Chapter Text

Leaves flew, displaced by the rapidly moving boy as he dove into the middle of the pile. Legs kicking behind him, he burrowed down until his fingers touched the ground. Turning, he made sure every part of him was covered in crackly goodness, then went still to lay in wait.

Footsteps clipping on a stone path. The rustle of leaves swept away by a body moving along. Soft breathing.

The leaf pile held its breath. Any moment now, its prey would be in range and it could strike.

“You know I know you’re there.”

Adrien let out a huff and popped his head out of the leaves. “You could at least pretend. I wanted to pounce.”

Shifting her weight to her other foot, Marinette raised a gloved hand to her mouth to giggle. “You are such a dork.”

Grinning, he told her, “Yes, but I’m your dork.”

“Love the hat. The height of fashion.”

He shook his head and created a flurry of leaves as they fell from his head.

Holding out her hand, Marinette said, “C’mon kitty. Alya and Nino will be along in a minute. You don’t want them to catch you being a cat again.”

He pouted at her and took her hand. The pout morphed to a grin as he yanked her into the pile of leaves with him. Shrieking with a mixture of glee and outrage, Marinette hit the leaf pile, scattering leaves to the wind. He buried her, dumping bright red maple and yellow birch leaves on her head. She retaliated, tossing leaves at him and used her feet to kick up more of them.

He rolled, wriggling and writhing, then spat leaves as they wormed their way into his mouth. Leaves in his hair, bracken and bits of soil made it damp and he didn’t care. Marinette tried to escape the leaves and he wouldn’t have that. Pouncing, he tackled her back into the leaves, then bounced away before she could smack him.

“Oh, you’re dead,” she cried, grabbing handfuls of leaves to throw at him.

“Only if you can catch me,” he said.

“Geronimo!” Another body hit the leaves full force, scattering them even further.

Someone else to wrestle with! The kitty in Adrien pounced on Nino, forcing him back into the leaves with a laugh. With a waggle of his eyebrows, Nino got him in a headlock. Soon the pair of them were rolling around and playfully battling each other.

“Really?” Alya asked, her hand on her hip. “Aren’t you all a bit old for that?”

Marinette picked herself up, brushing leaves from her long pink woollen coat. They stuck to the wool and pompom buttons and she plucked the broken leaves from her while the boys wrestled. “Adrien, when you’re done, can you find my hat?”

“On it!” he called, forcing leaves down the front of Nino’s shirt.

“Dude! Get off! That’s itchy.”

“I am the king of the leaves!” Adrien crowed and mock beat on his own chest.

Nino tackled him and it was Adrien’s turn to be bombarded with leaves.

“Girl, just looking at you makes me cold. Are you sure you want to go swimming?”

“Heated pool,” Marinette said. “Oh, yes. I want to go swimming. I plan to stay in there until I prune and then even longer.”

“It’s not even that cold yet,” Alya complained. “What are you going to be like when it starts to snow? You never used to be like this.”

“I’ll warm her up,” Adrien said. “Ease up a sec, Nino.”

Nino sat back on his haunches and watched Adrien scramble for Marinette’s beanie that had dislodged in his attack. Sighing, Nino dug through the leaves to find his earphones.

“I’m sure you will,” Alya said with a sly grin.

Bouncing over, Adrien plopped the hat on Marinette’s head and made sure her ears were covered. He couldn’t resist batting at the pompom on the top. “You just had to put one on there, didn’t you?”

She smirked at him. “All the better to tease you with, my dear.”

Alya got behind Marinette and marched her toward the main doors of the swimming centre. “Swimming. C’mon you two, stop flirting.”

“Bikinis bro,” Nino said, bumping his shoulder against Adrien’s.

They made their way into the indoor swimming pool and although Marinette tried not to react, Adrien saw her breathe a sigh of relief as the blast of heat from the building hit them. Trying to show solidarity, he brushed his hand down her back and she, in turn smiled at him.

Being a Miraculous impacted the wielder in ways no one suspected. She was Ladybug, the lucky charm, he was Chat Noir, with the power of bad luck. A cat and his lady. All the strength and power which Tikki and Plagg bestowed upon them also came with a cost to their personal lives.

The cat and bug tendencies in their everyday lives was amplified while in the suit. Chat Noir was playful and content until he hadn’t been petted for a while, then the itching would start. Scratch and nip, his skin would crawl until he felt like he was burning. It had been an accident running into Marinette while in the throes of an itch attack. Her fingers sliding down his back and buried in his hair sated the kitty need inside him for a time. They hadn’t known each other’s identities then. Chat Noir; heartsore over Ladybug, and Marinette; crushing on Adrien, had turned to each other without knowing the object of their affection was the other person in disguise. An accidental kiss during a patting session inspired a journey of discovery for both of them.

Ladybug, as opposed to Chat Noir’s kitten attributes, had bug-like tendencies. A penchant for growing things, a great love of flowers, pheromones to keep those around her calm and a strong need to hibernate during winter. While it was the obsession with pets which affected Adrien in his daily life, Marinette had inherited the aversion to cold. The temperature dipped and so did her energy. Clothing multiplied, sweaters and gloves and scarfs which covered her mouth even on the milder of the autumn days. It was a daily struggle for her and Adrien worried about snow. Winter fast approached and the first snows were most likely only a few weeks away.

Hence the warmer dates. Swimming pools. Movies. Arcades. Indoor cafes. The library. It was hard turning down the offers to double date with Nino and Alya when they wanted to go hiking or boating or any other outdoor activity.

Adrien and Marinette had been dating for about three months; a growing, learning and evolving partnership between Chat Noir and Ladybug, and between Marinette and Adrien. It was difficult to balance both lives and keep everything straight in their heads while remembering they couldn’t discuss their superhero activities in front of their two civilian friends.

Outwardly, Ladybug and Chat Noir were the height of professionalism, but both of them knew it was only a matter of time before a certain reporter caught them kissing. Alya, runner of the Ladyblog, the number one information website on Ladybug and best friend of Marinette. She had a knack for being in the right place at the right time and lately, that right time meant she was beginning to notice things. Adrien knew Marinette worried about that.

Marinette poked Adrien in the side. “Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to get changed?”

“Thought I might stand here.”

“I’m not waiting for you,” Marinette said, waving over her shoulder as she sauntered to the change rooms with Alya. “That water is too inviting.”

Shaking his head, Adrien jogged to catch up with Nino.

The indoor swimming pool was a popular haunt all year around. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter, it hosted its own café. A tiered diving board up one end, a long slide which emptied into a cordoned off area of the pool and a water play garden for toddlers, it had something for everyone.

Placing his bag on a bench in the change room, Adrien was surprised to discover Plagg and Tikki had made a small nest together out of the spare scarf he’d brought in case Marinette needed it. Glancing over at Nino, Adrien picked up his bag and headed for a stall. Closing the door behind him, he whispered, “Plagg?”

The kwami untangled himself to float up and scold, “You were taking your sweet time outside and she was cold. She gets it worse than Marinette, don’t forget.”

“Sorry.”

Plagg looked down at his partner. “Normally we’re in milder temperatures, so it’s easier to deal with. I don’t know what Hawk Moth is doing this far north, or how he’s surviving. He should be hibernating too.”

“Marvels of modern technology,” Adrien murmured.

Plagg nodded. “True. It’s a good thing we cats are very warm.”

“Yup.” Reaching into the bag, Adrien gently picked up the sleeping Tikki wrapped up in his scarf. He placed her on the bench and removed what he needed from the bag. A quick change and he rearranged the clothes in the bag so they had more room to snuggle and were better covered. He sent a quick text message to Marinette telling her where Tikki was in case she worried.

Throwing his towel over his shoulder, he carried his bag carefully from the change stall, then he and Nino went out into the main area to look for a table. Nino dumped his stuff on the closest table and bolted for the water while Adrien lingered to make sure Plagg and Tikki weren’t jostled.

Alya came bouncing from the women’s change room and dumped her stuff beside Nino’s. “Don’t tell me he’s already in the water.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Adrien replied.

“I wanted him to check out my new suit,” she said, gesturing her emerald green bikini.

Adrien cleared his throat and put on his best Nino voice. “You look fiiiine, girl.”

Alya laughed at him and shook her head in dismay. “That was bad!”

“I know,” he said with a grin and put his hand over his heart. “I promise never to do it again.”

Alya planted on hand on her hip. “Good, because—”

“Damn, girl, you look fiiiiine!” Nino said, hanging onto the edge of the pool.

Adrien and Alya exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter.

“What?” Nino asked, oblivious.

“I take it back,” Alya said to Adrien. “Yours was spot on.”

“What are we laughing at?” Marinette said as she put her bag on the floor at the base of the table.

“Nino,” Alya said and went to the edge of the pool.

Nino held up a dripping hand for Alya. “C’mon, the water’s fine, but not as fine as you.”

“You’re terrible,” Alya said and sat down with her feet in the water, yelping as Nino dragged her completely in.

Ignoring the giggling pair, Adrien turned to Marinette. “Tikki’s all bundled—” The words died in his throat and came out as a gurgle. Tiny. Bikini. Polka dot. And pink. She wore a skin tight bodysuit as Ladybug, but this, this looked incredible on her. So much exposed skin. 

Marinette looked at him with raised eyebrow. A smug smile bloomed. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Mmrew?”

Sauntering toward the pool, she brushed her fingers across his chest. “Come on, handsome boy, the water awaits.”

He was more than happy to follow her into the pool.

The water was gorgeously warm. The longer they swam and played, the more Marinette perked up. Laughing and talking, the four of them hung out until their fingers wrinkled. They played games. They dove down deep to count who could hold their breath the longest. They played chicken, the boys hoisting the girls onto their shoulders and then tried to knock each other off. Despite how well Adrien and Marinette were as a team, Alya always had the upper hand, possibly because Adrien kept tickling Marinette’s knees.  When the girls hoisted the boys up, it was Adrien who won wrestling against Nino. The battle between Marinette and Alya vs Adrien and Nino was never finished because the boys couldn’t help wrestling with each other over the girls.  

A beach ball tossed in via the lifeguard entertained the four of them for ages. When Alya and Nino finally decided it was time to eat and went to order a hot meal, Marinette and Adrien stayed in the water.

“Feeling better?” he asked, leaning against the wall of the pool.

“You don’t need to fuss,” she told him, her shoulder pressed against his upper arm. “I’m fine.”

“Absolutely not fussing,” Adrien said, toying with her fingers beneath the water. “You’ll know when I’m fussing.”

“Will I?”

Facing her, he rested his shoulder was against the wall. “It’d probably involve buying you your very own heated pope-mobile to get around in.”

She turned toward him. “Yeah, that’d be going too far. I’d really rather you ordered a dome above the city and heated the entire thing.”

Beneath the water, his hand found the small of her back, pulling her hips toward him. “Somehow I don’t think people would approve. A lot of them like the snow.”

Her fingers hooked into the belt of his trunks and she slid a leg between his. “Filthy, nasty stuff.”

“Yes Gollum,” he teased, sliding his littlest finger down until it toyed with the hem of her swimmer bottoms.

Her eyes glazed and her head tilted so her mouth could hover beneath his. “A dome over the city is so much better than a bug box.”

“But I want to tap on the glass,” he murmured, his lips brushing hers as he spoke, “And coo ‘who’s a good bug’.”

Mock outraged, she splashed him in the face. Adrien grabbed her to dunk her under the water. As she came up sopping and furious, he planted a quick kiss on her lips and moved away.

She tried to scowl through her smile and it didn’t work. “Why, you—”

“Psst, Adrien.”

Adrien looked up to see Nino crouching down beside them, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the swimming centre. “Yeah?”

Nino nodded to where he looked and Adrien had to crane his neck to see.

Gabriel Agreste stood at the entrance, looking regal and stern as his eyes swept over the pool area.

Adrien immediately ran over his schedule in his mind. He’d had a photoshoot this morning starting at five, training session at ten, but the rest of the day had been marked as free. He had nothing booked until the following morning. Nothing that they’d told him about anyway.

Sharing a regretful look with Marinette, he hauled himself out of the pool and grabbed his towel to wrap around his waist. Leaving his bag so he’d have an excuse to come back, he padded around the pool to his father.

Gabriel watched him approach, his face impassive. “Adrien.”

Stopping before him. “Father. I’m sorry, have I missed an appointment? I wasn’t aware that—”

“No,” Gabriel interrupted. “However, I have been informed that Giorgio Armani is currently visiting Paris and would like to take us to dinner.” He glanced over Adrien’s shoulder at the pool. “Since you were occupied, we could not get you on the phone. I need you to come and prepare.”

Ever the dutiful son and touched Gabriel came himself instead of sending Nathalie, Adrien nodded. “Of course. May I take Marinette home first? She came with me and—”

“Yes,” Gabriel replied. “Be quick. I shall wait for you in the car.” With that, he about-faced and strode from the building.

Hurrying back to Marinette, Adrien crouched down beside the pool.

She reached out of the water and put her hand on his knee. “You have to go.”

“Duty calls,” he said, placing his hand over hers. “My father said we could drive you home first.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

He smiled. “Yeah, I know. Weird.” Taking the hand on his knee, he extended his other one. “C’mon.”

After a quick change, a goodbye to their friends and Tikki secreted away in Marinette’s clothes, the pair clambered into the car.

Gabriel looked up from his tablet, then handed it to Nathalie. “Marinette. How nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Mr Agreste,” Marinette said, smiling and clasped her hands on her lap. “How are you?”

“Very well, thank you. I enjoyed your jacket entry, a shame they didn’t place.”

Marinette inclined her head. Having won the junior division, her jackets moved to the the next tier of the competition, where she’d been up against a few fashion design majors with years of training. Juniors winners rarely placed, but were awarded with guidance and critique from a certified designer. “Having the chance to have my designs critiqued was an amazing experience.”

Gabriel nodded. “It is good that you chose to learn from the experience.”

“I have a lot to learn.”

“And a lot to offer. They were provoking designs and you were bold with them instead of opting for safe like others did.” He blinked. “Your coat, it is handmade? I assume it is one of your designs?”

She nodded.

“The knitting is quite exquisite and well executed, if simplistically designed for everyday wear and-" he sniffed at the pompoms, "somewhat childlike, but that is personal preference when designing clothes for ones-self. Not all clothes are designed to be on the catwalk.” He nodded as though coming to some sort of internal decision. “You display a natural talent which if honed correctly, could blossom. If you like, I can arrange for you to attend one my shows in the spring and give you the opportunity to meet some of the up and coming designers under my wing. Adrien can show you backstage and you can see the inner workings of a show.”

Marinette blinked and sat up straighter. “That would be amazing! Thank you for the opportunity.”  

At Gabriel’s look, Nathalie nodded. “I’ll see to the details.”

Adrien flashed her a grin and a wink and Marinette looked like she was ready to explode with happiness. She managed to sit still and remain composed for the remainder of the journey, but the moment Adrien walked her to her door, she tackled him in a hug, bouncing up and down in his arms.

Grinning, he kissed her cheek since he couldn’t find her mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay!” she squeaked and disappeared inside and Adrien heard the squeal she’d been containing erupt the moment the door closed.

Allowing himself a small laugh, Adrien turned and walked back to the car and prepared to play dutiful, obedient son.

Chapter Text

Chat Noir ran like a scalded cat above the rooftops of Paris. Glancing across at Ladybug, he was appalled to discover the last dot on her earring flashing. “You need to find you someplace warm. Now!”

“I know!” Ladybug said, sounding panicked as she cast a frantic look behind her. “But—”

“You have to!” Chat Noir said. “We’ll split up. I’ll take them, you recharge and catch up.” Bounding on all fours, he switched sides with her, peering down into the street below as he ran. Dogs, so many dogs of all shapes and sizes, ran down the street barking and growling as they chased after the pair. Really, the last place he wanted to be but they needed time. This was what he was for.

“Don’t you dare!”

Reaching for his baton, he gave her a two fingered salute. “Gotta dash. Hound me later,” he said and vaulted into the middle of the street ahead of the pack.

“Chat!”

The dogs didn’t even stop their charge at his appearance. Braying in excitement, they increased their speed. Chat Noir turned and scrammed, hightailing it down the cobbled street as fast as he could. He had to get both the dogs and ‘The Walker’ as far away from Ladybug as he could so she could recharge.  Down side streets, up alleyways, he ran full pelt. Anywhere that gave him room to manoeuvre or things to bounce over to give him an edge in avoiding the dogs.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw more dogs spilling into the streets as they fell under the thrall of The Walker. “Oh, why did I think this was a good idea,” he muttered and leapt onto the closest car.

Bounding along the tops of parked cars, he hissed at the dogs chasing him. Barking and growling filled their air, with beady eyes fixed on Chat Noir.

He ducked down more side streets, yelling at random people ahead of him to move. People, upon seeing the dogs, cleared the way in a flurry of activity. He needed to find an open area, preferably with trees so he could hide up one and keep the dogs contained.

The dogs gained on him. Yapping at his heels and pushing him faster, Chat Noir began to use his baton to vault forward and keep out of reach. With a yowl, Chat Noir leapt for the wall of a building, scrambling along it as he ran. There was a limit to how long he could defy gravity like this, but he needed to stay away from the snapping jaws and sharp teeth.

The street he was on emptied into a mostly filled parking lot but beyond that was an outdoor market. Chat Noir hadn’t even realised he was close to this area. Too many people to evacuate or navigate through, not with so many dogs driven vicious by The Walker. The risk of civilian injury was too high.

He’d have to make a stand. Contain the dogs in the parking lot. If he could make it to one of the lamp posts in the middle, he could keep the braying dogs beneath him. Maybe even make a run at The Walker herself.

The tops of cars became his safety zone, but some of the dogs were large enough to clamber or leap onto the trunks of smaller cars and continue to chase him. Yappy small dogs circled the ground below, adding their voices to howl. He had to make sure they all stayed with him, and the only the way to do that was to keep so tantalisingly close to them that they chose to chase him rather than other people.

His baton became his only salvation to reach one of the lamp posts. One of the cars alarm went off, the incessant beeping only serving to rile the dogs even more. Chat Noir consoled himself that at least now everyone in the area would be alerted to something happening. He did what he could, batting the dogs away while hissing and spitting at them, until he finally made it to the lamp post.

Scrambling up, he perched at the top and crouched. His tail lashed as he continued to yowl at the dogs below him. He extended his baton to use as a weapon so he could whack at the stray or inattentive dogs. He teased and taunted, scrambling down just far enough to take a swipe at them before darting away. Anything to keep attention on him and not on the people in the market.

When he saw he was also drawing attention from people in the market, he cupped his hands around his mouth. “Clear the area!”

Being who he was, Chat Noir held a lot of weight with the general population of France. Chat Noir meant danger and bad luck and the residents acted accordingly. The tourists did not, but went with the crowd. The reporters were a different story, vying for the best place to stand to get a piece of the action. Especially when their name is Alya and they ran the Ladyblog.

Chat Noir groaned as he spotted Alya on top of a car at the edge of the parking lot, phone in hand as she recorded.  Scrubbing a hand over his face, he concentrated on the dogs.

They made him edgy. All the beady eyes watching his every move. The noses, fangs and lolling tongues. The unkempt fur. The barking, yapping and growling. He was a cat and cats wanted very little to do with dogs if they didn’t share a human with one. Here he was, Chat Noir the bringer of bad luck, trying to keep their attention.

And he was losing it. The waiting, the prowling around his lamp post bored some of the dogs. There were dogs running between cars, dogs playing tag, dogs running across the tops of cars and barking at nothing and dogs fighting among themselves. 

He looked back the way he’d come, hoping to see the familiar red figure prancing across the rooftops toward him. All he saw was The Walker meandering between the cars before the dog whistle blasted in his ears.

He clapped his hands over them, wincing in pain, but the shrill whistle had the opposite effect on the dogs. Abandoning the base of his pole, they trotted to The Walker’s side, docile as lambs. They sat in union, staring that The Walker with rapt attention.

Once the whistle finished, Chat Noir dropped his hands from his ears. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you!”

“You’ve been a disobedient kitty,” The Walker said and scowled at him. “You need training.”

“Don’t be dra-meow-tic. Cats rarely come when they’re called,” Chat Noir responded. Since the dogs were commanded to sit, he took a moment to study the akuma. Numerous leashes and chains hung from her belt and she wore a bright orange vest. Narrowing his eyes, he was fairly certain the akuma was in the dog whistle.

Movement close to him that wasn’t a wayward dog and Chat Noir turned his head. Alya had used the distraction to sneak closer and was now within hearing distance. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from calling out a warning and alerting The Walker. If the dogs went for her, she’d have no chance. He and Marinette should really talk to Alya about the principles of preservation and basic safety.

The Walker had seen Chat Noir’s glance. “Give me your Miraculous or I’ll unleash my puppies.”

Chat Noir leapt down from the lamp post to the top of a car and waited with his baton resting on his shoulder. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.” Putting his baton back in its holder, he threaded his fingers together then stretched his palms out ahead of him. Shaking his shoulders, he jogged on the spot.  “Alright,” he said, spinning his baton. “Ready when you are.”

With a grin, The Walker blew her whistle again and the dogs charged. Instead of going for Chat Noir, they dashed for Alya.

“Shih tzu,” Chat Noir muttered and leapt off the car to sprint across the parking lot. It would be close, the dogs were faster and had a better angle on Alya.

Alya’s eyes widened. She stifled a scream and didn’t stop recording. Chat Noir’s heart threatened to burst from his chest. Did she really trust him that much to stand her ground? Or did she think Ladybug was around to save her? The girl had no sense of self preservation.

Going to all fours provided a boost of speed that allowed Chat Noir to reach Alya scant seconds before the dogs. He hit her stomach with his shoulder and scooped her up, planting his baton on the ground so he could vault away.

He was too slow. Teeth sank into his calf and tore. Pain ripped through him and he cried out. His leg couldn’t take the weight to and he failed his vault, landing only a small distance away from the dogs. Staggering, his free hand went to his leg.

“Run!” Alya blurted, kicking her legs as she tried to wriggle free.

A wild glance over his shoulder caused him to panic. “Hold on!” Forcing the end of his baton into the ground, he extended it straight into the air, carrying him and Alya with it. His hope was to get it high enough they could tilt to the building across from them but the dogs had other ideas. The baton trembled as heavy bodies hit the base, then dislodged completely, throwing them both into the air.

He fumbled for his baton as it retracted and missed it. It soared away from him and they began to fall. Shifting his grip Chat Noir curled himself around Alya to protect her. Cats might always land on their feet but one of his wasn’t working. His suit was compromised and he could feel blood down his leg.

The ground came up fast and Chat Noir braced for impact while Alya shrieked in his ear.

Ladybug’s yo-yo twined around his wrist and Chat Noir closed his eyes in relief. He tightened his grip on Alya as Ladybug jerked her yo-yo and yanked him with it. The pull and sudden change of direction jarred him and he felt the shock as a tingle through his spine.

Ladybug stood on top of a building near the entrance of the car park, but she hadn’t been able to get enough height and pull from her throw to get him all the way to the roof. Extending his feet, he hit the wall below her and hung there. “Ow.”

“Sorry,” she called. “You okay?”

“Yup. Thanks for the save, my lady.” Shifting his grip on Alya, he bunny hopped up the wall while she hoisted. “It’s in her dog whistle.”

“Thought so.”

Alya twisted around, her phone still recording. “Hi Ladybug! A message for your fans?”

Ladybug’s eyebrows shot up. “What—?”

“She got too close to the action and put herself in danger,” Chat Noir scolded and hung onto the awning so Alya could use him as a brace and climb on the roof.

Ladybug pulled her friend up. “You shouldn’t do that, you could’ve gotten hurt.”

Heaving himself up, Chat sat on the edge of the building with his legs hanging over. He didn’t want to look at his leg, didn’t want to see the extent of the damage done by the dog bite. Nerves fired at random intervals, slicing along his calf and up his thigh.  Below, the dogs reached the base of the building and brayed up at him.  

“You put yourselves in danger every day,” Alya replied. “I want the world to see what you do for us. People need to know—”

“We have suits to prevent us from getting hurt. You don’t.”

Alya protested, “You can still get hurt with the suits—”

Chat Noir interrupted, “Ladybug, the akuma. The dogs are below us—”

Rubbing her forehead with her fingers, she said, “We can’t be everywhere. My cure doesn’t always fix everything. If you put yourself in danger and are hurt, you might stay hurt. Just, stay here, out of the way. Chat—”

“Yup. Coming.” He stood up, careful to take his complete weight on his good leg and keep her from seeing the back of his other leg.

“Why is there blood on your pants?”

Chat Noir stiffened and turned, but Ladybug wasn’t looking at him. Not yet. Her gaze was on a spot of Alya’s pants and the small splash mark which betrayed him. Alya’s eyes were on him and Ladybug tensed. She whipped around to face him, her eyes wide. “Chat?”

He lied, “I’m fine.”

She spotted his leg and all expression disappeared from her face. Even her eyes lost their spark.   

His heart banged against his rib cage and the purr tickled his throat, wanting to comfort her, wanting to take away his pain. “It was an accident. I wasn’t quick enough.”

Thrusting her hand in the air, she tossed her yo-yo and cried, “Lucky charm!”

He didn’t even see what the charm was, the moment it landed in her hand she threw herself from the building.

“Ladybug!” he cried and watched her land and charge straight into the pack of dogs, who parted around her and then followed her away from the building. “Damn it!” Spinning, he thrust a finger at Alya. “Stay here.”

“No way. I need to be closer so I can record.”

“That’s enough, Alya,” he snarled, pain making his tone short. Alya reeled back in shock at his tone. “My job is to protect her and I can’t do that if you keep getting in the way!” Stepping over the edge of the building, he knew he wouldn’t be able to land on his leg. Using his hands, he dropped from ledge to ledge until his feet touched the ground. All he could hear was the braying and barking of the dogs and he feared the worst. She would be torn to shreds and he wouldn’t be there to stop it. It hurt to put weight on his leg, but he had to get to his lady.

Stumbling forward, he braced one hand on his leg and hobbled a few paces, then dropped down on to run on three limbs.

Before he’d even reached the first row of cars, a cry went up. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

He watched her magic stream into the air and spread out. The multitude of dogs vanished, carried back to their masters. The four dogs the walker had before being akumatised returned to their leads and sat about the woman as they waited for her to continue their walk.

Chat Noir leant against a car. The pain in his leg lessened, but did not vanish. He slumped, sliding down until he could sit on the ground and inspect the leg for himself. The purr tickled his throat and this time he let it out, a comforting noise to aid with the pain.

Four puncture wounds and tearing at the exits, a far cry better than the mangle it had been. The punctures seeped blood and Chat Noir could see the suit gradually repairing itself around his leg. Gingerly he probed the area with a finger and wondered if Plagg would have a torn up leg as well. He hoped not.

Ladybug appeared, running around the side of the car to slide to his side. One hand on his shoulder, the other hovering over his leg. A dismayed gasp and tears welled in her eyes. “It didn’t fix.”

 He tried to smile. “I’m just having a ruff day, that’s all.”

“Chat, this is no time for jokes.”

“I am bad luck. Can’t mix it with your cure, it won’t work.”

One of the tears spilled over. “This is my fault.”

He gripped the hand on his shoulder, while his other went to wipe away the tear. “No, it isn’t.”

“It is! If I hadn’t failed the first time, you wouldn’t have—”

“Neither of us could’ve known—”

“But I should’ve!” she protested. “I was just so slow. I figured it out after it was too late to use the charm!”

He pulled her face so he could rest his forehead on hers. “It’s not your fault. It’s not. Don’t blame yourself. I knew the risks when I separated from you. This is on me.”

Tears dripped down her cheeks. “I failed you.”

“You didn’t.”

“I hate this,” she whispered. “I feel so useless and tired. I hate it.”

“I know you do,” he murmured and kissed her, something he hadn’t done in public as Chat Noir. His cheeks were wet with her tears and his purr rough with pain. The need to comfort her was greater than his injury. It wasn’t lingering or passionate, just a small kiss. Nothing wrong with that. Resting his face against hers, he whispered, “It’ll be okay. We’ll work this out.”

A stifled shriek. “I knew it!”

Ladybug jerked back to stare at Alya and her camera. “Oh.”

Chat Noir was dismayed. “I told you to stay put! How’d you get down so fast?”

She smiled. “Stairs. The cat’s out of the bag. Do you have anything to say? Your adoring fans are waiting!”

Ladybug turned away. Chat Noir caught the look of panic in her eyes the moment her back was to her best friend. Sharing a look with Chat Noir, she ducked down so she could loop his arm across her shoulders. “We need to go,” she said, lifting him to his feet.

Grimacing, he held onto her as she tossed her yo-yo and lifted them away from prying eyes. 

Chapter Text

With his bandaged leg propped up on pillows, Adrien shook his head at Plagg as he milked attention from Tikki and complained about his own injury. “It’s barely a scratch.”

“It’s massive for my size!” Plagg complained. “I hate dogs. They should be banned.”

“It wasn’t the dogs’ fault,” Tikki scolded and buried herself in the cocoon of Marinette’s scarf they’d left on Adrien’s bed for her. “Any creature can fall prey to Hawk Moth’s akumas. Even us.”

Adrien blinked. “You can?”

“To the akuma, yes. To Hawk Moth himself, no,” Tikki clarified. “The same as our Miraculous. What you are protects you from being possessed but it doesn’t protect you from the akuma’s powers.”

“Nasty loophole,” Adrien mentioned and wondered why they’d never mentioned that before.

Plagg rolled on the bed in mock pain. “My leg. I couldn’t possibly move! Oh, the pain is horrendous. Tikki, I’m dying. Tell our children to stay away from the cheeses.”

“What, what?” Adrien blurted.

Marinette’s head snapped up and she dropped her phone on her lap. “You have children?”

“You’re being overdramatic again,” Tikki chided, her tail wiggling in irritation. “You’re almost healed. It’s poor Adrien that took the brunt of the attack. You should really be more concerned about him.”

“No, no,” Adrien said, waving his hands. “Go back. Children?”

“He’ll heal fast,” Plagg said. “He gets painkillers and a pretty girl to fuss over him and comfy pillows to prop himself up with. What do I get? A tired, grumpy bug and a distinct lack of cheese.”

“Hold up,” Adrien said. “Explain the children!”

“It’s not my fault winter drains us,” Tikki grumbled at Plagg.

Plagg grinned at her. “You’d be less drained if you’d remembered to change to the winter suit.”

Tikki’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

“You always forget,” Plagg said, his whiskers twitching with restrained laughter. “That’s why you have me to remind you.”

“We can change our suits?” Adrien asked.

With a grin, Plagg said, “We can. Winter and summer style. Yours was easy, it just needed an extra layer of fur. Ladybug’s needs a little bit extra.”

“It’ll drain me the next time we transform, Marinette. We should do one without an akuma attack.”

“Okay,” was Marinette’s distracted reply.

Adrien leant forward. “Can I get rid of the bell? Wait, fur?”

Plagg sighed dramatically. “What’s with all the questions? So many, I don’t know where to start. Or even if I have the strength too.”

Narrowing his eyes, Adrien spoke to Marinette, “You know, I think these two just love dropping nuggets of information then never explaining it. I’m not sure we should believe anything they say from now on.”

She didn’t answer. Instead she frowned at her phone.

“What’s wrong?”

She glanced up at him with a haunted look in her eyes. “Alya released the kiss.”

Stretching out his hand, he took hers to show solidarity. “We knew it would happen eventually.”

“Yeah, I know…”

Worried, he said, “I’m sorry. I know we were trying to be discreet, I didn’t mean to—”

She squeezed his hand. “No, it’s not your fault. It’s just…”

He prompted, “Just?”

She sighed and lowered the phone. “It’s… the picture’s not… It’s not flattering.”

He blinked. “Flattering? That probably means a different thing to you than it does to me.”

“There are some not very nice things being said.”

“About you? Or us?”

She dropped her eyes. “About you.”

Adrien nodded, unsurprised. “Come here,” he said and patted his chest.

Marinette slid over to him and rested her head over his heart and curled into his side.

Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her close. “I’m a bad luck kitty. There are always not nice things being said about me. They tolerate me, they idolise you and I’m fine with that.”

“I’m not. We’re partners, equals, it’s not right that—”

“People are always superstitious, plus my power destroys while yours creates. I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’m blamed for minor damage to monuments around the city that I haven’t even been near.”

Sliding her hand up his belly and chest, she put her fist beneath her chin to prop her head up. “Chat, that doesn’t excuse—”

He smiled at her and bopped her nose. “Your opinion is the only one which matters. You like me and that’s all I need.”

Her smile bloomed and she stretched out her other hand to run her fingers down his face. “I adore you.”

“And I adore you.” He took her hand so she could play with her fingers. “I’ve lived my life with under harsh critique, both as Chat and as myself. I know how to deal with it. Ignore the haters, Princess.”

She shook her head, determined. “I’ll fix this. We’ll make a statement or something.”

“Or you can initiate the next kiss.”

She smiled indulgently. “Oh really?”

“Yeah. We’d have to practice though, to get the right sort of kiss.”

“I see.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Wanna start now?”

Marinette lifted up, bracing her arms on either side of his chest.

A shrill ring prevented anything else. With a disgruntled look, Marinette sat up and grabbed her phone. Swallowing, Marinette lifted her head, allowed herself a deep breath and answered. “Hey Alya,” she said with false cheer. “Yeah, I saw it…” Sliding to the side of the bed, Marinette stood so she could pace.

Clasping his hands on his chest, Adrien watched Marinette as she talked.

“No I’m— she looked like she was crying, are you sure they want that kind of thing out there right now? I just thought that…. well, did you ask permission? That’s kind of personal…” Marinette closed her eyes and stopped walking. “No, of course I’m happy for you. It’s an exciting development. I just worry you could’ve been hurt— They can’t be everywhere, Alya.” She sighed and her shoulders jumped in defeat. “You’re right. It’s really great… No, I’m at Adrien’s.” A blush rose to her cheeks and she turned away from Adrien so he couldn’t see her face. “Alya! No, there are no deets… he got bitten by a dog and I’m here offering moral support.” She glanced at Adrien and winked. “He’s a big baby.”

Adrien laughed.

“She says she hopes you’re not hurt too bad,” Marinette told him, then returned her attention to her conversation. “Yeah, in the akuma attack, we were in the market… no, I didn’t see you either. Well, I don’t know, you’re the expert on Ladybug. Maybe it doesn’t always work…” Marinette’s voice turned scolding. “Yes, you absolutely should take better care of yourself if you’re going to get that close! Alya, right in the middle? ...” She listened for a while, nodding and making noises to show she listened. “Yeah… I’m sure they’ll understand, Alya. Yeah, okay, I’ll call you later. Bye.” Hanging up, she tossed the phone down the end of the bed and flopped back on his bed.

“Didn’t go so well?”

“Uggh,” Marinette said and covered her face with her hands. “I mean, she’s right. It’s great for her blog and she’s getting noticed. I want her to be happy.”

“She’s also putting herself in more and more danger,” Adrien cautioned.

Marinette nodded and rested her hands on her chest instead of her face. “She said she felt real bad. She didn’t even see you were still hurt when she took the photo. She got so excited she uploaded it straight away, she didn’t notice until reviewing the footage later and now she’s embarrassed. She sorta assumed the cure fixes everything, so why worry?”

Adrien reached down and brushed his hand against her hair. “It’s understandable. It’s breaking news.”

Marinette sighed. “They all assume the cure fixes everything. It’s not just her. And I can’t… I can’t do it all and I don’t know why.”

“Maybe we should consider telling her about us.”

Marinette sat up and spun to face him. “What?”

“That’s a bad idea,” Plagg cautioned, opening his eyes. He rolled over and floated off the bed.

“Is it?” Tikki asked from her cocoon of cloth. “There has always been an inner circle. Alya has been a good friend and—”

Plagg shook his head. “In this day, the technology available could be detrimental. If you tell Alya, she’s going to report it.”

“Or stop completely,” Adrien said. “If she knew it was us then—”

“That’d be suspicious too,” Plagg pointed out. “It’d make her a target.”

“She’s already a target,” Marinette said. “She’s been akumatised.”

Adrien scratched his chin. “Maybe we could offer exclusive interviews as long as she’d stop putting herself in danger.”

“That’d hurt her,” Marinette said. “She’s proud of the fact she’s doing this without help. If she finds out I’m Ladybug and that’s why she’s getting favouritism, she’ll hate me.”

“No, she won’t,” Adrien consoled.

“I’m not ready,” Marinette whispered. “I was barely ready to know about you. She’s my oldest friend. I’m… I can’t.”

He nodded. “Okay. We won’t tell her. What if we still do an interview though? Explain that people need to get out of the way, that the cure doesn’t always work. With the amount of people with bites today, I’m sure they’ll listen. We can clear the air.”

Marinette nodded. “Yeah. Good idea.”

Plagg’s head snapped toward the door, then he tackled Tikki and they disappeared behind the bed.

Marinette looked startled. “Wha—?”

Pressing fists into the mattress, Adrien sat up further. “Someone’s coming.”

The door opened and Gabriel stepped into the room. His brow creased at seeing Marinette, then his eyes went wide as he saw Adrien’s leg.  He crossed the room, coming to stand at the end of the bed. “Nathalie called. How bad is it?”

“Dog bite,” Adrien explained. “It’s not bad and the doctor’s already been.”

“What happened?”

Adrien gave him the story he and Marinette worked on. “Marinette and I were at the market plaza looking at some of the fabrics when it was attacked. One of those akuma things. A lot of dogs got loose and went on a rampage but Ladybug stopped them.”

“I was led to believe her magic fixed everything,” Gabriel said.

Marinette chimed in, “The news reported a lot of people suffered dog bites. No one’s sure why they weren’t all fixed.”

“I see. Perhaps she’s not as powerful as everyone believes.”

Marinette paled.

“It’s not Ladybug’s fault, Father,” Adrien said. “I’m certain she does her best at all times. And I’m fine, really.”

“Can you walk without a limp?”

“Well… no. Not yet.”

Gabriel nodded. “Nathalie will cancel your appointments until you can. I’ll also call a surgeon to see what can be done about scarring.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Adrien said.

“Marinette, please give me a moment alone with my son.”

Marinette looked surprised, but nodded. “I should be getting home anyway,” she said as she stood. Reaching down to the floor, she picked up her pink bag, then smiled at Adrien. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there,” Adrien said and watched her walk away with a smile on his face. As the door closed, Adrien looked back at his father and the smile died. “What’s wrong?”

“How serious is it between you and that young lady?”

Adrien’s head reared back. “What?”

“I don’t want you in your room alone with her.”

Adrien blinked several times as he tried to process what Gabriel had said. “What?”

“You’re a young man, there will be certain urges—”

“Oh my god.”

“Which may cause a loss of cognitive comprehension of consequences and—”

“Oh my god.”

It didn’t help that Gabriel stood tall and straight with his hands behind his back and kept a mild tone. He could’ve been discussing the weather. “While that’s acceptable and I’m certain Marinette is a lovely young lady, I don’t want your future corrupted by a moment of unbridled passion.”

“Oh. My. God. Stop! We are seriously not having this conversation.”

Gabriel blinked. “Yes, we are. You need to be aware that she may be using you to—”

Adrien held up his hands. “First of all, just so we’re clear; Marinette is not after my money. She insists on splitting the bill on everything. Second, we’re not even close to anything like what you’re suggesting.”

“They’re always after something,” Gabriel said. “If not money, she may be using you to further her career—”

“That is a really bleak outlook. She’s fifteen, father. There’s no career. Not yet. Besides, she has all these plans of her own, she’s never even asked for anything from me.”

“She readily accepted an offer to—”

“You offered,” Adrien snapped. “Of course she was going to accept. You wouldn’t have offered if she wasn’t worthy. Was the offer sincere or are you trying to bait my girlfriend?”

Gabriel didn’t answer. “So, it’s a school fling. Still, you need to take precautions—”

“It’s not anything!”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows.

Adrien blinked. “I mean, no, well, it’s something. I really like her, but we’ve never even discussed anything like what you’re suggesting.”

“Do you know how a condom works?” He reached into his pocket. “I’ll have Nathalie fetch us a banana.”

Adrien was completely mortified at that thought. If only he could Claws Out and scram. “Stop it! Mom taught me!”

Gabriel went completely still.

Adrien swallowed heavily. Using the ‘Mom’ card was always a hard play but he absolutely had to shut down this conversation. “Father—”

“She always was better at this sort of thing,” Gabriel said with a decisive nod. “Good.” With that, the man about faced and stalked from the room.

Adrien exchanged a glance with Plagg as the kwami awkwardly poked his head over the side of the bed. “What was that about?” Plagg asked. “What’s a condom? Is that a type of cheese?”

Adrien went red. If the conversation went over Plagg’s head, he wasn’t going to explain it. “Nothing.”

A grin spread on Plagg’s face. “Really, your father should know that condoms don’t go on bananas. Perhaps that’s how they ended up with you?”

Adrien made a grab for the laughing kwami. “You are so dead.”

Adrien arrived at school early the following day, so he could spend more time hobbling up the stairs without people asking questions about his injury. No one seemed the slightest bit interested, which relieved him. His classmates were all too caught up in discussing the latest development with Ladybug and Chat Noir.

He’d had a chance to go on the Ladyblog and look, seeing their small, comfort kiss in high definition. Ladybug looked distressed and Chat Noir’s hand was on her neck. Many people had misinterpreted the photo as Chat Noir coercing Ladybug into the kiss and that’s why she was crying. Adrien had to admit, the photo was suggestive but as there was no indication in that photo of his injury, there was little information for people to form judgements. So they made things up.

Alya released a second picture, with more information, showing Chat Noir had been injured and detailing how he’d been hurt protecting her but by that stage, people had already formed opinions. No wonder Marinette had been upset about the picture. Unflattering was an understatement. He should’ve been more understanding.

He heard Alya and her swarm coming long before she arrived at class. With everyone so excited about the first evidence of a kiss between their heroes, Alya was surrounded by people asking questions.  Marinette ducked in while Alya bid her fans goodbye at the door. Judging by the expression on Marinette’s face, she wasn’t happy.

Hurrying to his side, Marinette ducked her head and whispered, “She has Chat’s baton.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “What? But, that’s not possible—”

Marinette, as pale as moonlight, looked as bewildered as he was.

Reaching out, Adrien gripped Marinette’s hand seconds before Alya burst into the room and dragged Nino in with her. “Babe, that was insane,” Nino said, waving his arms around.

“Everyone’s interested in the kiss,” Alya said and smiled as she spotted Adrien at his seat. “Did you see?”

Adrien nodded. “I saw. Congrats on the picture, Alya.”

“First proof!” Nino said, his chest puffed out proudly. “Everyone’s hoping for an exclusive with Alya now, to find out how she got it.”

Alya shook her head in disbelief. “My phone’s been ringing off the hook. I mean, I feel bad now that I know Chat Noir’s hurt—”

“Oh, they’ll get over it. And that’s not all!” Nino said, leaning on the table. “Tell ‘im, babe.”

Alya rummaged around in her bag and pulled out the small, powered down baton. “It’s Chat Noir’s! He lost it in the fight and then didn’t pick it up after.”

Adrien feigned enthusiasm. “Wow, Alya, that’s really cool.”

She held it out to him. “Here, wanna see?”

“No, that’s—”

Nino grabbed it and attempted to spin the small baton like Chat Noir did. “It’s so cool. This is his actual weapon. I didn’t think they left anything behind.”

“Why would anyone want that alley cat’s little stick?” Chloé asked, flouncing into the room. Spoilt brat and class bully, Chloé had been Adrien’s only childhood friend. Now, that seemed like so long ago, in a naive time. With Chat Noir as her target, Adrien didn’t foresee a good outcome.  “I really don’t understand why any of you are excited about Alya’s photoshop job. It’s obvious Ladybug wasn’t into that kiss.” Placing her fingertips on her chest, Chloé turned her nose up. “He’s not even handsome. He probably bewitched Ladybug and forced her to kiss him.”

“It looks like she’s crying,” Sabrina mentioned.

“She was,” Alya said. “I was there. I released a second picture because Chat Noir was hurt—”

“Exactly. She’s crying ‘cause he’s forcing her,” Chloé interrupted.

“Read the rest of the story, Chloé,” Alya snapped. “I would never have released that photo had I known she was crying because he was hurt, not because the cure fixed it.”

Chloé brandished her phone with a picture of the kiss on the screen. “Pictures speak louder than words. You can retract it all you like, this is out there. He’s forcing himself on her.”

Marinette bristled. “Chat Noir is a hero. He saves Paris on a daily basis. He would never—”

Chloe tossed her head. “Chat Noir’s a dirty alley cat. Ladybug’s a hero, he’s the groupie. Ladybug doesn’t need him but he still keeps hanging around.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Chloe,” Alya snarled. “He protects Ladybug and everyone else. He puts his life on the line too.”

“Ladybug would be nothing without Chat Noir,” Marinette snapped. “They balance each other.”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “You’re a foolish fool. Bad luck doesn’t balance good luck. It hinders it. It changes it. Bad luck infects good luck. Bad luck is a virus and should be destroyed, not praised. My father says—”

Adrien pushed up from his seat, careful to keep his weight on one foot. “That’s not true. Without bad luck, there wouldn’t be any need for good luck. There wouldn’t be luck at all.”

“And black cats being bad luck is pure superstition,” Rose mentioned.

“Says the girl who thinks dreams matter,” Chloé sneered.

“Hey,” Juleka snapped. “Leave her alone.”

“Yeah,” Alix included. “Chloé, lay off. Ladybug’d kick Chat Noir’s ass if he tried shit on her.”

“Ladybug deserves better,” Chloé continued, undaunted. “I’m her friend and as her friend it’s my duty to tell everyone that Chat Noir is a bad kitty.”

Marinette’s hands clenched into fists. “You want to interpret body language so bad, why don’t you take a look at every picture you’ve forced Ladybug to take with you.”

Chloé scoffed. “Sounds like someone is jealous. Do you have a crush on Chat Noir?” Her eyes slid to Adrien’s in triumph. “Is Adrien not enough for you, Marinette? You have to go for Paris’ bad boy too?”

“Chloé, stop it,” Adrien said.

“Chat Noir is not a bad boy,” Marinette snarled and stamped her foot. “He’s kind and sweet and he cares about Ladybug.”

With a laugh, Chloé pointed. “She has! She’s got a crush on Chat Noir!” Her eyes slid to Adrien’s. “I told you she was fickle, but you didn’t listen to me.”

“Leave her alone,” Adrien snapped. “You’re being petty, Chloé.”

Chloé stalked across to Nino and grabbed the baton. Twirling, she threw it at Marinette. “Here. Take it back to your lover boy since you care for him so much.”

Adrien stepped to the side and snatched the baton out of the air before it could hit Marinette. His injured leg wasn’t ready to take his weight and he staggered with a grunt. Marinette’s hand went to the small of Adrien’s back to support him. Planting a hand on his desk to hold him up, he summoned his best scowl. “That’s enough, Chloé.”

Alya sucked in a startled gasp.

“Me?” Chloé shrilled and pointed at Marinette again. “What about her?”

“I won’t have you speaking to her like that.”

Chloé’s head reared back in surprise. “Adrien…”

Nino blurted, “Dude, your hand.”

Adrien glanced down. The baton was dissolving into smoke and he dropped it in surprise. It vanished before it hit the ground. “Oh.”

Alya’s eyes bugged wide and she made a gurgling sound which was lost beneath the rest of the classes reactions to the vanishing baton.  

“I’m sorry, Alya,” Adrien said and shook his tingling hand.  He hadn’t expected that but it made sense. It was keyed to him, to his transformation, and he wasn’t transformed. Of course it would go if he touched it. “I don’t know what happened.”

“How could you pick her over me?” Chloé wailed, her eyes welling with tears. “I’m your oldest friend.”

“But you’re no longer my only friend,” Adrien pointed out.  

