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Chapter Text

    Marinette sat on the front steps of the house, the curls of her dark hair tickling her bare shoulders while she pet a purring black cat. It had been warm earlier in the day, but she couldn't hide the goosebumps that speckled her skin now that the heat retreated as night had set in. The thin material of her shirt and the few inches her shorts covered did nothing to shield her from the cold breeze snaking through the streets of Paris. The cat meowed at her as she scratched behind its ears, and she found herself glad it had slipped through the doors to join her earlier.

    For the hundredth time since she decided to leave the heart of the party to wait on the steps, she had the thought to return inside where she would be warm. Too warm, she reminded herself, thinking of the numerous bodies pressing against her in the crammed hallways. She grimaced, the lingering scent of sweat and alcohol clinging to her.

    She spent some time huddled on the steps, the occasional smoker joining her in silence before heading back inside. The sound of the party leaking out into the Parisian night signaled their comings and goings as Mari pondered why she even came to the party in the first place.

    It had been Alya who convinced her to come, insisting she attend at least one party in their youth. After a week of begging and sad face emoji's, along with the promise some of their other classmates were attending the party as well, Marinette had caved.

    As it turned out however, she wasn't one for the crowds. It hadn't been so bad when Alya, Kim, and herself had first arrived. Eventually though the trio got split up, while more and more people arrived, and Alya stopped returning her texts probably sometime after Nino had showed up.

    She couldn't find it in herself to be mad at her friend, but she felt bummed out sitting on the steps as the party thrummed through the walls of the house. Absently tugging at the loose strands of fabric in the rip in her jean shorts, she wished she had a car of her own to drive home, or the nerve to call a cab. Socializing so much accompanied by the fact her phone glared 1:27AM at her, left Marinette exhausted.

    The door opened once again, music and laughter pushing out of the house. Marinette tapped at her phone screen pretending to be busy, her fingers sifting through old texts between her and Alya earlier that day.

    "Marinette?" A familiar voice called from above her.

    Her body turned, her eyes trailing up bright orange sneakers, tight black pants, and a fit torso masked by a grey tee, before meeting the bright emerald eyes of "A-Adrien," Marinette stuttered, cursing herself for letting the old habit slip back into her speech.

    She could blame it on her tiredness, or the surprise of seeing him, but inwardly she ended up admitting despite two years of being in the same classes with him, the model still made her nervous. In a good though usually embarrassing way.

    "I didn't think you were the partying type," he said, moving down the steps to stand before her so she didn't have to crane her neck to look at him.

    She laughed, heat rising to her cheeks. "Alya convinced me, but your assumptions prove right so I'm hanging out here instead."

    "At least you've made a friend." He said, nodding towards her feline companion lying between her feet. She had almost forgotten about the cat as it pulled and bit at her shoelaces.

    "Suppose so," Her reply came with a smile, something that Adrien found contagious as he grinned back at her.

    "Well I'm heading home, I was actually suppose to be Nino's designated driver, but that was upon the agreement we leave by midnight. He's arranged for his brother to pick him up later though so I'm off the hook." A pause. "Hey, Marinette" her attention was drawn away from petting the cat to look back up at Adrien once more, "I could drive you home, if you need a ride back to your place."

    He had a hand behind his neck, rubbing it in almost a nervous gesture if Marinette was reading the action right. She felt herself blush, her years old feelings prickling with hope and doubts.

    "That would be awesome actually, thanks Adrien" she sighed, relived to have an exit out of this long night. 'And that exit happens to be through Adrien Agreste' her stomach did a little flip at the thought.

    "Yeah, no problem." He said, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

    She took his hand nervously, praying her hands weren't clammy, while mild protests rang from the cat lying between her feet. "Bye, bye Kitty" She spoke, kneeling to scratch beneath the cats chin in farewell. With a quick text alerting Alya she had a ride home and not to worry about her, she was leaving with the blonde.

    Adrien Agreste had a nice smile, nice eyes, and a nice body if Marinette was honest with herself, but damn did he have a nice set of wheels. The car was smooth, dark silver without a scratch on it, clearly a newer model. The windows were tinted, the interior blanketed with leather. To Marinette's immense joy after sitting on the cold steps, she discovered the seats were heated.

    The boy sitting behind the steering wheel chuckled at her reaction, watching as she practically melted into the seat. "How long were you waiting out there anyways?"

    He was too focused on pulling away from the curb and onto the street to see her blush and sit up properly in her seat. "A while," she replied.

    "You still live by the school above that bakery, right?" Adrien asked, the cities lights gliding along his features as they moved through town. His question dragged into a yawn, a sound Marinette found slightly adorable.

    She hummed something affirmative in response, her own exhaustion expanding in the comfort of the car ride.

    They drove in comfortable silence, the radio remaining at a quiet whisper as they approached the bakery and came to a stop. Again, Adrien yawned into the back of his hand. His eyelids looked heavy, his voice holding a tired slur as he announced their arrival.

    Something twisted in Marinette's stomach, concern for him driving home so late, so obviously tired. She felt guilty, knowing he had to take extra time to go out of his way to drop her off.

    "Thanks for the ride, Adrien" She told him, unbuckling her seatbelt.

    "Anytime," he attempted to stifle yet another yawn.

    There it was again, the twisting in the pit of her stomach, the worry and nervous flutter of her heart. "Hey A-Adrien," she spoke, trying to work up the nerve to speak. Her stutter or his name seemed to catch his sleepy attention. "It's...well it's really late and you keep yawning, and look r-really tired." She dug her nails into the palms of her hands in her lap, cursing her damn stutter. "I'm not sure it's so safe for you to be driving right now a-and," a beat "wouldyouliketostaythenight?"

    She fought back a wince at her own nervousness, heat noticeably rising to her cheeks. 'I just invited Adrien to stay the night' her mind chanted, practically screamed at her. Although a part of her tried to remain calm, reminding herself of all the times Alya had crashed at her house unplanned, her heart didn't seem to get the message as it pounded in her chest. Because it wasn't Alya she was making the offer to, it was Adrien. Perfectly handsome, longtime crush, Adrien.

    A streetlight above them illuminated the car in dim light, but if Marinette wasn't mistaken, there seemed to be a pale blush at the edge of Adrien's cheeks. "Are you sure that'd be alright?"

    She nodded, not trusting her nerves enough to try to communicate through words. Her hand wrapped around the door handle and the cold night air returned to embrace her.

    Marinette lingered with the door open for a second before Adrien unbuckled himself and exited the car. The doors shut in unison and Adrien used a button on his keys to quickly lock the vehicle.

    They made their way into the bakery with some key fumbling on Marinette's part, and she offered him a choice of some of the cookies leftover from the day. He obliged, taking a double chocolate for himself before following her to the stairs in the back that led to their home.

    It was when they continued up the second set of stairs and Adrien realized they were heading to what he recalled being Marinette's bedroom, that his stomach did a small flip. She opened the hatch to the room with the smallest of grunts, and he resisted looking at her ass during the process. The tightness of her shorts didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination, and Adrien bit his lip trying to stifle the thought.

    Her room hadn't changed much since he had been there last a year or so ago, the set up of her desk looking a bit different, and she had a corner set up for sewing now. Her lounger was covered with layers of clothes and she blushed at the mess. "I kinda left in a hurry earlier, s-sorry."

    'Cute' Adrien thought, watching the way she blushed and rubbed at her arm. The room had a nice smell to it and Adrien was beginning to realize how truly tired he was. His legs hurt from standing and walking around the party earlier, a dull ache burning his limbs.

    "O-kay, so there's a bathroom right there if you need to use it," she nodded in the direction of a door he hadn't noticed in the corner of the room. "And um" she paused, and he pretended not to notice the red flaring over her cheeks. "my b-beds up on the loft, but if you're uncomfortable I can go sleep on the sofa in the living room."

    "I'm fine sharing the bed if you are," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck as though it could disperse the heat rising to his cheeks, neck, and shoulders. He was never this nervous around Marinette before, he cursed inwardly. It could be blamed on the fact they hadn't hung out alone together for quiet some time, or possibly on the tight outfit she sported that night.

