Unmasked: Chap 8: A shocked, but Elated Discovery

(Cat Noir's POV)

Cat Noir was going all out on the Akuma, on Drainer.

He left no opening for the Akuma to attack nor evade. He kept smashing her with his baton, over and over again. He would kick her, he would punch her, and he would jab her with his elongated staff. He did whatever he could to keep the Akuma at bay.

He refused to let up on his barrage of attacks. He had to protect his Lady. He had to protect Paris, and he has to protect himself so he can continue to protect those he loves.

But what he didn't know or realize, until too late, was that Drainer was cleverly pushing the cat-themed superhero back, making him trip ungraciously backwards. Cat Noir let out a loud yowl as he landed harshly on his butt. Cat knew instantly that he was now at a disadvantage. He tried his best to use his baton as a makeshift shield against their most dangerous foe, but it was to no avail. Cat knew he was done for. He knew -

Suddenly, he saw a flash of red and heard a loud yelp from the Akuma as they clashed to the ground.

His heart was in his throat, choking him, as he saw Ladybug, the love of his life, tackle the Akuma to the ground. All to save him. His heart skipped a beat but soon came crashing back down to Earth as fear has engulfed his entire being. No... No!

"Ladybug, no!" Cat cried out desperately. He reached out a paw, unable to move, as the fear and anguish of what was to come evident in his voice.

He saw the Akuma smirk as she laid a bare hand to Ladybug's lovely face.

Cat's fear and desperation to reach his Lady grew as his body wouldn't move on his command. It wouldn't cave from its' spot on the grass. He watched in horror as his Lady's face began to contort with such agony he believed he was feeling it with her. He clutched his heart as the pain increased and his legs quivered. He fell to the ground as his legs could no longer hold him up.

Still his body wouldn't move, wouldn't obey its' master's will.

He failed his Lady. He vowed he'd always protect his partner, even use his own body as a shield to her if need be but, he ended up failing her instead. Hot tears flowed down his cheeks.

The pain he felt in his heart was too real. He couldn't stop clutching at it with his claws. The despair he was feeling almost overcame him.

When, suddenly, there was a voice inside his head telling him to 'Snap out of it and save his partner' which sounded vaguely like his Kwami Plagg.

Cat couldn't feel more grateful towards his Kwami than he did then. He was wobbly, but Cat managed to stand on his feet.

He doesn't understand why he feels so weak, why he's so wobbly, like a newborn calf. It's taking everything in him just to stand upright. He grabbed his baton and extended it just enough for him to use as a means of walking. He hobbled to his love as he noted the Akuma was no longer paying him any mind.

That was fine with him.

The Akuma, Drainer, was still sitting on top of the now-past out superheroine. Ladybugs hands lay limply at her sides as the Akuma's were still placed on the girl's face, sucking out every last drop of energy the girl had to offer. Her previous mission long forgotten.

Cat Noir was now behind her, baton at the ready, gearing for a single strike to knock her unconscious. He positioned his hands once more, gripped tightly, and swung with all his might. His weapon connected to the back of the Akuma's skull with an audible 'crack!'.

There was a surprised inhalation as the Akuma fell sideways off the superheroine. Her eyes closed involuntarily.

The Akuma was barely off Ladybug for more than a few minutes before the irrefutable sound of Ladybug's Miraculous began its correlation of beeping, signaling the end of her transformation. Then there was a bright, pink flash and Ladybug was no more.

Just Marinette.

Confusion overrode Cat's brain making it malfunction. Whaa - ?

The young girl before him was all too familiar. She sat behind him in class everyday. She was his friend. She was Class President and just about every one in their class loved her.

She's sweet, kind, talented, compassionate, forgiving, caring, amazing, beautiful, his 'purrincess' and -

He could think of tons of words that could describe her purrfectly but now is not the time, though his brain is still short-circuiting.

She even helped him take down an Akuma! Albeit, one that was technically after her, more like in love with her, but she had still helped!

Hell, she's even comforted him on days when he was feeling down, as both Adrien Agreste and Cat Noir. . . Her. . . Partner. . .

The cogs in Cat's brain slowly began to click together.

When he was down as Adrien, it was always Ladybug who came to cheer him up. When he was down as Cat Noir, he somehow always ended up on Marinette's balcony, sitting with her outside drinking hot cocoa or inside and watching her draw. He found it calming. She was there when he was rejected by Ladybug - rejected by her - and he always found it strange the way she was so attentive and was adamant that it wasn't because of him that he was rejected. She always tried to reassure him of that. Now he knows why.