Chloé's expression went hard. “You’re going to regret that.” She tossed her head and stalked to her chair to sit in it with a harrumph. Sabrina followed her with a confused expression.

Sighing, Adrien turned toward Marinette to brush his hand down her arm and noticed a rigid form out of the corner of his eye.

Alya stared at him, her stance stiff, her hands clenched into fists and her face awash with horror. Adrien watched as Alya’s eyes dropped to his leg, then back up, the only movement she made. When her eyes darted to Marinette, her expression turned devastated. Her face hardening, she shot Adrien a furious look.

Adrien’s brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she glaring at him like she was going to kick his ass?

“Alright everyone,” Miss Bustier said, walking into the room. “Take your seats.”

Chapter Text

Class was the most intense lesson Adrien had ever endured. He could feel Alya’s gaze on the back of his neck. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but the daggers directed toward him didn’t bode well. Every time he turned around to talk to Marinette, the look Alya gave him could’ve flayed his skin to the bone.

By the end of the lesson he could feel the cold sweat trickling down his spine. He didn’t dare move in case she felt compelled to stab him in the back with her pen. He didn’t understand why she looked like she wanted to kill him, but he was certain he would find out.

The moment Miss Bustier gave them leave for lunch, Alya pounced on him. “Just borrowing Adrien,” she said and dragged him from the room. “We’ll be back.”

Adrien limp-hopped after her, casting Marinette a wild ‘save me’ look. “Alya, hold up,” he said, struggling to keep up. His aching leg couldn’t handle the fast pace she walked.

“No,” she snarled at him and he was taken aback by the ferocity in her face. Her grip on his arm begun to hurt.  “You lying, cheating asshole.”

His heart ended up in his toes. “What?”

She dragged him to an empty class room and tossed him into the room. Slamming the door behind her, she blurted, “You’re Chat Noir!”

He skidded on the floor, then spun to face her. “What?”

“Oh, don’t deny it,” she snapped, stabbing him in the chest with a finger. “The dog bite. The baton disappearing. That—” she lowered her voice to mimic his. “‘That’s enough, Alya’.” Her natural voice returned to shrill, “It’s you! I know it is.”

He tried not to cringe. “I—”

“I knew something was up with you! I even photoshopped you in a cat-suit for Marinette once!”

That was a surprise. “What—?”

Alya waved her hands at him in outrage. “How could you do this to her?”

“I don’t—”

“Marinette is head over heels for you and you’re cheating on her! With Ladybug!”

He blinked. That’s why Alya stared daggers at him? She’d figured out he was Chat Noir, but not that Marinette was Ladybug. It explained so much. “Alya—”

Folding her arms on her chest, she tapped her foot. “Or is it you’re cheating on Ladybug with Marinette?”

“No, I—”

“Deny it,” Alya said and stalked up to him. She stopped with her face inches from his. “Go on. I dare you.”

He had to try, for Marinette’s sake. “I’m not Chat Noir.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” she snapped. “I’m a journalist. I’m good at deductive reasoning. Do not lie to me.”

He shook his head.  “You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“Oh, no,” she said and, with a hand planted on her hip, sassily waved her index finger at him. “Don’t give me that. The cat’s out of the bag, Chat Noir. And I will hound you ‘til the end of my days to get my proof even if I have to reveal you to everyone to get it.”

He opened his mouth. Then closed it. He was stuck. There wasn’t any way out of this bind. He’d have to go with it until he could talk to Marinette and hope that Alya didn’t blow his cover. His shoulders slumping, he rubbed the back of his neck. “What do you want me to say?”

At the admission, she bared her teeth and balled her hands into fists. “You complete bastard. I can’t believe you! How could you do this to Marinette?”

He kept his mouth closed. Marinette didn’t want Alya to know. He couldn’t betray her secret. If that meant he had to take the fall until she was ready, he would.

“You have to tell Marinette,” Alya scolded. “Right now. If you don’t, I will.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

“You’re going to have to!” she snapped. “You can’t string Marinette along like this! It’s not fair.”

“Tell me what?” Marinette asked, closing the door to the room behind her.

Alya blanched. She turned and took a step back from Adrien. “Marinette.”

With a wary glance at Alya, Adrien locked eyes with Marinette and gave her an apologetic look.

“Girl,” Alya said and grabbed the front of Adrien’s shirt to drag him forward. “I’m so sorry, but Adrien has something to tell you.” Folding her arms on her chest, she glared at him and tapped her foot.

Adrien took a step to the side so he wasn’t within swiping distance of Alya. Steadying himself on his good leg, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly and hoped he could still salvage something for her. “I might’ve accidentally kissed Ladybug yesterday.”

“Accidentally?” Alya shrilled. “I was there! There was nothing accidental about it!”

He pressed on. “It was a spur of the moment thing. I was hurt and—”

“Oh, Chat,” Marinette said, smiling at him with a soft expression.

He returned her smile with a sad one of his own. She’d called him Chat, so he knew what that meant. He regretted the pain he was about to cause. “Let me take this.”

“You’re always trying to protect me. It’s okay.”

“It’s okay? How could it possibly be okay?” Alya hesitated and pointed a wavering finger at Marinette. “You called him Chat. You knew.” She took a step toward Marinette. “Wait, is he the alley cat you said was hanging around?”

Marinette, her eyes still on Adrien, nodded.

Alya stared at her. “And you’re okay with him kissing someone else?”

Marinette flicked her eyes to Alya. “You know I love you, Alya,” she said. “But there’s something we need to discuss.”

Alya took a step back. Her gaze darted from Marinette, to Adrien, to Adrien’s leg and back to Marinette. A loop she completed several times. “You’re Ladybug.”

Marinette put her hands behind her back.  “I am.”

Alya’s voice cracked with betrayal. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I couldn’t. When it first happened, I didn’t know what—”

Alya’s hand sliced through the air, a chopping motion to halt Marinette’s words. “Girl, I have had your back since we were four years old. We’ve always been able to tell each other everything. But this? This? You couldn’t trust me?”

“You were so excited about the Ladyblog!” Marinette said. “I couldn’t take that away—”

“I idolised you. The things I reported on and— I would never have posted if I’d known! I put you in so much danger!” She pointed with a shaky hand. “It’s my fault he’s hurt!”

Marinette looked stricken. She held both her hands out, patting the air like she could batter away Alya’s words. “No, it’s not—”

“Why didn’t you tell me?! I would never have gotten close had I known the cure doesn’t always work!”

“We couldn’t—”

Alya clutched at her head. “I was so close to figuring you out, so many times and you kept stopping me! The history book. The photograph. The interviews! I didn’t see it. I didn’t see this coming! Some journalist I am.”

“Alya, please,” Marinette said, trotting forward. “Let me explain—”

Alya held up her hand. “Don’t. Don’t you dare. We’re done. I’m out.” With that, she stalked past Marinette and out of the room.

Marinette looked at Adrien in dismay. “Adrien—”

“Go after her,” Adrien prompted.

She turned and bolted.

“That didn’t go well,” Plagg murmured from his cosy place in Adrien’s pocket.

“Does it ever?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

“No. S’why I say don’t do it. Sure, eventually some of them do come around, but… it never ends well. The only people who can truly understand are other Miraculous holders. You’ve never needed more than each other.”

“Tikki said—”

“Tikki’s more positive than I am. We’re bad luck. That’s not going to change.”

Adrien thought about Nino. He’d always imagined one day he’d be able to tell his close friends about his life as Chat Noir. He’d respected Ladybug’s wish for privacy right from the beginning, but now he knew who she was, he’d thought maybe… someday. Tikki’s suggestion of an inner circle had been thrilling. Yes, it might make his friends a target but he believed the benefits outweighed the losses. Imagine having someone to cover for him. Someone willing to listen or get excited over battles. Someone who worried until they returned. Someone who could be trusted.

The thought that it would always just be him and Marinette made him sad. “That’s… no life, Plagg.”

“It never is, kid.”

With a sigh, Adrien returned to their classroom to get his bag.

Marinette returned to school after lunch, a little worse for wear and chilled to the bone. Alya did not.

As Marinette sat in her chair, rubbing her hands together and blowing on them to warm up, and Adrien wished he could do that for her, Nino turned to Adrien. “Where’d you and Alya run off to?”

“She… ah… wanted to ask about the baton and what it felt like when it disintegrated.”

“So… where is she now?”

“I don’t know,” Adrien said, extending his injured leg straight out ahead of him.

“She wasn’t feeling well,” Marinette said, her voice husky and Adrien suspected she’d been crying. He wished he’d been able to get to her before going back into class to make sure she was alright. He thought she’d timed her arrival so she wouldn’t have to talk to him and that stung.

Nino’s eyes narrowed at them, but whatever he thought cleared quickly as he grinned. “How’s the leg?”

“Itchy.”

“How big was the Chihuahua?”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “It wasn’t a Chihuahua,” he complained. “It was a big dog with huge teeth and—”

“An itty bitty puppy tried to nibble on your ankle.”

“No way. If you saw the size of the holes in my leg—”

Marinette whimpered; an inaudible sound to most but Adrien heard it clearly. Marinette put her elbows on her the table and positioned her hands  so her fingers shielded her face without cover it and made it less obvious she hid. 

He extended his hand back and rested it on her table without breaking his conversation with Nino. “—you’d know that it wasn’t an itty bitty puppy. This is a war wound.”

“You going to have Chihuahua scars on your leg, dude. It’ll be a story for your grandchildren.”

Marinette’s fingertips brushed his as she straightened and picked up her pen.

Adrien rolled his eyes at Nino. “My father’s already talking surgery to cover it.”

“Can’t scar that pretty-pretty flesh. Your career is ruined.”

“You like my pretty-pretty flesh, huh, Nino?”

Nino shoved him. “Ass. Are you free after school? Alya and I were gonna hit the arcade, so I need a partner if she’s sick.”

“Can’t,” Adrien said. “Marinette and I are doing homework together.”

Nino sighed dramatically. “Goodie two-shoes. What am I supposed to do now?”

“You could always go and see if Alya’s okay,” Adrien suggested.

Miss Bustier tapped her pen against their table to command their attention while she continued with her lecture.

Since they started dating, Adrien always tried to schedule one afternoon a week to spend with Marinette as himself. He never bothered scheduling the Chat Noir’s night time visits, it was far more satisfactory to just drop in on her when he felt the need. But Adrien had a schedule with every moment accounted for and if he didn’t fill it, Nathalie would.

As much as he resented the fact he had to slot her in, Marinette didn’t seem to mind. On any other day, she’d be skipping around him, talking a mile a minute. They’d go to her house and help out in the bakery for a while and talk to her parents before going to her room to ‘study’. Sometimes, there would be actual study. Sometimes, he’d put his head on her lap while she knitted or sewed and get pats while they talked. Sometimes he’d stay for dinner. Sometimes they’d challenge Tom to a Mario Kart tournament. Sometimes Sabine would teach him how to bake and they’d have long discussions in Chinese while Marinette tried to follow.

Whenever he left, he always felt warm and happy. This was family. This was what he missed. This was what his father couldn’t give. Marinette’s family accepted him so readily and although there were rules, he was welcome in their home. A cherished, hard to come by feeling for him.

Today, Marinette was subdued. She held his hand, staying close by his side as they walked instead of bouncing around. He didn’t think her closeness was because of his leg.

“She’ll come around,” he murmured.

“She wouldn’t even open her bedroom door.”

“We could both go and talk to her,” he suggested. “Transformed.”

She shook her head. “I need to let her work through this. Normally, she rants for ages before she’s ready to listen. But this… this is… bad. She’s embarrassed and hurt and… dealing with so much backlash for releasing the photo. She thought it would be good and it hasn’t been.” She let out a sigh. “I’ll fix it. Somehow.”

He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead. “Princess, it’ll be okay. Let me know what I can do.”

She stopped walking and turned to him. Hooking her arms under his shoulders, Marinette lifted up on her toes so she could bury her face in his neck. “Silly Chat, trying to take the blame.”

Squeezing her, he murmured. “It’s a fatal flaw of mine. You weren’t ready.”

She pressed her lips to his cheek and stepped back to take his hand again. “Come on. I didn’t get home for lunch and I’m hungry.”

Sabine flicked her eyes from her customer as the bell to the shop tinkled. Smiling, she said, “Hello dears, nice day?” Without waiting for an answer, Sabine continued, “Marinette, could you give your father a hand for ten minutes? He’s finalising an order.”

Marinette released his hand. “Sure.”

“Do you need help serving?” Adrien asked, looking at the line.

“That would be amazing,” Sabine said.

Leaving his bag behind the counter, Adrien grabbed an apron with the bakery logo on it and signalled the next customer in line. “Welcome, what can I get for you?”

Customers occupied Sabine and Adrien for the next twenty minutes as they worked around each other. In the quieter moments, Sabine explained there’d been a mix-up in the orders this morning and Tom had to rush on some cupcakes, which put everything else he needed to get done behind.

When the queue dipped into a proper lull, the frenzied rush over, Adrien went into the back to find Marinette sitting on a stool before a large table, frosting cupcakes while Tom packed them into white boxes. There were two metallic bowls beside her, filled with white, fluffy frosting.

“Adrien!” Tom greeted, straightening from his hunch over boxes. “Good! I’m glad you’re here. You can referee.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “Okay?”

“Papa challenged me to a cupcake duel,” Marinette said, and waved at the un-frosted cupcakes lined up on the table. “We have to do all these.”

Adrien nodded. “And the best way to do that is to race.”

“Whoever does the most, wins!” Tom declared.

“He won’t tell me what I’ll win,” Marinette said with a smile.

“Are you so sure of yourself, little miss?” Tom teased and pounded on his chest. “I am the master baker!” He gestured for Marinette to stand, and took the stool out from beneath her when she did. “Here,” Tom said, planting the stool at the end of the table. “Sit, rest that leg and referee for us.”

Adrien sat. He watched as Marinette and Tom scooped as much frosting as they could into bags and positioned themselves on either side of the table. “Ready?”

“You’re so going down,” Tom said, bending over the cupcakes with his frosting bag ready.

“Not going to happen,” Marinette replied.

Sabine made a tsking noise from the door as she leant against it to watch.  “Just remember; the customer needs these,” Sabine called. “I don’t want frosting all over the floor, the cupcakes or each other when you’re done.”

“We’ll be good,” Tom called.

“Set… Go!”

 Marinette and her father attacked the cupcakes, swirling a neat dab of frosting onto each one. They had three rows of cupcakes each and it was clear they were both good. Travelling up each column in lightning quick movements, they dolloped each cake before moving to the next one.

Tom grinned and had a teasing look on his face, while Marinette’s tongue poked out in concentration. It was clear Tom matched Marinette’s speed so she didn’t get discouraged if he surged ahead of him. Tom kept it a tight race, with no clear leader.

“You’re slowing down, old man,” Marinette taunted half-way through.

“Au contraire, daughter-mine. This is but a peaceful meander for me.”

“Those are fighting words,” Adrien said. “Come on, Marinette, you can do it!”

“Hey,” Tom said, thrusting a finger at Adrien. “You’re supposed to be impartial.”

Marinette increased her speed, pulling away and Tom made a huge, dramatic show of how he needed to speed up to catch her.

“Done!” Marinette said, scant seconds before Tom finished. “I win!”

Tom squirted her in the face with the frosting. Marinette shrieked and spluttered, moving away from the finished cupcakes. “Papa!”

“That’s your prize,” he said, smug.

Sabine rushed into the room, grabbing several empty cupcake boxes. “Adrien, quick,” she said and shoved a box at him. “Help me!”

“Oh, you’re gonna get it,” Marinette leapt on her father’s back and squirted her bag of frosting down his shirt. He mock roared, shook his shoulders and made a grab for her. Frosting ended up in Tom’s hair and up the front of Marinette’s shirt. “Told you!”

Tom hooked an arm behind him and grabbed Marinette, pulling her down onto the floor. She squealed and squirmed as she received a face full of frosting.

Behind the wrestling pair, Sabine boxed cupcakes as fast as she could and Adrien limped over to help. “I can’t stop them when they get like this,” she told him as she worked. “All I can do it is make sure they don’t damage the product.”

“How often do they do this?” Adrien asked, hurrying as fast as he could to pack the cupcakes up.

Marinette scooped a handful of frosting away from her face and thrust it at Tom’s face, rubbing it into his hair.

“Too often,” Sabine said. “Move it away, Tom!”

Without even pausing, Tom rolled Marinette away from the table and Marinette ended up sprawled on Tom’s chest. “I got you now!” she said and tried to pin his arms. She could barely stretch her arms long enough to get Tom’s to the floor, let alone pin them.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Tom replied, laughing. Snagging free one of his arms, he grabbed her by the waist and rolled her. “Tickle attack!”

Marinette squealed. Sabine playfully rolled her eyes. “You two,” she said, shaking her head at them. “Enough.”

Tom looked up and wiped his finger across his moustache. “Sabby,” he said in a sing song tone and crawled away from his daughter.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Sabine said and held her hands up to ward him away.

Marinette turned her head and grinned at Adrien, who widened his eyes in response to the playful kitten look in her eyes. She licked her lips and he froze, eyes wide. How did she manage to make such a simple action seem so sexy?

Tom scooped Sabine up, carrying her away from the clean cupcakes and nuzzled her and spreading frosting. “Tom!” she complained, laughing.

Adrien turned to catch Marinette as she pounced and he felt his leg buckle. They tumbled to the floor with a thump with Marinette on top of him. “Oh!” she blurted and her cheeks went pink. “Are you alright?”

Laughing, he lifted his head and licked her frosting coated cheek. “M’fine.”

She ran her fingers down her face and licked them. “Yum.” Scooping up some more, she offered her fingers to Adrien. Obedient, he opened his mouth to receive the goodness and she bopped him on the nose with frosting instead of feeding him.

“Alright, you two,” Sabine said, interrupting them. She grabbed a small box from the counter and placed two cupcakes in them, as well as some cheese bread and a few cookies. “Snacks. Clean yourself up and off you go.”

Marinette scrambled from Adrien and offered him her hand. Pulling him to his feet, she beamed at her mother.  “Thank you!”

Tom and Sabine’s only stipulation for Adrien being in Marinette’s room was for them to keep the attic door open. With Plagg’s sensitive ears, they would be alerted when her parents decided to check up on them, so Adrien knew any discussions of the superhero variety would be safe.

Marinette needed more time to clean up than Adrien did since her clothes were covered in frosting, so he waited in her bedroom while she changed her clothes.

“Is it just me, or is it getting colder and colder in your room?” Adrien asked when she returned from the bathroom.

“It’s getting colder,” Marinette said and cast a concerned look at her heater. “But look!” She crossed to her desk and pulled out a large, folded blanket. Spreading out her arms, she held it up. “I finished it!”

Grinning, he walked to her and ran his fingers over the knitting. “That looks amazing!”

Marinette had spent all her free time in the weeks before winter knitting. Long rectangle splashes of bright colour, arranged in strips around a central, pink square, the blanket was big enough for two and would keep her warm at night. She’d also knitted a long, rainbow scarf for Tikki to turn into a nest to keep warm, as well as made both kwami a set of their own winter woollies. Tikki wore hers all the time now, layering clothing to keep her warm and Marinette kept a heated pack in her bag for the kwami to sleep on.

Marinette told him Tikki was sleeping up to eighteen hours a day now and it was increasingly hard to wake the little bug up. Even Plagg had taken to sleeping more, curling up beside Tikki in Marinette’s bag while they were at school.

“It’ll be snowing soon,” Adrien said.

Marinette lowered the blanket. “I know. This year I’m glad I’ll have you. Last year,” she sighed. “I didn’t really understand what was going on, but Hawk Moth wasn’t as active in the winter months.”

“He’s found a way to be active,” Adrien said.

“And so have I. Lots of clothing and hot water bottles and a snuggly kitty. Bliss.”

Adrien smiled at her.

“Right now, I’m more worried about Alya than I am about the snow.” She sighed and lost the good mood. “I’ll keep trying to call her.”

He nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “She’ll come around.”

“I keep trying to think what I could have done differently. If there was a way I could’ve explained which would salvage things.”

He reached for her chin to lift her face up and edged closer to her. “We’ll work through this.”

She blinked back tears as she smiled, then brightened and changed the subject. “Oh, the winter suit Tikki made is brilliant! It’s so warm, it’ll definitely stop the premature de-transformations.”

“I meant to ask you about it. Is it any different?”

She nodded. “It’s thicker, with black calf boots and gloves. There’s a fur lining around my wrists and knees, which… actually looks like Plagg fur.”

His lip curled. “Ew.”

“Well, isn’t that what yours has?”

“I try not to think about it.”

“I have earmuffs and a nifty neck wrap which can be turned into a hood, which I am totally going to make a copy for everyday wear. There’s an extra layer of vest too, but you can’t really tell because of all the red and spots.” She giggled. “Stylish, I am not.”

“Being warm is a small price to pay.”

“There’s not much I can do with it, really. It needs to be functional. Extra bits really limit performance or get caught in my yo-yo. Poor Tikki was so exhausted after changing the suit, but now I know about it, we can change much earlier next year.”

“Good.”

“Plus, I found a way to wake Tikki up.” She draped her blanket on her chair and grabbed the box from her mother. Reaching in, she pulled out two cookies and cleared her throat. “Tikki, cookies!”

After a moment or two, the kwami’s head popped out of Marinette’s bag. With a yawn, the little bundle of bug and wool floated up into the air, rubbing her eyes. “Cookies?”

“Just for you, my sweets,” she said and held them out. “And cheese bread for Plagg.”

Plagg zipped out of Marinette’s bag and dive-bombed the bread. “You are a gem.”

Giggling, Marinette looked at Adrien and handed him a cupcake. “We should get some work done while we can,” she suggested.

Placing the cupcake on Marinette’s desk, he took her by the hips and pulled her to him. “I have another way to keep us warm,” he suggested and dipped his head down to hers.

Next day proved to be a day of firsts. First snow on the last day of November. Fluffy, white, cold and wet which sent most of their classmates into a giddy spin because it hailed the beginning of the Christmas season. The snow itself didn’t last long before it turned it turned into mush, but no one really cared.

It also marked the first time Alya didn’t sit with Marinette; instead she took Adrien’s seat and sat beside Nino. And the first time Marinette succumbed to her ladybug tendencies and fell asleep in the middle of class.

Chapter Text

When Adrien glanced over, Marinette attentively listened to Miss Bustier and chewed on the end of her pen, the next time he glanced -which couldn’t have been more than a minute later- she sat slumped in her chair with her eyes closed.

Adrien flashed a look at Miss Bustier. She continued to read aloud from her book and meander about at the front of the class.

“Marinette,” Adrien whispered and reached across the gap between them to touch her on the wrist. If he could wake her up before people noticed, she wouldn’t be embarrassed.

Her hand slid off the table to dangle against her side. Her pen slid from limp fingers and clattered to the ground where it skittered across the floor.

Miss Bustier looked up at the noise. Spotting them, she frowned. “Marinette? Is something wrong?”

Marinette tilted, her body falling sideways and Adrien surged from his seat to catch her. “Marinette!” Holding her up by her shoulders, he gave her a small shake to see if he could wake her.

His classmates talked among themselves and he heard several of them call out to see if she was okay. While grateful for their concern, Adrien only had eyes for Marinette.

Marinette opened her eyes, but Adrien could tell she wasn’t there. No spark or reaction from her at all, other than to blink blearily at nothing. This is what she meant. His heart clenched with worry. What could he do to bring her back to him?

“Marinette, are you alright?” Miss Bustier asked, concerned.

Marinette resembled a sloth in her slow, unseeing blink toward their teacher.

“Marinette?” Adrien asked and turned her toward him.

She lolled her head, her glazed eyes rolling toward him, but she still didn’t react. Didn’t register. She didn’t even see him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alya turn around to regard Marinette with a frown, the first time she’d looked at them today.

Miss Bustier leant one hand on Marinette’s desk as she peered at Marinette’s face, the clicked her fingers in front of her eyes. No reaction. Leaning back, Miss Bustier addressed the class, “Does anyone know if Marinette has a history of epilepsy?”

“She’s probably faking it for attention,” Chloé muttered.

“She doesn’t do that,” Alya snapped.

“Hmm… Adrien, why don’t you escort Marinette to the nurse?”

A nurse wouldn’t be able to help her but Adrien stood. He tried to coax Marinette to stand, but her legs wouldn’t take her weight and she slumped against him. Reaching down, he grabbed her bag so he had Tikki and saw the flash of black dart inside it. Then he scooped Marinette into his arms. He might hurt his leg carrying like this, but she was light and small.

She flailed away, squealing in surprise and Adrien almost dropped her. She gripped his shoulders, pushing as far away from him as she could before she noticed him. Freezing, she blurted, “Adrien?”

His smile was both tender and relieved. “Hello.”

“See. Told you,” Chloé said, huffy. “Drama queen.”

Marinette glanced around, taking in what was going on, then her face went red and her voice cracked as she spoke. “Oh. God. It’s started.”

Placing her back on the ground carefully, he asked. “Are you okay?”

She stepped away from him. “Miss Bustier, I’m so sorry!” she blurted, bobbing down into a bow toward her teacher. “I didn’t sleep very well last night and it’s been so cold, I haven’t been able to get warm and it’s so nice in here and—”

Miss Bustier raised her eyebrows. “Are you alright now?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“Alright. Take your seat.”

Marinette scrambled back into her place and sat straight in her chair with her hands clasped ahead of her. Adrien kept a wary eye on her as he returned to his seat. Her cheeks flamed and remained that way for some time. Realising his attention was on her and not the class, she glanced at him and whispered, “I’m okay,” in Chinese.

He turned toward the teacher. “Your accent is lousy.”

The redness in her face was no longer from embarrassment, now it was coupled with fury. He winked at her to show he’d been messing with her. She narrowed her eyes, then scrunched up her face at him. He reached over and flicked her pigtail with his pen. Resting his chin on his hand, he made a point of annoying her every few minutes, either poking her with his hand, foot or pen, or tweaking her hair. As much as she didn’t appear to appreciate it, she didn’t ask him to stop either.

The bell rang for lunch and Alya charged from the room before Marinette had finished packing up her bag and putting on her winter coat. Exchanging a glance with her, Adrien jerked his head to indicate she should follow.

“Are Marinette and Alya fighting?” Nino asked as they fell into step to exit the room.

Adrien slipped his arms into his blue parka. “Yeah.”

“Huh,” Nino grunted with a surprised look. “That’s a first.”

Adrien nodded and fumbled the zipper. “For them too, I think.”

“Alya didn’t mention anything,” Nino said with a frown and Adrien could see his mind ticking. “Do you know what it’s about?”

“Well—”

Nino pulled up short and glared at Adrien. “It’s not about that stupid photo, is it? Alya’s getting enough shit from everywhere for it, she doesn’t need—”

“Nino—”

“—her best friend hassling her too! Marinette’s supposed to be on Alya’s side!”

“It’s not the photo!” Adrien frowned. “C’mon. They’re not like that.” He sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face, then lifted the hood to cover his head. “Look, I’ll see you later, okay? I gotta thing—”

“Yeah. Sure.” Nino didn’t look impressed as he pulled out his phone and Adrien hoped the friction between Marinette and Alya wouldn’t cause conflict between him and Nino.

Marinette waited on the snow-swept stairs, her shoulders slumped in dejection as she stared out into the slush. It hadn’t snowed enough to last long and most of the snow was now dirty and muddy. “She wouldn’t even talk to me.”

He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Princess—”

She scrubbed at her eyes and he watched her lips tremble. “I’ll see you soon, okay?” She brushed past him and hurried toward her home.

“We’re following her, aren’t we?” Plagg whispered from beneath Adrien’s hood.

“Yup,” he said and pulled out his cell to message his driver not to pick him up.

Chat Noir haunted the rooftops a few minutes later. He was on a mission and he didn’t want to be seen. Black against dirty snow was still easy to spot and with all the attention Chat Noir and Ladybug had gotten, he didn’t want to add to that.

Sliding through the trap door, he dropped deftly onto Marinette’s bed, his feet either side of her body although most of his weight was on his good leg.  Snuggled beneath her rainbow knitted blanket, she hugged a pillow to her chest and even with her hastily wiped cheeks, he knew. Glancing at her floor, he saw the attic door closed, so he’d have some warning if someone came.

She couldn’t look at him. “Chat, please, I need—”

“I’m not here,” he whispered and hunkered down to rub his head against her shoulder. “I’m just a great big kitty to snuggle and purr.” He turned his back to her and flopped sideways, curling up above the covers.

Wriggling a bit, he settled down, closed his eyes and let his purr rumble. He didn’t move as he let the sound fill the space between them and waited.

In the quiet of her room, Chat Noir could hear the tinkle of the bell in the shop below and the murmuring of customers as they ordered. He could hear the clock in the kitchen ticking. He could hear Marinette’s neighbour making coffee in a pot. The heater in their house below hummed, but Marinette’s room felt like ice.

Marinette sniffled and Chat Noir purred over the top of the noise.

She moved toward him all at once, discarding the pillow she hugged and substituting him instead. Her forehead pressed against the space between his shoulder blades and her arm slid under his to clutch across his chest. Tucking her knees in behind his, she held on. Resting his hand over the top of hers, he stroked her fingers and used the purr to comfort her while he waited for her to compose herself.

Eventually, she rubbed her face against his back. “She took her blog down,” she said, her voice thick and husky. “All that hard work and it’s gone. Because of me.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“She won’t talk to me, Chat,” she whispered. “I can’t…”

“I know.”

“How do I make things right?”

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “We give her time. Space. Whatever she needs. She’s a journalist. Questions will be burning in her mind and eventually she’ll want answer. We’ll be ready when she comes to ask.”

“I don’t want to wait that long. I want her back. She’s a part of me. I don’t want to be alone.”

He didn’t need to tell her she’d never be alone, because he knew what she meant. Alya and Marinette were interwoven, a bond so strong, it must be devastating for them to fight. “I know.”

She lifted her hand and tugged his shoulder. “Can you roll over? I want to listen to you purr.”

“Absolutely,” he said and did what she asked. Rolling onto his back, he lifted his arms and waited until she curled up with her head on his chest before he lowered them around her. She snuggled against him, her eyes leaking tears and listened to the rumbling music his purr and heartbeat made, an answered song from a bug who thrummed like insect wings.

She made a contented little chirp and wiped her face. “Do you want to get under the covers?”

“Love to,” he replied and stroked his hand through her hair. “But a quick getaway might be needed, so I’ll stay out.”

“Aww. You’re so warm.”

“Sorry, Princess.” Thinking about her offer  to get under the covers reminded him and he cleared his throat. “Hey. Um. Wanna hear something funny?”

“Sure.”

“So. Um. You know when my dad asked you to leave?”

“Mmmhmm…” Her thumb tapped against his chest. “Why is your heartbeat jumping? I thought you said it was funny.”

“It is. Kinda. And… really awkward.”

Marinette lifted her head. “Oh my god. He did the dad thing, didn’t he?”

“If by ‘the dad thing’ you mean, offered to show me how to use a condom, then yes. He did the dad thing.”

Marinette went bright red. “What did you do?”

“Flailed around a bit, completely embarrassed and eventually played the ‘mom did it already’ card.”

She went redder by the second. “So, he thinks we’re… um…”

“Oh god,” Chat Noir cleared his throat again. “I hope not. I told him we weren’t.”

“You told him?” she shrilled.

“Isn’t that better than telling him we were?”

She covered her face with her hands. “Oh. God.”

“He was being overprotective again, but trying, you know? But… I was thinking. Maybe—” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat a third time, hating how nervous this made him feel. “We should… you know… discuss it?”

“I’m not ready.”

“Well, me either.”

She rested her head back on his chest. “Okay, discussion over.”

He blinked. “Really?”

Marinette said nothing.

He felt disappointed and he wasn’t sure why. “Oh.”

She tilted her head back so she could see him without lifting up and the back of her head used his bicep as a pillow. “Is… that the kind of thing you think about?”

“Well… sometimes, I guess,” he admitted. “I mean, we’re lying in your bedroom in the middle of the day. I’ve been in your room at night. We’ve done some pretty intimate things together.”

Marinette snorted.

“What?”

“We’re still on first base and you want to talk about sex.”

Chat Noir frowned. “I really don’t understand the baseball reference.”

“I have squishy bits you’re supposed to be interested in before we get to a discussion about sex.”

He tilted his head and crammed his chin against his neck so he could see her face. “You think I’m not interested in your ‘squishy bits’?”

“You haven’t even tried to... Alya said Nino…” She trailed off and blinked tears away.

He blinked. “Do you want me to?”

She dropped her eyes.

“I… feel I take a lot of liberties with being petted,” he said. “I’ve had my ear on your chest. I’ve touched your butt.”

“It’s not the same.”

“I didn’t want to rush you.”

She smiled. “You are a very smoochy kitty,” she said, affection lacing her tone and reached up to scratch his ear. Chat Noir closed his eyes, pressed his head against her hand and mewed.

“Marinette!” Sabine called. “Lunch is ready!”

Marinette sighed and Chat Noir wriggled away. Leaning in to kiss her, he murmured, “I’ll see you back at school.”

“Thanks for coming,” she told him as he vaulted back out through her trap door.

Dropping back to the ground, Chat Noir found a secluded corner to release his transformation. Cupping his hand beneath the falling Plagg, Adrien said, “Let’s find a café and grab something warm to eat.” 

The closest café to the school had a special on stew, so Adrien ordered a bowl and some bread and sat at a window table. Unwrapping some of his stock of cheese for Plagg, he made sure the kwami was warm before he took out his physics book to do some work while he ate.

Nathalie called as his food arrived. “You didn’t come home for lunch.”

“Doing some schoolwork with friends,” he lied, knowing Nathalie called to check up on him.

“I see. The Mayor’s Christmas party invites arrived and your father would like to know if Marinette would like to attend as your date this year.”

Adrien sat back on his chair in surprise. “I’m sure she’d love to. I’ll ask her and let you know. Is there any chance we could get two more invites?”

Nathalie hummed at him. “For Nino and…?”

“Alya,” Adrien supplied. Hopefully, by the time the Christmas party came, the girls would have patched things up. If they hadn’t, maybe some Christmas cheer would help the pair.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” Sighing as he hung up, he continued his meal and his study.

Scraping a piece of bread down the sides of his bowl to soak up the remains of the soup, Adrien’s mind was full of equations when an argument filtered into his awareness.

“I shouldn’t have to change so they’ll like me!”

Adrien lifted his head, recognising Juleka’s voice. With her hands clenched into fists, she stood beside one of the booths with an elegant older woman in a tailored skirt and suit. Everything about the woman screamed upper class, Adrien wouldn’t be surprised if she ran in the same circles as his father by the cut of her clothes.

“Grandmother, that’s not fair!” Juleka said, her voice louder than Adrien had ever heard her. “This is me. This is who I am.”

“Couldn’t you be… less you?” the woman asked. “Do you even own anything that’s not black or cut up? I’m only looking out for your best interests, my dear. You’ll never get into a good school if you don’t take pride in your appearance.”

“Rose likes me this way—”

“Honey, you obviously don’t respect yourself. This is a phase. But don’t worry, I can help you—”

“You’ll never listen, will you? I’ll never be good enough as myself.” Juleka choked on her words and turned and fled.

Adrien gulped down his remaining bread. He could see where this was going and if he was quick, he might be able to calm her down before Hawk Moth got his claws into her. Grabbing his stuff, he left money on the table and darted from the café.

Juleka was gone.

Reaching into his bag, he videoed Marinette as he started the walk back to school.

“Hello,” she said with a smile.

Listening, he could hear Sabine in the background. “Hey, I’m on my way back to school and I was hoping I could convince you to bring some extra cookies. Just to be on the safe side.”

Her expression filled with determination. “Of course. I’ll see you soon.”

Hunkering his shoulders, he thrust his hands into his pockets as he walked. The limp was mostly gone, but he didn’t know how his leg would react if he had to fight an akuma right now. The small change to Chat Noir had allowed him to test the strength of it and he hoped it would stand up to the strain.

As he rounded the corner back to the school, Marinette exited the bakery, carrying a small bag in her mouth and struggling to put her coat on. She waved as she spotted him and started walking in his direction. “What happened?”

“I saw Juleka having an argument with what looked like her grandmother. She looked pretty upset.”

Marinette nodded. “And with you right there—”

“It keeps happening,” he said. “Adds more credibility to the ‘We attract them’ theory. I just thought we should keep an eye out and make sure we were ready.”

“Let’s hope not,” Marinette said, dropping the cookies into Tikki’s bag. “C’mon, sweets. Eat up. I may need you.”

“Okay,” wafted Tikki’s tiny voice.

Holding out his elbow so Marinette could hug his arm, he walked them back to the school. On edge, he could feel his heart pounding louder with each step.

“Are you up for this?” she asked.

“I’ll handle it.”

“Adrien—”

“There’s no way I’m letting you go in without backup.”

She hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “Okay.”

Walking into the school confirmed Adrien’s fear. An akuma occupied the centre of the quad.

“I am Liberator!” the akuma cried. “I will let you be your true selves!”

With a v-neck, yoked neckline, the purple velvet dress slim lined by a diamond corset which started below Liberator’s breasts and ended above her hips. A white apron fluttered from beneath the corset and puckered by small belts, while the purple skirt fishtailed at the back and had tiny gears embroidered into the bottom left hand side. Liberator wore finger-less black gloves and calf high boots, both adorned with gears and the black bolero had puffed sleeves. The belt choker matched the two belts holding the white apron up and the three across her corset. Upon her head sat a top hat, adorned with feathers and a beautiful pink rose in full bloom.

“No fair,” Marinette said, her eyes wide. “That steam punk is solid as. I think Hawk Moth must be into fashion.”

“Focus,” Adrien advised.

“But it’s gorgeous!”

“Marinette.”

Standing tall, Liberator pointed at Alix. “You shall be liberated!”

Adrien forced them sideways, running toward the locker rooms. “C’mon!”

“Sorry,” she said and hunkered by the door inside the room and clicked open her bag.

While Marinette checked on Tikki to make sure she was ready, Adrien did a quick scout of the locker room for people who might be hiding. “We’re clear. Claws out!”

“Spots on!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir burst from the locker room, ready for anything, and ran straight into a very familiar form, and the anything they were ready for became a lot worse.

Smiling, Lady Wifi put her hand on her hip and said, “Hello.”

Gasping in shock, Ladybug put both hands over her mouth.

Lady Wifi pursed her lips in annoyance. “Oh, quit being dramatic.”

“Two akumas? How can there be two akumas?”

Chat Noir dropped into a fighting stance. “I’ll take her, you go for the Liberator and—”

“No way, lover boy,” Lady Wifi said and grabbed Ladybug’s wrist. “This is between me and her.” She pushed a button on her phone and the two of them vanished, the phone dropping to the ground.

Chat Noir blinked. Then blinked again. Then glanced around. Then had to lock his knees to keep from fleeing in terror.

Not two akuma. Heaps of akuma. The Illustrator. Time Breaker. Dark Cupid. Horrificator. The Bubbler. They all stood around the quad, staring at each other.

He was surrounded. 

Chapter Text

Chat Noir’s head reeled. He had no clue what he was going to do against so many of them with various powers. Especially alone. He’d fought multitudes of henchmen, but they were usually nothing but fodder to get in the way.

This… this was an army of akuma. Was this Hawk Moth’s final plan? Re-akumatise everyone he’d ever infected and send them after him and Ladybug all at once.

Chat Noir swallowed heavily. This needed to be handled very carefully.

As he watched, Liberator cupped Rose’s chin and brush the fingers of her other hand down Rose’s cheek. “You are perfect as you are,” she crooned.

“Juleka?” Rose whimpered.

“But you can still be more.”

A flash of light and Rose became the Dream Twister in all her glory, floating on her pink cloud above Liberator. Mirror in hand, the Dream Twister looked bewildered to be there.

Liberator turned her eyes toward Chat Noir and smiled. “Come, my friends,” she said and pointed. “That one wants to stop us from being ourselves.”

Chat Noir lifted a finger. “Ahh, no offence, but—” he made a show of counting with a clawed finger. “Seven against one is pretty lousy odds.”

Liberator asked, “Are you afraid?”

Reaching for his baton he bragged, “For you. But please. Do try. It’d probably hurt you a lot more than it’d hurt me.”

Something flared in Dream Twister’s eyes and she lifted her mirror.  Chat Noir tensed and waited, his eyes darting from akuma to akuma to see which one would attack first.

It was Dream Twister’s sleeping gas which took everyone by surprise, even Liberator, whose eyes rolled back in her head before she collapsed. Dream Twister swooped in on her cloud and caught Liberator, carrying her away from the gas. “Please don’t hurt us,” she begged Chat Noir, cradling the sleeping Liberator on her lap.

Chat Noir’s mouth went dry. “What?”

“Yeah, dude,” the Bubbler said. “Like, we have these crazy powers, but I’m still me.”

It was like someone had punched him in the stomach. “What?” Chat Noir blurted. “All of you?”

Dark Cupid flapped his wings and lifted off the ground. “Holy shit, wings!” He flailed, nearly crashing into pillars. “I can fly!”

Time Breaker cowered in a corner. “Don’t touch me! No one touch me! I don’t want anyone to disappear!”

The Illustrator was busy making dinosaurs. “This is so cool. Anyone have any requests?”

Horrificator crooned at Ivan, who busied himself by patting her head. “Who’s a good girl?”

Chat Noir’s staff clunked as the end of it hit the ground. “Wait, all of you? You’re not akumatised?”

“Doesn’t appear so, dude,” the Bubbler said and looked at himself. “Although… really. I didn’t expect my liberated self to look like this.”

“I don’t understand.” If they weren’t akumatised, they were henchmen and an akuma’s henchmen were always under control of the akuma, no matter what form they took. Perhaps this was evidence of Hawk Moth’s powers failing him in winter like Ladybug’s was. That’d be a lucky break for them.

“Neither do we,” the Bubbler said and lifted both hands in supplication. “It is what it is.”

So, where did Lady Wifi take Ladybug? If she wasn’t akumatised, why take Ladybug at all? Lifting his baton, he pressed the call button on it and waited. She didn’t answer. Chat Noir scrunched up his face in thought. Lady Wifi said it was between her and Ladybug and Chat Noir had mistaken the other transformed students as akuma. When Ladybug did the same, would the mood Lady Wifi rode confirm or deny that? Was she looking for a fight or to reconcile?

Chat Noir didn’t know. What he did know was that Ladybug was the only who could de-evilise an akuma. Which meant, he had to take the akuma to her.

Retracting his baton, he trotted toward Dream Twister and the sleeping Liberator. Dream Twister regarded him with wary eyes. When she decided he was close enough, she curled around Liberator more and moved her mirror in clear warning. Chat Noir held up his hands. “There’s no way I could take you.”

Dream Twister offered him a small smile and relaxed.

Stepping closer, he gestured Liberator. “Can you tell me if anything she has is something she has normally? Or something you saw her with?”

Dream Twister considered Liberator. “Um... the rose. She was taking it to meet her grandmother for lunch and—” Dream Twister’s shoulders slumped. “I guess it went badly.”

Plucking the rose from the hat, Chat Noir said, “Can I trust you to keep her knocked out?”

“Of course. I don’t want her hurt. Or anyone else,” she added as an afterthought.

Chat Noir nodded. “Thank you.” He raised his voice. “Bubbler. Dark Cupid. I have a mission for you.”

Dark Cupid swooped in, while Bubbler turned his head. “Yeah, dude?”

“Guard Dream Twister,” he said. “No one comes close. We don’t want Liberator waking up. Keep everyone safe.” He poked a finger at Dark Cupid. “No flying! This goes for all of you,” he said, waving his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Stay here, stay together, no joyriding. Ladybug will cure without warning and you don’t want to be someplace stupid and get yourself hurt. Got me?”

“If anyone tries to leave, I’ll touch them,” Time Breaker threatened.

“Ahh, don’t,” Chat Noir said. “If you haven’t noticed, Ladybug’s cure is not working as intended. Just… stay put. Keep each other safe.”

“Where is Ladybug?” Bubbler asked. “And Alya? I saw Lady Wifi before and—”

Since Chat Noir didn’t have an answer for that, he planted his baton on the ground and vaulted up to the roof of the school. Once there, he tried calling Ladybug again while tucking away the akumed rose in his belt.

She didn’t answer, but he had other ways of finding her. Clicking a button, he tracked her yo-yo. A quick running and vaulting trip across the rooftops of Paris, sliding through snowy mush, and he spotted them. Lady Wifi stood in place, throwing a multitude of her pink exploding lock buttons at Ladybug, who dodged and wove around her, unable to get close.

He watched for a moment. To him, it seemed that neither of them really tried. Ladybug didn’t do more that duck and weave, she didn’t even try to knock Lady Wifi’s phone away with her yo-yo, which she should’ve done straight away had she been thinking rationally. Did she think she deserve this treatment from a best friend who, if a typical akuma, wouldn’t even remember this incident? And Lady Wifi, in contrast, wasn’t trying very hard to hit Ladybug. Or stop her. Or communicate in any way.

Using his baton, he vaulted between the buildings, landing in the middle of everything. He landed wrong, jarring his injured leg with a cry and both Lady Wifi and Ladybug stopped to stare at him.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,” he chanted with his face twisted into a grimace and walked off the pain.

“Chat?” Ladybug asked, worry etched into her voice.

“Gimme a sec,” he muttered, and used his ‘totally random’ circular pacing to edge closer to Lady Wifi. Lowering his voice, he murmured, “You’re secret’s blown. You’re not akumatised.”

She glared at him. “I don’t know—”

“The others told me,” Chat Noir snapped and gestured the flower. “I have the akuma, I can give it to her right now and this’ll all be over. But she’ll still find out this is you and not an akuma and that would break her. Talk to her.”

Lady Wifi crossed her arms on her chest. “No.”

“Chat?” Ladybug called. “What are you doing here? Where’s—”

“One sec, my lady,” he called. He put his hands on his knees and bent over to hide the fact he was still talking to Lady Wifi. “She’s been torn up over this. We get that you’re angry and betrayed but it’s not two lives at stake, Alya. It’s not just me and her we’re protecting by keeping secrets. There’s four. But you wouldn’t know that because you can’t put your anger aside long enough to listen.”

Lady Wifi blinked and her arms slithered to her sides. “What?”

“Be a journalist. Get all the information, then make an informed decision. Not an emotional one.” He jerked with his head. “I’m gonna go and sit over there and not interfere. Do what you like.” About facing, he limped over to Ladybug. “My lady,” he said, holding out the rose.

Ladybug looked at it, then frowned at him. “I’m not hungry.”

Snorting, he shook his head. “It’s got Liberator’s akuma in it.”

“Oh.” She reached for the flower.

“Wait,” Lady Wifi blurted. Using two fingers, she rubbed her fingers against her forehead. “You make me so mad sometimes. All those times I talked to you about the Ladyblog and you were gloating at me.”

Ladybug gasped. “I was not! I would never.”

“Well, it feels like it. This big, important thing in your life was happening and you couldn’t share it with me. I knew the second you started crushing on, oh who was it first?” She tapped her mouth with her fingers and then snapped them. “Ivan, back in second grade.”

Chat Noir wished he could cover his ears and childishly chant so he didn’t have to hear that.

“Wait,” Ladybug said. “You’re… you!”

“Liberator’s special power,” he muttered.

“But the henchmen are always—”

Chat Noir shrugged. “Guess Hawk Moth fails in winter. If he ever does this in summer, we’re boned.”

Lady Wifi talked over him. “Who was the one who helped you when you had to break into Adrien’s phone after you stole it? Me.”

“What?” Chat Noir asked, stunned. He looked at Ladybug for an explanation, but she cringed and looked away from him.

