A/N: The next chapter of Second Chances will likely be another week. Life's been a bit rough lately, meaning writing has kinda taken a back seat, but I also found a beta reader for it, meaning they need tome to edit and get back to me. In the meantime, here's chapter 2 of this little story.
The light of dawn shone through the windows, pinks quickly fading by now to allow bright, clear light to strike a certain superheroine's costume. Marinette had woken surprisingly early considering that a tattered superhero had crash landed on her balcony last night. Realizing he was still asleep and assuming he'd be out for a while, she went downstairs to grab breakfast and boil some water for tea. She then slipped down into the bakery to grab a handful of different pastries for Chat to wake up to before returning to the kitchen to finish making herself some tea. Then, she found a travel mug with a closeable lid that she filled with water to take up for Chat.
Before she returned to her room, she called for her transformation, determined to wait for him as Ladybug.
She opened the hatch, and a groan came from her bed. "Mari?"
Immediately, Ladybug set the drinks and pastries on the desk before scrambling up to her bed. "Chat. It's me."
He stared at her for a moment, his eyes unfocused and half-lidded. "Bug?" His voice was hoarse, but he was awake and somewhat lucid.
She took his hand in hers and sighed in relief. "You had me worried, Chaton," she said, rubbing circles with her thumb on his hand. "I didn't know what to think when I saw you."
He tried to give her his signature self-confident smirk, but it came out faded with exhaustion. "Marinette patched this cat up pur rfectly. You don't have to worry about me, bugaboo."
She smiled sweetly. "Trust me, I still do." Her smile quickly faded. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"
His smile vanished, too. "It's sore, but I'm fine."
"Chat," she warned.
"Really."
"What do you need?"
"Nothing. I'm fine."
Despite his clear exhaustion, there was still a firmness in his gaze that told her he wasn't going to budge on the subject. "Then do you want some water? Maybe a pastry? Or are you not hungry."
Chat shook his head.
"Are you sure?"
Chat frowned. "I've bothered Marinette enough as is. I don't want to bother her for anything more."
"Considering she already put a plate together for you, it clearly wasn't a bother."
Chat paused, his brow knitting together.
Ladybug pat his hand before setting it down on the bed and giving him a 'just a moment' hand-motion. She hopped down from her bed and grabbed the tray of pastries and thermos of water before returning.
He had taken that time to attempt to prop himself up, but the grimace he wore belayed his pain.
She gave him a pitying look. "Let me help you."
The most he gave was one very weak protest as Ladybug propped him against the pillows and plushies. By the time he was settled, he was breathing deeply in pain.
Despite what he said, Ladybug couldn't stand it. She hopped off the bed once again and quickly went into her bathroom to raid her medicine cabinet before returning with a handful of bottles.
"Eat a little something?" she coaxed, pushing the plate closed and shoving the thermos of water into his hands. "It's not good to take these on an empty stomach."
He frowned down at the medication bottles she dumped on the bed. "I don't need medication. I'm fine."
She leveled him with a glare. "Aspirin, Ibuprofen, or Aleve? None isn't an option."
He studied her. "You aren't going to let it go."
"Not when you're clearly in pain."
A pause stretched between them, Chat staring at her until her expression softened. "Please, don't fight me."
He relented with a sigh. "Aleve."
She opened the bottle to hand him a pill before returning the medicine back to the bathroom cabinet. When she returned, Chat had already taken the medicine and was picking at a plain croissant on the plate. He took a small bite, and Ladybug inwardly cheered.
But that was all he had before he leaned back and let his eyes drift shut. Ladybug moved the plate away before situating herself at his side. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Chaton?"
He grunted. "No. I'm just tired."
"Then rest."
He forced his eyes open to look down at her. "I can't stay here."
"Why not?"
"I can't put Marinette at risk any more than I have."
"You're hidden away. How is this a risk?"
Chat grimaced. "Hawkmoth… he knows me. He knows who I am. Knows where I might go. And this place is a risk."
Ladybug frowned. "How is this place more of a risk than anywhere else?"
Pain that wasn't the physical kind flashed across his face once again. "Bug," he began in a tone she didn't like. "I have to tell you who I am."
For years, they'd managed to keep their identities a secret from each other. Chat may have argued, demanded, begged to know who she was, desperate to learn who his partner was under the mask, but he'd never stated it as fact. Never looked at her with his eyes so dim as they are now. Yet, she knew those eyes, knew how to read them, knew what emotions he held.
And right now, underneath all the exhaustion was determination. Determination to not let her object.
"Okay."
Shock lit his eyes a moment. "You're not gonna fight me?"
She shook her head. "Not this time, Chat." She reached for his hand, grabbing it to hold tightly yet never removing her eyes from his. "I trust your call on this occasion."
"Hawkmoth is my father," he said in way of explanation. "And that's why you need to know."
"I know."
It slipped from her mouth so quickly she didn't have the chance to process that Chat hadn't told her that.
He'd told Marinette.
His brow furrowed. "You know?"
Well, here she went. No turning back now. "You told me."
He seemed like he was about to object, yet he didn't, almost as though he was second guessing himself.
"Spots off," she whispered, feeling the magic disappear from around her. She watched as realization dawned over Chat, his eyes widening and mouth slowly falling open.
"You told me, Chaton," she repeated with a soft smile.
Slowly, his eyes grew glassy. Then, in the blink of an eye, those tears spilled over and a warbly smile took over his weary one. His grip on her hand tightened as he used all his strength to yank her forward. She twisted to avoid slamming into his chest, colliding with the pillows and plushies instead. However, from the way he cradled her head and nestled her forehead against his own, he probably wouldn't have cared.
