A/N: Australet789 did another Marichat piece with Marinette wearing a bandage. I couldn't NOT write something for it. Do you know how big of a sucker I am for one character taking care of their injured love interest?

"Ahh!"

Chat's ears pinned back in guilt. "I'm sorry," he said, begging for forgiveness. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she panted. "It's fine."

But it wasn't. He'd failed to protect her. The akuma had stalled them, allowing precious seconds of her five minutes to slip through their fingers. Without a magical suit to protect her, she was vulnerable to attacks.

She was vulnerable to injury.

Furthermore, to have her identity revealed to him in such a way, against her will in the mist of battle, sparked fire in him that burned hot and uncontrollable. Because Hawkmoth had forced his lady into a compromising position, and Chat was not okay with that.

The next few moments were a blur, a haze of anger and destruction. The akuma was broken, and the black butterfly flew away into the city.

Because his lady had been knocked out in the fight.

He took her home, remembering from the times she had patched him up as Chat where she kept her medical supplies. It had always baffled him why she had such an extensive arsenal, but now that he knew the reason, it only made him sick.

He finished wrapping her arm, meaning there was no more procrastinating that wound on her shoulder.

But for that her shirt needed to come off.

He blushed. This was probably way out of her comfort zone; it was out of his, too. Unfortunately, her wound was bleeding out, badly. They didn't have the luxury.

Chat positioned himself behind her just as she started reaching for the hem. He helped her when she started grunting in pain, gently peeling the blood-encrusted fabric from her skin.

"Lay down for me."

She did, her face burying into the pillow of her bed. If the fact she faced her head away from him was any indication, she probably wore a blush, too.

He didn't blame her. Being forced to reveal her identity was one thing, but this was another. They hadn't yet had a chance to talk about her blown cover, meaning they hadn't yet had the chance to address the fact that Ladybug and Marinette were the same person. But right now, there were far more pressing matters, the large wound on her shoulder being it.

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up and finish," she begged, her voice strained with exhaustion and embarrassment.

He had to unhook the fasteners of her completely ruined bra, feeling so much like a cad for doing so but forced to remove the fabric that was covering the wound. As he poured alcohol on a fresh cotton pad, he couldn't help but stare at her shoulder. The akuma had thrown one of his weapons, and Marinette had been the target. The skin was shredded, borderline requiring professional medical care. But even though she'd taken quite a beating as well as a knock to the head that left her momentarily unconscious, she still insisted that he patch her up. Meaning that he was responsible for healing her.

He placed a hand on her back, one meant to comfort, just before he placed the alcohol-laced pad on her shoulder.

She screamed.

The sound tore through him, constricting his heart and knotting his gut and all around making it hard to breathe as guilt poured over him with each passing second.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

But sorry doesn't make her tears go away.

He hurried up as quickly as possible, trying to ignore her tears even though they physically hurt him. Once the wound was clear, he pressed a thick gauze pad over it, eliciting a hiss from her. She did her best to help wrap the bandage, and Chat did his best to finish quickly. Once the bandage was tied off, Marinette collapsed back to the bed and sobbed into her pillow.

Chat couldn't leave. He physically could not remove himself from her side lest he wanted to rip his heart out in the process. So, he laid down right beside her and waited. He leaned against her uninjured side, hoping that would stop the flow of tears, but when that didn't work, he let a rumble start up in the back of his throat.

Slowly, her tears slowed, but Chat's purr did not. Nor would it. He was stressed and in pain because she was stressed and in pain, and he had failed at protecting her, and he hated letting her down.

He sniffed, though scolded himself against crying.

A hand came up into his hair, and he opened his eyes to see Marinette looking at him.

"I'm sorry," he said for the umpteenth time.

"Not your fault," she whispered.

"You needed me," he said. "And I couldn't help you."

Her eyes drifted shut for a moment, and her lips tugged down into a frown.

Chat sighed, then leaned over to press a kiss to her temple. "Get some rest, my lady. You need time to heal."

"You're not leaving, are you?"

His heart skipped a beat. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Please?"

Her voice was so soft, so weak, so unlike Ladybug or Marinette. He lowered himself back onto the bed. "Do you need anything? Water? Pain pills?"

"Purr?"

So he did. Because it was for her and there was a very, very short list of things he wouldn't do for her. Especially when she was stroking the ends of his hair as gently and reverently as she was. "You spoil me," he warned, feeling guilty about how he just wanted to soak up her affections even though she was injured and compromised because of him.

"You deserve it," she countered.

"Why?"

"Because you're my good kitty."

His purr revved faster for a few seconds. "I wasn't able to stop the akuma in time," he said. "He hurt you. He forced you to reveal yourself to me."

Her hand stilled, and Chat's heart sank.

After a tense moment, she released a sigh. "It wasn't like you weren't doing everything you could," she finally said. "I don't fault you for it."

They were silent for a long while, her petting his hair, and he continuing his purr for her.

"You can trust me, you know," he eventually said. "With your identity."

She gave him a smile, one laced with pain but a smile nevertheless. "Never said I couldn't."

A small grin crept up on his lips. He shifted in order to wrap an arm over her torso, to press his chest against her side so she could feel the honestly behind his purr. That he cared. That he loved her. "Get some sleep, my lady. Everything else can wait for morning."

With a hum, she snuggled up to him, as well. "Okay."

His smile grew. Slowly, he moved once again, this time to press a kiss to the bandages over her shoulder. "I've got you."

"I know, minou," she assured. "I know."

She drifted off to sleep soon enough, her breathing now steady and deep instead of shallow and uneven from pain. He maybe should leave her now. Let her sleep alone in peace. But he couldn't bear the thought of abandoning her warmth for the bed that, while more comfortable, was cold and uninviting. And that's when Marinette shivered in his embrace.

It solidified the fact he couldn't leave her. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Mindful of her shoulder, he laid himself over her before pulling up the blankets. She sighed in her sleep, but her shivering ceased. He pressed another gentle kiss to her shoulder before settling his head next to hers. "I'm here, princess," he whispered. "And I promise I won't let you go."