns."

It took her a long time to fall back to sleep.

Neither of them rested well after that. Whenever Marinette felt like she had nodded off, Chat Noir would squirm or cough or do something that was equally disturbing for a bed to do. At some point she tried to sleep beside him rather than on him, but they both grew cold so quickly they returned to their prior arrangement.

No more words were exchanged. And it was only by sheer exhaustion that she sunk into her deepest sleep near daybreak.

She was late to school again, had to be. That's why her alarm didn't go off. She probably hit snooze a thousand times in her sleep. She gave a low groan and, in her stupor, wondered why her bed was moving. She reached sideways to find her phone and found leaves instead.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Sunlight beamed in broken rays across a pair of slim-fit, dark wash jeans and trailed up to a white collared tee, half tucked, with the Gabriel Agreste logo embroidered on the pocket. It was only when it came to a stop under the shadow of a familiar jawline that Marinette realized she was not looking at one of her magazine cutouts.

She let out a squeak and snapped her eyes shut before she saw any more. Panicked, her hand shot out in the general direction of Chat Noir's face.

Her finger stabbed him in the eye.

He let out a wounded howl, not unlike his namesake, while she smashed her palms over his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"That was my eye!" Chat Noir hissed, trying to pry her hands away.

"I know, I was afraid you'd look!"

"I thought you trusted me!"

"I do! I forgot where I was and I was scared you would too so—"

"Wait! You saw me?"

"Just your shirt!" she squeaked before adding sheepishly, "and your pants."

"Oh." She could hear him swallow. "Oh, it's okay. I didn't see anything either, can you just…" He hissed again. "Ow."

Marinette unclamped his face and sheepishly shoved her hands into her lap, her eyes still squeezed shut. "I'm so sorry. I'm so clumsy."

His moaning seemed to stop at that, a sharp pause.

"Ah, nothing like the sound of shrieking to wake you up in the morning," said Plagg from somewhere above them.

"You were asleep again?" Chat Noir's voice cracked.

"Only for a few minutes. Even kwamis need a cat nap once in a while."

"Don't worry, we took turns," said Tikki.

"Ugh," groaned Marinette. She stretched, stiff from the cold. Her whole body felt like it was broken in two: half of it frozen and exposed to the elements and half still warmed by Chat Noir.

Blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Do you think it's safe for us to transform now?" he asked, voice strained. "We're not going to get very far if we can't open our eyes."

"I know. This is…" Marinette didn't know what this was. She took in a shaky breath. "Tikki?"

"If you can get somewhere with food then we can recharge," she agreed.

"Food…" moaned Chat Noir.

The very word sent a pang of hunger through Marinette's stomach. She was thirsty too. Her lips were cracked and dry and when she licked them there was hardly any thing to wet them with.

"I spotted—oh, please, Chat Noir—saw a river nearby," said Tikki. "Maybe you can catch some fish for breakfast."

"Like a real cat," Plagg chirped in appreciation.

"Yeah, a cat with one eye."

"Sorry," Marinette squeaked again.

"I bet I look dashing with an eye patch."

"..."

"It's a joke," he said and then she felt his fingers in her side. They felt around until they found her bent knee and gave it a couple of reassuring pats. "I'll be fine. It's not the first time I got a bug in my eye."

Marinette shoved his hand with an annoyed groan and climbed to her feet. "Okay, well then, that's a relief."

"Speaking of, I'm gonna go relieve myself before we transform. Just—" She could hear Chat Noir stand beside her and then his fingertips brushed against her sleeve, searching. He grabbed her arm to hold her still and flipped around so his shoulder blades pressed into her back. "—don't turn around."

"Good idea," said Marinette, unsure why her throat suddenly felt like it might close. And then, just as he peeled from her, she said, "Wait!"

"What's wrong?"

"Your jacket." She slipped her arms out of the sleeves.

"You can keep it."

"I'll have the suit on in a minute. Here." She pushed it behind her back and felt Chat Noir's bare fingers grab it from hers. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Ladybug."

She opened her eyes, taking in the sunbeams sprinkling through the dense forest canopy and listening to the leaves crunch beneath Chat Noir's boots...sneakers, sandals? She would laugh for a hundred years if Chat was the kind of guy who wore sandals in cold weather.

Peeing in the woods sucked and she thanked God that was all she needed to do because she was not about to wipe her ass with poison ivy.

