#nah my reparations are Saturday Tomorrow

[pandawritespoorly]

With Time: Chapter 23 - Unhandyman

Author’s Note: Ah! I'm so sorry! I forgot today was Saturday! I was responding to comments, and was about to say 'tomorrow's update' when my brain did a double take. Either way, it isn't Friday, and while I'm late, at least I got it up today! As reparations, here's a 14 page chapter (usually aim for 8-10). Also, there's two reference slides for this chapter.

See the akuma here. (No, I don't regret it)

Chapter Summary: During an akuma attack, Ladybug is put out of commision. What's a cat to do when his partner can't help?

First | Previous | Saturday

Claude had just exited the bakery. He had been visiting Marinette because he’d been in the area, and they’d hung out for a little bit until Marinette fell asleep. Now, walking out of the bakery, they saw another of their friends. Adrien is in the nearby park with-

Oh.

He’s with them. Alya, Lila, and some boy that must be Nino. It looks like it must be some sort of ‘double date’ but as Adrien had pointed out before, that would require both couples to be dating. That Lie-la girl is hanging off the poor boy who is so clearly uncomfortable. The so called ‘friends’ don’t seem to notice his distress, and Alya even seems to be taking pictures of the ‘cute couple’ every so often.

It’s time for an intervention.

“Adrien! I didn’t know you’d be in the area! We could have planned something with everyone!” Claude runs up to the group.

“Claude, it’s nice to see you!” Adrien takes the chance he gets and extricates himself from Lila to move closer to his friend. It’s only a momentary relief, Lila clings to Adrien again, looking at Claude in feigned fear.

“You! Y-you were one of the people that helped Marinette attack me at the museum!” Alya and Adrien both open their mouths to say something, but Claude speaks first, “Oh I’m so sorry to hear you were attacked, but I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about! When did this happen- I’d like to clear this up.”

“Early December a-at the Louvre. I-I haven’t been back since.” Lila’s shaky voice prompts Alya to hug her closely, glaring at Claude suspiciously.

Claude shakes his head, clucking his tongue, “Sorry darling, but you must have mistaken me with someone else. I was in England performing for most of December, just got back last week. I’m an actor.” He pulls out his phone, showing her various pictures of him in front of various English landmarks, and some with him in costumes with different people also dressed up. One specifically shows the date that he knows she’s talking about, so he lingers on that one, but doesn’t point it out seeing as he’s not supposed to know the day specifically.

Adrien covers his confusion well. Lila looks startled, “B-but-”

“Sorry, girl. It’s okay, it must be the trauma,” Alya comforts Lila, before looking at Claude, “Sorry about that, it was a scary day. She had a run-in with a former bully.”

“Hm.”

Lila gasps quietly, freezing in the journalist’s arms.

Alya and Nino notice immediately, asking her what’s wrong and hovering over her as though she might break.

“I-it’s j-j-just I forgot-t-t how c-c-close we were t-to her house.” Lila stares wide-eyed at the bakery nearby.

Alya frowns, handing Lila to Nino, storming over to the bakery and throwing the door open. She hasn’t even stepped inside before the group hears raised voices from the couple inside. Alya comes back after a moment, fuming.

She mutters bitterly, and Claude figures this is as good a time as any to rescue his friend.

“Well, anyways, Adrien did you still want to see Allegra’s practice for her upcoming concert? I was just on my way there!” Obviously, there is no practice, especially given that said girl is out of town visiting family for a few days.

“Oh, that’s today! I completely forgot! Sorry guys, I can’t miss it - she’d be so bummed!” Adrien plays along flawlessly.

“Well, maybe we could come with? We barely see you out of school anymore, Adrien!” Lila clings to him once more, and Claude knows that if Allegra were here she’d not have the self-control to keep herself from forcibly ripping the leech from him.

“Oh, sorry dear, but you can’t join us!” he shakes as head as though truly sorry, “The orchestra likes for people planning on watching performances to sign up beforehand - they don’t want too many people at once.”

“W-well maybe we could see the actual concert in a few weeks? We’d come with Adrien of course!” She won’t give up.

Adrien joins in, “Actually, that’s why I’m seeing the practice - the concert is on the same day as an important shoot so I won’t be able to see it. It’d be kind of weird for you guys to go without me.” He finally pries her off of him, moving to be near Claude, “Well, you guys enjoy the rest of your day!” He hurries away and Claude follows.

“Ugh, how long were you trapped with those dreadful people?” 

“A few hours. Thanks for saving me.” Adrien looks to him questioningly, “Where did you get those pictures?”

“Adrien, Adrien, Adrien. You should know that a magician never reveals their secrets.”

--- 

Adrien is practicing piano when Plagg flies over with his phone.

“Alright, Kitten. You’ve got an akuma to deal with. It’s near Notre-Dame.”

Adrien checks his phone for confirmation.

 Akuma Alert:

Type 3

Notre-Dame

More information and updates available.

 “Plagg, claws out!”

It’s their first akuma attack in a while. The absence of akumas lined up nicely with his father’s trip so they’d had a break from both his controlling nature and Hawkmoth’s nonsense. 

That break’s over with now apparently.

He arrives to see that Ladybug is already there. She’s standing on a nearby rooftop shivering and clearly not wanting to be out of bed. He lands beside her.

“Hey Bug, surprised to see you managed to beat me.” 

She only leans into him, mumbling, “I woke up. Didn’t wanna’.”

“Understandable. Do you know anything about the akuma, or are you just cold?”

“Both.” She huffs, as though he should realize she’s always cold,”’t’s giant construction work’r.”

“Did he see you?”

“No.” He hears loud thuds from down the street, and she continues, “He’s back…”

He turns, seeing a man wearing a yellow construction hat, an orange and red checkered shirt and blue overalls. He’s got work boots on, and a construction belt with various tools sticking out of it.

Oh, and he’s as tall as a building. There’s that too.

The man is holding a wrench and swinging it around, smashing the street and nearby buildings. Civilians are staying inside. Definitely a type three.

