This was originally supposed to be part of Adrien August 2019. L O L!

Better late than never, I guess!

Metamorphosis

Adrien collapsed onto the nondescript hotel room bed with a heavy sigh. He'd spent the entire day being hounded by the press after a rather unfortunate battle with Mayura. It almost made him glad that Marinette was currently off the grid, because it meant she'd have some peace and quiet wherever she was.

Adrien's eyes brimmed with frustrated tears. It had only been two months since they'd defeated Hawkmoth. Gabriel Agreste had been sent to jail. Marinette left on a top secret trip with Master Fu soon after, and Chat Noir had been left to defend Paris from Mayura, who remained at large.

Adrien's unwanted media attention surrounding his father's arrest was finally dying down, and now because of Mayura, the press were hunting him down again. Adrien scrubbed at his tears, despite the fact that no one was there to see him cry.

Mayura had been running him ragged ever since she discovered that Ladybug was away. Between the fight to save the crumbling fashion empire his father left behind and Mayura's constant assault on Paris, Adrien was catching up on sleep in half hour snatches of time stolen between meetings.

Without Ladybug's Miraculous Cure, the damage done to the city needed to be taken care of by construction crews, and the injuries and fatigue Chat Noir acquired in battle didn't magically go away after the fight was over.

The worst day of his life had started obscenely early.

The roar of yet another monster had awakened him at two thirty in the morning, to be precise. By the time he managed to get it under control, it was four. He had an hour to sleep before he had to get dressed and be at Gabriel Fashions to fight with the board of directors once again.

The meeting had gone abysmally as usual, and they'd failed to come up with a workable plan of action once again. Adrien was a strong proponent of rebranding and starting over with a fresh new outlook. The board members were afraid that rebranding would be the last nail in Gabriel Fashion's coffin.

What was left of Gabriel's top design team had suggested "Metamorphosis" as the new name, and Adrien loved it. Despite the enthusiastic reception of the name, stakeholders were terrified and that was holding them back from making real progress. If Nathalie were still there, she'd know exactly what to do.

Unfortunately, she was too busy terrorizing the city as Mayura to help Gabriel's employees keep their jobs, so that responsibility fell to Adrien.

The meeting with the designers wasn't going anywhere either, and Adrien was almost grateful for the mayhem that erupted outside because it gave him a reason to escape. He quickly regretted that thought, because the rest of the day passed in a blur of exhausted fighting and stolen naps. More than once, Plagg had to startle him awake to fight Mayura's monsters.

It was ten at night when Adrien finally got around to eating his first meal of the day. His head was swimming, every muscle in his body burned, and his ribs were throbbing. He made a mental note to schedule an exam with his doctor in case something was broken.

He had almost finished the plate of food Alya left for him when the screaming started. Adrien's eyes widened in horror as his foggy brain registered that it was another attack.

"Come on, kid. We've gotta go," Plagg said from where he sat on the table next to Adrien's plate.

The Kwami hadn't even the energy to float in the air anymore.

Adrien whimpered at the thought of just how much moving from that spot would hurt.

"Plagg, I don't think I can," Adrien said, fear creeping into his voice for the first time in a long time.

Plagg's eyes narrowed as he mustered just enough energy to look miffed.

"You can do this," Plagg said evenly.

"I'm so tired, Plagg," Adrien whispered.

"I know. Believe me, I know," Plagg said, little mouth tugged down in a frown. "But if anyone can do this, it's you. Now get out there and protect your city."

When Chat Noir arrived on the scene, the cyborg type monster was ripping roofs off of buildings in a blatant show of aggression. The news copters were hovering out of the way, having learned that getting too close would have lasting consequences without Ladybug there.

Since it seemed to only be doing damage to property thus far, Chat Noir ignored the monster for a bit while he scanned the streets for the affected person. He huffed in frustration when he couldn't find anyone out of place. A scream caught his attention and he realized that the cyborg had grabbed a woman from the interior of an apartment building.

Chat Noir grimaced and launched himself at the monster, fueled only by adrenaline and a single plate of pasta.