“Who stopped you from doing the awkward duck walk at that photo shoot? Or was right by your side prompting you with the birthday present? Or class vice president? Or waited in line with you for ages for tickets? Or forgave you when you deleted that Ladybug video? Me!” She frowned, then jabbed her finger at Ladybug. “Wait, you deleted that video on purpose!”

“No, I didn’t!”

A sassy hand on her hip and a finger wave. “Don’t lie to me, girl, not anymore!”

“I’m not—”

“We’ve been through so much together. I’ve been with you through thick and thin, through silly crushes and clumsy moments, but this? This you kept from me. I’m supposed to be your best friend and you lied to me, over and over again. Do you know how much that hurts?”

“I never meant to! I couldn’t tell you,” Ladybug said in a rush and picked up speed. “When I first became Ladybug, I didn’t know what I was doing. At all. I was alone, but I had Tikki to help me. Tikki said we had to keep it a secret for a while, because if Hawk Moth caught us before I knew what I was doing, I’d never be able to defend myself. The more people who knew, especially if someone who knew got akumatised, he’d find out.”

Lady Wifi tossed up her hands. “Oh, great. Here comes the word vomit.”

Ladybug narrowed her eyes but kept going. “I had to learn everything all on my own and Chat wasn’t around. I stumbled through everything until he showed up and then we had to re-learn everything together. By that time, we’d started getting in the news. People were noticing. People were forming opinions and the Mayor was issuing proclamations and Hawk Moth’s akuma’s were getting harder and more frequent and I was scared. No one liked Chat because he was bad luck, and I was so afraid they’d turn on me too. But he always kept his head up and that helped me stay strong too.”

Chat Noir shredded the rose and the akuma fluttered free. Without pausing, Ladybug spun her yo-yo and caught it to purify.

“Then, all my nightmares came true because you know what you said?” She mimicked Alya’s voice. “‘I’ve started a blog! I’m going to expose who’s behind the mask because the world deserves to know’.” She scoffed. “Yeah, right. The world deserves to know that the person behind Ladybug is the klutzy, derpy Marinette who can’t even talk without babbling? No way! You tell me, Alya. Tell me how I was supposed to trust you. Tell me what sign you ever gave me that you would keep this a secret.”

“I would never—”

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she cried, throwing her hand in the air. The words were barely out of her mouth and the flashing light away, before she continued, “On top of all that, Chat Noir’s flirting with me every second and I’m liking it and hating it too, and I’m trying to deal with being so stupid around Adrien, and my best friend’s sole goal is to unmask me. And don’t even get me started on the side effects of being a Miraculous wielder!”

Lady Wifi faded into a stunned looking Alya.

Ladybug’s voice broke. “Tell me what I was supposed to do, Alya. Tell me, was there any good way of letting you know what I am? You never once thought about what would happen to the person you exposed or what danger you could put them in. You let out that kiss without all the information. Do you know what’ll happen if Hawk Moth finds out who we are?”

Mute, Alya shook her head.

“He’ll target us. Our friends. Our family. Anyone close. And then, when we’re exhausted and our kwami can’t transform any more, he’ll stroll up and take them from us and we won’t be able to do anything about them. And then…” She paused and covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a sob.

Chat Noir took over. “And then, we don’t know, because it’s never happened to our kwami. But it’s happened to others and they’ve never been heard from again.”

“So, please, do go on about how I betrayed your trust.”

Lifting his hand, he put in on Ladybug’s shoulder. “That won’t help.”

Ladybug shook her head and threw her yo-yo, hoisting herself away before Alya could say anything.

Chat Noir sighed. “Well, that’s not good.” He ran his hand through his hair and lifted his baton, watching her blip. While he was certain she headed home, he needed to make sure.

Alya collapsed in a heap on roof and covered her face in her hands.

Trying to give Alya privacy, he turned side on to her and watched his baton. Listening to Alya cry was heart wrenching but nothing as burdensome as listening to Marinette. Even though he didn’t love Alya in the same way he did Marinette, he still didn’t want her to hurt like this. Ladybug’s little blink vanished over her home, so he put it away. “She didn’t mean a lot of that.”

“Yeah. She did.” She sniffled. “She’s right. I didn’t think. I never thought about the person beneath the the mask. I was so focussed on getting it off. She tried to tell me that.”

“Mmm.”

She peeked up at him. “Are you going to yell at me too?”

He toed a puddle of mushed snow. “I think… she summed it all up.”

“I didn’t mean for this.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Alya sniffled again and took off her glasses to wipe away her tears with the ball of her wrist.

With another sigh, he crossed the roof and crouch down beside her. Stretching out his hand, he rested it on her back. “Look. I get it. She hurt you. You hurt her. There’s hurt and blame on both sides. You two just need to sit down and talk this out.”

“Does Nino know?”

“No. I didn’t even know she was Ladybug until a few months ago.”

Alya lifted her head in surprise. “Really?”

He nodded. “We hid it from each other too.”

“Why?”

“We both have someone to protect.”

“The… she said something about a kwami? What’s that?”

He regarded her. ”This is not a conversation I think we should have without Marinette. Let’s get back to school and we’ll go see her after.” Putting his arms around her shoulder, he helped her to her feet.

“Do you think she’ll talk to me?”

“We’ll go together,” Chat Noir said and walked Alya to the edge of the building. Glancing over, he reached for his baton. His arm dropped from her shoulder to her waist. “Hold on.”

Alya wrapped her arms around his neck and he used his feet to steady them against his baton. Descending until they reached the pavement, Chat Noir glanced around. “I’m not ready for you to see me de-transform,” he said and stepped away from her. “Will you be okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll see you back at school.”

Bounding away, he raced back toward the school and found a secluded spot to de-transform.

“That did not go well,” Plagg muttered, hiding in Adrien’s hood. “Are we going to see Marinette?”

Adrien reached for his phone and called her. It went straight to message bank, so he sent a quick ‘do you need me?’ message. “I think… we should probably leave her alone. It’d look really suspicious if we both didn’t go back.”

He beat Alya back to school and Nino pounced on him at the stairs. “Dude, have you seen Alya?”

“No. Why?” He made a show of looking over Nino’s shoulder at all the gossiping people. “What’s going on? Why are you wet?”

“Dude!” Nino said with a whistle and launched into an explanation. “There was an akuma attack and we all got turned into our old akuma forms, dude, like why didn’t you tell me I was so coooool as the Bubbler?”

“I, er—”

“Chat Noir told us to stay put… but dude, c’mon. Super powers. We had a massive snowball fight. It totally rocked! There were snowballs going everywhere and Nathanaël drew more as ammunition and Kim so cheated by being able to fly, but then I trapped him in a bubble and Alix kept making the snowball’s disappear and—” Nino’s good mood vanished and he gripped Adrien’s shoulder. “But Alya vanished, and she’s not answering her phone and— and Alya!” Nino abandoned Adrien to bounce to Alya’s side. “Babe! Are you okay?”

Watching Nino and Alya embrace, Adrien met Alya’s eyes over Nino’s shoulder. Hooking his thumb beneath the strap of his school bag, he gripped it so he had something to occupy his hands and let his eyes wander toward Marinette’s home. He checked his phone, but there were no messages on it. “Plagg?” he whispered. “Could you—”

“Already ahead of you,” he said and zipped away.

Adrien glanced back at Alya. Still hugging Nino, she tracked Plagg’s flight, her eyes blown wide. Adrien shrugged before turning and walking into the school.

Plagg didn’t return, not that Adrien expected him to. He was still close enough that Adrien could get him in an emergency and with Marinette —or curled up with Tikki— he’d be protected. After a rather boring and tedious afternoon of lessons and with Nino casting them both a wary look, Alya and Adrien walked over to Marinette’s home together.

“What do I say?” Alya fretted, wringing her hands.

Adrien shrugged. “How should I know? Try ‘sorry’?”

Sabine frowned at them both as they entered the bakery. Dusting her hands on her apron, she said, “Alright, you two. What’s going on? Marinette came home instead of going back to school in such a state. She locked herself in her room and hasn’t come down.”

Tom came out from the back of the bakery so he could speak. “Last I checked, she was asleep.”

Adrien stiffened and glanced toward the ceiling.

Sabine folded her arms on her chest. “Spill.”

“I’m just here for moral support,” Adrien said. “’Cause Marinette was upset.”

“We had a fight,” Aly said and went teary-eyed. “It’s my fault and I was pig-headed about it.”

Sabine’s eyebrows shot up. “You did? Aww, honey.” She reached for Alya and drew her into a hug. “Everyone fights now and then. You and Marinette are such good friends, I’m sure you’ll work it out.”

Alya sniffled and buried her face in Sabine’s neck to hug her back.

Adrien shifted, uncomfortable.

“Go on up,” Tom said and tilted his head. “I’ll bring some snacks later.”

Adrien went for the stairs without waiting for Alya. “Thanks,” he called and darted up.

Clambering up the stairs to her attic door, he knocked and waited. No reply, so he let himself in. “Marinette?”

Plagg appeared from her alcove where her bed is, floating down with a sombre expression. “She’s sleeping.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “It’s not—?”

“Too early,” Plagg said. “If she were to go for any stretch, and I’m not saying she will, it’d be mid-winter. Tikki’ll go first, so we’ll have some warning.” He shrugged. “She… hiding.”

Adrien sighed. “So… should I wake her up, or leave her sleep until she’s ready?”

Plagg’s eyes darted behind Adrien and he dove down to hide.

“What is that?” Alya asked, climbing into the room. “I saw it before.”

Adrien held out his hand and Plagg alighted on it with a disgruntled expression. “This is Plagg. He’s the reason I can do what I do. He’s also the reason I do what I do.”

Alya pointed a finger at Plagg as she hunkered over to see him. “It’s so cute.”

“He,” Plagg said, dusting his arms with his little paws.

“Tikki’s the cute one, this one’s a sourpuss.”

Plagg scowled at him.

Alya glanced around. “Where’s Marinette?”

“Sleeping. Tell me something, before we wake her; What was she like last winter?”

Alya frowned as she considered and scratched her cheek. “She was… tired all the time. She was sick for weeks. Sleeping a lot.”

Adrien nodded, having expected something like that. “Sabine and Tom got worried?”

“We all were. They took her to all sorts of doctors and tests, but there was nothing conclusive.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“You’ll find out.” He’d have a talk with Marinette about perhaps letting her parents know what was going on. It might be better for her in the long run.

“Does it have something to do with her falling asleep in class?”

He nodded. “I’ll wake her,” he said. “Stay down here.”

“I can—”

“Don’t waking a sleeping bug,” he said, and bounced up the stairs to her alcove. “Especially in winter.”

Marinette slept wrapped up in all her blankets. A small pile of tissues beside the bed gave him an idea of her emotional state. Sitting beside her, he touched her shoulder. “Marinette.” Bending down, he nuzzled her neck and purred in her ear. “Wakey-wakey.” He ran his nose along her jaw and kissed her chin. “Marinette.” Kneading her shoulder with his hands, applied a little pressure. “Pay attention to me. Or I’ll knock all your ornaments off the shelf again.”

It took longer than normal for her to wake with his coaxing, but eventually her hand settled on the back of his head and gave a half-hearted scratch.

“Hello,” he said and rested his hands on either side of her.

She grumbled.

“Alya’s here.”

It was only his cat-like reflexes which prevented him from being head-butted as she shot up. “What?”

“Alya’s here,” he repeated in a calm voice in the hopes she’d take her cues from that.

Marinette shook her head. “No. I’m not—”

“You are,” he said and cupped her cheek. His thumb caressed her skin. “You can do this.”

“Marinette?” Alya asked, tentatively coming up the stairs.

Adrien kissed Marinette’s forehead. “I’ll be down there.” He walked away because he had to. This was between the girls. Hurt feelings, angry words and tears were what they needed and he knew his presence would hinder it all. They’d call him when they needed him.

Trotting past Marinette’s desk, he picked up a ball of yarn, then flopped on her chaise. Holding up the ball, he said, “Hey Plagg, wanna—”

The kwami pounced on it before he could even finish the sentence. All four limbs kicked and his mouth nomed on the wool. Adrien snatched it back, wrestling with the ball itself to stretch out so they could both play. Plagg dipped and dodged around his fingers, trying to get at the ball.

“Ow! Plagg!” Adrien said and stuck his bitten finger in his mouth.

Plagg’s reply was a cheeky grin and a twitch of his whiskers.

A full battle erupted, both of them vying to get the largest section of wool. Plagg had size on his side, sharp teeth and a willingness to take a chunk of Adrien’s finger with it. Adrien had space and dynamics, able to twist away and use his back to shield the ball from Plagg’s advances and as long as he kept twisting, Plagg couldn’t snatch the ball.

He could snatch the little wayward strings of wool which untangled from the yarn the more they tussled with the ball. Round and round they went, fighting over bits of yellow wool, clawing at each other and competing for the largest piece.

Adrien’s ankles tangled in wool and he went down in a thumping heap, taking the kwami down with him. Neither of them noticed because the woollen ball had become completely undone and there was so much of the tasty goodness spread everywhere. Adrien wrestled, snatching lengths and hoarding it against his chest, while Plagg pulled individual strings away from him and looped it around Adrien’s back.

Movement became stiff; the more they wrestled, the more hopelessly entangled they became until finally neither of them could move.

That’s when, staring at each other, Plagg and Adrien heard the uproar of laughter.

Turning their heads, they both blurted, “He started it.” 

Chapter Text

Alya held up her camera. “Okay… Ready guys?”

“To clarify, this isn’t going live, right?” Chat Noir asked.

Alya gave him a disgruntled look. “I know what I’m doing. Definitely no more livestreams unless absolutely necessary.”

Chat Noir planted his hands on his hips, his tail flicking behind him. “Just checking.”

“We’re ready,” Ladybug said and her stance changed. She raised her chest and straightened her spine, her face becoming defiant and confident.

“Wow,” Alya said, then cleared her throat. “Okay. Take one.” She took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. “Yo peeps, Alya here, bringing you the one and only Ladyblog, coming at you with the latest goss about our two favourite superheros. Now, you might recall a few days ago, I released the very first public kiss between our favourite couple. I say ‘public’ because a certain bug has shown up to set the story straight. Apparently, she doesn’t like the implications that her kitty-cat forced anything on her. Here she is, ladies and gentlebugs, our Ladybug herself.”

She swivelled the camera around to face them and Chat Noir felt his eyes widen at being in the spotlight.

“That’s right,” Ladybug said, keeping her stern facade. She rested her palm on Chat Noir’s chest and he shifted in response so he was more side on to the camera and face on to her, adopting his own stern look. “Chat and I are dating and have been for some time. It’s not anyone’s business but our own and we don’t owe anyone anything to go public with it. He was injured in the recent fight with the Walker, as were many other people who retained dog bites, and what you saw was a small, comfort kiss. Which leads us to our next point.”

Chat Noir took over. “As is becoming evident, the final cure has limitations and can be unpredictable. We’d like to reduce the risk of injury by reminding people; if we’re battling an akuma, please clear the area in an orderly fashion and do not try to gawk. We will try our best to keep everyone safe, but accidents happen.”

“We’d also like to remind people that just because you can’t see both of us, doesn’t mean we’re not there. But we mightn’t be in a position to offer aid if you get into trouble.”

Alya turned the camera back to herself. “There you have it, peeps. Ladybug and Chat Noir, confirmed. Watch yourselves out there and keep safe. Alya out.” She clicked the button and put the phone down. “How was that?”

“Good,” Ladybug said. “Hopefully they’ll listen. Especially if Hawk Moth tries the akuma army again.”

“That’d be scary if he did it at full strength,” Alya said. “What will you do?”

Ladybug glanced at Chat Noir. “We’re working on it.”

“Can we do it again?” Chat Noir asked. “I just thought of a really good pun.”

Ladybug smiled and shook her head. “No.”

“Aww, please? It was purr-riffic.” He lifted a hand and counted out the puns he could’ve used. “I have un-paw-dictable and paw-derly.”

Ladybug laughed. “Your puns are terrible.”

To tease her, he kept going, still marking them on his fingers. “And re-meow-ding. And every-mew.”

“Is he really like that?” Alya asked, curious. “I thought it was an act. Like a diversion.”

“Worse,” Ladybug said, still laughing. “Once he gets going, it’s hard to stop.”

“Hey, my puns are meow-nificient. It’s not my fault if they bug you, you don’t have to beet-le on them.”

“Chat!” she scolded. “Enough.”

He took her hips and pressed himself against her. “Don’t have a hissy-fit.” Leaving one hand splayed on the small of her back, he lifted her hood and made sure it covered her head securely. “Don’t want you being a bug-cicle.”

Her eyes twinkled with amusement even as she scoffed at him.

“Wow. That’s… that’s different.”

Chat Noir blinked and turned his head. “What?”

Alya examined his tail with a strange gleam in her eyes. “It moves on its own. I never really looked at it before.”

“That’s Plagg. He says it acts as a balance, but—” he shrugged and stepped away from Ladybug only to have the tail wind around her waist. “It’s got a mind of its own.”

“So, you really are melded then?”

Ladybug nodded. “Yeah. Tikki’s the suit, I’m the driver, but we do it together. I get parts of her, she gets parts of me.”

“You’re so different like this,” Alya commented. “You’re more confident and self-assured. He’s… flirty and playful.”

Unwinding Chat Noir’s tail, Ladybug said, “He’s flirty and playful as himself too, you know.”

“Not in front of anyone.”

“I have a reputation to uphold, you know,” he said, then saddened. “And… well… my father has a reputation to uphold as well.”

“Silly kitty,” Ladybug said and scratched him behind the ear. “I like you just the way you are.”

His eyes slid shut and he leaned into her hand and let out a rumble.

“Omigosh! He purrs!” Alya scurried forward. “Can I—?”

Chat Noir’s eyes snapped open and he shot Ladybug a frantic look. “Please don’t.”

“He’s a kitty, but he’s a one woman kitty,” Ladybug explained. “Human mentalities, kitty needs.”

“What?”

Ladybug smiled. “You basically just offered to make out with him.”

Chat Noir clenched shut his eyes. “Did you have to?”

“Oh, god.” Alya cringed. “I’m so sorry.”

“I should go,” Chat Noir said, before things got awkward. “My father will be expecting me home soon.”

Ladybug nodded. “Alya and I still have a lot to discuss.”

Taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips. “Until tonight, my lady,” he said and winked.

As he bounded away, he silently laughed at Alya’s shrill, “Tonight?” and Ladybug’s indignant and exasperated call of his name.

At least once a month, Gabriel Agreste invited the Mayor over for dinner, so at least once a month, Adrien entertained Chloé. When he was home schooled, he looked forward to seeing someone his age. Younger Chloé had been a delight to be around, especially dragged to adult events. She always sought him out and demanded that they play and it didn’t matter what the adults were doing, she always got her way. She told him wonderful stories about her class or her friends. About the educational discussions she held in class and how she was always president and everyone loved her.

But the world was so different than the one in her tales and it had taken Nino to show Adrien that difference. How the ‘educational discussions’ were Chloé arguing with her classmates over trivialities and her ‘friends’ was limited to Sabrina. She was class president until Marinette stood up to her.

As Adrien’s circle of friends grew, he felt sad Chloé couldn’t grow with him.

Normally, he enjoyed the time they shared together. Tonight, she held a grudge against him for siding with Marinette. The more he reached out to engage her, the more she shut him down with snippy remarks bordering on hostility. It wouldn’t last long as he knew she was fickle; the next time she wanted something from him, she’d be right back.

And maybe this time, he wouldn’t be as accommodating. He gave up and ate his dinner in silence, listening to the conversation Gabriel had with the Mayor. As usual, a lot of the discussion centred on politics and running of Paris, but with more of a focus on the Spring fashion festivals. Locations, productions, permits, all these things discussed over fine dining and wine.

Gabriel had the Mayor’s ear and his support, a rare novelty, and it often lead to him being able to do things other designers couldn’t. Gabriel was a spring fashion genius, he said it was because of the long winters, he had more time to focus on designing than showing. The gardens in spring were a commonly fought over commodity and Gabriel had first pick.

When Adrien heard them discussing locations for the junior fashion designer competitions, his ears pricked, especially when Gabriel said he would step back from being a judge this year.

“Finally had your fill of immature designers?” the Mayor asked, waving a piece of chicken on his fork. “I agree, the last several years have been most frustrating, the youngsters aren’t producing any quality stock. Chloé says—”

Gabriel said, “There is a fine up-and-coming designer by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Adrien sat up straight and Chloé slumped in her chair and scowled.

“I’ve been watching her and I am quite intrigued by her progress. However, as she is Adrien’s girlfriend, I do believe it would be a conflict of interest if I remained part of the judging panel.”

“It’s always about Marinette,” Chloé muttered.

The Mayor rocked back in surprise. “Girlfriend?” he asked and looked at Chloé. “I thought—”

“Did you see the new video about Ladybug, Daddy?” Chloé said in a loud voice.

Seeing through her, Adrien narrowed his eyes at Chloé. “Really? You told him—”

“Oh, yes,” Mayor Bourgeois said, led by his daughter’s question. “An interesting turn of events, I suppose.”

If Gabriel was concerned about the sudden change in topic, he didn’t show it. “Yes, it is quite intriguing to know she has limitations with her cures and especially interesting that she is willing to go public with that sort of information. A bold move on her part as I am sure there are those who could use it against her. I wonder—”

“No, not that,” Chloé interrupted and pulled a face. “Chat Noir and Ladybug dating. It’s official. Ugh.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “You can’t seriously be pouting about that still. How does it personally affect you if they’re dating?”

“They’re not suited,” Chloé protested. In her usual haughty way, she folded her arms on her chest and turning her face away from him. “They’re heroes and they represent Paris, they should have better decorum than—”

“On the contrary,” Gabriel said and lifted his wine glass. “They balance. They need to be together; they are more potent that way.”

Adrien gave his father a sharp glance. Potent seemed a strange way to describe a relationship. And was that subtle approval from the man?

“Really, Mr Agreste,” Chloé said, looking horrified. “You ship them?”

Gabriel raised his eyebrow. “Ship?”

Adrien cleared his throat. “As in ‘relationship’, father.”

“What an odd colloquialism.”

“Ladybug does keep Chat Noir in check,” the Mayor admitted. “He is quite useful, something most of us didn’t see coming.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “Useful?” he asked, not liking the sound of that. He had hoped people would approve of him eventually, even if he was bad luck. Useful didn’t sit well.

“He keeps her safe. If anything were to happen to her, we would not be able to defeat the akuma or restore the person beneath.”

Gabriel said, “Ladybug has always appeared quite taken with him.”

Chloé huffed.

Mayor Bourgeois nodded. “A lot of the discussions I have with Ladybug involve Chat Noir to some extent. She’s quite adamant she won’t work without him.”

“Do you meet with her frequently?” Gabriel asked.

“Once or twice a month, formally. Informally it is much higher,” the Mayor said and puffed out his chest. “We discuss the issues involved with the akumas and attempt to find a pattern to the attack.”

That was a surprise and Adrien wondered if the Mayor was bragging. He’d have to ask, and also ask why he wasn’t invited to these meetings. Especially the ones involving him.

“I’m done,” Chloé announced, pushing her half-eaten plate of food away. “C’mon Adrien.”

He looked forlornly at his unfinished meal. “Oh, but—”

With a huff of exasperation, she gripped his arm and dragged him from his chair. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” he said, jerking his arm back and then addressed his father in a more congeal tone. “Permission to be excused?” he asked, for once hoping the permission would be denied.

Gabriel nodded and waved his hand.

“No need to be rude,” Adrien said as he followed Chloé from the room.

“Let’s go to your room,” she said, already heading toward the stairs.

“Why?” he asked. “We normally go to the rec room.”

She tossed her head. “Because I’m your friend, and apparently your friends are allowed in there.”

He felt weird about having her in his room and he wasn’t sure why. “Did you tell your father we were dating?” he asked as they climbed the stairs.

“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Adrien shot her a look. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

She regarded him. “I’m not sure I like this new attitude of yours,” she said, flippant. “Marinette is not a good influence on you.”

Adrien snorted. “Because I’ve stopped tolerating your…” he couldn’t think of a polite way to frame it so settled on, “…quirks.”

“You were the one who said you only wanted me to be myself,” she pointed out.

“I expected you to be yourself,” he said. “That’s absolutely fine. Be yourself all you like.” He opened the door to his bedroom and she flounced inside. “I don’t have to like it.”

“What are you muttering?” she asked, turning back to him. “And why is it always so warm at your place?”

“My father doesn’t like the cold,” he said, shrugging. “What do you want to do?”

Chloé tapped her finger on her lips, then smiled slowly. Stretching out her hand, she said, “I’m sure we could—”

He didn’t wait for her to finish that train of thought. “Movie?”

She looked put out for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure.”

He went across to his big screen TV and turned it on, then handed Chloé the control. “Knock yourself out.”

She grabbed his arm and dragged him onto the sofa with her, holding his arm hostage to keep him there. “We can watch something romantic together!”

He leaned away from her. “I’d really rather not—”

“Oh, pssh. You love my choice in movies.”

“Can I have my arm back?”

She pouted, but released his arm and he moved away from her.

“I don’t bite,” she said.

“I’m with Marinette.”

She gave him a bewildered look. “So?”

Sighing, he put his elbow on the arm of the chair. “Just put something on.”

“You’re coming to my Christmas Gala,” she said in a tone which was clear that he didn’t have a choice.

He nodded. “With Marinette, Nino and Alya—”

“She’s not invited.”

“Then I’m not coming,” Adrien said, keeping his tone mild. “My father’s already asked if she wanted to go, so take back the invitation and insult both of us.”

“Ugh.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “I get it. You don’t like her. Isn’t it enough for you that I do?”

She didn’t answer, but he could feel the huffiness rolling from her.

“Chloé, c’mon. We’re friends. Don’t make me choose—”

“You already did that—” she snapped.

“In one argument. It’s not the end of the world.”

She huffed again.

“Can’t you at least be nice about it?”

A tiny bit of her shield faltered. “I can’t do nice,” she said. “I don’t have that luxury, just like you don’t have the luxury of freedom. You know that.”

He did know. Like he was a target for his father, she was a target for hers. Bratty was her shield, and his used to be a quiet, polite child. Except now he had Nino, Marinette and Plagg and freedom was his for the taking.

Adrien gave up. After dimming the lights, he wriggled in his chair and got comfortable. She’d chosen something so over the top corny, his eyes glazed in about five minutes. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the point of view, he was practiced at schooling his expression to keep the appearance of being entertained by it.

Completely bored, he excused himself and headed for the bathroom.

“She’s not exactly subtle today,” Plagg noted the moment the bathroom door closed.

“Can you bite her?” Adrien asked.

“There’s no way I’m putting my mouth anywhere near that.”

Adrien sighed.

Plagg said, “You can’t hide in here forever.”

“Why not?” Adrien complained.

“She’ll complain to your father and he’ll worry that you’re sick and start paying closer attention.”

“Ugh.”

“Now you’re starting to sound like her.”

Sighing again, he washed his hand and opened the bathroom door.

“Hurry up,” Chloé called without turning around. “You’re missing it.”

“Yeah, I’ll—” A red yo-yo dropped ahead of him, stopping eye-height and spun. “—be right back!” he blurted and grabbed it.

Lightning quick, Ladybug hoisted him up to the darkened second level of his bedroom. She helped him over the railing and grinned at him.

He grinned back, so glad to see her. “What are you—?”

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence before she kissed him. Not a chaste kiss or even a rising passion one, this was a full open mouthed, teeth and tongue kiss. She dove straight in and dragged him with her. Emitting a muffled mew, his eyes slid shut. His heartrate doubled and his breathing quickened.

Mouth fused to his, she gripped his wrists and walked him backward until he bumped against the bookcase in the corner, hiding them from Chloé's view should she turn. Ladybug’s lips were like fire against his and her hands pinned his wrists against the rough spines of his books. She released his mouth and then hers were on his neck and her hand, –her hand!— it crept up the inside of his shirt. Her fingers blazed trails against his skin; he could feel them sliding higher, dipping beneath the line of his belt and leaving him wanting as they slid away.

He couldn’t breathe properly and he didn’t care if he ever caught his breath again. If he could breathe, it meant she wasn’t touching or grinding against him. The danger, the excitement, the knowledge they could be caught any second and they would lose everything and none of it mattered. It only served to heighten every sensation she sent gushing through him. The fiery trails of her fingertip and the burning of her lips.

His capacity to think had gone south, way south, so south he was fairly certain she’d be able to feel it with her leg between is. It was a good thing he was pinned. Otherwise he’d have lost the ability to stand and she still didn’t cease her relentless attack.

She took his mouth again, her teeth clicking against his from the sudden force and her other hand joined its sister beneath his shirt. She caught his lip between her teeth, her sapphire eyes peeking out from beneath her lashes.

“Wha—?”

“Do you know what you put me through,” she breathed huskily into his ear. “The amount of questions Alya had about your little comment?” Her teeth found his jaw in reproach.

“I…” His hands fell to her hips and she pulled away from his jaw with a sultry little click of her tongue. Dragging his hands away from her, she pinned them back against the bookcase above his head. When she released them again to continue her exploration of the inside of his shirt, he resolved to make both his hands and hers stay where they were.

“And then you didn’t come—” a kiss to the underside of his chin and his head fell back “—I waited—” a lick and a nibble and he didn’t know how she could do so many exciting things with her mouth “—so I came to find you—” her teeth grazed his collarbone “—and you’re with her.”

That surprised him. “Are you jealous?”

Her lips found a portion of skin at the base of his neck. “No. But I’m marking my territory.”

His hips jerked forward and he gasped as she sucked on his skin and then staggered as she was gone from him. Sinking to the floor, he watched Ladybug flounce away from him with an impetuous wave over her shoulder. Did she even realise what she’d done to him? What she was still doing, swishing her hips like that?

“Adrien, are you coming back?” Chloé called from the level below.

He made a strangled sound before he found his voice. “Yeah.”

“You sound strange.”

His brain was mush. “Dust.”

“In your bathroom? Gross. You should fire your help then.”

Touching his lips, he could still taste his lady. “Yeah.”

Chapter Text

The Mayor’s Christmas party was a prestigious event, held for supporters and other affluent people around Paris. An invitation only extravaganza set in the ballroom of his Le Grand Paris. Dancing and fine wines, it was often treated as a networking opportunity by the upper crust, but to Chloé it was her own personal party. The bands she liked, the food she enjoyed, her friends and acquaintances all at their own separate table for the dinner course. It was also one of the only times she would take Sabrina under her fashionable wing and ensure her best friend was well-groomed, well-dressed and well-presented. Adrien knew Chloé spoiled Sabrina in the week before the event; every day Sabrina came into school glowing from the attention and excited about their next shopping trip while Chloé looked smug.

Marinette had been beyond excited at the invitation, Alya couldn’t wait to be on the other side of the party, since she usually helped her mother out in the kitchen and Nino had been apprehensive. “Dude, like, I don’t even own a suit. It’s one of those posh things, what if I embarrass y’all? I don’t even know the fork etiquette thing. Nah, dude, I’d rather just stay home and watch a movie.”

In true Marinette fashion, she jumped on the chance to design and create matching outfits for the pair and Alya wore Nino down with her excitement. It led to many afternoons of the four of them camped out in Marinette’s bedroom for fittings, as well as trips across Paris for the perfect fabrics. Three dressmaking models were set up in her room, one hidden under a sheet which resulted in smacked fingers for Adrien every time he tried to peek.

“Why don’t I get a suit?” he whined one afternoon after school. He lay on her chaise and watched her stitch shiny transparent beads into the chiffon skirt of Alya’s dress giving the  appearance of sparkles if caught in the light. Alya’s dress was nearly finished and Adrien thought it looked incredible. Gradient green to white, the strapless, pleated bodice morphed colour rapidly  to contrast the a-line skirt’s slow fade to the hem. The back had a gradient shift too, white to green strips with a braided ribbon v-lined down the middle to hold the dress together. Alya was besotted with it, and Nino’s suit shared the fast gradient pleat as a cummerbund to tie the outfits together.

While he was sure Marinette’s dress would be as amazing, he worried she worked herself too hard and wouldn’t get everything finished. But that didn’t stop him being jealous he didn’t get something.

She paused. “What?”

“Why don’t I get a Marinette suit too?”

Lowering her hands to her lap, she stared at him for a moment, then dropped her eyes. He’d meant to be playful and silly but he’d inevitably hit a nerve.

Sitting up, he focussed on her completely. “What?”

“I…” She turned her head away and picked up another bead. “You already have a suit. You have heaps of suits.”

It wasn’t the true answer and he wondered how much coaxing she’d need. “I have heaps, but that’s not the point. Why can’t I have a Marinette suit?”

“Why would you want one?” she asked and kept her face averted as she fiddled with something he was sure didn’t need to be fiddled with. “You have many suits by incredible designers and your father is one of the best and this is a very upper class event, you don’t need—”

Crossing to her, his hand found her cheek to turn her face toward him. “You don’t think you’re good enough, do you?”

“I’m good,” she said and he could see she believed that. “I’m still learning, but I know my worth.”

“Then what?”

“Good enough for an Agreste?” She shook her head.

“You think I care about that?”

“I think your father might.” She stretched out her hand and touched his cheek. “When we started dating, I promised myself I wouldn’t use your name to get to where I wanted to go.”

“I know.” They’d never actually spoken about it, but he knew from her actions.

She caressed his face with the back of her fingers, down to his chin where her thumb stroked him. “If I asked you to wear something of mine...”

“I would. In a heartbeat.”

She nodded. “That’s why I promised myself I’d never put you in that situation unless I earned it.” She smiled and bopped him on the nose. “At least for the important things. Ugly Christmas sweaters are a different story.”

He flipped moods, a grin spreading across his face. “You didn’t.”

She beamed at him. “I did.”

“Where?” He cast his gaze around the room looking for a hiding place. “When did you have time?”

“I made time.”

“Can I see it? I wanna wear it.”

She laughed and stowed her needle before getting to her feet and Adrien bounced up after her. Crossing to her desk, she picked up a package wrapped up in brown paper and string. “It’s not elegant but—”

He tore the wrapping before she’d even finished speaking. “Christmas sweaters aren’t supposed to be elegant.” Taking one look at it, he burst into laughter. His sweater was bright blue to match his scarf, with a grey kitten all tangled up in Christmas lights and the words ‘Meow-ry Christmas’ embroidered across the chest. She’d attached colour beads to each of the lights to make them twinkle. Taking off the sweater he wore, he shoved his arms into the new one and pulled it over his head. “This is paw-some!”

She giggled. “I thought’d you’d like it.”

“I love it!” he announced happily, then swept her up in a hug. Spinning her around, he buried his face in her neck. “And I love you.”

Giggling, she held on tight. “I love you too.”

He kissed her because he had to and he wanted to and she was already in his arms. He wasn’t even aware that it was the first time either of them had spoken of their love for each other. It didn’t need fanfare, nervous twittering or agonising over it. It just was.

As much as he wanted to stand in her bedroom in his fabulous ugly sweater and kiss her for days, he knew she needed all the spare time she had to finish the dresses. Pulling back, he kept his arms around her to ask, “Can I ask for one favour?”

Eyes still closed and enraptured in his kiss, she nodded.

“If you have time, can I have a cummerbund and bow tie in the same colour as your dress?”

Her eyes flashed open. “What?”

“I am very jealous Nino gets to match his lady and I want to match mine.”

She considered, her hands gripping his sweater to keep him close. “My dress is pink. Carnation pink.”

He rubbed his nose against her cheek. “Jealous kitty. I want to match.”

“Okay.”

He decided it wouldn’t hurt if he spent a few more minutes kissing her. By how quickly she responded to him, Marinette quite agreed.

Marinette finished all the outfits with a day to spare, which he was glad because he’d been afraid she’d have to pull an all-night to get everything done. While he loved her single-minded focus when designing and sewing, he really did miss the attention. There was only so many half-finished sentence and glazed looks he could handle. Plus, she swore if he pushed one more ornament off her shelf, she’d never pat him again. 

They’d arranged to meet Nino and Alya at Le Grand Paris since Alya would be helping her mother out for most of the day. Gabriel and Nathalie would likely arrive later so he could make an entrance, so Adrien was left to his own devices to get ready.

Because he absolutely couldn’t wait any longer, he arrived early to Marinette’s house. Tom looked up from the game console as Adrien knocked on the door and a slow grin spread on his face. “You clean up well.”

“On occasion,” Adrien said, grinning.

“You’re early. She’s not ready.”

“He’s here?” Marinette’s voice shrilled from above followed by a stifled shriek. “You can’t come up!”

Undoing the button on his jacket, Adrien sat on the couch beside Tom. “Don’t rush,” he called. “I’ll hang out with your dad.”

“PAPA, NO STORIES!”

“Of course!” Tom called back and handed Adrien a controller and quit to menu so he could start Halo co-op. “Did I ever tell you about—”

“PAPA!”

Tom snickered. “Gets her every time.”

A few missions later, Sabine came down the stairs from Marinette’s room and cleared her throat. Tom immediately ended the mission and Adrien stood, his fingers deftly re-buttoning his jacket.

The shoes were the first thing he saw. Pale pink with a small wedge and an ankle strap dusted by the lacy hem of Marinette’s dress.

Time itself hesitated as she glided down the stairs. He forgot how to breathe. Then he forgot how to think. Smiling brightly, she kept his eyes trained on his and a light flush filled her cheeks from his gobsmacked reaction. She looked gorgeous in her silk cheongsam. Carnation pink brought out the intense colour of her eyes and made her shine.

Long sleeves to keep her warm and a laced mermaid tail, the whole dress was embroidered with a contrasting deep pink flowers with golden vines. The high collar displayed a golden ribboned frog-style fastening at her throat and below that, three teardrop shaped windows allowed a tantalising view of her skin. It hugged her torso and accented her hips in ways Adrien hadn’t been able to imagine. Her hair, while still in its pigtails, had been adorned with a row of flowers along the band holding her hair up.

“Wow,” he said, watching her every move. “You are a vision.”

She flushed. “Thank you.”

“Pictures!” Tom sang, waving his camera around. “I want them! Marinette, stay on the stairs. Adrien, go stand beside her, please.”

“Are you going to be warm enough in that?” he asked as he took his place by her side and smiled for the camera.

“I have a shawl and a hot boyfriend. I’ll be fine.” She gripped his hand. “You look amazing.”

Turning his head to look at her, he smiled and lifted her hand to his mouth. “You are so much more amazing than I am.”

After copious photos, and Adrien taking a family one for them, Marinette winked and asked him to fetch her shawl from her room while she said goodbye to her parents. Walking into Marinette’s room, he spotted the bundled up Tikki waiting for him on her desk.

“Hey, Tikki.”

She blinked sleepily at him. “You look handsome. Doesn’t Marinette look gorgeous?”

Cupping his hand underneath her, he lifted her up and run his thumb under her chin. “She does. Are you ready?”

She leant into his touch and closed her eyes. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Anytime.” Unbuttoning his jacket, he put her in his pocket with her mate and waiting until the two kwami were settled and warm. Picking up Marinette’s shawl, he headed back downstairs.

Nino and Alya waited in the foyer of Le Grand Paris, Nino wearing an absolutely captivated expression as he chatted to Alya. Alya spotted Adrien and Marinette first and brightened in delight. “Marinette! That dress is gorgeous!”

Marinette released Adrien’s hand long enough to twirl for Alya and Nino, with his eyes fixed on Marinette, held up his fist for Adrien to bump.

“Still worried?” Adrien asked him.

“Dude, I plan to embarrass all of you, continually. You’ll never invite me to one of these fancy things again,” Nino teased, then turned his eyes to Alya. “But I gotta admit, seeing the girls all dressed up… they are fiiiine ladies.”

“That they are.”

“Marinette is a sweetheart,” Nino said and brushed his hand against his suit. “She done good.”

“Yup.”

“Adri-kiiins!”

Adrien braced for the bundle of yellow that descended upon him, making sure she didn’t knock him off his feet as she was prone to do. Yellow laced arms found his neck and her ringlets tickled against his cheek.

“You came!”

He tried to find her arms to remove them, but it was difficult to see beyond the yellow dress while Chloé kept nuzzling closer. “Of course I did. Um, Chloé?”

She pulled back just enough so he could see her face. “Merry Christmas!”

He smiled. “Merry Christmas.”

Chloé’s lips puckered and her eyes went half-lidded and Adrien turned his head so her lips landed on his cheek, giving his unimpressed girlfriend an awkward smile.

“Let him go, Chloé,” Alya said with a thick layer of sarcasm in her voice. “Geez.”

Chloé dropped down from her toes. With her arms still around Adrien’s neck, she looked at Alya. “Oh. You’re here.”

“I’m here,” Alya said and crossed her arms on her chest. “So’s Adrien’s girlfriend.”

Chloé's eyes went to Marinette and she sniffed and Adrien finally found her wrists to untangle himself and step away. “You’re very pink,” Chloé said.

“And you’re very yellow,” Marinette returned, then smiled. “Sabrina! You look amazing.”

 Sabrina bounced over with a happy smile. “Alya, Marinette! Merry Christmas!”

Taking Sabrina’s hands, Alya raised her arms and gave her the once over. “Look at you, girl. That dress is gorgeous!”

“Thank you! Chloé picked it out,” Sabrina said, preening as she ran her fingers her periwinkle blue dress. “I think it’s flattering.”

“She’s certainly got an eye for fashion,” Adrien said and heaped on the compliments for Sabrina too. “You look pretty.”  

“I look out for my friends,” Chloé said and pounced on Sabrina in what looked to be a natural move, but also served to take Sabrina away from Alya. “And she is my very best.”

Sabrina smiled and hugged her back. “And you’re mine!”

“C’mon, we have more people to greet,” Chloé said and pulled Sabrina further away. “Adrien, save me a dance.”

“Of course.”

“Girl, I don’t know why you let her do that to your man,” Alya said.

“Chloé’s his friend,” Marinette said, with a shrug. “If Adrien doesn’t mind, neither do I.”

“Well, I can’t stomach it,” Nino said, rolling his eyes.

“And I’m standing right here,” Adrien muttered. He held out his hand for Marinette. “Shall we go in?”

“So, what do we actually do at these sorts of things?” Nino asked, offering Alya his elbow.

“Dance. Eat. Drink. Be merry,” Adrien said.

“Sounds really boring.”

“It is,” Adrien said and shrugged. “Well it can be. Chloé’s influence means less classical music toward the end of the night. It’s better with friends.”

“That’s why you dragged us along,” Nino teased with a wink.

The ballroom themed yellow and white, as it usually was since that was Chloe’s favourite colours and the Mayor loved his daughter. A large, professionally decorated Christmas tree occupied the corner of the room beside the violin ensemble. The space in front was reserved for a dance floor and the rest of the room held dining tables. Adrien eyed the piano and hoped that Chloé wouldn’t make him play again this year.

Alya and Marinette cooed at the room, talking to each other in hushed yet excited tones. Since it wasn’t time to sit, they mingled. To be precise, Adrien mingled, walking among the invitees and greeting those he remembered while his friends trailed behind like awkward lost ducklings. He showed Nino how to summon a waiter for drinks and he introduced Alya to several photographers and journalists covering the event.

Gabriel arrived and mingled with his peers for a time. When he indicated Adrien could approach, Adrien took Marinette’s hand. “Just to warn you,” Adrien said as he escorted Marinette across the room. “He’s… different in a social setting.”

“Oh?”

“He smiles,” he told Marinette with a conspiring smile. “He laughs.”

She stared at him, trying to figure out if he joked or not. “No way.” Marinette’s eyes widened further as they approached Gabriel as he laughed with his friends.

“Father,” Adrien called and the man turned.

“Adrien,” he said, stretching out his hand to place it on Adrien’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Even though Adrien knew the gesture was for show, he couldn’t help feeling pleased. Turning his eyes to Marinette, Gabriel said, “Lovely to see you again, my dear.”

Marinette smiled and bobbed a curtsy. “Hello Mr Agreste.”

Focussing completely on her, Gabriel placed his wineglass down on a table and offered her his hand. “I did wonder why Adrien chose pink to offset his suit. I see why. Let me see this dress.” Placing her hand in his, Marinette let him pull her in a circle. “Stunning,” he said. “Chinese embroidery with a French flare. This shade of pink, while not traditional, is quite striking on you.” He turned her hand over to examine her fingers. “Hand stitched.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hastily made, there are several tiny imperfections in the stitching,” he said, plucking at the hem of her wrist with his fingers. He peered over the top of his glasses at her. “You must have begun the moment of the invite.”

A bit of colour in her cheeks now at the slight reprimand. “I did. I also made a suit for Nino and a dress for Alya.”

“And Adrien’s cummerbund.” He looked beyond her at Alya and Nino and Adrien could tell he was sizing up both designs even from this distance. “Remarkable,” he said and released her hand. “Do not fret, my dear. The design is exquisite. Next time I shall ensure you have adequate time to prepare for events.”

Marinette flushed and Adrien grinned. His father had basically invited her to the next event they went to. His father approved and saw the potential future interactions and that make him feel warm and hopeful. Certainly a step up from his ‘women always want something’ speech.

A bell chimed, indicating dinner service was ready, so the clumps of mingling people separated to find their seats. All the round tables were marked with names and Adrien was unsurprised to see Chloé to one side of his chair. Since Marinette’s name sat at the opposite side of the table, quite deliberately Adrien thought, they did a quick reshuffle of seats to make sure the couples sat together.

As Chloé and Sabrina joined the table, Adrien could tell Chloé was unhappy with the switch by the pinched look on her face, but she didn’t say anything.

Adrien knew everyone who sat at this table and he was the only one who’d brought more than one person. Chloé sat to his left with Sabrina. Erwan, the son of a councilman and his date Fleur. Raoul and his brother Rainier, also sons of a councilman. Valerie, granddaughter of the President of State and her date Tristian. Their ages ranged from ten, in the case of Rainer, to eighteen.

His friends garnered a lot of interest from the group, especially Alya, who several of them recalled both from serving the previous year and from her Ladyblog. Soon they were all swapping stories and telling jokes while they ate their dinner. Adrien watched Marinette blossom as Valerie admired her dress and they spoke of dual heritages. Alya hit it off well with Fleur, who’d admired the Ladyblog. Rainier was quite taken with Nino and his lack of refinement, a fact that Nino was quite happy to play on as he had the boy explain the various forks for him.

As Alya and Fleur chatted about Ladybug, drawing the others into the conversation, Adrien started to count the number of times Alya glanced at him and Marinette. Leaning over, he whispered to Marinette, “She’s not very subtle.”

Marinette brushed her fingers down his arm. “It’s still new.”

“Does she expect us to take over the conversation or something?”

“I don’t know what she expects.” Marinette glanced at her friend. “I think she’s judging our reactions.”

“Why?”

“Because a lot of what the Ladyblog is, is theories.”

Adrien nodded. “And she wants to know if they’re true.”

“Ever the journalist,” Marinette said with a smile.

“What about this latest video?” Erwan asked. “They really came to you?”

Alya nodded with yet another glance at Marinette. “Yeah. They realise the importance of my audience and it’s a good way to get information across. It’s all very informal, so I suppose they feel more comfortable with me than with a professional.”

“Do you know their identities?” Fleur asked.

Alya laughed nervously. “That would be something, wouldn’t it?”

“Imagine!” Nino said. “They could be anyone! We might even have met them!”

“They could be sitting at this table,” Adrien said and grinned as both Alya and Marinette turned to stare at him with wide eyes. “And we’d never know!”

“Pssh,” Chloé scoffed. “As if. Ladybug is one of my best friends, beside my Sabrina. I’d know her in an instant if I ever saw her out of costume.”

Marinette snorted.

“It’d be a catastrophe if you couldn’t recognise her,” Adrien said.

“Ladybug is an elegant lady,” Chloé continued, then eyed Marinette. “She wouldn’t be seen dead with some people.”

Alya covered her mouth with her hand and muffled the noise she made.