Marinette tried to heal the heart that she, as Ladybug, broke. She didn't want him to feel bad that she already loved someone else.

His heart still ached, remembering all the times that his Lady, Marinette, rejected him for another.

But somehow, it did. She even said so. Ladybug, no, Cat shakes his head, Marinette, told me so just minutes before this annoying Akuma had attacked.

She had told him, Cat Noir, that he had 'won the heart of his Bugaboo'. She told him she loved him then proceeded to kiss him.

Him, with all his pun-loving and dorkiness. She loved his true self and he, in return, had expressed how much he loved her.

Cat was giddy but gazing down at the unconscious girl before him, fighting whatever battle she was having mentally, seethed.

How dare she. How dare that Akuma do that to the love of his life? How dare she do this to Marinette! Cat's eyes burned red with rage.

A black substance suddenly engulfed the entirety of his clawed hand as he subconsciously called forth his super power.

His Cataclysm.

Cat wanted nothing more than to destroy that Akuma but he knew he couldn't. He won't go down that path. He'd be no better than that heinous criminal Hawk Moth. And that, he'll never be.

Without a second thought, Cat Noir placed his Cataclysmed hand onto a nearby object and watched as it crumbled before him. It left nothing more than ash.

Not a minute had gone by, after his Cataclysm was all used up, when he felt the stirring of nervousness. Cat's stomach was filled with the twisted swarm of butterflies that he knew all too well. He brought his worried green cat eyes to Marinette's, to his Lady's, fluttering blue-bell ones.

Why have I never noticed the deep likeness before? the Cat chastised himself. His own mind gave him the answer he already knew, because of the magic of their Miraculous, and because Ladybug never wanted to share their identities.

Their eyes met and Cat's breath hitched in the back of his throat. He was caught by her entrancing blues. He squeaked out, "Ma-marinette!?"

Cat Noir had not meant to say her name allowed but it just came out of its' own accord. His face blanched as he noted the even breathing of the sleeping Akuma. Drainer, as she was called, was still knocked out from the force of his baton. He sighed in relief as his eyes slid back to hers, as they closed slightly.

She was still dazed, not comprehending the situation they were in as she tried to keep them open. She managed a small glance at the figure beside her. The Akuma was laid sprawled out, as if they were knocked out but a blunt force. Her eyes slowly traveled back up to the leather-clad hero's.

His face, she noted, was flooded with emotion. Worry. Surprise. Caution. And was that guilt that Cat pushed back?

Guilt, for what, she silently asked them both.

She tried to think back to the Akuma attack, but she found it difficult to do so. It made her head pound to think but she was able to assemble bits and pieces.

They were fighting her. More like, she kept having to save her Cat's tail and therefore began to worry more and more over his near-suicidal recklessness which had caused her to be unfocused and her partner to battle the akuma alone. Though she knew she was also to blame for even letting herself get distracted. It caused her to have to sprint to her partner and she tackled their enemy to the cold ground.

The more she tried to gather memories the more her head pulsed.

She tried to remember what came after.

She remembered tackling the Akuma, then them wrestling for domination and that she had lost, ending up pinned beneath the terrifying Akuma. She remembered hearing Cat scream out her name as the Akuma smirked and laid her bare palm against Ladybug's cheek.

Next, she remembered,was the excruciating pain. She felt as if her body was on fire. She could feel her strength ebbing away. Her willpower staggered. She felt as if her body was collapsing in on itself, like her energy was sapping away. The Akuma was literally sucking her lifeforce from her very core. It was killing her, and the Akuma relished it.

She remembered screaming and the agony she was in. Her voice became hoarse and she no longer had one to scream with. She no longer had the strength or willpower to withstand the Akuma's assault on her soul.

She then remembered the fluffy feeling of peace, a warmth that had surrounded her and that she willingly snuggled into.

Then there was a voice calling her name. It called her to him like a beacon of light to night-sailing ships. She followed it, curious as to whom's voice is calling to her in a desperate and terrified manor. There was love laced into it, she could tell. It was also a familiar sound to her, like she's heard it as much as there are stars in the sky. She's positive about it.

His voice, said a whisper hidden in the depths of her mind. It echoed. His voice, his voice, hiss voice.