He landed a solid hit to the monsters single eye. The cyborg's grip slackened just enough, and then the woman was falling.

Chat Noir dove after her, tucking his arms against his sides and angling downward to decrease air resistance. He caught her around the middle and used his baton to redirect their fall onto a nearby building.

He protected her head as they rolled across the rooftop, and breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't tumble off the other side. He wasn't sure he had the presence of mind to handle another fall. His arms shook as he pushed himself up off of the shellshocked woman.

"You okay?" He gasped, cursing the exhausted tremor in his limbs.

She nodded, eyes still wide with fear that still hadn't passed. The monster roared overhead, and the woman flinched.

"Get to ground level and evacuate," Chat Noir ordered, forcing himself to his feet.

The woman scrambled to obey his commands, rushing to the fire escape with a hurried thank you.

Chat Noir launched himself back into the battle with a kind of desperate fervor only true exhaustion could inspire. He batted the monster's hands away from the roofs of the houses with his baton, scanning the streets for someone who might have the possessed item. He spotted a construction worker standing alone and looking dazed in a neighboring street and rushed toward him. He must be the one who had the possessed object.

Chat Noir dropped down in front of the man, who flinched and curled in protectively over a set of blueprints in his hands. The monster roared furiously and headed toward them.

Bingo.

Chat Noir ripped the blueprints from the man's hands, ignoring the approaching monster.

The feather floated out and he quickly Cataclysmed it. The monster disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and the construction worker snapped out of his haze. Chat Noir sagged in relief and patted the horrified man on his shoulder.

"I- That monster," the construction worker stammered.

"It's okay," Chat Noir assured him, even as the news helicopters swooped in to get a shot of their hero.

The man's eyes widened in fear as he focused on something above them. Chat Noir twisted in time to parry Mayura's strike.

"Get out of here," Chat Noir said, shoving the worker out of harm's way as he blocked another powerful kick.

On a normal day, Chat Noir was more than a match for her, but his exhaustion made him slow and clumsy where Mayura was fast and graceful. He leaped back and put some space between them in an effort to rest a bit.

His breath came in sharp gasps and his legs quaked beneath him. His eyes watered from the feathers, and he sneezed.

Mayura's lips curved up in a sharp smile as she eyed him appraisingly. She was all poise and grace.

"What's the matter, Chat Noir? You look a bit worse for wear," Mayura crooned.

Chat Noir's vision swam and he shook his head.

"Maybe, but I still look better than you," he quipped, pasting on a cheeky smile that fell short of genuine.

A far off corner of his mind noticed that the reporters were getting too close for comfort. Mayura's smile stretched in amusement.

"Hand over the ring, and this will all be over. You can finally rest," she said, circling him as she spoke.

"I don't think so, bird brain," Chat Noir said, hefting his baton in a shaking hand. His ring beeped.

"Fine," She said.

Mayura kicked the baton from his hand faster than he could react, but he narrowly managed to dodge her follow up swipe. He sneezed again.

He tried to back away, but she matched him step for step. She didn't allow him room to breathe, and it was all he could do to avoid the sharp edges of her fan. Chat Noir panted as sweat dripped down his brow, and Mayura saw her opening when his knees buckled beneath him.

She landed a kick in his stomach, forcing air out of his lungs and sending him staggering backward. Her foot hooked behind his ankle, and he toppled over. Pain bloomed in his already injured ribs when he hit the ground, and the world spun sickeningly while he gasped for breath.

Mayura planted a knee in his throbbing chest and her leering face came into focus as she took hold of his right hand. Chat Noir had the presence of mind to aim a swipe at her face with his free hand.

She batted it away easily, and Chat Noir tried to muster up the strength to fling her off of him. His ring beeped again and his heart pounded in his chest.

No. No, no, no.

The ring slipped from his finger and the transformation melted away in a flash of green.

A gasp rose from a crowd he hadn't even realized was there. The spotlights from the news copters were too bright. Everything was too loud. Too much. It couldn't end like this.