    "Okay." She squeaked out, rummaging through a drawer in her dresser. "I-I'm going to get changed, you can go up to bed or wait if you need to use the bathroom?" She posed it as a question, making a smile edge at Adrien's lips. She really was cute.

    He nodded and made his way to loft, hearing the soft click of the door shutting behind Marinette. The bed took up most of the space in the loft, low to the ground and covered with pillows. Adrien crawled across to lay on the far side, lying down and stretching with a groan. He was thankful Marinette invited him to stay the night, knowing he wouldn't be good at paying attention on the roads this late, this exhausted.

    She cleared her throat, and Adrien opened his eyes to look at her. Arms crossed, she wore a baggy tee and pokadotted sleep shorts. "That's my side of the bed."

    The room was dark now, Marinette shutting the light off before heading to bed. Above them a skylight let in the light from the moon and Paris, a soft glow blanketing the loft. He wondered how she slept with the light.

    Sleepy, he flashed a chat like grin at the girl. "But it's so cooomfy," he drug the word out, snuggling against the blankets to emphasize.

    "C'mon, move," She said, a smile in her words.

    "Mari," He complained, sinking deeper into the blankets.

    The nickname seemed to get to her and she smacked him lightly over the head with a nearby pillow. "Do you want to be kicked out to the couch?"

    "I thought you offered to sleep there?"

    "That was before you stole my spot!" She laughed, swinging the pillow once more.

    He caught it this time though, tugging it out of her grasp. It took her by surprise and she tumbled onto the bed giggling, landing against his chest. This close, he could smell light scent of mint, see the faint blush creeping over her cheeks. She laughed nervously, pulling away and taking her warmth with her.

    "I guess we should probably get some sleep," he said, shuffling over to the other side of the bed.

    She nodded, crawling into the sheets beside him. There was a moment of quiet while Adrien focused on not breathing too loudly before she mumbled into the blankets. "Goodnight, Adrien."

    "Goodnight, Marinette."

    Sometime in the night, Adrien felt his senses prickle as he was pulled from his sleep. His body felt warm under the blankets and dark shadows stretched across the walls. The first seconds of his slow awakening were riddled with confusion.

    It was when he felt the blankets shift beside him and the quiet, fearful voice mumble the word "no" over and over beside him that he gained his bearings. Marinette was visible under the skylight, her skin glowing pale as her brows furrowed in sleep. Her body twisted and shuddered as she appeared trapped within a nightmare.

    Adrien reached forward instinctively, but hovered over her shoulder. He had heard once not to wake someone while they were stuck in a bad dream. Or perhaps that was sleep walking. He couldn't remember but the sounds of her whimpering struck a dagger into his heart.

    Gently, he pulled her body towards him by her waist. His fingers combed through her hair timidly. "Shhhh, Mari. It's okay, I'm right here." The pace of her heart through her chest was slowing, her breathing becoming steady.

    Reflexively, her body adjusted. Her cold legs intertwined with his, her body curled against his torso. Adrien felt her sigh against him. "Chat," she breathed. The sound of the word sent his mind spinning, alarm bells blaring in the late - or was it early? - hour. Within a second his body went rigid, his heart hammering against his chest as he reminded himself to breathe.
    
    He looked down at her, exhaling at her unconscious state. 'She's dreaming...' he realized, curiosity replacing his panic. 'She's dreaming of me' The way she said his secret identities name, so softly had him captivated.

    Adrien struggled to return to sleep after that, his mind wondering over what she could be dreaming of, why she spoke Chat's name. That, and the fact his arm was dying in the position they were wrapped in.

Chapter Text

    Afternoon light pooled in the loft, touching Marinette's cheeks, the plush blankets, the railing, and the floorboards. It splashed against the walls in warm hues and glittered along flecks of dust floating in the air.

    Slowly, Marinette woke up. Her mind felt numb with grogginess, unable to determine just how late she slept in. The skin along her arms itched with a lingering memory of being held. Her bed sheets held the impression of another body, the crinkles and folds holding onto the impossible.

    'Adrien was here' Marinette's mind whispered as she stretched her hand out to the empty side of the bed. 'It couldn't have been a dream...' Uncertainty edged at her mind, rolling over in her stomach. It was an unpleasant feeling, something she hadn't felt the likeness of in months.

    From the corner of her eye, Marinette spotted a piece of paper that had got tangled in the sheets. A hybrid breed of curiosity and excitement washed over her as she plucked the note from it's place. The words written across it in a neat script solidified her memories, pushing away the doubts. She smiled at the note, taking it with her as she climbed down to the lower level of her bedroom.

Marinette, thank you for letting me stay the night. Got called in for a photo shoot this morning, sorry for running off! Text me if you ever need rescuing from lame parities ;)
- Adrien

    At the bottom of the note was his cell phone number. Marinette didn't fight the light blush that flushed her cheeks as she added him to her contacts.

    "I thought you were over that boy!" Tikki said, flying up from where she was hiding among swatches of fabric on the chaise. The kwami had a knowing look in her eyes, paired with a teasing smile as she spoke.

    "It's not like we're together Tikki, he gave me his number, that's it." She sighed, rooting through her drawers for clothes to wear for her afternoon shift at the bakery.

    "You looked awfully together wrapped up in his arms last night" the kwami mumbled, flying over to help in Marinette's choice between a pink or white shirt. Together they settled on the latter, the uttered words never managing to meet Marinette's ears.

    It was in the shower that her nightmare came crawling back, glimpses of it surviving and gnawing away at her despite she was now awake. The pitted eyes, the lashing tongue, blood pooled at the creatures feet. Marinette scrubbed at her scalp, rinsing the shampoo from her hair, imagining the thoughts being cleansed from her mind as well. Still, as she climbed out of the shower and slid into her clothes for work, the dream clung to her.

    It hung off her shoulders as she smiled at Tikki back in her bedroom. The eyes, pitch black and haunting stared back at her through photos hanging off the walls. The awful chill at the nape of her neck lingered as she took over her shift in the bakery. Chatting to customers with a smile etched across her lips, Marinette couldn't shake the nightmare.

    It had been worse than the others. The ones that came and went throughout the week, rotting her dreams and twisting them into hideous things until she woke up panting and alone, her body frozen with fear. Apart of her wanted to wake Tikki for comfort, or to confess her fears to the kwami in the morning. Yet she could never bring herself to say the words.

    Marinette worried over the idea her kwami would leave her to find someone more fit for the role. Somebody who wouldn't be terrorized by the awful dreams. Even if Tikki thought it was for the best, that she would be helping Marinette, her chosen thought otherwise. Now that she was Ladybug, she didn't know what she would do if she was forced to return to her life as only Marinette.

    Her mind shifted to Chat Noir, and what would happen if she were to be replaced. The train of thought was overrun however by the missing piece of the night, clicking into place. The soft whisper that had broken through her dreamscape, had vanquished the dark things running rampant through her mind. She realized now that she had mistaken what must have been Adrien's voice for Chat's, the dream shifting around the idea.

    A blush rose against her cheeks as she shook her head at the memory while working the cash register. He had materialized so suddenly in the dream, his eyes burning green against the darkness. His presence alone brought out the Ladybug in her, and together they defeated the nightmares like they would any real life akuma. Yet their signature fist bump had been replaced by an embrace, something that lingered on into her slumber; time in dreams feeling so different than in reality.

    It was at dinner when Marinette had a mouthful of water that her parents confronted her. She choked, her face more red from embarrassment than lack of oxygen. "W-What?" She stuttered out, her blue eyes blown wide.

    "Don't play dumb, we saw that cute friend of yours sneaking out this morning." Her mom said, continuing to eat their dinner normally. "We just want to make sure you're being safe."

    "Mom!" Marinette screeched, her body overwhelmed with uncomfortable heat. Sure, they had the talk years ago, but it hadn't resurfaced until now. Marinette was too busy with her designing, school, work at the bakery, art class, and full time job as Ladybug protecting Paris to even consider boys anymore. And it wasn't like it was just any boy they were accusing her of fooling around with, it was Adrien. "Trust me, it's not like that-"

    "Marinette, we were young once too. So you brought a boy home from a party? We trust you to make the right decisions." Her mom continued. Although Marinette appreciated the support, she would also appreciate them trusting her when she was trying to tell them what really happened.

