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The blare of the phone is what woke him up. Adrien groaned and slipped a single hand out from beneath the covers, fumbling with the touch screen. He yawned as he answered. “’ello?”
Nathalie’s brisk voice answered him. “Your snow day has been canceled. The roads did not ice over as projected and the snowfall is not as deep. You need to get dressed for school.”
Adrien groaned. “Alright, Nathalie. Thanks for waking me up.”
“Of course, Adrien. Be down in thirty minutes Don’t forget to wear your thick coat. It did not ice, but it is still very cold.”
“Okay.” Adrien hung up and set his alarm for another ten minutes of sleep. He sighed and closed his eyes. “’Least I studied for that test that was scheduled for today…”
Ten minutes later and he deeply regretted his decision to sleep in. Adrien raced down the stairs as he struggled into his coat and gloves, combing the last of his hair into place as he grabbed a bite of eggs and a slice of toast before running out the door (on the bright side, he experienced the cliché ‘running out the door with bread in the mouth’ anime scene). Adrien dove into the silver car, grinning sheepishly at the Gorilla in the front seat. He patted his pockets down, making sure he had his phone, his kwami, and his kwami’s cheese stash. Slumping, Adrien settled down against the seat as he finished off his toast. His gaze turned out the window as the car pulled out into the street, watching as the glass steadily fogged over.
He shivered and pulled his coat tighter around him. Adrien frowned. If it was this cold for him, how was Ladybug holding up? The past few akuma attacks have steadily gotten more and more difficult as Hawkmoth took advantage of the cold that crippled Ladybug. She tended to move more slowly, resulting in Chat taking more hits for her (and those few he didn’t get… well, he was lucky that they were only physical hits). At patrol, he had asked if her aversion to the cold affected her civilian self- he had noticed ages ago that the more stressful her civilian life, the more it affected Ladybug.
Ladybug had reluctantly admitted that, yes, she was feeling sluggish and lazy in her daily life, longing for nothing more than to curl up against someone and sleep. Chat had laughed and offered to cuddle with her right then and there. (He was expecting the usual snarky reply, but Ladybug had tiredly looked over, smiled softly, and scooted close enough that he could wrap his arms around her to keep her warm, just until they moved on with patrol.)
Adrien could only imagine a petite brunette stumbling around Paris, trying to function like a standard member of society and failing from the side effects of her secret super hero life. It worried him and, even though time and again Ladybug had assured him that she had the support of her friend group to keep her awake and safe, he couldn’t help but wish he were by her side to protect her in both lives.
The buzz of his phone in his hand drew his attention. Adrien glanced down as the screen automatically lit up for him, quirking an eyebrow at the demand on the screen.
From: my dude
Yo nettie is having another of those mornings and she’s refusing to let alya get her some hot chocolate so you have to bring it so she can’t protest.
Adrien frowned and set a quick confirmation to Nino and relayed his mission to his driver, who said nothing but turned down a side road. He hopped out as soon as the car rolled to a stop, rushing inside the café to grab coffees and hot chocolate for himself and his friends. Adrien grabbed one of the insulated metal cups sold on the shelves to put Marinette’s hot chocolate in, hoping to keep it warmer for longer. He pressed his lips together as he waited on his drinks, worrying this time over a different pig tailed brunette.
Marinette seemed to be constantly sick, stumbling into classrooms, falling asleep on anyone’s shoulder (the one time he had been blessed with Marinette resting against him had been when Alya practically dumped the girl in his lap). She had quietly told Alya, Nino, and Adrien that her grades had been falling rapidly since she couldn’t manage to stay awake long enough to finish it, prompting Adrien to begin sending his homework to her after he completed it. Marinette had nearly sobbed in her thanks to him the morning after the first time he sent her the work. So the three had taken to bringing Marinette drinks whenever she looked like she had a particularly rough night (Adrien was usually the one to do so since he was the one with the most money, go figure). She always seemed to perk up a little once she had the heat in her hands, always holding it for as long as possible before drinking it.
Sighing, he took the drinks in a carrying sleeve and left, rushing to the car to get to school in time. The stop definitely set him back, but Marinette really needed all the support she could get. She was obviously trying so very hard and was frustrated with her situation. So they could all chip in and help their favorite designer.
Once the car pulled up to the school, Adrien shouted a quick thanks to his driver and dashed inside. He immediately turned to his classroom, where his friends usually waited during bad weather. Nino grinned at him as Adrien entered, reaching out for his drink. Marinette was slumped against his shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around her body as her face pressed against Nino’s sleeve. Adrien kneeled beside her, looking at her fondly as he pressed the metal tumbler into her hands. Her fingers twitched and slowly curled around the cup. Marinette blearily looked up as she pulled the thermos to her chest, allowing the steam to curl against her face.
