I drop onto my bed feeling drained all the way around. I reach for my medication as I am in so much pain, I'm surprised I can even function. Before I can grasp the bottle, I am assaulted by my Kwami who is freaking out and crying and apologizing for not being with me when I needed her. I reach up to cup her small body where she hovers against my cheek and she stops, squeaking at the contact.
"You didn't do anything wrong Tikki, I promise I am not upset, just please calm down." I try to use a soothing voice but I'm struggling. The pain tripled once I landed in bed and it has become almost unbearable.
"But you were alone when Chat Blanc attacked you and I had to watch the whole thing and I couldn't even do anything to stop it or to help because Chat Noir showed up and then you disappeared and I could feel that you were hurt but I couldn't sense where you were so I couldn't go to you and then I felt you lose consciousness and I started to panic and-" I stopped her mid freak out by clearing my throat and raising my hand.
"Tikki, I'm sorry but I really need to take my pain medication. I really am sorry that I worried you but I am fine. Just some bumps and bruises," I say without even thinking. I finally get the bottle and open it, pouring out the tablets I need, putting them in my mouth and washing them down with the glass of water I keep on my bedside table. Then I look back at Tikki to find her glaring at me with her paws on her hips. Aw shit. Here we go…
"Marinette, you know very well that the matured bond we have not only allows me to sense your location and your general well being but it also lets me sense any injuries you might acquire while in your civilian form. You can't fool me with the 'bumps and bruises' lie just like you couldn't fool Adrien." She looks pissed and I have no way to argue with her. I open my mouth to apologize when suddenly the room starts to grow fuzzy and it becomes increasingly more difficult to keep my eyes open. Tikki senses this and her face softens and she sighs. "Go to sleep Mari, you'll feel better once you rest, then we can talk" she says as she swoops down to snuggle against my chest. My eyes finally fall all the way closed and I don't fight to keep them open as I slip into blissful sleep.
I wake several hours later to a tapping noise.. It is now dark out and Tikki is no longer laying against my chest. I try to sit up and wince when the stitches in my stomach pull slightly then wince again when the stitches in my neck pull as I crane my head to find the source of the tapping. When I hear it again, I can easily tell it is coming from my skylight, meaning Chat Noir has come to check on me. There is no way I am gonna be able to get up to the balcony in my current shape so I holler as quietly as I can to let Chat know to open the skylight. He does and pokes his head into the room looking at me in worry then relief when he sees I am okay. He drops gently and gracefully onto my bed, careful not to jostle me too much, then he sits cross legged at my feet.
"How are you doing Princess? Feeling any better?" He asks, looking at the bed near my feet. He still isn't looking directly at me but I can see the concern in his eyes.
"I'm okay Chat, or at least I will be…once you can look at me that is." His eyes immediately snap to mine and I give him a small smile. "See that wasn't so hard was it? You were beginning to give me a complex. Do you realize you haven't looked at me right since even before Sandboy hit last night?" I ask brazenly. I want him to know that I noticed his odd behavior and don't mind calling him out on it. Maybe now he will talk to me, not at me.
"Sorry princess, just…how are you doing really? Do you want me to leave? I-I don't want to make you uncomfortable in any way so-" he stops speaking when I crawl forward and wrap my arms around his neck. I am aware that I am basically sitting in his lap but that is the least of my concerns at the moment. My kitty thinks I am scared of him because of what he saw last night. I have to make him understand that I am not at all frightened by him. After a moment, he wraps his arms around me, gingerly, as if he is afraid I might break. "Princess, if it's not too much to ask-I mean if you're okay with it-I mean…ugh," He shakes his head and clears his throat before continuing, "would you be willing to show me your injuries? I want to make sure they are healing properly."
I can't help it, I blush. One of the wounds is really close to a rather intimate area. But then again, this is Chat Noir and I trust him with my life. So after a moment, I nod my head, unable to voice my response. Upon looking down at myself, I realize I am still in my blood soaked clothes and haven't taken a shower yet so I am still covered in dried blood under my clothes. I move to stand up and almost fall off my loft as my head spins and the pain in my thigh causes the muscle to spasm and not hold my weight.
"I uh-I need to take a shower to wash off the blood before you will be able to see anything." He nods and we begin to try to make our way down from the loft but I am too unbalanced on a normal day and this is far from a normal day. My thigh pinches tightly and stops taking orders from me and begins to do as it pleases. In other words, I begin to tumble down the steps so I close my eyes and brace myself for the impact with the hard floor at the base of the ladder when I feel warm, strong arms around me. It still hurts like a bitch, but not nearly as bad as if I had actually hit the floor. I open my eyes to see Chat Noir's luminous eyes looking down at me with the softest look I have ever seen. Even Mamma and Papa don't look at me like that. I realize that he caught me and lifted me up into a bridal style carry and is still standing at the base of the ladder. Staring. At me. I clear my throat to break the weird moment and, of course, I blush from the roots of my hair all the way down to my collarbone. I try to wiggle out of his grasp to put my feet on the ground but he just tightens his grip on me. He gives his head a little shake and seems to return to his normal self.
"Sorry Purrincess, maybe it would be best if I just carried you over to the bathroom." He smirks down at me and I know he is back to normal. "Can't have you hurting yourself even more. How would you explain it to your parents?"
I gulp. The look in his eyes should be his normal flirting-with-random-girls look but it's not. There is something, something I can't identify, buried behind the flirty eyes. It's…intense for lack of a better word. Suddenly, I notice that my heart is hammering in my chest and my breathing is irregular and I can't stop looking at him. I usually only feel this way around Adrien. What the hell is happening to me? Again, I am at a loss for words so I just nod my head lamely and wrap my arms around his neck. As he begins to walk toward my bathroom, my fingers find their way into the hair at the nape of his neck and begin to twist around in the soft golden locks. Wow, his hair is so much softer than it looks, it's like I'm running my fingers through warm water. I wonder what he uses to make his hair so unbelievably soft. As we arrive at the entrance to my bathroom, I find myself leaning my head against his shoulder just under his jaw and, taking in a deep breath, I can smell whatever cologne he was wearing prior to transforming. God. He smells amazing too. It smells familiar but I can't place it exactly. He stops at the entrance to the bathroom and looks down slightly. He smirks again and I know he just caught me sniffing him. Before he can form some sort of witty-yet-flirty comment, I manage to wriggle my way out of his arms and lean on the door frame for support. As I stand fully, I notice a slight warmth at the apex of my thighs and realize with a start that I might be slightly attracted to Chat Noir. With him shadowing me, we make it all the way into my bathroom, being as quiet as possible to not arouse suspicion. Once we are inside the tiny bathroom and the door is closed, I nod at him in thanks as it is all I can manage at the moment. Out of nowhere he stands up to his full height with a calculating look forming on his face. Oh shit, what is that cat up to now?
"How about I help you get cleaned up. You can barely stand on your own and I would hate for you to fall in the shower and not have any way to get back up." He says, somewhat matter of factly, as if it is completely normal for him to offer to help injured women shower. Maybe it is normal for him… No, that's nonsense. My Kitty is a complete gentleman. I turn slightly to gauge the distance to the shower. Maybe I could let him help… "May I be of assistance to my Purrincess?" Chat leans in to whisper in my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts and sending shivers up my spine, causing my already rapid heart to almost double its pace. I turn from looking into my dark shower to find his arm stretched out to the wall on one side of my body. His posture, the look in his eyes and my new reaction to him all combined with the fact that I am about to undress makes my insides quiver in both fear and excitement. Well…this is gonna be super awkward now...