    "I needed a ride from the party! He was super tired and I was worried it wouldn't be safe for him to drive so I offered for him to stay the night!" Marinette argued, her face flushed as she took a bite of her meal.

    Her dad, who had remained a silent observer of the conversation raised an eyebrow.

    "Dad!" Marinette complained, wishing somebody would take her side on this.

    "Okay, okay." Her parents said, laughing at the crimson face of their daughter. "We believe you."

    "Thanks," Marinette sighed, returning to her dinner.

    "But I mean I have nothing against that one visiting again," her Dad added.

    "Oh yes, he's always been so sweet. Hasn't he Marinette?"

    Marinette groaned at her parents from across the table.

    They laughed again, her father holding his arms up in surrender. "Alright, alright, we can take a hint."

    "But just remember you can always talk to us about this kind of thing." Her mom smiled, allowing Marinette to be excused from dinner.

    After a long day of running between photo-shoots, piano lessons, fittings, and more photo-shoots, Adrien's good start to the day had turned sour. His body felt stiff from standing still for photo after photo, yet he sat in the car for the eighth time that day feeling restless despite the exhaustion that was pulling him down.

    He hated these kinds of days. Hated spending a nice summer day cooped up behind the tinted windows of his car, stuff in traffic as he rushed from one place to another. Now that he could drive himself, he didn't have to deal with being ushered around all day. Though it didn't go quite as he wanted, instead being called over the Bluetooth in his car between jobs by his fathers assistant Nathalie. Throughout days like these, Adrien leaning on the hope that once he graduated in the coming year, he would be free to peruse a career of his own choice. But for as long as he slept under his father's roof, was fed, dressed, and allowed to attend school, Adrien continued the modelling life that was forced upon him so long ago.

    It wasn't too awful, most days.

    Hours later, the day turned fowl however. It festered under his fathers glare, the downward tug of his lips. Everything went wrong after dinner when his father came home from wherever business had taken him that day. Coldly, Adrien was informed of the rumor that he left with a girl after a party the previous night. That, combined with the information Nathalie had provided about his absence last night and this morning, was enough to convince Gabriel Agreste.

    Within three minutes of a one sided conversation, Adrien was forbidden to speak or see Marinette Dupain-Cheng outside of school.

    The anger that flared in Adrien was was something new, and it swamped him. Blood rushed to his ears and his heart strained to remain in the confines of his chest. He felt the heat in his fingertips, sensed the electricity of the emotion prickling over his skin. Fighting it felt like he was wrapped in thorns, biting into his skin and constricting him.

    His eyes stayed fixed to his father as the words passed the distance between them. "I said, do you understand, Adrien?"

    It wasn't a question, not really, and it sent Adrien's blood boiling at the unfairness of the situation. Just as he thought there was a possibility of growing closer to Marinette, of actually becoming friends, his father squashed the idea entirely. It was unreasonable, but Adrien knew his father would reach out to control any and all aspects of his life so long as he lived here.

    "I understand, Father." Adrien replied, struggled not to spit the words out and remain formal. It was bad enough when he tried to stop Adrien from hanging out with Nino, avoiding a direct discussion by simply booking more and more modeling shoots for the teen. Adrien was tired of being pushed away from the people he wanted so badly to be friends with.

    The only person his father didn't push him away from was Chloe, which Adrien suspected the reason behind his neutral standing being that she was wealthy, plus her father was the well respected Mayor. But between the numerous akuma's Chloe instigated throughout the rising of HawkMoth, and the fact she was the only one Adrien had permission to even be close friends with, he grew bitter towards whatever friendship they could have had.

    As he was dismissed and returned to his bedroom, the anger in him only seemed to get worse. For once, Adrien didn't filter his thoughts and let his resentment towards his father ignite. Even his bedroom, something any other teenager might deem cool, brought a wave of bitterness. What good was a room designed for hanging out, when you weren't allowed friends?

    He picked up his cellphone from where it had been forgotten on his bed, scanning through his text messages. There were various new messages, some with contact pictures beside them like Nino, Chloe, and Nathalie. The remainder had no contact information, only a stream of digits. Some of these other messages were ads from his cellphone company, the others probably fans who had gotten a hold of his number some how. He skimmed the messages, clearing his inbox as one caught his eye.

[ Hey Adrien, it's Marinette! I don't need rescuing from a party but is the offer available for chem homework? I'm soo BORED!!! ]

    The message ended with a line of sad and bored looking emoji's. She had texted him an hour ago, the small time stamp taunting him. He wanted to reply, to send a joke her way or apologize for his late response. He wanted this to be the beginning of something. Yet his finger hovered over the trash can in the corner of the screen. There could never be a beginning for the two of them, could never be conversations held in class and carried over into text. Knowing his father somehow managed to keep tabs on his phone, Adrien regretfully deleted the message.

    "Hey, what's wrong kid?" A voice spoke as a small, cat-like creature flew into view. The kwami hovered in the air a couple feet away from his chosen, it's bright green eyes squinting at him.

    "It's nothing, Plagg." Adrien said, a hollowness creeping into his chest. His emotions felt like they were spiraling, dashing between anger and confusion, sadness and frustration. His jaw clenched and he twisted at his ring. "Claw's out."

    "I thought you and Ladybug agreed no patrol tonight?"

    Adrien's mind felt scrambled, his blood too hot and heart too cold. He needed out, needed to escape and to move and just do something. The look he gave the kwami must have been enough of an explanation as his transformation took hold in seconds. Where Adrien Agreste stood moments before was now Chat Noir, clad in sleek black leather, his tail trailing behind him as he leapt from the window.

    The air in Paris was cold that night, the clouds suspended low in the sky. Wind lashed at Adrien as he ran, leaping over obstacles as he made his way through Paris without a set destination. As Chat Noir, it took more to tire himself but gave him access to a scarcely seen side of Paris. This side of him was free to roam the rooftops, free to tire himself through the method of exerting his muscles as he barreled over chimneys.

    It felt as though all his emotions were right behind him, nipping at his heels. He forced himself to run faster, run harder, run until his legs burned with a new heat, until his lungs ached and sweat collected at the nape of his neck. Time became fluid and uncertain as he remained in motion, his path constantly changing as he thew himself in different directions and at new obstacles. Distantly, he became aware of the light rain that began to fall over Paris.

    Between one building and the next, thunder shook the sky. It broke through to Adrien, startling him as he missed his landing. He slid on the wet shingles, gasping as he desperately reached for the iron railing. A single gloved hang managed to curl around the metal, the rest of him dangling in the rain over the roofs edge.

    With a groan, he heaved himself back onto the safety of the rooftop balcony that he had been millimeters short of reaching. Exhaustion slammed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Adrien stumbled, the loud crash of pottery breaking as black spots blossomed over his vision and he struggled to stay upright.

    He crumpled, white and black fireworks dancing through his eyes, Paris darting in and out from behind his immense fatigue. Coughs racked his body as the running and cold night air caught up to him, his lungs aching and his throat raw. Rain splattered against the material of his suit, bled off the plant leaves bordering the balcony, and tapped against the small window of a trap door. The sounds flooded his senses as Adrien trembled from cold and exhaustion on the tiles.

    His cat ears twitched at a sound, nearly lost under the rainfall but there nonetheless. With some effort, he opened his eyes to see the trap door being lifted, wide blue eyes the color of the sky watching him.

    "Chat?" He watched her mouth move, unable to pinpoint what emotion was causing her face to look the way it did. Her eyebrows were drawn together, her eyes blown wide and lashes fluttering, her mouth holding words that didn't come out.

    Despite it all, he flashed his signature Chat Noir grin at her, a dull ache in his chest. "Hey, Princess."

Chapter Text

Marinette lets him in. Or drags him in, if we're being honest. His body still to tired and numb with ache, she leaned out into the cold to pull the useless cat boy through her opening skylight.

