Ladybug gasped, willing her muscles to relax in spite of the impact she intuitively knew was coming.

Relaxing was the only thing that would make it hurt less. The flash of blue knocking her back into the wall for what felt like the twentieth time in far too quick succession. She could barely manage to catch her breath and right herself, before the red Akuma sped forward, knocking her back into the wall again.

This Akuma was rough. It was literally double the trouble.

She'd been there, walking through the park with Alya the instant it had happened. She'd seen the young boys, having a tantrum in near-perfect sync with their mother struggling the calm them both as she'd tried in vein to tug them both home.

She'd tried to catch the butterfly, before it had ensnared them both, preying on emotions they were too young to understand and could barely control.

Her stomach lurched as she dragged herself back onto her feet. Her powers were not made to take persistent, direct hits like this.

But she couldn't stay down. She wouldn't let herself.

Those little boys needed her. That distraught mother needed her. The people of Paris needed her to keep them all safe.

Her eyes darted to the sky as the blur of blue raced towards her.

"Where are you, Chat Noir?"

Chat Noir ran, sprinting over rooftops, as if the devil were at his heels.

He hadn't seen the news feed until it was too late. Not until the Ladyblog footage showed Ladyblog was taking a beating.

He had been at a photoshoot all the way across town.. It was the third time this week that had happened. It was almost as if someone knew when an Akuma would appear and was trying to keep him away.

But that was impossible. He'd been so, so careful.

He'd followed the noise and the cloud of dust, the tips of his claws digging into his gloves.

He scowled at the picture below, watching as LB struggled to stand before she was knocked down again by the momentum. In an instant, he was on the ground, pulling her up before the pair of rock em, sock em robots could knock her back again.

Ladybug was slumped against his chest nearly as fast as he could deploy the baton and lift them both up into the air.

"They were just a little two much, weren't they my lady."

A shock of that burning blue pierced through her eyelashes. Grinning, he squeezed her a little tighter to his chest to ensure the position was as secure as as comfortable for them both to move

Darting a glance backward to ensure they weren't followed, Chat Noir breathed a sigh of relief when the twin terror Akuma stayed firmly on the ground. Their fists held high as both glared up at them.

He didn't even consider setting his Lady down until they both were safely out of sight.

Ladybug frowned into his shoulder.

Chat Noir was moving slowly, too slowly. It felt like every muscle in hter body ached, which meant that every step her partner took also left her feeling achy.

She needed to rest, needed to heal. To be able to let her muscles move without the ache, to have the proper speed she would need to take that out.

For that, she'd need Tikki to re-fuel. Her mind drifted as she tried to focus on something other than the wave of pain that currently flooded her body. She wasn't sure how Chat's kwami worked; it hadn't really been something they had ever discussed.

Ladybug lifted the hand that gripped onto his shoulder, tapping it enough to snag his attention. "Can we…?" She winced, her voice far more gravelly than she'd expected.

But he'd stopped the instant he'd heard, scanning around for the most stable space of rooftop to set up and re-group and set her down onto the rooftop as if she were made of glass.

"We need to get back to that terrible two-some soon."

Ladybug nodded, slamming her eyes shut as she gently set her head back on the softest bit of rooftop he could manage to find on short notice. "I need something for my kwami."

Chat Noir blinked, her voice had gotten a little stronger at least. And her request made sense. His eyes were already scanning the streets below for possibilities "What does he eat?"

"She," Ladybug smiled, "has quite the sweet tooth."

"Sounds easy enough." He smiled, tossing her a wink she was sure not to see with her arm up over her eyes. "Don't go anywhere."

Her chuckle was ragged. "Wouldn't dream of it…."

Ladybug sighed. Her breathing had calmed by the time Chat has returned with a whole dozen cookies, She had only just managed to pull herself up to sit, which was actually a bit more comfortable than it was to lay against the hard roof.

"I got a few different kinds. My kwami is very picky about what he will eat, so I figured it was better to be safe than sorry."

She nodded. "She'll appreciate that, but she's pretty easy to please."

Chat Noir's feet shuffled on the roof, as he stood back to full height digging his baton from it's holster. His ears flattened, his green eyes far less sure than he normally looked. "I guess I'll give you some time-"

Ladybug shook her head, placing her hand on his arm. "You don't have to go."

His jaw dropped and green eyes widened, blinking in disbelief. "You want me to…"

"I trust you not to look when I de-transform. You didn't before, when you'd had the chance." Her eyes softened. "Besides, you're my partner. There's no one else I'd trust more.

She exhaled, hoping she was doing the right thing. It was still pretty risky, even if her partner was on perfect behavior. "I think if you sit here behind me and face the other way-"

She hadn't even finished talking before Chat had leapt, scrambling to pull himself into a comfortable position behind her.

"We can try to plan out what we'll need to do to finish up the battle." Ladybug rifled through the bag of sweets he'd procured. They were sure to not be as excellent as her parent's cookies, but healing superheroes could not be choosers.

His voice was softer than she'd expected, as he leaned against her back just enough to reassure her of his position. "Sounds like a plan, my Lady."

Smiling softly, she'd handed him one of the cookies as the pink light of transformation washed over her gloved hand.