A/N: The first chapter was originally intended to be a one-shot, but since I came up with another idea for reveal fodder, I decided to make this a series. I needed a break from my other pieces but I've been so inactive lately, I decided to come up with another reveal fic. It's pretty different from the last one, but I hope you guys still like it.

Chapter 2: Hero

When trying to keep Chat's identity a secret from herself and their fans, Marinette finds herself fighting for Adrien's life.

Chat thrashed madly against the current dragging him under, sputtering desperately for oxygen as he resurfaced for a brief moment only to again be sucked beneath the flow of the Seine. The large mechanical arm that had been broken from the akuma of the day, Jackhammer, was viced around his leg and was making it incredibly difficult to keep from sinking to the depths of the river. The icy temperatures that greeted him forced the air to leave him on impact, seizing his muscles up and sending him into an involuntary panic.

Only moments ago, he had successfully broken a majority of Jackhammer's armor with cataclysm, but the process resulted in a large explosion at the akuma's engine and Adrien had been effectively launched over the edge of the bridge into the winter water. Grabbing again at the metal, he madly attempted to pry it apart causing the forked teeth dug into the meat of his calf, daring him to release what oxygen he maintained in a cry of pain. He could only hope Ladybug would summon her miraculous cleanse and rid him of the weight before it was too late. Pressure mounted in his sinuses as his lungs screamed for air, the beat of his heart thrumming against his temples as he repressed the automatic urge to breathe. Shoving the end of his baton against one of the lipped edges of the metal arm, he extended it. A scream escaped him as a spew of bubbles when the metal arm was harshly torn away from his leg, taking chunks of flesh with it as it was hurtled toward the bottom of the river.

Gritting his teeth against his tunneling vision, he slammed his lips shut as the baton continued to grow in length before launching him toward the surface of the water. The growing light from the reflecting street lamps against the surface got progressively darker as he neared, going completely dark as he broke the liquid barrier. Immediately upon surfacing, a visceral gasp escaped him filling his lungs with the stinging sensation of frigid air as he felt himself splash onto the bank. A series of sputtering and hacking followed as he weakly groped for anything to pull himself fully out the water's embrace. The high pitched hum ringing in his ears and vertigo, however, pulled him back into the cement walkway, drowning out the sound of his miraculous wearing off before he passed out in a dead faint.

. . . . .

Ladybug had her hands full as she attempted to finish the job. Chat had done well in breaking the protective armor that surrounded the akumatized victim, but the man still had plenty of energy, driving him to dart around her and avoid her attempts to break the buckle containing the evil butterfly. Her leather-clad partner had since been thrown into the river. But as concerned as she was when she hadn't been able to catch him in the grip of her yo-yo, she needed to stay focused if she wanted to help him now, and dodging the albeit broken swipes of the akuma took just that.

After a couple of long moments, evading and leaping over the enemy, Marinette finally succeeded in stopping him in his tracks when she looped her yo-yo around his knees, causing the man to fall to the ground. Not waiting a second, she sprang at him, tearing the buckle from his outfit before promptly snapping it in half. A black butterfly instantly emerged from its confines, fluttering away from hero and victim alike, only to be captured and purified. The now white butterfly soared toward the horizon, light glinting from its wings as a it beat a lazy trail across the cloud filled sky. With that, she grabbed the lucky charm sitting near her feet and cast it in the air. The sky was filled with a surge of ladybugs as the damage to the surrounding neighborhood was undone, returning the city to a peaceful, snowy night.

The victim of the akuma groaned as he pushed himself to his knees. Marinette pulled him to his feet to ask him if he was alright when a large splash sounded behind them, reminding her that Chat had yet to appear. Barely giving the man's response's a second thought, she darted onto the railing of the bridge, searching frantically for her partner. She squinted at a black form that flopped onto the ground just down stream, catching sight of two cat shaped ears illuminated faintly by the street lights that shown down on him. Her breath caught in her throat before she could breathe a sigh of relief, however, as she swung over to him, watching as he struggled to pull his legs from the river only to collapse on the pavement below. The warning beep of her miraculous only increased her anxiety as she realized his would wear off any second now and the bystanders and onlookers were steadily amassing about him.

Swinging in, she barked angrily at the crowd to back away. Chat's identity was about to be revealed and although she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious as well, there was no way she was going to compromise him to satiate the whims of her imagination. Angry tears welled up against her eyelids as she glared at the crowd when they didn't give way, hastily gathering the unconscious boy into her arms when Alya suddenly dashed from a midst the group. Long since having turned off her broadcast of the event, the auburn-haired girl was quickly followed by Nino who demanded the heroes' respect from the onlookers as Alya shed her outer-coat, placing it over Chat's head and torso. Marinette briefly nodded a thank you at the gesture before bounding out of the mob, silently grateful for the intervention of her friends.

