Whether the fight was truly easy or not, Chat couldn't tell. He was busy thinking of the millions of other things on his mind.

Ladybug? A broken ankle?

Maybe it wasn't too strange after all. She was a human, a person.

Still....

More importantly,

How was she going to fight?

Sure, Chat knew he could take these akumas on alone if he needed, but purifying them? He can't count on her to stay put, what if she was in trouble? He can't save everyone alone. And leaving her alone felt wrong.

That was the biggest problem, aside from the giant metal fist plummeting down towards him. He dodged it with ease, carefully landing on his feet, before ducking once more away from another blow.

"You can't run forever you mangled stray!" The robot bellowed. Maybe it would have been intimidating if the voice wasn't that of a pre-pubescent boy.

"I don't plan on it." Chat laughed, before vaulting himself onto the robots arm, which had been lowered in order to strike him.

He ran up the metal arm, boots pounding against the hollowed steel.

With a quick pounce, Chat was able to grab hold of what looked like a gaming competition flyer. It had been wedged in a pocket-like opening just at the robots chest. And he had managed it all before the boy could shake him off.

"Hey!!!" He yelled, grabbing at Chat with a mighty swing.

But all he grasped was his own hand, the piercing clank of metal against metal rang in the air.

"Sorry, but I've got to go!" Chat called.

He would've made a pun, if he hadn't been so worried about Ladybug. She needed to get to the emergency room, and he was wasting time.

He didn't leave without a bit of flare however, as he saluted quickly before taking off in a sprint.

M'lady....

*******

"Tikki please....." Marinette signed, catching a good sight of the facial expressions Tikki was sending her way.

"Marinette you've got to be careful!!!" her squeaky voice rung out, just loud enough for Marinette to hear.

"I know, I know. Ladybug has gotta be careful." she sighed, slowly beginning to roll up the ankle of her pants.

"Yes she does. She can't be careless. I'm worried about you." Tikki rested on Marinettes knee, grimacing as she watched Marinette wince in pain.

"I'll be fine Tikki, plenty of people break bones everyday. Even superheroes." It felt weird using that word.....

She never saw herself as a hero, she was just doing her job, what she had been doing. It didn't seem too special to her.

"That's not what I'm talking about Marinette."

That shocked her, the sudden change in Tikki's tone of voice, and the way she sat glossed with worry on her knee.

"What do you mean?" What could she mean? Nothing else was "wrong" with her...was there?

"You're not the same Marinette....you can talk to me you know?" Tikki gently patter her knee, reassuring her.

And the defenses were back up in an instant.

"What? No I'm fine Tikki!"

Liar.

"I promise! I'd tell you first thing if anything was wrong!"

Liar.

She put in her best smile, a fake and misleading one, one she had grown used to. It was natural. In her short time learning it, she'd gotten pretty good.

"Okay." Tikki looked a little unsure, before she smiled warmly at her master.

She didn't feel like a master to her. She felt like a friend.

The two of them were fairly comfortable with eachother, able to talk about simple things, as well as things that most people might not want to talk about.

But there were still secrets.

Everyone had secrets right?

Marinette eventually got her pant leg rolled up, the pain was evident, but she was curious to see it. It looked about as bad at it felt.

Her ankle was swollen, so it was a bit hard to tell how bad the break was, but it was clearly broken.

What baffled her the most, was the fact that she had taken much worse hits before. Heck, there wasn't even an akuma to blame this time.

All because she wasn't paying attention, all because she wasn't focused. Because she was lost. In that stupid forest in her head.

She winced as Tikki floated down to gingerly touch the skin.

"Sorry Marinette." Tikki have her an apologetic look, pulling her arm away.

"It's alright Tikki, if I'm going to get my ankle fixed, a doctor is going to have to touch it anyways." She smiled with her mouth closed.

Neither of them talked for a moment, the silence was comfortable. Well, besides the sheer uncomfortable and increasingly painful feeling in Marinette's ankle.

"Mari..." Tikki began, resting back on Marinette's knee.

Just as she was about to say something, the sound of boots pounding on the road caught their attention.

"Tikki spots on!" Marinette whisper yelled.

"Ladybug!" His voice rang in the air, quiet enough to keep the giant robot roaming the city away, but loud enough for Marinette to make out his concern.

