Archive of Our Own ^beta

Ladybug spent half of her time in the air, Chat Noir knew that. But it was one thing to see her jumping from rooftops or swinging around with her yoyo and another thing entirely to watch her being thrown out of a ten story building by some villain.

Everything had been happening like it usually did up until that point. Someone got possessed by an akuma, they started wreaking havoc and Chat Noir and Ladybug confronted them. They discovered the building where the akuma was hiding and devised a plan. Chat was in charge of the distraction, Ladybug would try to recover the object. But they had miscalculated the agility of the akuma, who caught Ladybug by the leg when she got too close.

Before any of them could react, the akuma had tossed her out of the closest window. Chat felt a scream scape his lips. He rushed to the window, turning his back to the akuma without a second though.

He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t hear anything other than the chorus of no no no no no no repeating itself over and over in his head. Shards of glass covered the floor and he almost slipped when he stepped over a particularly large one. He got to the shattered window in an instant but to him it felt like an eternity, his desperation growing with every second he passed without Ladybug in sight.

He reached the frame and looked down, trying to ignore the voice in his head that told him that if she had been ok she would have already found her way back. It took him a second to process the sight below him. By the time that he realized that there was nothing down there, not the slightest trace of red, the sound of broken glass resonated through the room again.

Ladybug stood at the other side of the room, a second smashed window at her back. She nodded at Chat and he reciprocated. There were so many things that he wanted to do. He wanted to ask is she was fine. He wanted to make sure that she wasn’t hurt. He wanted to hold her and take comfort in the fact that she was alive. But they had a battle to fight, and he couldn’t allow himself any distractions. He pushed all his worry and his relief and his trepidation out of his mind and focused on the task at hand.

It all came back the second that the combat ended. Chat watched her carefully while she purified the akuma, searching for injuries. She noticed, she always noticed. She sent him a reassuring smile once the butterfly had flown away, but that wasn’t enough for him.

Without quite stopping to think about it he reached for her, enveloping her in a hug. He grabbed her by the waist and buried his face on her neck. He held her tight, desperate to feel her, to reassure himself that she was there. She seemed a bit surprised, tensing at the contact.

“I thought I had lost you” he whispered.

“Silly kitten, I would never leave you.”

Time was running out for both of them, their powers drained by their special attacks. He thought that Chat Noir probably wouldn’t ask and he knew that his Lady would step away is she wanted to anyway. But he didn’t feel much like Chat Noir at the moment, he felt like a boy who had almost lost the most important person in his life.

“Just one more second" he muttered against her skin.

She didn’t answer but her hands started rubbing circles on his back. He took a deep breath, trying to relax. He couldn’t, the fear was still too present. He always worried about Ladybug, but he tried not to be consumed by it. After all, she was more than capable of handling herself. But then things like this happened and he couldn’t keep the bad thoughts away anymore.

He should have been faster. He should have been more careful. He should have saved her before she was thrown off the building. What if the next time she couldn’t get out her yoyo fast enough? What if the next time she didn’t even have it with her?

Ladybug was more important than him. That was a fact. Yes, they might be partners and they might be equals. But that didn’t apply here. Chat Noir couldn’t purify the akuma, he couldn’t save the city on his own. One could argue that his more important mission was to look after Ladybug. And he had failed tonight. And he would most likely fail her again. And Ladybug might be powerful and strong and amazing, but even she could make mistakes. And what would Adrien do then?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Ladybug put a hand on his cheek, urging him to look up. She guided him gently until his forehead rested against hers.

“Chat, breath with me” she said softly.

He hadn’t realized that he was practically hyperventilating until she pointed it out. He did what she said, following her lead until his breathing slowed down back to normal.

 “I’m alright Chat. You did everything right today. We wouldn’t have finished so quickly if it wasn’t for you. You need to stop worrying about me. Trust that I’ll be ok. You keep me safe and I keep myself safe too, so I’m going to be just fine, ok?”

He didn’t trust his voice, so he gave her a tentative smile and hoped that it was enough. It had to be, because his ring beeped again and he guessed that it was his last warning. He took a step back but didn’t quite let go of her, just shifted his grip so he was grabbing her by the elbows. It was partly to relish in the fact that he was holding her for as long as possible, but mostly so he could look her over for injuries one last time.

He released her once he was satisfied with her state and then ran for the exit, throwing a quick see you later, my Lady over his shoulder.

His transformation wore off after couple of blocks, but it allowed him to put enough distance between him and Ladybug so that they wouldn’t run into their civilians selves. Adrien gave Plagg some cheese and waited for him to restore his energy. It was faster than walking home anyway. He was still thinking about everything that had happened so he didn’t realize how late it was until he saw the clock on his room. It took him another hour to quiet his thoughts enough to fall asleep.

Marinette’s night was no better. Especially since she had to wake up earlier than usual. The class was going on a field trip and she couldn’t afford to be late or the bus would leave without her. She didn’t get to school with a lot of time to spare anyway but at least she got there on time.

She didn’t even make it to ten minutes on the bus before she fell asleep against the window. Alya was seated next to her and she wasted no time in getting out her phone to work on the ladyblog. She was glad that her friend could rest for a while, Marinette had looked exhausted that morning.

