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When Chat Noir comes to his senses, he's on the floor staring up into swirling white clouds that have his head running circles on itself. Or maybe it's doing that regardless of the clouds, caused by something else completely. He has no idea. He knows he feels tired though, like something hasn't completely left his body. He knows he felt the magical ladybugs. They rushed through him like water rushes through a pipe and cleansed him of the wounds from the second battle with Miraculer. But he supposes they can't take the feelings away. Chat still remembers the first time Miraculer had been akumatised. Or at least, he remembers the aftermath. He had been up on his feet immediately after that one, so why isn't he now? Why is his head still spinning like a carnival ride? Had Miraculer gained new powers? Chat manages to sit himself up slightly and finds himself staring into sky blue again. This time though, it stares back, holding a hand out.
"You okay Kitty-Cat?" Ladybug asks him as she helps him jump back to his feet. She doesn't sound too worried, and Chat supposes he is still alive, but she still cares, and that makes him feel a little better. He shakes his blond head a little to try and realign himself, but he finds it doesn't really help.
"Turns out being Cataclysmed a second time doesn't make it more a-meow-zing," Chat jokes, but his smile is quick to fade as he leans himself against a railing that serves to separate him from a fate of falling off the most well-known hotel in Paris. "Or bearable… did she get new powers or something?"
"Is your memory that bad Chat?" Ladybug asks, leaning back on the railing with him. She waves off Sabrina, now de-akumatised, as well as Chloé, and then turns to her partner with a concerned look.
"You try getting Cataclysmed twice and then tell me how much of the fight you remember," Chat refutes, taking a few deep breaths. He sounds tired, but at least he doesn't seem to be in much, if any visible pain.
"Touché…" A short silence breaks between to two, and Ladybug turns away from Chat for a bit. All the other heroes she's called are still chatting around with each other, and there's a group of them with Chloé's butler. At least, that's who she thinks he is. Some of them look towards her, and she gives them a thumbs up to let them know they can head to their rendezvous points. They share the affirmation with one another, and before long, it's just Bug and Cat on the roof like things used to be.
"She did have new powers, but it wasn't thanks to Shadow Moth," Ladybug confirms, training her eyes to the sky in thought. Chat looks at her wordlessly and waits for her to say something else. But she doesn't. He flicks his ears absentmindedly, but she seems to just lose herself in thought.
"Well then why was it?" He asks, and Ladybug immediately shakes her head.
"I don't have time to explain right now Kitty, I have to go get the Miraculous back from the other heroes," Ladybug starts, pushing herself away from the railing. She thinks for a moment, before turning around to face Chat Noir with a soft smile. "Meet me on top of the TVi Tower in about ten minutes and we can talk there, 'kay? Maybe detransform and feed Plagg too so you don't detransform in the middle of a conversation."
There's something about his demeanor today that has Ladybug thinking that he needs to talk. He needs to say something. But she can't tell what, and she doesn't have the time to push him on it now. He nods at her suggestion, and within a moment of it, she's dropping herself off the side of the building and swinging herself through Paris on her yoyo, leaving Chat alone again.
Eventually Chat stands himself up from the railing and shakes his head again. This time it's to get the hair out of his eyes a bit before he pounces away, bounding off building after building with baton in hand for when he inevitably has to vault upward to reach the top of TVi. It only takes him a few minutes of wind brushing through his hair and past his ears to reach the next closest building, and he extends his baton to launch himself into the air. He sails upwards for a bit before he eventually lets gravity take hold and drop him down to the roof of the building.
Chat manages to duck behind the opening to a stairwell just before his timer runs out and he transforms back in a flash of crackling green. Plagg lands in his now bare hands, peering up at him with bright green eyes.
"How much are you gonna tell her?" Plagg asks, bobbing their head side to side like one of those souvenir dolls people tend to have on their dashboards in their cars. Adrien looks around to make sure he and Plagg are properly alone before he responds.
"I don't know Plagg… However much comes out? I'll obviously take out the names so I don't risk revealing my identity but if I get emotional…" Adrien sighs, not feeling like he needs to finish his thought. He takes one hand out from under Plagg and slips it into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a wedge of the Camembert he always smells like. He offers it to Plagg, who takes it gratefully into their tiny paws.