He spots the heroes and points at them with a screwdriver from his belt, putting the wrench back as he does so, “I am the Unhandyman! My work wasn’t good enough, so now nothing will work well! Nothing is repaired - everything is broken! Give me your miraculous!”

“Nah…” Ladybug mumbles at the victim.

“I’m with my Lady. You’re going down! What happened anyways? Didja’ screw up a construction project? Just couldn’t nail it?”

The man doesn’t respond, just throwing a hammer at them. They jump out of the way, but the building gets hit anyways, opening up the ceiling as the tool crashes through the ceiling. It fades eventually, showing up in his work belt again.

“Le’s get him… less build’ns an’ peoples…” Ladybug suggests.

“Good idea, we can lead him in this direction.” The duo continues in the same direction, being sure to be slow enough to keep him captivated. If he gets bored and wanders away then the citizens of Paris could get caught in the crossfire.

Ladybug swings around him once they’re in an open area, looking for a way to wrap him up. It’s a good thing their weapons are indestructible because it makes them easier to use when an akuma needs to be restrained.

Of course, their weapons are indestructible, but the things they attach them to are not. Unhandyman sees a chance and hits a hammer against where Ladybug has latched her yo-yo, sending her flying into a snowdrift. Chat winces as he realizes she will most definitely be hibernating. He needs to get to her immediately.

The akuma victim has other plans. Surrounding Chat with nails taller than him, Unhandyman aims the hammer at him. The hero ducks out of the way, only hitting a nail with his suit. The impact of the hammer shakes the ground and he stumbles slightly. A giant screwdriver stabs into the ground in front of him, stalling him long enough for the Unhandyman to draw out a measuring tape on its side as a makeshift barrier.

Chat Noir backs off for a moment, going to higher ground before vaulting over to land near his partner. All-in-all, she’s been in the snow for a little more than five minutes, maybe six. He isn’t sure how long exactly, but it’s definitely been too long.

She’s in a snowdrift that reaches above his knees, curled in on herself and shaking slightly. He’d typically be concerned about hypothermia, but her ladybug tendencies can protect her from the cold better than it would seem. Going into hibernation can help her, but only for so long. He picks her up carefully.

She doesn’t move to be any closer to him, completely limp in his arms. Definitely hibernating - not that he had any doubt given the whole falling into a snowdrift bit.

He makes his way to the rooftops, sparing a glance back at Unhandyman. He’ll have to trust that Paris will be able to stay out of his way while Chat gets Ladybug somewhere safe.

He won’t be able to defeat this akuma alone though. 

---

“Master, I’m sorry, I know Marinette usually comes for back-up, but…” He trails off, lifting the still limp girl in his arms to show his point.

Fu looks startled for a moment, “I take it that you two have revealed yourselves then?” He moves to allow the still-transformed pair into the house.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Sorry, it was an acci-”

“No matter. It was bound to happen eventually. What led to this?” He gestures at Ladybug.

He nods, “She got knocked into the snow and I couldn’t get to her for a while.” 

“You should de-transform, Plagg will be able to release Tikki.” Wayzz suggests.

“Claws in.” 

Plagg flies out of the ring, blinking for a moment before going to the earrings to release his other half as he has before. Tikki falls against Marinette’s shoulder, both girls are entirely asleep.

“While it is not ideal, you will have to leave them here while you deal with the akuma. Wayzz and I can keep them warm, though she likely won’t wake up with you so far. Would I be correct in assuming you came for back-up as well?” Fu leads Adrien into the main room, grabbing the Miracle Box and placing it in front of him.

He hesitates. This is Marinette’s job. He’s never done this before and doesn’t know where to start. He’d default to Honey Bee - trusting Marinette’s past decisions - but Allegra isn’t in Paris at the moment.

“A distraction would be useful here, Kid.” Plagg suggests. Adrien nods, grabbing the orange fox tail. He transforms, thanking Fu for his help and hurrying to the rooftops.

He has someone in mind.

---

“Claude De Rosier, this is the Miraculous of the Fox which grants the power of illusion. You will use it for the greater good. Once the job is done you will return the Miraculous to me. Do you accept?”

They stare at him in complete shock, “Me?”

Chat Noir smiles, “I don’t see any other Claudes here.”

Claude blinks, taking the necklace and placing it around his neck. He startles when an orange glow appears, fading to reveal Trixx.

“Greetings kit, I am Trixx, Kwami of the Fox Miraculous! Are you ready to be a hero?”

“I’ll do my best.” 

“It’s simple! To transform you say, ‘Trixx, let’s pounce’ and to detransform you say, ‘Trixx, let’s rest’. When you transform you will be able to use your flute to create a mirage for your purposes. Once you do so, you will only have five minutes before you will detransform, the necklace will display how much time you have left. Chat Noir can guide you.”

Claude notes the absence of the heroine’s name, “What about Ladybug?”

“Tikki is hibernating, I could feel it back when we were at the Guardian’s place.”

“Ladybug won’t be able to help. I can explain another time.” Chat offers.

“Ready?” Trixx turns to Claude excitedly.

They nod, “Trixx, Let’s Pounce!”

The Kwami flies into the necklace, and an orange glow overtakes the boy. As it fades, Chat looks to see how he changed.

He has an orange tunic with a white stripe running down the middle, and the long sleeves are covered by black elbow length gloves that end in zig-zagged cut and look fuzzy. The tunic is tied around the waist, and the material trails behind him, ending in three almost diamond shapes that are tipped in white. Their legs are orange and are covered from the knee down in boots similar to the gloves, that appear to have toe-prints on the bottom. On his head sits two fox ears that are more triangular than those of Rena Rouge and Volpina’s - more like a real fox and fluffy too. His mask is almost entirely orange, though the eyes are lined in black, as is the tip of the nose. They have a short shoulder cap around their front, orange except for the white zig-zagged cut edges. The flute is on their back, held there by magic.

He looks over himself, inspecting the various parts of the outfit.

“What should we call you?” Chat asks.

