Discovering Ladybug's identity- LadyNoir (Miraculous ladybug fanfic)

Untitled Part 2

What happened?

That was the first thought that crossed Marinette's mind when she finally regained consciousness. She tried to think back to the last thing that she remembered, but was disappointed to find that she had a hazy recollection of the last hour of her life.

She had hit her head, she knew that for sure. Her hand instantly reached up to check her forehead and instead of feeling the touch of warm skin and dried blood, her fingers touched something cool and moist. Surprised, she grabbed the mysterious object and brought it to her eyes. It was a compress.

"Tikki?"

She almost had a heart attack when she realized that she was all alone and had no idea when her little friend was.

Where was she?

It was dark, and the dim moon light wasn't helping her vision. Hesitantly, she reached out and felt her surroundings. She was surprised to find that the movements caused a small, but dull, pain thought out her body. Her fingers touched a pillow and springy mattress, definite signs that she was currently in a bed.

Who's bed?

Despite the pain she knew it would cause her, that thought sent Marinette bolting up into a sitting position. She blinked a few times, desperately trying to get her eyes to adjust to being the dark so that she could figure out where she was. No such luck.

She groaned at her misfortune and buried her face in her hands and she urged herself to think back and try to recover her memory. She thought back to the last thing that she remembered for sure. She and Chat Noir had defeated an akuma, but she had gotten a nasty gash in the process of doing so. After that, her earrings had ran out of spots. But then what? That was the part when her mind always went blank.

"A-choo!"

She wasn't alone. Her head shot up at the speed of light, and her could feel her heartbeat quicken as her chest heaved rapidly with heavy panting. Frantically, her eyes scanned over the room, trying to locate whoever had sneezed. There was a part of her that hoped she had just imagined it, she had hit her head pretty hard after all.

Her gaze finally fell upon a window, and there, standing over the window still were two cat-like green eyes that appeared to be floating in mid-air. Their eyes met, and she saw the emerald orbs widen in shock and surprise.

Marinette didn't think it was possible for her heart to beat any faster.

"...Marinette?"

The cool and confident voice that she had grown to love was now so full of uncertainly and doubt that for a second she almost convinced herself that it wasn't him. Almost. The truth was, she'd recognize those eyes anywhere.

This wasn't how she had imagined they would unmask themselves. She had always hoped that this moment would be years away, when Marinette was more confident and sure of herself. It was silly, but she had a somewhat irrational fear that Chat Noir would be disappointed if he discovered who she really was. As a result, whenever he brought up the idea of revealing themselves to each other, she was always against it. 'The time just isn't right,' was the explanation she had always given him.

The time still wasn't right. But it was already happening, whether she liked it or not.

"...C-Chat?" She was surprised by how small and hesitant her voice sounded. She wasn't sure how to act.

Silence. Quiet footsteps filled with air, and she could vaguely make out of the figure of something coming towards her. Within seconds, Chat was standing next to the bed, staring down at her with a mixture of concern and worry.

"Don't try to get up yet." He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently lowered her back towards the bed. "You need to rest." His voice was strangly calm and soothing.

Marinette shook her head and tried to get up again, but Chat prevented her from doing so. "But, Tikki!" She protested as Chat took the compress off her head and replaced it with a new one. "Where is she? Is she alright?! Was she hurt?" Her voice rose up higher with each question and Chat glanced at the door, praying that her parents hadn't heard her.

"She's fine," He assured her quickly, nodding towards the darkness, in the direction of where her desk was. "I made her a little bed, she's resting now."

"Thank goodness," Marinette sighed in relief after she heard that. She felt as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders, she never would have forgiven herself if something had happened to Tikki.

Chat hummed in response, and he bent in closer to inspect her head. His hands brushed over the small bumps, the small action made Marinette flinch.

"Sorry, sorry!" He drew his hand back and flashed her an apologetic look. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He always flirted with her when she was Ladybug....but now that he knew she was Marinette, he felt like it wouldn't be a good idea. At school, she always seemed to be so flustered and intimidated by him. Plus after what had happened, after she had almost died because of him, it seemed inappropriate.

Marinette froze. She blinked at him, trying to think about how she should respond. Usually, she would always just brush off his flirting. But that was when she was Ladybug.

"I'm sorry." His voice was so quiet, she almost couldn't hear him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, next to her, looking down at the floor as he held his head down.

"....What?" She gingerly sat up and looked at his dejected form. Reaching forward, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Chat?"

He shook her hand off. "I'm sorry, Marinette." His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence, and he hastily reached up to wipe something from his eyes.

She stared at him, confused and trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. "Chat, it's ok. You flirt with me all the time, I'm not mad at you----"

"---it's not about that." Chat had finally lifted his head up and was now looking at her, his eyes full of regret and shame, his cat ears dropping down in sadness, and his face tear streaked. "I'm sorry for everything. We're partners, for god's sake! I should have helped you more, I could have saved you so much pain and tears!" His clenched his fists as he looked down at himself. "I'm so sorry, my Lady."

Marinette sat there silent, soaking in all that he had said. Her heart broke as she watched him, so full of sadness and regret. It was so unlike, so out of character that it almost frightened her to see him like this. She reached towards him and wrapped her arms around him, in a tight hug and pulled him down with her on the bed. He stiffened, but he didn't say anything or protest. "Silly, kitty." She reached forward and lightly tapped his nose in a playful gesture. "I'm not mad at you."

"You're....you're not?" His eyes brightened at the thought for a spilt second, but then reverted back. "But, I couldn't protect you."

She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips to silence him when he tried to protest. "Chat, you brought me all the way to my house, put in me bed, got me a compress, and you even took care of Tikki. I couldn't ask for a better partner."

"You mean that?" Chat's ears perked up and she couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Marinette shook her head in confirmation, and Chat grinned a million watt smile before scooting closer to her and giving her a bone crushing hug. "You're the best partner I could ever hope for." He mushed as he rested his head on her shoulder and yawned quietly. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."

She blushed slightly as she felt his warm breath tickle her ear. "You'll never lose me." She could her eyelids growing heavy and allowed herself to relax and drift off nto a well deserved sleep while still snuggled up in her partner's arms.