Sorry about the wait! I was like drawing all things not related to fills, but today will be. I will be back with ‘Disguise’ tonight, but have “A Helping Hand” for now.
Rating: G
Genre: Friendship, Angst
Pairing(s): LadyNoir
Summary: Ladybug arrives late to patrol.
Warning: No warnings! Well, one – no beta!
After the disaster that was last evening and realizing she sucked way more at physics than she first thought, Ladybug had been held up double checking her solutions from the assignment tonight, making sure she applied the correct formula with the right information that it took Tikki several hair pulls to get going. Her yo-yo thwip-ed rapidly through the night, pulling her quickly to her destination and she hoped that he hadn’t left.
He didn’t leave her any message warning her might.
Not even a message saying that he was bored waiting.
Normally, she might have one or two – or ten – messages from him, but… this was bizarre.
“Sorry!” was the first thing to burst out of her mouth when she touched down finally, retracting her yo-yo and placing it on her hip. “I managed to get through physics tonight so… small victory, yay.”
“Heh, that’s good to hear…”
A step forward and she had frozen, peering at his back with narrowed eyes.
… There wasn’t a single pun in that brief statement. Also, he was still looking away from her.
No akuma alert had been put out so he wasn’t a doppelganger as far as she knew. But what if it was and just hadn’t been caught yet?
Taking a few more steps forward, she became even more suspicious when he began turning her head away from the direction she approached.
“… A second opinion might be appurreciated.”
“Huh…? O-Oh, yeah, I can look it over.”
Gosh that physically hurt her, but he didn’t react.
Okay, even a good doppelganger would try to keep his mannerisms straight to fool her, right?
A jump step suddenly to the left since she’d been making him turn that way, she caught his startled eye – his glassy, tearful eyes – before his head snapped away and his ears drooped. All at once, homework was a forgotten subject.
“Chat…”
“It’s nothing, I swear…! I-I was hoping it would stop before you got here and--”
“Kitty,” she cut him off, sitting down next to him, and frowned as his shoulders hunched. “You can tell me.”
“I know, My Lady, but… it’s personal life stuff. I don’t know how much I can say without risking anything.”
Biting the inside of her lip, she really did hate that rule. Only being able to support Chat Noir while they were in their masks was detrimental, but one day they’d be able to peel off the masks; one day she would know her best friend helping her save the day. Moving closer to him for now, she wrapped and arm around his shoulder and drew him into a gentle hug.
“Try to keep it as vague as you can… I’m here for you, okay?”
Holding out her other hand to him, she looked up and met his eyes shining with fresh tears. His clawed hand met hers and held on tight.
“… So, today, a year ago now… someone important to me disappeared…”
I was tearing my apartment apart looking for my pink ed sheeran baseball cap. I couldnt find it anywhere and then it hit me
It was in my car when it got broken in to a while back.
Im so upset. I know i got a lot of other merch that day like my tote, 2 shirts and the program but still. I did pay a lot for that hat and it was from one of, if not THE, best night of my life.
Realizing that my hat was also stolen, along with all the other things that were taken, just made me feel so violated all over again.
Ladybug’s earrings beeped as she stood there staring at the now completely useless broken item in her hands. Lupine Alpha grabbed her dragging her out of the way of a blow from the akuma. “Go home Ladybug!” She barks a bit harshly.
“But I need to stay I need to help.” She protests flinching at the older girls words. “Lucky Charm failed Ladybug. Go home and charge your kwami up and then come back and help I doubt we are going to go anywhere anytime soon this one is strong.” Lupine’s voice softens as she drops her on a rooftop.
“Go home where you will be safe where we don’t have to worry about you possibly being in harms way. There have been enough victims already go home and once you are ready you can come back and help us fight.” She explains laying a hand on her shoulder her gold eyes trusting and full of understanding.
“I know it can be hard but leave this to us we can hold our own. You trust Chat Noir don’t you?”, Ladybug nodded, “And I trust my partner to be able to take care of himself and hold his own in a fight. Your partner won’t be alone he has us and when you get back we’ll take this akuma down once and for all okay?”
