Work Text:
An explosion to his left threw him back as he attempted to battle the akumatized girl back. She disappeared through the smoke and he heard a piercing scream. Ladybug! He ran towards the screams, his legs pushing against the ground with strength he didn’t know he had. The screams choked off and he ran faster. A flash of light pierced the smoke and he heard Ladybug’s voice.
“Bye bye little butterfly.” Her voice was weak and gravelly. He heard another scream, this time it was the akumatized woman.
“Oh God. Oh God. Ladybug!”
He found them, the woman, standing in front of Ladybug, crying. Ladybug was sprawled on the roof, blood dripping from her mouth as her head lolled to the side. There was a huge cut across her abdomen, her suit was torn around it in a gaping hole. He dropped to his knees beside her as she choked and muttered, her eyes fluttering.
“My Lady! My Lady, wake up. You’re okay, you have to be okay.”
Her eyes fluttered at his voice, but remained closed. The woman sobbed as he shook Ladybug’s arm. He needed to get out of there, Ladybug’s earrings had begun to flash and so had his ring. He wriggled his arms under her body and lifted. She was so light. Ladybug had always seemed big and powerful, but lying limp in his arms she seemed so small and fragile. His heart thudded hollowly as he tried to hold her close to his chest. Her warm blood dripped over his suit and pooled in the palms of his hands. He spun on his heel and began walking towards the edge of the roof. He shifted her in his arms so that he could pull out his staff and from the ledge, he jumped. He lept from rooftop to rooftop until he could see his own apartment. He swung in through an open window and pulled Ladybug through gently. He transformed, Plagg swirling lazily out of the Miraculous. His kwami paused, hovering over Ladybug’s prone form. His green eyes darted between the two of them before he zoomed away, disappearing through the wall and into the kitchen. He moved towards his room, setting Ladybug down on top of his blankets. He walked quickly into the bathroom and got all of his medical supplies, which were frankly very limited. He could hear Plagg rummaging through his wardrobe and muttering to himself. He brought the supplies into his room and saw Ladybug’s earring give a final blink. He jumped forward and threw a towel over her face, wincing and apologising as her civilian clothes made an appearance. He caught a glimpse of dark ink on her ribs where her blouse had torn under her suit. The gash in her stomach was still steadily leaking blood down her sides. Her kwami Tikki floated upwards before falling to the bed in exhaustion. She whimpered as she tried to reach her holder and Plagg darted towards her, a biscuit in hand. She grimaced before eating it and perking up a bit as she turned back towards Ladybug. He had begun wiping away the blood to try to look at her wound better. Tikki crawled onto Ladybug’s stomach, carefully prodding at the weeping wound. She turned to him.
“Where is her lucky charm? It might fix this.”
“I didn’t see anything there, just the woman who hurt her.”
“The woman didn’t hurt her, Hawkmoth did.”
He kept dabbing at her skin. He grabbed the bottle of antiseptic and began to clean the wound, but Ladybug flinched away from him, a low whine coming from her throat. Plagg shot off the bed.
“I’ll find the lucky charm. We’ll fix her.”
He flew out the window and disappeared into the blue sky. Ladybug stirred again, her panting breaths moving the towel over her face. He tried to spread antiseptic around the edges and pulled her tattered shirt away from the wet skin. More ink appeared, small paw prints dotted her ribs. He gasped, almost dropping the bottle. His own ribs were marked with small ladybugs and flowers. It wasn’t his only tattoo, but it was his favourite. His Lady, his best friend, right over his heart. Tikki was blowing gentle breaths over the wound, slowing the bleeding. He kept trying to clean her skin, keeping an eye on the blood trickling from the laceration as he tried to prevent a panic attack. Plagg darted into the room, a shiny red and black bracelet in hand. He dropped it into Adrien’s waiting hand.
“You’ll have to transform into Bugboy to fix this.”
“We agreed that was not my name, Plagg.” He whined. His kwami sneered evilly.
“And your idea was better, Mr. Spot?”
“I NEVER SAID THAT.”
“Yeah right, and you’re not in love with Ladybug?” Tikki interrupted their bickering.
“Both of you shut up and fix Ladybug. You’re both stupid.”
“Sugar cube-”
“Don’t look at me.”