“Hmm…” The fox hero thinks for a moment, “How about… Kit Mime?”

“I like it. Let’s go!” The two boys jump out the window, Kit Mime taking a moment to adjust to using his abilities. The flute doesn’t extend, instead, they can jump far better than normal - luckily for them the boots seem to negate the slipperiness of the iciness of the rooftops.

It’s easy enough to find Unhandyman, following the trail of destruction which leads them to the Eiffel tower. He’s about to bash one of the legs with his hammer when Chat calls out, “Hey! You miss me?”

The giant turns, glaring once he’s spotted the heroes, “Where did Ladybug go? Finally admit defeat?”

“Actually my Lady realized she has better things to do, sorry if you’re a fan.”

“May I say something sir? I’d just like to say that I understand that it can sometimes be difficult choosing the right hammer, but you’ve nailed it!” Kit grins innocently at his pun.

Their response is the giant hammer being thrown at their head. Both boys jump out of the way easily, running to get closer.

“Any ideas on the akumatized object?” Chat questions Kit.

“Maybe the hat? Or the belt?” He’s new at this, but those seem like the most likely options.

“Okay, we’ll start with the hat - it should be easier. Maybe we can climb down from the  tower…”

They’re at the base of the tower, and Chat stops to consider things. Kit Mime looks up and jumps, landing at a platform much higher up. He continues in this way until he’s higher on the tower. At this point Chat has realized what they’re up to and is distracting Unhandyman.

Kit Mime lands softly on the hard-hat, stopping for a moment to think before shrugging and slamming his flute into it. A hole shows up, but no butterfly comes out. The victim has realized what happened so Kit jumps back to safety, sliding down the tower and running to join Chat.

“It was a good attempt.” Chat offers.

“Oh well. Do we try the belt now?”

“Yep, it’s mostly trial and error. I’ll let you in on a secret-” He leans in, whispering conspiratorially, “Ladybug and I don’t actually know what we’re doing.”

“I think you do pretty well for people that don’t know what they’re doing.”

“Thanks, you’ve done well for someone who probably also doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

The thud of a wrench slamming into the Eiffel tower brings them out of their conversation.

“Alright. Here’s how we’re going to do this. Make an illusion of me and just stick near me. Make it seem like we’re trying to get to him. I’ll sneak up from behind and catacl- destroy the belt. First let me go out of sight for a bit - maybe don’t let him see you making the illusion though.”

Kit Mime and Chat Noir duck into separate hiding places. Soon enough Chat Noir sees another him running alongside Kit, and he sneaks over to the tower, climbing quietly. Whispering, he says, “Cataclysm.”

He jumps to the belt touching it with his hand. An akuma flies out and he holds it between his fingers, sliding down the tower to meet Kit.

“Let’s get somewhere quieter. We gotta’ detransform.”

They find an alley just as the necklace runs out. Claude stands in his place, and Trixx is flying about excitedly, “You did so well!”

“You did. Welcome to the team.” The ring beeps, “I’ve got to take Trixx back now though. Are you free tonight?”

Claude lifts the fox tail over his head, “I think so. Why?”

“We’ve started bringing our temporary heroes on patrols every so often - for practice. Seeing as you’re free, I’ll stop by later. I’ve got to go now, are you good here?” “Yep! One of my friends lives near here, and I left a coat at his place once so it’s as good a time as any to grab it.”

Chat gives a two finger salute and jumps away, arriving at Fu’s place just as his time runs out.

“Alright kid, let’s check on our bugs.” Plagg is clearly antsy about being away from a hibernating Tikki for so long.

“I can assure you, Wayzz and I have kept them safe.” Fu allows them in and Adrien hands back the fox miraculous in its box.

Plagg ignores him, zipping through the walls to get to Tikki.

“Master, what can we do about this?” Adrien holds up the butterfly he still has pinned between his fingers.

“With Plagg’s assistance, we may be able to get Tikki to purify it and cast the cure. She will not be awake, but such a task is second-nature to her and as such she could likely do it while not entirely conscious.” Wayzz speculates, taking the butterfly and going to the other Kwami to discuss it as they enter the main room.

Marinette is lying across one of the mats, covered in blankets. Tikki is nearby, similarly unconscious, surrounded by Wayzz and Plagg. He sees a soft white glow and ladybugs rush out to repair the city. Plagg pulls her closer hugging her in the hopes of helping wake her up.

“Should I take her home now?” Adrien looks to Fu.

“It may be for the best. Her room is likely warmer than this one, and a familiar environment could be better for her.”

He nods, scooping her up without hesitation. He waits for Plagg to gently place Tikki on top of her before he transforms.

He does his best to avoid places he may be seen on his way to the bakery - one of the heroes of Paris carrying an unconscious girl could raise some questions.

Luckily, (thanks Tikki) he manages to go without anyone spotting him with the two bugs. He slips in through the trapdoor, relieved to see that her absence hadn’t been noticed. Her parents are still busy in the bakery below.

With her being in hibernation, there’s no hope of simply waking her up. He covers them in blankets and releases his transformation so that Plagg can be with Tikki. 

Hugging his partner closer to him, Adrien plays with her hair softly, hoping to warm her up faster. It probably isn’t good for a human being to hibernate for too long. Eventually, he falls asleep too, resting against her and purring contentedly.

---

Adrien hears his phone ding in his pocket, waking him. Pulling it out, he sees a text from Claude.

 Kid Mime: elsie drew me

Kid Mime: this is the best thing i’ve ever seen

Kid Mime: allan im stealing your sister

 The Mom Friend: no she’s mine

 Hug This Boy: Wait, who’s Elsie? Allan’s sister?

 The Mom Friend: yep

The Mom Friend: shes 6

 Kid Mime: i love her

 Hug This Boy: Is Claude at your place?

The Mom Friend: yep

The Mom Friend: someone decided the best way to get there coat back is to go OUTSDIE in the SNOW without a coat al teh way to my house

 Kid Mime: well i can only where 1 coat at a tme.