Lupine was actually very gentle when delivering the hard words Ladybug needed to hear. Her Lucky Charm had failed and she was about to transform back she needed to recharge and she couldn’t do it here.
Lupine was right there had been enough victims already. She looked around at the people either stuck in place a horrified expression on their face or collapsed to the ground crying.
She met Lupine’s soft gold eyes with her own steely blue ones and gave a nod. “I’ll be back count on it. Chat Noir I’m leaving this to you. Don’t let me down and do try to get along with Corvus okay?” She calls to her partner as she swung away.
“It’s not my fault he’s stealing my princess from me!!” He yowls grouchily. A chance encounter during a patrol between the two guys and Marinette had Corvus infatuated with her and calling her Mikki which according to J.J. who had been over at the time and couldn’t stop laughing, it meant beautiful princess in variation of the spelling.
This had caused a slight rift between Chat and Corvus as Chat became apparently jealous and claimed her as his. Besides being allergic to Corvus he was now fighting with him over Marinette the two arguing over who knew her better. J.J. and Lupine were not helping both found this amusing.
“Behave Chat please!! For me?” She calls earning a sigh and an “Okay.” From her partner as she headed back home as quickly as she could. She landed on her rood just in time as her transformation released. She caught Tikki in her hands cradling her gently.
“I’m sorry Marinette.” Tikki says weakly curling into Marinette’s cupped hands as she moved inside. “Ohh it’s okay Tikki it’s not your fault just eat quick so we can get back out there okay?” Marinette tucked Tikki away safely before heading down stairs.
“Ohh Marinette sweeties there you are I thought you had gone out.” Her mother calls to her from where her and her husband were curled up on the sofa watching the news.
“No maman just up in my room watching the Ladyblog’s live broadcast of the akuma battle. I’m going to grab a snack if that’s okay.” Marinette lies internally flinching at having to do so.
“Alright sweetheart just checking. I’m glad you aren’t out there it looks bad even Ladybug has left the fight it’s really worrying.” Her father mussed his brow creased. “According to the Ladyblog she just left to recharge and will be back as soon as possible so I wouldn’t worry she’ll be back before you know it.” Marinette cheers perkily heading down into the bakery to grab some cookies feeding one to Tikki then and tucking the others away for later just in case.
She was back up in her room turning on the Ladyblog to catch up on what was going on when she spotted something that made her nervous. Chat Noir and Corvus were no where to be found.
She quickly rewound the video horrified to see Chat dashing towards the akuma and watching him get struck by a beam of the akuma’s power. “Corvus get him out of here!!” Lupine yelled as her partner crouched beside the fallen cat.
“But Hime...” The crow protested despite wrapping and arm around Chat. “I can hold my own for now so hurry get him to safety!!” She howls using her whip against the akuma. Corvus hesitated before nodding picking up Chat with one arm wrapped around him he helped him out of there the two making there way across rooftops away from the fight.
“Tikki you have to hurry Chat’s hurt and needs my help.” She urges her kwami fretting over her cat. “I’m eating as fast as I can.” Tikki murmurs between munches on the cookie.
A heavy thud on her roof had her glancing up she frowned when she saw the live feed was showing the akuma still far away battling it out with Lupine. She cautiously made her way up to her loft grabbing the big mag-lite flashlight J.J. had left behind the other day having planned on walking back only her brother had other ideas and picked her up or rather had Adrien’s driver pick her up.
She held the heavy flashlight in her hands turning it as J.J. showed her so she gripped the head of the flashlight giving her a better hold on it encase she had to swing it if necessary.
She cautiously lifted her hatch peering just over the edge of it and out glancing around looking for the source of the noise nearly shrieking as she spotted the large black mass in the corner only to have it shift and part revealing it to just be Corvus crouched down over Chat Noir who was curled between pots of flowers in the corner.
Chat was shaking his head down tucked to his chest and tiny whimpers and mewls came off him. As Corvus shifted she caught the sheen of tears on his face. She held herself back prevent herself from scrambling over to him.