"I'm sorry you're going through this stuff Adrien," Plagg offers, tossing the cheese wedge between his paws while he talks. "I'm sure Ladybug will understand. Her heart is in the right place, even if she's a little strange and convoluted with her plans sometimes. I'm sure she'll support you."
Adrien nods, and doesn't bother to say anything else. He just slumps against the concrete behind him, still holding Plagg. The Kwami gains a worried look, but eats their cheese regardless, aware that Chat Noir is supposed to be on the TVi Tower and not Adrien in about five minutes, maybe less.
"You ready Plagg?" Adrien asks once Plagg has taken the last bite of Camembert. Plagg nods in response.
"Good luck," They offer, trying to mask their concern.
"Claws out," Adrien mutters, letting the magic rush through him. It's electrifying, unlike the magic of the Ladybug. Both the cleansing power and the transformation itself are more flourishing than crackling, and other Miraculouses also feel different. It's strange, but it keeps Chat looking forward to trying new jewels when given the chance. He steps out just as Ladybug is swinging up from the streets below, and she lands next to him as gracefully as ever.
"So, fuzzy on the fight huh?" Ladybug asks, hands on her hips as she wanders over to the other side of the building. Chat follows behind her, and eventually they and up at the edge of the building. Ladybug sits down, and Chat Noir follows suit, legs dangling together off the side of the skyscraper.
"Between being Cataclysmed and then Cataclysmed again, yeah, I suppose I'm a bit fuzzy," Chat responds, trying to make it sound like a joke. It seems Ladybug can tell that it isn't really humorous though, and she puts a supportive hand on Chat's shoulder.
"Well, to answer your questions, Shadow Moth didn't give Miraculer new powers, but she did manage to use her existing powers to steal ones she hasn't used before, if that makes sense."
Chat tilts his head. "Yeah? Who's powers did she steal this time? Other than mine, obviously."
Ladybug sighs. "The one that matters to you is Purple Tigress'. The first time she hit you, it was just the Cataclysm. You got back up and kept fighting like you did last time too."
"I remember that much," Chat says, nodding along. "Well, I remember the fighting. I hope you didn't say anything important, because I remember pretty much none of that."
"Don't worry Kitty, it was mostly just banter and villainous dialogues." Ladybug drops her hand to her lap and stares out onto the horizon. Chat's eyes follow, waiting for her to speak again. But she doesn't. She just breathes, slowly, surely. Chat isn't sure why. Maybe she can't find the words, or maybe she doesn't want the words to find her.
"So… I'm guessing Miraculer combined my Cataclysm and Tigress' Clout to pack a harder punch?" Chat asked, letting his eyes trace the outline of the pigtails he'd grown to know and love. Ladybug sighs, and pain grows over her face. She balls her hands into fists and uses them to cover her eyes just as Chat catches tears forming in them, and he feels his own face twist into concern.
"You're right, and… it's my fault Kitty. I-I tried to fight for us. I tried to not need the others, knowing that they would just be more powers for Miraculer to steal. But I couldn't hold out. I couldn't do it without you and I couldn't bear to see you on the ground again, even if you got back up." Ladybug starts to shake her head, and Chat isn't sure because of the motion if he can see tears tracing lines down her cheeks.
"M'lady, it isn't-"
"It is my fault!" She interrupts, turning to eye her partner with the sadness and desperation of a lost animal. Chat holds his hands up in innocence, and she turns away again. "I didn't think, Chat. I didn't have time. We needed the help, but I didn't have the time to think about how some powers affected others. I knew we couldn't use Viperion, Vesperia or Polymouse, but those were obvious. If Miraculer had had time powers we would have been totally screwed! And immobilisation on top of the Cataclysm? That's a recipe for disaster! And having multiple Miraculers?"
Ladybug shakes her head again, and Chat takes his turn to put a hand on her shoulder in support. "But you avoided the worst outcome, didn't you?" Chat tries.
"That doesn't change the memory, Kitty." Ladybug lowers her hands into her lap again, and lets the tears stain her cheeks. She looks back up at him again, fear dancing in her eyes. "When I heard Miraculer call forth both yours and Tigress' powers, I knew someone was about to get seriously hurt. And then I saw you on the ground again and I-… I thought I'd lost you! I thought you were just going to… to die, right before my eyes. And that I would have to live with that."