 The Mom Friend: C A R R Y  O N E

The Mom Friend: you coud hve goten sick

 Adrien looks next to him at Marinette. She’s still sleeping, but seemingly out of hibernation. That’s good. What isn’t good is the fact that - despite being in her warm room covered in blankets and right next to him - she’s very visibly shivering. He frowns at her shaking, touching her forehead gently. Definitely far too warm, it would seem her time in the snow got her a fever, perhaps also a consequence of her body being shut down for hibernation. The human immune system doesn’t work well that way.

 Hug This Boy: About that.

 The Mom Friend: oh no

The Mom Friend: are you sick?

 Hug This Boy: No.

Hug This Boy: Our favorite pig-tailed designer may or may not have ventured outside and may or may not have fallen into a snowdrift and may or may not have stayed there for upwards of five minutes before I happened to find her.

 The Mom Friend: SHE WHAT

Melodie: Is she okay?!

 Hug This Boy: I think it’s just a fever.

 Kid Mime: poor girl

 The Mom Friend: hi 😀⭐❤

The Mom Friend: my b ther is makin food

 Kid Mime: allan is stress cooking

Kid Mime: looks like pizza

Kid Mime: so were good

 Hug This Boy: What?

 Melodie: There are levels to it. If he’s making pizza then this should be enough to get it out of his system.

Melodie: Hi Elsie! Do you remember me? The girl with the long hair?

 Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: yeh i tink i do

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: clwed mayd me name pretty

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: do u lke it

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: 🍏🌻🐒🐧🐨🐩🐌🌺🎉🎅🎨

 Felix: It looks great Elsie.

 Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: r u the cat boy

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: ???❓❓❓❓¿

 Felix: Yes. I take it that you are referring to Pluto?

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: yeaaaaaa ⭐⭐😺😺😺🐋

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: he relly cute!!!!!!!!

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: can i seeee him agan???❓❓❓

 Felix: Attachment: 1 Video

 Melodie: (This is such a wholesome conversation)

 Kid Mime: (its even bettr in person)

Kid Mime: (felix she loves u. shes so smiley)

 Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: i love kitties!!

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: tel him hes reallie pretty

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: an giv him a lot of pats

Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: 😽😻😺😹😸🐱🐈😻😻😻😻😻😻

 Felix: I will.

 Really Cool Girl⭐🌞🥀🌛🎂: o allin mayed me a samwitch by by

 Felix: Farewell.

 Melodie: Bye!

 Hug This Boy: Goodbye!

 Marinette hasn’t woken up yet. Adrien is starting to worry.

“It’ll be fine. Bugs tend to get sick if they hibernate too long. It’s like a cold or a fever.” Plagg consoles.

“A magical cold or fever.” Adrien points out.

“There is that, yes.”

Marinette stirs slightly, murmuring nonsensically. Adrien focuses on her immediately, turning her face to him and feeling her forehead again.

“Mari? You waking up, Bugaboo?”

“...there’s chinchillas in the walls...:”  

“If you say so.” he holds her up carefully, her head lolling to the side. She’s still asleep, “Come on, you should wake up now. You’re sick, and I can’t help you if you’re sleeping.”

She only scrunches up her face trying to process what’s happening.

“Please? You can go back to sleep once we’ve made sure you’re okay.”

She squints at him, “Kitty?”

“Hi Princess.” he smiles at her, happy that she’s finally awake.

Marinette slumps onto him, mumbling incoherently. ‘Awake’ may be too generous of a term. 

“‘ssss col’...”

It isn’t actually that cold, but given her clear shivering she probably wouldn’t accept anything other than agreements, “Is that so? I had no idea.”

“‘cause you warm…” she falls against him again, humming happily. She’s still shivering.

He opens his mouth to respond when he hears someone on the stairs. Tom or Sabine must be checking on her.

Speaking quietly, he tells her, “I’ve got to go now. I’ll try to check on you if I get the chance. Feel better soon.” 

Her feeble attempts to stop him via hugs aren’t entirely effective. His heart breaks at her sad face, but there’d probably be trouble if they came in to see him with their sick daughter in her bed. He kisses her forehead softly and jumps through the trapdoor to the balcony, transforming once he’s outside. 

He probably needs to get back to piano anyways. 

---

Patrol with Kit Mime had gone well. He’d been understanding about Ladybug’s tendencies and had adjusted further to his powers.

Chat had returned the miraculous to Fu at the end of patrol, and is on his way to his house. 

What kind of partner would he be if he didn’t check on Marinette first though?

It’s a good thing he does, seeing as she’s on her balcony. Again.

Landing behind her, he lectures her, “Claws in. What is it with you and going out on your balcony when you’re sick?”

She turns to him, “...hi Adrien…?”

Tikki sits on her head, “Please get her inside,” she’s shivering from the cold, “She’s b-been out-t-t here for… too long?” Keeping track of time is difficult for sleepy Bugs.

“Why are you out here?”

“Gotta’ t-tell Chat I won’ be doin’ pat-trol… he k-know I’m m-me now, so I c-can do that…” She looks around at the nearby rooftops hazily.

“Mari. I’m right here. I already knew you were sick.”

She frowns, “N-no, you’re A-Adrien. Chat is C-Chat…”

“Right. My bad. Sorry Plagg, Claws Out.” the Kwami yelps in protest as he’s sucked into the ring.

Chat Noir stands in front of her, touching her arm gently, “Alright, will you go inside now?” “B-but I gotta’ t-tell y-”

“Shh. I know you’re sick, okay? Now you have to sleep.”

He leads her to the trapdoor, “I alr-ready slep’ a lots t-today?” 

“Hibernation isn’t the same as sleeping, Princess. Besides, I know for a fact that you’re tired right now.” He helps her inside, making sure she doesn’t trip on the snowy balcony as she enters.

Marinette slumps into him once she’s inside, “...am.”

“Told you. Can I detransform now?”

She hums in confirmation and he releases the transformation, Plagg returning to Tikki immediately.