    Irritation sparked in her as the bed sheets below them grew damp under his wet form. His suit couldn't hold the rain, so it dripped and seeped into the fabric she had inhabited before her sleep was disrupted. Freshly woken from another night terror, Marinette had opened her skylight with shaky arms, trying to channel her inner Ladybug as she faced whatever awaited her in the dark.

    Instead of nightmarish creature, she found a stray cat. His head rested against her knees as he shivered, the two of them crumpling to the bed once inside. It was more than unusual for Chat Noir to be collapsing onto her balcony in the middle of a storm, more so for her to bring him inside her bedroom. Yet Marinette acted on instinct, her worry over her partner overriding any questions her mind was trying to throw her way.

    She smoothed back his hair hesitantly, unsure of what to do now that he was out of the rain and breathing properly again. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable, but the silence and their touching limbs as he came out of his daze made her feel on edge. There were very few times Marinette had interacted with Chat as her civilian self, and she wasn't sure what to do.

    The muffled roar of the rain pouring outside, tapping consistently against her skylight was the only sound as silence continued to stretch between them. Marinette's lip was pulled between her teeth as question after question was darting through her mind. 'Why is Chat here? What was he doing out in the storm? Is he okay? Does he know I'm Ladybug? Should I say something? Why is it always him pulling me out from the nightmares - literally and figuratively?'

    Focusing on the damp locks of blonde hair beneath her fingers, the twitch of Chat's ears caught her interest. She glanced around, trying to pinpoint what sound she had missed. Looking up, she inhaled sharply.

    Above them, bumping and lightly scratching against the window pane was a splotch of glowing purple. The small butterfly akuma was trying to get in, battering itself against the window, struggling against the rain.

    She knew the nightmare had been a bad one, but surely the akuma couldn't be after her? From her experience, akuma's only came after people when they were upset or angry, easy targets for Hawk-Moth. Her mind flitted back to the text she had nervously sent Adrien earlier, an attempt to start a conversation. Sure, she had felt pretty bad about the lack of reply, and slowly regretted sending the message as minutes turned to hours without a reply. But Marinette wasn't too hung up on it, she didn't want to take revenge on Adrien or anyone like so many akuma victims did. But if the akuma wasn't here for her...

    "C-Chat," Marinette began, unable to see the face of the boy curled against her. "Are you okay?"

    He shifted his head in reply, but from the angle he was in, she couldn't determine whether it was a nod for yes or no. Goosebumps had risen along the skin on her arms and legs, her knees cold beneath the slick material of his suit, her arms still damp from stretching out into the storm moments prior. Taking another quick look at the akuma above them, reassured by it's lack of progress into the room, she shifted out from under the blonde.
    

    Adrien stilled as she moved, his head rolling back against the sheets. They were warm from where her bare legs had been, and he opened his eyes. Two blue orbs looked down at him, dark hair framing Marinette's pale face as she looked over him. He worried of what she could be thinking, of how out of place it was to be here under his mask. "What's wrong, Chat?"

    Her voice had been a whisper, her expression openly concerned for him. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, running through the evenings events for the millionth time. The conversation with his father felt so far away, and he looked towards the glowing numbers of her alarm clock a few feet away.

    Although sideways, Adrien determined that the numbers insisted it was nearing midnight. "It's late Princess, I'm sorry to have woken you." He dodged her question, focusing instead of the baggy sleep shirt she wore, how her hair tangled and fell over her shoulders. It was strange, thinking back to how his day had began wrapped in these same sheets with the same beautiful girl.

    She looked away at his words, moving so she was sitting upright once more, no longer hovering over him. "Your timing wasn't too terrible actually." She gave a small, nervous laugh. "You knocking over one of my flower pots got me out of a nightmare."

    "Sorry 'bout that," he said, scratching at his shoulder. "What happened in your nightmare?" He asked before he could stop himself, cringing as her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. It wasn't right for him to be there, to be asking her personal questions. Yet he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out, couldn't help but feel comfortable in her presence. On top of it all, he admitted he was equally curious and concerned over her having nightmares two nights in a row.

    To his surprise, she didn't rebuff his question immediately as he expected. "It was of that akuma you and Ladybug took down last week." She said, her hands nervously kneading the pillow she now had in her lap.

    It wasn't hard for Adrien to pull up a mental image of the akuma she was talking about, and he couldn't blame her for being afraid of it. HawkMoth was growing to be more and more inventive, his akuma victims growing stronger and more terrifying as time went on. The one Marinette spoke of was particularly memorable, it's eyes nothing but black pits. He could remember it's razor sharp teeth, the way it's body oozed black liquid from the cuts it attained during their fight.

    He shivered. "I don't blame you for having nightmares, that thing was paw-sitivly terrifying." He smiled at her, lightly touching the hand nearest to him. "Really though, you don't have to worry about it any more, Marinette. Ladybug and I took care of it."

    The smile she gave him didn't quite meet her eyes, and Adrien felt a pang in his chest. He tugged lightly at her wrist, pulling her down to the sheets beside him. "Why don't you rest? You don't have to worry, I'll fight off any akuma's." He gave her a Chat Noir wink, trying to make light of the situation.

    A laugh bubbled out of her, startling him. "Sure Chat, let me just fall asleep with a stranger in my bed beside me, perv."

    She didn't seem the least bit angry, but he was shocked by what she had said. "That's not what I meant! I-I'm not a pervert! I would never- I just- And hey I'm not a stranger!" He fumbled over his words, noticing the heat that flared over his cheeks.

    She gave him a smirk. "Sure, sure. And we've met like what, twice?"

    "I'm a protector of Paris!" He howled, sitting upright to look down at her.

    "Doesn't mean you aren't a perv" She said, raising her eyebrows at him. "I don't know who's lurking behind that mask. Hell, all that leather and the ears? Seems to me you're into some weird stuff, Chat Noir."

    Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing, and his skin tingled with embarrassed heat. "I...M-My suit wasn't my choice!" He said, his hands self-consciously covering the cat ears on his head. "And I'll have you know I'm a purr-fect gentleman behind the mask, thank you very much!"

    "You're like, what, eighteen?"

    "Seventeen! Why?"

    "BECAUSE, NO SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD BOY IS A GENTLEMAN, CHAT!" She laughed, hitting him with a nearby pillow.

    He shoved his face into his hands groaning. "I swear, I'm not a creep."

    Marinette sighed, her laughter twinkling off as she smiled at him. "I know, you're much too kind and far to flustered right now to be a complete pervert."

    "Thanks," he grumbled into his hands.

    There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, her voice quiet under the light rainfall outside. "C-Chat, were you serious about sticking around until I fall asleep?"

    He peeked between his gloved fingers, a masked eyebrow raised. "Yeah, I was."

    "Well, I-" she trailed off into a nervous "um," a blush materializing on her cheeks. "I wouldn't actually mind that."

    He couldn't help it, he faked a gasp. "Mari, did you just offer a stranger to watch you sleep?"

    She curled into herself, embarrassed. "You're not a complete stranger," she mumbled. "And I did not invite you to watch me. The storms dying down, once I'm asleep you can leave back through the-" Her sentence ended abruptly as her head swung to look above them.

    He followed her gaze, seeing nothing but the dark, overcast sky above. "What's got you all spooked?"

    "Earlier...there was a-" She bit her lip, looking over at him. Despite the fact she was obviously lost in thought, Adrien found himself liking the action, his eyes watching her lips with new fascination. "Nevermind." She finished, shaking her head to look at him.

    Marinette had caught him staring, his green eyes lowered, focused on her lips. It was just a second, a single beat of her heart that she caught him before he looked away. She almost convinced herself it hadn't happened, that she had imagined it when she noticed the light blush dusting his cheeks.

    "I should probably get some sleep, I work tomorrow." She explained, her stomach curling in an unfamiliar way. He wouldn't meet her eyes right away, faking interest in one of her plush animals among the many pillows on her bed. He nodded, and she tugged gently at his arm for him to lay down. "Could you switch off the lamp?"

    "Yeah, sure." He said, laughing nervously at himself. He leaned across, the material of his suit stretching over his back muscles, and with a audible click, the room was blanketed in darkness. Above, the purple glow of the akuma remained absent.