Marinette made her way out of sight as quickly as she could manage, leaping up shorter buildings and ledges to reach the familiar rooftops of the city, despite the inability to use her yo-yo. Her ascension to the roofs couldn't have been more timely as a green flash emanated from under the jacket as she landed. A soft moan followed the de-transformation and a small black cat, she could only assume to be Chat's kwami, rolled out from under the coat and onto the powdery snow below them. Ladybug stopped in her tracks, suddenly feeling fatigue set in as her own miraculous' power was waning. Glancing around, she placed the covered boy under an awning before returning to collect the kwami, returning to the boy's side as her own transformation wore off. She leaned against the wall at her back to catch her breath as Tikki emerged from her earring, drifting tiredly over to Marinette's hand. Upon noticing the cat kwami, however, the red entity hastily darted toward him with a head encompassing hug.

"Plagg!" Tikki exclaimed, her own weariness fleeting as she saw her long-missed friend's tired state. She brushed a paw over his forehead. "Plagg, are you alright?"

The black kwami nodded weakly as she stroked his head. "I'm fine. I just held on for as long as I could," he replied with a shiver.

Marinette frowned sadly as him, pulling her hat from her head, placing the two tiny entities into the heap of fabric and folding it gently over them. She looked back to the coat covering her partner, placing a hand on the heap as she waited to feel him rise from a breath. Chat was de-transformed and unconscious. What was she supposed to do now?

"Do you want a cookie?" she asked absentmindedly, turning her attention back to the kwamis while pulling a couple cookies from her bag. Marinette may have not known how to deal with Chat, but she knew the kwamis would be hungry after such an arduous battle. Tikki immediately responded by stuffing one in her mouth but Plagg simply made a face.

"He likes cheese, Marinette," Tikki chirped between mouthfuls.

Plagg's large green eyes blinked up at her from the hat, only then did the realization dawn on him.

"Hey! I thought it might be you," he said, pointing a paw in the girl's direction. "But in terms of food," he added with a nod, "Tikki's right. Cheese, please. The more dank smelling, the better."

Marinette arched an eyebrow at his reaction. "Do I know Chat apart from being Ladybug?"

"Why don't you just see for yourself," Plagg waved nonchalantly, "oh, and get me some cheese from his inner-jacket pocket while you're at it."

"I-I can't just-" Marinette stammered as she flushed, waving her hands excitedly in front of her. "That's an invasion of privacy," she argued.

"I don't think you don't have much of a choice, Marinette," Tikki remarked.

"It's not like he can get to the hospital on his own," Plagg added. "Besides, your concerns are unwarranted. You're friends, after all. "

"H-hospital-?" Marinette repeated as her worried gaze traveled the length of the boy, now noticing the blood seeping from his pant leg, its warmth melting the snow beneath him into a red puddle. She sucked in a gasp at the sight, promptly removing her scarf and wrapping it around his leg as a poor excuse for a tourniquet.

"Probably sooner than later," Plagg replied, a hint of urgency in his voice. "I mean, apart from his leg, that water was bitter cold. I can't be too sure I prevented all of the hypothermia. "

Marinette grit her teeth as she steeled herself to pull the coat back, her hand wavering with trepidation as it hovered over the boy. The dynamic between them was likely never going to be the same once she knew who he was, and she'd much rather learn his identity from him when he chose to reveal it. It was supposed to be for fun, to satiate their curiosity in the far-flung future. Never out of necessity. Not like this. . . She hesitantly peeled back the covering to find a blonde head of hair, but it was the familiarity of his face that stopped her breath in her gut, causing her to gape at him in disbelief.

"A-adrien-"

Her voice trailed off into the air with the vapor of her breath, dissipating into the night sky, leaving her to stare in awe at the boy before her. His breaths were shallow and his skin was pale. She removed a glove before timidly placing her hand against his brow, recoiling at the touch.

"He's. . . not warm-" she said, her face dropping with horror.

She placed the back of her hand against his cheek, then neck. Fumbling fingertips found his carotid artery as she had learned from CPR class, locating a weak pulse. Pulling the lapels of his coat together, she buttoned them up over his scarf, moving his hood to cover his head before cinching it more snugly against his face. Marinette looked down the kwamis in panic, fear knitting her eyebrows into each other as she picked the two up from her scarf.