“How have you been feeling? Have you eaten?” He leans against the wall and covers her in a blanket while she curls into him.

“...col’...Paris is mean, dum’ sno’.” she glares at a window across the room.

“That’s just how it is. The snow can’t get you in here-”

“You gonna’ save me from the sno’?” she looks at him expectantly.

“I will. You don’t like snow.” What else is he supposed to say? No? To that face?

“Yay.” she hugs him tighter, which isn’t actually all that tight given her exhaustion, “...’re purrin’...”

“Mhm. Don’t think you can avoid my second question though, did you eat?”

She makes a face, “yeah… Maman made me soup…”

“I take it you didn’t want to eat soup. What do you have against soup?”

“‘s not aphids. All them left ‘cause col’...luckies.”

“Are you still cold? What’s your temperature?” He glances around, hoping for a thermometer. He’s in luck, there’s one on a nearby shelf - presumably left by Tom or Sabine.

“Not enough. ‘Cause ‘m cold.” Clearly, Marinette doesn’t understand the question.

Adrien stretches, grabbing the thermometer and moving back to lean against the wall. Marinette settles herself again, glaring at him for disturbing her.

“Okay, can I take your temperature?”

She harrumphs, clearly wanting to rest, but allows him to check with the thermometer.

“38.8 (101.8℉). Hmm.” he pulls out his phone, googling a few things, “How’s your head feel?”

“Bad… everythin’ hurts.” she’s started blinking slowly, feeling heavy.

“Sorry Bug, you might have the flu. According to the internet at the very least. It’s hard to tell, seeing a lot of the symptoms are just your tendencies…”

“Kay…”

“Though I don’t think you’re supposed to be so confused…” He peers at her in concern. She only blinks up at him, smiling softly. She reaches up and ruffles his hair.

“...like ‘ur hair, Kitty-cat…”

“Yeah, that’s the earrings again.” Plagg interrupts, “Hibernating animals are going to be confused if you wake ‘em up early. She’ll recover by tomorrow, just stay close.”

“Always. She’ll still be sick though?”

“Yep. Bugs get sick really easily in the winter. Especially after they hibernate.”

Marinette is still mussing up his hair. He purrs at her happily, leaning into the touch. She blinks at him tiredly, still feeling heavy from exhaustion. At this, he returns the slow blink - not even thinking about it. It’s just what feels natural.

Marinette likes that Adrien is here. His hair is soft. His purring is nice too. What isn’t nice is her headache. It’s more than a headache - a person-ache? She’s a person and she aches. Her throat is sore too. It’s very cold. She has heaters, but they must be broken because she’s still cold. Then Adrien showed up. Then he left, but Chat came. Then Chat left again and Adrien came back. They should stop leaving her. It’s very confusing trying to keep track of who’s here and who isn’t.

At least he’s warm. He’s warmer than the rest of her room. She loves him. Also she likes that he is warm. Has she mentioned how cold it is? It is very cold. She wants to stay awake to be with her kitty longer, but it’s cold and she’s tired, and the tired is making her cold and the cold is making her tired.

She fights against the sleep hanging over her, forcing her eyes open again and again. It only makes her more tired, but she gets to see her favorite person so she’ll keep doing it. She can stay awake. She’s a hero, so staying awake is easy compared to everything else she has to do.

She feels Adrien’s hand playing with her hair, and her eyes slip close for a little longer, before she remembers that she’s awake right now. She forces them open again, determined to stay awake. His purr seems to get a little louder, and he’s still playing with her hair and she’s really tired. She’s stopped messing with his hair - her hand limp, twisted in his blonde hair and just above his face.

Okay. She’ll compromise. She’ll close her eyes for a little bit, and then she’ll open them again for the same amount of time. If she keeps up that cycle, she’ll make it through the night. Easy.

She’s on the verge of sleep when she remembers herself, startling herself awake. Maybe she can close her eyes for longer than she keeps them open? She really is tired. Adrien is really warm and it would be so easy to just sleep. She just doesn’t like that she’d miss him. He’s still running his fingers through her hair and purring, so she tries her new compromise, certain it will work better.

Adrien watches Marinette carefully. She seems to be fighting sleep, though he can’t imagine why - she must be exhausted. He keeps running his hand through her hair, trying to get her to finally rest. He’s still purring, doing nothing to quiet it, because Ladybug would always fall asleep on him in patrol when she was tired if he was purring.

Marinette is still fighting it, but he can see it’s a losing battle. He knows her too well for her to be able to fight him when it comes to her wellbeing - which includes getting the rest she deserves. He can feel her hand twitch slightly, as though she’s trying to keep messing with his hair. She’s too tired to pull that off properly, and only makes her hand slip slightly.

Her eyes finally close, and he waits to see if they’ll finally stay that way. She gives a small adorable yawn and snuggles closer to him. Her breathing finally steadies and she gives in to sleep. 

He keeps playing with her hair - it’s nice.

Inevitably, he will have to return to his house. For now though, he rests with his Lady, eventually following her to slumber.

---

Author’s Note: Well, what do you think? Lateness aside, this is one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you enjoyed!

New year (almost), new fox hero! Claude is the fox holder, I saw plenty of you guess that! Congrats on being right! I'm pretty proud of that name by the way, I feel like it's pretty clever! (Though I could be biased) Reference slides here! I had fun with their outfit. It went through many changes.

That akuma seemed familiar. Huh. Probably not an easily recognizable cartoon character or anything. Slides here.

Allan's sister made her debut! I haven't even considered what she looks like, but maybe I'll come up an outfit or something (I will take any excuse to mess around on dress up games, I have a blast). I love her.

Last update of the year! Decade too! There's no telling what the next chapter will bring, unless you have 2020 vision of course! (>ᗜ•)

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any thoughts, theories, constructive criticism, or anything really in my ask box, in replies or through reblogs. I love seeing what you think!