    She heard Chat lay down beside her, on top of the sheets while she wiggled underneath them for warmth. Despite the cold on her skin, her chest felt strangely warm, her heart thudding against her chest. 'This is nice' she admitted, running over the past half hour in her mind. Even as Marinette, joking with Chat Noir was easy, the new territory of lying next to him in bed was surprisingly pleasant.

    "Will you kiss me?" Somebody spoke softly, and after a beat, Marinette realized it was her.

    She could hear the smile in the whisper of his reply, "I thought we agreed I wasn't a creep."

    "No, that's not what I meant." Where the words were coming from, she wasn't sure. What she did know was that she didn't dislike them, she wasn't unwilling to speak them as she continued.

    "Oh." He breathed, and Marinette felt a wave of heat wash over her as she blushed, silently cursing with the knowledge that he had night vision. She was left in the dark, trying to breath steadily and she heard him shift towards her. "Are you sure?"

    She nodded, then worried she was mistaken about the entire night vision thing as nothing happened. "I'm sure, Chat." She whispered.

    Slowly, the bed shifted as he moved. A gloved hand was gently pushed next her her head, against the pillow. She felt it's presence there, and waited for more of him to follow. Heat radiated from somewhere above her, hovered just out of reach. She knew he was close though, the shallow breaths hanging in the air between them.

    Although she couldn't see, she leaned forward, ignoring the slight tug of her hair caught under his hand. Marinette found him there in the dark, gingerly touching her lips to his.

    To her relief, he responded. Instinctively, his lips moved to fit hers better, pushed against her gently until her head was back to being pressed against the pillow. He broke the kiss first, but Marinette caught him again, her hands moving on their own to loosely twine around him. His lips were softer than she expected them to be, and she smiled into the kiss at the thought. 'When did I make that assumption?'

    When their lips parted for the second time, Marinette felt like her mind was in a haze. He moved back hesitantly but was caught by Marinette's hands linked behind his neck. "Was that okay?"

    She hummed, pulling against his neck to bring him back down to her. She wasn't sure if he wanted to continue, wasn't sure if they should, so she planted a kiss on his cheek instead. The sleek edge of his mask touched her nose, reminding her of who it was she just shared her first kiss with. She couldn't deny it though, she was unfathomably happy as she felt his cheeks move around a smile as her lips lingered on against him.

    "Goodnight, Chat." She whispered, unlacing her fingers to lay back in bed.

    She was surprised as he kissed her cheek softly in return. "Goodnight, Princess."

    Marinette fell asleep shortly after, his gloved fingers trailing hypnotically through locks of her hair. Soon after, he slipped away out the way they had stumbled in, picking up the potted plant he had knocked over earlier. That night, Marinette's dreams lingered on soft lips and golden hair, sleek black material and emerald eyes. For the first time in weeks, not a single nightmare slipped into her slumber.

Chapter Text

"You kissed Chat!" Tikki taunted happily from where she floated just out of Marinette's reach.

    The teenager groaned, hiding her face as a confusing swirl of emotions attacked her. Although she finally had a good night's sleep, she woke to vivid memories of the night before. Her mind managed to capture the moment in wondrous clarity, from the feeling of his silky hair running through her fingers, to the tender kiss and the soft brush of his lips over her cheek.  

    She sighed, then bit back a curse as her mind wondered, not for the first time that morning. Tikki giggled at her, zipping around the room with excitement.

    "I-" Marinette wanted to explain herself, but her mouth was empty of words. Despite enjoying the visit with Chat Noir last night, she had so many questions now that she was well rested.

    'Why did I ask him to kiss me?' was at the top of the list, her mind focusing solely on the short window of time before the kiss. Chat had been pining after Ladybug for years without results, so why did Marinette have the desire to kiss him now of all times?

    She groaned in frustration, pulling on an old grey tee and moving onto brushing the knots out of her raven hair. She exhaled deeply, trying to work through the situation once more. Ladybug and Chat had grown close throughout their years of protecting the city together, the perfect team. But it was more than just a job obviously, Chat was one of her best friends.

    'Kissing isn't something most best friends do'  She put the comb down, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her gut twisted and Marinette continued looking into the blue eyes of her other self.

    Two Marinette's bit their lips.

    There had been a number of reasons for Ladybug to ignore Chat's advances in the past. The biggest being her all consuming crush on Adrien, it didn't leave room in that part her heart for Chat Noir. But even as her crush for Adrien ever so slowly waned away as she saw less and less of him through their opposing class schedules, Chat remained nothing but a friend.

    Marinette's fingers worked carefully to pull her hair hair into a braid, her thoughts distracting her enough to leave a few fly away strands. Her chest ached as she dug into all the feelings she had been pushing away for the past year.     

    The ultimate reason Chat Noir remained a friend in recent years was her fear of what he would think of her beneath the mask. It had been years since he saw the Marinette side to Ladybug, years since he had seen her fumbling and hesitant. Chat Noir liked Ladybug for her unyielding confidence, something Marinette was finding less and less of in herself these days. He would never accept the girl under the spots.

    'But he kissed you' her mind interjected hopefully. The thought swamped her with more confusion, more questions.  Why would Chat Noir kiss Marinette, and not Ladybug? Her mind jumped from question to question, never settling on an answer as she made her way to her morning art class.
    

    
    Adrien could distantly feel the pull of fabric around him, the light touching of fingers and measuring tape, but his mind was elsewhere. He thought of different fingers, twined behind his neck, brushing through his hair. He thought of a girl with dark hair and pale skin glowing so beautifully in the lamplight. He thought of her voice, the way it formed her laughter and the eventual question that made his heart pound in his chest. And of her lips. Her soft lips that made his head spin, filled his heart with new desires and-

    The blonde swallowed, stifling the thoughts as he forcefully pulled himself back into reality. His heart was thudding against his chest, the back of his neck warm as he heard someone speaking.

    "We have the measurements we need, thank you for your time Mr. Agreste." A red haired woman spoke to him, her face dusted with freckles. He nodded in reply, dismissing the woman.

    Although he was in charge of getting himself to his jobs, schooling, and extracurricular activities, most of his work still remained under his fathers company. Meaning, sometimes his fathers most trusted employee's came to him instead. Adrien grabbed his phone from where it perched on the glass coffee table and watched the last tendrils of red hair round the corner.

    Once he heard the front door shut, he headed back to his bedroom and landed unceremoniously on the couch. Plagg sat on the television remote, flicking through TV channels. The constant change in content bit at Adrien's nerves and he groaned. "Will you pick something?"

    "Says the boy who claims to be in love with Ladybug and kisses some other girl" the kwami taunted, continuing to switch between channels.

    Adrien opened his mouth to protest but couldn't find a good argument. His cheeks flushed with heat and he reclined against the cushions in defeat, listening to the inconsistent sounds coming from the speakers.

    Glass shattering and screams tore through Adrien's ears before being cut short, then returned with a new's reporters dialog as Plagg switched back to the channel, stopping. Adrien's green eyes went wide, watching as an akuma hung off the side of the building, claws digging into the rock wall of his school. It's other hand was stuck through the window, glass shards falling around its unnaturally twisted body.

    "Plagg," Adrien stood abruptly. "Claws out!"
    

    Adrien's heart was pounding the entire way across Paris, worry for the people trapped within the building pressing against his ribs, pricking in his fingertips. He pushed himself harder and harder and he leapt from one rooftop to another, his thoughts pinpointed on one thing and one thing alone; the akuma.

    He knew he didn't have a second to waste and hoped Ladybug was already there to defend the civilians. He was no stranger to how dangerous akumatized villains had grown to become, remembering the screams from the live footage. 

    Somehow, Hawkmoth had found  a way to increase his power, turning his super villains into nightmarish creatures, stronger and harder to kill than anything they had faced before. It was because of these monstrosities that they discovered the lucky charms purifying affects couldn't change everything. If someone died to an akuma, they stayed dead.

    Landing on the roof of the school, Adrien could already feel the burning in his legs, his breath came in short pants and he steeled himself for the fight ahead of him as he leaped down into the broken window.

