Claws & Spots

Adrien and Nino, a cuddly talk after Nino found out Adrien is Chat Noir in the most horrifying way possible, please....

Nino does not wait for the post Akuma debrief - he can't. He'd spent the last hour crouched next to Adrien's body in the rubble, watching his best friend's blood go cold and sticky. Of course now, he's fine. He's standing next to Ladybug, laughing with a stupid look on his face. Oh he's going to-to. He doesn't know. "Chat Noir!" He grabs him by the arm, tugging. Ladybug gives him a look, all narrowed eyes and possessive. "Carapace?" "I just need to talk to him." Nino needs to listen to him breathe, and maybe smack him upside the head, and then sob, because - because he can still feel his blood on his hands, drying, flaking.

"It's alright, Ladybug." Chat Noir says, Adrien's voice from behind the mask clear. "Let me get Carapace home."

Nino chokes on bile, and lets Chat lead them away.

"It's ok. Look. All better." Chat gives him a peace sign, nudging him towards his bed. "Just- Sleep, you'll feel better in the morning."

"Don't do that." Nino reaches for his hand, and Adrien - flinches, but doesn't fight him, not even as he slips it off his finger like it's something dangerous. "Wayzz, Shell off." He whispers, as Adrien's transformation drops too.

Adrien wrinkles his nose. "It always feels sticky when you take the Miraculous off." He says, thoughtful, glancing at his Kwami as Nino tries not to hyperventilate.

His Best Friend has a Kwami. His Best Friend is a Superhero. His best friend is Chat Noir. Nobody knows. His best friend is Chat Noir and he died today, and dozens of times before. "Dude." He manages, and throws his arms around Adrien's neck and shoulders as the sob bubbles up in him.

"Nino." Adrien's voice is soft, and his arms are tentative as they encircle him, but they hold him fast. "Does Marinette know? No - no, she wouldn't, would she? Dude. DId your dad?" "Nobody knows." Adrien tells him gently. "Well, you know, now, and Luka." "You died." Nino blubbers. There's no other word for it. He's snotty and teary and clinging. He doesn't know how he's going to let go of him long enough to do anything else. "And Hawkmoth lost." Adrien takes his hand gently, and Nino sniffles a bit at the thought of him holding his hand for a minute - but Adrien just gently takes his Miraculous back. "Ladybug is the important one." "No, dude, no. You- you're." He grips his wrist, feeling like his entire self has been remade out of hello. "Don't say that. Please don't say that. You're the best. You're amazing - you're you-." "This can't change anything." Adrien tells him gently. "It can't. Nino, nobody can know."

He hates secrets, but he hates the thought of Adrien smiling at him while he died, his last thought for everyone else more. "I won't tell." He whispers. Adrien's eyes study him, heavy and quiet and warm. So serious. Too serious. "One condition." He manages, with a watery laugh. He doesn't know what to make of the look on Adrien's face- the slowly questioning eyebrow reminds him of the secretary a bit. He tries to smile, gripping Adrien's wrist. "If you die - you have to stay the night at my place." So he can count the breaths, so he can feel the reassuring thrum of Adrien's heartbeat. Adrien's lips quirk. "Steep. I pick the movie, though?"

Nino and Adrien

Nino finds out Adrien is Chat Noir, bonus points if the situation is dire and there is injury/pain involved. Nino's protective instincts go nuts.

There is no reason Chat Noir should have taken that hit - taking blows from the Akuma was Carapace's entire job.

But he did, and Nino didn't know why, just knew that Minaturex was already busy evaluating civilians and Chat wasn't getting up.

He jumps down quickly. Heart racing, just as the Akuma turns her laser eyes on them again.

He bubbles shelter around them, dropping to a knee next to him. "Char Noir! Chat Noir! Get up!"

There's a faint groan, but the prone figure isn't moving.

Red stains the blonde strands, trailing along the cup of his ear before dropping to the pavement in a growing pool.

Oh no. "Chat - Chat. Please wake up."

Nothing, he shifts back further, pressing his fingers to his throat, where the suit becomes skin. He's still warm, and relief surges through him at the faint flutter of his pulse.

Fuck. Ok. He's alive. Is unconscious worse? He doesn't know.

"Nino?" Chat breathes, eyes fluttering opened. They don't focus, and one pupil is larger than the others.

Nino is not prepared for the way he shifts, or the sudden flicker of his transformation the damage to the holder seeps into the magic. "You have got to hold on, man." He tells him softly.

