A/N: This is based on a set of drawings by Raunchy_Bird, go check them out on instagram!
Something was off with Lady Noire.
Mister Bug couldn't shake the feeling, especially as the fight drew out longer and longer. The akumatized villain was proving to be a tough one, utilizing a power that allowed him to send painful rays of light that couldn't be deflected by their own weapons.
His partner was acting more reckless than usual, throwing herself in front of him every time the villain launched an attack his way. She took the brunt of the shockwaves of pure agony as the three of them fought along the narrow beams of the Eiffel Tower.
Mister Bug gritted his teeth, trying to focus on the akumatized villain, but Lady Noire's battered breathing and the distinct lack of quips from her sent sprouts of worry shooting through him. When yet another blast meant for him caused her to cry out in pain, Mister Bug couldn't hold back his frustration. "My lady!"
Abandoning his own attack, he darted over and grabbed her waist, swinging them both away from the villain, higher up into the tower.
He didn't have long before the villain would reach them again, so he pulled on Lady Noire's shoulders until she was facing him, noticing her labored breathing and winces. "Kitty, what are you doing?"
There was a streak of stubbornness in her gaze, though he could see something else lurking beneath. "I'm doing my job, Bug. I'm protecting you--"
"Your job isn't only to protect me; you're my partner. We protect each other. Stop taking all the hits, or you won't be able to help me beat this guy."
She yanked back out of his hand, pain of a different type shining in her eyes. "We both know you're more important to the fight. I won't stop doing the one thing I'm good at if it means you'll last long enough to capture the akuma."
"My lady, that's not--" He cut off with a growl as a blast of light shot up beside them, forcing them to leap backwards and away from each other. The villain had reached aiming distance once again, and the fighting resumed.
Farther and farther up the tower they climbed, dodging the pulses of pain-infused light as they attempted to destroy the villain's weapon.
Eventually, Lady Noire met his gaze with a determined grimace, pointing down. Mister Bug understood the signal, dropping down quickly until he was below the villain, while she remained above. The man quickly shot up and then down, attempting to keep them away. After the first shot went off, Mister Bug saw Lady Noire take out her baton, and as he dodged the second one, he watched her launch the weapon directly at the man.
Mister Bug quickly threw out his yo-yo at the man as he shot once again at the flying baton and his partner, but as they had discovered earlier, the light from the weapon passed straight through, and the baton clocked the man directly in the head. Mister Bug's yo-yo string wrapped around his arm, unbalancing him and causing him to stumble and land sideways on the beam.
In the brief moment of confusion, Lady Noire dove down through the metal beams, drawing her destructive power into her hand as she aimed for the weapon.
Mister Bug sucked in a breath as he watched the man get off one more shot, hitting her directly, but not in time to stop her descent into him. She screamed in pain, but managed to keep her course just enough to brush the weapon with her fingers.
At the same time, however, the man's legs kicked out at her, catching her and sending her flying off to the side.
As the akuma was released into the air, Lady Noire scrambled for purchase, but missed as she went into free fall off the side of the tower, her eyes wide as they met his.
"NO!"
She didn't have her baton to stop her fall.
Time seemed to slow down as Mister Bug yanked his yo-yo back to him, his heart in his throat. A small piece of him recognized that all he needed to do was capture the akuma, cast his cure, and Lady Noire would be alright.
The larger piece of him didn't care.
He dove off the tower, leaving the man and fluttering akuma behind as he used his yo-yo to speed his descent towards his falling partner below. He threw his yo-yo down again, snagging her hand and pulling her up to him as he slowed her fall. Just as he got an arm around her, he tossed his weapon up a final time, wrapping it around the tower and changing their fall into a swing, before they both hit the ground at an angle, rolling together in a collective grunt of pain. Still, it was better than the alternative.
Breathing hard, Lady Noire looked at him. "Thank you, Bug. But why did you--" She glanced up. "The akuma?"
He tensed before twisting around and throwing his weapon up, scaling the tower once again. Near the top, he finally caught sight of the fleeing akuma, but he had to leap pretty far in order to catch it, narrowly missing a fall of his own before he made it back to the tower, quickly cleansing the butterfly and calling a lucky charm for the cure.
Then he dropped down, briefly eyeing the victim getting his bearings on the ground before aiming for his partner, her weapon back in place on her waist.