    His heart constricted, his throat closing up as his eyes immediately landed on red. Red splattered against the walls and floor and tables. He lost focus for a moment, his breathing strangled from the sight of it all.

    "Chat!" Somebody screamed, a warning. His vision swam back into focus, and two things happened at once. First, he realized the red he had mistaken for blood was in fact paint. Second, he was thrown against the wall like a rag doll.

    The akuma wrapped one hand around his throat, sliding Adrien's crumbled form back up the wall. Cold paint clung to his suit as he fumbled uselessly at the akuma's unwavering grip. Black splotches blossomed over his vision, his throat aching and heart thundering in his chest.    

    "They didn't like my art," the akuma growled, their eyes glossy and black. Stitches lined their mouth, stretching as it spoke. "It was too grotesque for their program." It smiled broadly, it's teeth glinting like razors. Adrien would have screamed if he had enough air to do so.

    Suddenly, it's grip tightened in surprise before releasing him, sending Adrien tumbling to his knees. His throat burned, the feeling of the akuma's grip ghosting along his skin.

    Chat Noir was kneeling weakly across the room, limp and wheezing from his near strangling. The akuma stood tall across from him, it's body a twisted mess. Stitches riddled it's flesh, rippling as it moved towards the small group of students huddling in the corner. It's eyes, oily black pools were focused on only one though, fury burning in it's expression.

    Marinette was vaguely aware that she was shaking, fear twisting in her gut as she refused to break eye contact with the akuma. The textbook Principles of Painting that she had hurled at the akuma sat open on the floor. She hadn't thought, just acted on instinct to tear the akuma's attention away from Chat.

    "You think I don't know how to paint, Little Girl?" It rasped, taking a slow step towards her. One of its arms was elongated, it's fingers ending in long razors that scraped across the floor as it moved. "Well, why don't I paint you a pretty picture with your blood?" It smiled wickedly, stitches stretching as it cackled a laugh, lunging across the room at her.

    All she could see was the liquid black of it's eyes, it's sharp teeth, the messy stitches and razors flashing towards her. Fear clamped down on Marinette, told control of her body and kept her rooted where she stood. Her eyes were blown wide, her breathe torn from her throat as her heart pounded in her ears. She had to move.

    She couldn't move.

    Pain shot from her side as she was knocked away, a mess of black and red and glowing green barreling into her. They tumbled across the floor with tangled limbs, stopping a few feet away. She hissed a curse as her head knocked against a table leg.

    "Sorry, Princess. Stay here for me, would you?" Chat spoke from above her, his green eyes finding hers for a split second before the entirety of him was gone. Marinette moved into a crouch, timidly pressing her fingers against the aching spot on her head.

    In front of her stood Chat Noir, his baton the only barrier between himself and the akuma. "I'm the one you really want, isn't that right Hawkmoth?" Chat called.

    Marinette watched as it opened its mouth to speak, only for it to close it. It's eyes glowed like embers and it appeared to be listening to something before another smile split across it's mouth. "Yes, Chat Noir. I require that ring of yours."

    "Then come get it you talentless-" He didn't get a chance to finish his taunt before the akuma was lunging at him. Marinette darted out of the way as Chat swung his baton at the place the akuma's ribs should have been. It appeared unaffected by the hit and took another swipe at him.  

 
    Marinette inhaled sharply, waiting for the razors to slice the cat boy in half. Instead, it merely grazed his suit, slicing the material and leaving thin trails of red across the revealed strips of his torso. Chat cringed nonetheless as he cried out in pain.

    She'd never given it much thought before, but as Marinette watched Chat recover with a grimace, dodging the next attack by hoping out the window, she wondered to herself. 'What happens to the kwami when the suit is damaged?' 'What happens to the one bound with the kwami?'

    She didn't have time to give it much thought, darting towards the classroom's door. "Where are you going?" Her teacher asked, still cowering in the corner with the rest of her class. They all looked shaken, tears streaking some of their cheeks.

    "We should get out of here. Get someplace safer like the center of the school, away from the windows in case it comes back."

    "Shouldn't we leave to get help?" Somebody spoke up.

    Marinette didn't have time for this, she needed to transform and help Chat. "The akuma wouldn't have gone unnoticed but we don't know where it is right now. We need to stay inside we're it's safe instead of being in the open streets, come on!" She waved at them, dashing down the hall. Once she heard them following further behind, she rounded a corner and escaped unnoticed into an empty classroom.

    "Tikki," she said, pulling open her bag. "Spots on!"

    The fight with the akuma was tiring, and Adrien's skin felt like it was on fire beneath his suit. The worst place was at the edges of the slash across his chest, instead of searing hot the sensation here was a burning cold. Adrien worried for Plagg but couldn't stop to release his transformation and access his kwami's well being, Paris needed them.

    He was relieved when a splotch of red came down from a rooftop, landing behind the who was pressing in on Adrien one attack at a time. It was hard to keep up when he was alone, and his focus was primarily placed on dodging the attacks after what happened earlier.

    "Hey!" Ladybug yelled, drawing the attention away from Chat long enough for him to leap away from the monstrous thing in front of him. Using his baton, he propelled himself into the air, landing next to his spotted partner.

    "Glad you showed up," he said, a mixture of sincere and teasing.

    "Chat, are you-" she said, reaching out to touch the cuts.

    "Fine." He lied. "Any ideas on where the akuma is?" He watched her as she analyzed the creature for the source of it's evil, noticing but not mentioning the way she hesitated. Her posture was rigid as it slowly walked towards them, taking it's time while it's stitches stretched and tightened as it moved.

    "No clue," she answered, worry edging her words.

    "Heads!" Adrien called, ducking with his hands over his ears as the akuma lashed it's razors at them. The movement was too much apparently, and the shoulder's stitches tore, the arm falling to the ground in from of them with a dull thud.

    Ladybug screamed uncharacteristically, reeling backwards at the sight. Adrien tried not too look closely, stepping backwards as the akuma continued to approach. "Aw, that's no fun." It joked, picking up the fallen limb with it's good arm.

    Something on the razor caught his eye, a rough inscription resembling letters glinting in the sunlight. "Ladybug," Chat called behind him, hoping she was still there and not running for the hills like he low key desired. "There's something on the inner blade, do you see it?"

    She came to stand behind him, together watching as the akuma worked on reattaching it's arm. "I-It looks like..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "It looks like a signature. Could the akuma be in the blade?"

    "This thing got rejected from an art program, I'm not sure how it ties in with that..." Adrien trailed off, scanning the monster for something that linked it to it's words back in the classroom. He watched Ladybug's eyes grow wide, an idea or realization hitting her at once. "What are you thinking?"

    The akuma gave up on it's arm, tearing the reworked stitches out to hold the limb and razors like a weapon. It coughed out a laugh before charging them.

    Ladybug used her yo-yo to zip through the air to a nearby balcony while Adrien dashed aside, avoiding the akuma's sweeping arch of blades. "What if this isn't the victim? Remember the Evillustrator years ago? He could bring drawings to life!" She yelled at him, using the cord of her yo-yo to lasso the akuma's legs.

    "It said it's drawings were too grotesque" Chat said, landing a blow on the arm of the creature as it tumbled from Ladybug's binding. "You're saying this is just one of the drawings?"

    "Maybe?" She called back, uncertainty lacing the single word. Ladybug seemed different today, and the change worried him. "Can you make out the inscription?"

    "C. Michel" Adrien said, keeping his distance as the akuma tried to stand. It broke free, lashing out at him, Adrien gave a very manly yelp. Ladybug retracted the string before using her yo-yo to swing down next to him.

    "I think I have an idea of where the real akuma is," She said, both of them jumping aside as the gruesome thing came bounding towards them, baring it's pointed teeth. "Can you keep this thing distracted?"

    "Sure thing, my lady" He smiled, giving her his best Chat Noir grin he could muster to lighten the mood.

    It seemed to work to some degree and she smiled back at him before darting back down an alleyway. "Be careful, Chaton!" She called.

    

    Marinette didn't like to leave Chat Noir alone with the akuma, but she needed a distraction that would keep Paris safe while she hunted down the real thing. Her class had recently gotten to display a portrait of their choice at a nearby gallery, something she hadn't met the deadline for while she was busy protecting the city and it's people.