“…A…drien?”
Adrien sighed and smiled gently at Marinette. “Yeah. Long night?”
She nodded and sat up a little, pressing her forehead against the warmed metal of her drink. Marinette blearily looked around, giving Adrien only a slightly panicked look (and he was so glad they’d worked on the communication problems between them. Marinette was fun and cute). “…’m in your spot…”
Adrien shared a glance with Nino and patted Marinette’s head. “Just stay there for today. I’ll sit with Alya.”
Alya, scrolling through her phone in her usual spot, pumped a fist. “Alright, my day with Marshmallow has finally arrived. Nino, take care of my girl or I’m breaking up with you.”
Nino laughed softly and draped an arm across Marinette’s shoulders, tugging her against his side. Marinette, pliant in her sluggishness, easily fell against Nino and curled against his warmth. Adrien shared a smile and a fist bump with Alya as he sat down, pulling out his supplies as the bell for class rang. Caline Bustier walked in a few seconds later, juggling a stack of papers and her own mug of coffee. She glanced over her students in their seats, brow furrowing when she saw Marinette. Adrien watched anxiously, concerned that Marinette was about to get in trouble. Bustier hummed as she stacked the papers against the desk.
“Adrien, please sit in your normal seat.” Marinette groaned as she sat up, only for her teacher to shake her head and send her a wink. “No, Marinette. I know your circulatory issues tend to act up whenever you’re cold, and it’s only meant to drop further as the day wears on. So you can remain where you are.”
Adrien lit up and quickly fumbled for his stuff, eager now to move. He wasn’t aware of any circulatory issues Marinette had, but that would certainly explain why every movement seemed to almost hurt her, or at least take out a lot of energy. Marinette was staring at Bustier as Adrien slid in beside her, leaning in to check on her- the poor girl seemed like she was about to have a heart attack. “Are you okay?”
Marinette gaped a bit and squeaked quietly, needing a few seconds to work on her volume control. “I-I… didn’t think she knew… about my, um, circulation… issues…”
Adrien frowned and gently rubbed Marinette’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Mari. No one is going to judge you for it.”
“I-I guess not,” she whispered back, seeming a little thrown off. “I-I just… wasn’t expecting it.”
He hummed in understanding, scooting closer to lightly squish Marinette between himself and Nino. She sighed and almost melted between the two, relishing the body heat between them. Adrien slipped an arm around her shoulders, absently rubbing her arm.
He was so glad that, as time passed, he and Marinette were able to move past whatever was standing in the way of their friendship. Adrien was convinced that whatever was between them was his fault. He never really had many friends until Nino, much less knew how to interact with them. So while Marinette was getting over what he assumed was lingering embarrassment for how she treated him the first time they met, because she was kind and adorable enough to worry over such things, Adrien was never sure how to interact with her. But he was so relieved when they slowly began hanging out more by third-and-fourth-wheeling Nino and Alya’s dates. Sure, Marinette was still a little stuttery here and there (though less so now that she had been sick so much), but she was comfortable enough to crack jokes and laugh uproariously with him. Adrien always relished those moments. They were a nice reprieve from the stoic style of his life.
Marinette pressed her cheek to his shoulder, her hot chocolate steaming beneath her face. Adrien smiled softly and straightened marginally as Bustier gave the class a sympathetic smile.
“…and I know that we weren’t supposed to go to school today, but I still have to give you your test as planned…”
A choir of groans ricocheted around the classroom. Marinette sighed heavily in resignation under his arm. Bustier passed the papers around and sat down at her desk, pulling out her own papers to grade. The class sat in silence, hunched over the desks for a solid twenty minutes before the intercom crackled. Professor Damocles, sounding weary, began relaying a very familiar warning.
“Teachers, please make sure all students are accounted for and in your classrooms- yes, Miss Ladyblogger, that means you. The akuma today calls herself Frostbite and seems to be upset at the procession of our school day. Apparently, she did not study for a certain test.”
Beside him, Marinette shifted and roused herself. “He shouldn’t be mocking her like that… however… however subtle it is…”
Adrien hummed and nodded, glancing around for a way out. Bustier anxiously glanced at the door, gaze shifting between Adrien’s table and the exit. “..Adrien, I would feel better if Marinette were in the nurse’s office for the akuma attack in case something goes wrong with her… circulation. Could you please escort her?”
Adrien shot Marinette a quick glance before nodding and standing, gently pulling Marinette up with him. She wobbled a bit, but steadied herself by clinging tightly to Adrien. He began to guide her to the door, growing panic beginning to crowd his chest. He needed to get away to transform, but Marinette needed to be safe first. He quickly pulled Marinette into the hallway, instinctively hunched over with the need to be sneaky.