“I bee-lieve it’s part of their magic,” Adrien said, enjoying the colour Marinette was going. “It must really bug people not knowing who they are.”

Chloé gave him a weird look.

“She probably thinks you’re the bee-knees, Chloé.”

Chloé didn’t realise she was being made fun of. “Of course she does.”

Marinette kicked his shin.

Adrien turned and whispered to Marinette, “Me-ouch, that stings.”

She mock scowled at him and whispered back, “Your Chat is showing.”

“I know, that’s the pun—”

“Keep it up and Alya’s going to choke.” She didn’t think that was threatening enough as she added, “And you won’t get pats.”

Alya coughed into her napkin. “Excuse me,” she said, standing and pounced on her friend and dragged her from her seat. “Bathroom break. Marinette?”

“I’ll be back,” Marinette said, giving Adrien a glare. “Bee-have.”

He gave her Chat’s grin and Alya got the giggles, covering her mouth with her hand as she pulled Marinette away.

“I honestly don’t know why you brought her,” Chloé complained. “She’s not suited for—”

“Don’t let it bug you,” Adrien said. “We’re all here for a good time.”

Another huffy roll of her eyes, then Chloé stood and gripped his arm. “Let’s dance.”

“I’d like to wait for M—”

“Ugh,” she muttered and pulled him from his chair. “It’s always her. Just c’mon already. You can dance with her later.”

Better to go along with it than create a scene. Embarrassing his father now would mean he’d never be allowed to attend another event like this with Marinette. So he let Chloé drag him to the dance floor and put her arms around his neck. His hands on her hips made sure she stayed a respectful distance from him instead of cuddling close like she wanted to.

“I don’t bite,” Chloé said as they swayed together. “You’re always so jumpy.”

“I don’t like dancing.”

She raised her eyebrows. “We dance every year and this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Adrien suppressed a sigh. “Look, Chloé—”

“May I get a photo?”

Turning his head, Adrien saw the photographer hired for the evening with his camera poised. “Uhh—”

“Of course,” Chloé said, turning to give her best smile. She curled into his side, clasping her hand over his on her hip so he couldn’t move it away. Suppressing another sigh, Adrien posed for the camera as he would for a photoshoot.

With a gleeful wink, the photographer glanced up. “How about a kiss under the mistletoe?”

Adrien stiffened, then looked up, seeing the plant hanging from the ceiling above their heads. “No, I’m not—”

Chloé smirked. “Gotta give the people what they want.”

As Chloé grabbed his lapels and mashed her lips against his, Adrien caught a flash of pink in the corner of his eye.

Chapter Text

Adrien knew how to take a good photo. He also knew how to completely ruin one. He kept his back stiff and bent at the hips, making sure to look like he’d been pulled off balance. His eyes widened as far as they could go. Lifting his hands away from Chloé, he held them, palms up, by his shoulders. He duckbilled his lips and tilted his head until his nose mashed into hers and increased the awkwardness between them. Every action he did showed how much he didn’t want this kiss and from every angle it would display that.

Chloé eeped and jerked away from him and rubbed herself on the collarbone. “Something bit me!”

“There must be something wrong with my camera,” the photographer said, looking unimpressed with his shot. “Can we try again?”

Still rubbing herself, Chloé peered at the display window on the camera then gave Adrien a significant look. “Could you at least make it look like you enjoyed that? We’ll have to do it again.”

He grit his teeth and ignored the sudden kerfuffle occurring in his pocket.  “Chloé. A word? In private.”

She beamed at him and hugged his arm. “Of course.”

He let her, because there was no way he was going to create a scene right now. Every action carefully controlled as he escorted Chloé from the dance floor. He couldn’t even look toward Marinette, he didn’t want to know her reaction to what occurred. Not yet. Later, he could deal with it, right now all he knew was he had to get out of everyone’s sight and fast.

“Do you have something sharp in your pocket?” Chloé asked, still rubbing.

Quietly seething, he kept his tongue as civil as he could. “No.”

“Are you sure? I swear something bit me.”

“You’re imagining things.”

He pulled her out of the ballroom and cast his eyes around for someplace private to talk.

“We can go to my room if—”

The stairwell at the end of a corridor of hotel room doors. It was far enough away to be private. Untangling his arm from Chloé, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stalked down the hallway.

“What’s with you?” she asked, noticing his mood.

They hadn’t reached the stairwell but he couldn’t contain it anymore. He spun, livid. “How could you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked, bewildered. She glanced back toward the ballroom and he could see she really didn’t believe she’d done anything wrong. “The kiss? They asked me—”

“I’m with Marinette!”

She flopped her hand at him and turned her face away. “It was just a kiss. Don’t get so worked up about it.”

“It was not ‘just a kiss’. You know I’m with her. You should’ve said no. They’re here because you hired them. If you said no, they would’ve backed off immediately.” He shifted his weight, rocking away from her as something occurred to him. “Did you ask him to ask that? That mistletoe was awfully convenient.”

She inspected her fingernails. “If Marinette can’t handle a little publicity stunt then maybe she—”

“This is not about Marinette!” he snarled, clenching his hands into fists. “This is about me!”

“You’re a model,” she replied with a frown. “You should be used to posing like that.”

“Well, I’m not! I don’t ever pose with others in any manner which would be suggestive because I’m not comfortable with it! And you know this!”

She studied him with a cocked head. “Why are you getting so worked up?”

“One little word, Chloé. ‘No’. Learn it.”

Another dismissive wave of her hand which only made him angrier. “Oh, c’mon, you’re getting angry over nothing.”

“This is not ‘nothing’!” he snapped.

“It’s just a kiss. It’s not like we haven’t kissed before. It’s a Christmas tradition—”

Was she really that dense? “There’s no ‘we’ in any of your kisses. I swear to God, Chloé, you never think about anyone else unless it suits you.”

“Why should I have to?” she dismissed.

He stared at her. “When did you get so cold and cruel?”

She blinked. “What?”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “You violated my trust, do you even understand that?”

“I did no such thing.”

He took a step back, physically and emotionally. One hand on his head, the other on his hip as he stared at her. “I can’t do this. I keep trying to remember what it was about our friendship that was so important to me when we were younger. I keep trying to figure out why I’m still fighting for it. You don’t make it easy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Where did the little girl go? The one who believed my happiness deserved to be on par with hers?”

A sudden chill hung between them. “She grew up.”

Stabbing him in chest would’ve hurt less. “So did I. I don’t think I can be your friend anymore.”

That she understood. All colour drained from her face as her shields crumpled. “What?”

“I’m done, Chloé.” With a heavy heart, he walked away to finish his journey to the stairwell. He needed to be alone. To think. To grieve over a lost friendship. To be away from people and their strange and confusing ways.

“But, Adrien—” She sounded lost. Bewildered. Alone. If only she could’ve shown emotions earlier. Later, he’d regret and reach out to her again, but for now…

He shook his head, his eyes on the patterned carpet of the hotel corridor. “No. No more. You don’t care about other people, you only care about yourself. You’re so cold. Too cold for me.” He didn’t hear her leave but as he sat on the stair, the corridor behind him was empty. Checking his surroundings, he opened his jacket. “Alright, Plagg, did you bite—”

Tikki shot out from his pocket, fuming. “Is she gone? How dare she!”

Adrien rocked back in surprise. “Tikki?”

Tikki started speaking in the lyrical language of chirps and croons he’d heard before, but now her words were harder and full of spite. Her body language as she wove through the air ahead of him was strange too. She wrung her hands like she was preparing for a fight and buzzed.

Plagg poked his head out. “Tikki, calm down. You’re getting worked up over—”

“Calm down?” she shrilled and rounded on her mate in anger. “Calm down! She was all over your boy and you were just going to sit there and let her!”

“Adrien can take care of himself.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “Tikki, did you bite Chloé?”

“Of course I did and I’d do it again!” she fumed. “She had no right to do that to you.”

Cupping his hands, he caught the furious bug and pulled her in. Planting a kiss on her head, he said, “Thanks Tikki. You’re the best.”

The fury in her faded, replaced by concern as she stretched out her paws to touch his face. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed and shuffled to the side. Turning so he could rest his back against the stairwell, he stretched out his legs on the same stair he sat on and lowered his hands to his lap. “I really don’t know.”

“Friends outgrow each other,” Tikki said and patted his hand. “I’ve seen it a thousand times. Circles grow apart. They break and reform around other people.”

Adrien sighed, tilted his head back to rest on the wall and closed his eyes. “Just… give me a minute,” he said as he slipped Tikki back in his pocket. “Just a minute.” Taking a deep breath, he concentrated on letting it out slowly.

Arms wove around his sides to his back and a head rested on his chest and he could tell who it was by her warmth and her scent. She moved so silently, Plagg would’ve been proud of her skills.

He scrunched up his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to—”

“Shh. Hug now, talk later.”

He closed his arms around her and dropped his head until his face rested on top of her head. He held on and let his lady be his emotional anchor and safeguard him from the storm.

Footsteps hurried down the hallway. “Dude, we saw—”

A sharp intake of breath. One arm disappeared from around him and Marinette jiggled as she shooed them.

“Nino, c’mon,” Alya murmured. “You know where to find us.”

It was a while before Adrien could force himself to speak. He knew he had to, he had to make things right. “Princess,” he murmured in a husky voice. “I’m sorry, she caught me by surprise, I never meant to—”

She squeezed him and didn’t let go. “Chat, I’m not angry with you.”

Adrien gusted out a breath. “What?”

“That had to be the most awkward, uncomfortable kiss I have ever seen. I don’t know how you did it, but the second-hand embarrassment for Chloé was palpable.”

“Oh.”

Leaving her hands on his chest, she sat back. “I’m sorry she did that to you. I heard what you said to her. Are you okay?”

“All of it?”

She nodded.

“You weren’t supposed to,” he muttered. “It’s why I left the room.”

She dropped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I was worried, you looked so… you had your ‘shit’s going down’ face on and I… thought you might need backup.”

He propped up one of his legs so his foot was flat on the stair.  “I have a face like that?”

Marinette got comfortable on the stair below his. Hugging his leg, she placed her cheek on his knee. “You do.” Her lips quirked up. “It’s sexy.”

“Good to know.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Are you okay?”

He wasn’t ready to answer that so he changed the subject again. “Tikki bit her.”

Marinette snorted. “Go Tikki.”

“Ladybugs are territorial,” Tikki pipped from Adrien’s pocket. “And Plagg wasn’t doing anything.”

“Cats are territorial too,” Plagg muttered. “We’re just independent as well. Plus… you beat me to it.”

More angry chirping from his pocket and Marinette reached over to pat Adrien on the chest where the kwami were. “Shh,” she said and stroked until they both settled again.

Catching her hand, Adrien kissed her palm. “You’re really not angry?”

“Oh, I am. I’m buzzing,” she said and he heard a hint of it in her voice. “But not with you.”

“Are you going to… do anything to her? Confront her? Ladybug her butt?”

She regarded him. “Do you want me to?” she asked in serious voice.

“I… ah…” He didn’t have an answer to that.

“She…” She bit her lip, then kept going. “She didn’t do anything to me, Adrien. Not really. She did it to you. I have your back and I will fight alongside you, but I can’t fight this one for you. You’re the only one who can decide the right course of action here.”

He was stunned. “That’s…”

“Very mature of you, Marinette,” Plagg said. “Some should learn from your example.”

“Don’t you start with me,” Tikki snapped.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Marinette said with a smile. “I plan to be exceedingly bitchy and petty next time I see her. But I won’t punch her in the nose like I want to. I can’t vouch for Alya and Nino though.”

Adrien snorted.

“Do you think we should be ready for an akuma?” Marinette asked.

“For Chloé?” He pulled a face. “Doubt it. Right now, I’m not sure she can feel the emotions necessary to lure an akuma.”

Releasing the hug on his leg, she instead ran the tips of her fingers up and down his outer thigh. “Do you want to talk about her? Mom says talking helps people work through things. ”

He studied her. “You really want to hear me talking about Chloé?”

“She’s a big part of your life. Of course I do.”

Keeping her other hand so he could play with her fingers, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Once upon a time, there was a boy. A sad and lonely boy who lived in a world of adults. He loved his mother and his father very much and lived under the illusion this was the way life was supposed to be. Just him and them and that was all. Then came a girl with sunshine for hair who showed him life could be better. Life could be full of friendship and laughter and fun. But she was a queen of spiders who spun a web of deception. Queen of ice. Queen of… I dunno.”

Marinette’s expression became more and more amused the longer he spoke. “Very poetic.”

“I try. The story gets better when the princess arrives.” He smiled, then lost it. “She was the first one I called friend. I thought… getting to go to school would only make us closer. Seeing her every day, being with these friends she thought so highly of, I could be part of it all.”

“Do you want to go back to that life?”

“No. Then I wouldn’t have you. I thought… if I hung on… I could encourage her to change. To be nicer to people. I know her brattiness is a shield, but I always thought she lowered it around me. I guess I was wrong.”

“She’s… different around you,” Marinette admitted. “Softer. It’s hard to see but in her own way she cares—”

“Not enough for it to matter.” He grunted and rested his head back against the wall. “I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not,” she responded. “You’re kind and honourable and always see the best in people, even when they can’t see it themselves.”

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes. Right now, he didn’t believe her but tomorrow was a different story.

“Would you like to go for a walk down La Seine. Get out of here for a while?”

He lifted his head. “Will you be warm enough?”

“Don’t worry about me,” she said and turned her head to kiss his knee. “My turn to worry about you.”

“Then a walk sounds wonderful.”

She lifted away. “Wait here. I’ll go tell Alya and get my shawl.”

He nodded and held onto her hand until the last possible moment. As her fingers drifted away from his, he murmured, “I love you.”

She came back to kiss him. Her mouth lingered against his and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and keep her with him forever. “I love you too.”

Sighing he stroked a hand through his hair as he watched her walk away. He really didn’t know what he was going to do about this. It didn’t feel finished and Adrien knew eventually he’d have to talk to Chloé. But not now. Not tonight.

Marinette returned a short time later, with Nino and Alya in tow. The look Marinette gave him suggested she hadn’t been able to talk them out of it.

“You guys don’t have to leave,” Adrien said, surprised. “Look, I’m probably not going to go back to the party, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay and have fun.”

“Dude, I’m only here because of you,” Nino said, then winked. “Besides, a romantic walk down to the river? I’m so there.”

“Are you okay?” Alya asked.

He stood, dusted off his pants and buttoned his jacket. “Yeah. I guess.”

“That was so bad of Chloé,” Alya said, incensed. “She was so wrong to do that to you. I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind when we see her next.”

Adrien nodded and felt his shoulders droop.

Marinette stepped close to him and rested her hand on the small of his back. “Let’s just walk.”

They hadn’t even made it to the end of the hallway when Gabriel stepped from the ballroom and fixed his eyes on Adrien.

Adrien took a deep breath. “Father. I’m not feeling well. I’m escorting Marinette home, then—”

Gabriel held up a hand to stall him. “Girls are—” he paused, glanced at Marinette, then rephrased. “Some girls can be calculating and sly. While it was quite obvious you had been duped into what occurred, the aftermath is what I’m more interested in. You handled yourself remarkably and removed yourself without creating a scene and therefore saved Mayor Bourgeois from further embarrassment. I am, however, concerned about your emotional state and—”

Adrien lunged, wrapping his arms around his father’s waist. Gabriel tensed and his hands reared away from his sides like they’d been burned. A long moment passed, then Adrien felt his father pat him once on the back. Adrien dropped his arms and let him step away. “I’m alright,” Adrien said. “Thank you for thinking of me.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. I’ll see you at home.”

“That was weird,” Nino said as the four of them walked toward the exit.

“Shh,” Alya said.

“Well, it was!”

A frigid, Parisian night burst upon their faces the moment they stepped out of the warmth of the hotel. A crystal clear sky filled with brilliant twinkling stars. Soft light bounced off the rippling waters of the Seine, making the water sparkle. A brisk breeze twisted through the trees and sang to the leaves. Only a few people were out at this chill, wandering along the river or hurrying between buildings.

Marinette’s breath frosted the moment she stepped outside and although she hugged her shawl tighter, she made no other mention of the cold. Although he knew she wouldn’t last long, the only other option was to take her home or go back to the party and he didn’t want to waste a moment. After that scene, he was sure his father would check on him when he came home, so Adrien couldn’t sneak out to visit her as Chat Noir.

Unbuttoning jacket, he went to shrug it off, only to be stalled by Marinette. “They need to be warm,” she said with a significant look at his pocket. “I’ll take your arm though.”

He wrapped it around her. “You don’t need to ask for that.”

They strolled along the isolated path beside the river and there was no need for words. They enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together. Sometimes, with their school life, home life plus the added chaos as heroes, it was hard to find a peaceful moment and Adrien was glad for it. To breathe and take things slow.

They paused, standing by the railing and looked out onto the river together. Adrien turned Marinette toward him and opened his jacket so she could bury her arms beneath and keep her hands warm. Hugging her to him, they watched the boats on their slow journey along the river and marvelled at the patterns the lights of Paris made on the water.

Nino and Alya broke away, heading off on their own walking cuddle. By Nino’s cheeky wave, Adrien suspected they’d find some secluded corner to make out in.

“It’s so pretty tonight,” Marinette cooed against his chest.

Seeing a carnival boat gliding down the river, its multi-coloured lights flashing beacons of happiness in the dark, Adrien listened to the music belting from its speakers. “We didn’t get to dance.”

“I have two left feet anyway.”

He laughed. “No, you don’t.”

“I don’t know how to dance,” she said. “Walking cuddle I can do, but those fancy ones with names? Not for me.”

“You should’ve said something. I would’ve taught you.”

She nuzzled his chest. “Been a bit busy.”

“Do you want to learn?”

She tilted her head back. “What, right now?”

“Sure.”

She took her bottom lip between her teeth. “Um… As much as I’d love to, I’m…”

“Cold,” he supplied. “Let’s get you home.”

“Five more minutes?” she said and rested her cheek back on his chest. “I don’t want tonight to end.”

“I don’t either.”

She snorted.

“What?”

“Were you Nino, you’d have suggested other ways to keep warm.”

“Well, I thought about transforming and hitting the rooftops, but I rather like cuddling you and we don’t do a lot of that patrolling.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” he murmured, lifting his hand so it cupped her neck. “But if I kiss you now, I’m not going to want to stop.”

“Completely not opposed to that.”

He dipped down, his eyes sliding shut. “As my lady wishes.”

Slow and sweet, the warmth of her breath tickled his face even as the icicles of her hands slid around to his chest. Hyper aware of her hands and remembering the torment she put him through last time her fingers explored his chest, he slid the hand on her neck down and toyed with the teardrop window to her skin.

He traced its shape, feeling her skin warm beneath his fingers. Since she seemed quite comfortable with that, he dared to let his hand drift lower. She shifted and pulled her lips away to murmur, “Adrien—”

He moved his hand away, taking her hip instead. “Sorry.”

“No, I want you to,” she rushed. “Just not here.”

“Oh. Right.” He’d forgotten they were in public. “Oops.”

“Will you come tonight?” She smiled and her half-lidded eyes and sultry tone made his head spin. “Or shall I come to you?”

Heat filled him as he remembered the last time she was in his room. “God, I want that. I do. But I think tonight will be one of those infrequent times he checks on me.”

She made a frustrated noise, then flinched as a snowflake fluttered onto her face. Lifting a hand, she frowned.  “It’s snowing.”

Adrien looked up into the mist in the sky. The stars were blotted out by clouds. “Where’d that come from?”

Marinette flinched again as a snowflake landed on her forehead and ducked down to hide. “Crazy Paris weather. It’s global warming.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he murmured, “Let’s get you home.”

By morning, Paris was coated in white.

Chapter Text

Wearing Marinette’s ugly Christmas sweater over the top of several layers of clothing, Adrien stared out his window at the fluffy flakes floating from the sky. The snow had been falling since Adrien escorted Marinette home and now the entire driveway was covered in a foot of snow. “The weather yesterday didn’t say anything about this.”

“Freak storm,” Plagg muttered.

“Or akuma.” Adrien had watched the news since the moment he woke for any sign of akuma, but there’d been no mention. Just reports on blocked roads and how many accidents had occurred overnight. People were advised to stay indoors until the storm had blown over.

“Maybe,” Plagg said, rubbing his chin. “But they’re localised disturbances and it’s snowing everywhere in Paris. This weather, I can feel in my bones.”

He snorted. “Plagg, you sound like an old grandpa. ‘I can feel the weather in my bones’.”

Plagg gave him a sour look. “Whippersnapper.”

With a laugh, Adrien pointed. “Exactly like that!”

With a huffy noise, Plagg pressed his paw to the window. “Can we go check on our girls now?”

“I sent a message,” Adrien said and looked at his cell again in case she’d sent a message and he’d missed it in the thirty seconds since he last checked. “She’ll call when she gets up.”

“Marinette will, but Tikki’s not responding to me.”

Adrien cast Plagg a sharp glance. “What?”

“I told you, we don’t have to use our mouths.”

“What do you use?”

Plagg waved his paw dismissively. “It’s too complicated for you mere humans.”

“That’s your answer to everything.” Adrien scratched his chin. If he was honest, he worried about Marinette too. “If she hasn’t contacted me, I’ll go over after I go see Chloé.”

“Ugh,” Plagg grunted. “Do we have to?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

His phone beeped and Adrien lifted it in hope. That hope dwindled when he saw it was from Nino. “Snow day!”

Dialling Nino, he waited until his friend answered. “Dude, it’s Saturday.”

“Don’t spoil it for me, man. Like, have you see the piles of snow outside?”

“Looking at it right now. It’s amazing.”

“It’s been years since we had this much. Alya and me are going to the park to make snowmen. Wanna come?”

“Hmmm. I’ll meet you there in a while, I’ve got a couple of things to get done first.”

“Alright, dude. See you them!”

Sighing, Adrien hung up. “C’mon,” he told Plagg and went for his parka, gloves and beanie. “Let’s get this over with.”

“You don’t owe her anything,” Plagg said, wriggling inside the hood of Adrien’s parka.

“Mightn’t seem like it, but I do. I can’t leave it like this.”

“You’re noble, kid. I’ll give you that. Just don’t expect me to bite her if she gets too close.”

Adrien worked on the buttons of his parker as he walked down the stairs. “I’m going out,” he called to no one in particular.

Nathalie darted from the direction of the offices. “Your father wants you to stay home.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “I won’t be long,” he said and continued walking.

“He said it was too dangerous out there,” Nathalie said.

“In the snow?”

“There’s a storm coming,” Nathalie pressed.

“I checked the news this morning,” Adrien said with his hand on the door. “There was nothing. Look, I’ve got some things to do, then I’ll be back. Just don’t tell him.” Opening the door, he slipped out before Nathalie could stop him.

Outside was colder than he expected. Raising his hood, he glanced at Plagg to make sure he was secure.

His driver, nicknamed the Gorilla, shovelled snow in the driveway. Pausing as he spotted Adrien, he called, “Impossible to drive at the moment, young master.”

Adrien shrugged as he trotted down the stairs. Two bounding steps through the crunching snow, then he was on the path the Gorilla had already dug. “So, I’ll walk. It’s not far.”

“You know you’re not supposed to go anywhere on your own.”

“So, follow,” Adrien said, heading for the gate. “Hurry up.”

“I really think—”

“I’m leaving!” Adrien teased, opening the side door on the gate. “All on my very own.” He mock gasped. “What will my father say? Oh! There’s ice out here, I may slip and fall to my death. Oh, no, a nasty snowflake—”

A disgruntled shadow loomed behind him and Adrien grinned and set off.

A lot of activity occurred outside, especially in the snow. Children played and laughed, chased each other with snowballs or fell over in the drifts to make angels. Older children pulled smaller ones on sleds. Adults hurried about, some of them carried groceries and some of them looked like they’d rather be playing in the snow with the children.

Going walkies with the Gorilla was a lot more entertaining than Adrien had thought it would be. The man was huge and imposing, yet was still willing to stop and help a small child put the head of his snowman on. He allowed for silly moments, like Adrien walking along the railing of the river rather than walking on the pathway. Adrien wondered if he could convince the Gorilla to join in on a snowball fight.

The Mayor’s hotel was busy too, the remnants of party cleaning . Staff hurried around carrying trays or tables to put them away but Adrien noticed there also seemed to be a number of police officers and other municipal staff in the foyer too. The Mayor stood in the middle of the maelstrom, directing traffic.

After asking the Gorilla to wait, Adrien waved to get the Mayor’s attention. Mayor Bourgeois didn’t look pleased to see him at all. “What do you want?” he snapped when Adrien approached.

Adrien suppressed a huff. “I’m here to see Chloé.”

“She’s not here,” he said, attention diverted to a form which needed his signature. “She went to visit her aunt this morning and won’t be back for a couple of days. Now, if you don’t mind, we have a bit of a crisis going on.”

“Crisis?” Adrien asked, surprised. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” the Mayor said. “Best head on home, Adrien. The weather’s turning.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes, but walked away. It seemed the Mayor blamed him for last night, which he’d suspected would happen anyway. The increase in personnel was worrying though. Hesitating in the warmth inside the hotel, he reached for his phone and loaded up a news feed. Nothing new. That didn’t mean nothing was going on, it just meant it hadn’t broken yet. Going to a weather site, he took a look at the cloud coverage over Paris. It seemed worse than it had an hour ago but Adrien wasn’t versed in reading weather patterns.

“We’re heading for a big storm,” Plagg said, peering at the phone from the recesses of Adrien’s hood.

“Looks that way.” Dialling Alya, he lifted the phone to his ear. He could both talk to her and listen to those around. Someone might let something slip.

“Sup,” she said. “You coming to the park? Nino and I are waiting.”

“Hey, I need a favour. An LB one.”

Alya’s tone became serious. “Sure. What’s up?”

He glanced over at two policemen, concentrating on their conversation: Traffic jams because the snow ploughs weren’t working fast enough and only certain streets were clean, as well as something about the hospital. Idle chatter and of no real importance to him. “Is there anything happening on the boards?”

“Nope. No sightings, nothing. It’s quiet.”

That relieved him. “Good.”

“Going looking for trouble?” she asked. “Don’t you cause enough?”

“My bad luck senses are tingling.”

“Holy shit,” Alya blurted with a gasp. “You have that?”

Adrien laughed. “No, I’m messing with you.”

“Oh, you ass!” Alya said, exasperated. “I really thought you did!”

“I’m at Chloé’s hotel and—”

“What? Why the hell are you there?”

“Look, something’s going down, I just want to check it wasn’t LB related. The Mayor’s got all sorts of personnel in here and—”

“Probably related to the snow. It came from nowhere.”

“You noticed,” Adrien said, dryly.

“You think it’s… a thing?”

“Really not sure. The fact that we’re not finding victims or seeing someone causing it is troubling.”

“What does Marinette say?”

“I… haven’t spoken to her yet,” Adrien said, and pushed away from the wall he leant on. Another glance around and he walked for the door with the Gorilla following after him. “About to walk over there.”

“Oh my god, you walked?” she teased. “What will your father say?!”

“I have an escort,” Adrien said.

Alya snorted.

“Shuddup, okay?”

“I’ll keep an ear out, okay? Let you know if I find anything.”

“Thanks. Have fun at the park.”

“You gonna come?”

“I’m walking past it in a minute,” he said, walking with hunched shoulders as he talked. “I’ll come back after I’ve seen Marinette.”

“Okay, cool. See ya then.”

Hanging up, Adrien pretended he was still on the phone so he could talk to Plagg and not alert the Gorilla. “We should do a patrol.”

“Do we have to?” Plagg whined. “It’s cold.”

“Something feels wrong.”

“Or,” Plagg said. “Maybe you’re overreacting because you know what the snow will do to our girls. This is just a good, old fashioned snowstorm. That’s it.”

He hesitated. “You think?”

Plagg patted Adrien’s head. “Believe me, kid, it doesn’t get easier. Millenniums together and I still worry during winter. It’s worse when our Miraculous don’t know each other.”

“Hmm.”

He waved at Nino and Alya as he walked past the park beside Marinette’s house, then dodged the snowballs the pair had ready to pelt him with. Laughing, he called, “I’ll be back to kick your butts!”

“Bring it!” Nino said and tossed a snowball which splattered against the Gorilla’s back instead of Adrien. “Oh shit!”

Adrien laughed at Nino as he ducked behind Alya, who grinned sheepishly at the Gorilla and dropped her own snowball.

Stamping snow from his boots, Adrien opened the door into the bakery.

An otherwise empty shop, Sabine looked up from her phone conversation, her eyes widening in surprise at seeing him and his escort. Waving her hand, she said, “Yes, I understand it’s snowing, but you promised you’d be here. I’ve had you booked for weeks… there’s been no state of emergency called! You should be—” She made a noise of disgust. “No. No, that’s really not professional— because we’ve already paid the callout fee and it’s taken you three weeks to… it’s snowing! It’s winter!” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Yes. I understand.” She hung up made a frustrated noise.

“Anything wrong?” Adrien asked. “Anything I can help with?”

Putting the phone down, she said, “Oh, no, dear. But thank you.” She sighed, then smiled. “Marinette was still in bed when I checked.”

“Oh. Well… alright. Can you have her call me when she gets up?”

Sabine tilted her head. “Did you have plans today?”

“No, but Alya and Nino are messing around with the snow in the park, we wanted to see if she wants to come.”

Sabine nodded. “I’ll let her know.”

“What did they say?” Tom asked, coming into the bakery from the stairwell which lead to his house. He shucked out of his coat and hung it on the rack by the door. “Oh, Adrien, hello.”

“Morning Tom,” Adrien said as he gave the coat a curious glance.

Plagg’s paws pattered at the back of Adrien’s head, then he whispered, “Checking on them. I’ll meet you in the park.” He didn’t even wait for an answer as he made a beeline for the wall to phase through.

“He was just seeing if Marinette could come out and play in the snow,” Sabine said, winking at Adrien as she patted her huge husband on the arm.

Tom laughed. “I’m sure I heard grouchy bear movement from her room a few minutes ago. Give her a while, then we’ll send her out.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said and headed for the door with a wave. “Have a nice day.”

“Bye!”

Sighing, Adrien glanced up at Marinette’s windows, then headed back to the park.

“No Marinette?” Alya called, seeing him return. She and Nino were piling up snow to make a snowman.

Adrien shrugged. “Sleeping. Or at least being a grouch and not getting out of bed.”

“Lazy bones,” Nino said. “Missing out on all this fun!” Grinning, he bend down and scooped a handful of snow from the ground. “Now, where were we—”

Snow splattered against the side of Nino’s head, knocking his hat and glasses off and Alya burst into giggles. Adrien glanced to his left, seeing the Gorilla reaching down to scoop up more snow.

“What?” he said, shrugging at Adrien. “Payback, wasn’t it?”

Laughing, Adrien set about doing just that.

The snowball free-for-all drew in all the children and teens in the park, including Kim, Max and Alix as they passed by. Forts built, alliances made and destroyed, snowballs flew and people grew wet as snow slid down inside their clothing and melted.

The moment a bundled up bug emerged from Marinette’s house, Adrien stopped his battle and bounced over to greet her. Of course, Nino took the moment of inattention to bombard him with snowballs. “Lay off!” Adrien called, grinning. “I’ll be back.”

Beneath all the clothes and the large hooded poncho, it was difficult to see Marinette. “Morning,” Adrien chirped.

She grunted at him and sighed. “Hi.”

“Tell him,” Plagg growled from somewhere in the hidden recesses of her clothes.

“Tikki’s hibernating,” Marinette said, her eyes downcast. “You’ll be on your own for a while.”

“That’s okay,” Adrien said, reaching out to touch her shoulder to offer her some comfort. “We expected that.”

“Not that,” Plagg snapped, sounding completely furious. “The other thing.” He hissed, then yowled in anger. “Tell him why she’s hibernating.”

Eyes still downcast, Marinette muttered, “Plagg…” She jerked sideways and then put a hand over her hip. “Ow!”

Adrien blinked. “Plagg!” he scolded. “Don’t—”

“Tell him or I will!” Plagg threatened.

Marinette wilted. “The central heating’s broken.”

Adrien stiffened. “What?”

She gave him a slow blink. “It’s been… going for weeks now, which is really stupid cause we had it serviced and everything but it broke completely last night and the repairman was supposed to come today and—”

“Cancelled,” Adrien said, recalling Sabine’s conversation.

“Fix it,” Plagg demanded and his head popped out of Marinette’s hood beside her face. “Fix it now.”

Adrien was already reaching for his phone.

Marinette grabbed his arm to stop him from calling. “Adrien, you don’t need to—”

“You should’ve told me,” Adrien said. “I can help.”

“I know and it’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but I don’t feel right about it. We have portable heaters and we’ll sleep in the bakery tonight—”

“You’ll freeze.”

She moved closer and put her hand on his chest. “I’ll be fine.”

“Stay at my place.”

Marinette blinked. “It’ll be hard to sneak out—”

“No, I mean legitimately. Both you and your parents, come and stay with me until the heating’s fixed.”

She smiled. “They won’t go for that.”

He made a frustrated noise.

“Adrien!” Plagg whined. “We can’t leave them in that place! It’s like ice.”

Marinette covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned. “I’ll ask. There’s no harm in asking.”

Adrien nodded and glanced skyward. “We should—”

“Adrien,” the Gorilla said, interrupting them. “A severe weather warning has been issued. We should get you home.”

Adrien frowned, then lifted his phone to check the weather. He couldn’t tell for sure, but the colours on the chart seemed to show the storm was denser than it had half an hour ago. Glancing up, he frowned at the sky. Whatever was happening up there still hadn’t filtered down to the citizens. The weather on the ground wasn’t mild anymore, the snow was heavier and the wind begun to pick up, but nothing that he could see to indicate a severe weather warning.

If the speed the snowstorm intensified continued, there would be people caught out who would need help. He’d need to check in with the Mayor. Perhaps this was something Chat Noir could help with.

Marinette looked up at the sky and frowned as though she’d just noticed the denseness of the clouds. The Ladybug in her woke. “You should go,” she murmured and worry lined her face. “Be careful and check in regularly.”

“I promise. Ask your parents,” he said and leant in to kiss her, allowing Plagg to switch to his hood. “Please. Before the storm gets too bad.”

“Do you think it’s not natural?”

“No idea, but it’s snow joke.” He grinned when Marinette did. “Alya says there’s no activity, but I’ll check it out. Don’t force her awake though, okay? I got this.”

Marinette nodded.

Another kiss and Adrien allowed the Gorilla to draw him away.

Upon arriving home, Adrien went straight to see his father, bursting into his office unannounced. “I need to talk to you.”

Gabriel looked up from his sketching desk with a frown. “You went outside. I left instructions for you to remain inside because of the weather.”

“I went to see Marinette,” Adrien interrupted. “Her central heating is broken and her house is freezing.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrow. “I fail to see how this involves—”

“I extended an invitation for her and her family to remain here until it’s repaired.”

Gabriel lowered his pencil. “I see.”

“We have more than enough room. You won’t even know they’re here.”

With a sigh, Gabriel adjusted his glasses. “I appreciate how much you care for Marinette, however—”

“She said she didn’t think her parents would go for it,” Adrien said. “I thought if you extended the invitation—”

“Adrien—”

“Think of it as an opportunity to get to know them.”

Gabriel sported the most unimpressed look on his face.

“Please. For me.”

He sighed and closed his eyes. “Very well. I’ll have Nathalie extend an invitation.”

Adrien grinned, pleased with himself.

The end of Gabriel’s pencil was pointed at Adrien. “On the condition that you do not venture outside in this storm until it is gone. Even if Marinette’s family decline the invitation.”

“Done,” Adrien lied with an incline of his head. A promise like that ensured his father, who trusted Adrien to be a dutiful son, wouldn’t check on him and he’d be free to leave as long as it wasn’t through the front door. If he doubled his baton and left one there facing his bedroom door, he could link it in with the one he carried and be alerted when someone went looking for him. “Thank you!”

Gabriel waved his hand in dismissal and Adrien practically skipped away.

Chat Noir broke Adrien’s promise minutes later, darting across the rooftops and pole vaulting his way to the Mayor’s hotel. Fewer people littered the streets and those who did clutched their jackets and coats to stop the wind’s icy finger from running down their spines.

He planted his baton in a deep snowdrift and extended it straight up in the air so he could get a better view of Paris. Few cars inched along unploughed roads, most parked on the side and covered in a layer of snow. The cars which did move followed the various snow plough dotting the streets. A snow plough chugged along the bridge ahead of Chat Noir, followed by a stream of cars. Not quite enough snow on the ground to completely halt traffic, but enough to make things dangerous. He watched as a car across the river appeared to slide and bounced into the trunk of a tree.

Wincing, Chat Noir swivelled around to look the other way. The hospital had all the roads around it clear, and several ploughs were still in the area to keep it that way. Police cars were out in number, helping to move cars which had caused accidents. People still walked around, ignoring the weather as they conducted whatever business they needed to get done, but Chat Noir noticed the lack of children outside.

He shivered. Colder higher up. Windier too. It battered against his face and made his baton wobble. The weather was getting worse. He still wasn’t sure he believed Plagg’s proclamation of it being a natural storm, but he wasn’t a meteorologist either.

Landing out the front of the Mayor’s hotel, his arrival was met with a mixture of shocked, speculative and relieved looks but it was really only the Mayor’s reaction Chat Noir wanted. The man appeared to discussing something with a short woman in a white coat.

“Sir, you need to issue a statement advising—”

“Chat Noir!” Mayor Bourgeois didn’t even look at him as he rushed over, just beyond. “Where’s Ladybug?”

“Unavailable,” Chat Noir replied. To increase his confident posture, he placed his hands on his hips and braced his legs. “What can I help you with?”

A sense of disappointment hung in the air and Chat Noir tried not to let it affect him. “What can you do against the weather?” the Mayor asked.

“That depends. Is it just a storm?” Chat Noir asked. “Have there have been reports of akuma?”

“You’re the expert on akuma,” the Mayor evaded. “You tell me.”

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes. “Against a storm, if that’s what it is, I can’t do much. But I can assist the people of Paris.”

“I’m really busy,” the Mayor dismissed. “We’re not equipped to deal with volunteers right now—”

Chat Noir raised his eyebrows. “Mister Mayor, I’m going to be running a patrol. People will need help. Supplies. Medicine. I can get across anywhere in Paris quickly to places inaccessible by vehicle. I only need to know where help is needed.”

“I’m sorry, no one has time to coordinate anything like what you’re suggesting. We’re busy doing our jobs. When Ladybug arrives, we can discuss—”

Why did he get the feeling if Ladybug was here, they wouldn’t even be having this conversation? Chat Noir rolled his eyes. Unclipping his baton he used his communicator to call Alya while the Mayor looked on in dismay. “Greetings, oh voice of the people,” he said. “Fancy doing some publicity?”

Chapter Text

Paris had accident hot spots, as Chat Noir discovered. Stretches of road which a car was more likely to lose control on and slide. Even if drivers paid complete attention, there were a few  small hills where people lost control on the ice and cars slid, especially the zippy little cars designed for city living. Camping out in the middle of a hill, he was able to prevent several accidents before they could start.

But dealing with fender benders and sliding cars wasn’t worth his time.

While Chat Noir headed home for supplies, including a headset and his cell with unlimited data so he could stay in contact, Alya got the word out: Chat Noir patrolled the city. If anyone needed aid, they could leave a note on her board and she’d relay the information to Chat Noir. Vehicles trapped or people stuck, he could help. He knew he’d get people needed their vehicles dug out, an easy feat considering the strength his suit allowed him.

He helped people as he came across them; digging cars from ditches and pushing them back on the road; stopping accidents before they could start; helping civil servants cover statues in the gardens to protect them from the elements; or following ambulances to make sure they got to their destination without much trouble. As he helped out, he ran sweeps of the city for an akuma.

Alya kept an eye on the weather reports for him, but, despite constant updates, no one could decide what the weather was actually doing. Stronger or weaker, more snow or less, the advice was simple: remain inside.

Every person he stopped to help, he asked the same question. Had they seen anything strange?  Then answer was always a resounding ‘no’. People wavered between panicking about the snow and boarding up the windows calling ‘All is lost!’, to being confident Ladybug would somehow fix it.

Chat Noir made sure to stop every forty minutes to an hour, find someplace warm and de-transform to let Plagg rest and to eat and drink. It was still his body which exerted itself and there were limits, especially in this frigid weather. He had enough food for several hours and plenty of cheese for Plagg.

Strangely, Plagg was silent as he ate, instead of complaining about all the work they were doing. Adrien did get Plagg to admit something strange was going on, the lack of akuma was troubling.

Marinette got wind of what he was doing, whether Alya told her or she read it on the Ladyblog, he didn’t know. One moment, he chatted with Alya about the guy he finished helping, the next Marinette was on the line with him. “What are you doing?”

Chat Noir paused, standing on a snow-covered rooftop and looked down onto the street below. “Patrolling.”

“You’ve been out there for ages,” she scolded. “You’ll wear Plagg out.”

“I have a six pack of camembert in my bag. He’s a happy kwami.”

“You’ll wear yourself out,” she cautioned. “You don’t have to do all this. Our jobs are akuma, not Saint Bernard rescue puppy.”

He smiled and let his voice fill with tenderness and warmth. “Thank you for worrying about me, Princess.”

“Well, someone has to,” she said, disgruntled. “You don’t look after yourself.”

Taking a small break, he reached into his bag for his water bottle. “And it has nothing to do with you wanting to be here too.”

She huffed.

“I’m being careful,” he said, eyeing the sky. “Keeping warm, eating and drinking and watching the weather.”

“Good.”

He unscrewed the lid on his water bottle. “Did you talk to your parents?”

“Yes.”

He took a drink as he waited for her to continue. “And?” he prompted when she didn’t answer.

“And they didn’t go for it.”

Chat Noir huffed in exasperation.

“I’ll be fine, kitten,” Marinette soothed. “We’re going to camp out in the bakery and the ovens will be going. Toasty.”

He didn’t believe for a moment she would be fine. “And where are you right now?”

“In my room with about six blankets and a heater,” she retorted, exasperated.

“Listen to you two,” Alya said. “It’s so cute how you worry about each other.”

Chat Noir felt an embarrassed heat ripple over him. “Oh. Ahhh… I didn’t realise you were still here.”

“Three-way,” Marinette said, mollified. “Sorry, I shoud’ve said.”

“Don’t worry,” Alya said. “I won’t tell. There’s a stuck van on Rue de Bac. That’s pretty close.”

Chat Noir returned his water bottle to his bag. “Another driver finding himself adrift in the snow.”

“I bet he had a good trip,” Marinette teased.

Pulling out his baton, he started running. “I’m sure it was a moving experience for him.”

“It was snow-verated.”

Snorting, he vaulted over to the next building. “S’no joke.”

“God, listen to you two,” Alya said, her voice filled with mirth. “Is this what you’re normally like?”

“Absolutely,” Marinette said. “But worse.”

“It’s better now she joins in,” he murmured, leaping across to the next building. “I was on my lonesome for so long.”

“Your puns grew on me.”

“I’m a fun-gi,” he teased and stopped on the awning of the building to look down at the street below him.

“We’re not going to plant puns,” Marinette said. “They’re a’pollen.”

“Such a frosty reception. Hang on, my ladies. I see the van.”

“You know you grunt a lot when you’re running,” Marinette noted.

“So do you, Princess.” He dropped down from the top of the building and landed knee deep in a pile of snow. Several people milled about in the snow, staring at the van trapped in snow and scratching their heads. It took up most of the street and there were several running cars parked nearby, passers-by stopping to help.

“I don’t grunt, I exhale sharply.”

“Sure,” Alya teased. “Just like you don’t sweat, you glow.”

“Really not a lot I can do,” he said. “Parkour and all. Kinda need to breathe. Gentlemen!” he called, announcing his presence. “Can I be of assistance?”

It didn’t take long. He dug a hole beneath so he could get his baton on an angle, then extend it to act as a lever. A little applied pressure and enhanced strength and the van was back in the street. Questioning people, he got the same answer as normal. No one had seen anything strange, but people wavered between being confident Ladybug could fix it and urging others to rush to the shops to stock up.

“How strong are you guys?” Alya asked as Chat Noir took to the rooftops again.

“That wasn’t strength, that was physics,” Chat Noir replied.

“Oh, listen to him,” Marinette said. “So modest.”

“I have yet to see an akuma,” Chat Noir noted as he vaulted back up to the rooftops. “Or anything out of the ordinary.”

“So, we’ve decided that it is?” Marinette asked.

“It came on too fast,” Alya said. “The weather reports are contradictory and the boards not run by the city are buzzing with theories.”

“Go to the Mayor,” Marinette suggested.

Chat Noir groaned. “He blew me off.”

Marinette groaned. “Really?”

“Chat Noir without his Ladybug,” he replied and turned around to head back to the hotel. “I’m just the ‘help’.”

“Chat—”

“I’ll try again. I need a break and to be seen at home anyway. Now’s a good time.” He vaulted, then scrambled across the slippery rooftops on all fours.

“Can akuma be invisible?” Alya asked.

Chat Noir blinked and almost missed his landing. He dug his claws in, sliding to a stop. “Oh god.”

“I hope not,” Marinette said. “Besides, akumas are after one thing and—” she broke off mid-sentence to yawn.

Chat Noir picked up her thought. “Our Miraculous. And I’ve been very visible today. I’ll go see what the Mayor says.”

Walking back into the hotel was an eye opener. The Mayor was surrounded by people talking loudly in an attempt to be heard over the rest. The Mayor himself looked frazzled and harassed, unable to answer any of the questions the people threw at him. As Chat Noir drew closer, he realised it wasn’t reporters hassling the Mayor, but meteorologists demanding answers or foretelling impending doom.

Chat Noir folded his arms on his chest and waited as he picked out individual conversations.

“Look at these systems! They aren’t natural!” 

“Why haven’t you issued an alert informing the public that we can’t predict this?” 

“We aren’t equipped to handle this much snow! It’s broken records!” 

Chat Noir cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

“Where is Ladybug?” 

“Why hasn’t she done something?”

He cleared his throat again, louder this time, and raised his voice. “Excuse me!”

“We need to let people prepare!” 

“Call a state of emergency.” 

“Is it an akuma? Has there been any word?”

Putting his fingers to his mouth, Chat Noir whistled shrilly. Conversation stopped as people covered their ears in shock. “That’s better,” Chat Noir said when he had people’s attention. “Mister Mayor, are you willing to talk to me now?”

“Is it an akuma?” someone asked.

“What are you doing about it?”

“Where’s Ladybug?”

Chat Noir kept his eyes on the Mayor who nodded and gestured at Chat Noir to follow as he went for the stairs. People parted to allow Chat Noir through as he stalked forward.

Mayor Bourgeois led him through the hallways of the hotel and the closer they got to Chloé’s room, the harder Chat Noir’s heart thumped. The air chilled and his breath frosted. When they reached Chloé’s room, Chat Noir saw ice blast marks along the walls.

The Mayor stopped as he placed his hand on the door handle. “Just warning you, this is….”

“Chloé's the akuma?” Chat Noir blurted and his heart almost burst from his chest. This was his fault. He caused it. He’d been so convinced she didn’t have any real feelings and yet—

“No,” the Mayor said and put his shoulder to the door as he shoved it open. “She’s the first victim.”

Ice. The whole room was encased in it. Huge ice columns stretched from the floor to the roof. Sharp icicles the size of Chat Noir’s arm jutted from the roof and ice spikes cut from the floor. The crystalline structures mounded over furniture and slithered across the floor. In the middle of the room, entombed in ice, stood Chloé.

Chat Noir stepped over the broken shards at the door, evidence of how hard the Mayor had to work to open the door. Slipping and sliding across the room, he had to work hard to keep his balance, but eventually he reached the frozen Chloé. Pressing his hand against the ice, he tried to see through. She was still dressed in the same clothes she wore last night, that much he could tell, but everything else was distorted by ice.