He marched towards her, his emotions a mess as he stared her down. She still had the stubborn set to her jaw, but let out a gasp of surprise when he grabbed her around the middle, using his weapon to swing them out of the public eye and onto a nearby roof.
When he dropped her down, she immediately began talking. "Why did you save me? I would have been fine--" she cut off with a squeak as he tugged her against his chest, his arms around her like a vice.
He let out a deep breath as her own arms carefully went around him as well. The feeling of having her safe in his arms began tearing away the barriers inside him he had kept up out of duty and precaution.
When he finally released her, he slid his hands up to her shoulders. "I'm still unhappy with you, Kitty, for thinking you aren't as important as I am. Will you tell me what's going on? Why are you feeling like this, today?" It was a fairly clear departure from her usual playful personality, one that he realized must have been caused by something he didn't know about.
She slumped, her eyes dropping from his as she looked down. "It's been... a really bad day."
"Tell me about it?" he asked, softly.
She bit her lip, her fang appearing briefly as she continued to avoid his eyes. "Some people at school were talking about me. Lady Noire, I mean. Saying I'm a second-rate hero, useless sidekick, all the normal stuff. I thought I was used to it, but today was worse than usual."
"What?" he asked, anger tinting the word. "What do you mean, you're used to it? How often do you have to hear that bullshit?" He had heard disparaging statements made about her in his own school, though he always did his best to shoot them down. The idea that she had to deal with that sort of thing regularly made him livid.
She shrugged. "All the time. But usually it isn't too hard to ignore, especially whenâ well, one of my classmates is a pretty great supporter of mine, actually. But he wasn't here today, and it gotâ excessive. Turned into a whole point-by-point presentation of how I'm inferior and the only thing I'm good for is a shield. And that any one of them could replace me easily. And I just -- I couldn't really say anything back. They made good points."
The desolation in her voice sent another wave of anger over him, though not at her. He pushed it back, focusing on her completely. "My lady, listen to me. They are wrong. You are so incredibly talented as a hero. You come up with our plans just as often as I do, if not more so." He lifted his hand up from her shoulder, tilting her chin up until she was looking at him once more. "I don't think you understand how important you are to this partnership. How important you are to me. That's part of why I got so upset earlier; I can't think straight when you're repeatedly throwing yourself into danger like that."
Her green eyes locked on his, and he heard her breath catch. The corners of her eyes tightened. "You can't... you can't look at me like that, Bug. You know about my feelings for you, and I know you don't feel the same."
"Oh, Kitten," his voice lowered as he let his thumb trail upward, using it to trace her bottom lip. "I've only kept my own feelings back to stay focused."
Her pupils dilated as her mouth opened. "Wait," she breathed, "you... have feelings? For me?"
"How can I not?" He finally broke through the final barrier holding him back, dropping down to kiss her as he always had wanted to do. She gasped before melding against him.
It felt amazing to finally give in, to reassure his wonderful partner that she wasn't alone in her affections. "You're amazing," he whispered in between moments.
Lady Noire's clawed fingers darted up and through his hair, scraping slightly against his scalp. Mister Bug tried not to shiver, the sensation doing things to him he hadn't expected.
When her fangs caught his lip, he broke off, holding back a groan. "You drive me crazy, sometimes. In so many ways."
Then he darted forward, nipping at her earlobe, grinning as she swayed and bared her neck to him. He left a few lingering kisses, before shifting behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle as he leaned down to press his mouth softly against her neck. He listen to the purrs that vibrated through her at his touch before speaking again. "You're awfully quiet, Kitten. I'm surprised."
Her head lolled to the side as she let out a hiss. "And you're awfully chatty, Spots. The man I love just told me he likes me and kissed me for the first time. I'm basking in it, okay?"
His arms tightened around her, the reminder of the strength of her feelings for him washing over him, leaving behind a sense of contentment. "How cute, you think I merely like you."
She hissed again, though he saw the pink appear on her cheeks below her mask. "If you don't start putting your mouth to better use, then we're going to have a problem."
"And here I thought you liked my words," he teased.
She spun around in his arms, directing a glare at him. "That's the problem. If you keep talking to me like that, and kissing me, then I'm not going to be able to be a well-behaved kitten for much longer."