(Nearing 100 followers, feel free to give me ideas on ways to celebrate)

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#miraculous ladybug #transfer #with time #fanfic #chameleon salt #miraculous tendencies #miraculous side effects #winter #hibernation #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #chat noir #fox holder #Claude #quantic kids #kit mime #text interactions

[weartirondad]

And You Would Smile (And That Would Be Enough) 6/6

5 times Tony helps pull Peter away from an anxiety built cliff and the 1 time Peter is on his own. (part i, part ii, part iii, part iv, part v)

FF.net I ao3

Today was a good day.

Like, a good day as in the sun was shining, tickling Peter’s nose through the classroom window and when he got out it was neither too warm nor too hot.

Good as in Flash was out sick, they had gotten back two tests both of which he had aced and Ned kept going on and on about the latest Lego newsletter and all the new sets in it.

Good as in it was Friday and he would spent the weekend with Tony at the tower with May, Pepper, Rhodey and Happy joining them for a movie night on Saturday.

It was an almost suspiciously good day.

Peter tried to shove that nagging voice in his head somewhere in the deep abysses of his mind because he would not let his stupid anxiety ruin this perfectly fine day for him. Much to his own surprise it actually worked for once, leaving him to stroll through the floors one last time that week with a clear head and a big smile.

“Are you planning on going out before heading to Mr. Stark’s?”

They had stopped walking, standing just outside the school doors, and Ned was looking at him excitedly, voice skipping very inconspicuously when he emphasized his secret coded message. Peter was too happy to point it out to him, though, and there was no one around anyway so he just shook his head while enjoying the warm sun on his face.

“Nope, Tony has the suit for reparation after a teensy tiny knife fight on Wednesday,” he told his guy-in-the-chair with a sheepish smile and what he hoped were an innocent flutter of his eyelashes. “I’ll go out when I get to the tower, though, I’m sure he’s already been done with it since like the middle of the night on Wednesday but he’s a little mad about me getting stabbed in the first place so he’s drawing it out.”

Ned stared at him for him minute before letting out a huff that was half annoyed, half amused. “Well, at least he’s giving you the don’t-get-stabbed-talk so I don’t have to. Seriously, dude, you’re supposed to avoid getting hit.”

“Well, gee, now that you say that it makes so much more sense,” he shot back with an eye roll, digging through his backpack with one hand looking for his phone, “Are you taking the bus home?”

“Nah, my mum’s picking me up so I can help her grocery shopping.”

Peter grimaced sympathetically but pulled out his phone and headphones in triumph, “But at least you’ll get to choose which flavor Doritos she’s buying. Ah, man,” he sighed when his phone gave a sad beep before shutting down, “Can I have your phone real quick to text Tony that I’m walking over?”

His best friend was suddenly incapable of forming sentences. “You wanna. Text, uh, Tony real quick,” he repeated, eyes widening and Peter had to work really hard to stifle a laugh. “You, uh, Tony Stark. My phone. Uh.”

“Ned?” He waved his hand in front of the star-struck teenager before simply grabbing the phone he had been asking for from Ned’s lax grip. It took him a minute to type a message and send it to one of the three numbers he actually knew by heart (For emergencies, something May had insisted on since he’d been able to count) and when he was done and the phone back in Ned’s grasp the boy was still blinking ahead stupidly. That is, until a car honked loudly and his mum called for him.

He gave his friend a gentle shove in the right direction before patting his back and saying his goodbyes and greetings to Mrs. Leeds. “See you tomorrow!”

Then Peter was alone and started walking in the direction of the tower, phone and headphones back in his backpack, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket and with a happy skip in his step. He absorbed the noises of the city, the honking of cars, occasional shouts and bustling people, enjoying the normality of it all. It were moments like these when he felt like a normal teenager. Right now his enhanced senses weren’t bothering him, they were simply a way to feel more of the beauty of the day, they made him special without standing out.

He’d been born and raised in New York and the loud noises on the street actually held familiarity when they weren’t overwhelming him. On days like these, when he was at peace with the world and himself, he liked that it was never really quiet and that he was never really alone but rather part of something. He was part of a group of people who were all doing their own thing without knowing what the person next to them was going through.

There was a beauty to that kind of anonymity and connectivity –

A scream pulled him out of his musings. A barely audible cry for help. A kid’s voice.

The second his brain had registered the noise and filed it under important and ‘immediate reaction advised’ the back of his neck started buzzing. It was an unpleasant feeling that Ned liked to call his Spidey sense and that was useful about five out of ten times. And of course it would start going off when he had already established that there was something going on.

Still, he let the hum urge him on and it didn’t take him long to make out what was making the child scream.

There, towering above him, was a skyscraper and it was burning.

A large crowd of people were already assembled in front of the building in a safe distance, ambulances standing all around while several fire workers were working on putting out the fire. Strangely enough there was significantly less uproar and turmoil in the masses than he had expected.

They all seemed weirdly… settled. Scared, dusty and covered in small bruises but not as if they were looking for someone. The fire workers were only running out of the building, no one was charging in to save the child.

“What’s going on?” he asked a middle- aged man who was staring up at the fire, face scrunched up in worry.

He looked down at the kid before telling him that the fire alarm had started half an hour ago and that luckily everyone inside had already been saved and when he started talking about property damage and insurance Peter broke away.

“Hey! Sorry!” He yelled, sprinting over to the barrier to get the fire workers’ attention. “Hey! There’s someone still in there! There’s-“ His voice broke off but luckily a woman had heard him and he could only hope that she would listen because being so close to a building that was destined to collapse was doing wonders for his state of mind.  

“Calm down, sweetie. There’s no one in there. We checked every floor.” He hated adults with a passion just then. He hated not having his suit with him. They would’ve listened to Spider- Man.

“I swear, there’s someone still in there! I- It’s,” he spluttered, heart beating too fast and breaths coming in too shaky to form a real sentence let alone thought. “You need- You need to check again!”