He couldn't rip the poster until he was close enough for her to get the akuma.

Marinette closed her eyes, letting the familiar, warm sensation take over her for a moment.

"M'lady?" Chat called, skidding to a stop as he realized he couldn't find her.

Don't tell me...

Just as he was about to call for a investigation, she immerged from her spot on the ground, pulling herself from her hiding spot.

"Relax Chat, I'm right here okay?" She sighed, pulling her yoyo off of her hip, analyzing the breath he took in relief.

"I was just worried about you." he handed her the paper, which had taken on a purple tint.

She looked up to him, to find his eyes were already in her. She felt her defenses failing for a moment, as her breath hitched in her throat. But she was quick to compose herself.

"Don't worry about me kitty. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." She held the paper in her hand, playfully flexing her arm to show off her "big girl guns".

"I know you can. That's why this situation is worse." He shook his head, letting out a small chuckle, just before his eyebrows furrowed again.

She just...looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Now her eyebrows were furrowed too.

"Ladybug, you're strong, and independent, and you could most definitely take on these akumas alone." He began.

"That lump of steel over there hasn't got a thing on you." He pointed to the distance, where the top of the robots head could be spotted over a tall building.

"Wh-"

He held up a finger, cutting her off

"But just because you can do it, doesn't mean you have to. I'm here for you. I can take some of the pressure off your shoulders."

"I know it's not easy. We both know. And right now, I know you want to fight, but you need to stay back." He finished, watching her blink in surprise at his sudden seriousness.

Sure, he could be serious sometimes, but it was still so strange to her, almost foreign.

"Chat....I...I just don't want you to have to do this alone....." She sighed, slumping back against the cart, yoyo in one hand, paper in the other.

"I'm not, I can't purify akumas without you." He took the paper from her hands, ripping it in half and watching the akuma flutter away.

"Time to de-evilize." She spoke, not far above a whisper, flicking her yoyo into the air.

The akuma was enclosed in the ladybug pattern, and she brought the yoyo back into her hand. She opened up her trusty 'weapon', and watched as a pure white butterfly emerged from it.

"Bye bye little butterfly." she recited.

Since she hadn't used lucky charm, she had nothing to throw into the air. Instead, she just spoke the words she always did.

"Miraculous ladybug."

And the damages were fixed.

Well, most of them.

"See, I couldn't do that." He smiled, as the buildings around him were swarmed with ladybugs.

She didn't look to impressed.

He seemed to notice.

"Oh come on bugaboo. We both know that those ladybugs aren't all you do."

"Oh really." She hooked her yoyo back onto her hip, sarcastically speaking while doing so.

"I wouldn't have any motivation to do this without you ya know. I fight, knowing that I've got someone special cheering me on." He carefully took hold of her hand, placing a soft kiss on the back it.

For once, she didn't pull away from his playful charm.

"Okay, okay. I get it." She sighed through her nose, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Let's get you to the emergency room then." He smiled, holding out his hand for her to take.

She hesitantly reached out, before pulling up her big girl pants and placing her hand in his own. He pulled her into him, hoisting her up bridal style.

"Comfortable?"

"Yeah..."

It suddenly felt a little hotter outside, maybe that was why her cheeks seemed to feel so warm.

And look so red.

He took off, nearly flying through the air as they sailed across the city. She buried her nose into his shoulder, his scent so familiar, and comforting.

She almost forgot how much pain she was still in, almost.

Almost, until the moment....whatever it was, ended too soon and he was standing in the alleyway next to the emergency room.

He lowered her to her shaking feet, but she wasn't sure if her ankle was the reason she couldn't find her balance.

It might have been due to her spiked heart rate....

But that's crazy.

"How about I let you detransform, then I carry you to the entrance. I won't look down okay?"

"Uh...okay." She nodded, letting herself be lifted once more.

She buried her face into his shoulder again, whispering for Tikki to detransform her.

The light filled both of their eyes as her ladybug persona shed away, leaving Marinette in Chat's arms.

But he kept true to his promise, and kept his eyes straight up as he walked to the entrance, where he closed his eyes and slowly set her down again.

Once she caught her balance, he turned around to face away from her.

"Thanks Chat."

He resisted the urge to catch a glimpse of his loves face.

Its not what she wants.

"Anytime m'lady."