Chapter Nineteen

For years Adrien had been told what to do, how to do it and when to do it. For the first time in his life he was able to choose for himself without an outside influence. As Marinette's fingers combed through his hair with gentle caresses he found a sense of peace he'd been lacking for as long as he could remember. With her, things felt right regardless of the guise. When he thought about it, Marinette had always provided a level of comfort and reassurance to him without effort. Even when she had been a nervous wreck in their teens.

The model smiled against her shoulder. He really had been oblivious. Closing his eyes briefly, Adrien trailed his hand up her neck to hold her in place as he kissed her opposite cheek. A blissful sigh sounded from his partner. Adrien opened his eyes to sit back and gaze upon Marinette. Worry filled her beautiful blue eyes, and he reached up with both hands to cradle her jaw. "Thank you," he said quietly, leaning forward to place a tender kiss on her lips.

"For what?" she blinked in confusion.

"For being you." He said with a warm smile filled with adoration.

A wide dopey grin spread across her face in return and he resisted the urge to chuckle. She looked positively goofy. Now he understood why she'd always made fun of him as Chat Noir, no doubt he looked just as silly when he'd gazed at her that way. He couldn't resist bopping the end of her nose in the typical fashion she'd dished out to him countless times before.

"You still with me?" he smirked.

Marinette gave his chest a playful shove as a faint blush touched her cheeks. "Yes, silly cat."

He reached up and tugged her twin pigtails. "That's sexy cat to you. I'm utterly purrfect wouldn't you say?" Adrien glanced at her sideways with a sensual wink.

A twinkle of mirth shone in her eyes as she shook her head. "I hate it when you're right."

"And I like when you admit I'm sexy." He laughed wholeheartedly. But his humour faded with his next comment. "About becoming a guardian, I'm not sure I am the right person. Also, it's a mountain of responsibility."

Marinette pursed her lips as she looked at him. "Adrien, you've been running your father's business for almost three years. You were thrown in the deep end with one of the steepest learning curves to climb. Despite that, you managed to turn around his brand when it was on the brink. More than that, you managed to make it flourish. Not just anybody could do that. When you set your mind to it, you can do anything you want. I believe in you."

The model lowered his forehead to rest against hers, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath. "Thanks bugaboo, I needed to hear that."

"Anytime, hot stuff."

He chuckled at her endearment as Master Fu returned with the tea. Adrien sat back to face the guardian while Marinette remained perched on his lap. The model cleared his throat. "I've got a couple of questions. If I become a guardian, can I hold onto my miraculous? And also, how would this impact my partnership with Marinette?"

Master Fu passed them their cups of tea and settled on the floor opposite the pair. "The miraculous of destruction should not be active without the miraculous of creation, they balance each other out. They are meant to be used side by side. They are like yin and yang. The two halves complete and complement each other. Chat Noir needs Ladybug and vice versa. Essentially you'd both hold onto your miraculous." He explained.

A roguish smirk spread across Adrien's face as he looked at Marinette. "See, I told you we were meant to be together, for years." He drew out that last part for emphasis.

She jabbed him in the side with her finger. "We're together now, so stop complaining."

Adrien snickered as he beamed at her. Then the playfulness left his features as he turned back to Fu. "Alright, I'm glad we can both retain our miraculous. So, if I decide to take up your offer and become a guardian, what do I need to do?"

Plagg and Tikki paused in their game with Wayzz to listen.

The older man lifted his tea cup and his eyes smiled over the rim. "Firstly, you must accept who you are."

"Easier said than done." Adrien admitted, while running his hand over his face as he glanced away. Marinette squeezed his shoulder in support.

"True, but you need to start somewhere." Fu pulled his smart phone from his pocket and activated the screen. "I'd suggest you start here."

Taking the phone, the pair looked at it together. Inhaling sharply, Adrien shot a wary look to Marinette. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this."

"I've got your back, Chat Noir." She said, raising her fist as she waited for him to bump it in return.

After a glance at their kwamis, he did. "Alright, let's do this."