"Hurts." His brow furrows, and his words release a trickle of blood from his mouth.

Nino doesn't know what that means exactly, but it isn't good.

"S'marinette ok?" Chat says, voice wet.

"She's not even here." What a silly thing to worry about. "She's with Adrien, they're safe. You're bleeding." From more than one place, shit shit shit.

"Heh." Chat Noir whispers. "She's with me. Safe. Good one." He coughs, and Nino doesn't want to think about those words.

He doesn't want to. But his eyes can't help but trace his face around the mask his heart doing an uncomfortable thump in his chest.

"Don't do this to me." He whispers.

But Adrien is already gone, his last breath easing out of his body.

"Adrien learns the truth and Plagg and him have a honest conversation?" (I think Plagg couldn't tell him earlier because of Ladybug related magic?)

I hope I did this right. But you're a cool writer and I hope you have a good day!

Adrien has known, factually, from Fu's instructions mostly that the Kwami can be controlled by the people who have their Miraculous.

It's just - well. He thought of it as something Hawkmoth did. To force the kwami to do evil. Nooroo, and Duusu. And then the rest.

Plagg's breathing is a soft metronome to his own, his tiny body sprawled near his ear they're both laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

The truth feels hard and heavy in his chest, and he's still learning to breathe around it. "What was he like as a holder?"

"Thankfully brief, but a fucking jerk." Plagg snorts softly, tail flicking. "He grabbed me from Pigtails. It was really fast."

"I feel like I knew. Somehow." Adrien says softly, turning his head to look at him.

"That's Tikki's gift. But he was controlling you too, so you might have figured him out and been put back in your room."

"Who asks anymore, right?"

Plagg snorts. "You and me both, kid."

Adrien laughs, though it isn't funny. "So. I'm a Sentimonster. Does that bother you?"

"Some of my best friends are concepts made from emotions. Why would it?" Plagg returns, rubbing against his cheek lazily.

"I'm telling the others you called them friends."

"Traitor." Plagg laughs.

"Only for the little stuff." Adrien rubs his cheek against the Kwami.

Plagg purrs softly.

He feels weirdly calm, his entire body heavy and relaxed except the knot in his chest. "Should I talk to her?"

"When you're ready, yeah."

(This is so close to my idea of what is going to happen in canon. Kissing you and holding your hands.)

It's almost a relief, hearing Marinette rage at his father. Hearing the truth resonate through her voice gives him hope where he has been struggling for months.

He has gone back through the copy of the grimoire Ladybug had given him, read everything he could find on the wish.

As far as he can tell, the wish can rewrite things large and small. Given that he has no recollection of the world ending - and granted, he hadn't had Plagg in the moments before. And thus wouldn't be encapsulated from any wish that was made.

He's side tracking himself in his relief. "I wish you would have talked to me about this before." He tells her gently, trying to keep her talking.

Marinette and Ladybug seem to be the most effected by the wish. By his *father's* wish. Which makes sense in a twisted sort of way. Not that his father knows the connection he has to Ladybug, but..well.

It's a work in progress. Like the fact that Plagg has been ordered silent about his Father.

Like the fact that the love of his life is choking on secrets and he seems to be the only one that realizes she is drowning.

Maybe the fake museum had more layers than just pressing against the restrictions of the wish.

"I know." She's crying. His father has made her cry again.

He may need to let Theo build the stupid statue just so he can destroy it. But his anger makes her small, so he keeps himself level, soothes her, leaves to meet Ladybug for patrol.

She's a wreck, too, and doesn't want to talk to him about it. He can see echoes of what has already happened.

"Do you think she knows?" He wonders.

He has the sudden vision of his Lady chewing her nails, though she's wearing gloves. "What?"

"Oh. Ah...." he fishes for a lie. "About Gabriel Agreste." Is too much truth, but he sees the moment the wish compulsion glazes over her eyes and he is already reaching for her when he knees buckles.

"Oh." Her voice is full of false cheer as she straightens. "Forgot to eat breakfast. What were you saying?"

"She seems to be smarter than the old Hawkmoth." He says instead, guiding her down. "You sit, I'll get you breakfast."

Let’s look pretty like papa

Bonus:

adrinette exes! and marichat! part 4!

She would always want more. It's not enough to Forsake her title and marry for love. She needs money and fame too. Her husband needs to be famous. She cannot adopt, she needs a baby. Her baby.