Chat Noir doesn't pause at Marinette's balcony, doesn't dare give more than a sideways glance to the Adrien there whose cage is almost too small to hold him—why would Marinette fear trapping Adrien? she isn't on the balcony herself, anyway, undoubtedly safe in her apartment somewhere she won't have to look her fear in the eye, where he won't have to worry about her—doesn't let himself slow his rush to Ladybug's side.
Ladybug is already fighting her nightmare, if 'fighting' is a broad enough verb to encompass backing away from another Chat Noir, babbling promises to tell him everything in between pleas to let her help him, imploring him to stay with her and pledging she'll make this right: another Chat Noir with a black-polka-dot red scarf wrapped around his neck, whose armor and complexion flicker from black and warm gold to white and cold blue with every flash of lightning, whose expression shifts from lonely despair back to furious loathing with every crash of thunder.
The boy whose fear of storms made him vulnerable to becoming Sandboy again is home with his mother and a comfort movie and a mug of hot chocolate; Ladybug isn't hearing the real Chat Noir for the nightmare in front of her; the only way he'll keep the violet butterfly off her fast enough is if he gets between—
—her yo-yo whizzes past his ear, catching the akuma before it lands on his collar bell, catching the nightmare Chat long enough for the real one to tug the scarf free, and Ladybug shoves a white-and-cold-blue protective charm in his hand and bursts the Lucky Charm into a scattering loveliness of healing pink sparkles and collapses into Chat Noir's arms, sobbing, "Have I hurt you, you have to tell me if I hurt you, I won't know if you don't tell me, I can't fix it if I don't know!"
[Miraculous Ladybug] something's wrong, shut the light
Ladybug is already fighting her nightmare, if 'fighting' is a broad enough verb to encompass backing away from another Chat Noir, babbling promises to tell him everything in between pleas to let her help him, imploring him to stay with her and pledging she'll make this right: another Chat Noir with a black-polka-dot red scarf wrapped around his neck, whose armor and complexion flicker from black and warm gold to white and cold blue with every flash of lightning, whose expression shifts from lonely despair back to furious loathing with every crash of thunder.
The boy whose fear of storms made him vulnerable to becoming Sandboy again is home with his mother and a comfort movie and a mug of hot chocolate; Ladybug isn't hearing the real Chat Noir for the nightmare in front of her; the only way he'll keep the violet butterfly off her fast enough is if he gets between—
—her yo-yo whizzes past his ear, catching the akuma before it lands on his collar bell, catching the nightmare Chat long enough for the real one to tug the scarf free, and Ladybug shoves a white-and-cold-blue protective charm in his hand and bursts the Lucky Charm into a scattering loveliness of healing pink sparkles and collapses into Chat Noir's arms, sobbing, "Have I hurt you, you have to tell me if I hurt you, I won't know if you don't tell me, I can't fix it if I don't know!"