I blame ChubbyUnicornMama/CaptainMalcolmReynolds

It's been almost a year since we talked about making a continuation to this, but…I still blame you.

(:)

The next week was packed full of blessing. Hawkmoth didn't attack the entire time, Alya informed Adrien that Marinette was found (even though the teen already knew, because he was the one to figure it out), three days later, Marinette got out of the hospital ahead of schedule, and for the first time, Gabriel allowed Adrien to go see a movie with Nino.

Despite all the wonderful things going on in his life, Chat Noir could not accept it when Ladybug swung down next to him.

After all, her doctors had told Marinette that it would be another two weeks before she could do all the things she had done before – not including gym, which would only be allowed after a month or two more. And if gym was restricted, of course she couldn't go swinging around as Ladybug!

Nuh-uh. Out of the question.

His worry for her was what caused him to do what he did. Or at least, that's the way he always told the story. (To Plagg, since no-one else could really listen.)

One day, whilst he was doing his patrol rounds, Ladybug caught up to him, yo-yo string retracting into its thick shell as she did a perfect backflip next to him. "Hey, Chat!"

He jumped at least a foot high, gaping at her in shock. "What're you-? You're not supposed to be-?!"

"Well, I am here." Ladybug shrugged, looking a bit confused by his uncompleted sentences. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long; personal matters and all that junk."

Chat Noir groaned – loudly – in annoyance. "That's not what I meant."

"Really?" Ladybug blinked in surprise, cocking her head. Chat really wasn't looking forward to this. "Then what is going on?"

Chat Noir took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Ladybug, I know."

"Know what…?"

"I know you were shot." Chat Noir told her, crossing his arms.

Ladybug paled several shades and jerked back from him, grabbing her stomach in pain at the sharp movement, gaping at him. "No! You couldn't have…how? You can't…" She paused for a moment, then her eyes alit in fury. "What are you talking about? I wasn't shot! I've been perfectly fine for the last week, and-!"

"Oh, you weren't shot? You've been perfectly fine?" Chat Noir sarcastically growled, eyes narrowing. "I don't recall that being the motto when you landed on my window sill last Friday. Delirious and bleeding out, might I add."

"I thought…" Ladybug frowned in confusion. "Wait, that wasn't just a hallucination?" She gripped her head. "No, no, that means…but then…how'd I get home?!" She looked up, eyes wide and horrified. "No."

"I'm sorry." He said, tilting his head. "I needed to get you home, Marinette, and I couldn't-"

"No, nononono." She whimpered, sitting down and cradling her temples. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Marine-"

"No!" She insisted, jolting backwards. "No, while we're talking, I'm Ladybug. I'm not… I don't know…" she murmured, covering her face. "You're not supposed to know about my civilian life. And my civilian life friends aren't supposed to know about my super hero life. They're supposed to be separate, but now I can't keep them that way, and-" she peeked up at him from between her fingers, making it impossible for him to know what she was feeling. "You're not supposed to know…"

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "Ladybug, you worried me so much. You were unconscious for literal days, and there was so much blood everywhere. I knew you had to get real care, and…well, I had to convince Plagg to tell me so I could get you somewhere safe."

"I wasn't hallucinating." Ladybug whined again. "I've actually been… Wait! I've actually been in your house!"

"Yes." Chat Noir nodded, forcing himself not to smile at the thought. "You have."

"It stunk." Ladybug said, recalling the single detail she actually was able to hone onto that wasn't just her conversation with him. "Really, really bad."

"Camembert." He told her. "The rest of the house is odorless. Unfortunately, my room is the victim of Plagg's cheese hiding places."

She cracked a small smile at that.

"Not the best place for medical care." He joked.

"No." Ladybug agreed.

She paused for a long moment, tilting her head. "I don't blame you." She assured him, ducking her head once more. "I'm not really mad, either. Frustrated at myself, but you're not… you're not the victim, okay?"

Chat Noir nodded, reaching out to hold her hand. Ladybug let him take it.

"Listen." She said, quietly. "Now that you know, I don't think that I can really restrict you from coming over to my house. You can hang out there, if you want. Just… don't reveal your identity. Not until I'm ready, okay?"

"I'll wait as long as you want me to." He promised, squeezing gently.

"Oh, boy." She sighed. "This is going to take so much getting used to." She squinted suspiciously. "Wait, you're going to be mother-henning me, aren't you?"

Unashamed, he nodded.

"Great. Another one." She accepted reluctantly, ducking her head. "I wonder how long I'll survive with all this doting attention. It was so hard to sneak out just for patrol."

"Well, sneaking out time's over." He said, scooping her up into his arms with no warning, carefully supporting her abdomen. "You've got to get home and rest."