"Sometimes I wish I was a boy," she grumbled and she could hear Chat Noir laugh somewhere behind her back.

"We definitely have some admantages."

"Ugh," she groaned. "Do you ever stop?"

"If you mean being a dork, then no," said Plagg.

"Plagg," Chat Noir said flatly. "Claws out."

Marinette could hear the magic, the light twinkle that accompanied the power encircling her partner. She called Tikki and felt her own body encompassed with the protection of the supernatural suit that made her everything Chat Noir thought she was.

Ladybug turned around to find her partner once again in black. "I'm done."

His tail flicked happily when he turned to face her. One cat eye peeked out of his mask. The other stayed clenched shut and was leaking tears. He strolled up to her and leaned on his staff, all smiles.

"It is so good to see you again, bugaboo."

"I really got you good, huh?" she asked, sliding her finger over his mask.

Chat Noir forced the eye open, but even then he was squinting. "My new superhero name will be Mad-Eye Kitty."

She rolled her eyes, taking away her hand.

"Snake Noir?"

"Didn't you do that already?"

"No, you know, like Solid Snake with the eye-patch, the video-game character?"

"Oh, I'm well-versed in Metal Gear, I'm just pointing out the redundancy of your name choice."

He grinned at her, blinking back tears. "Catain Chat?

"More like first mate," she teased. She took out her yo-yo, spinning it before looking at him over her shoulder. "How about Patch?"

He laughed. "My aunt had a cat named Patches. I don't think he liked me."

"Probably territorial."

"Oh, aren't you cute?"

"Always, Kitty."

She shot out her yo-yo and heard him murmur as she took off in the air: "Always."

The water in the river was clear and fresh and Ladybug took a long drink, praying Tikki made her stomach resistant against any microscopic germs swimming inside. Chat Noir splashed his face a few times and his blond hair hung in damp locks against his mask. It made his eye look a little less awful and Ladybug had to turn away, embarrassed.

Even half blind, he lived up to his name and managed to catch a fish, spearing it with his claws.

"I feel kinda bad," he pouted, watching it try to wriggle free in his hands, wounded.

Ladybug raised a brow at him, but he just stared at the fish, looking devastated.

"I thought cats liked to play with their food before they ate it," she tried to tease.

He ignored the opening. "I don't like killing things."

A memory hit hard, causing Ladybug to suck in a breath: her partner, cold in white; the other Ladybug beneath the water, crumpling to dust.

"I'll do it," she said, taking the dying fish from his grasp. She did her best to make it quick and tried not to cry.

In less than a minute she'd stuck the fish over the embers of their fire and they waited for it to cook.

After some time had passed, Chat Noir grew impatient. "How long do you think it'll take us to find civilization again?"

"Those vineyards have to have a caretaker," Ladybug said, watching him test the fish with a claw to see if it was done. "I think that's our best bet."

"We can't be too far from there at this point," Chat Noir said, observing his claw. His eye was mostly open now, but the bright green of the miraculous magic was tinted red from her finger jab. "I think it's ready."

Together they ate about half the fish (most of it was bones) and wrapped the rest in leaves for the kwamis.

"That was such a tease," whined Chat.

"There's still the head."

"Don't tempt me."

"Fish heads, fish heads, rolly polly fish heads," Ladybug sang and watched Chat Noir's mask rise with his brow. "Fish heads, fish heads, eat 'em up, yum."

"What was that?"

"A dumb song my dad used to sing to make me laugh."

"Your dad sounds fun."

Ladybug remembered Chat Noir sitting nervously in the Dupain-Cheng's dining room while Tom scolded him for not loving her. She gave a short laugh. "Oh, loads."

"I wish I could meet your family. I bet they're nice."

She picked up a hint of something in his voice that she wasn't sure was fatigue or sadness or longing, but she didn't pry. She didn't have the liberty to.

"They are," she said instead. "They're probably pretty worried too."

His cat ears went flat. Besides being grounded, he hadn't mentioned his family at all. She was beginning to wonder what kind of home her sweet goofy partner came from and her mind went nowhere good.

Her voice grew soft. "I'm sure your family is worried too."

"Yeah."

She gave him a smile. "Let's snag this akuma and get home then."

He set his ears straight and gave her a wink. "Sure thing, LB."

The red tint in his eye from her fingernail made Ladybug wince and shame sent a wave of heat into her cheeks, finally thawing them.