Adrien looked at Ladybug. She was so still, her fair skin was even paler. He reached under the towel, trying to gently remove her earrings. Her silky hair tickled his fingers as he took her Miraculous. He wiggled his ring off and slipped it onto her slender finger. He transformed, pulling Tikki into the magical jewellery. He brushed a soft kiss on Ladybug’s covered forehead before darting out of the window and leaving Plagg with his unconscious partner.
He reached an abandoned rooftop and threw the Lucky Charm into the air above him. As the Ladybugs fixed all the damage from the fight, he ran back to his apartment. As he slipped in the window he found a sleeping Lady Noir curled up in his bed. Her skin had more colour and her wound was gone. He collapsed onto the floor near her, muttering thanks to whoever was listening. He brushed her hair from her face and she exhaled softly. She was so precious to him, his first best friend, his other half. He didn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost her. The world was liable to burn, Hawkmoth with it. She huffed a sleepy sigh and squirmed against the pillow. He smoothed her hair again and she smiled sleepily, burying her face into the blanket. She was adorable.
He sat beside her for hours, watching her every breath. He felt as though if he looked away, she would stop. He transformed at some point, allowing Tikki her much deserved rest and snack. When Ladybug began to stir sleepily, he called for Tikki in a panicked voice. He transformed again as he waited for her to wake. She stretched lazily and let out a soft whine. As she settled back into the bed she blinked sleepily at him. Her green eyes, courtesy of Plagg, were hazy as she gazed at him. As they focused, her brow furrowed and her nose scrunched with confusion.
“Chat? Is that you? Where am I?” His breath stuttered in his throat. She was alive.
“It’s me, My Lady. We’re in my apartment.” Her green eyes shot wide and panic crossed her face as she obviously tried to not look around her.
“Your apartment! Chat! Why am I in your apartment?”
“You don’t remember?” His throat burned as he held back a sob. She shook her head, the confusion evident on her face.
“Remember what?”
“We were fighting an akuma. You… She… She hurt you. You were bleeding everywhere and you wouldn’t wake up and you-there was so much blood. There was so much-”
His breaths were coming quicker and he was staring at his red hands. Red . He was shaking now. “And I didn’t-I didn’t know what to do. So I brought you here and Tikki-she said to help you. She said to get the lucky charm and I did, but I thought it wasn’t going to work. I thought you were going to die. I thought you were dead .” Tears blurred his vision as they slipped over his mask.
A warm hand grabbed his arm and pulled him towards his bed. She wrapped her strong arms around him and pulled him into her like she was comforting a child. He buried his head against her chest and sobbed as he listened to her heartbeat. She just stroked his hair and hummed soothingly. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he woke up he was sprawled across Ladybug and her heartbeat was still in his ear. A few stray tears made their way down his cheeks as her chest moved up and down. He skated a gentle hand down her belly, healed and whole. His breath shuddered out of him as he held onto her tightly. She turned her face in her sleep, nuzzling his hair, and he froze. He could tell the moment she woke up because her inhales became shallower and she began to squirm under him. Suddenly she froze.
“Chat it’s half seven. In the morning!” She tried to squeeze out from under him and escape the warm bed. He didn’t budge, even when she pushed at him.
“Stay.”
“Stay? I can’t stay! My family is probably worried sick! And I have to work, Chat. I’m sure you have things to do, people to see!”
“No.”
“What do you mean no? You just sit around and wait for akumas? I’m the only person you see?”
He felt embarrassed then. Of course she has friends, family, a life. All things he was lacking.
“Pretty much.”
He rolled away from her then, allowing her to get up and go back to her life. He heard her gasp.
“You don’t have anyone? Any family?”
He didn’t want her pity. He wanted her to forget this whole conversation. He pushed himself up from the bed and walked towards the bathroom before she could see him cry, again. But when he closed the door, her foot shot out and stopped it. Her emerald eyes met his. They were so alive, after everything that had happened over the last twenty four hours, it took his breath away.
“You have me.”
She always took his breath away. Her face was fierce now.
“You always have me. And tonight, after I’m done with work and everyone has gone to sleep, I will be here and you will have me.”
“I will have you?”
“Always.”
And he did. Chat Noir always had his Ladybug and the world kept spinning and he was never alone again. Red and black. Green and Blue. Her and Him. Always and Forever.