“Chloé,” he mourned.

“Can you get her out?” the Mayor asked.

“You should’ve told me about this right from the beginning,” Chat Noir snapped. “Now I’m so far behind the akuma who did this I don’t know if I’ll be able to find them.

“Can you get her out?” he pressed.

“I’m not sure. I could try my attack, but that might hurt Chloé.” He ran his hand through his hair.

“When’s Ladybug coming?”

Chat Noir stared at Chloé-in-ice. “I need a list of whoever was at that party last night, staff and guests. And I need a list of who’s not accounted for.”

“That’ll take time.”

“I went all around Paris,” Chat Noir said, his eyes still fixed on Chloé. “I saw no sign of anyone else in ice, or anyone causing this storm. Which means they’re probably hiding. I need to know where to start. Get me the list. Send it to the Ladyblog, I’ll see it.” He turned and frowned at the Mayor. “Issue the alerts. People need to be safe. The longer you delay, the less time we have to prepare.”

“Of course,” the Mayor said, his footsteps rapidly retreating.

With his eyes back on Chloé, he touched his ear, needing emotional support. “My lady?”

No answer.

“Princess?”

“Ahh… sorry Chat, I think she’s fallen asleep,” Alya murmured. “I can help. What do you need?”

Resting his forehead against the ice, Chat Noir took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. So. It’s an akuma, but apparently a pretty slippery one. I need you to get the word out that this one can turn people into icicles and for people to send word if they find anyone trapped in one. I’m gonna need help narrowing down their location.”

He could hear Alya typing. “You know, when I started this blog, I never expected it to become a hotline for akuma attacks.”

“Funny how things turn out. I know it’s a lot thrust on you and I’m happy to coordinate things through the Mayor if—”

“Don’t you dare,” she said. “I want to help.”

He smiled. “Thank you. Do me a solid and see if you can find Sabrina?”

“Think she might be the akuma?”

“I yell at Chloé, who do you think she takes it out on?”

“Good point. A question?” she asked. “If you find the akuma, what are you going to do? Can you cure?”

Chat Noir scraped his claws down Chloé’s ice prison as he turned away. “I have no idea.” He sighed. “I’m going to head home. Let myself be seen. I’ll contact you in a little while.”

“If anything comes up, I’ll call.”

“Thanks. Talk soon,” he said and signed off.

No one noticed Adrien’s absence, just as no one noticed his reappearance. While Plagg slept, he wandered through his house feeling lost and alone. He couldn’t shake the feeling the weather was his fault. Chloé, the first victim, had obviously sought someone out to torment after what he’d said to her. He should’ve done something last night, rather than waiting.

Plagg didn’t offer any solutions to the akuma problem, but Adrien could see he thought hard about it. He did mention that Tikki should wake intermittently to eat so if they managed to catch her in one of those windows, they might squeeze a cure out of her.

He re-checked his gear, making sure he had enough food and water and decided he’d wear his parka and scarf over his suit. With a sneaky akuma on the loose, it would get colder before he could find them. When he was sure he had everything he would need, he hopped onto his computer to watch the weather and look for clues.

When he couldn’t wait any longer, he set up his spy-baton again and logged back into Alya’s call under Chat Noir’s call sign. Listening for a few seconds before he said anything, he was surprised to hear Nino in the call. “Hey.”

“Dude!” Nino said, jubilant. “Hey. I’m Nino, Alya’s boyfriend. We’ve met before—”

 “Nino, hey man,” Chat Noir responded and fixed his scarf so it covered his face and nose and secured his headphones. “How’s it going?”

“Pretty good, dude! Stoked that my girl can help you out, if you know what I mean.”

“She’s been a great help,” Chat Noir replied and headed for his window. “What news?”

“Nothing,” Alya said. “No ice sculptures, no sightings or anything strange. Nadda.”

Chat Noir sighed, crawling up to the roof of his mansion. “Great.”

“I’ve been in contact with Sabrina, so we can scratch her off the list,” she continued. “There are about seven names on the Mayor’s list not accounted for.”

“We’ll start with those. Do you have addresses?”

“Yup,” she replied and rattled off the first one.

With a running leap, Chat Noir set off in the direction of the first address.

More snow on the ground now, there must have been at least another foot over the last few hours. The air had a cruel bite to it and held the promise of more cruelty to come as the temperature continued to drop. Sharp icicled snow pricked his exposed skin, the fluffiness from this morning a distant memory. Chat Noir could only wonder how cold it would get after dark. Not a prospect he looked forward to.

“Are both your families safe?”

“My mom’s not home yet,” Alya said. “But she’s safe and she doesn’t have far to come. My siblings and my dad are here.”

Chat Noir made a disgruntled noise. “Is she still working? If you let me know when she leaves, I’ll escort her home.”

“Really not necessary—”

“I’ll insist if I have to. Nino?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. Thanks.” The slight infection in his tone suggested they weren’t, but Nino didn’t have a good relationship with his parents.

“Good.”

“Dude, like, you must be super fit, running around in the snow all day.”

“You could say that,” Chat Noir said.

“Nino, you promised,” Alya mentioned.

“Sorry, babe. Sorry, dude, I’m just, like, excited. It’s not every day I get to chat with someone kickass.”

“It’s cool,” Chat Noir said. “But I’m not going to give away trade secrets.”

“Babe,” Alya said, “Gonna mute you for a sec, I need to talk to Chat.”

“Okay, cool.”

“Sorry,” Alya said a few moments later. “He was keeping me company.”

“It’s fine,” Chat Noir replied. “I’ll just watch what I say, that’s all. How much does he know?”

“He knows that Marinette and I have been helping you. He knows that Ladybug isn’t available, but not why. Marinette woke up about… thirty minutes ago. I filled her in and she’s getting something to eat before she comes back. She’ll be coming back as herself, not LB. So no flirting.”

Damn. That was a shame, he’d liked flirting with her. It had been like she bounded through the snow right beside him. “Gotcha.”

“And you really should consider letting Nino in.”

Chat Noir paused to check his map. “Not in the middle of a mission. I’m still getting used to you knowing. Nino is…”

“He’s great and he won’t let you down.”

“I know. Of course I know that, Alya, he’s one of my best friends. I just…” He sighed. “We were supposed to keep it a secret, even from each other. I’m worried it’ll backfire on us, especially with Ladybug out of commission for the winter. I can watch out for you, but both of you? On top of keeping her safe? I don’t know that I can.”

“I hear you.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want him to know. It’s just not the right time.”

“Marinette and I have talked about my safety, you know. Especially when I help you out. I’m being careful, everything I tell you also goes up on the site. Plausible deniability. I can say you read it, rather than us actually talking…. Except for these addresses and names because of privacy.”

“Oh. Well. Good.”

“I gotcha, Chat,” she said and he could hear her grinning. “Don’t worry.”

“Thanks.”

“Nino, you’re back, babe.”

Nino said, “Hey, man, I got all sorts of jams we can listen to while you patrol, shall I hit you up?”

“Not too loud,” Chat Noir replied. “I still need to hear. But yeah, something with a good beat.”

As Nino organised the music, he asked, “What’s it like?”

“Being this kickass?” he asked, smirking as he vaulted across a gap, then scurried along on all fours. “It’s cool. I get to hang out with Ladybug.”

“Oh, man, she’s so cool. You’re a lucky dude. Man, I wish I could get Adrien in here. He’d flip.”

Chat Noir laughed. “Maybe next time.”

Chat Noir had checked out most of the addresses by the time Marinette returned. Nino and Alya chatted about music and flirted with each other while Chat Noir listened and made odd remarks. 

“How’s it going?” Marinette asked and Chat Noir felt his heart skip a beat from hearing her voice.

“Five out of seven,” Alya said.

“Hoping the last two addresses pan out,” Nino said. “I mean, not that I want one of them to be an akuma, but… y’know, there’s only so much snow we can handle.”

“Keep your fingers crossed,” Chat Noir said, flawlessly leaping from one building to another. “Coming up on one now.”

“Chat,” Marinette said. “I had a thought; what if it wasn’t one of the people at the party. What if it was a guest?”

“The Mayor said they were all accounted for.”

Marinette cleared her throat. “Or… like… a guest of a guest? You know…”

“The ‘off the books’ ones,” Chat Noir guessed.

“Yes.”

Another complication. “Then I’m boned until they decide to reveal themselves. Good news, though, I think I found a way to solve the akuma problem when I find it.”

“Oh?”

He grinned. “I’m going to become an entomologist.”

“Say what?” Nino asked.

“Gah, really? Fine. I’m going to be a Pokémon master.”

Marinette groaned.

When no one laughed, Chat Noir elaborated, “I have a net and a glass jar. I’m gonna catch it.”

“That’s breaking news,” Marinette deadpanned.

Chat Noir snorted. “You are such a pane.”

“Oh, don’t start,” Alya moaned. “You’ll never stop.”

“Stop what?” Nino asked.

“These two. They’re pun fanatics,” Alya said. “I swear I will mute you both.”

“Spoil sport,” Chat Noir said. “’Kay, stand by. I’m here.”

“Man, you move fast,” Nino muttered.

Chat Noir dropped down from the roof and walked up the steps to the front door. Knocking on the door, he waited until someone answered. “Sorry to disturb you, my name is Chat Noir.”

“I know who you are. Is there a problem?”

“I’m looking for Lola Beaumont. Is that you?”

The woman stared at him for a long moment. “Yes.”

He nodded. “And have you by chance spoken to—” he checked his phone. “Clement Delacroix today?”

“I have.”

Disappointment settled in his belly. “Thank you very much. That’s all I needed to know.”

“What’s this about?”

“We’re doing checks on citizens,” he said. “To make sure people are prepared for the weather. Is everything secure?”

“Oh,” she said and the suspicion on her face cleared. “Yes, thank you.”

Chat Noir inclined his head. “Thank you ma’am. Have a nice evening.” Stepping away, he wandered back out into the snow. Heaving in a sigh, he rubbed his hands together to keep them warm. “Well. That’s all of them.”

“So. What now?” Alya asked.

Chat Noir ran his hand along his neck and adjusted the hood of his parka. Extending his baton, he scrambled back onto the roof and looked at the Eiffel Tower.  “Now… I go someplace high and wait.”

“It’ll be dark soon,” Marinette mentioned. “You shouldn’t to be out there.”

“Let’s hope it comes to get me before then.”

It didn’t. It grew dark. It grew cold. Chat Noir grew damp and the snow and swirling storm around him sapped his strength and left him exhausted. The parts of his face exposed to the storm felt like it was raw and bleeding and he hid his fingers beneath his armpits to keep them warm as he paced along the struts of the Eiffel Tower.

Nino was the first to leave the chat, apologising profusely and blaming his parents. Marinette fell asleep, not that he blamed her. He’d heard her fading for a while and it worried him. If she were to go now, he’d have no chance against an akuma.

“Call it,” Alya suggested. “There’s no point freezing to death. You’ll be in no shape to fight when the akuma shows itself.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Thanks for all your help, Alya.”

“Call me when you head out again,” she said, and signed off.

Looking out into the city of Paris, Chat Noir sighed. Time to face the music and head to visit the Mayor.

He was pounced on by reporters camped out at the Mayor’s hotel the moment he dropped to the ground.

“What are you doing about the storm?” 

“Where’s Ladybug?” 

“Any word on the akuma?” 

“Why isn’t Ladybug here?” 

“Is it true you haven’t found the akuma because you want to take the glory for yourself?”

He didn’t even know how that last one would work. He pulled his scarf away from his face and lowered his hood, then tucked his hands under his arms. Hunching his shoulders, he tried to push past them. “Can we go inside? I’m freezing.”

They parted, allowing him inside and into the warmth, but the questions kept coming.

“Give the boy some space!” the Mayor bellowed, coming to his rescue.

“Thank you,” Chat Noir said as the reporters pulled back. “I’ve been all over Paris all day today. I’ve been helping people and searching for the akuma. I’m cold. I’m hungry. I’m tired. If Ladybug could be here beside me, she would but circumstances beyond our control—”

Someone shoved a microphone at him. “Can you defeat the akuma on your own?”

“Yes,” Chat Noir replied, taking a step back with a wary glance at the microphone. “I just need to find it and that’s proving problematic.”

“Are you delaying in finding the akuma so that you seem like a bigger hero?”

Chat Noir blinked. “What would be the point of that? I’m doing my best here but I need help. People need to stay warm and indoors. If they see anything strange, they need to report it to the Ladyblog.”

“Are you and the Ladyblog in league now?”

“Alya Césaire is proving to be a valuable source of information and an excellent coordinator. I do hope we’ll work together in the future. I’ll be running a few patrols through the night to see if I can draw the akuma out. Until I can, we just need to deal with the weather.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” a reporter asked.

“That’s the Mayor’s responsibility,” he said and looked to the Mayor. Seeing attention successfully diverted, he yanked the scarf over his face, pulled his hood up and slunk away.

Darting along the top of the hotel, he paused at the edge. His eyes slid away from the mansion to Marinette’s bakery in the distance. A quick visit wouldn’t hurt. Just to make sure she was tucked into bed, or already toasty and warm in the bakery.

Crawling through Marinette’s trap door, he was unsurprised to see her curled up in her bed with a heater beside her. He shrugged out of his backpack, leaving it at the foot of the bed. Sitting beside her, he made sure the blankets were securely tucked around her. Brushing his fingers over her face he looked at her. Just looked, taking in her beauty and her peace. It’d been a hard, cold day, but being by her side made him better.

She turned her face toward him in her sleep and a tiny smile crossed her features. Purring, Chat Noir bent his head down and rubbed his face against hers, then stretched out on the bed beside her. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he snuggled close and closed his eyes.

He wanted a moment. Even in her sleep, he felt like she knew he was there and that thought soothed and warmed him. A moment of happiness to take back to his cold house and carry with him until he could find a way to end the storm.

“What the hell are you doing in my daughter’s bed?”

Chapter Text

Chat Noir snapped awake as something yanked him from the bed by the ankle. He hissed and yowled, bending in half to retaliate, but by that time he found himself tossed down the stairs. Instinct kicked in as his body twisted to land on all fours in the bottom half on Marinette’s room. He skidded, digging his claws in and scratching the wooden floor.

The light switched on, flooding the room and Chat Noir blinked to adjust his eyes.

Sabine stood by the light switch, bundled up and ready for bed by all appearances. A pyjama-clad Tom barrelled down the stairs from Marinette’s bed. Both of them froze in shock as they spotted the intruder. “Chat Noir?” Sabine asked.

Still crouched and not quite awake, Chat Noir tensed. “Um…”

“You were in my daughter’s bed!” Tom snapped.

“He what?” Sabine asked, looking toward her husband. She rushed past Tom and scurried up the stairs to Marinette.

“What are you doing in her bed?!” Tom thundered.

Chat Noir shrivelled under the furious glare of Marinette’s father. “I… um… I didn’t…”

Tom reached down and grabbed him by his parka, hoisting him to his feet. “How dare you! I thought you were supposed to be one of the good guys!”

Chat Noir danged, his toes barely touching the ground. “I didn’t do anything!” he protested. “I was— I didn’t mean too—”

“You’re a pervert!” The veins on Tom’s neck bulged and spittle flew from his mouth. “Sneaking into girls’ rooms and—”

“No!” Chat Noir blurted, cringing away and holding up his hands.  “No, it’s not like that! I was—”

Tom gave him a shake. “I saw you! You were curled up next to my daughter like—”

“I can explain!”

“Oh, please,” Tom scoffed.

“I was patrolling and she’s a friend, I just stopped in to see how she was doing and I fell asleep!”

“Tom!” Sabine shrilled from up the stairs. “I can’t wake her up!”

Tom dropped Chat Noir in shock. “What?”

“Oh no,” Chat Noir blurted, bouncing forward. 

Tom’s hand grabbed his tail to prevent him then dragged him back and tossed him onto the chaise. “You did this!”

Chat Noir flipped, and crouched on the floor behind the chaise so it could act as a barrier. “No! She’s—”

“I’m calling the police.”

“I can—”A shrill beep echoed through his ears and Chat Noir felt his stomach drop to his toes a second before his transformation released. It must’ve been counting down while he was asleep.  “Oh. Crap.”

Plagg landed in Adrien’s hood, groaning and completely exhausted. Adrien couldn’t move, shell-shocked and caught and no clue how to escape from this one. No exit strategies, no Ladybug backing him up. He was dead. He was so dead.

“Adrien?”

Adrien shrunk back. “Um…”

Both Marinette’s parents stared at him. Mind blank, Adrien’s eyes roamed between Tom’s horrified face and Sabine’s shocked expression.

Sabine broke the ice. “Adrien, you’re Chat Noir?”

Adrien covered his face with his hands. Scrubbing his face, he ran them through his hair next, taking a handful to pull and make sure he really was awake. “I wasn’t… I mean… yeah. I am. I was worried about her since it’s so cold, and there’s an akuma out there which is causing the weather, and I’ve been looking for it all day, but worrying about her too because of the central heading so I… dropped in on my way home. I didn’t mean to stay.”

Tom’s face was foreboding. “How often do you just ‘drop in’?”

Adrien swallowed and his eyes widened. “Um…”

Tom’s expression grew grave. “This isn’t the first time. How many times?”

“I… er…”

“We have rules for a reason! You’ve been disrespecting us all this time!”

Adrien trembled. “No—”

“Chat Noir’s supposed to be dating Ladybug,” Sabine pointed out. “Marinette told me. Does she know who you are?”

Not thinking straight, Adrien flexed his hands and then gestured up toward Marinette and Sabine. “Um. Well…”

Sabine clicked first, gasping and covering her mouth with her hands as she swivelled around to look at her daughter. Tom took a little longer to figure it out but his face went ashen when he did.

“She’s…” Adrien wrung his hands. “Winter is hard for a bug, especially when she gets cold. That’s why you can’t wake her up.”

“What?” Sabine asked, turning back. “But—”

“No,” Tom said, shaking his head. “No. No. I won’t have this. Get out of my house.”

Plagg mumbled, “This is why I say keep it a secret.”

“You’ve been sneaking in for months!” Tom accused, thrusting a finger at Adrien. “Haven’t you?”

He really didn’t know what to say. How could he salvage this situation? Was it even possible? Could he even begin to explain why he visited? “Um…”

Tom made a noise which sounded like a growl. “And encouraging her to sneak out with you! She could’ve gotten hurt! I’ve seen some of the videos, she has been hurt!”

“She’s Ladybug,” Adrien protested. “She was chosen!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!”

“He doesn’t,” Plagg muttered.

“I’m calling your father!” Tom declared. “He’ll want to know his son is sneaking around!”

Adrien jerked to his feet. “Do you want this storm to stop?”

Tom blinked and dropped his hand. “What’s the storm got to do with anything?”

He gestured and used Marinette’s trick of speaking in a rush. “This storm is an akuma and I have spent all day looking for it. By myself because Marinette can’t transform right now. It’s winter and winter seriously depletes her. If I don’t find it, the storm will continue to get bigger and bigger and that’ll hurt her worse! If you tell my father, he’ll lock me up and throw away the key and the storm will never end.”

Tom looked taken aback. “He wouldn’t—”

“My father is so overprotective I was only allowed to attend public school this year. I’m not allowed anywhere without an escort. I had to work hard to get permission to visit Marinette or go out with her. If you tell him I’m Chat Noir, or even if you just tell him I’m sneaking out, he’ll never, ever leave me alone again. I’ll never be able to get away. Ladybug needs me to help defeat the akuma. She needs me to fight beside her and have her back. We’re a team. Without me… I don’t even want to think about it. We need each other. Two halves of a whole.”

Tom shook his head. “You—”

Adrien blinked back tears. “I know we broke your trust and I’m really sorry. But Paris needs Ladybug and Chat Noir, there’s no one else. You can’t stop either of us from being who we need to be.”

“We’ll see about that,” Tom said.

Adrien flinched from his tone. “But—”

Sabine cut him off. “You need to leave.”

Adrien had been so focussed on Tom that Sabine’s anger derailed him. “What?”

“You’re putting our daughter in danger on a daily basis. You’re sneaking into our house and now you’re trying to blackmail Tom.”

“I’m not—”

Standing straight and tall, Sabine said, “You will leave. You will not come back. You will not contact our daughter.”

Blood drained away from his face and he felt weak. “But—”

Sabine’s tone was clipped, like she teetered on the edge of unleashing her real anger and struggled to remain civil. “You betrayed our trust. Marinette betrayed our trust. You will accept our judgement.”

Adrien’s shoulders slumped and his heart settled in his toes. Exhaustion, both emotional and physical, swamped him and he locked his knees to keep from swaying. Bowing his head, he nodded. “Of course.”

Plagg vanished from Adrien’s shoulder and moments later, Adrien felt something thump onto his hood. “I have enough energy for five minutes,” Plagg whispered.

“Do you have anything else to say?” Sabine asked.

He couldn’t think of himself. He had to think of Marinette and the people of Paris. “My offer still stands,” he said, raising his chin. “My home is open to you if you need it.”

“So you can get your hands on her?” Tom snapped. “I don’t—”

“I have never done anything inappropriate with Marinette!” Adrien returned, borrowing Chat Noir’s confidence. “She’s cold! I want her to wake up and she won’t if she stays here!”

Tom narrowed his eyes. “You’ve done something to her.”

“It's a side effect of a miraculous!” Adrien explained. “I have cat tendencies; she has bug. I need to be scratched and get really stupid around catnip, she needs to stay warm! Last winter, she was lethargic and sleepy, right? Chat Noir wasn’t around then. Think about it. Ladybugs hibernate in winter. You won’t be able to wake her up properly until we can trick her body into thinking its spring.”

Tom and Sabine cast an uneasy glance at each other and Adrien felt a flare of hope that he could make them understand.

“I won’t come near her. I promise I’ll stay away. But when I find this akuma, and I will find it, I can’t cure. That’s all her. I need her awake. Paris needs her awake. I can’t do this on my own. I need her,” his voice cracked and all confidence disappeared beneath the exhaustion and he bowed his head. “I’m sorry. Claws out.”

Transformation swirled around him but he felt so much weaker than usual. Plagg made it so his uniform appeared beneath parka to keep him warm. While Sabine and Tom were caught up in his transformation, Chat Noir bolted. Up the stairs and past Sabine to launch himself out of Marinette’s trap door and into the night.

He ran blindly, feet slipping and sliding through the snow. Plagg guided him more than he ever had before and Chat Noir trusted his friend to get him home. He could barely see through the tears in his eyes and any that did escape stung his cheek as it frosted.

Arriving home, he numbly released his transformation and headed for the control on the desk, shuttering up the windows of his room. Shedding his parka, gloves and scarf, he headed for the bathroom. Plagg, in a rare compassionate mood, offered silence.

A hot shower soothed aching muscles but did little against a broken heart. Among the steam and the water, Adrien lost his tightly leashed control over his emotions and succumbed to despair.

When Adrien dragged himself out of the bathroom, Plagg had made a small nest at the end of Adrien’s bed out of one of the scarves Marinette had made for Plagg. Adrien, surprised to see the flash of red within the blues and greens, wandered over. “You… you stole Tikki?”

“She needs to be warm,” Plagg said as he curled around her. “And… with Marinette asleep, I didn’t trust that she’d be warm enough.”

“Plagg,” Adrien said, letting his fingers drift over Tikki’s head. “Marinette will be frantic when she wakes.”

“I left a message,” Plagg argued. “Besides, I’ll know the instant Tikki wakes up to feed. The warmer she is, the faster she’ll come out. If I’m touching her, I’ll be able to lend her strength to stay awake.” Plagg eyed Adrien. “You alright?”

Yanking his blanket’s back, Adrien collapsed in a heap on his bed.  “Nope.”

“They won’t be able to keep you apart.”

Adrien reached for a pillow and hugged it to his chest. “Marinette’s going to kill me.”

Plagg unwound himself from Tikki and dashed over to turn out the light. “I’m sorry it happened like that. Parents finding out… well… it’s always hard.”

“I was stupid,” Adrien said and wrapped his arms over his head, curling into a ball. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I shouldn’t have gone.”

Zipping back, Plagg curled up with Tikki again. “You said once you didn’t think around her.”

“Yeah.”

“Guess you’d better start. We can’t afford any more screw ups.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Everyone who’s found out so far has done so as the result of you doing something stupid.”

“No. Really. Keep going. I want to feel worse. Thanks.” He sighed and reached for his alarm clock. “We’ll need to do a midnight patrol.”

Plagg grunted. “We shouldn’t stay out long; we need to conserve energy.”

“Right. Have parents ever taken it well?” Adrien asked.

“Sometimes. Depends on the parent. Some never find out, some the miraculous tell straight away. It used to be, at your age, you’d already be the head of your household. Sometimes a parent yourself. Most are...” He sighed. “It’s hard to see your child grow up and make their own choices and mistakes. As much as you want coddle them and keep them safe, you can’t. It hurts to be reminded that that time to let them go is now when yesterday, they were a baby and depended on you for everything. Parents can’t change as fast as kids do.  And that’s only with the normal, everyday things, add Tikki and me on top, it’s a whole new ballgame.”

Adrien rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “Sounds like you’ve had experience.”

“I did say I have kids. Adding a miraculous to a growing child… they’re probably remembering everything that Ladybug has done for Paris as well as everything that rests on her shoulders. And yours.”

“And they’re afraid.”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Plagg asked. “Tikki says Sabine and Tom are wonderful but the whole situation probably would’ve been easier if Marinette had been awake. Her father catching you—”

Adrien cringed. “Yeah. I know. That was bad.”

“Sorry, kid. What’s done is done. Dwelling only leads to a lack of cheese.”

“Oh!” Adrien sat up. “I need to feed you—”

“I’m good. Hit your stash when I grabbed Tikki, that’s how I could transform. You left your bag at Marinette’s, by the way.”

Adrien flopped back with a groan and covered his face in his hands. “Can nothing ever go according to plan?”

“We’re bad luck for a reason.”

Adrien nodded. “The timing of you running out of power couldn’t have been worse.”

“Like I said. Bad luck. Go to sleep, Adrien. We’re going to need all the rest we can get.”

Adrien sighed and tried to relax.

The midnight patrol yielded no akuma. Neither did the three am one. He caught snatches of sleep between patrols but the cat naps weren’t enough to recharge him. He couldn’t afford longer, people depended on him. Marinette depended on him. Chloé in her prison of ice depended on him. Paris depended on him. He had find this akuma and get rid of the storm.

Nightmares taunted him. Marinette trapped in ice and he was powerless to help her. He beat against a growing globe of ice and begged for her to return. The more he beat, the more the ice grew and the further away Marinette felt. Claws slashed and the ice itself bled but he couldn’t reach her. Cataclysm destroyed everything, including Marinette and the world was lost to the black of his claw. He screamed and raged in the dark, his yowl followed him into the waking world.

Adrien didn’t get much sleep after that.

He felt so sluggish by morning. A fog inside his head which was difficult to remove and he had another day of snow and cold and fruitless searching for an akuma which knew how to hide. And Marinette’s wrath to look forward to once she woke.

Leaving Plagg to tend to Tikki, Adrien stumbled down the stairs at breakfast in search of coffee and food.

“Good morning, Adrien,” Gabriel said, glancing up from his tablet as Adrien staggered into the dining room.  

Eyes downcast, Adrien sat and pulled the napkin off his plate and onto his lap. “Good morning, Father.”

“You look tired,” Gabriel scolded, his eyes returning to his tablet. “Were you up all night playing computer games?”

“Yes Father,” Adrien replied, only having eyes for his food. Baguette, coffee, it didn’t seem like it was enough.

“You know how I feel about that. You shouldn’t let a little snow storm deter you from your studies.”

He picked up his knife and reached for one of the small jars of jam so he could spread it over his baguette. “No Father. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“I expect more from you. Complacency is ill-advised.”

“Of course. I’ll try harder.” Resting his elbow on the table he cupped his cheek and wondered if his father would notice if he downed his coffee in one gulp and poured another for himself.  He forced himself to sip slowly.

“I’m due in Milan on Tuesday. According to the Mayor, the storm should clear sometime today.”

Adrien jerked his head up. “Today?”

“He sounded confident that Chat Noir would stop shirking his duties and catch the akuma causing the storm.”

Shirking his duties? Did the Mayor really think he wanted to be out in the snow all day? Sighing, Adrien reached for his coffee. Maybe there’d be a coffee shop open somewhere and he could get more.

“I have work to do,” Gabriel said, standing. “I’ll leave you in charge of our guests.”

Adrien almost fell out of his chair. “Guests?”

Gabriel inclined his head down to the other end of the table. Adrien turned his head and froze, staring down the table at Sabine and Tom.

Chapter Text

Adrien broke out into a cold sweat at the sight of Tom and Sabine sitting calmly at the other end of the table. Had they told his father? It didn’t seem like they had with the way his father was civil this morning. But they were here, which meant… what exactly? He wasn’t sure. But remaining silent wasn’t the way to act like there was something to hide.  Swallowing, he forced himself to smile. “Hello. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“You shouldn’t have stayed up so late playing games,” Tom said and picked up his mug. “Marinette’s just the same. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were online together last night.”

Adrien’s heart felt like it fluttered away in his throat. Did Tom just cover for him?

“It was nice meeting you both,” Gabriel said and picked up his tablet. “I apologise that I cannot be a gracious host, but even with the snow, I have exhibitions to coordinate.”

Pinnacle of politeness, Sabine inclined her head. “Thank you for opening your home to us.”

“My pleasure,” Gabriel said and strode from the room.

Sweat trickled down his spine as he stared at the parents of his girlfriend and they stared right back. Sabine picked up a baguette to take a bite and Tom rested his elbows on the table with his mug held in two hands.

Adrien wiped his palms on his jeans. “I—”

“We are not happy with you,” Sabine said.

“Extremely unhappy,” Tom said and put his mug down.

“And we won’t trust you in our home for a while.”

“Extremely untrustworthy.”

Sabine narrowed her eyes at Tom. “But we recognise what you have to go through to keep Paris safe.”

“Extremely—”

“Tom!” Sabine scolded.

“Cut him some slack, love,” Tom said and patted his wife on the shoulder. “Poor boy’s a wreck.”

He didn’t know what he looked like to them, but he didn’t feel right. His head span and he felt sick to his stomach.

“We watched a lot of news last night after taking Marinette down to the bakery,” Tom explained. “And read a lot of Alya’s Ladyblog site. We agreed we can’t make an informed decision until Marinette wakes up and we have a civil conversation.”

“Which will include you,” Sabine said. “So don’t think you’re getting out of it. But we recognise you need to keep your wits about you when dealing with an akuma and if you’re not worrying about her, we hope you’ll be able to focus.”

Adrien swallowed.

“As much as we believe we should tell your father,” Sabine continued. “We also realise you must have significant reason why this needs to be a secret.”

He squeaked, “I do.”

“We are still very angry,” Tom said. “You broke our rules and there will be consequences.”

Adrien jerked his head in a nod.

“She’s sleeping in…” Sabine frowned in thought and glanced at her husband for confirmation. “Nathalie said it was guest room one. We’re in guest two but I want your word you won’t go in Marinette’s room without permission.”

He gave it without question. “Absolutely.”

Tom said, “And since your word means jack to us right now, you understand if we catch you in her room without permission, you will have completely ruined any chance to fix this.”

Adrien nodded.

Tom said, “Then you have until we finish breakfast to see her.”

Adrien’s eyes widened.

Tom took a bite out of his baguette and chewed in an exaggeratingly slow fashion. “Scat.”

Adrien bolted. Scooping up his food and gulping down his coffee, he ran halfway to the guest room before he remembered he should collect Tikki. Bursting into his bedroom, he swept both Plagg and the still sleeping Tikki off his bed and into his arms.

“Where’s the fire?” Plagg protested, wriggling furiously.

“Marinette’s here.”

Sliding to a stop outside the guest bedroom, Adrien had presence of mind to knock, just in case. No answer, so Adrien let himself in.

Snuggled beneath her rainbow blanket, Marinette rested comfortably. Peaceful and relaxed and warm, that thought alone made Adrien sag. A small suitcase sat at the base of her bed and Adrien spotted his backpack on the floor. The guest rooms were small, but each had its own bathroom, a desk, a sofa and a small TV connected into the mansion’s network. Although infrequently used, Gabriel kept had them intact because they came with the mansion.

Crossing the room, he sat on the bed beside her and placed Tikki in her bundle of scarves by Marinette’s pillow. Plagg clicked his tongue in annoyance and dove down to rearrange the scarves so she’d be warm, muttering about Adrien’s lack of ability to look after one kwami let alone two.

Taking Marinette’s hand, Adrien pressed his face to it and kissed her palm. “I’m really sorry.”

“You know she can’t hear you.”

“Doesn’t stop you talking to Tikki.”

He didn’t want to get caught touching her, so he tucked her hand beneath her blanket and trailed his fingers down her face. Brushing his fingers along her bangs, he stroked her hair before retreating. He went to a nearby chair with his backpack to check what supplies he had left and figure out what he needed to raid from the kitchen.

“How much cheese did you eat?” Adrien scolded as he sorted through what he had.

“Not nearly enough,” Plagg grunted and flew over. “Can I have some now?”

Unwrapping a wedge, he handed it to his friend. “We might need to ration. I can’t restock the kitchen in during a snowstorm.”

“Then we’re going to have to either transform less or find the damn akuma.”

“Let’s go with the second one.”

“I like that plan.”

Hearing the door open, Adrien jumped to his feet and turned to face Marinette’s parents. Holding out his hand for Plagg, he waited until the kwami landed on it.

Sabine’s eyes widened and Tom’s mouth dropped open at seeing the small creature. Sabine trotted closer to get a better look while Plagg preened and smirked at the attention.

“This is Plagg. He’s my significant reason why I had to remain a secret.” Glancing at Marinette, Adrien continued, “The little bundle of joy sleeping beside Marinette is Tikki.”

Sabine flicked her head to Marinette and went to look. “Wait… I’ve seen that before. It’s not a plushie?”

“She,” Plagg said, causing Sabine’s head to snap back to him. “And no, she’s not.”

“It talks!”

“He,” Plagg said. “We have genders, you know. And yes, we talk. We eat, we breathe, we procreate—”

Adrien groaned.

“And we are the largest form of contraception for Marinette and Adrien.”

Adrien could have died right there and he would have been perfectly okay with it. “Plagg!”

“I beg your pardon?” Tom said, wide-eyed as he stared at the kwami.

“Well, they don’t do anything with us around, and we’re always around,” Plagg explained.

Tom hunkered down to view Plagg. “Interesting.”

“The furthest thing they’ve done is that disguising thing with their mouths.” Plagg made exaggerated kissing noises. “Weirdest sort of grooming I’ve ever seen.”

“Grooming?” Tom asked, tilting his head at Plagg.

“Plagg,” Adrien said with a groan. “Can you please stop?”

Plagg didn’t. “Adrien’s father thinks a condom goes on a banana, so I’m not sure Adrien really has an idea how to—”

No. This was it. This was the moment he would die of embarrassment. “Plagg!”

Tom’s eyes blew wide. “I see.”

Plagg looked at Adrien. “Just trying to help, kid.”

“You’re really not.”

Tom looked like he struggled not to laugh as he held out his hand. “I like you, Plagg.”

Plagg bounced through the air and settled in Tom’s hand. “I’m very loveable.”

“Just remember who feeds you,” Adrien muttered and tried to get some semblance of control back into the conversation. “They’re called kwami. Basically, we merge with them so we can transform and in doing so, sorta… swap traits, I guess. Side effects, like Marinette needing more sleep in winter.”

Plagg gave an impudent grin. “Tikki’ll explain when she stops being so lazy.”

“Plagg,” Adrien warned.

“My guess, she’ll wake up later today,” Plagg continued, speaking to Adrien. “Marinette too, especially now they’re warm enough. Tikki’s window will only be a short one and we have an akuma to catch before then.”

 Adrien blinked. “Oh. Right.”

“You’d better go then,” Tom said.

Adrien jiggled, suddenly a bundle of nervous energy. “What about—”

“We’ll be fine,” Sabine said. “We’ll stay in here and wait until she wakes up.”

“It’s been a while since I could relax with a book,” Tom said.

“Okay,” Adrien said and cast a lingering look at Marinette. “Right.”

It didn’t take him long to get organised and restock his food and water supply, especially now he felt motivated to catch the akuma. As he collected his parka and scarf, he sent a message to Alya saying he was on his way to see the Mayor, then he’ll call her.

Chat Noir was certain the temperature had dropped even further. It hadn’t stopped snowing and the streets were burdened with white. It clung to trees and held the outline of cars. The fountain in the plaza outside his house looked like a hill of snow.

Taking a flying leap out of his window, he didn’t realise how deep the snow had gotten until he disappeared beneath it. Snow plopped on top of him as the Chat sized hole he’d made in the drift collapsed. With a light laugh, he burst out of the drift and floomped into the next one.

Shaking the snow from his hair as he popped out of the snow, he used his baton to haul himself over the wall and away from the drifts of snow.

The good thing a snowfall like this was he could see where it was disturbed. Very few people were out today and those that were left fresh footprints in the snow. He wasn’t sure if that would make it easier track an akuma, especially if it could fly, but if it walked and was invisible, he’d see it. He hoped.

Peeking over the edge of the hotel roof, Chat Noir sighed at the amount of reporters outside completing news segments about the weather. Dozens of them, each adding their own spin to the situation while their cameramen panned the snow storm. Crouching, he decided he didn’t want to deal with the press. Pulling out his cell, he positioned his headgear and called Alya.

“Good morning!” she sang within moments.

“Morning,” he said and a smile spread across his face. He had a sense her good mood was going to be contagious.

“Are you out and about already?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he said and glanced down at the press. Some of them had spotted him, so he waved for the cameras that turned in his direction.

“Not at the computer yet, but I’ve been checking on my phone. Good news,” she said. “We have ice sightings this morning.”

He stood. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I was about to—”

“Sorry, that was rude of me. I just want this over. It’s really cold out here.”

“I hear you.” Alya rattled off the first location of ice and then said, “Gimme ten, then I’ll be at my computer.”

“Alright. Call me then.”

Hanging up, he slipped his cell into the pocket of his parka and reached for his baton. It was easier to wave impertinently to the reporters than it would’ve been trying to talk to them again and forced to listen to how inept they considered him to be without Ladybug.

As Alya had said, there was ice, but it wasn’t the right sort. A busted water main had spilled over a car and frozen solid. Peering at the ice, it did appear as though there was someone inside the car, but upon closer inspection it was a distortion caused by the car seat not being completely upright.

The next location was a fountain which had frozen in an odd shape and did look remarkably like a person from a distance.  The one after that, Chat Noir tracked to a dripping hose. Another was a sprinkler on automatic in one of the many gardens. Then another broken water main. Then part of the river which had iced. He wasted hours being at people’s beck and call looking at their reports.

Chat Noir paused and looked at the river. Planting his baton, he hopped on it and extended to get some height and perspective on the situation. Various parts of the river’s edge was solid blocks of ice, while other parts had broken icicles drifting downriver. “If the river’s icing, we’re in trouble.”

“No kidding,” Alya said into his ear. “I have a few more locations, did you want to check out the others?”

“To be honest, no.” He sighed and scrubbed his hand over his eyes, then adjusted his scarf over his mouth. “I mean, I appreciate everyone sending in locations, but… ice is ice. And the ice they’re reporting isn’t akuma ice, it’s something that if people just looked at it, they’d figure it out.”

“I can see the headlines now,” Alya said. “‘Paris locals lack critical thinking’.”

Chat Noir snorted.

“Oh, hang on… Nino’s messaging me… he says he has an idea, can he come in the call?”

“Absolutely.”

Chat Noir stayed up his pole and surveyed the river while he waited for Nino to connect. The height gave him an advantage but it was also windy and cold. Sharp icicle snow still fell sporadically and he was glad the snow at the moment was back to fluffy.  Glancing up, Chat Noir wished the sun could break through the ominous grey blanketing the city.

“Dude, like, I have a suggestion,” Nino blurted the second he connected. “I was thinking about it last night.”

“What’s that?” Chat Noir said. “I’m open for anything.”

Nino cleared his throat. “So far, the only person you found iced was Chloé.”

“Yup.”

“And… well… we assume she’s alive in there, right?”

Chat Noir’s heart dropped. “God, Nino. I don’t… man, that’s a horrible thought, one way or the other.”

“Hypothetically,” Nino replied. “Work with me.”

“Hawk Moth hasn’t killed anyone yet,” Chat Noir reasoned. “It doesn’t fit that he’d allow an akuma to… but I’m not entirely sure. People who are not the focus of the akuma are normally controlled and turned into henchmen.”

“Yet Chloé’s trapped in ice,” Nino pointed out.

“Yeah.”

“And you said Hawkmoth’s akuma weren’t working properly.”

“We assume. That’s why you and the others were changed but weren’t taken over.”

“Sooo… if we release her, do you think maybe we could follow her back to the akuma? Or get info out of her about what the akuma looked like.”

Chat Noir considered. “Pretty big if.”

“It couldn’t hurt.”

“It might. I’d have to use cataclysm, then follow her while trying to recharge. And that’s assuming Chloé survives my attack. And that she’s alright… or turned or… I don’t know.”

“Something’s gotta give,” Alya counselled. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“We’re risking Chloé’s life though,” Chat Noir said. “What if being in that ice is the only thing keeping her alive.”

“Or what if she’s already gone?” Nino countered.

“Schrodinger’s cat,” Alya quipped.

Chat Noir groaned. Pushing back his hood, he pulled at his hair and wished he could talk to Marinette.

“It’s your choice, Chat, but it can’t hurt to take another look, can it?” Alya suggested. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Nino hissed through his teeth. “Or… dude… like, what if we’re wrong? What if she’s not the victim?”

Chat Noir nearly fell off his pole at that revelation.

Thoughtful, Alya murmured, “Chloe is the akuma… she’s just on ice?”

“Maybe,” Nino said. “It fits, doesn’t it? An akuma that can’t be found and has had only one victim who’s stuck.”

Titling his pole, Chat Noir let himself fall.  “It’s been staring me in the face this whole time,” he muttered. Flipping, he launched himself from the baton and landed on a rooftop. Sprinting, he slipped and slid across the stonework, leaping over roads to adjacent buildings.

Alya said, “The Mayor said she was the first victim and we had no reason to disbelieve him.”

Using all four limbs to run, Chat Noir bounded across the rooftops of Paris as fast as he could.

“Hey babe,” Nino said while Chat Noir navigated his way through the snow. “Have you spoken to Marinette?”

“Not today, why?”

“’Cause I’ve been trying to get through to Adrien since yesterday and he’s not answering.”

Chat Noir swallowed.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Alya soothed but Chat Noir detected frustration in her voice.

“You know what his dad’s like though.”

Chat Noir cleared his throat. “I saw Marinette earlier today. She was heading to Agreste mansion—”

“She was?” Alya shrilled.

“Her heating’s broken,” Chat Noir continued and tried to ignore Alya’s excitement. “Her family’s there too.”

“Oh, well that explains it,” Nino said and the smirk in his voice was evident. “I’ll stop messaging him. Probably being a cock-block.”

Chat Noir promptly fell off the roof and landed on his butt in a snowdrift.

“What was that noise?” Alya asked.

“Sounded like… snow.” Nino said.

“Nothing,” Chat Noir muttered and pulled himself out. “Snow’s a bit deeper than I expected.”

Nino laughed. “Did you fall in a drift?”

“Shuddup.”

“Oh, dude, I wish I could’ve seen that.”

“Not much to see,” Chat Noir said. “The drifts are taller than I am.”

“Was there a Chat-sized hole?” Alya teased.

Nino laughed. “Oh, man, was it like those videos you see where the animal just disappears into the snow? Oh, that’d be so funny!”

Chat Noir grunted at them and pole vaulted back to the top of a building. “Scoff all you like, this is hard work.”

“Sorry dude.”

“I’ll have sign off,” Chat Noir said. “If Chloe is the akuma, or even if she can lead me to them, then… well… you probably don’t want to hear me panting into the microphone.”

Alya said, “I’m sure if I recorded it, a certain someone would—”

He grit his teeth to keep from squeaking at her. “Don’t you even dare.”

“So much blackmail material.”

“I already regret all my decisions,” Chat Noir said, while Alya just laughed. “Hey, Alya?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for keeping me company,” he said. “I really appreciate it. You too, Nino.”

“Anytime,” she replied. “Seriously. I feel good about helping.”

“Not to mention the amount of hits your blog has gotten over the last few days,” Nino said.

“Well, there is that too,” Alya said with a light laugh.

Smiling, Chat Noir said, “Alright, I’m at the hotel. I’ll call you back.”

“Good luck dude.”

Chapter Text

Hanging up from the call with Alya and Nino, Chat Noir pulled the headgear so it rested around his neck. Taking a deep breath, he stepped from the roof of the hotel and landed on the salted sidewalk. Reporters pounced on him even before he’d taken two steps.

“Any word when this storm will end?”

“What’s the status of Ladybug? Why haven’t we heard from her?”

“When are you going to do your job and catch this akuma?”

Forcing his way through the mass of reporters so he could get inside the building, Chat Noir muttered, “‘Job’ would imply I get paid for this.” Raising his voice, he said, “Please, I need everyone to leave the immediate area. I’m about to try something that may prove dangerous. I believe the akuma—”

Someone shoved a microphone at him. “So you’re finally going to admit you’ve been harbouring the akuma so you can appear more than a glorified sidekick?”

Chat Noir grit his teeth.  “No, I—”

“How dare you.”

Chat Noir hunched his shoulders to make himself smaller. He would recognise that voice and its unbridled fury anywhere.

“Is this how you’ve been treating Chat Noir?” she snapped from behind him. “He’s working himself into exhaustion helping the people of Paris and you think he’s after glory? I don’t see any of you out there in the storm.”

He couldn’t move, couldn’t look at her because he didn’t want her anger directed at him. He wasn’t ready for her. He’d wanted to present the akuma to her when she woke in the hope it would soothe some of her anger and now, with her here, he had no chance.

“I was online with him all day yesterday!” Ladybug stalked so she stood by Chat Noir’s side. She had a large black poncho over the top of her Ladybug uniform and her hooded scarf was up to keep her warm. Pointing to his headgear, she ranted, “Helping out and keeping him company because circumstances beyond my control prevented me from being at his side. And you’ve been hounding him and blaming him for the storm. It’s not his fault and he is certainly not my sidekick!”

Abashed, several reporters glanced at each other. “Ladybug—”

“Now, do as he says and clear the area.” Folding her arms on her chest, Ladybug tapped her foot and glared at them until they left. While waiting for the stragglers, she asked, “What are we doing here anyway?”

Chat Noir swallowed. “Um… I ahh…” He cleared his throat. “We’re...”

Ladybug’s hand rested against the back of his shoulder. “Chat, they’re watching.”

He jerked his head in the semblance of a nod and forced his feet to move toward the stairs. His hand gripped the bannister in an effort to keep from collapsing. One foot in front of the other, ever aware of Ladybug’s soft footfalls behind him and that any moment the axe of doom would fall upon his head. Move. Breathe. Fight not to cringe at every noise. Stiff back and head down, he feared.

Up and round and up again, they climbed the staircase of the hotel toward Chloé’s bedroom while the air grew frigid and colder with each step. His breath frosted and Ladybug shivered. “So cold.”

He stopped on a stair and gripped the railing, physically unable to move further. He needed to know where they stood. If he’d damaged things beyond repair. If she was angry with him. If she was even aware of what had occurred.

“Chat?”

“I… um…”

She bounced around so she stood on the stair above him. “Look at you,” she said and rested her hand on his cheek. “You’re exhausted.”