She looked at him with compassion but damn her he didn’t want compassion. “We will check again, okay, but we can’t go that high up anymore, the fire’s been working through the building’s core. But we’ll look for your brother, okay? What’s your name? You might want to-“

Peter had already slipped away, pure panic gripping his heart at the sight in front of him. But he could still hear the voice. It was interrupted by more coughing with every scream but the kid was there and the fire worker’s weren’t fast enough and-

Without thinking he doubled back and went to the back of the building where no one was watching before starting his climb up.

His hands were sweating but he couldn’t think about how he could fall to his death with just a wrong step, he couldn’t think of-

“Mommy! Please!”

The kid’s voice pulled him from his spiraling thoughts and it was so close now. He must be on the right floor. He just needed to get inside. Of course it was one of the floors that had flames leaking out at the sides.

Funnily enough his hand wasn’t shaking when he lifted it from the side of the building to throw a punch into a nearby window. His hand was steady even when his whole body was vibrating with pure, unadulterated fear.

“Hello?” he tried, voice choking on his spit, as he climbed through the shattered window awkwardly. Shards of glass were ripping through his clothes and skin but he ignored them in favor of trying to orientate himself and listening for a reply.

There was none and for a moment he felt like passing out. Oh god, what if this was the wrong floor?

There was, however, a tiny whimper somewhere to his right.

Peter dropped down to his knees and adjusted his hoodie so it was at least covering his mouth before slowly crawling through the – not yet burning – remains of a living room until he reached a little boy, not older than four that was cowering behind a turned table.

“Hey, I’m Peter,” the teenager tried to address him before he touched him, worried the boy would freak out, but the second he realized that there was someone else there, he leaped up and clung to him like he was a lifeline. Which, he probably was in that moment. At least the hope for one.

“I-I’m s-so sc-sca-red,” he hiccupped into Peter’s neck who was holding tightly onto the tiny body in his arms, trying to sooth him through patting his hair in a similar fashion May and Tony usually did for him. He’s mind was going into overdrive figuring out how to get out but he couldn’t move them before he hadn’t calmed him down at least a little bit. “M-my m-mommy went d-downs-stairs a-and-“ he broke off into another sob and Peter shushed him gently.

“It’s okay, I’m getting you out,” he whispered softly and, really, he thought he was doing a fantastic job at keeping the appearance of calm. “We just need to get to the window and then we can climb out, okay? Can you climb? What’s your name, buddy?”

The little boy nodded and introduced himself as Sam and he was glad because if he was responsive then Peter could just keep on rambling to ignore the fact that every single fiber in his body was screaming ‘You’re gonna die’ all at once.

Together they made their way over to where Peter had come in from. But the crawl was going so slowly, too slowly. He needed to get ou-

With a loud bang part of the ceiling came crashing down.

Nononononono

Peter let go of the boy as gently as he could which wasn’t all that gently and the kid whimpered again, pulling the backpack off of Peter’s back when he was in the middle of turning around. He let him though, his entire being focused on the rubble that was blocking their way to the window.

It was dusty and everything was burning and water was dripping from the burst pipes.

He fell to his knees. He couldn’t do this.

He couldn’t. He would die. He couldn’t get out. There was too much, too-

Another crack and he reacted before he fully realized what was happening and then he was there again. He was holding up part of the ceiling, rubble and debris coming down on him and Sam was screaming.

Oh god. Sam.

Peter blinked, biting back the scream at the bottom of his throat and blinking through the tears running down his cheeks.

“It’s okay,” he managed to choke out, “It’s gonna be okay.”

His heart would combust. He was sure of it. There was no way he could survive this again. There was no way the building wouldn’t crush him this time. Squish him like a tiny bug. Like he had no backbone at all. He was Atlas, carrying the sky, stopping two worlds from colliding, only he wasn’t strong enough.

God.

“May,” he sobbed, legs shaking under the weight of the concrete and with the burden of his panic. “T-Tony.”

He couldn’t do this. He wasn’t strong enough. He wasn’t –

In front of him sat Sam, tiny body shaking with sobs as he clung to the backpack he had ripped from Peter’s back. His backpack –

Yes! He almost cried with relief when he realized what that meant. But he was already crying anyway so maybe his tears were just mixing at this point.

Focus, Peter.

“S-sam?” he managed to get out through gritted tears, thankful that the boy seemed to trust him enough to immediately sit up at his voice. Then again, he was currently holding up the part of the building that would’ve smashed them both otherwise.

Let’s not think about that.

“Can you open my backpack?” he asked, trying to breathe through the panic that was still rolling over him in waves, threatening to take over, threatening to drown him. Nope. He had to get this done. Then he’d deal with his panic. “G-great, now do you see Ironman?”

One breath. Two breaths. Steady.

“You need to press the side of his heel,” he instructed the boy who nodded ferociously and did as he was told. Peter heard the faint sound telling him that the emergency message, including their current location, had been sent and now there was actually some relief in his panic.

“Will Ironman come to save us now?”

The voice sounded so tiny and, really, all Peter wanted to do was say yes, break down and let Tony save the day but Sam would die if he let go.

“Yeah, he will,” he managed to choke out anyway, “H-he’ll save us.” Only Peter wasn’t sure he wouldn’t collapse before that.

One breath. Two brea –

The smoke in his lungs made him choke and his head snap up. The smoke was getting thicker by the minute and he already couldn’t breathe properly.

“S-sam.” One breath. “You need to.” Two breaths. “Cover your nose.” Three breaths. “And mouth.”

But the boy was shaking again, obviously having realized that he wasn’t getting enough air either, and Peter couldn’t comfort him because he was trying to keep them from dying and he was trying not to let the weight crush him and he was-

“Sam. Press down on the blue thing, okay?” He couldn’t breathe. “Gr-great. Just h-hide y-your face i-in the bl-blue light.” One more inhale. Just one more. “That’s g-good. O-okay, s-stay l-like th-that. ‘S g-gonna gonna b-be o-okay.” Exhale.

Part of him relaxed when he saw Sam do as he was told but that gave all the other parts of time to focus on his barely suppressed panic. Which was not good.

Breathing. He had to keep breathing. He couldn’t but he had to.

One. Two.