It wouldn't end like this.

Mayura's eyes blew wide in horrified recognition, and Adrien used her hesitation to his advantage.

He took hold of her arm and yanked her forward so he could drive his elbow into her nose. Mayura yelped and Adrien flipped her over onto her back. He reached to pry the ring from her hand and she lashed out blindly with her fan.

It found purchase in his shoulder, but he that didn't really matter to him because he got his ring back.

He slipped it back onto his finger while Plagg dove into his pocket after the cheese.

Mayura jumped to her feet with an angry snarl. He couldn't transform because his Kwami hadn't recharged yet, and they both knew it.

She rushed him.

This time, Adrien was ready. He sidestepped her and landed a good kick to her back before she could change direction. She staggered forward and he put some distance between them again to catch his breath.

His vision blurred once again, and Adrien wasn't sure how much more his body could take before it gave out on him.

Plagg zipped out of his pocket. His electric green eyes were wide with urgency.

"Listen. Do what you have to. Understand? Slow her down so you can get outta here," Plagg pleaded.

Adrien nodded his understanding.

"Claws out," he gasped.

Mayura growled in frustration and swiped at him with her fan. Chat Noir dodged it and aimed a kick at her ankle. She anticipated it with ease, and danced out of the way.

Chat Noir gritted his teeth in distaste for what he had to do. He feinted to the left, and then pushed the button to extend his baton. It caught her in the chest and slammed her into the building behind her with enough force to knock her head against the brick wall.

Mayura grunted and shoved the baton to the side. She advanced toward him with an angry glare, but the stagger in her steps confirmed that he'd successfully injured her.

Chat Noir's breath was still coming in quick gasps, and Mayura clutched her head as she swayed in place.

Her disconcerting eyes focused on him, calm and calculating as she weighed her options.

"I will find you. You can't hide anymore," she threatened, before leaping up onto the rooftops and disappearing into the distance.

Chat Noir collapsed onto his knees as soon as she was out of sight. The edges of his vision flickered black as reporters and civilians alike rushed in around him.

"Hey! Back off! He needs medical attention," Alya's voice shouted over the din.

"Call an ambulance," someone yelled to his left.

Alya's face appeared in his field of vision.

"Hey. Hey, stay with me," she said, urgency in her tone as she supported his head in her hands.

Someone else was supporting his back, and the darkness on the edge of his vision was creeping in. Their babbling faded into background noise as exhaustion claimed him and he finally lost consciousness.

…

"-stitches and h-"

"-glycemic inde-"

"-ooks like he's coming around."

Adrien forced his eyes open and shot up with a panicked gasp. The familiar weight of his ring on his hand was missing.

"Whoa! It's okay, Mister Agreste. We're here to help," a man Adrien presumed to be a doctor said, raising his hands in a non threatening way.

Adrien's pulse was racing, and the EKG relayed that information with its crazed beeping. The quick motion finally caught up with him, and his vision swam again.

Adrien groaned and clutched his head.

"Where's my ring?" He demanded.

"You needed medical attention after that fight," the doctor frowned and produced a small item from his right pocket and dropped it in Adrien's waiting hand.

"We didn't know how else to get your suit off. You've only been out for a little over two hours," the doctor explained.

Adrien slipped the ring back onto his finger and sighed in relief. The EKG returned to normal.

"What's the damage?" Adrien asked, trying to distract himself from the fact that his secret identity had been blown wide open.

"Five stitches in your shoulder, a cracked rib, several bruised ones, and your right wrist is mildly sprained," the doctor rattled off.

Adrien nodded his understanding, mentally cataloging that information for later.

"I've gotta be frank with you though," the doctor began, taking a seat to Adrien's left.

"Your blood glucose levels were abysmal, and it's obvious you haven't been sleeping, with the constant attacks. You can't keep going like this," the doctor said, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Adrien forced a smile and shrugged.

"I have to," he said.

"I understand that, but you at least need to be eating," the doctor argued.

Adrien sighed, "I know."

The doctor frowned and stared at his clipboard for a few more seconds.