A loud laugh distracted the redhead and made her look up from her phone. She spotted Nino and Adrien a few seats ahead. She couldn’t see their faces but the first one was clearly in the middle of retelling some kind of story. She recognized the exaggerated hand gestures. Even from this distance she could tell that the blond was a bit out of it. He kept leaning to one side only to sit up straight again. He looked like Marinette had a few minutes before, when she had insisted that she would stay awake for the journey.

Alya decided that he needed some help. She texted him, offering to trade places if he wanted to take a nap. She watched him take out his phone and type out a reply. Her phone chimed on her hands after a few seconds. Adrien turned to look at her and she waved her hand in the air signaling for him to come over. She got up too and made her way towards the front.

He whispered his thanks when he walked past her. The boy took a seat next to Marinette, who was still soundly asleep. It didn’t take long for him to join her.

Marinette woke up an hour later. The bus was still moving and she needed a few seconds to remember where she was. She reached for her phone mechanically, still not completely conscious. She had a message from Alya, which only succeeded in furthering her confusion. She turned towards her friend but found a sleeping Adrien on her place.

Marinette opened the text. It explained the change of seats. Still struggling to clear her head, she looked out the window. She recognized the street they were driving through. They were close to their destination.

Her focus shifted to the boy next to her. She thought she should wake him, give him some time to adjust before they got there. But she hesitated. Maybe he didn’t want to wake up. Maybe she should let him rest as much as he could.

“Adrien” she murmured, making up her mind.

She tried again, a bit louder this time. The boy didn’t even stir so she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She called his name one more time. The boy opened up his eyes and looked at her. Marinette had only a glimpse of his terrified expression before he grabbed her by the waist and buried his face on her neck.

Marinette was so surprised that she almost jumped out of her seat but his grip was strong and she couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to. Confused, she looked down at the boy and realized that he was shuddering. A nightmare she thought, he must have been having a nightmare.

“I dreamt that I lost you” he whispered.

Marinette froze, recognizing the words. It could have been a coincidence. Adrien was visibly shaken and not completely awake yet. Besides, losing someone could be a common nightmare, she figured.

But had he hugged her because she was the only one there, or because she resembled the person in his dream? Were his words a deliberate echo of the ones she had heard the night before? Could it be that they had the same exact reason to be as tired as they were?

It was like she had found a piece of the puzzle only to discover that the picture had been complete all this time. Adrien was Chat Noir. It was something that would have sounded impossible to her a few minutes ago, but now it was the only thing that made sense. Her selfless, reckless, playful cat was the same quiet, gentle, kind boy that was currently holding on to her like his life depended on it.

She wondered if he realized what he had done. It seemed unlikely, he didn't seem aware of the situation he was currently in. She didn’t even need to ponder what her next actions should be. Sure, she hadn’t wanted to reveal their identities before but she could never keep it from him now. So she chose the easiest way to level the ground between them.

“Silly kitten, I would never leave you.”

Adrien instantly relaxed against her. His grip on her loosened and that was when he noticed that something was not right. Marinette felt him stiffen, his hands clutching the fabric of her shirt.  A gasp escaped his lips.

“Marinette?” he asked after a few seconds, his face still pressed against her neck.

“Yes.”

She suppressed a shiver when she felt his lips move against her skin. Still, no words came out of his mouth. She stayed silent, giving him time to process things. Some part of her pointed out that she should be seriously freaking out. But she had very lost cat to worry about right now, so her insecurities would have to wait.

“Just one more second.”

She didn’t answer but her hands started rubbing circles on his back, hoping that the familiar touch would help ground him. Ok, maybe she was freaking out a little. She wanted to see his face and she wanted to know what was going through his head and she wanted to know what he thought of this, what he thought of her. But he needed time so she gave it to him.

Adrien took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly.  It tickled and Marinette chuckled. She stopped abruptly when he drew away from her slightly. One of his hands moved to hold her wrist, the other rested hesitantly on her cheek. Everything about this should have made her nervous, from the proximity of their faces to the intensity of his gaze. But that wasn't what this was about.

She could tell that he was trying to picture her with her mask on because that was what she was doing too. She could see that he was looking for answers in her expression because she was searching for the same thing. She knew that he had found some kind of reassurance in her eyes because he was her partner and she wouldn’t let anything come between them.

“We are going to be ok, right?” he asked, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the chatter of their classmates.

“We are going to be just fine” she replied.

His smile was filled with Chat's exuberance and Adrien's kindness, and Marinette completely lost it. She rested her head against his shoulder and started giggling uncontrollably. It was mostly from joy but she guessed that the sleep deprivation played a part in it too. Soon he was laughing along with her.

By the time they managed to stop they had reached the end of the ride and their classmates were picking up their stuff and heading for the door. Marinette stood up, wiping away some tears that had escaped her eyes. Adrien made a gesture that so obviously meant after you my Lady that she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him.

He wasted no time in following her.

(On the ride back Adrien asks Alya to leave him her seat again. Marinette lays her head against his shoulder and he leans into her. Their hands are joined while they sleep. Nino tries to scold her, but the redhead takes a few pictures anyway. She knows that they’ll thank her later.)