He clenched shut his eyes so he didn’t have to watch her reaction. “My lady, I screwed up and—”

“I know,” she said, her voice tender and low. “They told me. I kinda freaked out when I woke up someplace strange and then Mom did her whole ‘we need to talk, young lady’ and Tikki was right there and… I knew.”

He bowed his head. “I’m so sorry.”

Lips against his forehead, then her arms drew his head to her chest. “My poor Chat. I’m so sorry I left you alone.”

Hesitant, he left his arms dangle by his sides instead of holding on to her. He couldn’t quite believe what he heard. “You’re not angry?”

“With the amount of close calls we’ve had, it was bound to happen. We’ve not been careful. We broke the rules and—”

“But I was… they saw everything. They know.”

“I know.” She sighed and buried her hand beneath his hood so she could scratch his head and soothe him. “We’ll talk about it later.”

He wrapped his arms around her hips and held on. “It’s my fault.”

“You take too much onto yourself. We’ll deal with this, together, like we do everything.”

“No, this is my fault. Everything. The storm. Your parents. Everything.”

“Chat—”

He raised his head. “I think Chloé’s the akuma.”

She cupped his face with both hands and her eyes searched his. “Then we’ll deal with that too.”

“If she’s the akuma, then I’ve spend the last two days being really stupid and —”

She kissed him with enough restrained passion to make his head spin and his heart race. “Stop trying to carry every burden.”

He smiled. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“You got incredibly lucky,” she replied with a tender smile of her own. Her fingers stroked down his cheek before she schooled her expression. “We don’t have long, I don’t know how long I can maintain this.”

He pushed away the hurt and the fear and shame. “Then we’d better hurry.” Taking her hand, he rushed them up the stairs. “What are you even doing here? I would’ve brought it to you.”

“Mom was worried about you.”

That surprised him. “She was?”

“She was muttering something about ‘that man hasn’t even checked up on him once’ and wanted me to make sure you’ve eaten recently… you have, haven’t you?”

“Yes. She was really worried about me?”

“Of course she was. Let’s take this akuma down so we can go home and get yelled at.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Her warm hand nestled securely in his, they raced toward Chloé ’s bedroom. “Tell me why you think it’s Chloé.”

“I can’t find any other sign of an akuma anywhere. No victims. No tracks in the snow. Chloé’s the only clue. So either she is akuma, or she knows what I should be looking for.”

“Okay.”

Her simple, unshakeable faith in him lifted him up and made him smile. Just being by her side uplifted him and hearing that her family still worried about him after everything made him feel safe and loved.

“What’s that dorky grin for?” she asked, tilting her head at him.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed Chloé’s door open. Stopping dead in the doorway she stared into the ice fortress of Chloé’s room. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. He rested his forearm on the door and leant against it. “It’s something.”

Walking into the room, she carefully picked her way across the ice floor. “I can see why everyone assumed victim.” Resting her hand on Chloé’s ice prison, she said, “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.” She dropped her hand. “So, cataclysm?”

“Yeah.”

Looking over her shoulder at him, she asked, “It won’t hurt her, will it?”

He slipped across the room to stand beside her. “I’m focussing on the ice. She should be okay.”

“And either you were planning on beating her in less than five minutes, or you were going to hide and recharge.”

He wouldn’t admit to either. “Think you can keep her busy?”

Ladybug cracked her knuckles and retreated to the doorway. “With pleasure.” She reached for her yo-yo. “Ready when you are.”

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand in the air. “Cataclysm!” he bellowed and pulled black luck toward his hand, then pressed it to the ice.

Hissing filled the air as the ice turned to steam. Heat singed at him and Chat Noir pulled away with a jerk. As his ring began to flash, he fled. Slipping and sliding across the icy floor as it disintegrated proved difficult and Ladybug’s yo-yo twined around his wrist to guide him to safety.

Gripping him to hold him steady, Ladybug kept her gaze on the room. Turning, Chat Noir watched the ice melt. The column in the centre of the room splintered with a loud crack, then a blue light inside it pulsed. Startled by the sudden noise, Chat Noir pulled Ladybug from the doorway. He twisted them so he shielded her and cowered against the wall, seconds before the ice in the room exploded.

A stream of water poured out the doorway and slithered down the hallway. Mist rose above the stream and he shivered as a chill spread over him. Releasing Ladybug, he crawled back to the door and peeked back into the room. Freezing water swirled around his feet and hand but he had to know what was in the room. 

The akuma didn’t look like Chloé anymore. He could barely make out a form within the swirling mist. Snow and chunks of ice orbited the candle-flame shaped being of rime. Frosty hair and ice blue eyes, the akuma’s gaze fixed on Chat Noir.

Ladybug shrilled, “Chat! Your hand!”

He glanced down, sucking in a startled gasp. The water around his hand and feet had frozen solid.

“Not good!” Ladybug blurted. Water crept along the floor toward her, slowly frosting, but she still looked like she wanted to come to his aid.

Chat Noir waved his free hand, then reached for his baton. “Get back!”

Ladybug scampered back and out of the reach of the creeping water while Chat Noir bashed at the ice around his hand with his baton. Water continued to pour from the room, filling in the cracks in the ice he made and extending its surface area down the hallway.

Mist wafted out of Chloé’s room. Another glance inside told him the akuma approached.  

“Chat! Hurry!”

He wriggled and squirmed, moving his feet and hand as much as he could as he smacked his baton against the ice. Finally, Plagg seemed to realise the peril they were in and the glove disintegrated around his hand, allowing him to pull it free. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be!”

“Not now!” Ladybug’s yo-yo impaled the ice between his feet, giving him a short window of opportunity to get his feet free. He flipped away from the akuma to join Ladybug.

The akuma flowed from the room. She appeared made of frost herself, pale blue and whites intermingled. Chat Noir’s eyes stroked her form, looking for something Chloé might hold dear enough to encase an akuma. “All shall bow to Glacia.”

“We need open space!” she yelped. Gripping Chat Noir’s arm, she pulled him into a run and they bolted for the stairs. Water pooled before them, then rose upward to block the stairs heading to the roof with an icy shield. Dropping to all four, Chat Noir followed Ladybug as she sped down.

Water ran down the walls of the stairwell and slithered along the bannisters, icing as it fell. “She’s trying to cage us in!” Chat Noir bellowed.

“Faster!” Ladybug began leaping over the bannisters themselves to drop to the next level.

Chat Noir followed her lead, taking a moment to glance upward. Glacia peered over the edge of the bannister looking down at him from the top of the building. “She’s not fast.”

“She doesn’t need to be if her water catches us!”

Glancing at his ring as he ran, he said, “I didn’t see anything on her.”

“I don’t know if we can even get close.”

Water sped past them, pooling at the bottom of the stairs and Chat Noir saw another shield of water being created. Pulling out his baton, he extended it into a staff. Two bouncing steps forward and he scooped up Ladybug in one arm.

Instinctively, she curled against him and tucked her feet up. Leaping into the air toward the up flow of water, he spun his baton below them so it dispersed the water before it had a chance to freeze. Continuing to run, he lowered Ladybug back on the ground so she could flee too.

There were still people loitering in the foyer of the hotel, watching the flowing water. “Clear the area!” Chat Noir bellowed as they bolted for the exit. Water flowed down the side of the building, icing into great, growing columns. Within moments the whole building would be covered and they’d be trapped inside.

Smashing through the exit doors to the hotel, they leap through a gap into the columns, bounding out into slush.

“What the hell?” Chat Noir blurted and skidded to a stop.

Most of the snow outside had melted, only a few scattered drifts and snow patches remained. Instead, water towered upward toward the sky, flowing toward a central point above their heads, caging them in. Ice crept along the bottom of the water, slowly freezing as it inched higher.

“Not good!” Ladybug blurted. “So not good!”

Glass shattered above their heads and Chat Noir pounced on Ladybug to protect her from falling glass. Picking her up, he bounded away from the hotel and further into the empty plaza outside the hotel. Once a good distance away, he released her and turned around to see why the glass had broken.

Glacia slithered out of the top window of the frozen hotel, a slow moving glacier of ice glazing beneath her feet. It spiralled downward toward them and she moved along it with the speed of a sloth.

Trying not to let panic squeeze his chest, Chat Noir glanced at his ring. “My lady, I’m nearly out of—”

“We’re not going to be able to get close,” she muttered, a calculating look on her face. “She’s not fast, but the water is.”

Lifting his baton, Chat Noir said, “I might be able to—“

“No. She hits you with that ice and we’re screwed.”

He ignored that and doubled his baton, holding out the spare. “We can stilt up there and I can distract while you—”

“Chat! You’re the important one, I’m expendable! I’m not going to let you get hurt!”

The dismayed noise he made came from the depths of his soul. “You are not expendable!”

“Neither are you!” she retorted. “Stop thinking that you are!”

“You’re the only one who can purify—”

“Tikki says Plagg’s been lying to you. You can purify the akuma.” She placed her hand on his arm. “I’m weak, Chat. Looking at this, I don’t think be able to get rid of all the damage the akuma has done. But you can.”

Bewildered, he blurted, “But… I don’t know how.”

“Which is why we’re going to retreat and interrogate Plagg.” Ladybug thrust her hand into the air. “Lucky charm!” A red, black spotted umbrella landed in her hands.

Glancing at it, Chat Noir tried to think what they could use it for when a drop of water splashed against his shoulder and froze. Feeling the burn through his parka and uniform, he cried out in pain and battered at the ice with his gloved hand.

Looking upward, Ladybug gasped. “Rain!” she exclaimed and lifted the umbrella. Stretching out, she grabbed Chat Noir’s tail and yanked him to the safety of the umbrella’s canopy. They huddled together, making themselves as small as possible. Chat Noir curled his arms around Ladybug’s back, holding her to his chest with the shaft of the umbrella between them.

The first hail stone smashed against the ground several feet away from them. Ladybug yelped and jerked away from it. Then another crashed down behind them. Rain peppered the umbrella with drops which froze to ice as it rolled off.

Anxious, Chat Noir peered beneath the rim of the umbrella to look up at Glacia. His eyes blew wide when he spotted her. “She’s freezing over!”

Halfway through her descent to the ground, Glacia stood paused on her icy staircase. Her legs frozen solid again and water crept up her torso. Whatever was going on, it was clear Glacia wasn’t coming for them anymore, but they were trapped within this dome of ice she created. If he released his transformation here, he’d be spotted.

Ladybug twisted around, raising her voice so she could be heard over the pellets hammering their umbrella. “What?”

He put his mouth beside her ear. “She’s becoming a block of ice again!”

“Lucky break!”

Watching, Chat Noir caught of a small rainbow bangle on Glacia’s wrist seconds before it glazed over. “She kept it,” he breathed.

Water and ice continued to pelt down upon them. Hail slammed into the ground around them and bounced off the top of the umbrella. Huddled beneath, they searched for a solution. Ice crept along the ground toward them as the hail stones and frozen rain melted together. If they stayed, they’d be icicles along with Glacia and that wouldn’t help anyone.

“We have to get out of here!” Ladybug cried.

“There!” Chat Noir said, thrusting out a hand only to pull it back quickly before it could freeze beneath the rain. “Manhole.”

Ladybug went with it without question and they scurried toward the manhole, trying to move and stay beneath the relative safety of the umbrella. Crouching down, Chat Noir lifted the heavy metal cover away from the hole and shoved it aside. He peered into the manhole, seeing a small shine of reflected ice.

Removing his pack, he searched through it for his flashlight, then used it to illuminate the darkness in the sewer. Ladybug’s feet danced impatiently beside him as she hopped from foot to foot. “The ice is getting closer!”

As he stood, he shot a glance at the creeping ice slithering across the ground. Passing her the flashlight, he took the umbrella from her. “You first!”

Ladybug dropped to a crouch and wriggled down the hole and landed at the bottom. “Okay.” Arms extended, she caught the backpack as he dropped it. “Chat! Hurry!”

With one last glance at the re-frozen Glacia, Chat Noir crouched beside the manhole and prepared to ease in. With a loud ripping sound, a hail stone punched its way through the umbrella and slammed into Chat Noir’s shoulder. Pain sliced along his arm and down his back and his fingers tingled.

With a cry, he fell through the hole and down into Ladybug’s waiting arms. Flashlight between her teeth, she pulled them away from the opening and against the wall of the sewer, avoiding the hail stones and icy pebbles which fell through.

Above them, the opening to the manhole froze over.

Chapter Text

Spots danced in front of Chat Noir’s eyes as he flexed his fingers. It hurt, but the movement of his hand wasn’t impeded. He ran the fingers of his other hand over his shoulder. Wet, but a cold wet not a warm. It ached; a deep, painful ache and he didn’t feel like he’d have a wide range of movement. More, he didn’t want to move it and that alone told him it was damaged.

Seeing his actions, Ladybug asked, “Are you okay?”

He had more important things to worry about than his shoulder. Keeping his injured arm limp, he pushed away from the wall so he could he look up and down the tunnel they were in. Moisture which normally ran along the walls had iced into spikes and the floor held sporadic ice puddles. Chat Noir was glad it didn’t smell, at least in this part. He didn’t look forward to the sections which did. Or had other nasty surprises.

It was colder down the drain than it was above and that worried him. When their transformations failed, Tikki and Marinette would fade.

Ladybug stepped toward him. “Let me see.”

He pulled away, stepping further into the long, icy corridor. “No. I need to see where we are before I lose my night vision.”

Ladybug pointed the flashlight down both tunnels as she surveyed them. “We can’t stay here?”

With his good hand, Chat Noir pointed up at the ice covering the manhole while he concentrated on the tunnels. “It’s still coming for us. All the ice was still coming for us, even when she was encapsulated.”

Ladybug squeaked and skittered backward. “Chat!”

Alarmed by her tone, Chat Noir spun around to see Ladybug staring upward. Jerking his head back, he gaped at the face which had appeared in the ice. “Oh, crap!”

Chloé, yet not Chloé. Completely alien and yet familiar. The eyes of the ice maiden appeared to move, peering at both of them, before the walls of the access point above them began to freeze.

“She can see us,” Ladybug breathed, sounding terrified. “She can see through the ice.”

“We can’t stay here.” He reached for her, pulling Ladybug away from view of the manhole.

“We can’t go wandering off!” Ladybug protested. “Not down here!”

He renewed his search of the tunnels either side of them. “There has to be a way out of here!”

“There’s also the catacombs,” Ladybug warned. “Papa says there are secret entrances everywhere. And those are a death-trap.”

“Which we are not going into.” Making a decision, he pointed. “There’s slightly more ambient light this way. Plus, the river’s that way. We’re more likely to find an outlet. We’ll walk until we find an exit we can get through.”

“Or run,” Ladybug said as ice flowed through the access point and crashed against the ground. It slithered and groaned and for a moment Chat Noir thought he saw a figure trying to crawl from the ice toward them.

Taking her hand, Chat Noir pulled them into a run. Boots clipped against the ground as he pulled them through the tunnel. Chat Noir’s eyes darted around for any obstacles he’d need to help his lady navigate but the tunnel was mostly clear.

“Flashlight run through the sewers,” Ladybug said between breaths. “So romantic.”

“Told you I’d take you to ‘grate’ places.” 

“That was a ‘waste’ of a pun,” she replied and he could hear the smile in her voice. “You realise I’m blind down here.”

“I know. I’ll be your seeing-eye cat.”

“Right up until you transform back.”

“So we have about two minutes to get ahead of that,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at the river of slow moving ice crawling through the tunnel behind them.

Reaching an intersection, they pulled up short. Ladybug watched the approaching glacier creeping behind them while Chat Noir studied the three paths.

Ladybug suggested, “We should mark the walls.”

He nodded. “There’s a knife in my bag.”

Whipping the flashlight between her teeth to angle it so she could see, she sorted through his belongings. Finding the knife she zipped up his bag and took the flashlight so she could speak. “You’re really prepared.”

“Over prepared.”

“That’s a good thing.” Unsheathing the knife, she drew an arrow on the wall beside the manhole they’d come from. “I’ll put arrows pointing the way we came. So we know what tunnels not to go down.”

“Good thinking.” Taking the backpack from her, he rummaged through for some cheese to have ready for Plagg, then hooked one arm through the strap, leaving his injured shoulder free. Holding out his hand, he said, “C’mon. Let’s get as far ahead as we can.”

Two more turns and they discovered another access point breached by the icy glacier hunting them. The face protruded from the slush and they ducked out of sight before it could see them. “She’s coming from everywhere she can,” Chat Noir muttered.

“Keep running.”

A glance at his ring. “I have less that thirty seconds.”

“Sprint!” Ladybug said and increased her speed.

Chat Noir matched it and they pelted along the tunnels hand-in-hand. He chose directions at random, not even stopping to mark the walls. Her flashlight flickered along the floor ahead of them but they travelled too fast for it to really pick up any details to warn her. Chat Noir was her eyes, right up until he ran out of energy.

Suddenly blind, he skidded to a stop and held still until he felt Plagg plop on his shoulder. Night vision gone, now they’d have to reply on the flashlight until Plagg recharged. “Geez, it’s dark!” Adrien tried to hurry the adjustment of his eyes by rapidly blinking. He focused on the circle of light from Ladybug’s flashlight.

“Oh, I’m utterly exhausted,” Plagg complained.

“No kidding,” Ladybug said and closed her eyes to release her transformation too, cupping her hand beneath Tikki to catch her.

“It’s cold down here,” Tikki shivered and curled up. Taking a moment to breathe, Marinette dug through her small purse for a cookie for Tikki to eat and a scarf to wrap her in.

“Hey, what about me?” Plagg complained. “Don’t I get some love?”

“You can have some cheese,” Adrien said, offering him some of the cheese he’d taken out of his bag. “And you can explain how I can purify.”

Plagg went completely still, not so much as a whisker of moment from him. “No,” he said in a voice void of emotion.

“You’re going to have to, sooner or later,” Tikki said, floating up to join Plagg on Adrien’s shoulder as she nibbled on her cookie.

“How about ‘never’?” Plagg retorted. “It’s not your decision—” he chirped at her and Adrien got the impression it was some form of endearment.

Marinette used the flashlight to point back the way they’d come. “I can’t see her.”

With a nod, Adrien looked forward. “We need to keep moving.”

“In a minute. I want to check your shoulder.”

“We don’t have time.”

She shone the flashlight in his eyes. “You—” The flashlight pointed to a clean patch of stonework. “There. Now.”

“It’s not broken,” Plagg mentioned. “The impact wasn’t hard enough.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not bruised,” Marinette said. “And he’s favouring it.”

“I really think—”

“Adrien, please. She’s a glacier. There’s only so fast she can go. We can spare a few minutes.”

He sighed. “Plagg, keep watch.” He removed his backpack to leave against the wall and sat on the ground. Fingers undoing the buttons of his parka, his eyes stroked Marinette to make sure she was warm. Gloves and a beanie, the black poncho and what looked to be several layers beneath that. He hoped it would be enough. Opening the top of his parka, he pulled it down so his shoulder was more exposed and shivered at the cooler air.

Marinette crouched ahead of him with the flashlight between her teeth again as she pulled at his sweater and undershirts. Taking the flashlight again, she angled both it and her head so she could see beneath his clothes. “Does it hurt?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled and kissed the top of her head while she looked.

“There’s a nasty graze,” she said. “Looks pretty raw. You’ll bruise.”

He tried to joke. “No swimsuit ads for me.”

“That’s a shame, you look good in swimsuit,” she said. Glancing at the bag, she asked, “First aid kit?”

He went to fix his sweater. “Salve’ll be too cold.”

Her hands stalled him from pulling his parka back up. “That’s the point.”

“It’ll be fine.”

She sighed and sat back on her heels and rubbed her hands together.

“I have mittens,” he said and buttoned the parka back up. “If you need them.”

She stood and offered him her hand. “I may take you up on that later.” Hoisted to his feet, he picked up the backpack but she took it from him with a tart, “At least let me carry that. I can use both my shoulders.”

“Sooner we get out of here the better.” Taking Marinette’s hand, they set of down the tunnel they’d been running at a brisk walk.

The next manhole they came across hadn’t been breached by the glacier, but as Adrien climbed up the ladder, he discovered it was iced over. Climbing partway back down, Adrien said, “I could probably cataclysm it open.”

Marinette shook her head. “You’ll exhaust yourself. There has to be a way out which isn’t frozen.”

“And we need a cataclysm to get Glacia out of her shell,” Tikki said. “Better to save your energy.”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah.” Jumping back down, he took Marinette’s hand again and glanced at Plagg as they continued down a tunnel. “Why won’t you tell me about purification?” he asked, trying again.

With a growl, Plagg spat, “Because there’s no way you’re going to do it.”

Tikki sighed. “Plagg.”

Plagg bristled. “No.”

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a concerned glance. Tikki chirped at him, eliciting a hiss in return which seemed to shock the small kwami. 

“I’m not sure I can purify all the damage this akuma has done,” Marinette said, trying to be a peacekeeper. “Or that Tikki and I have the combined energy to do so.”

“Then Paris will have to deal,” Plagg snapped.

“Plagg—” Adrien started.

“It’s not going to happen, Adrien,” Plagg said. “I refuse.”

Narrowing his eyes, Adrien studied his miraculous partner. He’d seen Plagg’s stubbornness before, but never like this. Something was wrong. Something bad.

“Well, then, do you want to tell me what happened last night?” Tikki asked Plagg.

Floating by Adrien’s shoulder, Plagg cast a wary glance at Tikki. “Ask Adrien.”

“I’m asking you.”

“I was stupid,” Adrien explained. “I wanted to check on Marinette and fell asleep. Tom caught me in her bed.”

“As Chat Noir.” Tikki sighed. “And, let me guess. Your transformation released at an inopportune time.”

Adrien blinked in surprise. “Ahh… yes.”

Tikki’s voice was tender as she addressed her partner. “Again, Plagg?”

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, then at Plagg. “Again?”

Tikki floated up to touch Plagg on the shoulder. “I know you worry about me in winter, but I am built to survive. I was warm. I was safe.”

“You were asleep.” Plagg looked away from her. He crossed his arms on his chest and pouted. “Marinette was out and her parents wouldn’t have taken you down to the bakery with her because they didn’t know about you. Plus there’s an akuma to purify. I need you awake.”

Still tender, Tikki’s voice held a hint of reproach. “Plagg.”

He turned his back on her. “I’m not apologising for it. What’s done is done.”

“You should. Adrien and Marinette have to deal with the consequences.”

“It’s not my fault he couldn’t think fast enough on his feet.”

“You released deliberately,” Adrien muttered, piecing things together. “That’s why there was no countdown. The moment you heard Marinette wouldn’t wake up, you released. So you could steal Tikki.”

Plagg didn’t speak.

Adrien covered his face with his hands and groaned. “Damn it, Plagg!”

“That wasn’t very nice, Plagg,” Marinette chided.

“I never claimed to be nice.”

Marinette’s lips turned down. “You put Adrien in an awkward position.”

“He does that enough on his own,” Plagg dismissed.

They reached another fork in the tunnels and paused while Adrien scratched an arrow on the wall. “Don’t you even care that you practically spoiled everything with her parents? They think the absolute worst of me now. I’ll never be allowed in the house again, let alone her room!”

“Sure you will,” Plagg said haughtily. “I fixed it. Tom knows you’re chaperoned and not doing anything 'unsavoury' with Marinette.”

Beside Adrien, Marinette tilted her head. “What? Why would Papa need to know that?”

As they picked a tunnel at random to head down, Plagg continued, “Your father has no reason to be angry with Adrien or think he’s a pervert. I even said his father tried that thing with a banana to show Adrien’s not ready for sex. We just have to deal with Adrien being in your room when he wasn’t supposed to be and the whole Ladybug identity.”

Marinette shook her head and looked at the red Adrien. “I don’t understand. How did we get from Plagg stealing Tikki to my father thinking we’re having sex?”

Tikki giggled and bobbed in the air ahead of them. “Oh, Marinette… they think that’s why Tom and Sabine are angry.”

Plagg narrowed his eyes at Tikki. “What?”

Marinette snorted and Tikki covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled.

“Why are you laughing?” Adrien asked, staring at Marinette.

Marinette pressed her lips together in her struggle not to laugh. “My parents weren’t angry ‘cause they thought we were having sex.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “But…”

As confused as Adrien, Plagg said, “With the way they were yelling at Chat Noir, it certainly seemed like it.”

“At Chat Noir,” Tikki pointed out. “Who’s the wrong boy to be in Marinette’s bed.”

“So… if it’d been just Adrien?” Plagg asked.

Marinette paused her merry giggling to chortle, “Papa would’ve turned around and gone away and interrogated us in the morning.” She scrunched up her nose. “Or woken us both up and taken us down to the bakery for warmth.”

Adrien couldn’t believe his ears. “Really?”

“One of my rules,” she explained. “Is that the rules are subject to change, but I have to be able to sit through a candid conversation with my parents first. Mom’s more conservative that Papa. The rules are hers.”

“Then… why was he so angry?”

“On Mom’s behalf. We were sneaking around and going out late at night without informing anyone, disrespecting the rules we agreed on. I’m only guessing though.”

That made sense. “Oh.”

Marinette smiled at him. “Papa’d prefer if you owned it and used the front door.”

“The front door?” Adrien’s mouth went dry and his mind conjured up an image of him strolling through the front door and heading up her stairs with her parents complete knowledge he was there for pats. Or something more. He wasn’t sure he could do that. It’d been hard enough to admit he needed pats and approach Marinette to begin with.

“I don’t suggest you do that though, Mom’d have a fit. We’re still young.”

Adrien cleared his throat. “Good. I mean, yeah… I’m not…”

She squeezed his hand. “I know. Also, there’s health and safety reasons. We live above a bakery, fires have happened before. Papa wants to know if there’s an extra in the house. I suppose a lot of his anger comes from shock of us being who were are. Mom always thought I could tell her everything and I kept this a big secret. She’s hurt.”

“We had to.”

Marinette nodded. “And I think they know that.”

Adrien dropped into silence. He continued to hold Marinette’s hand as they wandered through the underbelly of Paris with only a flashlight and Plagg’s eyes to guide them. They stumbled through the dark, checking every access point they could, but most of them seemed frozen.

Coming across a barred section of the tunnel, they had to backtrack and find a different route. Marinette flicked her flashlight along the walls of the tunnel they traversed. “I’m seeing lights. Do you think there’s a switch somewhere?”

“If only we were that lucky. There’s probably a central control somewhere and they only turn them on when a worker comes down.”

“Probably discourages vagrants from coming down.”

Adrien pulled his phone from his pocket and activated the light on there. “There’s a lot of cables. Do you think if we follow them we might find an exit that’s not frozen over? Maybe one into a building?”

“Which cable though?” Marinette asked, using her light to follow a few of them to see where they went.

“I can transform and see if my baton has the blueprints,” Adrien suggested. 

“Give Plagg more rest first,” Marinette said. “But that’s certainly an option if we don’t find something soon.”

Adrien burst into a grin, “Hey, I have signal!” Dialling Alya, he put her on speaker.

“Chat!” Alya blurted a moment later. “Are you okay? What’s going on? There’s a growing ice dome over the hotel!”

“It’s growing?” Marinette blurted.

Alya gasped, “Ma— Ladybug?”

“Yes,” Marinette said and her voice warmed. “I’m here too. We’re currently stuck in the sewer system trying to get find a way out. It was the only way to escape the dome.”

“Oh, god,” Alya blurted. “It’s a maze down there.”

“Seems pretty straightforward at the moment,” Adrien said. “The section we’re in seems to run parallel with the streets, but we’re… a little lost. All the access points are all frozen over.”

“We’re trying to get to the Seine,” Marinette explained.

“Bad idea,” Alya said. “Parts of it have frozen over.”

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a glance. “That’s bad.”

“The storms gotten so much worse in the last thirty minutes.”

Adrien put his hand over his face. “Since we let Chloé out.”

“So, she is the akuma then. The Ladyblog is getting reports, but it seems pretty localised to just our area. At the moment. Everyone’s kinda panicking and no one can find the Mayor.”

“He was probably in the hotel still,” Adrien said.

Marinette said, “We can see a bunch of cables and stuff on the wall. Can you do some research for us and see if we follow a particular one it’ll lead us out?”

“I can try,” Alya said, sceptical. “I’m not a hacker though, that sounds like something they’d have locked away.”

“Do your best,” Marinette said. “We’ll keep moving.”

“I can bust us out of here, but we’re trying to conserve energy,” Adrien said.

“Chloé’s connected to all the ice, somehow,” Marinette said. “We don’t want to alert her to us coming until we’re right there.”

Tikki yawned and floated down to rest on Marinette’s shoulder and Adrien cast her a worried glance.

“Keep an eye on the reports,” Marinette said, her eyes also on Tikki. “Message us if you’ve got something. We’ll check in in… half an hour.”

“What do I do if you don’t?” Alya asked, sounding scared for the first time.

“Assume we haven’t got signal,” Adrien said. “And will contact you as soon as we can. If you don’t hear from us in say… three hours—”

“Panic?” Alya suggested.

“Yeah.”

Alya made a scared exhale. “Right. Okay. Good luck.”

Hanging up, Adrien turned his attention to the little bug. “Tikki, are you okay?”

She blinked at him sleepily and it took her a while to answer. “Yes.”

“Don’t you go to sleep!” Plagg urged.

“You can’t stop that,” Tikki replied, her words slow and slurred. “You know how it is.”

Plagg zipped down to take Tikki by the shoulders. “I can! You can have my energy!”

“That won’t help Marinette,” Tikki said. “Tell him.”

“No.”

“Then I will.”

Plagg’s voice cracked in desperation, “I can’t lose more kittens!”

Reaching out, Tikki touched Plagg on the cheek. “Stubborn, snarly cat. You won’t lose him. He’s one of your best.”

“I might, you grumpy bug, the best always fall the hardest.”

Sighing, Tikki looked at Marinette and Adrien while Plagg’s tail twitched in anger. “When Ladybug purifies she releases all her good luck to undo the damage done by the akuma. But Chat Noir is bad luck. Destruction. For them, they have to take all the bad luck into themselves and store it until she can cleanse it. It’s dangerous and the consequences are often addictive and deadly.”

Plagg’s tail swished instead of twitching and his whole body seemed to tremble. “That’s why I don’t tell my kittens about it anymore! I have lost more of them to winter and this purification than anything else and I’ll be damned if I lose him in his first!”

Adrien gulped. “How bad is it?”

“It is different for every Chat Noir,” Tikki explained. “It makes them sick. Sick in the head, heart or body. The longer you store the bad luck, and the more there was to store… the worse it’ll be for you. Some…” She looked at Plagg in sympathy. “Some we lose on the first purification.”

Marinette went pale. “You’re not doing it.”

Adrien didn’t look at her. “Wait, wait. With Dream Twister, Tikki, you did a modified version of the cure—”

Tikki shook her head.

“Its… one of things which will corrupt me,” Plagg murmured. “It has to be you.”

Tikki rested her paws on Plagg’s shoulders, then buried her face in his neck. “It’s how we lost our Tigga.”

“Tigga was young and impetuous and she didn’t understand her own gifts,” Plagg soothed.

“Oh, Tikki.” Marinette’s hands covered her mouth in despair. “You never said. I’m so sorry.”

Staring off into the distance, Adrien asked, “What do I have to do?”

“No!” Marinette cried and gripped his arms at the elbow. “You’re not doing it.”

Raising his hands, he cupped her elbows. “I don’t have a choice—”

“There’s always a choice,” Marinette said. “Tikki said it could kill you!”

“It won’t,” Adrien promised.

She looked distraught. “We’ll find another way! Paris can—”

“Paris can’t wait. We’re going to start having deaths from the cold,” Adrien said. “If Tikki goes, then I need to do this. What do I have to do to get this purr-ification to work?”

“Please don’t,” Marinette said. “Don’t joke and don’t do it.”

Tikki and Plagg looked at each other. Plagg shook his head and waved his hands at Tikki. “No. He’s my charge. It should be my decision whether or not he knows—” He paused and swung his head to peer down the tunnel they’d come from. His flickering ears was the only thing about him which moved. “We need to move.”

Releasing one of Adrien’s arms, Marinette swung the flashlight in the direction Plagg looked. “I don’t see—”

As Tikki dove for Marinette’s bag, Plagg yowled, “Fast moving water! Run!”

Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and bolted, dragging her with him. Lengthening his stride, he practically pulled Marinette along the tunnels. A rushing reached his ears, echoing down the tunnels. Distorted and twisted, he couldn’t locate the source of the sound but it felt like it was coming from everywhere it once.

Marinette’s flashlight bounced off the walls and floor, illuminating snatches of the ground. Neither of them saw the drop in the tunnel until they were upon it. Adrien, blessed with the abilities of a cat, took the small drop in the ground with grace and a jarring stumble. The shock of the sudden drop jolted down his spine and made his foot tingle.

Marinette wasn’t as lucky. With a small shriek, her hand was torn from Adrien’s as she lost her footing.

“Marinette!” Adrien cried, returning for her. Hoisting her back to her feet, he attempted to pull her into a run, dismayed to discover she couldn’t.

“My ankle,” she moaned.

Water and slush surged around the corner of the corridor behind them. 

Chapter Text

Water, slush, ice and sewer debris churned together to make a horrifying and swift approaching sight.

Without even thinking, Adrien bellowed, “Plagg, Claws out!”

Before the transformation had even finished, he had Marinette safely in his arms and sprinted down the tunnel away from the water. A little rearranging so he could hold her with his good arm and she ended up with her knees on either side of his hips. In their haste, Plagg had changed everything Adrien wore, including the parka, into the suit and Chat Noir repressed a shiver at the chill in the air.

While he navigated, bounding and leaping ahead, he felt her grab his baton and open it so she could view the screen. “Which one does blueprints?” she bellowed at him over the rush of the water.

“Second from the left, click it twice!”

“Right!”

Skidding, he bent low to the ground and used a claw so he could change direction and head the direction she requested.

“No! I meant, ‘okay’!” Marinette blurted. “Gimme a sec.”

He concentrated on running. His eyes darted around, looking for an exit, looking for a door, looking for a way up or out or anything that could help them in their current situation. His luck wasn’t that good.

“Holy shit,” Marinette said, leaning over his good shoulder. “It’s got a face.”

“Don’t tell me that!” Chat Noir complained, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

“Sorry! I can’t… how does this work?”

He glanced over his shoulder. The torrent of water wasn’t gaining, but it wasn’t retracting either. And the open-mouthed face which protruded gave him the creeps. The rushing water was so loud in his ears it was difficult to hear anything else. “Same as yours! I think!”

A few heart thumping moments as his feet thudded against the ground and gain distance that wouldn’t come. “Okay. Okay… got it! Left!”

He banked, using his feet to bounce off the walls as he went left.

“No!” she howled. “My left!”

“Marinette!”

“Sorry!” Another few moments. “Okay! I think… There’s some sort of drop ahead! We can get the water going down instead of chasing us if you jump the gap.”

Nodding, he said, “Tell me where.”

“Next right, then right, straight, then left, then straight ahead.”

Eyes falling on the next intersection, he blurted, “Yours or mine?”

“Yours!”

Plotting a route in his head, his eyes widened. “Wait, that’s going to take me back on the path of the water!”

“It’s the only way!”

Tightening his grip on her, Chat Noir increased his speed. Marinette slid down a little, wrapping her arms around his neck. “How big is the gap?”

“I can’t tell!”

He growled in frustration. He had to use his whole body to turn the corner, slamming a hand into the wall to use as a springboard as he changed trajectory. Water rushed in his ears, coming from all sides at once.  Breath caught in his chest, there was no time to think.

Right, then right, then…

Chat Noir and the ice water reached the intersection at the same time.

With barely enough time to gasp, it crashed against them, soaking their clothing and skin and knocked Chat Noir from his feet. Marinette squealed as they were dunked beneath froth and carried through the turmoil.

All the heat was sucked out of him. Chill seeped, the water freezing and carrying chunks of ice and brickwork along with it. Sticks and twigs and all manner of refuse entangled with the water and impeded their travel. Water invaded their mouths and ears and eyes and slithered between their chests as it tried to force them apart.

A shadow of a triumphant face made from ice out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t let the akuma take her. Take them.

Spluttering, Marinette kept her grip on him, her knees tightening and her ankles crossed on his back. She didn’t flail around or try to swim herself although she struggled to keep her head out of the water. She put her faith and her trust in him to get them through and even though she was soaked through, she held him and he held her. His back scraped the ground. His knee hit the wall. Something slammed into them. But they held fast.

One hand on her back, he used his other three limbs to paddle across the top of the water. A difficult manoeuvre with the way the water surged forth through the tunnels. Ice formed along his arms and tried to hold him in place and he watched with growing dread as ice hands formed out of swell and frost to clutch and pull at them.

He struggled and kicked, trying to at least get his feet under him. If he could do that, he might be able to outrun the water. His boot touched something solid and he didn’t care what it was. Coiling, he pushed away from the solid thing as hard as he could, leaping into the air above the water. Twisting, he extended a foot sideways to kick against the wall and propel them ahead.

He charged away with the rushing water snapping at his ankles. Marinette whimpered but he didn’t have time to do any more than hold on and keep them connected.

He saw the gap she’d mentioned. An old storm drain, leading to the river most like. Or aqueduct, he wasn’t sure. All the tunnels filtered into it and there was a gap in the pathway large enough so he could get ahead of the water.

He leapt.

A moment of weightlessness in the air then he hit the ground on the other side hard. Legs spread wide and braced, he dropped low to the ground to slide off some of his speed.

Behind him, the water poured over the edge of the tunnel and splashed into the storm drain. He took a moment to watch which way the water ran, then ran the opposite way.  

Marinette trembled in his arms and he knew it wasn’t from fear. They were both soaked and only he was mostly waterproof. Water dripped from his hair and dribbled down his face. “Hang on,” he mumbled, shivering himself. “Tikki, is she—”

Marinette moved one arm, then hugged him tight. “Dry. Safe.”

He ran along the edge of the drain, desperately hoping that the path he was on would lead somewhere. Behind him, an ungodly shriek echoed through the tunnel and he hoped that mean the water couldn’t follow. For the moment.

He ran, constantly on edge, constantly searching for a place to stop that was safe and protected. He didn’t want to go back into the maze of tunnels but it looked more and more like he might have to. He needed a door. A hallway. A stairwell. Anything with light. Anything at all. The longer he ran, the more he heated up and the more Marinette shivered until her breath came in raspy gasps.

A doorway. A wooden door, with a lock, leading away from the drain he ran beside. The lock didn’t matter to him, a well-placed strike broke the fixture away from the door. The brick hallway beyond was incredibly narrow with several doors coming from it. No light, although there was a switch by the door. He flicked it, but nothing happened.

Closing the door with his foot, he ran down the hallway, trying doors at random until one opened. A small room, almost office like. A chair and a dust covered table and another door as an exit. Racing to that one, he peered out into another long bricked hallway, with no lights illuminating it.

Somewhere abandoned. Modern enough that there had to be an exit somewhere.

Didn’t matter. What mattered was the quivering girl in his arms. Shutting up the room again, he planted Marinette on the table. Her teeth chattered, her lips pale even to his night vision and her eyes glazed.

Yanking off her wet beanie, he hooked his fingers beneath the straps of the backpack and pulled it off her. The poncho she wore received the same treatment; yanked over her head before she could protest and he dropped the wet garment on the floor. Bending down, her shoes and socks were next.

Awareness flared, even though she stared off into the dark, there was animation in her face. “What?”

“We need to get you warm. Get the wet clothes off.”

Her teeth chattered around her words as she lifted the strap of Tikki’s bag over her head. She fumbled to put it down on the table beside her. “I can’t see.”

Grabbing the backpack, he went for more cheese and was glad that he’d grabbed his waterproof bag. “Claws in.” As Plagg warped out of the ring and Adrien’s clothes returned to normal, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and hit the light. Marinette blinked at the sudden brightness and flinched away.

“Recharge as quick as possible, Plagg, we’re going to go again in a few minutes,” Adrien said, already removing his parka. He dumped it beside Marinette and then yanked his sweater over his head. Then the two long sleeved shirts he had were also pulled off. Kicking off his shoes and socks, his jeans and thermals were next.

Marinette had to get warm and that meant removing the wet and replacing with dry. Dry being his clothes and wet being hers. She shook so hard she needed help. There wasn’t time for modesty. There wasn’t time to reconsider what he was doing. There wasn’t time to admit that he noticed.

Bidding her to stand, his fingers fumbled at her belt buckle.

“This is not,” she rumbled through chattering teeth and quivering hands, “how I imagined you’d see me naked.” She shoved her arms into the first of his shirts and pulled it over her bare chest.

He gusted out a breath as he pulled her jeans down. “Me either.” Helping her into his thermals, then jeans, he crouched before her to throw his socks and shoes on her small feet while she struggled with the buttons of his parka. “Plagg?”

“One minute,” the kwami said and Adrien glanced over to see him curled around Tikki in Marinette’s bag.

“She okay?” he asked.

“She’s out,” Plagg said, mournful. “But she’s dry.”

Wrapping his arms around Marinette, he added his body heat to hers. Her skin felt so cold to the touch and her teeth couldn’t stop chattering, but at least she was dry. She snuggled close to him and he shivered as her hair dripped on his shoulder.

“I’ll get you home,” he promised.

She buried her face in his neck. “So cold.”

He hugged her close. “Don’t sleep. Please don’t sleep.”

Plagg floated up to Adrien and said two words.

“What?” Adrien asked, looking at his kwami over the top of Marinette’s head.

“That’s the phrase,” Plagg murmured, looking disheartened and lost. “To purify.”

Marinette whimpered and squeezed him tighter. She wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles against his back. “Please don’t do it, Chat. Please. There’ll be another way.”

He kissed her temple and kept his eyes on Plagg. Placing his paw against Adrien’s hand in a show of solidarity, Plagg locked eyes with him. A look of deep regret filled the small kwami as he nodded.

“Plagg, Claws out.”

She held onto him even as his suit warped in. He stroked her back and soothed her. He didn’t do anything about the warm tears against his neck. Just held her until the trembling and shaking stopped and she felt warmer.

Finally pulling away, he scooped up her wet clothes and rung them out as much as he could before he shoved them into his backpack. Helping Marinette put the backpack and Tikki’s bag on proved hard, she fought him with every motion by making her limbs heavier and resisting.

Turning, he presented her with his back so she could climb on. Marinette resisted by remaining where she was.

He leant against the table, nestled between her legs and placed his hand on her knee. Instead of coaxing her to climb on, he pulled out his baton to see what blueprints it stored for this area. Long corridors, but there seemed to be stairs at the opposite end. And beyond that… “Metro station. We’re near a metro station.” He sighed with relief and relaxed into Marinette. “I’ll have you warm soon.”

“Take me with you.”

He lowered the baton. “That’s not a good idea.”

“I know it’s not,” she said. “But I can’t… I can’t…”

He turned around and cupped her neck. No need for words, not really, not when he could purr for her. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against hers and rumbled. Deep throated purr while his thumb stroked circles along her jaw. His nose brushed against hers and, as he peeked through half-lidded eyes, hers closed.

“You’ll come straight home,” she instructed and swallowed. “After…”

Closed eyes, he concentrated on the warmth of her hands pressed against his chest. “We’ll watch a movie and snuggle up somewhere. Take a nap.”

“Oh. A nap,” she sighed.

He shifted his hips a little closer and nestled between her thighs. “We’ll find a patch of sunlight and curl up and not move for the rest of the day.”

Her breath washed over his face. “Until Christmas at least.”

“New Years.”

“You need a good scratching,” she said and her index finger tapped his chest. “It’s been a while.”

“That would be meow-velous. Marinette, I love—”

“Don’t tell me that,” she whispered. “That feels like a goodbye.”

“— getting scratches,” he amended. “Highlight of my day.”

“Good, ‘cause I love—” she swallowed. “Giving them.”

He kissed her. He kissed her until the tension inside her seeped away. Kissed her until she warmed beneath his hands. Until her lips lightly parted and he could taste her with the tip of his tongue. Until her fingers curled over his shoulders and she pulled him closer. Until his purr intermingled with the sound of her thrum. Until his cheek felt damp with tears.

“Marinette—”

“Just come back to me, okay?” She sounded emotionally drained and he didn’t blame her.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he promised and turned around. “C’mon. Sooner we go, the sooner we can find that patch of sunlight.”

She climbed on, looping her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his shoulder. Placing his hand beneath her thigh, he supported her as he headed for the door, baton in hand so he could follow the path to the metro station.

Exiting an unobtrusive door tucked away at the back of the Opéra Metro station had been a surprise. They’d travelled a greater distance away from the akuma than he’d expected. Reaching back, he pulled the hood of his parka up so it covered Marinette’s head, just in case they were spotted. With everyone holed up indoors, he didn’t think he would be.

Navigating his way out of the station, he batoned up to the closest rooftop and stared out at the city. From where he was, it was easy to see the dome Alya had mentioned. It was clear the storm had worsened over the hotel, swirling dark clouds circled above and the whole area as shrouded in white snow. Where he stood, the weather seemed so much milder.

The dome itself… “Well, that’s good news,” he muttered.

Marinette roused enough to peek. “Looks like honeycomb.”

He adjusted his weight, then set off running. “She must’ve been recycling her ice to get to us. That’s a good thing, I won’t have to use cataclysm to get inside.”

“I don’t want you to do this.”

“I know. But we can’t wait any longer.”

“Do you even know where the akuma is?”

He nodded. “I do. It’s in a bangle I gave Chloé when we were eight.”

She rested her head against his. “Adrien…”

“No regrets,” he said. “Not for anything.”

He didn’t want to think about it. Not really. Focus on the mission, take what comes after. Get Marinette to safety. Protect the people of Paris.

Try not to die.

Being Chat Noir was always a risk but he always deluded himself into thinking it would never happen to him. He couldn’t die from doing something he loved. He was careful. Plagg was skilled and ancient. Ladyluck was on his side. Sort of.

There was no reason to think he would die, either. Whatever his reaction to this purification, he could handle it.

The storm grew worse the closer he neared Agreste Mansion. Wind plucked at Marinette, trying to pry her from his back. Icicle snow came sideways at them, stinging his eyes and face. Marinette started to shiver again as he staggered between the rooftops trying to get her safe.

Finally reaching the mansion, he scaled the wall to the guest room where Marinette stayed and rapped on the window. Inside, Sabine took only moments before she peeked through the curtain. With a shocked gasp, she fumbled for the locks on the window and shoved it open. “What’s—” The strength of the wind outside buffeted her backward and away from the window and Tom lunged forward.

Holding onto the side of the building, Chat Noir turned sideways to help Marinette clamber off his back and into Tom’s arms. Tom stepped away from the window and looked at Chat Noir expectantly, seemingly waiting for him to enter.

Marinette stretched out her hand for him with an agonised look on her face. “Chat—”

Chat Noir gifted her with one of his Cheshire grins, a two-fingered salute and a wink. “See you in ten minutes.”

Scrambling up the side of the mansion, he leapt backward for the wall. Without looking behind him, he skedaddled. The instant he stood outside the honeycombed dome, having grown so much it was practically on his doorstep, his confidence broke.

He crouched on a lamppost to study the dome, the snow piled on top of it disturbed by this presence. Marinette was safe. That was all that mattered to him. She was safe and her parents would look after her. No matter what happened to him.

Taking a deep breath, Chat Noir plunged into the dome.

The weather dissipated inside the dome, the howling torrent of wind nothing more than a breeze. The change was so startling, Chat Noir had to look behind him to make sure he hadn’t jumped through some sort of portal. “Maybe I could’ve—” Turning back, he came face to face with Chloé’s ice maiden staring at him.  “Oh, crap!”

He bolted.

Skirting around the figure, he scampered toward the front of the hotel. A crackling sound from behind him told him the ice chased him and more ice maidens pulled themselves together. They came from everywhere; the dome, the snow on the ground, falling from the roof of the hotel, pulling themselves out of the column of entombing the hotel.