There was an akuma prowling around the school and, while his teacher has provided him with the perfect opportunity to escape and transform, he had Marinette with him. His heart pounded with the adrenaline as he frantically searched for a plan. Marinette shuddered under his arm and stumbled, held up only by Adrien’s grip. He tightened his arms around her.
Right. So no vanishing on Marinette.
Marinette mumbled under her breath. Adrien leaned closer. “What?”
“I-I need to… use the restroom…?”
He frowned and glanced around “Marinette, this really isn’t...”
“I-I know, but-“
“Shh.” Adrien pulled her close, glancing around warily. Quietly, he turned to address Marinette, who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Do you hear that?”
She tilted her head to listen. Adrien watched her expression as her eyes widened, and he knew that she had heard what he did.
The gentle sound of heels clacking against the linoleum of the floor threw Adrien into a panic. His head whipped around, searching for an escape. His gaze locked on a janitor’s closet and he threw himself towards it, dragging Marinette along behind him. She squeaked in surprise, but stumbled after him. Adrien pulled her into the closet and turned to close the door behind him.
His heart stopped in his chest as he met the glaring purple gaze of the akuma just before the door closed between them. Adrien leaned his weight against the door, his rib cage feeling as if it would shatter from the force of the adrenaline that kicked his heart into motion. He held his breath as he listened intently, hoping against hope that the akuma would leave them be.
Clack!
Clack!
The footsteps slowly approached the hidden duo. Adrien tensed, only then noticing Marinette laying limp against his back, her head resting between his shoulder blades. His heart climbed into his throat as the footsteps stopped outside the door, fear splicing with his panic for the unresponsive girl slumped against his back. One hand reached back to hold Marinette as best he could, steeling himself to try and provide a distraction so Marinette could go unnoticed by the akuma. He tensed, his hand curling around the doorknob. He could throw it open...
But a whisper, hissed lowly through the air, stilled him. “I’m saving you. When you’re iced in, you won’t have to take a test you’re not prepared for.”
Adrien cried out as ice, cold enough to burn his hand if not for his glove, froze over the doorknob. He watched in horror as a thick sheet of ice spread visibly along the wall, growing to all four sides of the cubicle and sealing the two students inside. Marinette made a small noise of discontent as the temperature plummeted. Cursing, Adrien turned to tuck Marinette in against his chest, taking her hands in his and rubbing them together between his palms. He watched Marinette as her head bobbed.
“Hey, Marinette?” Adrien paused in his ministrations to cup her freezing cheek. Marinette made a small noise, almost a trill, and nuzzled his hand before settling. He frowned. “Marinette, I need you to stay awake, okay?”
Marinette gave a sound of protest and melted against his chest. She was trembling. Adrien sighed and pulled off his coat and scarf, slinging both around Marinette’s shoulders. He pulled back enough to adjust his coat around hers and wrap his scarf tightly over her mouth. Slowly, he sat back against the ice covered wall, hissing as his thin jacket easily allowed the cold to seep through the fabric. Marinette practically fell with him, easily curling up against him. Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette to cradle her gently, looking down at her worriedly.
He had never met anyone with circulation issues, but something told him that was not how they worked. Adrien figured Marinette might be in pain, maybe even unable to move, but to be practically comatose? He didn’t think circulation problems acted like this. It was like Marinette went into a hibernation or something akin to it.
Speaking of, he hoped Ladybug was doing well enough to be able to fight the akuma on her own. He had his arms full trying to take care of Marinette and was too busy keeping her awake (because he was so so scared what might happen o her if she fell asleep) to try and find a way out. Ladybug had handled akuma on her own in the past, but never when her miraculous was affecting her in such a manner. Either she had to be lucky enough to stumble across Marinette and him and set them free, or she had to take out the akuma herself. Or maybe he could... No, not yet. Last resort.
He jostled Marinette a little, ignoring her whine of protest, and sighed. “Let’s hope Ladybug can get us out of here soon. One way or another, I’m not picky.”
Marinette chuckled a little (and Adrien couldn’t help but think that it came across as a little rueful). “’s gonna haveta be... haveta be Chat that saves us...”
“What do you mean?” Adrien rubbed his hand in circles across her back, hoping to warm her up. Marinette rustled, looking up at Adrien through her bangs. The image of a ruffled baby bird came to mind as Marinette gave him a glare- presumably for disrupting her sleep. He allowed her to settle back in against his chest, tense and ready to jostle her again if she looked like she was falling asleep again. “Marinette?”