    She remembered attending the gallery with the other students though, walking through and finding the painting that surely started this all. It really was a grotesque thing, similar to the monster Chat Noir was left battling against now. Stitches were a theme she remembered, though admittedly it was less terrifying and more disturbing on canvas.

    While most students had submitted content relating to their recent lessons, Cameron had done something in his own style. Although Marinette wasn't a fan of the style herself, she remembered the way the other students whispered about the painting, laughing at the anatomy and theme.

    She felt bad for Cameron but hadn't seen him since that class, and had no other means of contacting him. There were rumors he got kicked out of the class for the content of his painting, but Marinette had never believed her teacher would take it that far, but now...

    Marinette stood, clad in red and spots, facing the gallery she had visited just a week ago. It appeared vacant, the glass doors shut and lights out. In the afternoon light, she could still see the front of the gallery, the statues that occupied the entry room. The thing that stood out to her however, was the front window that was shattered, pieces of glass littering the sidewalk.

    She stepped through the opening, careful to avoid the larger, jagged shards. The path to her class's small exhibit was an easy one, snaking around the corner and into a room with pale white walls and black tiled floors. Across the room stood Cameron, his back to her as he painted rapidly.

    It looked like he was animating by the second, the scene she left behind playing before her eyes on a canvas, constantly changing with his brushstrokes. She saw Chat there, but no matter what scene Cameron painted, Chat Noir wasn't a character to be controlled by his painting. The scene was always shifting, Cameron finding a way to work his creature against her partner.

    Marinette shook her head, reminding herself that somewhere, that fight was really taking place. Even in the painting, she could see the labored way Chat was moving, narrowly missing the painted creatures advances as Cameron continued to paint faster and faster.

    She swung her yo-yo out to catch the hand his paintbrush was in, but the zip of the string caught Cameron's attention as he swung his body to face her. "Ladybug" He grinned, his own face mirroring his monstrous play thing before he pounced.

    Although the fight lasted a few minutes, Marinette was relieved to find him less of a fighter than his imagined creature. Drawing a scene was thankfully much less tiring than preforming it, and Marinette had him panting in no time.

    Desperate, he lunged at her and caught her off guard. Marinette gasped, only to be cut off by the side of his arm pressing against her windpipe. He had her pinned against the wall, his hand hovering over her earring.

    Marinette, realizing where they were slammed her elbow back into the canvas behind her. Cameron's eyes went wide in horror, his fingers recoiling from her ear. "What have you done?!" He bellowed, releasing her to hold the split painting.

    From the puncture she'd created flew a black butterfly, its wings marked with the purple glow of an akuma. Using her yo-yo, Marinette captured it like she had so many times before.     
    

    She had only been home for a few minutes when there came a tapping on her skylight. New reports told her Chat Noir was okay, but worry still gnawed at her. Reporters only saw so much, knew so little about how the superheros came to be. Marinette didn't hesitate as she ran to unlatch the skylight, whispering to Tikki to hide.

    "Chat?" Marinette called, sitting on her bed and waiting.

    A moment later the one and only Chat Noir leap down, landing with a badly hidden wince. "I told you to wait there," he said, rushing towards her.

    All at once, Marinette was struck by the anger in his words, the worry that shone so clearly in his green eyes. "I-" she tried, unable to find an excuse. Somehow she knew 'I couldn't stay there I had to transform into Ladybug and help you' wasn't the right thing to say. "You're hurt," she pointed out instead.

    "I'm fine." He said, glancing away.

    She reached out, carefully touching one of the cuts slashed across his chest. He hissed in a breath, cringing.

    "You're so not fine." She glared. "I have a med kit in my bathroom, wait here."

    He did as he was told, and Marinette returned with her med kit to find him leaning back on her chaise, not quite where she left him but within the room nonetheless. She popped open the case, rooting through supplies until she found the first thing she was looking for. "This might sting a bit," she warned, hovering the small swatch of cloth above the uppermost cut.

    It was strange, seeing the bare skin his suit had hidden throughout all their adventures together, and it brought back a feeling Marinette had long since allowed. But there it was at the forefront of her mind as Chat bit back a curse as she dabbed the cleansing wipe against the wound. 'Who are you, Chat Noir?'

Chapter Text

"Fuck" Chat growled, his forceful recoil sending the legs of her chaise grinding against the floor boards. His ears had gone back, flattening against his blonde locks, his tail flicking with unease. "That hurts, Princess."

    Marinette scowled, shuffling closer to him again. "I told you it would." She sighed as he edged further away from her, holding a pillow in front of his chest.

    "Well you used the thing, no need to do it again."

    "Chat it hardly touched you, I need to clean it." He continued to cower against the opposite end of the chaise, pillow hovering defensively between them. "Stop being such a scary cat!" She swiped at the pillow, and he winced as he pulled it tight against his chest.

    Marinette softened, sitting back to give him space. "Please Chat, just let me help. That's why you showed up here, right?"

    Together they ignored the blush that had risen against her pale complexion, and he removed the pillow as he nodded with slight hesitation.

    "Alright, now, um hold still..."

    She was beside him, focusing on the streaks of red that cut across the flesh peeking out through the slashes in his suit. She tried not to flinch away as he hissed in a breath every now and then, but failed for the most part.     

    Her work was careful but easy enough, making quick work of the cut. When all that remained were three red lines like rivers over the smooth expanse of his skin, she dug through her bag for a bandage big enough to cover the long cuts. She came out with a handful of tiny band-aids primarily used for small cuts on fingers from her sewing endeavors. The only other option was a roll of bandage.

    "Um..." She hesitated, looking between the dressing in her hand and his suit. There was already a slim line of fresh blood pooling on the cuts. She needed to bandage it but...

    Chat had stopped scratching at his ears to look at her, and a blush flickered over the visible part of his cheek. "Uh, right, sorry." He fumbled over the words, reaching under the large bell hanging at his throat. Marinette had always found the bell a silly thing, always wondered over how it managed to stay silent when it mattered, and jingled when it didn't.

    At this time, it gave a slow ring as he moved it aside, reaching beneath it to grab at something. Marinette was caught in confusion for a moment before Chat tugged at something, more of his skin slowly becoming visible.

    Marinette could feel her heart kick start into a nervous thrum, her words coming out in little clips. "You don't have to- I mean - I - Uh" But her words had died out in choked mumbling, her cheeks undoubtedly scarlet.

    "Could you?" Chat took the bandage roll from her lap where she'd dropped it, not quite meeting her eyes. 'Great, you've made him uncomfortable' she bit down on the thought, nodding and taking the roll from him, letting the edge of it unravel.

    'It's just Chat' she chided herself, returning her eyes to the task at hand. In all their time together, nothing of his civilian self had ever slipped through. There was the little changes; their battle of height that Marinette was slowly but surely falling further behind in, the changing length of their hair, or the noticeable muscle gain, but Chat had always looked relatively the same. Yet here he was, his suit unzipped to reveal his lean, tan torso. The sleek black material had hidden a few small moles, thin silver stretch marks left over from a growth spurt or two.

    She reached to put the bandage against the skin on the side of his torso, right under his arm but he flinched away from her touch almost immediately. She tried again, this time managing to hold the wrap in place for a solid half a second before he was darting away from her with an outcry resembling...laughter?

    "Not-not there," he managed, pushing her hand away.

    "Chat Noir are you perhaps ticklish?" Marinette said, the edge of her lip quirking up.

    "No, it would just work better if it were a little lower is all." He argued with a nervous laugh, his tail flicking at the lie.

    She just smiled at him, shaking her head. "Okay, whatever you say." So she put the bandage lower, and got him to hold it in place while she wiped the wound quickly once more before wrapping the ribbon of material around him until his torso was bound five times, meeting under his arm again with a thin metal clip. Sometime in the process his stretchmarks were hidden, a pale birthmark below his left arm became unseen.