"When can I leave?" Adrien asked, nervousness setting in about what Nathalie could have been up to while he was unconscious.

The doctor sighed.

"I'd like to keep you overnight for observation, but I know that isn't safe. You can go whenever you feel up to it," he said.

Adrien swung his legs over the side of the bed, testing his steadiness with a grimace.

"We couldn't reach your wife. You have tons of visitors obviously, but the girl from the Ladyblog says she brought your things from home. She has a guy with glasses with her," the doctor said.

Adrien nodded. "They're my friends. Can I see them before I go?"

The doctor gave him a quick nod and opened the door for Alya and Nino, who rushed past him as if he didn't exist.

Nino looked like he'd been crying and Alya was visibly frazzled.

"Adrien! Oh my gosh, Adrien!" She sniffed, clinging to him like he was a lifeline.

He ignored the twinge in his ribs and hugged her back.

"We grabbed a bunch of your stuff from your apartment, dude," Nino said, shuffling awkwardly beside them.

Alya finally broke the embrace and took a seat beside him on the hospital bed.

"We thought it wouldn't be safe for you to go back there now that Mayura knows who you are," Alya explained.

Adrien smiled at them.

"You guys are awesome," he said.

Nino laughed a bit hysterically. "Dude, you're Chat freaking Noir."

Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Ugh, it's everywhere isn't it? Ladybug is gonna freak out," Adrien whined.

Alya forced a smile, "Hey, I think she'll understand. You did a great job, you know?"

"Wait, does that mean Marinette is-?" Nino began.

Adrien nodded. "I'm sure the reporters have already put two and two together," he said.

"I thought it was suspicious that Marinette left on that super secret trip right when Ladybug did, but I tried my best not to think too hard about it," Alya whispered in a low voice.

Adrien huffed out a laugh and winced at the pain in his ribs.

"I've gotta get outta here," Adrien said.

"Way ahead of you, bro. Chloé already pulled some strings and got you a bunch of different rooms in hotels all over town set up. You can rotate them so crazy peacock lady can't find you," Nino said.

Adrien sagged in relief. "You guys are the best."

Alya winked and gave him a piece of paper with addresses scribbled on it in Chloé's handwriting.

"Now go get some sleep. You deserve it," Alya said.

Adrien transformed and jumped out the window into the early morning light.

…

It turned out it was easier said than done to get to the hotel undetected. Reporters were everywhere. Helicopters followed him by air, and cars tailed him when they saw him on the streets.

He was beyond exhausted by the time he managed to throw them off his trail, and he arrived at the hotel five hours after he left the hospital.

Plagg dug through the bag Alya and Nino had left there for him and found the Camembert they'd packed for him.

"You should get some sleep, Kid," Plagg said around a mouthful of cheese.

Adrien wiped away the vestiges of his angry tears, gave Plagg what he hoped was a smile, and then rolled over and allowed sleep to claim him.

He awoke what felt like eons later. The news was playing softly in the background, and Plagg was sitting next to him with his eyes glued on the screen.

"-perhaps the connection between Hawkmoth and Chat Noir is the real reason Ladybug has abandoned Paris-"

Plagg changed the channel.

"Garbage," Plagg said with a yawn.

Adrien mirrored his yawn and stretched his aching muscles. The swimming in his head seemed to finally be gone.

"How long was I out?" Adrien asked.

Plagg glanced at the clock.

"Like fourteen hours," he said.

Adrien sighed in contentment.

"I feel a lot better," he said.

Plagg nodded, "I bet. The whole 'no sleep' thing really messed you up."

Adrien hummed his agreement and they lapsed into comfortable silence. Plagg darted into the kitchen area. Adrien could hear him rummaging around in there, and Plagg returned with a covered plate balanced on his head.

"The Ladyblogger stocked the fridge," he said by way of explanation.

Adrien took the plate from him with a grateful smile and dug in. He hadn't realized just how hungry he'd been, and he was getting up to grab seconds before he knew it.