“Mmnuthin...” She mumbled against his jacket. “Don’t mean... Nuthin...”
Adrien sighed. “Mari...”
“Mmm...” Her arms wound around his waist. The heat of a sudden blush began climbing up his neck. “Ladybug won’t be... able to help...”
“Why not?” Yes, everyone had picked up on the heroine’s winter sluggishness, but she had always successfully pulled through with Chat Noir’s help. There was no reason to doubt that Ladybug would fail this time. Aside from the fact that Chat Noir would not be showing up, but there was no way Marinette would realize that. Unless Marinette knew something Adrien didn’t. Aside from Adrien knowing more than anyone else about Ladybug, he wasn’t very sure Marinette had even been awake enough lately to learn anything new about- something clicked.
Awake.
Marinette.
Ladybug.
Oh my good golly gosh is it even possible that Marinette could be my Ladybug?
He eyed the unconscious girl in his arms and lifted a hand to gently brush her bangs into her eyes, obscuring the top quarter of her face from him. It was enough to confirm it for Adrien. His fingers slid along her jaw before he gently moved her hair away from her ears. “No wonder she always wears the same hairstyle...”
So every time he had panicked when Marinette had slumped against him, breathing light enough to fool him for a second, he needn’t have. Ladybug had explained that she was never in any danger in the winter, not with the technology surrounding them. She really only ran the risk of sleeping for a very long time, maybe falling asleep on the side of the road (which, to Adrien, meant danger). As long as he knew where she was, she was safe.
That explained why Marinette was so shocked when Madame Bustier gave such a strange excuse. She had no circulatory issues, which meant... Adrien blanched. His teacher knew. Was that why she continually threw the two of them into projects together? Suddenly many of his assignments from her made more sense...
He grinned widely. Marinette, bold, strong, sweet, adorable Marinette was his lady. They knew each other! They were friends! He could reveal himself to her and reassure her that they were perfect together and wonderful and - oh golly gosh does he have a crush on Marinette? Nino had been joking for ages but what if he did? That wouldn’t actually be such a bad thing when he considered it with this new knowledge. And even if not he can still say with every confidence that his first ever promise to Ladybug still held true. Ladybug is Marinette! He could practically purr- oh wait he is.
Marinette sighed and curled tightly against Adrien as he stood, arms hooked securely under her legs and behind her back. His coat slipped off Marinette and to the ground, but he wasn’t too concerned with it. He could get it later. “My Lady?”
A pause, then Marinette blearily raising her head in confusion. “...Chaton...?”
Adrien quirked a grin as the familiar nickname confirmed his thoughts. Sure, they were pretty much proven right as soon as he had all the pieces, but the audible confirmation was nice to hear.
Marinette looked Adrien over and he watched mirthfully as several different expressions crossing her face (surprise realization anger embarrassment elation). Eventually she settled on ‘disgruntled exhaustion’ and let her forehead fall back to Adrien’s shoulder. “I’ll... Deal with this when I wake up... In spring...”
“There’s no time for napping, My Lady.” Adrien beamed widely. “There’s an akuma afoot. I can take you somewhere warm and bring the akuma to you if you like. It is very cold today.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. “I... I can... I think...”
Adrien pressed his nose to her hairline for a split second. “I think, my lady, you deserve a break. I’ll bring the akuma to you, all right?”
Marinette sighed and grumbled, lowering her gaze. “Fine... But just... Call me if you need me.”
“Can do.” Adrien grinned. “Now let’s get out of here. Plagg? Transform me!”
Marinette hid from the light show in Adrien’s scarf, squeaking. When the energy crackling around them settled, she peeked back up. She audibly gasped when she met Chat Noir’s masked gaze. He shot her a wink. “Let me get this door for you, princess.”
He easily readjusted his grip on her and lifted his leg, planting his foot against the iced over door. With two swift kicks, the door was knocked off its hinges. Marinette laughed breathlessly, looking around as if the world wasn’t quite real to her. Which, to be fair, she was probably not quite all with him. The poor bug was practically drugged from the cold.
“We need to talk later,” she whispered, still looking around in wonder.
Chat nodded and set off down the hall for a classroom he knew was empty at this time. “Of course. But for now, an akuma awaits.”
He stepped inside and set Marinette on the nearest desk, grinning at her. She nodded, eyes steeling over in determination. “Go get her, Chaton.”
Chat smirked a little, leaning in. “The princess should send her knight off with a token of affection. Where is mine?”
Marinette laughed softly, sleepily, and booped his nose. “Return triumphant, and we’ll see.”
He smiled fondly at her and bowed. His tail curled with elation.
“As you wish.”