Ladybug grunted noncommittedly, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Sleep is for the weak."

"Sleep is for the smart." He flashed back, giving her his best model-smile. "And for those who just got shot."

"I'm never going to be able to sneak out ever again." Ladybug realized in distaste, glaring up at her perpetrator.

(:)

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Chat Noir wanted to know, staring at her with his biggest kitten eyes.

"Yes, for the last time." Marinette groaned, covering her face. "I know you're making my parents, like, unbelievably happy that you can take care of me while they're in the bakery, but… I can handle myself."

"I know." He agreed, bobbing his head. "I know you're quite capable, but you're injured." He narrowed his eyes. "Injured enough that it left you unconscious for two days."

"It was a mistake letting Tikki take me there." Marinette deadpanned, glaring at her red Kwami.

"Judging by how you collapsed the moment you reached his house, which was closer than your house was at the moment, you wouldn't have lasted all the way back to the bakery." Tikki pointed out. "And even if you had, your parents would have had no idea why Ladybug had chosen to come to their house for shelter. I doubt you would have even been coherent enough to transform. Finally, if you made it far enough to detransfrom, your parents would have mothered you far more then Chat Noir ever did. Is."

"But still." Marinette insisted, leaning forward. "This is getting so annoying."

"Care to say that to the one person who kept you alive for two days?" Chat Noir admonished, blinking quite slowly at her.

"Okay, okay, point taken." She grunted, flopping back down to stare at the ceiling. "I hate being on bed rest."

"I'm sorry." He said, genuinely apologetic. "I know you're usually a very active person, and this must be horrible for you, but it's for the best so you can recover properly."

"Still sucks." Marinette grunted, reaching behind her to grab her sketch book from the shelf at the head of her bed. "It's really a shame that Alya has an internship and can't visit like you can." She said, glancing down. "I need a pencil. Will you get a pencil for me? They're in the middle pink drawer."

"Yeah." He jumped down to grab it, before swinging back up.

"I'm only a little confused on why Mama and Papa were so okay with …" she gestured to him. "This. Especially after the Weredad incident."

"Which I want an explanation for." Chat Noir reminded her, tilting his head. "Because that was the most confusing day of my life."

"I thought you had figured out my identity." She recited briefly, taking the pencil from his hand and beginning to doodle. She waited until his eyes lit up with realization, then nodded. "Yep. Dumb, right?"

"It was a very…confusing plan." He admitted. "Especially how your usual ones are so surreal."

"Mmhmm, yes, I know I'm brilliant." Marinette unhumbly boasted, flipping her loose hair over one shoulder as she continued to sketch.

Chat Noir beamed at her, watching her draw for several minutes, uncaring that she wasn't paying him any attention anymore. The silence between them was comforting, without any tension or worry.

Marinette – Ladybug – was okay, on the road to recovery. She might feel like the path was rough, but she was sticking to it. She was fine with him knowing her identity, and she wasn't shoving him out or demanding his Miraculous or anything. His fear for her condition was a thing of the past. Sure, he didn't want her to push herself too far, but he wasn't afraid that she would one day not wake up. Not anymore. Not after so many weeks.

Marinette looked up, blue eyes lovely and kind. "That position does not look pleasant. Come on up."

"Really?" He asked, perking up in surprise. She wasn't one for snuggling or sitting closely to…anyone, really.

"Sure." She shrugged, squeezing up close to the wall bordering the bed. She patted the area beside him, and he scampered over to sit down beside her, able to get a clear look of her sketchbook, littered with skirts, dresses, hats, and purses. There was one tiny Chat Noir in the corner, but her finger was half-covering it, so he was unable to get a good look at it.

Marinette closed the book slowly and decisively, staring at his boots as if they were the only bad thing in the world. "Boots. On my nice, clean blankets. Vermin."

"Sorry. Would take them off if I could." Chat Noir promised, hunching his shoulders guiltily.

"I don't actually mind." Marinette assured him, leaning against him gently. "I'm just messing with you, kitty."

His jolted in surprise, but when she didn't move, he relaxed, curling one arm around Marinette. Chat Noir snuggled his nose into her hair and kissing her forehead. "I'm glad you're alright, Milady."

"I know." Marinette assured. "I'm glad that, of everyone, it was you who helped me." She paused, tilting her head as she stared at the pink wall across the room thoughtfully. She gripped his free hand like a vise, looking back up at him. "It'll be soon, kitty." She smiled up at him, patting his leg. "Soon, I'll be ready for you to reveal yourself."

"Can't wait, Bugaboo." He purred against her. "Until then, I'll be patient."

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