I use Google Translate, so I apologize for any errors.

Enjoy reading!

I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Beep-beep... beep-beep... beep-beep...

Adrien opened his eyes with a groan, startled. He had strange sensations all over his body. He tried to push himself up on his hands to look around, but he couldn't. The muscles wouldn't budge. So, he only raised his head. So, there were two reasons why it felt strange: his muscles ached, and he wasn't wearing his everyday Adrien clothes, Chat Noir's black leather, or Aspic's leatherette, which had grown on him mentally in all the months he'd been on the cycle. Instead, he was wearing a hospital gown, and he was also covered up to his chest in a blanket. To his left was a heart monitor with several wires running from it that, disappeared under the blanket. To his right was an IV tube, the catheter attached to his right arm, which... didn't have a ring?!

Adrien practically jumped in shock and surprise. His pulse, measured by the heart monitor, was beating wildly, but he could feel it himself, like his heart was practically jumping out of his chest.

"Where's my ring?!" he asked softly at first, but his voice picked up quickly. "Where's my ring?!"

A second later, a paramedics ran into the room, apparently trying to calm him down, but the guy had no reason to calm down.

"Where's my ring?!" Adrien shouted again.

He kept repeating this, despite the conversation between the two paramedics, until he felt a wave of sudden relief, calmness, and sleepiness wash over him.

"Lady Bug is going to kill me," the guy thought ruefully, giggling, and then lost consciousness.

Yellow smoke. There are screams from His Lady, who disappears again and again, again and again, again and...

Adrien woke up with a sob, but he didn't open his eyes in a hurry. He just wanted to go to sleep and pretend everything was fine. That Desperada had never existed, that he had never worn the snake talisman, that his Lady had never disappeared, that he had never lost his miracle.

But no. He could hear the heart monitor beeping. He could feel the cool fabric of the hospital blanket.

After a while, he became quite hot, so he tried to lift his torso and pull his legs in, but his body hummed in response to these actions. So, all he could do was stretch the muscles in his arms as much as he could to pull back the blanket.

However, he suddenly heard a rustling sound nearby, causing him to stiffen. And then he heard something he'd been afraid he'd never hear again.

"Kid!" His kwami's familiar voice shouted.

A second later, the boy felt not only a rough tongue on his cheek, but also saliva.

"Oh, Plagg!" Adrien laughed, hugging his kwami. "I'm glad to see you, too!"

"Hi, Adrien," he heard a higher-pitched voice say, easily recognizing Tikki.

He opened his eyes a crack and saw the kwami of his Lady standing in front of his face. He smiled at her, remembering the warm care she gave him when he was playing Mr. Bug. But He loved Plagg, don't get him wrong, but the kwami shift was sometimes a breath of fresh air.

"Wait a minute..." the guy thought for a second.

"If you're here, then -" he began, but was interrupted.

"I'm fine, Minou," a woman's voice said from the side, followed by the sound of her footsteps. – I'm so glad to see you!"

Adrien automatically closed his eyes when he felt the touch of her bare hand (!) on his wrist. She wrapped her fingers around his, squeezing them gently.

This reminded him of the absence of the miracle ring, and he opened his mouth to say that his miracle had been taken away somewhere, hoping that his head wouldn't be torn off.

However, he suddenly felt the familiar cool metal on his finger again. He clenched and unclenched his fingers into a fist several times, quickly remembering the sensations and relaxing, as he was now sure that he wouldn't have to pull his head off.

"Open your eyes, Adrien," the Lady said softly, touching his cheek gently.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning into her arms. – I know you didn't want to reveal your identity.

"I don't give a damn about secret identities, Adrien!" she snarled sharply. – If I'd known what state you were in, we'd have revealed our identities long ago!"

"But you're -"

"Damn it, Adrien!" -Lady Bug interrupted. - "I know you've used the wonderful snake twenty-five thousand nine hundred and thirteen times! And I counted! I counted it!" she took a deep breath. "– You've been in the cycle for almost three months! Three months, Adrian! What were you thinking?"

"I was trying to be good enough for you," he muttered.

"You've always been the best for me!" – she reminded him. – Why didn't you say no? You've already had a miraculous cat!