"Marinette," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. Happiness if the way he tightened his hold on her and pressed his forehead harder against hers was any indication. "Oh, Marinette."
She smiled, reaching up to cradle his cheeks.
"You're so miraculous."
Those words, spoken so tenderly and reverently, struck her so unexpectedly hard in her heart.
"I mean it," he spoke before she could say a word. "I mean it."
She knew he did. She also knew he didn't mean Ladybug.
He meant her.
She tilted her head forward to bop their noses together, shaking her head to give him eskimo kisses. She could practically feel him light up with such attention. "Tell me who my precious Chaton is."
"Gladly, Princess. Claws in."
A flash of green filled the room, then dulled out just as quick as it came, revealing one purrfectly handsome young man.
She just didn't expect Adrien Agreste.
"Adrien," she realized, her heart now fluttering wildly around inside her chest as she soaked in this information. A beaming smile stretched across her lips as her eyes now dazzled with joy. Her partner was Adrien Agreste. Adrien Agreste was her partner.
Her smile faded.
Hawkmoth was his father.
Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth.
"Minou," she cooed, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Adrien, I'm so sorry."
It took a moment for him to process what exactly she was talking about. Why exactly she was apologizing. But the moment it clicked, he was pushing himself away form her.
"I can't stay here," he said.
"What?"
He slipped from her slacked grasp, showing her his newly pale skin and horror in his eyes. "I can't stay here, bug. I can't."
She grabbed hold of his clothes as he tried to pull away. "What are you talking about?"
"He's going to look for me," Adrien said, turning a newly fierce gaze on her. "He's going to call everyone he knows I know. He's going to ask if they've seen me. I can't let him find me here."
She frowned. "You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here."
"I won't take that risk."
"And I'm not letting you go." Marinette yanked him down, not caring that he yelped in pain. She was going to force him to stay.
"Bug," he argued, even though his labored breathing belayed just how bad his pain was. "I can't take the risk of him realizing your identity. If he finds me here with you, he's going to think—"
"Fine," she firmly interrupted. "Let him. Let him learn who I am. I'm standing by your side, and that is final."
A tense silence slipped between them as the stare down dragged on until Adrien's expression softened. "Princess," he said, taking her hand in his. "Please. Let me go."
"Why?" she asked, her own voice soft as she squeezed his hand.
"Because I finally found you," he said. "And what was once the most incredible partner in the world and the sweetest friend I could have asked for is now the most precious thing in my life. I'm not going to take the risk of my father finding you."
She stayed still a moment longer, staring down at him before laying down at his side. "No," she said, settling against his shoulder and snuggling up to him. "Because what was once the best partner I could have asked for and the talented young man I had a crush on is now the most precious thing in my life. I'm not letting you go. And if you think you're going to win against me, remember who's injured and who's not."
Adrien stared at her a long moment. "You had a crush on me?"
"On Adrien?" Marinette clarified. "Yeah. And not because you're a model."
"I never would have thought that," he quickly said. "You're not that kind of girl."
His words caught her off-guard, and it took several seconds to recover. Still, the blush never left her cheeks. "My point still stands," she said. "I don't care if your father learns who I am. I am your partner. That means I will stand by you to protect you and care for you. I'm not going to let you leave."
His eyes drifted closed.
"Please, don't fight me."
When they reopened, when green met blue and held it for the longest time, Adrien finally relented. "The only reason I'm staying is cause I can't fight you."
"You really don't want to stay?" she said, partly teasing, partly curious.
"Every superhero knows you don't lead the supervillain to your home. You stay as far away as you can to protect it."
As the words struck her one by one, her heart went started up a wild rhythm in her chest. Heat flooded her cheeks and warm filled her stomach. Because the way he was looking at her, she clearly understood his implication.
"But there are times you have to protect your home," she countered, her voice a bit breathless. "Especially when it's compromised." With that, she propped herself up on her elbows, her face now hovering over Adrien's. "You're as much my home as I am yours. It's my turn to protect you. If he learns who I am, then so be it. We know who he is. He's compromised far more than us."
A new wave of exhaustion slowly took him over, hitting his eyes first, dulling the color and draining the life out of them.
"Stay and recover, Chaton," she said, cradling his jaw tenderly. "I got you."
With a weary grin, he reached up to cradle her nape, pulling her head closer in order to leave a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Okay. You win."
She started up the eskimo kisses again, relishing the way he radiated joy at the motion. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized this was how addictions start. But so what. This was her partner, whom she loved and treasured and who cherished her in return. If something so simple could bring a smile—a real, beautiful, bright smile that the world was rarely allowed to see on the model—to his face, then she would pour such affection out on him. "Get some rest, minou."
"Stay."
She couldn't imagine leaving. "Are you comfortable?" she asked, fluffing his pillow before he could even answer.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her down and against his side. "Now I am."
Giggling, she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing her to scratch his head in the way he adored so much.
His smile grew as he leaned into her touch. "I love when you do that."
"You're such a cat," she whispered.
"Your cat?" he asked, hope filling his voice. Hope that he was more than just her partner.
She shifted, guiding his head towards her so as to press a long, lingering kiss to his temple. "My kitty."
She swore he started purring. At the very least, he was beaming under her attentions. As she settled back against his side, his arm tightening his grip around her waist and nose now pressed into her hair, she knew they would have much to talk about later. Their partnership had changed in ways neither one of them were fully able to comprehend at that moment.
But, as Marinette's eyes drifted closed, lulled by Adrien's steady breathing and the slow motions she was swirling in his hair, she knew there would be a time for that. And that wasn't now. Wasn't for a while. Because they still had one last enemy to defeat, and she knew that taking him down would change everything.