Apprehension was making Adrien's hands shake and his belly roil. He tried to focus on the little things, like the rough surface of the ladder rungs with their peeling paint biting into his fingers while he ascended the tall monstrosity. The ladder was bolted to the side of a brick building adjacent to Master Fu's place. Marinette was in the lead, just like old times. But never had he followed her in such a way when they were out of costume. Reaching the roof, the model flashed a tight smiled as his partner lent him a hand for the final step. Without hesitation he took it and strutted across the flat roof to stand in the shadows of the chimneys.

"You want me to go first?" she asked.

Adrien shook his head. "No, I should." He sneered in the darkness, "Before I chicken out."

Plagg floated from Adrien's jacket with a mocking smirk. The black kwami put his paws under his armpits and flapped his elbows as he clucked at Adrien.

"Oh, shut up," the blonde said in tandem with Tikki as he rolled his eyes. "Plagg, claws out."

It was only as he looked over to Marinette that he realised it was the first time he'd ever transformed in front of anyone else. In his younger days, he'd posed and flounced as the magic did its thing. Now, he simply went through the primary movements that applied the changes to his appearance, then gave his partner a two fingered salute as he morphed into the finished product of Chat Noir. "Your turn, milady." He said with a bow.

Marinette's eyes wandered over him with appreciation and he was tempted to preen. "Sure thing, kitty. Tikki, spots on."

Chat Noir was wonderstruck as he finally got to witness his partner's transformation. Unlike him, Marinette had no qualms in going through the full motions and they were well practiced as he watched her become Ladybug. What he really liked was the way she smiled at him when she was done. There was no roll of eyes or sneer at his silly antics. Nope, pure adoration shone out of those blue eyes. He extended his hand, "Shall we?"

Ladybug grinned and placed her smaller hand within his. "Of course, handsome man."

With a rakish smirk, Chat Noir yanked her arm to pull her against his left side as he snatched up his baton in his right hand. He gave Ladybug a quick peck on the cheek and squeezed her tight. "To Pont de la Concorde it is."

Red clad arms weaved their way around Chat Noir's shoulder and waist and he cocked a masked eyebrow. "Ladybug, what will people say?"

"That I'm the luckiest lady in town," she grinned back as he shot them into the air when he extended his baton.

"Unlikely," he snorted as he vaulted them in vast bounds. "It'll be: oh, Chat Noir's not dead. Who knew?"

"And whose fault is that?" She teased, "Anyway, if this is a comeback, are you going to show me your flash and flair?"

"I'm speeding across Paris and not via the shadows, that's a lot of pizazz for me these days." He admitted.

"Alright, baby steps. I do suppose we need to rush to our destination." Ladybug said in a mockingly droll tone.

"Hmm, a bus hanging off the side of a bridge would be considered an emergency I would think." Chat Noir replied with an amused wink.

She turned serious. "Yeah, it is. Are you going to be okay with this?"

"It's not an akuma, we've dealt with wayward buses before." He reminded her and winced as he remembered the particular instance when he'd tried to convince her to join him for a romantic rooftop rendezvous directly after stopping an out of control bus. That had been an epic fail.

"Mind on the job, kitty." She said while patting his cheek.

"Right," he replied, snapping out of it.

Chat Noir slowed as they neared the bridge. The pair dropped to a rooftop to take in the scene. Emergency services were on the job, along with media which had Chat's skin crawling under his suit. Ladybug caught his hand and gave it a squeeze. "It'll be alright."

He nodded as he sucked in a long, deep breath. "The bus doesn't look stable. How the hell it managed to crash through a stone barrier beats me."

"Looks like another bus T-boned it. Shall we take a closer look?"

"You should first, I'm going to attract too much attention." He replied as he cocked his head to study the half of the bus hanging precariously over the Seine. "I'm thinking I might be able to use my staff to shove the bus back if I can get the correct angle."

Ladybug nodded. "Okay, I'll check things from the bridge."

Chat Noir gave a wave of acknowledgement as he cocked his head to study the bus. His brow furrowed as he leapt a few buildings closer for a better view. With a growl of frustration, he knew he was going to have to move in. Already there was a buzz of chatter, and he knew it meant that Ladybug had been spotted. Shaking his head, Chat realised there was nothing else for it.