"You said you didn't need a chat..."

"I was trying to calm Aspic down, thinking it was your first time!" she explained. "God, Adrien. You ended up in the hospital!"

"That's it, you're enough," Plagg interrupted." – Stop swearing! - "He settled into his holder's hair." - Adrien, you still need to rest.

"I agree, but -" Lady Bug stammered. "Chaton, please open your eyes. There are more important things than our personalities right now." - She added softly: "For my sake, kitten. Please open your eyes.

Adrien started to open his eyes slightly, as he no longer had the strength. He'd wanted to know who his Lady was with all his heart, from the very beginning, but she'd turned him down so many times that he'd almost stopped believing it was possible.

When she didn't back up, he opened his eyes completely. He imagined the same white room (his least favorite color!), Tikki sitting on his hip, and... Marinette.

His Lady was Marinette. Marinette was his Lady.

"You broke my Holder," Plagg chuckled, tugging at his hair, which earned him a slap on the wrist from Tikki, who took a seat next to him.

"Or maybe he's just disappointed in me?" Marinette began to worry when her partner was still unresponsive. "What if he's not happy that I'm the one behind the mask? What if he doesn't want me anymore? "she's obviously starting to get worked up. " I haven't done anything like his partner lately. To make matters worse, I was the cause of his condition! I wouldn't be surprised if he hated me!"

"He's just in a bit of a state of shock," Kwami said soothingly, to which Tikki nodded reassuringly.

"Or he just doesn't like me, that is, he doesn't like me!" The girl screamed. – Now our partnership is completely ruined!

"Tikki, calm your holder down, or I'll pull her pigtails!" "I'll fix up my Holder in the meantime," Plagg said.

A second later, Adrien saw the kwami in front of him.

His Lady was Marinette. Marinette was his Lady.

"Hey, Kid, I know you're very pleasantly surprised," Plagg said." If you don't want to ruin your relationship, then you need to come to your senses.

The prospect of ruining his relationship with his, it turns out, only very close person, seemed very frightening to him.

"M-Marinette..." he croaked, snapping out of his state.

"Yes, Adrien?" The girl replied as calmly as possible, having just been reassured by Tikki.

"I'm so glad you're my Lady," he whispered, reaching up with an effort to stroke her cheek.

"Really?" she asked softly, placing her hand on top of his, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Yes, yes, yes, damn it, yes!" interrupted Plagg, starting to rant. "Do you know how tired I am of listening to him all the time? Plagg, Marinette is so amazing! Plagg, Marinette is so cool! I'm so lucky to have her as a friend! But this is not the main thing! Plagg, Marinette loves some Buttercup! Do you think Buttercup responds to her feelings? What if he breaks your heart? Plagg, I need to find out who it is! Then I can find him and teach him a lesson! And the cherry on the cake! I wish I was her Buttercup!

"Plagg!" Adrien said hoarsely.

If Marinette had only had a small blush before, now her face was completely red, and the blush had reached her neck and ears. Her eyes bulged comically in shock at what she was hearing, and her mouth fell slightly open.

"Now you've broken my Holder," Tikki giggled.

Adrien decided not to say anything, just continued to gently stroke her cheek, waiting for her to snap out of her stupor. Yes, some (actually most) part of him was worried sick. He was worried about her reaction to his " declaration of love." The guy tried to give his heart more than once in the past, but each time he faced rejection, it was all masked. This time, however, he had nothing to hide behind. If this is a refusal, then most likely there will be not second chance...

The girl finally snapped out of her stupor, but she still avoided his gaze. "Did you indirectly declare your love?"

There was no point in denying it, was there? It's just another rejection, right?

"Yes," Adrien whispered. – When there was no response, he continued, " I still love you. I tried to forget you and move on, I honestly tried, but it didn't work. And I know you don't feel the same way...

"Adrien," Marinette interrupted softly, removing their hands from her cheek and twining them together. – You are Buttercup.

"I'm... Buttercup?" – Adrien mumbled in shock, then hissed softly with joy. "My Lady, if it weren't for my weakened muscles, I would have stood up, spun you around, and kissed you."

