The wingman visits by NiuNiette

chapter 3: scream, breath, repeat

Mini-summery-
In which Marinette gets a tip from Chat and almost rolls in the Seine.
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”Marinette.”

Tikki’s muffled whisper captured Marinette’s ear in the middle of her university lecture. She didn’t say anything, but stood up and made her way out from the classroom as quietly as possible. One thing she was happy about university was the freedom, which helped her work as Ladybug a lot. If Marinette needed to slip away from the lesson, she just took her stuff and left. Easy, simple and no need to explain anything.

She walked with hasty steps towards ladies’ restroom and pushed the heavy wooden door open. When she made sure she was alone in the restroom Marinette opened her handbag and let Tikki out.

“What is it?”

“It’s Char Noir. Hawkmoth has send out a new butterfly. I can feel it,” Tikki explained hovering before Marinette.

Marinette gasped, turning to look towards the tall windows, not really seeing anything else except the nearby building and some green branches.

“No, Marinette, you can’t go!” Tikki stopped her frantically before Marinette even spoke her wishes out loud, “I won’t transform you. You are not yet healed enough. Trust Chat Noir, he can handle this on his own.”

Marinette let out a frustrated groan, but Tikki was right. There was nothing she could do now to help Chat. She would only be an extra burden to him if she went to the scene without being completely recovered.

“Let’s wait Chat here, so he can bring the butterfly to you,” Tikki suggested.

“Here? But he doesn’t know I’m here. Shouldn’t we hurry back home and wait him there?” Marinette asked, trying to sense whatever Tikki was sensing, but failing in it. There was nothing that indicated to Marinette that Chat Noir was out hunting an akumatized person.

“Don’t worry, Chat Noir always knows where Ladybug is, and as long as I’m nearby you, he can spot you easier. Besides he’s not alone, Plagg is there to help him. Oh and didn’t he say he can find anyone he wants in whole Paris?” Tikki smiled reassuringly to Marinette.

She lifted her hands up to her chest, looking to the windows’ direction.

“Please, keep telling me what you can sense, Tikki. I can’t pick up anything and I feel so useless like this…” Marinette spoke with a worried voice, a frown appearing on her forehead.

“I will.”

They stood in silence, both looking at the same direction. The sunlight shone warmly inside the quiet restroom and birds were singing just outside the window, in the lushly green oak. Everything was so peaceful it made Marinette worry a lot. In her mind she pictured Chat fighting whatever opponent with fluid movements and a wide grin –  he always seemed to enjoying the hunt – but the fact that Chat had never fought without Ladybug, without Marinette, made Marinette’s guts twist and turn nastily. If Chat got himself hurt because of her, because of this whole mess, she wouldn’t be able to take it. The guilt and worry would be too much. She would call Adrien and tell him to change the meeting day so that she could look after Chat Noir if he got hurt. Chat Noir’s well-being was much more essential to Marinette than a date with Adrien. For that she was even willing to get Chat’s private identity revealed for herself.