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Sending the purified butterfly away, Ladybug scanned the crowd. She’d seen him earlier, so he couldn’t have gotten far. Her teeth worried her lower lip as her eyes connected with several onlookers but didn’t spot the one set of blue she desired to see.
A cough at her side and a nudge pulled her attention back to her partner.
“What?”
He gestured toward the outskirts of the crowd. Sitting on a bench was Luka, hunched over with one arm wrapping around his middle.
“Go and help him, milady. I’ll handle the crowd.” Chat kept his voice low so gathering reporters and onlookers wouldn’t overhear. “I’m glad you found someone. Now, I don’t have to worry about you so much.”
“You never had to worry about me, Kitty, but thank you. You’re a wonderful friend and partner.” She patted his shoulder before swinging off the small ledge where they’d been standing.
With years of practice, she landed in an alley not far from Luka’s location, dropping her transformation and handing Tikki a special macaron she always carried.
Not wasting another moment, Marinette left the safety of her hiding spot and rushed to the spot she’d seen Luka occupy, hoping he hadn’t left in the few minutes she’d disappeared.
“There you are. I’ve been searching everywhere for you.” She hurried to his side, thankful he hadn’t moved. “What were you thinking? You could’ve been hurt.”
He offered a soft laugh that ended in a grimace. His hand came away from his side to reveal a bright red sheen across his fingers.
“Oh, Luka,” she breathed, dropping to her knees beside him. “I’m so sorry.”
His free hand came up to cup her cheek. He shot her a self-deprecating smile. “It’s not your fault.”
Without considering the intimacy of the gesture, she lifted his shirt and probed at the gash she discovered. “You’re going to need stitches. Let’s get you to the hospital.”
“My place is closer. I have everything we need there.” His hand gripped hers hard. “Please, Marinette.”
She nodded, unsure what had caused the fear in his eyes. Taking his weight onto her shoulder, she wrapped her arm around him to anchor him during their trek to his home.
They made it as far as the top deck where he sank gratefully onto a bench, his brow beading with sweat. His limbs shook from the effort of walking that short distance, proving his earlier point about the hospital’s distance.
Juleka and Anarka checked out the noise, doing their best not to hover when they saw Luka’s condition. Both rushed to do as Marinette asked, fetching the first aid kit from his room and several clean cloths and warm water.
It took some convincing, but Juleka and Anarka eventually returned to their earlier activities, leaving Marinette to patch up Luka.
Tears brimmed in her eyes as she took in the cut across his side, the sharp needle in her hand shaking with each tremor that passed through her.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had to stitch someone up. It might not look too pretty,” she warned, steadying her hand with a fortifying breath.
He smiled, picking up her stitching hand and pressing a kiss to its back. “I trust you, Marinette. I know you’ll do your best because it’s who you are.”
The task took far longer than she would’ve liked, but she soon had the last stitch in place.
Luka had held up better than she’d thought possible, matching the determination she’d only seen in her partner before. Sweat coated his pale skin, but he managed a shaky breath of thanks for her hard work.
“We should get you in bed.”
“In a minute.” His breath came out in small pants. “Sit with me?”
She nodded.
Her knees protested moving after her prolonged position on them while she stitched him up. She persevered and soon settled next to him, his head resting on top of hers.
“This is nice,” he murmured.
A smile teased at her lips, relief and gratitude rushing through her.
“Yeah,” she whispered, “but it’d be nicer if you hadn’t been hurt.”
“I’ll be careful from now on.”
She had some thoughts about how to keep him protected in the future, but she kept them under wraps for the moment. The time would come soon enough.