The next thing he did was head to the bathroom for a shower. He winced at his reflection. The cut on his cheek was shallow, but definitely there. His hair was stiff with dried sweat and blood, and it stuck out in odd directions.

His skin was pallid and badly bruised in several places, and the stitches in his shoulder pulled painfully when he took off his shirt.

He gingerly stepped into the shower and let the steaming hot water loosen some of the tension in his muscles. He let the shower water run over his aching body until it started getting cold. Afterward, he cleaned his wounds and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before exiting the steamy bathroom.

A figure rose from her perch on the edge of the bed, and Adrien had a mini heart attack before he recognized the slender dark haired woman as his beautiful wife.

"Marinette?" He whispered.

She ran to him and threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his bare chest as she cried.

"A-Adrien, I'm so glad you're okay!" She hiccuped.

He stroked her hair and whispered assurances while she hugged him.

"I'm thrilled to see you, My Lady," Adrien began. "But what are you doing here?"

Marinette pulled away enough to meet his eyes.

"I saw it on the news. I bought the first plane ticket back," She explained.

"I'm sorry about our identities," Adrien said. "They know who I am now, and they've probably figured you out too-"

Marinette pressed her lips to his in a tender kiss.

"Don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're okay, Kitty."

Adrien ran his fingers through her hair as she traced the bruises on his chest, and her face crumpled more with every injury she found there.

"I'm so sorry I left you to do this alone," she whispered.

Adrien shook his head. "You had to go. Important Guardian business with Fu, right?" He said.

"Not as important as you. Never as important as you. I just- I was watching it live on tv and I saw how tired you were, and I was so sohelpless," She said.

"Shh. You were miles away, there's no way you can blame yourself," Adrien whispered against her hair.

Marinette laughed harshly, "I can blame myself for being miles away. For leaving you behind to deal with this mess alone. What kind of partner-"

It was Adrien's turn to silence her with a kiss. Where her kiss had been tender and warm, his was desperate and needy. She melted into him immediately and kissed him back for all she was worth. Her fingers danced tentatively over his skin, mindful of his injuries despite the heat of the moment. Adrien vaguely heard Plagg making gagging noises in the background, but he was too busy making out with his wife to care.

When they finally broke apart, they were gasping for air. It was a good kind of breathless, as opposed to the exhausted breathless of the day before. As their heart rates calmed, Marinette traced the scratch on his cheek with a frown.

"I can't believe she actually managed to hit you," Marinette said with a scowl.

Plagg darted forward with blazing green eyes, rage crackling in the air like the moments leading up to a lightning strike.

"She's a coward. Sending out her monsters one after the other for weeks to tire him out," Plagg spat.

Marinette shook her head and ran her hand through her husband's damp hair. Adrien's eyes drooped again at the feel of her fingers on his scalp, and he wondered why he was still so tired.

"There's no glory in defeating an opponent who can't even stand up," Plagg sniffed.

"And even less glory in being defeated by that opponent," Tikki quipped with a cheeky grin.

Plagg perked up, and the dangerous sparks in the air around him fizzled out.

"That's right," The Kwami of destruction agreed, eyes glinting with pride as he regarded his chosen.

Marinette gently guided Adrien toward the bed, careful not to agitate his stitches, and he gave her a sad smile.

"You just got here. I don't want to sleep yet. I missed you," he said.

"You don't have to sleep if you don't want to, but at least cuddle with me?" She coaxed.

Adrien knew what she was doing, but he really didn't have the energy to resist her. Especially when she fixed him with those pleading eyes.

Marinette laid down and gently tugged him into the space beside her. Adrien went willingly enough, and arranged her so that she wasn't pressing on any particularly painful spots. The warmth of his wife's body against his began to lull him to sleep.

Apparently he was still tired after his fourteen hour nap.

"I love you," Marinette whispered, pressing a kiss to the arm that was wrapped around her.

Adrien blissfully floated on the edge of consciousness. Whatever chaos lay ahead of them could wait. Like everything else, they would tackle it together.

"Love you too, Bugaboo."