Whumptober 2021

#19) Tis but a Flesh Wound- MLB

Prompt #19- Just a scratch. Miraculous Ladybug, sometime in S2.

Soft wind tousled Adrian's hair. The sun shone down cheerily, a picture perfect October afternoon. That should have been his first clue everything was about to go sideways. Literally. The building next to Adrian exploded sending shrapnel flying in every direction.

Adrian's vision wavered. He found himself facedown on the pavement, Gorilla's bulk pressing into him. Ringing echoed in his ears.

"What-?" Adrian asked, or thought he did. He couldn't actually hear his own voice.

Gorilla stirred and his weight lifted off Adrian. Sitting up took more effort than it should have. Adrian's vision blurred with the exertion. Slowly the sounds of cries and concrete sifting filtered into his ears. Adrian's head pounded with the sounds. He lifted a shaking hand to his head, only to pull it away when he felt something wet. His fingers were coated in a red sheen.

Adrian took a deep breath and tried to ignore the nausea welling within him. When he went out as Chat he took many, many hits, but the Miraculous provided him with a durability so great he didn't remember the last time he'd seen his own blood after something like this.

'Nope, nope, nope.' not going to dwell on his own blood. Letting his hand drop Adrian looked around, waiting for the familiar call of an akuma taunting Ladybug. Nothing.

'What?' Confusion also swept through the bystanders. Adrian trailed the rubble with his eyes. Could that have been a gas leak or something? With so many akumas it was easy to forget that other events could occur.

"No! Nellie, please!" A woman's frantic screaming broke the dazed haze.

Adrian jerked around to see a middle aged woman holding a toddler in her arms. Blood covered the child who lay too still in her mother's arms. Panic surged through Adrian. He half lurched toward them, something inside him releasing when he saw the child breathing. Still the girl needed attention, quickly.

Someone tried to direct the woman in the direction of approaching sirens, but she stood wailing over her child. A flash of purple caught Adrian's eye. 'No!' But he couldn't do anything except watch as a butterfly landed the woman's necklace. Sickly purple energy swept over her.

Gorilla jerked Adrian back and away before he could see what she'd transformed into. Adrian didn't try to fight Gorilla as he all but carried Adrian around the corner. Several blocks away Gorilla wheezed and set Adrian down.

He grunted and waved a firm hand at Adrian indicating stay here. Adrian nodded- though he had no intention of doing so since Chat Noir needed to make an appearance. Huffing Gorilla ran in the direction the car had been. Adrian waited until he was out of sight before ducking into a nearby doorway.

Plagg flew out of Adrian's jacket, frowning when he saw the blood trickling down Adrian's face. "Kid-"

"Ladybug, and Paris, needs me." Adrian cut him off. Though he still didn't look happy Plagg gave a resolute nod. "Plagg, claws out!"

Black and green energy swirled around Adrian, soothing his aching muscles and head, lending him strength.

'The fatigue will be worse after.' Plagg's voice cautioned within Adrian's head.

'Got it.'

Both of them knew that wouldn't make a difference in Adrian's efforts.

"Let's do this." Chat muttered out loud. He sprang back toward the screams, ignoring the way his head and ribs wanted to join in the screaming.

People ran every which way. Sparks shot after them. A yo-yo knocked one blast off course before it could hit a panicking man.

"M'lady." Chat acknowledged grimly.

Ladybug's face was set in a thin line. The akuma had grown the woman to be hulk sized with green skin to match. The girl in the akumatized woman's arms still wasn't moving, though some of the color had returned to the child's face.

"It's not like an akuma to take a hostage like that."

"Her daughter. She got hurt in the explosion."

Ladybug inhaled sharply. "Noted. Any idea where the akuma is?"

"Necklace."

"Okay. We've got to be quick. Hawk Moth didn't akumatize the girl so she could get hurt worse by her mother's rampage."

"Quick and careful. Got it." Chat extended his baton. "Hey lady! Attacking other people isn't gonna keep your daughter safe!"

An enraged scream pierced the street. Chat leapt out of the way of a shower of sparks. He swung around, bringing his baton down on the shoulder not bearing the child's weight.

"Chat Noir." The woman spat. "This is yours and Ladybug's fault."

Chat didn't bother asking how as neither he nor his lady had been the one to trigger the explosion.

She shot more sparks from her fingers that Chat danced away from. "When Hawk Moth has your Miraculous he'll put an end to this violence that hurts our children."

Ouch. That hit a little too close. Yet Hawk Moth could easily still torment the people of Paris if that happened, and it'd be 100x worse since the people wouldn't have hope they'd be freed from an akumatization.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug's voice sounded nearby. He heard her grumble but didn't bother looking at whatever whacky item the Miraculous gave her this time.

"Sorry you feel that way, but it looks like you're making it more dangerous for the families of Paris than we are at the moment."

A large, green hand came out of nowhere, wrapping around Chat's middle. She squeezed tightly. Chat wheezed and scratched at her arm. She growled and Chat found himself flying. 'Crap.' He barely had time to think before slamming into something solid.

The remaining air fled Chat's lungs. He lay on whatever he'd landed, stars dancing in his vision. He tried to sit up but fire erupted in his chest.

"CHAT!"

That was weird. Ladybug sounded really freaked. Chat tried to find her but his vision blurred when he tried to look around. Laying there with eyes closed it was. Explosions and thwapping noises came followed by a shrill scream.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Pink rolled over Chat's vision. Instantly the pressure in his chest resolved by 50%. He still couldn't take a deep breath and his head pounded, but no worse than when he'd first been hit by the building.

Sluggishly he pulled himself upright only for a red and black figure to accost him.

"Chat are you alright? Why didn't the Lucky Charm work? Are you-" She cut off with a strangled gasp. "You're bleeding."

"Easy Ladybug. It's fine. I'm okay. Well mostly." He amended at her glare.

"But you're bleeding! The Miraculous should protect-"

"Ladybug, it's just a scratch." He managed to prop himself against a nearby wall, his breathing faster than he'd like. "It didn't have anything to do with Hawk Moth or the Miraculous. Plagg more than did his fair share in keeping me together in the akuma fight. How's the little girl?"

"Ambulance arrived and has her. They say she's stable." Sighing Ladybug plopped down heavily next to Chat. He looked over at her, somewhat confused.

"You've got to transform back soon."

"It's okay Chaton." Ladybug sat next to him, her shoulder gently brushing his. "I still have a couple minutes. That's more than enough time to make sure you aren't going to faint away on me."

Laughing softly, Chat rested his head on the wall. "Thanks M'lady."

"Of course Chaton. Of course."