They threw things at him. Chunks of ice, handfuls of snow, each other. When the first of the ice maidens was tossed over his head and into another maiden, Chat Noir had to chuckle. It was mayhem and uncoordinated, just the way he liked it.

Extending his baton into a staff, he helicoptered his way through the gaggle of maidens, not caring that he broke them with his strength. They pulled themselves together behind him, substituting broken parts for their shattered bodies but by that time he was well beyond them.

Leaping and bounding over their heads, he resorted to leapfrogging his way around to the front of the hotel.

Glacia remained in her ice prison, poised halfway up a stairwell of ice. Between her and him was an army of ice maidens groaning, crawling and surging from the ground. Ice maidens he really didn’t want to deal with. Splitting his baton, he extended one into a staff and sent the other rocketing up to impale in the icy wall beside Glacia.

Then it was a simple matter of vaulting over the icy henchmen to Glacia’s side and land to crouch on his baton. Angling his head, he checked that he had the right side of Glacia and could see the bangle through the ice. Taking a deep breath, he channelled his back luck into his hand. “Cataclysm,” he said and pressed his hand to the ice right where the bangle was.

Like last time, the ice hissed into steam, but Chat Noir was ready. The moment he saw her hand free of the icy tomb, even before the prison had finished melting, he had the bangle in his hand. He flipped away, landing a distance away from Glacia and snapped the bangle in two.

The akuma fluttered free, feebly flapping its wings as it tried to escape. Chat Noir snatched it out of the air before it could get too far and cupped his hands around the purple butterfly.

He’d held them before, contained them until Ladybug arrived. This time, he stretch out his senses and tried to feel the akuma. Concentrated on the feeling of the evil writhing inside it. The corruption and the hate forced into its tiny body. All the damage it had done, all the bad luck it had brought citizens of Paris.

In the dark corners of his mind, where Plagg rested when they were joined like this, the kwami stirred.

Chat Noir calmed his nerves and pulled.

“Miraculous Calamity!”

Chapter Text

Peering at his hands, Chat Noir frowned.  It hadn’t worked. The butterfly still fluttered away between his palms in a futile attempt to escape. The storm still raged, though the ice maidens around him no longer had any power since they weren’t connected to the akuma.

Chat Noir shifted his weight. He’d been braced for anything but this was not the anything he’d had in mind. What had gone wrong? Was he somehow supposed to purify the akuma before casting the Miraculous? That was what Ladybug did after all. How was he supposed to do that?

He felt a little stupid standing there with his hands cupped like he was after shouting a cure that didn’t work. There were reporters in the hotel, poking their heads out now that the ice maidens had ceased moving.

“Umm…”

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. A darkness loomed and something made him look up.

Black spots swirled above him, similar to his cataclysm powers. It gathered over his head, drawn from all the corners of Paris, a swirling cyclone of misfortune.

It struck him like lightning.

He could feel it flowing around him. Feel the crackle in the air and the intensity of the heat it produced. It fought with itself and with him, seeking and searching as it tried to worm its way inside.

Plagg jerked his hand up so the akuma was between him and the bad luck. It poured into the akuma. Then into him.

Pain. His hand felt like it was on fire. The burning enveloped his arm, creeping down until it was at his shoulder. Then it engulfed him. He went up in flames, there was no other way to describe it. He blazed. Heat and ice mixed into one.

His knees buckled. His back hit the ground, his legs bent awkwardly beneath him, while his hand stayed pointed into the sky. The calamity pushed and pushed. He could feel it writhing inside him. Wriggling and worming deep within his soul until it could wrap its dark tendrils around his heart and squeeze.

He took it. He took it all. The hurt and the pain and the turmoil of Paris. He took the snow and the ice and the cold. He took the swirling winds and the darkened skies. He took Chloé’s pain and her panic in the moments the akuma engulfed her. He felt the moment of choice as though it was his own and the felt desperation behind it. He took her loneliness and her sadness.

Faces in the darkness. Chloé. Marinette. Tikki and Plagg. Nino and Alya. His mother. His darling mother with her sweet smile and shining eyes. A mother who vanished, who left him alone in the world, who was never coming back.

What did he do to make her leave? Hadn’t he been good enough or strong enough or obedient enough? Didn’t she love him enough to stay? Everyone he loved left him. He was cursed that way. He drove them away. Hurt the people he loved and made their lives difficult. Father couldn’t stand to be near him. Chloé wouldn’t follow him. Mother had already left. Marinette would never stay.

She wasn’t here. She wasn’t here because he’d given her to her parents, who he’d betrayed. Trust and faith broken in a single exhausted action because his fast mouth and quick puns held a flawed moment. They would never forgive him. He didn’t deserve it. Didn’t deserve love or happiness. He drove people away. His bad luck haunted every aspect of his life. It took and it took and it took until there was nothing left. It got the best of him.

Gone and gone and gone. His mouth opened in a silent scream, his back arching from the ground and his head lolling.

Calamity turned away from the heart and crawled through his mind. Taste and test. Rip and tear. Shred and devour any semblance of hope. Memories of moments now tainted. A stolen kiss atop the Eiffel Tower. Croissants for breakfast. The smell of cheese. Fish and pillow forts. Cookies and twitters. Laughter and light. Frosting on cupcakes. Friendship and music and all the good things in his life, blackened and broken.

Tainted because of him.

People round him. Reporters. Cameras. People watching. People screaming and yelling and pointing and wordlessly witnessing. Somewhere, far away, a young woman scratched rivers of blood in her cheeks as she watched the calamity unravel.

Clarity in the dark. Mind, body, or heart. That’s what Tikki said. That was the toll. Mind, body, or heart. His heart was where he loved Marinette. His body was how he stood strong by her side. His mind held her memory. He wasn’t going to give up any of it without a fight.

She was his anchor among the maelstrom. She was here. In his heart and in his head and he would remember that. She’d never leave him. They were partners. They were a team. They were Chat Noir and Ladybug and there was nothing they couldn’t overcome.

The calamity decided.  A white butterfly fluttered free through limp fingers.

Clear skies welcomed the butterfly. The snow which had haunted and buried Paris had completely vanished with no trace it had ever existed. People emerged from their dwellings, greeting neighbours and laughing in delight.

A girl with fiery hair burst from her home and ran into the street. She danced in a merry circle, cheered at the sky. A father looked up at the sky, unimpressed, then made a phone call to get his life back on schedule. Another father looked at the sky and fretted, while a mother held her weeping daughter.

The butterfly hovered above the hotel as people drew closer to the black figure lying prone on the ground. Reporters and cameras which inched closer and people talking in hushed tone. It floated up, its wings flapping until it caught a warm breeze that rose over the city, and flitted away to freedom.

No one noticed the departure of the butterfly. Those close only had eyes for a tortured kitten, laying on the cold, wet ground.

The kitten curled into a ball and whimpered.

So much. So much bad luck. He could feel it pulsing. Thrumming against his skin, pulsing through his veins.

A beep, shrill and loud in his ears. A nudge from deep within. Time ticked away, fled from him and would soon be gone. He forced open his eyes.

Darkness clung to the edges of his vision and he concentrated on looking through the tunnel of sight. People milled around him, whispering and talking and pointing. Veiled comments and staring eyes. Voices coming at him through water, garbled and disjointed.

Through their feet he saw Chloé sobbing into her father’s arms, the wracking, shoulder shuddering type of sob he hadn’t seen in years. Snow. There was still snow, but it only lightly peppered the ground now. All evidence of the ferocious storm vanished along with the akuma.

He needed to go home. He promised he’d go home. He couldn’t lie here on the cold ground forever.

Groaning, he pushed a hand to the ground. Every muscle screamed at him in protest. His fingers shook and his knees trembled. He couldn’t afford to look weak. Not now. Not here. Had to get home. Had to get out of sight.

“Plagg,” he groaned out.

So tired, but the kwami lent him strength. The suit held his limbs still as he stood. Locked his knees. Kept his balance. Threw his shoulders back to give the appearance of confidence. Digging deep, Chat Noir smiled for the cameras, then gave them a two-fingered salute. He didn’t trust his voice. His hand went for his baton but he didn’t try to run. Instead, he extended it straight up in the air, pulling himself up with it,

He could see his house from here.

Sunlight. With the clouds gone, it tickled his face. Closing his eyes, he felt it dance over his skin. A tiny moment of peace.

He tilted and let his body fall. If he calculated right, he’d land near his bedroom window and could scrape his way inside. All the reporters with their cameras were on the far side of the hotel, they wouldn’t be able to follow him fast enough to see where he landed. He hoped.

It didn’t matter. He had to get home before his body failed him. Not long. Not long at all.

He hit the wall below his window, but couldn’t get a grip on it. His strength diminished and his fingers couldn’t find purchase. He was falling and he didn’t care. Maybe that would take the pain away.

A large hand closed over his wrist. “Easy, son, I got you.”

Chat Noir looked up. At the end of his tunnel of vision, Tom’s kind and concerned face swam into view. Tom pulled him inside and half-carried, half-helped the weakened boy across the room. Chat Noir flopped flat on the bed and didn’t move.

He closed his eyes and let his transformation die. He felt the small bumps as Plagg hit the bed and heard the groan the kwami made. It was all so far away. Without the support of the suit, Adrien didn’t think he’d even be able to move. He shuddered out a breath and struggled to take another one in.

Tom fussed, grabbing a pillow to put beneath Adrien’s head, then pulled a blanket over him. “What do you need?”

He didn’t know. He could barely see. “Mari—?”

“Adrien.”

Marinette.

He wanted to move toward her but he couldn’t.

She appeared above him, eyes red and still shining with tears, her cheeks red with scratch marks. Warm hands cupped his cheeks. “Oh, Adrien.”

Vaguely, he heard Tom and Sabine, speaking in hushed tones, but it was Marinette who held his attention. “Bugaboo…”

“I’m here. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

He watched her fade, right before his eyes closed, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. 

Chapter Text

Something pressed against his chest. A heavy, oppressive weight held him down and he struggled for awareness. Then wished he hadn't, because the moment he dipped his metaphorical toes into the pool of life, pain grabbed him and dug its claws into his skin.

His eyes flashed open and saw nothing but blackness. Pain riddled his body and pressed against him. Held him down. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. With a gasp, he panicked.

"Easy kid," Plagg murmured.

His chest heaved and he gulped in breath. "Can't—"

"Easy," Plagg repeated and the weight on his chest decreased a fraction. Tiny paws patted at his face as they soothed. "Just breathe."

"Can't see!" He struggled but he felt like he fought through thick fluid. His limbs felt gummed or glued, he wasn't sure, everything was so heavy.

"Adrien?"

Marinette. He ceased struggling but his panic didn't diminish. "Can't—"

The weight on his chest lifted and soft hands cupped his cheeks. "It's okay," she murmured, sounding sleepy. "It's night time. Plagg?"

"Close your eyes, kid," Plagg said. "Last time you screamed bloody murder when we turned the light on."

Adrien shut his eyes. Beside him, the bed moved and shuffled as Marinette changed positions. A click. Marinette's fingers brushed against his cheeks and forehead. "Okay, open."

Nothing. Black and grey and a shadow in the distance. "Oh." He blinked. Blinked again. Resorted to rapidly blinking but nothing cleared. "Oh."

"Shh," Marinette soothed. "It's okay."

Something touched his lips distracting him from his eyes. Icy and cold and the suddenness made him flinch until he felt cool water dribble in his mouth. He realised how parched he was. "Water?"

The bed moved again, the shadow above his eyes fading and then returning and he felt a straw fall on his lips. "Slowly," she cautioned.

He barely managed a mouthful before he had to rest.

"Do you want some more painkillers?" Marinette asked.

"I've already had some?"

A tiny gasp and her fingers stilled. "A complete sentence."

"He's adapting," the kwami replied.

The palms of her hands pressed against his cheeks as her voice filled with warmth. "Hello."

He didn't want to panic her, but he had to tell her. "I can't see. I can't—"

"Shh," she replied. "We know."

"Why can't I see? What's wrong with my eyes?"

"There's always a price," Plagg murmured.

Grief stabbed him through the chest and he couldn't breathe. Couldn't feel. He was blind. Blind! How could he protect her now? How could he be her Chat Noir? Who would let a blind kitten stumble around and help Ladybug? If he wasn't scorned by Paris before, he would now. He'd never see her face again. Never watch her bit her lip or see the half-lidded look when she lost herself to kisses. He'd never see the mischief in her eyes or the silliness. He'd never watch her bake or see her smile.

He'd lost everything. Tears ran down the sides of his face and dripped in his ears. Even though it hurt to move, he reached up to find Marinette's wrist to grip. "No. No."

"No," Marinette soothed and her fingers wiped the away the tears. "No, Adrien, shh, it's okay. It's—"

"How can it be okay?" he demanded. "I can't protect you like this! I can't even see you, how can—"

"It's temporary," Plagg interrupted.

"We hope."

"You hope?" he shrilled.

Plagg laughed, a slightly hysterical sound. "You chose body," he said, sounding happy and relieved. "There's not been a kitten for a thousand years who chose body."

Adrien gusted out a breath. "Wha—?"

"Good work, kid."

"I… what?"

"The mind and the heart leave scars, both on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Sometimes things said or done can't be forgiven and it breaks. Body is recoverable, but my kittens are vain." He laughed again, and it definitely hinged on hysteria now. "And it's the model who chooses it."

"Plagg," Marinette cautioned. "Be nice."

"I…"

"It's temporary," Marinette repeated, her fingers stroking his forehead. "Last time you woke, the light hurt your eyes. The time before that, you couldn't see anything. This time, I can tell you see something, your eyes follow me."

"A shadow," he admitted.

"Plus, you're coherent," Marinette said with a confidence he didn't feel. "You're getting better."

"I can still feel it," he said. "Churning away. It hurts."

Fingers caressed his neck. "Tikki's been stirring. We think… maybe in the morning and we'll be able to help."

"What if it's gone? What if this is all I'll ever be able to see?"

"Then we'll deal with it," Plagg said.

"I won't be able to be Chat Noir anymore. I'll be a liability."

"We'll find a way," Marinette said.

"You're stuck with me, kid," Plagg said, gruff. "I don't give up on my kittens because something doesn't work right. You shouldn't either."

He felt oddly touched but it didn't help. "You've had kittens go through this. Have any of the effects been permanent?"

Plagg hesitated. "Adrien, you shouldn't—"

"That's a yes."

Plagg sighed. "The longer you hold it and the more it is, the more likely it'll do permanent damage. With the body, twenty four hours seems to be the max time before we can't reverse it completely. After that, some damage is permanent. One lost the use of his legs. Another lost the use of his hand. Another lost her voice. One… one," Plagg's voice cracked. "Her heart stopped beating."

"Oh god."

"Marinette's here," Plagg insisted. "Just her presence is siphoning some of it away. That gives us time."

"There's so much," Adrien said.

"I know," Marinette said. Her fingers were on his chest now and he wished she'd return to his face. At least then he could see silhouetted shadow she made. She was lost to murk.

"We're so much better equipped today," Plagg insisted. "Central heating. Medicine. The fact you two know each other. Often, my kits have had to go through it alone."

"How horrible," Marinette said. "How could anyone let their partner go through it alone?"

"There's not always a choice," Plagg said. "Calamity… is a last resort. It's always been that. It's only ever used when something's happened to Ladybug. Sometimes… sometimes we've already lost our partner and my kits give up."

Marinette's fingers stilled.

"Don't give up, Adrien," Plagg said, sounding very small.

"I won't." Adrien sighed and cleared his throat as thirst crept in to nip at him.

"Do you want another drink?" Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded and felt her direct the straw to his lips.

Plagg said, "You've been out for about… well, hours. It's after midnight. Delirious and rambling, the whole shebang. How're you feeling?"

"Beyond the fact I can't see?" he mumbled. "I feel… terrible. Exhausted."

Marinette made a noise like she'd expected that but still hurt to hear.

"What about you?" he asked, concerned. "You were so cold, are you okay?"

Fingers stroked down his face. "I'm exhausted too, and I'm probably going to catch a cold, but I feel okay at the moment."

"And your ankle?"

"Sprained. Mom said no school tomorrow… well it's today now."

He frowned. "My father—"

Marinette sighed. "Flew out to Milan."

"He wasn't due to go until Tuesday." He sighed. "Something must've gone wrong."

"We debated telling him you were sick, and Papa went to talk to him… but… I don't know how that went. Papa won't tell me. Your father barely paused on his way out."

Adrien felt disappointed and relieved. "Yeah, he gets like that."

"He didn't even check you," she said, indignant.

"I'm not sure I could even explain it if you did tell him."

"Yeah," Marinette said.

He blinked and tried to focus. "Where are your parents? Are they here?"

"They're at home," she said. "Papa went to finalise the heating repair; the guy finally showed up. Mom stayed so we could get you dressed and into bed properly and help Plagg, but… well, our excuse for being here was the snowstorm and that was over. So we went home and I snuck back in."

"You'll get in trouble," he warned.

"They know I'm here," Marinette said. "Mom insisted and sent supplies. And Plagg'll warn me if someone comes close to your door."

"But—"

"I'm not going to leave you. Are you hungry?" she asked, changing the subject. "Mom gave me some chicken soup in a thermos."

He gave an experimental wriggle his fingers. It hurt, but manageable. Knees… they could bend and arms could move. Maybe his legs could support his weight, he wasn't sure, but he needed to try.

"Adrien?"

"I… need the bathroom. Then I'll have some soup."

"Oh!" Marinette squeaked. "Okay." The bed bounced as she left it and, as he struggled to sit, he felt the blanket's pulled away. "Let's go."

Marinette supported him as he staggered across the room. He could tell she hurt too, the limp she tried to hide from him, but he couldn't do it on his own. She left him braced against the wall by the toilet with Plagg as 'supervision'. Once he'd finished, an awkward fumbling which took forever and included feeling his way to his sink to wash his face and hands, she came back in and helped him back to bed. "I propped your pillows up," she said, her hands gently directing him. "So you can eat."

"Put your foot up," he fussed as he flopped back into bed. He could hear her doing something, but he couldn't make out what. The bed beside him bounced.

A smile in her voice, she said, "I have a pillow beneath my foot and it's iced. I'm okay."

"Good."

She tucked his feet back beneath the blanket and pulled it up to his hips. "You are going to have to endure the indignity of me feeding you," she said. "Don't want you dribbling on your shirt."

He chuckled. "After that, I think I can manage." He groped his hand along the bed beside him, seeking her and she took his hand, directing it to her thigh. He could sense by her tiny movements; she fiddled with something in her hands and he could only assume it was the chicken soup. "Can I say it yet?"

"Say what?" she asked, absent.

"I love you."

She stopped moving. "Oh, Adrien. I love you too."

He felt her coming. Her hand on his stomach and it's gradually increasing pressure as she leaned in. Her breath on his face. He closed his eyes as her lips pressed against his and his heart broke. He couldn't see her. Couldn't see the look of love he hoped was on her face. Couldn't see her smile. Couldn't see those brilliant blue eyes shining. He wanted to kiss her and lose himself in something normal, but he couldn't. His throat closed up and then next thing he knew he was crying.

"Oh," Marinette gasped. She dug her fingers beneath him so she could get her arms completely around him and hold him tight. He clutched at her and buried his face in her neck. Fingers entangled in his hair, she stroked and soothed and cried with him.

Ever so slowly, Marinette adjusted their positions. Tiny movements which didn't seem like much. By the time she was done, they were twisted in the bed so instead of him reaching up for her, his head rested on her chest and he could listen to her soothing thrum. His hand tucked beneath the arch in her back while hers never stopped their pets in his hair.

He felt so exhausted, a tiredness which seeped through him to his core. Wrapped up in Marinette's arms, he fell into a fitful sleep.

Morning brought Plagg singing.

"Cheese bread, cheese bread, I love cheese bread."

"I'm so glad," Marinette said. "Now shush, you'll wake him."

"Oh, cheese bread, how I love thee, let me count the ways."

"Plagg."

"In all my years, cheese was the best thing you humans ever created, but then, Marinette-my-gem, you made cheese bread. Slices of cheesy goodness."

"If you say they're better than sliced bread I will never get you any ever again."

"I take back everything nasty I ever said about your parents, this is delicious."

"And what, exactly, did you say about my parents?"

"Can I marry the person who made it?"

"Papa's already married."

"Ahh, but you know the secret recipe," Plagg insisted. "I'll marry you instead."

"I think Tikki might have something to say about that," Marinette said.

"I might too," Adrien mumbled from his face-first into the pillow position. "Why is Plagg singing about cheese bread?"

"Oh!" Marinette's voice bounced closer. "Good morning. Plagg went on a bit of an excursion."

Adrien raised his head. "You went outside?"

"Tom met me halfway," Plagg protested. "I was careful."

Marinette ran her fingers up his back. "How are you feeling?"

Adrien didn't even want to open his eyes to see if the haze had disappeared. He groaned. "Awful. What time is it?"

"Six," Marinette said. "Sorry, I know it's early, but—"

"Baker's daughter," he mumbled.

"We tried to be quiet. Croissant?"

"Huh?"

"Papa sent us food too, not just Plagg's cheese bread."

Adrien pushed himself up on his forearms and hung his head. Very carefully, he tested one eye, then the other. "Damn it."

"Nothing?" Marinette asked, concerned.

"Just…. fuzz. How am I gonna keep this a secret?" he muttered. "Nathalie's going to come and see why I'm not up soon. If I say I can't see, there'll be doctors and people worrying and my father'll find out. If he finds out, I'll never, ever, have the freedom I do now."

"We have a plan," Plagg said.

"I'm going to pretend to come and invite you over for breakfast," Marinette said, still rubbing his back. "We can walking-cuddle out."

Adrien rolled onto his back and held out his hand. "Then what? People are going to notice."

Marinette put a croissant in it. "I'll take you to my place. Alya can cover for us at school, say you had a last minute photoshoot or something and everyone can have a laugh over my clumsiness on ice."

"Yeah, that's not going to create rumours," he muttered sourly and took a bite.

"I know," she soothed. "And it doesn't matter."

"It does to me," he said, shaking his head. "The Gorilla will insist on driving me, which is good, because it saves your ankle… except for the climbing thing, how are you going to get out without Tikki?"

Marinette giggled. "I have your baton. It got knocked off and, unlike when Alya had it, it works for me. It's how I got in."

"It recognises Marinette," Plagg said. "You can reabsorb it later."

"That was lucky," Adrien said.

"Yup." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Do you really think going to your place is a good idea?"

"It's safe right now," she replied. "No questions we can't answer and people who understand."

"And cheese bread," Plagg said.

He nodded, dreading the conversation they were going to have with her parents. "I'd better get ready to go then," Adrien said, sliding to the edge of bed. Planting his feet on the floor, he stood on shaky legs. "I need a shower. Will you wait?"

"Of course," Marinette replied. "Do you need help?"

Arms extended out ahead of him, he nudged around the cupboard by his bed and felt the carpet by his computer with his toes. "I… gonna try. I'll let you know."

"Okay."

He knew she watched him as he shuffled across the floor. Hitting the far wall, he ran his hands along it trying to find his bathroom door. "Erm…"

"Left," she supplied. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I can do it."

Showering was easy. Gathering his clothes was difficult. Even though the Agreste staff always kept everything in his walk-in-wardrobe adjoining his bathroom immaculate, he couldn't tell by touch what he had in his hand. Undershirt? Day shirt? Over shirt? They were all in separate drawers but… he was too dependent on sight. Normally the drawers were all automated, opening as he entered the room. He couldn't remember which was which. Towel looped around his hips he fumbled his way back to the bathroom door. "Plagg?"

Marinette's voice came from the other side of the door. "He's asleep. We had a long night."

"Oh… were you waiting at the door?"

"Nope. Definitely not."

He could tell she was lying. He sighed and rested his head against the wall beside the door. "I need some help."

The door creaked open and Marinette let herself in. "What can I do?"

Gesturing his wardrobe, he grumbled, "I got turned around, I can't tell what's what. I mean, I think I know, and I pull it out and then… I can't tell."

She touched his shoulder. "It's okay. …are you wearing anything under the towel?"

He held the knot tighter. "No."

She made a tiny noise which sounded like appraisal.

He wished he could see her expression. "Are you checking me out?"

"Oh, absolutely," she said and he felt his hand lifted so it was on her shoulder. "Just like you totally checked me out."

He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

She limped forward and he toddled after her. "I'm not."

"Really?"

"No." Directing him to stand by the armchair in the corner, she left him to fetch clothing. He heard odd little noises as she did, and he imagined the designer in her was impressed. "You have so many clothes."

He laughed. "Yeah. I know."

"Ooh," she cooed. "Armani. Oh! There's my derby hat!"

He smiled. "Yup."

Her voice turned sultry. "Love the glass case."

He shrugged. "I wanted to keep it, but… feathers." He mock shuddered.

"Adrien, you have an entire drawer of sunglasses."

He felt so warm from the mixture of humour, teasing and awe in her voice. "I have a drawer of cufflinks too. And I'm not allowed to keep jewelry in here, but there's drawers full of that too."

"Wow." She turned practical. "Sunglasses would be a good idea."

"Pick some."

"How about these peacock ones?" she teased. "They're so gaudy."

He laughed. "I have this picture in my head of you flouncing around, trying on my Armani jackets and wearing my peacock glasses."

She eeped. "Guilty. Sorry."

"Don't be," he said, still grinning. "I don't mind."

She cleared her throat. "Okay," she said and he heard her hop over to press silk into his hands. "First one. I have my back turned."

As he stood, he wondered if he should believe her and decided he didn't care. Turnaround was fair play. Taking off the towel, he slipped into his underwear. "Okay. I better not look like a clown when we're done."

She mock gasped. "I would never. I take matching very seriously." She paused, then teased. "You wanted bright pink, right?"

He grinned in her direction. "I rock bright pink."

"You do," she crooned.

They worked quickly after that. She'd hand him an article of clothing and he'd put it on. Sitting on the armchair again, he tied his shoelaces. "Thanks."

"Anytime." She paused. "Well. No. Not anytime. I don't want you to have to go through this again."

"Believe me, if I get my sight back, I don't want to go through this again either."

"We'll need to put some contingency plans in place."

"Absolutely."

"I'm serious."

"So am I," Adrien replied. "What was the news reports? After?"

He heard Marinette swallow. "They had your Calamity on record. I haven't… I haven't looked, but I know Alya is on top of it. She's rung a couple of times to see how you are."

Lowering his foot to the ground, he lifted the other one to tie that lace. "Is she our publicist now?"

Marinette giggled. "I'm beginning to think so. Everyone's singing your praises and being very worried for you. Alya says there's been a big shift in perspective."

"That's something, at least."

"I don't want them to know how badly you're hurt though. If Hawk Moth knew…"

"He'd try and make me do it all the time."

"Hopefully, with our heater fixed and Mom and Papa aware, Tikki won't sleep so much during winter. I mean, she'll still sleep, but I'm hoping it'll be more manageable. I can leave her at home in the warmth and trust them to look after her."

"You do that, Plagg's going to be over there with her."

"Hmmm… Possibly not a good idea. One of us needs to transform on a whim at least."

Adrien nodded and put both feet flat on the floor. "Assuming I get my sight back."

"You'll get it back."

He rested his hands on his knees. "I'm not so confident."

A rustling and then Marinette touched his chest. Pushing him back gently and with every movement careful so he knew what she was doing, she straddled him. "You'll get it back."

Resting his hands on her hips, he tried to make out her shape among the fuzz. "What if I don't?"

"Well," she said suggestively and took his hand and pulled it up to her chest. "You'll just have to get very good at touch."

Stomach flooding with nerves, he sucked in a breath. "Marinette."

She kissed him and it didn't matter that he couldn't see, because she was right. Touching was a much better option.

Chapter Text

Adrien wasn’t sure if Marinette’s plan to get him out of his house without suspicion actually worked, because he couldn’t see Nathalie or the Gorilla’s expressions. There was nothing unusual in their voices and they certainly didn’t try to stop him but he wondered if they noticed how unsteady on his feet he was. How he fumbled for objects instead of knowing where they were. How tightly he held onto the railing of the stairs with Plagg whispering in his ear. How relieved he was when Marinette’s arm wove through his and she kissed his cheek in greeting and he had to pretend he wasn’t feeling her up less than half an hour ago in his walk-in-robe upstairs.

Sitting in the car holding her hand, he fretted the entire way to her home.

Marinette leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Hope you’re hungry. Mom gets overexcited for breakfast.”

“Oh?”

“You’ve never been for breakfast before,” she said. “There’ll be croissants, but normally we have dumplings or noodles too. Something hot.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

The car pulled up and Adrien swallowed. “Thanks,” he said to the Gorilla as Marinette bounced out her side. “I’ll walk to school from here.”

The Gorilla didn’t say anything in return but Plagg whispered, “He nodded.”

Opening the door, he looped his bag over his shoulder as he stood. Toes hit the kerb and he tried to be subtle as he felt his way onto the sidewalk.

“I’m here,” Marinette said, taking his elbow.

He puffed out a breath of relief and looped his arm over her shoulder. “Okay.”

He followed blindly as she walked with him and opened the door. “We’re going upstairs. Jerald is in the shop at the moment,” she continued, naming one of Tom’s morning bakers. “Okay, step.”

He lifted his foot and missed the stair. It took him two tries before he found the first one. Sighing, he placed his hand on the railing and kept the other one around Marinette’s shoulders as he negotiated the stairs. “I absolutely do not want to get used to this.”

“I know.”

“I’m failing at stairs.”

“You’re doing fine,” Marinette soothed. “Okay, last one.”

He let her lead him into her home. He sniffed the air cautiously, smelling something delicious intermingled with the smell of baking bread from downstairs.

He felt Marinette duck out from beneath his arm, although she tethered herself to him with a grip on his parka. A soft noise and Adrien got the impression she put something on the floor. The weight of his school bag lifted from his shoulder and then Marinette helped him out of his parka. “Mom?”

A noise from the kitchen, then, “Adrien!”

“Oops,” Marinette mumbled and stepped away. “Brace yourself.”

He blinked. “For—”

Hands against his face, warm and the wrong size to be Marinette’s. Lips against his forehead, then he was enveloped in a squeezing hug. “Are you alright?” Sabine said, her voice right in his ear.

Adrien was stunned. A mother’s hug. He hadn’t had one of those since…. He couldn’t stop the sudden clutch he made at Marinette’s mother as he buried his face in her shoulder. He hoped she didn’t mind. Sabine held him closer. She crooned under her breath as she gently rocked him. He’d forgotten how good it felt to be held like that. Marinette’s hugs were amazing and wonderful and made him feel loved and cherished, but Sabine’s made him feel like a four-year-old who needed to feel safe.

From the footsteps, something big approached and then a hand fell on his shoulder. “Adrien,” Tom said. “Good to see you.”

Adrien tried not to wince since Tom’s hand was on his ice graze. He disengaged from Sabine carefully and blinked several times to scatter the tears which had formed in his eyes.

Sabine’s hands cupped his face to keep him from retreating further.  “I’m so sorry.”

Swallowing, he tried to insist. “I’m fine.”

“He’ll be fine, Mom,” Marinette said, sounding sure. “Tikki and I will fix it.”

“Is there really nothing a doctor or hospital could do?” Sabine asked and Adrien got the impression she studied his eyes. “Snake oil?”

“It’s magic,” Marinette replied. “And only magic will fix it.”

“I still wish I had your confidence,” Adrien muttered.

Tom said, “You look better.”

Adrien tried to smile. “Thanks.”

“Are you hungry?” Sabine asked and drew away from him.

He nodded. Marinette stepped back to his side and took his hand to lead him across to the dining table. She waited until he sat on one of the stools before she sat beside him.

He sighed, staring at… well, he didn’t know… while he listened to the noises in Marinette’s home. Tings of cutlery, Tom humming in the kitchen, Sabine preparing breakfast. A fan? The sound of the fridge perhaps? Music played somewhere. Cars down on the road below.

Placing his elbow on the table, he rested his hand on his chin. Marinette touched his shoulder and he turned in her direction and tried to smile. “I hate feeling useless,” he mumbled.

She was quick to deny. “Adrien, you’re not—”

“I can’t even walk up the stairs by myself,” he complained.

“You did a very brave thing,” Marinette said. “And saved a lot of people.”

“I didn’t do it for them.”

“I know. It was still very brave.”

“Why don’t you get this sort of consequence?” he muttered.

Marinette’s voice filled with hurt. “Adrien—”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just…”

“It’s not fair,” she said and rested her head on his shoulder.

He lifted a hand to touch her face and nudged into her. “It’s a nightmare and I’d like to wake up now.”

“Ladybug has her own consequences,” Plagg said. “Just like yours. If she ever used her powers to destroy, there’d be a cost for that.”

“Oh,” Adrien said. “Really?”

“Because there’s… a little bit of each of you in each other, you both have the ability to cross over your powers. Adrien can cure. Marinette has a version of cataclysm. But you’re not built for it, so the rest of what you are extracts a price.”

Marinette tucked her hand under Adrien’s arm and kept her head on his shoulder.

“We have dumplings and croissants,” Sabine called. “Which would you prefer?”

“Um… can I try the dumplings?” Adrien replied.

“Plagg?” Tom called. “Did you want some cheese bread? I brought some up from—”

The kwami shot out from Adrien’s shirt. “Marvellous! Tom, you are the best.”

Raising his eyebrows, Adrien said, “A lot must’ve happened while I was asleep. They’re… chummy.”

Marinette hummed. “Yes. They’ve been worried about you.” She lowered her voice to tease, “You know you’ve been hurt when Plagg’s nice to you.”

He snorted. “I’m kinda scared at how nice he’s being.”

She giggled. “Papa and Plagg talked about cheese. A lot.”

He smiled. “Not surprised.”

“Cheese soul mates. Types of cheeses that melt well with bread, types of cheese to have with bread. I think Plagg tried to convince Papa to put camembert on his cheese bread.”

“I didn’t think that camembert cooked that well.”

“Oh, you’ve never had a camembert bread bowl, have you?”

That sounded intriguing. “No?”

“You get a boule, cut the top off and scoop out the middle and fill it with cheese, put the top back on then roast it for about twenty minutes. It’s like… dipping bread.”

“If Plagg had that, we’d never see him again. He’d swim in it.”

“Someone’s talking about cheese,” Plagg said and his voice floated closer. “Adrien, can we have breakfast here every morning?”

Adrien caught the scent of roasting coffee among the other scents wafting in the air. “It’s not polite to invite yourself over to people’s homes and expect them to feed you.”

“Do you think I care about being polite? Cheese bread is at stake!”

“Have you iced your ankle this morning?” Sabine called.

Marinette’s hand clenched on his arm. “Um… no.”

“Tom?”

“Yup. On it.”

Adrien sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Trying to see,” he said. “If it was just complete black… maybe I could deal with it better. There’s odd shadows, but it’s not… it’s not anything and… I keep thinking if I just concentrate harder, I’ll see something and… it’s… kinda giving me a headache.”

Marinette shifted and the stool scraped against the ground. “I’ll get you some painkillers.”

Placing his hand over his eyes, he left them closed to rest them. “Thank you.”

He heard the soft little thumps of her hopping away and Sabine’s, “What are you doing?”

“Adrien needs some painkillers,” Marinette said.

He listened, trying to determine what each sound was. Most of it was just noise. If this was what his life was reduced to-

Something crashed to the ground behind him, shattering glass and Adrien twisted around, startled. “What was that?”

“Painting fell off the wall,” Plagg said as though it was nothing. “Marinette!”

“What?” Adrien blurted, confused.

“Coming!” Marinette called and hobbled back. Something slid against the table and he felt his hand directed to a glass. “Water,” she said, then took his other hand to place two pills in it.

“Why did the painting fall off the wall?” Adrien asked, distracted.

“Probably wasn’t attached properly,” Plagg muttered and Adrien didn’t believe him for a second.

“Plagg—”

“I’ll clean it,” Marinette said and touched his wrist. “Don’t worry.”

Sabine’s voice popped up next to him and Adrien jumped because he hadn’t heard her approach. “I’ll clean it, you sit. Ice that foot. Here—” there was a clunk “—put it up.”

“Thanks Mom,” Marinette said from beside him again.

Popping the painkillers into his mouth, he took a sip of water to help swallow them. “How bad is your ankle?”

“Looks worse than it is,” she replied.

“We’re fussing because we haven’t had a chance to,” Sabine said from behind him and he heard the sound of glass clinking together.

“Here we go,” Tom said and Adrien heard sound he recognised as ceramic sliding onto a table. “Breakfast, Dupain-Cheng style.”

“Looks delicious,” Marinette said, her voice moving up and down at the same time more ceramic scraped and he imagined she was helping her father position the food. 

“Smells delicious,” Adrien included.

A lot of noises around the table and Adrien didn’t know what to concentrate on. A variety of smells too, but he wasn’t as adept at sorting it all out. He sat still and straight while the Dupain-Cheng’s fussed around the table. From the positions of their voices, it sounded like Tom sat opposite him with Sabine beside him.

Marinette touched the back of Adrien’s hand, then directed it to a bowl placed ahead of him. “Adrien, your dumplings. Use your fingers.”

“Oh. Thanks.” His hands followed the side of the bowl until it reached the rim. Slipping his fingers down the edge he felt around the bowl until he landed on something soft and hot. Taking hold, he lifted it to his mouth and took a bite and his dumpling fell apart in his hand. “Um… Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tom dismissed. “I’m not the cleanest eater myself.”

Marinette fussed. Adrien could feel her hands cleaning up, even if he couldn’t see them. Little bumps and knocks against him. It just made him feel worse. A lot of things made him feel worse, but right now, he really felt like a burden.

There was a black cloud hanging over his head. Especially now the snow storm had ended. He needed to talk to them and perhaps it would be better now he couldn’t read facial expressions. He wiped sweaty hands on his jeans and then clasped his hands on his lap. “I want to apologise for being in Marinette’s room without permission and breaking your rules.”

“Adrien,” Marinette said, “You don’t need to—”

“I never should’ve—”

Tom interrupted, “I’ve found you can tell a lot about a person from their staff.”

Derailed, Adrien blinked. “Ahh—”

“I’m a baker. So, naturally, I checked out your kitchen and met the people who worked there. Lovely people. Cynthia and Noel. They think the world of you.”

Adrien pressed his lips together.

“Quiet. Obedient. Polite. Shy. Keeps to himself. Dear little boy with a lot of tragedy in his life. Doesn’t smile very much anymore.”

“Um…”

“See, now, that’s not the Adrien I know. Quiet, sure, most of the time. Shy, not so much. And doesn’t smile? Son, you never seem to stop. Obedient? At fifteen? I remember some of the stuff I was getting up to a fifteen and—”

Sabine cleared her throat. “Dear, he doesn’t need to know.”

Tom coughed. “The words ‘coddled’ and ‘stifled’ also came up, mostly… they were sad you didn’t have the freedoms their children had.”

“Papa—”

From the way she broke off, Adrien got the impression Tom silenced her with a look. Adrien swallowed.

“The whole time we were there, he never once checked up on where you were or came looking for you. In the middle of a massive snowstorm and he never checked. The only interaction we saw, you were detached and he didn’t seem like he even noticed. When you came back and… well… I thought, father to father, he’d appreciate a civil conversation about our children. The man didn’t even look up from his desk or acknowledge my presence and then he had the audacity to suggest that—”

“Tom,” Sabine cautioned.

Tom grunted. “The conversation didn’t go as planned. Your father is a … learned and articular man and very persuasive.”

Adrien could read between the lines. His father had somehow insulted or persuaded Tom and now he didn’t want Adrien around his daughter. He hung his head. “I’m sorry. I understand. I’ll—”

“Paris needs Ladybug and Chat Noir, I can’t, won’t and shouldn’t prevent you from doing what you were chosen to do. As much as I wish this kind of responsibility wasn’t thrust upon you both, if an ancient kwami thinks you’re capable, well, who am I to argue?”

“Her father,” Plagg said. “Fathers want their daughter’s safe.”

“Fathers can’t always keep their children safe,” Tom pointed out. “At some point, they have to grow up and take responsibility of their own lives.”

Plagg gave a bitter laugh. “True.”

“You’ve been doing it, on your own, for a year,” Tom said. “That’s going to stop right now. We need you safe. Adrien, our home is a safe haven. You are welcome here any time you like as long as you do us the courtesy of informing us you’re here, even if it’s three in the morning. Marinette, if you have to go out after curfew, if there’s time, let us know. Even a text will do. We can work out a code.”

“Okay.” Marinette sounded slightly choked up.

“Sabine is going out today to get a key cut for you, Adrien, so you don’t need to sneak out Marinette’s trap door. I will store extra cheese on the premise—”

Plagg made an odd trill.

“Some cheese,” Tom amended. “Greedy guts.”

“Aww.”

Tom continued, “We know you will get hurt in this line of work. It is inevitable. When it happens, we will be here to help you both and, if necessary, get proper medical attention. We can provide cover and alibis for you, if necessary, but only when it pertains to Ladybug and Chat Noir. Do anything stupid and you’re own your own.”

“Not that we think you will,” Sabine included.

“You’ve both got good heads on your shoulders,” Tom said. “We’ve seen how you handle things and we’re very impressed.”

Adrien didn’t think his jaw could drop even further. “Really?” he squeaked.

Marinette’s hand rested on his thigh and gave it a squeeze.

“I think you should consider telling your father, but I understand if you choose not to. He is… a difficult man to read.”

Adrien nodded.

“In exchange,” Sabine said, taking over. “There will be rules. The same one which applied before. Attic door stays open when Adrien visits and if you want it closed, Marinette, you know—”

“I know,” Marinette replied. “Candid conversation.”

“With Adrien included. And I’d rather not find Adrien asleep in your bed,” Sabine continued. “While I understand, it may be inevitable if a late night mission occurs, I’d prefer it if Adrien slept on your chaise.”

Adrien nodded.

Marinette cleared her throat. “I think we need to tell you about Adrien’s side effects, which is the main reason he snuck into my room to begin with.”

Silence and Adrien wished he could see their expressions. “Okay,” Sabine said.

Marinette’s hand lifted from his knee and he felt her fingers run up his arm and to the back of his head. “Adrien, can I…?”

And now he was glad he couldn’t see their expressions, because having her hand there was enough to make his eyelids drop. “Go ahead.”

Marinette stood out, repositioning so she was behind him to make sure he didn’t fall off his chair. She scratched. Adrien’s hands dropped off the table as he pushed his head back into her hand. Walking her fingers up his neck, Marinette coaxed his purr from him.

“Oh!” Sabine cooed. “He purrs.”

“He needs this contact,” Marinette explained, continuing to scratch while Adrien unashamedly nuzzled her neck. “Only with me, because human mentalities mixed in with kitty needs.”

“Every power has a price,” Plagg said.

“He gets itchy and anxious if he doesn’t get pats and can’t focus. He can be very cat-like,” Marinette continued. “And may crawl onto my lap.”

“I see,” Tom said.

Marinette stopped scratching his head and Adrien protested with an “Mrow?”

She pressed two fingers to his cheek and nudged his face away. “Focus.”

Blinking, he remembered he was in front of her parents. Sitting up straight, he mumbled, “Right. Sorry.”

“Sabine?” Tom deferred. “This is your territory.”

There was consideration in her voice as she asked, “How often?”

“Every chance we get,” Marinette said and sat down again. “It’s bonding and calming for both of us. It’s just something we do. If we’re sitting and talking, there’s a high chance I’m petting him at the same time. It can appear sexual, but it’s really not and Adrien’s very good at keeping to neutral places.”

“I see.” Sabine sighed. “It’s unusual. There’s certainly no precedence that I can think of.”

“I’d suggest this’d fall into the ‘heavy petting’ category,” Tom said, his voice laced with humour.

“Papa!” Marinette blurted, while Plagg snorted and said, “You’d make a good Chat Noir, Tom. Can you pun?”

“Pre-paw-sterous,” Tom replied airily. “Are you kitten me? I’d never fit into that cat-suit. Too much mouse-al.”

Adrien choked on his laughter, Plagg made a whooping noise and Marinette groaned.

“You’re terrible,” Sabine scolded. “Adrien, eat. You’ve barely touched your food.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He slid his hands along the table until he reached the bowl. The moment he touched it, he hear a loud crack and the bowl seemed to shatter in his hands. Adrien reeled backward and fell off his chair.

“Adrien!” Marinette cried.

Something sparked overhead and Sabine cried out in shock.

 “Marinette!” Plagg scolded.

“What was that?” Adrien demanded from the floor. “What happened?”

Marinette sat on him and her arms roping around his neck to hug him to her. “You said we had time!”

Adrien’s heart plummeted. “What’s going on?”

Plagg said, “You can’t be out of contact anymore.”

“Okay,” Marinette replied.

“Bring him upstairs,” Plagg said, his voice moving away. “I’ll try and wake Tikki.”

Marinette didn’t release Adrien and didn’t make any move too. “Papa, can you move my chaise? Pull it into the sunlight?”

“Of course,” Tom replied.

“What do you need?” Sabine asked.

“My rainbow blanket and cookies for Tikki, thanks.”

“Marinette?” Adrien asked. “Please, you’re scaring me.”

“You’re… storing a lot of bad luck,” she said. “It’s started leaking.”

“Which means, what?”

“We’re running out of time.”

He absolutely did not like the sound of that. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he moaned. “Now I’m a danger to everyone—”

“Don’t. Please,” Marinette murmured. “You’re not a danger. As long as I’m touching you, the effects will be contained. We hope.”

“There seems to be a lot of ‘hope’ lately,” he mumbled. “I’m having a hard time believing.”

“I know,” she said. “But there’s a patch of sunlight upstairs with our names on it. You promised me snuggles.”

He closed his eyes.

“Don’t give up,” Marinette mumbled and her voice cracked. “I’m doing everything I can. Please don’t give up.”

“I know and I’m not,” he whispered. “It’s just hard.”

“I know.” Keeping her arms around him, she lifted up, hoisting him to his feet. “C’mon.”

It was as struggle to get his feet under him. He couldn’t tell where Marinette was and they kept tangling as he tried to keep his weight from her and she kept trying to take it. He ended up bashing his head on the table on the way up.

“Oh, that’s just what I need,” he muttered while Marinette rubbed the spot for him.

“Sorry.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and together they hobbled toward her stairs. “Okay, here we go. Step.” One hand against the wall, the other around her shoulders, they helped each other up the stairs to her room.

Sabine and Tom moved things inside Marinette’s room, he heard rustling of cloth and small thumps. He swung his head, trying to get a clearer picture of what was going on to no avail.

The spot Marinette lead him was warmer than the rest of the room and he could feel the tickle of sunlight on his face. “This spot gets about… maybe thirty minutes of sun in the morning during winter,” Marinette said. “Then we’ll have to move the chaise to keep up with the path.”

“Follow the sun,” Adrien murmured.

“Yes. Kick your shoes off.”

He did as he was told, feeling the edge of the chaise with his calves as he did. Marinette’s arm remained around him the whole time. It shifted, sliding along to the middle of his back and then, “Sit,” she said and tugged him down.

 “We’ll be downstairs,” Sabine said. “Or in the bakery. Send Plagg if you need anything.”

“Thanks Mom.”

Footsteps, then a creak and Adrien frowned. “Did they close the door?”

“Yes. Just this once. There’s a pillow to your left.”

He stretched out a hand to feel for it. When he knew where it was, and where the headboard was, he flopped sideways on to it, then rolled onto his back. “What are we doing?”

“Patch of sunlight. Snuggles.” Her knees pressed against his legs and he heard fabric rustling. She lay down beside him and a blanket dropped over their legs. Draping an arm over his stomach, she pressed her face into his upper arm. “Maybe one of us will lose our shirts. I haven’t decided.”

He snorted. “I’m onto you.”

“I should hope so. I wasn’t being subtle.”

“Why didn’t you tell me I’d leak?”