"Bugaboo, I promise you, it wasn't entirely your fault," Chat offers, looking away from his partner and down at the streets far below them. Some dark part of him wonders what would happen if he jumped. He knows he can't — what would Paris do without Chat Noir? — but the deepest part of him wishes for some kind of escape. Anything.
"I'm not myself lately," Chat continues, eyes trailing up to the sky as if he'll find a different escape there. The clouds don't call out to him though. They just make the little kid inside him cower with how big they are, and how small he is in comparison. "I wasn't on top of my game today, M'lady, and I haven't been for a while. I… It's my fault I got hit…"
Ladybug brings a hand to Chat Noir's cheek, turning his head gently so that he looks back at her. He knows this dance, and so does she, so it doesn't take long before their lips are pressed together in a soft kiss. The moment almost doesn't last long enough before Ladybug's gaze is set back on Chat, with the kind of worry she always gets when they're intimate in these circumstances. She always says that she feels she's taking advantage of him, but he always assures her that she isn't. It isn't as though they only kiss when one of them is sad, and Chat knows it makes him feel better when they do, even if only a little. He hopes it's the same for her.
"It isn't your fault, okay? Tell me what's wrong," Ladybug beckons, tugging Chat into her arms. He lets himself fall into her, wrapping his arms around her as tight as he feels he needs to.
"M'lady…" Chat takes a deep breath before he says anything else. He shakes slightly. "Tell me death isn't the only escape…"
Ladybug tenses up, but she pulls away from her partner, looking him in now teary eyes. "Kitty, what's going on?" She asks, almost begs. He tears up even more, and she can't help bringing him back into her embrace. "Take your time, but know I can't help unless you talk to me…"
It starts to rain before Chat can get anything out. It's not a heavy rain, and some parts of the sky are still blue, but it's enough that Ladybug reaches behind Chat and pulls his baton out. It takes her a moment or two to remember how to find the umbrella function in its menu, but she holds the newly formed covering above both of them once she has it open. The rain makes soft pitter patter sounds on the fabric.
"I don't want to go home," Chat admits, not really knowing where else to start. "He's so… angry recently, and it- it's starting to scare me. I don't know why either. I'm… pretty sure I've heard him angry before, and he tends to throw things around and break them when he's upset. I'm- I'm terrified that I'm going to be the next thing that makes him so upset. Or… worse."
He could be the next thing to break. Chat doesn't need to say it for Ladybug's brain to hop to the next worst thing, and she hugs him tighter as soon as the thought crosses her head.
"A week back, I got sick and had to take a few days off school," Chat continues, lying just a little bit to keep his identity safe. It had actually been two weeks, but Chat figures saying that is a surefire way to get himself found out. He sniffles a little, the rain blurred through his tears. "He was so angry about me missing school, as well as other events he had planned that week… And it didn't help when I heard him yelling at someone else downstairs. I couldn't tell who, but it turned out that being upset about my education was a cover up…"
"And… 'he' is your dad?" Ladybug asks, and Chat Noir nods, head still on her shoulder. "That's horrible, I'm so sorry. Your dad doesn't deserve you, Kitty. He doesn't deserve to be a father. At least, not until he gets his anger in check."
"He's not usually this bad," Chat tries to defend, and Ladybug raises an eyebrow she hopes he can't sense. She's heard this one before, others of roughly her age trying to defend their bad parents, but she isn't sure if she's heard it in this way before. "It-… It's only recently. I hate that I can't tell why. I just… I wish I could do something. And I wish I could be anywhere else when I can't do anything…"
Ladybug nods slowly, thinking for a bit. She eventually pulls away from Chat enough to see his face, and she wipes the tears away from his cheeks. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but come home with me Kitty. Just for a bit."
Chat's eyes widen in shock. He sniffles before he starts speaking again. "But… wouldn't that risk your secret identity?"
"It doesn't just risk it, it reveals it, Chat," Ladybug answers, brushing her thumb over his cheek again. He lets himself melt into her touch a bit, needing anything to keep himself steady right now. "It's clear you're going through a lot though, and I want to at least try and help you through it. Even if it jeopardises my identity. If I can, I want to give you some escape other than death. I wouldn't be able to go on without you, but… more than that, you don't deserve to die because of what others do. You are an amazing person, you deserve better than your father."