Cat's voice. Her partner. Her lover. Her other half's voice. She struggled to open her eyes; it was a hassle but her determination was something fierce. She cracked one eye open but the bright light was too much and they quickly shut back. Cat noticed and positioned himself in front of the burning sun. She finally gathered what strength she could and opened her eyes.

Without a word, she somehow managed to lift her left arm and lazily cupped his cheek. The very motion put a big strain on her weakened state. Her eyelids became heavier, drooping in want of sleep.

"Ch-chat…" Marinette knew her time awake was dwindling. She could no longer hold her eyes from fluttering closed. She no longer had the strength to cup Cat's face but, when he felt it slip, he gripped her small hand to his cheek with his rather large one. He nuzzled into.

Cat was terrified, mortified at how weakened the Akuma had made Marinette, just from a simple skin-to-skin contact. About how fast her strength seemed to be ebbing away, like someone diagnosed with ALS. Her body couldn't take the extreme amount of draining, per se, at once. It was killing her. He thought he got the Akuma off in time, but he might be wrong.

His eyes teared up, breath hitching, lips trembling.

But he carefully scooped up what he presumed to be Ladybug's - Marinette's - Kwami, Tikki. She looked just as drained as Marinette, maybe even worse. After all, when they're transformed, their Kwamis take the worst of the hits, so it makes sense that Tikki would be worse off. He would even go so far as to say, lifeless. It looked as if Tikki was barely breathing. Cat could feel Plagg's panic begin to build even more fervently than before, as is his own. He gently laid the red bug-like creature in his suits' pocket. He could feel Plagg adjusting it to suit his other half's needs. For once, he was grateful to have them.

After he comfortably placed Tikki, he began his search of the Akuma, feeling guilty for touching her without permission, but Ladybug and Tikki are more important to them than his morals right now. He searched for the Akumatized object, found it, then placed it in the opposite pocket.

With that out of the way, Cat gently picked up his princess, his lady, Marinette, and brought her close to his chest, holding her fastly to him. He carefully made his way to her balcony via his baton. He landed as softly as he could so as not to jostle her awake from much-needed slumber.

Today was a real drainer for them both, after all. Cat gave even himself a snort at that lame and untimely pun.

If Ladybug were awake, she'd roll her eyes but give him an endearing smile full of affection.

The second beep of his Miraculous sounded. He sighed as he gently and with the utmost care, laid her on her loft bed.

He knew how exhausted they'll each be when they wake. He can only wish that he could be there when she did. But he had to go home. No choice.

Cat sighed once more as he retrieved the sleeping bug from his pocket and gently set her by Marinette's sleeping face.

She looked to be, somewhat, in peace, he thought. He watched them for another beep of his miraculous, which signaled that he really should be leaving. Especially if he wanted to make it home in time for his detransformation.

He pulled Marinette's blanket over them and went about tuckiner her in. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and as he was about to jump through the balcony hatch, he lightly kissed Tikki on her middle dot, noting the warmth coming from her's.

Neither one of them had stirred.

He frowned, not liking this new development. What if they gained a temperature? He really didn't want to go now, but he knew staying wasn't an option, especially if his hunch on Hawk Moth was correct.

Cat also knew that he better not see Marinette at school tomorrow, as much as he'd really love to see her…though she probably won't be able to move for awhile.

Plus, as superheroes, their Kwami's health comes first.

He quickly wrote her a note telling her to take it easy tomorrow and the next few weeks. He signed it 'with love from CN' before he climbed up back up the stairs and through her skylight. The balcony, once filled with laughter, felt lonely tonight.

He looked back at her longingly, "Good night, Purrincess. Sweet dreams," before he closed the skylight behind him.

Cat hopped from balcony to balcony as he raced home to beat his timer. His transformation beeped out just as he entered through his bedroom window.

Plagg came spiraling out and landed in Adrien's cupped hands, himself exhausted.

Hell, they both were.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ALL I CAN SAY, IS I'M BACK IN ACTION! HAVE A NEW LAPTOP AND EVERYTHING I NEED ALLL EXCEPT INTERNET! THEN HOW DID I UPLOAD THIS YOU ASK? WELLL, AT WORK, YOU SEE! THOUGH I WON'T HAVE MUCH TIME IN BETWEEN WORK AND AFTER, BUT I'LL TRY MY DAMNDEST! CAT'S HONOUR! HOPE Y'ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER, AND HOPE THE ANTICIPATION WAS WORTH THE WAIT AND CAT SCRATCHES! -MISHU OUT-