"Let me stay with him," Plagg said, pointing to Adrien. "I'll stay out of sight."

Marinette nodded, sliding him into a coat pocket and fastening it closed. New tears had formed, threatening to roll down her cheeks as she pulled Adrien into her arms again, looking up to Tikki who hovered above them.

"Marinette, it'll be alright," she said quietly. "Stay strong for Adrien, just for a little while longer."

Marinette nodded as she blinked the tears away, calling with renewed determination, "Tikki, transform me!"

Without hesitation, she pulled out her yo-yo, dialing the police.

"Yes, I have a civilian who is severely injured. Please have an ambulance on standby near the entrance of the Grand Palais. I'll be there shortly."

After hanging up and replacing the yo-yo, Ladybug bounded from the roof toward the proposed location, keeping a tight hold on Adrien as he lolled about in her arms. She decided to leave Alya's coat on the roof and retrieve it later, just in case someone recognized it once they came back into the city. Adrien still had an identity to protect, after all. She continued to run, blinking away the tears and snowflakes that clouded her vision all while muttering Tikki's words of encouragement under her breath. She could finally see the Grand Palais, meaning they were only moments away when a muffled call came from below her. Plagg then suddenly zipped from the pocket over to Adrien's face, passing in front of his mouth and nose.

"He's- Ah! Kid! Come on. Don't do this now!"

"W-what-?" Marinette stammered, eyes wide as she was now equally alarmed.

"He- he's not breathing," Plagg nearly shouted, pushing against Adrien's face in a panic. "I- he needs Tikki!"

The heroine nearly lost her balance as she was descending into a neighboring alley, barely catching herself as she hit the ground by leaning into the side of building against her shoulder blade.

She quickly laid Adrien on the ground as she released her transformation, loosening his hood, laying the boy's head back as she attempted to clear his airway. Tikki drifted over him, nuzzling up against Adrien's frigid flesh and the three sets of eyes watched for any movement while Marinette muttered aloud her disbelief. A moment had passed, but his chest had still not risen even remotely. Plagg darted around frantically as Marinette repositioned herself and bent over him. Pinching his nose closed, she clamped her mouth over his. Her breaths caused his chest to rise, allowing her to begin administering compressions. Tikki remained against Adrien's cheek and continued mumbling some unknown words while the black kwami watched in a nervous silence before dashing to the edge of the alleyway, peering around the building's corner for any sign of emergency personnel.

"Come on, Adrien," Marinette choked, continuing the pattern, now unaware of the kwamis' presence. "Not now. Not after everything-"

Her voice caught in her chest as she finished the compressions. She leaned down and gave him another set of rescue breaths as tears spilled over her cheeks and dropped onto Adrien's. Marinette hiccuped as she readied herself for another set of compressions, fighting the looming, dark thoughts that tried to remind her most individuals requiring CPR didn't survive. Her face flushed as she bit back against the tears, barely containing the sobs that rattled through her core. This wasn't supposed to happen. Adrien's life wasn't supposed to be in jeopardy. Chat wasn't supposed to die in front of her. He was literally her hero. Heroes weren't supposed to die.

Finishing another set before she knew it, she leaned toward him again, crying over him as she brought her mouth to his. A stuttered cough passed in front of her face, and she realized- breath had once again returned to the boy. She stammered in surprise, tears now gushing down her face as the sobs escaped her and her head dropped to his shoulder. The relief that he was breathing again was overwhelming to the point of overpowering her ability to sit upright, so instead she shivered as pained sobs escaped her, clenching the material of his coat in her fists. Tikki touched the back of Marinette's head in a comforting manner, to which the girl shook her head.

"Stay with h-im," Marinette stammered, still gripping Adrien's coat as her lifeline. "I'll be fine. St-ay with him an- m-make sure he's o-kay."

Plagg's voice shouted from down the street, yelling frantically for help and Marinette looked up to notice the flicker of blue lights passing against the walls and pavement. Another feeling of relief soothed her aching heart a little more as she realized the emergency services had arrived. Plagg and Tikki zipped into the confines of Adrien's clothing, hiding themselves away as a series of footsteps neared them. Marinette brushed Adrien's bangs from his face, placing a soft kiss on his forehead as the medical staff approached. Tears continued to streak her face and she let her hand linger on his cheek until they moved him to a stretcher. He would be alright.

He would be alright.

A/N: Per usual, if you have any ideas or thoughts, leave me a comment. :) I love it when you guys give me new ideas.