The girl blushed furiously but turned to her inner Ladybug. This wasn't the time to be nervous. Adrien is in the hospital, and he just confessed that he loves her (twice!).

"Then don't bother," Marinette said. – I won't be lifting you up and twirling you around, but I can handle a kiss..."

With that, the girl leaned down, placing her hands on the boy's cheeks, and kissed him sweetly, but softly. Their lips moved slowly and languidly against each other's. Adrien could feel his heart pounding at what was happening. The best part was that he would finally remember this kiss!

After a few minutes of kissing, Marinette pulled away, her face very close. He could see her cute freckles. They used to be covered by her Lady Bug mask, but now, if he wanted to, he could count all of them (who he was fooling, he would do it at the first opportunity). Her cheeks were sweetly flushed, and her lips were slightly parted.

"Wow..." she whispered.

"That was wonderful," the guy said.

They seemed to be thinking the same thing at that moment, as Marinette leaned in again, placing her elbow carefully on the side of his head. Adrien slid his fingers through her hair, pulling her down by the nape of her neck.

Their lips met again, but this time more fiercely. They turned their heads in different directions for comfort as they continued to kiss.

Now Marinette ran her fingers through his hair, tugging gently, earning a soft moan that made him blush deeply.

"If you keep doing this, my holder will have a heart attack," Plagg said suddenly.

The girl and the boy pulled away abruptly, blushing, completely oblivious to the fact that they weren't alone in the room. She looked at the heart monitor and saw that her partner's pulse was quite high.

"They had their moment, Stinky Sock!" – Tikki cursed.

"They'll eat each other's faces all the time afterward, but my kitten needs to get well enough first," Kwami Destruction said.

"Stinky..."

"No, I agree with Plagg," Marinette interjected. – We'll have plenty of time to kiss, but Adrien needs to recover now. We still have a lot of time, after all, we are a couple.

"Are we a couple?" Adrien asked, surprised.

"Um ... yes?" the girl nodded, then panicked a little. – I-I didn't mean to assume!" I'm not pushing you or anything, you have your own opinion too! I just, well, we... we kissed, and I thought...

"Nothing would make me happier, my lady," he confessed, lifting her hand to his and kissing the back of it. – I'd like us to be a couple."

They were about to kiss again, but Plagg cut them off.

"Someone's coming this way," he said, and then he and Tikki hid.

The girl moved to a safe distance (from his lips) from the guy, still holding his hand. However, they continued to smile at each other.

"Hello again, Marinette," Sophie said, receiving a similar greeting. "Hello, Adrien. My name is Sophie. How are you doing?

"I have a lot of muscle weakness, but otherwise I'm fine," Adrien said.

- How strong is your muscle weakness? the nurse asked.

"I can barely move my arms, and my body hums when I try," he explained. – Is there any way to fix this? I feel uncomfortable about it.

"Your body needs some time," Sophie said. – You were severely exhausted, the reasons for which will be discussed later, and you just recently came out of unconsciousness. They'll bring you something to eat in just an hour. Your body will get the necessary substances and stop burning your muscles. While you were sleeping, we gave you a couple of vitamin supplements that kept you afloat.

"Can you serve him food now?" Marinette asked, getting a supportive nod from her boyfriend.

"All right," Sophie agreed. "Marinette, help him up," she said, and left.

"My lady, and I think I can do it myself..."

The girl interrupted him by grabbing him by the armpits and lifting him up so that he was sitting up. The boy blushed at the action. He didn't know his girlfriend was so strong.

"Don't argue, Adrien," she said. – You've saved me and helped me so many times. Now it's my turn to take care of you.

A second later, Akuma alerts from their phones went off. Hadrian only realized that his own smartphone was in the drawer of his bedside table.

"Come on, my lady, the Akuma are waiting for us," the boy said. "Plagg..."

"Stop, stop, stop," Marinette interrupted. – You're not going anywhere.

- What?" he said. – You can't! I forbid you!

"No, kitten, I forbid you to do that," the girl said seriously. – Until you're in a normal state, you won't fight.

"But -"

"I agree with the Pigtails," Plagg interjected. It will be dangerous for you to become Chat Noir.