“Stay here you’ll be safe here it’s far from the akuma attack. I need to get back to Lupine she needs me. Okay?” Corvus asks casting a desperate worried look in the direction of the fight obviously worried about Lupine Alpha.
Chat gave a slight nodded blinking up at him through the tears in his eyes. “Go your princess needs you.” He croaks out in a hoarse voice. Corvus grimaced slightly as he turned to leave. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you what Hime means.” He mutters before launching himself in the air flapping his arms like wings and taking to the sky his long feathers acting like wings.
With Corvus gone Marinette hurried over to Chat tripping over herself as she did hurrying to his side sinking down beside him she gently cradled his head against her shoulder wrapping her arms around him.
“Ohh Chat what happened to you?” She cries softly as he turned and buried his face against her as he cried. “It hurts Princess. It hurts so bad. Does he even love me? I try so hard to please him but nothing is good enough. I do one thing wrong and he treats me like I’m an embarrassment.”
It broke her heart to hear him talk like this but she couldn’t do much for him so she just held him and rocked him gently in her arms murmuring soft gentle words to him. “She left. She’s gone and might not return. Will never return. Did she not love me? Did I do something wrong?”
He whimpered sobbing against her clutching her like she was his lifeline. “Oh Mari it hurts so bad. I want to be loved. I want him to love me . I want her to have loved me to still love me love me enough to return.” He mewls his claws sinking into the soft skin on her shoulders not that she cared.
Her kitten was in so much pain from Truthsayer the akuma who supposedly revealed the harsh truths to whoever was hit by their powers. “No one loves me. No one see’s all of me. And it hurts.” This was breaking Marinette’s heart to see her precious kitten like this. Her actual kitten Petite Chaton Noir climbed out of her room with difficulty and made his way over to them purring and rubbing against Chat with a tiny mew.
“He’s trying to help. He wants you to feel better too.” She murmurs petting Chat’s head and giving his ears a light scratch her finger running through his hair stroking his head as Chat picked up her tiny little baby and cradled him close as the little guy’s engine ran purring up a storm rather loud for such a little guy.
She petted and stroked Chat’s head and back giving him light little scratches. “You’re wrong Chat. There are people who love you. Ladybug loves you. You’re her partner after all and her best friend you are a team. You can’t have Ladybug without Chat Noir and you can’t have Chat Noir with out Ladybug.”
Chat’s tears slowed as she spoke and petted him the little kitten in his arms helped make him feel better with his loud raucous purring. “Surely you have friends don’t you? As your civilian self you have friends don’t you?” He nods slightly against the crook of her neck.
“I imagine they love you and if you tell them how you’re feeling they will help try and cheer you up. Lupine and Corvus like you. Lupine dragged you over here just so you could learn to make cookies. That means she likes you and cares about you.So see Chat people love you you just have to open your eyes and see it right before you.”
Chat lifted his head a bit blinking back the last of his tears rubbing his hand across them to swipe away the tears that remained. Marinette smiled at him gently pulling him forward to press a kiss to his forehead. “And I love you too. Here now a kiss to make it better.” She gave him another kiss before pulling back smiling at him as he seemed to get better righting himself once more.
“Better?” She asks him softly as he climbed to his feet. “Better thank you Princess I needed that.” He murmurs his eyes still bright with unshed tears but his strength was growing and he was determined to get back out there and help.
“Good I imagine Ladybug is back by now and could use your help so get back out there kitty and do your best knowing she and I love you.” Marinette cheers for him standing up herself and giving him one last hug that he returned before he pole vaulted away.
Tikki flew out of her room having finished the cookie long ago and eaten another just to be on the safe side and to give the two time. Little Chaton was crouched by one of her plants eyeing Tikki with curiosity and a gleam of mischievousness he loved to try and attack her.
“You did good Marinette he really needed that.” The kwami smiled nuzzling up against Marinette’s cheek happily. “Yeah I think so too. Come on Tikki he’s going to need our help as will the others. Spots On.”
