Living With Her

XXVI: aftermath

Ladybug stumbled through the window of the penthouse at the Bourgeois hotel. She was able to get Chloe to rent them the room for a while, hoping Chat would wake up before long.

She placed Adrien on one of the beds and left the room to de-transform.

"Spots off." Marinette said, collapsing on the couch. "Marinette?" Tikki squeaked, landing on her chest.

"Not right now Tikki, I-" she sighed. "Not right now." Marinette sat up, and Tikki flew off, hovering above her. "Go check on Chat for me" she asked her. Tikki nodded and phased through the door to Adrien.

Marinette went to the bathroom and splashed her face with water. Looking at herself in the mirror. There was a cut over here eyebrow and dried blood under her nose. She took a towel and cleaned what she could, putting a bandaid over the cut. She was exhausted, but knew she couldn't sleep. Not till chat woke up. Chat knew Marinette liked him but- he had no idea that Ladybug did. She never had time to tell him-or even act like it. No, she couldn't sleep. Marinette thought it was useless to even try.

She knocked on Adrien's door. "Tikki?"  While listening for a response, she heard a knock on the hotel room door.

"Mademoiselle?" She heard.
"Uhm- yes?" She called back, praying whoever it was wouldn't open the door.
"Are you in need of anything?" The butler said.
"Uhm-" marinette thought for a minute.
"Can- Can I have a plate of croissants and fruit?" "Of course. Anything else?"

Plagg phased through the door in front of marinette. It was weird seeing puppy dog eyes on a cat. "A few wheels of Camembert?" Plagg smiled and nodded.
"How would you like your Camembert."
Plagg did a motion of dripping something. "Uhh- drippy?" Marinette responded.
"Right away Mademoiselle."

"Drippy??" Plagg said. "What! Im bad at charades!" She shrugged. "How is he?"
"Not good." Marinette's face filled with fear.
"Nonono! He's not gonna die or anything!" Plagg said quickly. "I just mean like- he's banged up and still isn't awake." "Oh." She said. "Yeah. Theirs a large bruise on his side and back, Im too small to wrap it up." "Ill see what I can do. Can you ask Tikki to come out?" Plagg nodded and went back in.
Tikki came out soon after.

"Hi tikki. Do you have enough strength in you to transform for a while?"  "Not really marinette. Im pretty spent." She squeaked.
"Alright. I ordered some food, it should be-" there was another knock on the door. "And there it is! Spots on."  Ladybug opened the door and took the tray.
"Uhm- can I have some medical supplies too?" She asked. "Ill see what I can do." Said the butler. She closed the door and placed the tray on the table. "Spots off." Tikki landed on the tray with a clang. "Eat quickly, im gonna need ladybug soon." Tikki nodded and began chewing on a strawberry.

"Plagg? Your camembert is here." Plagg came wizzing out of the door in seconds. "Eat it slowly plagg, im not getting anymore. Three wheels should be enough." Plagg wilted a little
But thanked her nonetheless.

"Are you ready Tikki?" "Ready." Marinette nodded. "Spots on."  Ladybug was about to enter the room but stopped. "What am I gonna do about the whole identity thing?"  She thought for a minute and came up with nothing. She decided on a lucky charm. A red and black mask landed in her hands. Ladybug chuckled, looking at the chat noir mask.

"Hey plagg? I need one more thing." Plagg groaned but came anyway. She held up the mask to him and opened the door slightly. He took it and went in, leaving shortly, immediately returning to his cheese.

Ladybug took a breath and entered the room. She smiled briefly when she saw him. He looked like mister bug with the mask on.  She brushed a hand through his soft hair. "Im sorry." She whispered, wiping blood off of his cheek. There was a knock on the door again and ladybug came Back with the medical supplies. She opened an antiseptic wipe and cleaned his face from the dirt and blood, then threw the wipe in the bin next to the bed. Plagg said their was a large bruise on his back which meant- that she would have to take his shirt off. Which- she wasn't entirely comfortable with doing, but she would rather be uncomfortable than have him with an infected bruise on his back. So swallowing her butterflies to her feet, she lifted his shirt up to look at the bruise. And it was bad. It was a deep purple at the base of his side and crept up to a green near his shoulder.  Ladybug pulled out the ointment, reading the label and directions carefully and got to work. She put on gloves and spread the ointment over the bruise, trying to be gentle and precise.

She finished putting the ointment on and decided it was best to wrap it up too since she didn't know how deep the bruise went. She went to looking through the box, trying to decide if she should use gauze too.

"L- ladybug?" Ladybug turned around, the boxes falling out of her hands. "Chat?" "H- hey m'lady" he exhaled, barely a whisper. She took his hand, kneeling beside the bed. "Hey." She smiled. "Im here."  Chat chuckled slightly, which immediately turned into coughing. Pain shot up from his clenched ribs, the bruise on his back throbbed in his ears.

"No Chat- cmon stay wjth me." Ladybug said, squeezing his hand. Chat fell back into the bed- silent.

"No." Ladybug whispered, and dropped her head in defeat.

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