His voice deepened. "Is that a promise?"
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before narrowing, the corner of her mouth raising in a smirk. "Absolutely." Her eyes darted around. "But we're on a roof. In the daylight. Now probably isn't the best time, as much as you tempt me to want to be bad."
"Perhaps I should take you elsewhere, then." he winked as her blush deepened. "But first," he said, his tone growing more serious as he leaned down, leaving a kiss against her hair. "I meant it, earlier. We're partners. I need you for so much more than just taking hits for me. And if anyone tries to tell you differently, just defend yourself. You have a lot of fans, it won't be suspicious if you say something."
She sighed, her hand coming up to his neck. "I'll try. I'm much better at defending you, not that you need it."
"Maybe you can share notes with your friend then, your big supporter."
"Perhaps. He doesn't even realize how bad it can get, because they shut up about it when he's there. Stupid job kept him away today. Anyway, wanna get out of here?" Her clawed fingers danced up his chest, but he snagged her hand, a funny feeling sliding its way through him.
"Your friend... has a job?" Adrien only just remembered that he'd missed his own classes today, due to a photoshoot.
But no, it had to be a coincidence.
She stuck her lip out in a pout. "You really want to talk about my friend right now?" Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his hand, which was still wrapped around her own.
"I... no, I mean... maybe?" Adrien knew he shouldn't pry, but his curiosity sparked, bright and insatiable. Trying not to be distracted by her mouth, he cleared his throat. "If the guy is as big a fan of yours as you say, perhaps I need to scope out my competition."
"Mmm," she once again purred against his skin. "Jealous bug, aren't we? What if I told you he was handsome?"
For a moment, Adrien really did forget why he was asking, a streak of possessiveness shooting through him as he lurched down, letting out a soft growl as he captured her mouth with his. He kissed her deeply for a moment, before releasing her. "Good for him," he said tersely, going for her neck once again as she let out a breathy laugh.
"Oh yes. Looks, personality, fame, he's got it all. Except for one thing. He's not--"
Adrien broke away, her words causing his breath to hitch as his senses returned once again. "Wait, fame?"
Her grin faltered at his quick tonal shift, clearly expecting a different response. "Oops, probably shouldn't have said that. But I was only teasing, he really is just a friend."
Adrien's head was spinning, any desire to protect their identities washed away by the feeling of lightness rushing over him. "Are you talking about Adrien Agreste?"
She froze, her eyes wide. "I... I shouldn't say..."
The veiled confirmation swept over him. Adrien had many acquaintances at school, but fewer true friends, the list of which he quickly ran through. She couldn't be Alya, she was dating Nino. Definitely not Chloe -- not that he really considered her a friend any longer -- unless her entire personality shifted in the suit as well. That really only left...
"Marinette?" His voice was soft as his hands rose up to her face, brushing her bangs slightly behind her ear.
Her mouth fell open slightly. "How did you... do you know me?" Her hand gripped him tightly, her eyes wide as she waited, seeming nervous.
A smile broke out across his face before he kissed her once again, his tongue tangling with hers as he tried to show her just how ridiculously thrilled he was at the discovery. She let herself be swept away in him, and he felt her tail twisting around his leg.
"So," he said when stopped to breathe. "Adrien Agreste is just a friend, huh?" He kissed her nose before grinning. "I sure hope not." He didn't give her a chance to respond before kissing her once again, but she gasped against his mouth and pulled away, her eyes searching.
"Adrien?" she breathed out, her hands moving to grip his suit.
"Lady Noire's biggest supporter, at your service."
His partner's head dropped to his chest for a moment, as she sucked in a ragged breath. When she looked up at him again, her eyes were glassy. "Thank you, Adrien. You didn't even know I was there, every time you shut down Chloe and Lila."
"I'll never let anyone talk badly about you if I'm around. You shouldn't either."
"I know. It's harder when it's yourself you're trying to defend."
"I understand. I'm sorry about today."
"It's fine. I'll be okay." Her smile grew into something more mischievous. "Especially now that I know what a sweet little bug I have in my corner."
He smirked. "Oh, this bug is more than just sweet."
"Oh yeah?" she challenged. "Show me."
So he did.
A/N: Would love to know if you liked it! Thanks!