- What?

- Why?

"You need a clear head to properly use the Cataclysm," he explained. – If the holder is unable to contain the Cataclysm, it may spread... there have been a couple of cases where it has caught up with the holders themselves.

Adrian felt a chill run down his spine.

"You're not going anywhere," Marinette growled firmly, and the guy didn't dare argue with his girlfriend, just nodded silently.

"That's good," she said, smiling. "Eat up, I'll try to visit you again tonight."

She gave him a soft kiss on the lips, then quickly left, hiding Tikki in her bag. Just a minute later, a nurse came in with a tray. Adrien sighed as he lost his appetite, but he knew he needed to eat if he wanted to get out of here quickly. And he wants to.

These few hours were pretty boring.

At first, on browsed the Ladyblog for information about the latest Akuma. He wasn't particularly interested in the akumatized victim herself, just Lady Bug. She invited Carapace and Rena Rouge, and the three of them managed. He exhaled, knowing his Lady was safe.

Then he got an alert from Natalie saying that his schedule for the next week had been cleared. Not another word. He would have been upset that there wasn't a word from his father, but he was so happy about clearing his schedule to worry about it.

After that, he chatted with Plagg about the most important things to do to keep him occupied while he waited for Marinette.

At one point, there was a knock on the door and Kwami hid.

"Hi, Adrien," Sophie said, opening the door a crack. "You have visitors. But if it becomes too much, then don't force yourself.

"Did my father decide to come to me after all?" thought Adrien happily. "I didn't think he would do it! Maybe he realized that I was also close to him? " - his thoughts were getting better. "Maybe he'll take off my over protection and we'll spend time together like we did with Mom. We'll play the piano together, have a little fencing match, watch Mom's movie..."

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop, like a train crashing through a dead-end railway stop, when it wasn't his father and Natalie who came through the door.

It was a middle-aged brunette girl with dark green eyes and wearing a suit with a dark green shirt. Her face was stern and kind at the same time (did that make any sense?). Next to her was a man, also in a dark blue suit. If you don't look closely, you might think he's a uniformed cop.

"Adrien Agreste, hello," the girl said. – I'm Juvenile investigator Catherine Bail, and I have police officer Mathis Aubier with me.

"Hello," the guy greeted them a little awkwardly. " Umm... is something wrong?"

"We have some information," Mathis said, " so we need to talk to you." If you don't mind, we'll turn on the voice recorder.

"Does my father know you're here?" Adrien asked.

"I'm afraid this conversation must remain between us," Catherine said. – If you don't mind, we need to start talking."

"If it's anything too incriminating, I won't answer," the guy said bluntly.

"We can't force you," the girl said. – So, you were admitted to the hospital with exhaustion, malaise, lack of sleep, and high levels of stress and anxiety. You were delivered unconscious, " she said.

"As far as I know, I was brought here by Lady Bug, yes," he said.

"Can you confirm the rest?"

"Yes," the boy said slowly. – I'll admit that I've had all of the above lately.

"Can you tell us the reason for all this?" the officer asked.

"It's been a rough few weeks," Adrien said simply.

"Tell us about your interaction with your father, Gabriel Agreste," Catherine said.

" It's hard to talk about any interaction when there isn't one," Adrien chuckled without humor.

"What do you mean?" Mathis asked.

"I don't see much of my father," the guy clarified. – Our relationship is strained at best.

- When you see your father, how do you interact? - Catherine asked.

"When my father wants to see me, it's mostly to let me know that he's disappointed," Adrian said bitterly. – That almost never happens on my terms.

"Is that enough for us?" the officer asked the investigator.

"Yes," she said, then pulled a card out of her jacket pocket. "This is my card. I can't tell you anything at this point, but I can assure you that everything is in your best interests.

"Um... okay?" Adrien said awkwardly.

They said their goodbyes and left the room, leaving the boy with his own thoughts. He was about to close his eyes and take a nap and think about what had happened, but the door opened again.

"I thought it was too early for dinner, Sophie," he said without opening his eyes.

"It may be too early for dinner, Chaton," a familiar voice said, which made him open his eyes, " but it's about time for a small snack."

