Work Text:
Chat Noir sat on the rooftop, staring out over the streets of Paris. Long, exhausting days had led to even longer, sleepless nights. He wasn’t sure if it was the stress and anxiety of his civilian life or his superhero life that led to his insomnia, but it only seemed to spiral more and more out of control with each passing day. It had been at least three weeks since his last decent night of sleep, and that had only been because he had accidentally fallen asleep on Marinette’s balcony…again.
But baker’s daughters have baker fathers, and Chat didn’t want to find out what would happen if Tom Dupain found a cat sleeping on the Purrincess’s balcony. (Chat wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he was more scared of Sabine – even though he had fought an angry Weredad before.) So he didn’t go back to Marinette’s except in the early evening, when the sun was about to set and the stars had just begun to make their presence known. It was too risky getting too comfortable.
Plagg had suggested Adrien eat cheese before bed. Or be the cat he is and actually try warm milk for once. He’d counted sheep and discovered just how resilient he could be. He’d managed to count to 2,973 sheep before decided that he was done (that was about 45 minutes of counting). He’d asked Kagami for advice, and she had offered to knock him out if he was having trouble. She’d also given him the name of a doctor that gave her sleeping pills–Adrien wasn’t ready to get medication for his situation. Yet. Chloe had suggested a glass of wine before bed, but he didn’t think his father would approve. He also didn’t want to risk his job as Chat Noir by drinking, even if only one glass.
So here he was. Avoiding Marinette’s. Not medicated. No wine. Sheepless. Sleepless. And unwilling to spend the dark night in his empty room. Even expensive mansions groan as they settle.
Chat leaned back, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds of Paris. Cars driving through the streets, not as many as an hour prior, but enough to cause his ears to twitch. It was late enough that most sane people had returned home, but even Paris had a nightlife. Occasionally he would hear a couple strolling by. Tonight was overall quiet…
…except for the strange sound of running. Nothing loud. Soft padding of soft feet upon concrete sidewalks. Heavy breathing. Yes. That was new.
Opening his eyes, Chat investigated the hapless pedestrian he’d overheard. A petite figure. Short. Ran past. It took him longer than he would like to admit to recognize Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her hair was down, and she was wearing the same cute pajamas she’d worn during their impromptu trip around Paris. On her feet were adorable kitty cat slippers. Even at this distance, he could see that they were not made to travel around outside. She was sprinting through the streets, not looking behind. There was a small box in her arms. Had something spooked her? Had she stolen something – if so he would gladly help her hide whatever treasures she had pilfered.
So with a quick leap from his perch, Chat Noir landed beside Marinette, running beside her with ease. “So where are you going?” He asked, nonchalant as if they were not sprinting across the streets like they were being chased by vicious dogs (even if that would actually make his kitty hair stand on ends).
“Chat!” Marinette gasped, almost stumbling as she skidded to a stop. His gentle hands paws(?) caught her before she hit the ground. “You startled me!” Her hand was on her chest. He could hear her heartbeat racing.
“I apologize dear Purrincess. That was not my intention.” He glanced back to the way she came. No Akuma. No dogs. No villains in sight. “What were you running from?”
She was breathing heavily. “I…I wasn’t ru-running from…anything.” She managed to say.
Chat smiled. “Then you were running… to something?”
Marinette nodded, and he realized her hair was bouncing up and down and in her face.
“And where were you running to? Perhaps this Knight can give the Purrincess a quick lift to her destination?” He bowed, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
She smiled. “That is kind of you, Chat, but I’m almost there.” She gestured, and he saw her pointing in the direction of the Agreste Mansion.
“The Agreste’s? At this time of night?”
Marinette blushed, looking bashful. “Yes. You…are going to think that I’m crazy. But…” She bit her lip. “I had a gift for Adrien. He hasn’t been sleeping well…and my mom has an old Chinese remedy that helps with sleep. She just gave it to me, and I don’t want him to suffer any longer than he has to.”
Chat’s heart swelled with affection for the pretty girl standing before him. “That… is very thoughtful of you, Marinette.” He paused, then said. “I’m sure everyone in the Mansion is asleep…and if you want, I’ll leap over and take it to him through his window. I promise I’ll let him know it was from you!”
He knew how hard it was to get inside the Mansion during regular hours. Night would be impossible – well, for most people. This was Marinette he was talking about. She could do just about anything…but he was going to make it easier on her.
“I’ll even let you watch from the streets. So you know it was delivered.”
Her eyes lit up like the brightest star in the sky. “You would do that! For me!”
“Of course, Purrincess.” He bowed again.
He dropped the remedy in his room, then bounded back to Marinette, a smile much too wide on his face. “Now…can I offer you a lift home?”
Marinette nodded, looking back at Adrien’s room as if to see if he was at the window – which he wasn’t. “Thank you. That would be nice.”
Chat made a mental note to message her when he returned to his room. It wasn’t everyday that a pretty girl in cat slippers ran through the streets of Paris just for him. Yes, she might have been a little crazy for doing something so reckless, but he couldn’t help but think that he liked that kind of crazy.