With practised ease the black cat of Paris leapt across the distance to land on the top of a street lamp. He ignored the gasps as he focussed his attention on the bus. But it was difficult with the resounding chorus of "Look, it's Chat Noir!" flooding in around him. He leapt to the next street light and this one gave him the view he was looking for.

The front folding doors of the bus were damaged and couldn't be opened. It was the same case for the rear. Emergency services were busy trying to cut their way in to release the passengers but with each touch of their tools the bus swayed. It was obvious what he needed to do. "Ladybug, secure the front of the bus!" he shouted.

His partner responded with action. The familiar spin of her yoyo sounded as she spun an intricate net with her yoyo string, stopping the bus from rolling forward any further. Chat Noir dropped from his perch and headed for the rear doors of the bus. "Excuse me," he had to say a few times as onlookers stared at him in awe and forgot to move out of his path. He waved everyone away from the bus doors.

"I got this." He said with a confident lift of his chin, remembering Ladybug's jibe about flash and flair. As he called on his power he intended to put on a show. "Cataclysm!" But the moment his hand began to teem with black floating bubbles he froze. Memories of the last time he used his power flashed in his mind as he stared blankly at his right glove. A phantom pain shot through his cheek and Ladybug's scream of the past had his feline ears rotating in search of a sound that wasn't there.

Suddenly a real voice called out to him. "Chat Noir, do it!" Ladybug's piercing tone released him from his paralysis.

Green eyes blinked out of the memory fog and refocussed on the twisted metal and glass before him. With a tentative step forward. Chat Noir placed his hand on the damaged bus door and watched it turn to ash and crumble. The moment he lowered his hand, people streamed out of the bus singing his praises, patting him on the shoulder and welcoming him back. He heard none of it. All he could think of was that night.

It was only when his partner called out "Miraculous Ladybug!" that he realised she'd been busy doing her thing with her lucky charm. The swarm of magical ladybugs swirled around them to fix everything as if there'd never even been an accident on the bridge. But Chat Noir continued to stare blindly ahead.

Cameras flashed around him, smart phones were thrust in his face but Chat Noir didn't move. The blink of masked eyelids combined with the rise and fall of his chest were the only indicators that the superhero wasn't a statue. So many voices heckled him, "Where have you been, Chat Noir? Why has it taken you so long to return? Are you back in Paris for good? Chat Noir? Chat Noir?"

The blonde tossed his head, shaking away the funk that had settled over him. Panic began to crawl up his throat and close off his airways as he realised he was surrounded. He raised his hands and attempted to back away but he bumped into more people behind him. A microphone was thrust in his face. "Chat Noir, I'm Nadja Chamack. Will you answer a few questions for your fans?"

Green feline eyes assessed the woman before him. "Not at this time. Maybe later." Snatching up his baton from his back, Chat Noir launched into the air and away from the crowd. High in the sky, he retracted his baton only to extend it again as he pitched into the safety of the shadows, forgetting his partner in his need to flee.

It took several blocks of distance before Chat Noir remembered Ladybug and he skidded to a halt upon a narrow-pitched roof. He let out a curse as he realised what he had done. Fortunately, his partner was hot on his trail. "Chat, are you alright?" she called as she rushed towards him and almost knocked him over in her haste to hug him.

With his arms pinned to his sides by his very worried lady, the hero let out a sigh. "I was fine until I used my power. I had a flashback to last time I called upon it and I couldn't break free of the memory. I'm sorry." For the first time he noticed the chirp of his miraculous, and looked down at his ring to see he had just two paw pads left. He'd never even heard the other warnings.

"We can't stay here," Ladybug said as she released him to take a step back. "My place is closer than yours. Let's go."

The forlorn feelings within him were brushed aside as his partner extended her hand out to him. Before taking it, he looked up at her with a grateful but small smile. "Thank you, milady." Then he gripped her hand like a lifeline and they bounded across the rooftops together.

Poor Chat Noir, it's going to take a while for him to get back to his old self. But he's on the road to recovery.

As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting :) Your comments make my day.