"Hi, Marinette," Adrien greeted, smiling as the aforementioned girl placed a small box on the chair and kissed him on the cheek. – How are you after the fight?

"I'm fine," the girl said, releasing her kwami from her purse, which quickly joined Plagg somewhere." Akuma wasn't very serious, and he wasn't even sentimental. It looks like Hawkmoth somehow realized that you're not going to be available right now and decided to make it easier for us.

"That's good," the guy said. – It'll make me feel better."

- And for me, maybe it will be quieter!" The Kwami of Destruction quipped. "Pigtails, you have no idea how much I'm sick of him! All the time the battle was going on, he was ranting about how he shouldn't have let you go.

- Adrien... - Marinette called softly.

"I know you're not helpless and you have other heroes if you need them, but I'm a little afraid for you," he admitted, before adding more sharply, " No." I'm more than a little scared. If I could, I wouldn't have left your side at all after the events of Desperada.

"You... you want to talk about it?" she asked softly. – "I won't, and I can't force you to, but I think a conversation would help."

"I... let's not do this here and now," Adrien said. – I don't want anyone to hear us."

"At least tell her about your nightmares, Kid," the Kwami of Destruction said again.

"Nightmares?" – Marinette frowned. " Chaton, what are these nightmares?"

"I don't sleep well after the fight with Desperada," Adrien admitted. – I keep having nightmares about you dying. The longer it went on, the worse it got.

"I can stay with you tonight," Marinette said. – I think my parents would have understood.

"No need, my lady," the boy said through gritted teeth, even though he was all for her idea. – You have school tomorrow. You should rest. I can handle it.

"If you're sure," she sighed. " By the way, I saw two people in suits. They didn't come from you, did they?"

"Yes, from me," he said. " They were Detective Catherine Bail and Officer Mathis Aubier. They handle my case.

"Case?" - the girl was surprised. "What case?"

"I don't know, but they said it was in my best interest."

"How can you be so calm? What if they're making things up?

"They didn't ask any incriminating questions," he clarified. "And they gave me a business card." "Here."

"I'll take her with me, okay?" Marinette asked, putting the card back in her purse. – I want to see who they are."

"Okay," the guy shrugged. " So, what's in that box?"

"All sorts of sweets for you," the girl smiled, taking the box and placing it on her lap. "Here," she opened the lid, " are macarons with your favorite passion fruit, chocolate croissants and eclairs with cherry.

"You're spoiling me," Adrien chuckled, feeling his face flush at the kindness of his girlfriend.

"Everything for the one I love," Marinette said with a soft smile.

She put the box back on the chair and sat down next to him. She put her hand on his chest, but without leaning on it, and tilted her head, bringing her lips closer.

"Don't tease me, my lady," he murmured, feeling her breath on his lips.

"Oh, I wasn't going to," she whispered, putting her lips together.

Adrien felt the same spark again as the first time. Her lips tasted strawberry because of her lip gloss, and her hair smelled like vanilla and fresh pastries.

He ran his fingers through her hair. They were soft and silky. It was so nice to run my fingers through them.

Marinette did the same with his hair, lightly scratching behind his ears, causing him to purr. She chuckled softly at his reaction outside of the suit and continued to gently scratch his skin.

Their kiss gradually began to slow down as Adrien began to feel sleepy. The girl seemed to notice, as she gave him one last chaste kiss on the lips and pulled away, still scratching behind her ears.

"Mmm..." the guy purred. – You're leaving?

"You're getting sleepy," the girl said. " So, get some rest… Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No," Adrien lied. "Go home.

- Marinette nodded uncertainly. – I'll leave the pastries on the table. Have a rest.

With that, she moved the box, kissed the guy on the cheek, and left. Tikki joined her a moment later.

Yellow smoke. Yellow. Yellow. Yellow.

His Lady shatters into millions of golden grains of sand, disappearing in yellow smoke. The particles dissolve in the water, spreading out in all directions.

Her eyes are wide with pain, and her mouth is slightly open. The chest rises and falls quickly.

A second later, she screams in agony.

"... Bring the anticonvulsants!...