“We didn’t really know if you would,” Marinette admitted. “A lot of this is guess work.”

“Does this mean, if Tikki doesn’t wake soon, I’ll lose my sight?”

“I don’t know,” she said in a small voice. “But we still have at least seven hours before the twenty-four hour mark.”

He stared straight ahead. “Will you still love me if I don’t get my sight back?”

She lifted her head and draped herself over him more. “Of course I will.”

He considered. Lifting an arm up, he waited until she snuggled closer before he lowered it. “What about if I lose all my teeth?”

“Yup.”

“Will you still love me if all my hair falls out?”

“Oh, well, now you’re on your own,” she crooned and he could hear the smile in her voice. Her fingers brushed the top of his head. “I’m not sure I could run my fingers over you bald head the same why I can through your hair.” Marinette lifted up and her fingers in his hair grew firmer.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head. She slid her fingers down to his favourite petting spot and his purr rumbled between them. Rolling onto his side, he cuddled. His hand found the small of her back to pull her toward him and he ducked his head down to bury his face in her neck. Her other arm wriggled beneath him, he lifted up to allow it through, and then it too was buried in his hair and seeking his special scratching points.

Kissing up her neck and across the line of her jaw, his fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt at the same time his mouth found hers.

Warm and safe and eyes closed, today was bittersweet.

They hung on a precipice, neither of them prepared to let the other fall, but they couldn’t balance there forever. More than anything, he didn’t want to drag her down with him and he knew she would follow him over that edge. He couldn’t burden her with a blind boyfriend or a blind partner. It wasn’t fair, not when she had so much going for her. Ladybug needed a partner who had her back, not a blind kitten who was a liability. Marinette’s whole life was mapped out, where she wanted to go, what she wanted to be.

He had no right to change that. He’d have to relearn and rediscover himself too. He needed to be practical. Realistic.

Right now, while there was still a semblance of hope, while she still believed so fiercely this wasn’t permanent, he could hold her and kiss her and try to forget. When the time came, he’d let her go.

Chapter Text

By the time the sun had crept along the ground so the chaise wasn’t in its direct light, Adrien’s lips were swollen and Marinette dozed against his chest. Stroking his hand through her hair, he wondered how much sleep she’d gotten the night before.

At least, he thought she was asleep. She hadn’t moved in a while and her breath was calm and quiet.

As nice as it was to rest here like this, his mind was churning. His heart was breaking. His future was frightening. He needed answers. Reassurances. Something. Anything. Not just waiting around for whatever inevitable was coming.

“Plagg?”

“Yes?” came the reply from somewhere across the other side of the room.

Adrien swallowed. “When you chose another Chat Noir, you’ll still visit, won’t you?”

A pause before an incredulous, “What are you talking about?”

“You’ll choose another. You need to be out there, protecting Ladybug and—”

“Don’t be stupid.”

Adrien sighed. “I’m trying to be realistic.”

“Wanna be realistic?” Plagg muttered. “Wait for Tikki to wake up.”

“I can’t.”

Plagg’s voice floated closer. “What’s with you?”

Adrien picked up some of Marinette’s hair and allowed it to drip through his fingers. When he could see, he loved the look of her falling hair and how it shone as it adhered to the laws of gravity. It had soothed him and enthralled him. Now... nothing. The motion felt empty. “Chat Noir defends Ladybug and I… can’t.”

“This isn’t something you can give up,” Plagg said. “You were chosen.”

“You can un-chose me.”

“Stop being fatalistic,” Plagg said.

“I’m not.”

“Then you’re being an idiot.”

“I’m not being an idiot either,” Adrien snapped. “This isn’t fixable. It is what it is. I’m going to have to relearn how to do everything and I can’t drag you and Marinette down. Paris needs you.”

“So do you,” Plagg said.

“I’d rather not be a burden. She has her whole life ahead of her and I don’t want to— I can’t— I can’t let her throw everything away because of misguided loyalty and guilt. And I certainly don’t want to hear pity in her voice. She didn’t sign up for a blind boyfriend and I can’t ask her… I can’t, Plagg.”

“Big dumb boy with a dumb boy face,” Marinette said and tilted her head back. “Don’t you think it’s my choice?”

He swallowed and felt sick but pressed on anyway. “No. I can make this one.”

She lifted her head from his chest and moved until her hand cupped his cheek. “Adrien, I’m not going anywhere. I know this is hard for you. I get that. I get that you’re scared because I’m scared too. But we—”

“You are?”

“I’m terrified,” she murmured. “All I want to do is fall to pieces.”

He shuddered out a sigh. “Me too.”

“You’re not alone. I don’t want to lose you. Tikki can fix it,” she finished, belief ringing in her voice.

He wanted to believe her but something held him back. “What if she can’t? What if–”

“Then we’ll deal with it,” Marinette said. “Together.”

“Denial is not a very practical way of dealing with it.”

“It’s magic, Chat. There’s nothing practical about it.”

“I can’t just put it at the back of my mind,” he said, getting frustrated. “It might be easy for you, but I’m living it!”

Marinette tensed.

“I can’t even get a moment alone to try and process this,” he snapped. “We need to deal with this instead of hanging around and pretending it’s all going to go away. This isn’t one of your cures. It’s mine and mine. Don’t. Work!”

“Please don’t,” Marinette said in a small voice.

“This is a huge deal,” Adrien continued. “I’m blind! Everything I ever wanted to do; everything I ever wanted to see, it’s all gone.”

“We don’t know that—”

“Don’t be naïve. Tikki has limits. It’s winter. We’re in the middle of her limitations. Face it, there’s nothing she can do about this.”

Marinette made an odd noise and scrambled away from him while Adrien covered his face with his hands and groaned.

Something pinged in Marinette’s room and Plagg snapped, “Contact.”

A mournful noise and Marinette’s hand dipped beneath the end of his jeans to grasp his ankle. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t do anything other than leave her hand there and he still felt awful.

“Marinette—”

She sniffled and her voice was muffled. “Don’t. I already know this is my fault.”

Adrien frowned. “It’s not—”

“Yes it is,” she said. “I should’ve just told you about the stupid heater ages ago and let you fix it, then none of this would’ve been an issue. Tikki wouldn’t have fallen asleep yet. You wouldn’t have had to go out there alone. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Sitting up, his hands followed his leg until he reached her hand, then followed that along to find where she was. Scooting forward and head butting her shoulder, he rumbled a mournful purr. “Princess… I made the choice to use Calamity. I knew there would be a price and I was willing.”

“You wouldn’t have had to even make the choice if I—”

He wrapped his arms round her waist and hugged her from behind. “I don’t think either of us are rational right now. I lashed out and I’m sorry.”

Marinette hummed non-committedly.

“Anger is part of the grieving process,” Tikki cooed around a mouthful of cookie. “It has its place.”

Marinette twisted away from Adrien’s arms, although she kept her hand on his ankle. “Tikki! Oh, thank god. Please, you have to help him!”

Tiny paws touched his cheek below his left eye. “Oh, Adrien.”

“I’m okay.”

“No, you’re really not,” Tikki replied and her voice floated away. “One moment.” She chittered, speaking to Plagg and he responded in kind. He scooted forward so he could rest his feet on the floor. Threading his fingers together, Adrien waited as the two kwami conversed.

“Tikki’ll fix it,” Marinette said.

He didn’t reply.

“Adrien, I need you to transform,” Tikki announced. “You can stop touching him after he does, Marinette. Plagg will keep it contained.”

Adrien nodded, swallowed, and said, “Plagg, Claws out.”

He didn’t really know what he expected. Maybe, by ancient and powerful magic, just transforming would cause his sight to return. But it felt like him, in a suit that didn’t quite fit anymore, sitting in Marinette’s room.

“Marinette, when you’ve transformed, I want you to take your yo-yo and open it, like you do when you catch an akuma. Press the glow to Adrien’s chest, right here and hold it until it stops glowing.” He didn’t feel a touch, so he assumed Tikki must have pointed.

“So… I’m purifying him?”

“Yes. Essentially. It’s slightly different. But don’t ever use your yo-yo like this on anyone else.”

“Okay.”

“Will this work?” he asked.

Tikki didn’t reply.

“Tikki?” Marinette prompted.

“I… I don’t know,” she said, her tiny voice shaking. “It’s… it’s been a long time since you cast Calamity and the fact that you are leaking this early is troubling. No kitten has tried to contain the bad luck of an entire snow storm before. We may… We may have to resign ourselves to there being some lasting damage.”

Chat Noir hung his head and closed his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Adrien,” Tikki said, her paws against his cheek again.

“Let’s just try,” he mumbled. “It can’t hurt.”

Marinette’s voice sounded like she was on the verge of crying as she said, “Tikki, Spots on.”

Hands in his lap, he waited. A trill rang out, and he assumed it was from her opening her yo-yo and he swallowed. “I forgot to ask her if this hurt.”

Her fingers brushed his jaw then rested under his chin to bring his face up. “No matter what—”

“Don’t. No assurances or false promises.”

“It’s not a false promise, I—”

“Please. Can we just do this?”

He heard her swallow. “Okay.” Chat Noir kept his eyes closed. Ladybug’s hand fell to his shoulder. “Okay. Here we go.”

It was both hot and cold against his chest and he didn’t understand how that could occur. The feeling spread out over his chest and shoulders, Ladybug jerking her hand away in response. It changed to a tingle as it spread along his spine and down his arms. He twitched as it crawled up his neck to tickle his nose.

“Are you okay?” Ladybug fretted.

“I feel weird. What’s happening?”

“The glow from my yo-yo’s covering you. It’s… sort of… oh wow.”

“What?”

“It’s stopped… it’s like it’s soaking up the excess bad luck…. Yep… here’s the purple.”

He opened his eyes, hoping that the light would take out the blindness but to him, there seemed to be no difference. Shadows. His heart sank, but maybe he needed to wait until everything was back in balance. “That’s good, right?”

“I hope so.”

He swallowed and closed his eyes again. The tingling sensation lessened, retreating across his skin. Ladybug said nothing as she removed the yo-yo from his chest. Her hand stroked his knee before she hugged his leg so he suspected she crouched ahead of him.

“Adrien?” she murmured after he continued to sit there with his eyes closed.

“I’m scared,” he admitted.

“So am I.”

He took a deep breath an exhaled slowly before he opened his eyes. He flicked them around, hoping for something, anything. Any hint it’d had changed. Nothing. Not a scrap of colour, not a hint of definition. He crumpled, flopping backward on the chaise and covered his face with his hands.

“No,” Ladybug said and her voice shattered. She buried her face in his knees and hugged both his legs to her chest. “No. Nononono.”

“Claws in,” he mumbled through his hands.

“No, this isn’t fair!” Ladybug sobbed.

“Adrien,” Plagg said and tiny paws battered his hands. “Let me see.”

Adrien just concentrated on his breathing. In. Out. Keep it together. “Can I have a minute?”

He didn’t hear Marinette’s detransformation but he heard Tikki say, “Adrien, may I see?”

Still concentrating on his breathing, (in, out, keep it together) he took his hands away from his face and left them on his chest and stared at the nothing which had become his life. “No change. Nothing.”

“Nothing at all?” Tikki asked, her voice flitting around. “What about—”

Plagg gruffed, “We could try—”

“How long did it take to vanish?” Tikki asked.

“Um, it was hard to tell, he sort of slept through—”

“It’s possible that—”

“Can I please have a moment?”

“Kid, we’re trying to help.”

Marinette’s gentle sobs broke his heart, but he wasn't in any shape to help her when he could barely help himself. He thumped a fist into the soft foam of the chaise. “I don’t need help,” he snapped. “I need everyone to leave me alone and let me breathe!”

Marinette hiccupped and gulped and drew away from him. He moved his legs, catching her by… something with his ankles. Stifling her sobs, she patted his knee and whimpered, “I need a moment too.”

“Don’t go far,” he murmured.

“I’ll… be on my bed.”

Tikki said, “Marinette, we can—”

“Please, he’s right. Just give us a moment,” she said, her voice moving away.

He supposed the one good thing about being blind is he couldn’t tell if they’d really left him, and he didn’t care. He wanted to kick and scream and curse the heavens for this, but he settled for grabbing the closest pillow and bellowing into the fabric to release some of the tension. It was a guttural cry, ripping from the very centre of him and ended in a wretched sob.

He could hear her crying, although she tried to contain it to muffled sobs too. Rolling onto his side, he curled into a ball and kept the pillow on his face.

Time slipped away and he didn’t care.

Exhausted, he gulped in a breath and let it out slowly. Then took the next at a more sedate pace. Eyes leaking tears, he felt so drained of emotion and… sort of relieved too. Now he knew. Now he knew the dream was over. All gone. Time to pick up the pieces.

Blinking to clear his eyes of tears, he lifted the pillow away from his face and paused. Colour. Dull and muted, but there was definite tone. Red? No, darker, maroon? He closed his eyes, then reopened them. The colour remained. He blinked. He waited for the colour to disappear, desperately trying not to get his hopes up.

A second colour appeared. Lighter. Washed out. But there was definitely two colours. “Bugaboo?” She didn’t answer, so he raised his voice. “Hey, lovebug?”

A tiny sigh. “Yes?”

“I don’t want to be ‘marooned’ here alone anymore.”

A pause. “What?” she asked in a voice clouded with both emotional exhaustion and confusion.

“I’d be tickled pink if you’d join me.”

“Huh?”

He grinned. “I don’t want to ‘chaise’ you away, but I’m ‘cushioning’ on you hard.”

“You’re not making any sense,” she said.

Sitting up, he threw the cushion at her voice, something he used to be able in his sleep before but now he had no idea if his aim was true. He hoped he’d arched it high so it would clear the railings around her bed. When he didn’t hear it plop to the floor, he grinned and waited.

A startled gasp, followed by the sound of a flurry of blankets being thrown, then a thud at the bottom of the stairs. Adrien guessed Marinette leapt down the entire flight and he winced, hoping she didn’t hurt her ankle. “Adrien!”

His eyes followed her voice, seeing and blot of white and pink moving toward him. She pounced and he caught her as she pushed them both back on her chasie and peppered his face with kisses. “You can see!”

“Easy.” He closed one eye as she kissed the lid, able to see the oncoming blur. “It’s just splashes of colour right now.”

“But colour!” she squealed.

“I know!” He laughed and hugged her hard, squeezing her around the chest. “It’s getting better.”

“We just needed to wait!”

“And, and,” he said, getting so excited he stumbled over his words. “Fuzz and shapes and I saw you coming!”

“You did!” She was so excited she couldn’t be still.

“You’re a blob-bug,” he teased. “But it’s fixable! Even if this is all I can see, there’s surgery or contacts or glasses.” He caught her face between his hands and squinted at her. His vision swam in a sea of blur and colours, but there was blue. Definitely blue. “Hello, beautiful.”

She chirped, “Hello.”

Invigorated, he kissed her, full of fire and passion. His purr erupted from him as he held her tight. He tethered himself to her, one hand on the back of her neck, the other looped across her hips. Spreading his legs so she could settle between, he lifted one to hook his ankle over hers. She sunk against him with a delighted sigh.

“Adrien?”

He pulled himself back. “Tikki! Plagg!” he exclaimed, loosening his grip on Marinette but didn’t release her. “I have colour!” He open-mouth kissed Marinette’s neck and gave a suck. “I have colour, I have colour.”

“Congratulations,” Plagg said, dryly.

“We need you to calm down,” Tikki said. “I need to see your eyes.”

Resting his head back on the chaise, he blinked a couple of times and tracked the red blur as it inched closer. “Hello.”

“Good,” she cooed. “Now I’m going to ask you to do something hard.”

He sobered. “What?”

“You need to keep your eyes closed for a while. Give them time to adjust or you’ll give yourself as headache. We’ll take it slow and check every hour. I theorise your sight might take as long to restore as it did to deteriorate.”

“Aww,” he complained and closed his eyes. “No fair.”

“She’s right,” Marinette said. “We don’t want to over tax your eyes. I’ll blindfold you if I have to.” She pecked him. “I’ll go get us some cake as a treat and tell Mom and Papa!”

“Can it be cheesecake?” Plagg asked.

Marinette giggled and wriggled away. “You’ll see. I’ll be right back.”

By the time Alya came over after school, Adrien could make out words if he really concentrated or the print was large enough. Depth perception was off. Everything was slightly fuzzy and things in the distance were washed out. But Marinette, he could see her, not in the detail he had before (he missed her freckles), but he could see her smile and her eyes and the way she bit her lip when concentrating on the computer game she played. 

It didn’t matter that all his sight hadn’t returned yet. As disappointing as it was to have possible lasting effects, it was treatable, and that kept him excited. Plagg had already talked about modifying the mask of his suit to include something to correct his vision. While they hadn’t tried it yet because his eyes were still healing, Adrien was relieved he could still be Chat Noir.

He rang Nathalie at lunchtime, explaining that Marinette had hurt her foot and he’d be visiting after school. Nathalie hadn’t seemed to care, informing him she’d relay the message to his father.

When Alya arrived, Adrien lay draped across Marinette’s lap. She had her foot up and iced while she played a console game and scratched his head in the downtime. “What up, peeps!” Alya announced from the door.

Adrien opened an eye, then closed it again, halting the vibrating purr he’d bestowed upon Marinette.

“Hey!” Marinette said and paused her game. “Did we miss much?”

“Nah,” Alya said. “Everyone’s on the wind down to Christmas break. Kim’s on break already so Max was kinda sad and Alix’s off for her tournament week. Rose’s family’s gone on vacation. Chloé wasn’t there, so Sabrina sat with me. You two were out. All in all, pretty lazy classes.” Her voice moved so she was behind Marinette and leant over to ruffle Adrien’s hair. “How’re you doing?”

He grumbled at her and battered her hand with his.

“Marinette texted me the good news. I’m so glad.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said and extracted himself from Marinette’s lap so he could sit beside her.

Bouncing across to the other seat, Alya lifted her hand. “How many fingers—”

“One,” Adrien said without even looking. “Do you want me to show you?”

“Ooh, sassy,” Alya teased.

“No,” Marinette said. “Just over it. It’s been… a rough day.”

“I hear you,” Alya said and the smile dropped from her face. “People have been really worried about Chat Noir. That… what’d you call it?”

“Calamity,” Marinette said.

“Yeah… the videos been doing the rounds and there’s growing concern that Chat didn’t make it out alright. There’s conspiracy theories galore and people are trying to read body language and all sorts. I thought, if you’re up for it, we could do a short broadcast saying you were okay?”

“Now they care,” Marinette muttered.

“Not for the reporters,” Alya said. “But for all the people who called in with information, or looked out for the person next to them during the storm. It brought a lot of people together and really consolidated support. There’s so many stories appearing online about how Chat helped them out.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. “You’re enjoying this ‘interview on demand’ idea, aren’t you?”

Alya spread her hands and shrugged. “The park next door is pretty clear.”

Marinette shook her head. “No. Too recognisable.”

“That’s the point,” Alya said. “We can do it by your statue.”

“Can you manage?” Adrien asked Marinette nodding her foot.

“Can you?” she returned.

“Is that a challenge?” he purred.

Marinette locked eyes with him and smirked. “Bring it.”

He stood and held out his hand for her. “My pleasure, my lady.”

Marinette put her hand in his and hoisted herself up. Taking a step forward to escort Marinette to the roof, Adrien promptly tripped over the chair she’d had her foot resting on. Completely embarrassed and laughing from the floor, he asked, “Maybe tomorrow would be better?”

Marinette covered her mouth as she giggled. “Tomorrow.”

“Wow, so suave,” Alya said.

“Hey, I've been mostly blind all day. Cut me some slack.”

“Still not a hundred percent?” Alya asked, leaning forward.

“No, but getting there.” His phone beeped. Still lying on the floor, he pulled it from his pocket and squinted at the screen. “Um… Oh. My driver’s here.”

“Already?” Marinette complained. “I thought we’d have more time.”

“I… ah… hmm…” He frowned at the screen. “I have a visitor?” Adrien held up his phone. “Marinette, can you—?”

She took one look at his screen and lost her expression. “Chloé’s at your place.”

Adrien frowned. “Ahh. Hmm. Well.”

“Not good,” Alya murmured.

“Yeah, but at least she wasn’t at school,” Adrien said, getting to his feet. “She can’t tattle on me.”

“Unless she’s talked to Sabrina,” Alya pointed out.

“Plagg!” Adrien called, hoping the kwami hadn’t fallen asleep somewhere out of sight. “We gotta go.”

“Will you be okay?” Marinette asked and plucked the sleeve of his shirt with her fingers.

“I can see enough. I’ll manage.” He looked at her and felt Plagg dive into his shirt. “I’ll call you tonight.”

She nodded. As he kissed her goodbye, he heard Tikki and Alya greet each other and start chatting.

Navigating the stairs was much easier than it had been in the morning. He went through the bakery instead of out the side door, so he could say goodbye to Marinette’s parents. Sabine, after giving him a hug, handed him a bag of cookies and other baked goods.

“So!” Chloé announced the moment Adrien walked into the foyer of his home. “It’s your fault Paris was covered in snow for two days.”

He scowled and walked past her to the stairs. Right up until that moment, he’d been ready to put everything else behind him. “Nice to see you too.”

She followed him. “Your little ‘I don’t want to be friends with you’ stunt put me in a tight situation and got me akumatised.”

“So I heard,” he said, grasping the bannister as he trotted up the stairs as fast as he could manage. “Glacia the Ice Queen. Suits you.”

She didn’t pick up on his tone. “Of course, I would be the most powerful akuma we’ve had.”

“That’s something to be proud of, I suppose.”

“And Ladybug was so fearful for me, she couldn’t bring herself to fight me. I am her best friend, after all.”

It was amazing what her mind conjured up sometimes. “Keep telling yourself that.” Reaching the top of the stairs, he walked toward his bedroom.

“It’s fortunate I’ve decided to forgive you for—”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh please.” He thrust open his bedroom door and stalked into his room, throwing his school bag toward the bed.

Instead of entering like he’d expected, she hovered by his door. “Adrien, I really don’t understand why you’re angry,” she said in a small voice. “It’s tradition. Every year, we kiss under the mistletoe.”

He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Okay,” she amended. “Every year, ever since we were eight, you let me kiss you under the mistletoe. Remember? You gave me that silly, little homemade bangle that you and your mother made and I… being all sophisticated and grown up, kissed you as thanks.”

He remembered and nodded.

“You’ve never complained before.”

He scraped a hand through his hair and then gestured for her to enter. “This year is different. This year I’m dating Marinette. Did you even think for a moment perhaps I’d like to kiss her under the mistletoe first?”

Stepping into his room, she frowned. “First?”

“I’m okay with kissing you under the mistletoe at Christmas. As you said, its tradition. Would’ve been quite happy to, had you asked and let me tell Marinette before it happened. I am not okay with being coerced or forced into a pose for a camera. I said ‘no’. That should’ve been the end of it.”

She dropped her eyes from his. “Oh. Well… um… so… I heard neither of you were in school today. Did you break up?”

“Over that?” he scoffed, then frowned at her. “Was that your intent?”

She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. “No.”

“Good. I don’t want to have to choose between you and the girl I’m in love with.”

Chloé blinked. Then blinked again. “You’re in love with her?”

“I’m not blind.” He almost laughed at his own joke then. “I can see you feel that our friendship is threatened by Marinette. I don’t expect you to be friends with her. Just be civil. For me. She means the world to me.”

Chloé tossed her head and walked further into his room. With a prim huff, she sat on his sofa and crossed her arms on her chest. “Fine. I forgive you for turning me into an akuma.”

“Ha.” He walked across and slouched in his seat beside her and reached for the remote.

“So. What’ll it be?” she asked. “I mean, obviously, I can’t give you jewellery like I can Sabrina.”

He studied her. She didn’t turn her head toward him, but she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. Chloé couldn’t apologise. Not really. But with Sabrina, buying her gifts was a clear signal Chloé knew she’d done something wrong and upset her friend. The signal worked for them because that was the type of friendship the pair had. But he and Chloé had never really had a falling out before, so she had no idea how to fix it.

Here she was, reaching out. Trying. A big step for her.

He sat up. “You can help me buy Marinette a Christmas gift.”

Chloé’s jaw dropped and her arms slithered off her chest. “What? Why would I even want to help you with that?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Well, let’s hear them.”

“One, Nino’s idea of a present is not what I want to get for Marinette.”

Chloé looked blankly at him.

“Lingerie.”

Her eyes widened. “No. Ladies like to pick that themselves. By all means, take her out to a shop, but let her pick for herself. Boys get the sizes wrong, even when you’re told.” She gestured crudely with both hands. “‘This big’ is not adequate.”

He snorted. “Exactly. Two. It’ll show me how much you respect and cherish our friendship.” He had her here. Pick an awful gift to spite Marinette and he’d never trust her again. But in accepting, Chloé would be forced to think about Marinette as a person and what she might like, instead of herself.

Chloé frowned, understanding his intent. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Three.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “You have excellent taste.”

She tossed her hair loftily. “I do, don’t I?”

“Four. It’ll give us a chance to go shopping together and we haven’t done that for a while.”

She relaxed and gave him one of her gentler smiles. “You’re right.”

“Deal?” he asked, holding out his hand.

She took his to shake. “Deal, on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You don’t tell her I helped you. I have a reputation to uphold.”

He laughed and gave her hand a little yank so he could hug her. “Of course.”

Resting her head on his shoulder, Chloé smiled.

Chapter Text

The winter festive season in the city of lights gave birth always the marchés de Noel. Christmas markets with iconic clusters of wooden chalets and boasted an assortment of holiday treats and hand-crafted gifts. Marinette’s favourite were the Trocadero markets with its beautiful backdrop: the Eiffel Tower embroidered a decorative and sparkling cornucopia of Christmas lights.

They had arrived a few hours before sunset to meander through the markets and make last minute purchases and now, on the edge of twilight, the colours of the place became truly magical. Twinkling lights and colourful stalls, they wandered through looking at the ornaments and trinkets on sale.

Adrien adjusted his glasses and itched the bridge of his nose as he looked out at the sea of people making last minute Christmas purchases. Smiling at a small child riding on her father’s shoulders, his eyes landed on her Chat Noir paw print balloon. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Marinette, in her multi-layers of winter clothing and her newly made hooded scarf, looked up from the stall of handmade wood carvings. “What is?”

“I mean, normally, its Ladybug merchandise everywhere. But look. All the kids with cat-ears and the balloons with paw prints.” He bounced on his toes. “The last stall I saw was sold out!”

Marinette smiled at him. “You’re adorkable.”

He smiled. “I just really like being appreciated.”

“I know.”

He glanced up. “Even the Eiffel Tower has green cat paws climbing up it.”

She looped her arm through his elbow and hugged it. “I’m so happy for you.”

“You’re jealous, that’s what you are.”

Eyes twinkling, she pulled a sombre face and nodded. “Of course. Completely salty.”

“If I brought you cat ears, would you wear them?”

“Only if you buy yourself Ladybug bobble headband.”

“Deal.” Placing his hand over the top of hers on his elbow, he led them off in search of a novelty stall.

It had taken two days of blurred vision, squinting and headaches before Adrien decided that his sight wasn’t getting any better and requested an optometrist appointment. His father, still in Milan, reacted with surprise and confusion and had Nathalie organise it. A visit later, new prescription glasses, contacts and the possibility of surgery in spring and the world was bright and clear. Marinette had freckles again, a sight he’d dearly missed.

Plagg modified the filters on his mask to accommodate for his vision and Chat Noir had taken the necessary steps to make sure he was fighting fit and ready to defend. Dear little Tikki had gone in and out of sleep, but with the added warmth of Marinette’s superheated room, and the ability to stay in the warmth instead of hiding close to Marinette, she would be awake when needed. With Sabine and Tom watching Tikki, they would be able to deliver her while Chat Noir held off an akuma.

They’d yet to try their plan though. Hawk Moth had been quiet, whether because he was off licking his wounded ego after having created an akuma which caused Paris to shut down for two days and probably prevented him from doing anything too, or he was biding his time for something big, or even had gone into hibernation himself, but it didn’t matter. Christmas approached, most people were happy and joyful and nothing could dampen Adrien’s spirits.

Chloé and Adrien had hit the mall together and shopped, something they hadn’t done in a long time, and Adrien recognised a similarity between the girls; Chloé’s unfathomable stamina while shopping for fashionable items was akin to Marinette’s thirst for fabric. Both had keen eyes and knew what they wanted and went after it with a passion, searching until they found something perfect. Adrien wondered if that was perhaps a way for them to become forge an alliance of sorts. Chloé had been true to her word and took everything she knew about Marinette into account, which turned out to be a great deal more than Adrien, and perhaps Chloé herself, had suspected.

Adrien had been incredibly surprised when Chloé had shoved him into one of the jewellery shops and pointed out her suggestions. Not gaudy or flashy, but not a cheap piece either. Dainty and pretty. Something which reflected Marinette. Chloé’s second choice (because her first had been earrings and Adrien knew that’d never happen) now nestled in his pocket ready to surprise his lady tonight.

As much as he wanted to spend some time with Marinette, his father flew back from Milan tonight to spend Réveillon with him and that was something he could not pass up. Réveillon was the one time of the year he was guaranteed to have some attention. No modelling. No designing. A day when his father wouldn’t even get dressed until late. Presents in the den, a roaring fire and the Yule log.

Besides, her family was heading out of Paris to go visit her Mamie Dupain for the holiday. Marinette’s family was too large to bring them all into Paris and settle in their small place and, since Hawk Moth had been quiet, they decide they could risk it for the day. And he was left with explicit instructions not to preform Calamity under any circumstances. They hoped, with her out of Paris, Hawk Moth’s ability to target people in their vicinity would be impaired.

They finally found a novelty stall which still had stock and Adrien purchased them a set of headbands each. Repositioning Marinette’s hooded scarf, he plonked the cat ears on her head. “Sexy.”

She giggled.

His own Ladybug bobbles took a little bit of rearranging because the headband caught on the frames of his glasses the first time he tried. “Still not used to this,” he muttered.

She straightened his glasses. “I know.” Bopping him on the nose she sidled closer to him and gave him an inviting half-lidded look. “But you look pretty hot in them.”

Grinning, he ducked his head down to kiss her. “Glad you think so.”

“Psst,” Plagg said from inside Marinette’s hood where he’d been lounging. “Psst, Adrien!”

Sighing, he pulled a fraction away from Marinette so he could talk to his kwami. “Yes?”

“Can we go back to that trinket place?”

“What trinket place?” Adrien asked.

“You know the one, right, Marinette? With all the rings all lined up in rows?”

She considered and tapped her lip. “Um… oh yes! Why?”

Plagg dropped his eyes and wrung his hands together, then dove deeper inside Marinette’s hood to whisper to her. Marinette’s eyes widened and a delighted look crossed her face. “C’mon, kitty!” She said, grabbing his hand. “It’s important!”

Adrien let Marinette negotiate through the crowd of people until she reached the stall she wanted. He looked at the rings curiously and waited while Marinette rang her fingers over a line of them. Plagg was obviously talking in her ear, but Adrien couldn’t hear him over the sound. She reached a dainty daisy chain ring and picked it up. “This one please,” she said to the stall operator and reached for her purse.

Adrien beat her too it, handing over cash before she could extract her purse from her bag. The stall operator smiled and handed Marinette the ring in a small box.

“I was going to—”

“He’s my kwami,” he replied. “What’s he want a ring for anyway?”

Marinette giggled. “It’s a present for Tikki. She’s going to wear it on her head.”

Adrien laughed. “Awesome teasing material. Weren’t you complaining about human sentimentalities just this morning, Plagg?”

Marinette’s hood grumbled and she said, “I think it’s cute.” She paused. “Yes, we can by some cotton candy.”

“No, they don’t have cheese flavoured,” Adrien added.

“Adrien!”

His head snapped up and he half-turned, looking for the voice in the crowd. Seeing the flash of blonde hair, he raised his hand in greeting. “Hi Chloé,” he said as she reached him, dragging Sabrina behind her. “I didn’t know you came to the markets.”

“Oh, this is Sabrina’s choice as part of her present,” Chloé dismissed while Marinette and Sabrina exchanged Christmas greetings. “But it’s quaint and enjoyable.” She smiled. “Merry Christmas!”

Grinning back, he hugged her. “Merry Christmas,” he replied and air kissed her cheek, then her other cheek. “You too, Sabrina,” he said, and gave the smaller girl a one-armed hug and dual cheek kisses too.

Sabrina went bright red. “Thank you, Adrien. Merry Christmas.”

Stepping back, he wove his arm around Marinette’s hips.

Chloé plucked at the Ladybug antennae on Adrien’s head. “Idiot.” She cast her eyes to Marinette, who waited with a tiny frown. “I like your hood.”

Marinette’s eyebrow shot upward. “Thanks.”

“It’s stylish. And Ladybug has one like it. Where’s you buy it from?”

“I made it,” Marinette said, taken aback. “I copied her design and added a few embellishments of my own.”

Chloé glanced at Adrien’s antennae, then Marinette’s ears. “I didn’t know you were a fan of Ladybug.”

Marinette’s lips quirked up. “More of a Chat Noir fan.”

“Oh, me too!” Sabrina said and bounced up and down. “He’s so cute!”

Chloé flopped her hand. “Oh, that’s right, you have a crush on him, don’t you?”

Adrien cleared his throat. “He did just save the city.”

Chloé held up a finger to retort, thought better of it and nodded. “Point taken. I guess he’s okay. I can’t complain if the boy wants to flounce around in skin tight gear.”

Marinette barely managed to conceal a snort of laughter. “No. He’s very nice to look at. Have you seen him flex yet?” She let out a playful growl.

Adrien felt his eyes widen at Marinette’s growl. He’d never heard her make such a noise before and was caught between a desperate need for her to make it again and cursing the fact that they weren’t alone right now. 

Sabrina sighed. “Oh yes.”

“He does have that going for him,” Chloé admitted.

“We were about to have dinner,” Sabrina said. “Did you want to join us?”

“No, we have prior arrangements, but thanks. We should go,” he said to Marinette, then smiled at Sabrina and Chloé. “Merry Christmas.”

“Oh, yes,” Marinette replied. “Merry Christmas, Sabrina. Merry Christmas, Chloé.”

Chloé nodded. “Merry Christmas.”

“That was… weird,” Marinette said as Adrien pulled her away and they strolled toward the bridge across the river.

He scoffed. “Almost as weird as listening to you girls growl over how hot I am. Um… about that growl—”

Marinette didn’t seem to hear him. “She was civil!”

“Well, I asked her to be.”

Marinette blinked at him. “Wow.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just… wow.”

“Is that a good wow?”

Marinette said, “I don’t mean to sound… ungrateful… it’s… just hard to believe, that’s all.”

“People change.”

She nodded, then smiled. “Christmas miracle.”

Adrien snorted. “Let’s get Plagg his cotton candy.”

After making their final purchases, they slipped out of the crowd of people occupying the market. The decline in people meant a slight decrease in temperature and lack of a wind break, especially the wind that skipped across the cold water of La Seine. Marinette tucked her hands into her pockets and hunched her shoulders. Her bag of purchases slid down to her wrist and hung above her pocket. Adrien, keeping his arm around her waist, switched sides with her so she wouldn’t be in the wind.

As they stepped onto the bridge, Adrien put his free hand in his pocket to keep it warm and he fingered the little box he was keeping safe. He wanted to give it to her at the perfect moment and preferably before they reached her home. “Nice night.”

“Cold night,” Marinette replied. “I can’t wait to get inside.”

“Aww, bugaboo, aren’t I hot enough for you?”

She leaned into him. “You’re pretty warm.”

“Just warm? I’m hurt.”

“Right now, even your ‘hotness’ can’t tempt me away from a hot chocolate and a blanket.”

“How about; hot chocolate, blanket and a purring kitty?”

“Any purring kitty?” she teased. “I saw a cute ginger one roaming around back there. I bet if I go back, I can tempt him with treats and—”

“And I’ve already given him the clear signal this human’s not up for grabs,” Adrien said, possessive.

She laughed. “Wow. You’re jealous.”

“If I have to rub my scent all over you to keep strays away, I will.”

In the pale light, Marinette flushed, whether from embarrassment or anticipation, Adrien wasn’t sure. Her smile suggested it might be the latter and when she spoke, her voice was a silky purr which sent a shiver down his spine. “I’m… intrigued. And I think maybe I’d like a demonstration.”

Adrien grinned. “More kitten kisses. Gotcha.”

“Please.”

“Also, apparently you like it when I flex. I should do more then, huh?”

The silkiness in her voice intensified and did wonderful things to his ego. “Oh yes. Definitely.”

“You humans have really weird courting rituals,” Plagg muttered.

“Oh, like you haven’t been rubbing your scent all over Tikki,” Adrien replied.

“Tikki doesn’t pick up strays,” Plagg said.

“That you know of,” Adrien teased. “Cause there’s a grey cat hanging around their place at the moment I’ve been chasing away.”

“What?” Plagg blurted.

Marinette snorted and reached inside her hood. “He’s teasing. Go back to sleep, Plagg. We’ll be home soon.”

“Good, ‘cause I don’t know how much longer I can listen to you two flirt. It’s disgusting.”

“You’re just jealous,” Adrien said. “If Tikki was here, you’d be curled up with her flirting yourself.”

“What I do in my own time is none of your business.”

“And what we do in our time is our business,” Adrien responded. “Speaking of which.” Turning, he pulled Marinette over to the side of the bridge. Picking her up, he planted her on the concrete rim, just on the edge of the light from a lamp post.  “I wanted to give you your Christmas present without anyone around.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “I thought—”

“Is that a hint?” Plagg muttered, interrupting whatever Marinette had been going to say.

“Plagg!” Adrien complained.

“Fine. Fine. I’m not here.”

Adrien sighed and pushed his glasses up. Nudging apart her legs so he could stand between them he put his hand into his pocket. “Um…”

“I thought we were going were going to wait until later. Yours is still at home.”

“I… well… I want your undivided attention.” He cupped her hand and lifted it ahead of her, holding her palm up. Placing the small box on her palm he said, “Merry Christmas.”

Her eyes widened as she saw the label on the box. “Adrien, I can’t—”

“No takebacks. It’s Christmas, I can spoil you,” he responded and opened the box for her. A rose gold necklace with an open heart pendant and a pink sapphire flower arranged in the middle of the heart. Humble and beautiful, like his lady, it nestled snuggly in the box waiting for her to wear. 

“But this… it’s gorgeous,” she breathed and her fingers caressed the heart pendant. “But I—”

“I didn’t go overboard,” he assured her. “I wanted you to feel comfortable about wearing it.”

She looked sceptical but also completely enthralled in the necklace. Wavering, she picked up the pendant.

Full of nerves caused by her silence, he shuffled. “Do you like it?”

“Oh, yes,” she breathed. The chain slid out of the box and she fumbled for the clasp. Putting the box on her lap, she slid her hands beneath the hood of her scarf to put it on. Resting the pendant over her jacket, she stroked her fingers against it. “I love it.”

He grinned at her. “Good,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. Marinette draped her arms over his shoulders and tilted her head so his glasses didn’t bump or fog up, not that he really cared if they did. It’d been awkward the first time while he wore them, but practice made perfect and they were getting better every time.

Besides, kissing until his glasses fogged from their intermingling breath, especially when it was so cold, was plain sexy.

Splayed fingers on the small of her back, he kept their kisses slow and easy. They were in public and passion and freedom were better suited to private places. Her fingers danced at the nape of his neck, toying with his hair and not quite scratching but teasing enough that he wished she did.

“Oh my god, get a room!”

Startled, Adrien turned his head, bumping against Marinette as he did and knocking his glasses askew. Looking at the blur that was Nino, he fixed them. “Hey!”

“You go gurl,” Alya crooned, jumping up on the concrete railing beside Marinette.

“It’d like to, but I keep getting interrupted,” Marinette replied, then stretched over to one arm hug her best friend. “Merry Christmas! Are you going to the markets?”

“Yeah, we’re having snacks before Réveillon. You?”

“Coming from,” Marinette said. “My family’s due to head to Mamie’s soon.”

Nino pulled a face and Adrien as they bumped fists. “Ick. Girlfriend’s parentals. I feel ya, bro.”

“Marinette’s parents like Adrien,” Alya teased.

“Hey, yours like me!”

“And yet you just implied spending time with them was something bad.”

“She’s got you there,” Adrien said. “My father’s flying in for Réveillon, so I won’t be spending a lot of time with Marinette anyway.”

Alya cupped her fingers underneath Marinette’s new necklace and raised her eyebrows. Marinette’s eyes shot to Adrien as she smiled and Alya’s own smile bloomed.

The four of them chatted for a while about their up and coming Christmas and making plans to meet up as a group a few days after to have their own celebration, before moving onto other topics. When Marinette began to shiver and blow into her gloved hands to keep them warm, Alya bounced down. “Well, I’m starved,” she said, pulling Nino along with her. “Merry Christmas guys!”

“Merry Christmas!”

“Can we go now?” Plagg whined. “I want to give my girl her present too!”

Taking Marinette’s hips, he helped her down from the railing, even though she didn’t need it, and wrapped his arm around her.

Sabine and Tom looked over from the kitchen as Adrien and Marinette arrived back at Marinette’s home. “Here they are!” Sabine said, beaming.

“We were about to send a rescue paw-ty for you,” Tom said, packing a Tupperware container into a cooler.

“Paw-lease,” Adrien quipped. “We weren’t cat-napped.”

“It’s fur-eezing out there,” Tom replied. “Didn’t want you to be a cool-cat.”

Grinning, Adrien said, “Snow joke how cold it is.”

“Well, I’m glad you ‘wrapped’ up your date,” Tom said with a wink, “because otherwise you would have Christ-missed out.”

“Oh, I regret everything,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t let them bug you, dear,” Sabine said with a straight face. “They just don’t know how to bee-have.”

Marinette’s eyes blew wide, while Adrien struggled not to laugh and Tom looked delighted. “Nope!” she announced, turning around to head up her stairs to her bedroom. “Nope! I’m out. Call me when you can be adults.”

“We’re just ‘kitten’ you,” Sabine called as she packed up a dish. “We have to leave in thirty minutes.”

“Okay! Adrien, c’mon. You can have your present!”

He grinned at Tom and Sabine and bounced up the stairs behind Marinette. Plagg zipped off to find Tikki, clutching his gift for her in his paws. Marinette hung her jacket over the back of her chair and picked up a large rectangular box sitting on her table.

“I feel a little embarrassed,” she said, holding out the box to him. “It’s nowhere near as nice as what you gave me.” Awkward with the size, she shifted so her hands were underneath it, supporting it so he could undo the ribbon.

He grinned at her. “I don’t care. It’s from you, I’ll treasure it always.” Taking off the lid, he gaped.

She’d made a quilt. An assortment of cats and paw prints dotted a cream backing, the paw prints meandering across the whole quilt. The edges were bordered with green leaves in which tiny ladybugs played. Right in the centre was a black cat in profile with a ladybug perched on its nose.

“I’m not very good at quilting yet,” she said, her cheeks red. “And I learnt a lot making this, but I still wanted you to have it.”

“This is amazing!” he said, dragging the quilt out of the box so he could get a better look. “Wow!”

“You can put it on your bed, or on your sofa as a throw over or whatever you like.”

“Oh this is going on my bed.” He pressed his face to it and breathed it in. “Yup. Smells like you, I’m definitely having it on my bed.”

She giggled.

“This is amazing, thank—” His phone rang and Adrien frowned. Heaping the quilt back in the box, he said, “Hang on.”

Marinette took the box to her desk to repack it.

Seeing the caller id, his heart skipped a beat. “Hello Nathalie, is father home? I’m at Marinette’s but I can return—”

“His plane just landed,” Nathalie replied and he could hear the smile in her voice.

Adrien grinned, relieved. For a moment he’d thought his father wouldn’t return. “Awesome!”

Marinette turned her head at the sound of his voice and smiled.

“The car will be along in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Hanging up, he pounced on Marinette and lifted her off the ground. Rubbing his cheek against the back of her head, he purred at her. “He’s home!”

“I’m so glad!” Marinette replied.

“But that means I’ve gotta go,” he said, placing her back on the floor and fixed his glasses. Glasses and face rubs didn’t go well together, but that was something he could work on. And another reason to try and get used to contacts.

She nodded and kissed him. Long, lingering and loving, she tasted his lips with the tip of her tongue and wove her hands into his hair. “Merry Christmas, Adrien.”

Epilogue

Bright green paw prints splattered in the sky as they walked among the stars. People craned their necks as they looked upward and bright colours kissed their features when light exploded above them. Red burst against the darkness and a ladybug formed, shining in the faces and eyes of the residents of Paris.

Chat Noir sat on a beam on the Eiffel Tower, one foot dangling over the edge with his lady nestled against his chest as they watched the display at Champs-Elysées in the distance. She toyed with fingers of one of his claws as splashes of blue light scattered in the sky. Neither of them minded being a represented in part of the celebration itself, especially now Chat Noir stood on equal footing with Ladybug, according to the people of Paris. Being celebrated for his accomplishments, for his hard work and effort, felt different than being celebrated for whose son he was.

But fireworks were fireworks and this kitty wanted attention. He ducked his head down, kissed Ladybug on the neck and rumbled a purr at her.

“Soon,” she murmured.

He sighed and looked back at the sky and decided he didn’t want to wait for the soon. No one could see them up here, if they were even looking. The only reason they were up here at all was because they didn’t want to brave the crowds surrounding the Champs-Elysées. Besides, the view from the Eiffel Tower was astounding.

He flexed the fingers of the hand she wasn’t playing with. She didn’t react. Lightly placing his claws against her suit, a delicate touch designed not to hurt but to delight, he followed the line of her ribs up her side, then back down to her hip. No reaction from her, but then, that was the game, wasn’t it? To see how long she could last.

He stroked, stretching his hand out as far as it was comfortable. The dip in her waist, the curve of her hip, her outer thigh, then, feeling daring, up the inside. Just a little. Just to see. The muscles of her inner thigh flexed, but she made no other move.

The purr came back, soft and rumbling and this time when his lips found her neck, she lolled her head back on his shoulder to give him more access. Although her eyes still fixed on the distant fireworks, her fingers went limp. Two hands. Oh joy. One hand kept its circular trek along her side and down across her leg, the other began one across her stomach and up her ribs until his thumb could scrape against the curve of her breast on its way past. All the while his mouth kissed and tasted the skin of her neck, lavishing attention all the way along her jaw and ear, but never approaching her mouth.

She sighed, a little shuddering noise to show she enjoyed it and her eyes glazed.

Each trip his hand took along her side, down her hips and over her leg, he travelled tantalisingly closer, but never touching. He turned away when his claw reached the crease between her leg and hip, to begin its journey back up her body.

It’d never complete its journey, not here. Not right now. Not sitting on the Eiffel Tower watching the New Year begin. He wanted her to know he thought about it and he wanted to make her think about it too. Because one day, his hand could complete its journey, if she chose, if they chose.

Until then, he’d just tease them both.

He let the feather light touch become naturally firmer, allowing her to anticipate.

She shivered and it wasn’t from the cold. “Are you going to kiss me?”

“Mmmm… Later.”

She nipped his jaw. “When?”

Tasty neck, tasty ear, too much time wasted when he talked. “When we’re home.”

She whined, “Mom’s waiting up for us.”

“Father’s away,” Chat Noir suggested. “I’m sure we could be half an hour late.”

Ladybug wriggled out of his arms, then yanked him to his feet. “Let’s go.”

Later, as Adrien lowered Marinette onto his bed to thoroughly kiss her, Plagg wrapped himself around Tikki to keep her warm and watch their counterparts groom each other’s faces. “Geez,” he muttered.

“Oh, it’s cute,” Tikki crooned and rubbed her head against Plagg’s chin. “Young love. You remember what that’s like.”

Plagg wrinkled his nose. “Yeah but if these two are like this now, what are they going to be like in mating season?”