Chat Noir collapses against Ladybug again. "Thank you," he whispers, and Ladybug rubs his back soothingly.
"We should get going before the rain gets any heavier," Ladybug points out, and Chat lifts himself away from her. She stands up before he does, offering a hand out to him once more. He takes it, and she hands him back his baton once they're both stood up. "Don't stray too far behind Kitty-Cat," she jests, hoping that being a little less serious will help Chat find his comfort again.
The pair take about five minutes swinging and vaulting across Paris, if Chat has to guess. He thinks it might have been a bit longer, but he doesn't care for the nuances right then and there. He's surprised when Ladybug leads him towards the school he attends, and even more surprised when she lands upon Marinette's balcony.
"So uh… welcome! To my home!" Ladybug says, turning around to Chat Noir and gesturing around the balcony. It's still home to the plants and decor that Chat remembers from the last time he visited, but… now he's here with Ladybug, and she's suggesting that this is her home. Part of him doesn't want to believe it as Ladybug ducks into the hatch that Chat knows is directly above Marinette's bed, but the proof is undeniable when a flash of bright pink comes from that same hole. He peeks down into it, and of course, there's Marinette, sitting with her knees curled up to her chest, looking back up hopefully at Chat. He takes a moment to process this information, before he jumps down through the hatch and onto Marinette's duvet. The pink colour is as soft as the fabric itself, and Chat almost feels out of place when he crosses his legs and bundles his hands into his lap. His tail flicks nervously against the bed.
"You don't have to reveal your identity, but… this is me. All this time, I've been right under your nose, huh, Kitty?" Marinette tries a small smile, but Chat Noir remains utterly shocked. He does eventually shake his head though, in an effort to clear his thoughts, and he speaks again.
"I can't… believe it," Chat mutters under his breath, before mentally punching himself. "I- I want to… I want to tell you who I am but… I'm scared of how you'll react. I'm scared of how you'll think of me when I tell you who I am. And… I-… There's so many things I don't even know how to say."
Marinette's smile fades into worry. She lays her legs out on the bed and pats her lap, and Chat immediately knows what she's suggesting. He lays his head down on her lap and stretches himself out a little, not realising until he does it that he needed it. It releases something in him, he just isn't sure what. Marinette starts to run her fingers through Chat's hair gently, and he allows himself to let slip soft purrs. She holds his hand too, squeezing it when she starts talking again. "Just take it at your own pace, Kitty. I have all night…"
Chat just lets himself breathe for a bit, taking in what he assumes is perfume with every inhale. It's a sweet, floral scent, and there's also a hint of some baked goods. He knows well that that scent just tends to hang around the Dupain-Cheng household though, and it doesn't help that there's a bakery on the bottom floor. Eventually, Chat finds it in him to close his eyes, and he mutters his detransformation phrase under his breath.
"A-… Adrien?" Marinette asks, absolutely gobsmacked. Her hand tugs out of his hair, and she claps it to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. So many emotions take over her. Adrien is in her house. Adrien is Chat Noir. Adrien is her partner who she saves Paris with at least once every day. Adrien is having a rough home life with an overly angry father. Everything clicks in her brain at once, and weirdly enough, the part of her that's shocked also finds that the dots connect well. Apart from the cat puns. She's sure she's never heard Adrien make a cat pun in the time they've spent together.
"If you think it's weird, just tell me and I'll-"
"What? No! I don't think that at all!" Marinette interrupts, beckoning for Adrien to sit up. He does so, and turns to face her, and she immediately wraps him in the biggest hug he could ever ask for. "I'm so glad it's you, Adrien. I'm so glad you're comfortable coming to me like this and talking to me about something so… substantial."
Marinette pauses to figure out how to say her next piece, but Adrien takes the opportunity to ask: "Has this… changed the way you see me?"
"Not at all!" Marinette reassures, holding him tighter and rubbing his back again. "If anything, it's changed the way I see your father… It's obvious he isn't all sunshine and rainbows with him, but he's worse than I thought! Take refuge here whenever you need, okay? I mean, maybe text me first so I know you're coming, but I'll always support you, mkay?"
Adrien nods against Marinette's shoulder. "Thank you," he whispers. "So much."