He broke off with a sob, panting through the hoodie over his mouth. He couldn’t do it. His lungs wouldn’t open and even if they did, they would inhale smoke and dust and death and –

Gritting his teeth, Peter tried to stand up a little straighter and he started counting again. Tony would be there. Tony would come. He’d just have to survive until then.

One. Two. Thr-

The building moved and he let out a scream when some part of the ceiling impaled his back. No. Gaze fixated on the little boy, he bit back another scream and took another breath.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

He made it.

He made it through five breaths.

His heart was still beating too fast, his breathing was still coming out in gasps and his entire body was on fire but he made it through five breaths. He could do five more.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

With his eyes closed he imagined May standing next to him, her gentle hand on his upper arm and her warm smile resonating through his chest. May would never let him suffocate.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

His breaths were evening out.

Ned was rooting for him. He was clutching his hand with one hand and gave him a thumbs up with the other. His smile was pained but he was being strong for Peter. Ned believed he could do it.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

His galloping heart was slowing down.

He half expected Tony to join the group next and he almost staggered when his Uncle’s hand found his waist, the touch soothing some of the pain. His Uncle would help him carry the building.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

His body slowly stopped shaking.

Tony was standing right in front of him, a look of worried conviction flickering in his eyes. When he blinked it was gone and all that was left was love and pride and then a hand came to ruffle his hair and he lowered his head, letting the panicked tension leak out of his body. Tony would come.

Peter blinked when he felt his vitals had returned to normal. Well, as normal as they could be in a life threatening situation. He was thankful for the adrenalin coursing through his blood, certain that it was the only thing keeping the post-panic-attack fatigue at bay.

“Hey Sam,” he spoke up, voice scratchy with dust and smoke but steady and calm, “Are you holding up? Tony’ll be here any second, I swear.”

The boy had barely time to mumble an affirmative into the plushy before Peter could hear the sounds of repulsors closing in on them and suddenly the ceiling wasn’t as heavy anymore.

When he looked up from Sam, he found War Machine standing beside him, helping him hold up the building and Vision came flying through the path Rhodey had cleared on his way. The corner of his lips tucked up in tired satisfaction when he watched the android pick Sam up and retreat back to safety.

The boy was safe. He wasn’t carrying the sky anymore. The adrenalin leaked out of his body with the tension and Peter collapsed forward.

He never hit the ground though. Instead he hit the cool metal of the Iron- Man suit that enveloped him in strong metal arms and picked him up as if he weight nothing. He really did feel weightless just then. And so tired.

“Thanks for saving us,” he mumbled between coughs as he let his body go limp. His head fell to the shoulder of the suit and, it wasn’t the physical contact he was craving but it was something he associated with safety and so he let his mind drift, too. The last thing he picked up before everything went black was Tony’s voice, a little tinny through the suit.

“You did all the saving, squirt. We’re just providing the getaway car.”

Peter was hunched over his desk in the work shop, eyes squinted in concentration, tongue tucked between his front teeth and fingers moving quickly yet meticulously. Everything had to be perfect. This project had big shoes to fill.

“You done yet, kid?”

He looked up with a crocked smile, stopping his motions, when his mentor wandered over and heavy hands settled on his shoulders. His thumbs rubbed circles into his shoulder blades, letting Peter relax in his grasp while the tension from sitting still for so long slowly leaked out of him.

“Won’t get done if you keep doing that,” he mumbled in halfhearted complaint but didn’t move out of Tony’s personal space who seemed content to stay right where he was.

The older man chuckled, fingers now running through Peter’s curly strands. “Want me to help you?”

“Nope, you’re doing the tech and I’m getting the software done,” he insisted, “Since you wouldn’t let me help last time.”

Now the billionaire was full on laughing and Peter grinned. He had long since learned to cherish every one of Tony’s honest laughs and he prided himself on tickling them out of him more and more often. Some days tickling was actually involved. But not today. Today was a calm day spent in the lab where they mostly moved around in silence, throwing ideas back and forth every once in a while, and took a break from their usually busy lives. A wonderful kind of boring. Just what he needed.

“Software, really?” came the fond reply, “How long have you been sitting on that one?”

“Let’s just say I’ve been hoping you’d ask me for help for half an hour now,” he grinned back, earning yet another chuckle. He was leaning against Tony’s chest at this point and so the tiny vibrations the emotion prompted swept through his own body like a wave of warmth and home.

It had been so quiet earlier that it had gotten Peter thinking on how he was really missing his StarkPal that hadn’t been salvageable after almost catching on fire two days ago. Thinking back, he was sure Tony had already had plans to make him a new one, but as it was he had suggested they start working on one and while his mentor had figured out how to rebuild the tech (because, let’s be honest he was a lot faster at that stuff), Peter had jumped at the opportunity to sew the plushy.

He had done fairly well, too, considering Tony had only taught him how to use a sewing machine four hours ago.

“I’m done, I think,” he said, disrupting the comfortable silence that had descended on them, “Only way to tell is to turn him inside out and take a look.”

“Ready for the big reveal?”

Truth be told, the plushy wasn’t as perfectly executed as the first one that Tony had sewn but Peter couldn’t care less. Not when Tony looked at him like he had just single handedly managed world peace. Not when, after they had put the tech back in, the blue light was glowing as reassuringly as ever and the heartbeat matched the one that had gotten him through so many bad days.

Friday had been awful. Yet, somehow he had fought through his own demons and surprisingly enough he had come out on top. And he was really freaking proud of that.

“Thank you,” he whispered, plushy tucked under his arm as he reached out to engulf Tony in a bone crushing hug. He was so grateful, so unbelievably lucky to have all these people on his side. There was no way he would ever be able to put it into words, so he didn’t try past a, “Thank you for believing in me.”

Because that was what they did. That was what made him strong. That was what made him hope that someday he would be fine on his own.

“Love you, kid.”

Peter smiled. “I know.”

fin.

#irondad #irondad fic #tony stark #peter parker #josis fic #and you would smile (and that would be enough) #starkpal #5 + 1 fic