    "You should take it off soonish though, I'm not sure how proper it is." She sighed, cutting the wrap from the roll. "The cuts aren't too deep, it shouldn't take long for the bleeding to stop. By then you could probably just go to a real doctor as your usual self and-"

    Marinette stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing on the boy on the other end of the sofa. He had been idly scratching at the wrappings when he looked up at her. "Chat you could have just gone to a regular doctor."

    He was shrugging back into his suit, his movements careful and occasionally interrupted by a quiet wince. "And miss the opportunity to make you blush at my half naked body, not a chance Princess." He said, giving her a wink.

    Marinette laughed, packing the scattered supplies back into the med kit. "Seriously though, you should leave it to the professionals."

    "You think I'm not a professional seducer?"

    "I meant the doctors, Chaton." With her back turned, she bit her tongue on the nickname, too late to stop it from flowing easily into their banter. She hoped he would see it as a coincidence, desperately hoped he would think nothing of it.

    To her relief, Chat continued on the conversation, not missing a beat. "Ah, well in that case I have to inform you that I don't trust hospitals. What if they insist on a blood test? Or paperwork? My role as Chat Noir doesn't exactly come with fake I.D's and I'm pretty sure my blood is still my blood."

    Marinette returned to sit across from him on the lounger, her pajama clad legs crossed with a pillow balanced on her lap. "Couldn't you go without the mask?"

    Chat Noir's mood shifted instantaneously, the mischievous glint in his eye fading, the quirk in his lip falling, his shoulders sagged as though Marinette's words held the weight of the world and they rested upon his shoulders. A pang of worry shot through her chest, the dull sound of his zipper being pulled up the only sound in the room.

    His voice had sobered from it's flirtatious tone as he spoke. "Usually, yeah." His clawed fingers fiddled with the gleaming bell at his throat before he continued. "That's the thing, Mari. What makes me Chat Noir - it's kind of like magic I guess." Marinette knew exactly what made him Chat Noir, for she had her own kwami to transform her into Ladybug, but she played along as worry swam up in her stomach. "I can usually transform and detransfrom when I need to but..." He trailed off, hand hovering over the torn fabric of his suit. "I think something went wrong when my suit got cut."

    He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling at the roots and messing up the blonde locks on the return trip. His expression was broken, a mosaic of worry and fear and confusion as he barked a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry for bothering you with all this Marinette, I should probably be going."

    "Where will you go?" She whispered, her bones shrouded in ice as she looked up at him. If he couldn't transform, what would happen? To his kwami, to her friend behind the mask? What did any of this mean? Her heart ached in her chest, she was only Marinette right now, she wasn't the one Chat undoubtedly wanted to confide in, to share the weight of the situation. She was nothing but a clueless girl from his past, a single random kiss in a sea of others she assumed the famous Chat Noir had experienced. In this moment Chat needed Ladybug, needed his friend and partner, a girl with confidence who could fix whatever was causing his inability to transform.

    Marinette wondered at how she could loathe her other self so easily. She had yet to pinpoint why she wanted it to be her usual, civilian self to be the one to comfort Chat, but she followed the path her emotions were pulling her in.

    "Chat, I-I know you're probably really scared right now. I wish I could help more but all I can offer is" Marinette shook her head a little, trying to make sense of what she wanted to say.

    "You..want me to stay?" Chat offered quietly from where he stood.

    "I want you to stay."
    

    They had agreed to try to wait his transformation out in the warm comfort of Marinette's room. Again they sat in Marinette's bed, a pillow propped against the wall for Marinette to lie against, a plush cat pillow pinned against the loft's railing to support Chat's shoulders as he lounged on the other side of the bed. There was an unspoken agreement not to mention the cuts in his chest or any concerns about the "magic" that made Chat Noir his hero self, the mood forced welcomely into positive conversations only.

    "My handsome self, the Bubbler, or...Evillustrator" Chat asked, a single eyebrow seemingly raised beneath his mask.

    Marinette gave herself a moment to think before answering. "Fuck Evillustrator, marry you, and... kill Bubbler." 'Sorry Nino.'

    "You'd marry me?" Chat asked, his eyes wide.

    "Your my friend Chat of course I'd pin marry on you." She said, sticking out her tongue.

    "Pfft, sure play the friend card, as if. Everyone knows you marry whichever you'd want to have sex with more than once out of the three."

    It was impossible to hide the blush that flared over Marinette's complexion. "That is so not the only way of deciding!" She argued, whipping a spare pillow at him.

    "Okay, okay, no need for violence." He said, catching the pillow midair. He tucked it easily behind his head, letting out a yawn. "Though it's interesting to hear I've been promoted to friend."

    "What else would you be?" Marinette asked, picking at pieces of lint snagged on the blanket she was wrapped in.
    Chat sighed, rolling his shoulders into the pillows behind him in an effort to get comfortable. "That guy who saved me years ago but haven't seen since, that random guy dressed as a cat who landed on my roof the other night, that guy who I asked to-"

    Marinette quickly caught onto where he was headed with this, cutting him off and avoiding his sentence's destination of the kiss. "Well congrats Chat, you're officially of friend status now."

    "That was a quick upgrade."

    "What can I say, I've always just felt like...felt like I've known you I guess."

    He definitely raised an eyebrow this time, his mask shifting with the expression, his lip hinting at the beginning of a smirk. "Maybe that's because you do." He was dangerous like this, the mischievous glint returned to his eye and that cheshire grin just a heartbeat away.

    Marinette's own heart felt like it was stuttering through it's regular cycle, her mind beginning to fray. "W-what." The single word hung in the air before the floodgate was opened, Marinette's sudden questions stumbling out of her lips. "what do you mean? Like I knew you or I know you or like do I know you well or did I meet you like once and you're just messing with me, or just flat out messing with me without all that other stuff or-"

    She was halted by his laughter, pure and sweet ringing out in the night. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." But he didn't sound sorry, and the smile that faced her didn't look very sorry either. It looked quite pleased, content, generally happy if Marinette were one to judge. Admittedly, she loved that smile as much as she loved the laugh it had accompanied.

    "But it wasn't a lie, I do know you?" Marinette pressed.

    He looked sleepy, with tousled hair and eyes that blinked more frequently but slower as the night went on. A blue blanket was tucked around him, his head tilted against the pile of pillows he was collecting. "Yes."

    "Okay." Then after a moment, "wait, to which part?"

    He chuckled quietly, nuzzling down into the pillows and sheets. Across the bed, Marinette was sitting, leaning over her knees to try to look at him. "Stop staring at me like that," he said, opening one eye to look at her.

    She shot a glare at him, but he already had his eyes shut again.

    "Yes, we know each other Marinette."

Chapter Text

They slept across from each other that night, Marinette's bare legs brushing against Chat's arm, the blankets an overlapping cocoon of warmth. A square of moonlight fell across the bed from the skylight, the glittering stars watching over the sleeping teens.

    It was nearing dawn when Chat Noir's transformation finally released, green light flaring through the room as he cried out in pain, woken from his slumber from the burning along his skin. Dimly, he felt Marinette stir and tense across from him.

    Never had his transformation hurt, but the pain Adrien felt had him writhing, clawing at the sheets, his jaw clenched shut. With his eyes blown wide, he could see the difference of the detranformation, watched the way the light flickered and flared around him like flickers of lightening. It felt as though the suit was being burned away, searing at his skin. The slashes across his chest felt as though they were new, the memory of the incident replying in his mind.

    Just when he thought he was going to burn away to dust, the light receded, the pain ebbing away. He lay panting, curled into himself on his side as his eyes tried to adjust to the dark room. Plagg drifted down, settling beside him, utterly exhausted but seemingly unharmed.

    "Chat?" He heard Marinette call across from him, unsure.

    Panic welled in his chest as he realized his transformation was gone. His suit was replaced by a shirt and jeans, his mask leaving his face and identity in the open. He was just Adrien now, lying across from Marinette who he kissed in this very bed just the night before, under a different name.

    His chest beat hard against his chest, the skin beneath the bandages clammy as his body went rigid. What would he say to her, how could he explain, what would she think of him?

    "M-my eyes are closed." She said, her voice quiet and reassuring. "I didn't see anything, I promise."

    Adrien sat up then, hissing in a breath through gritted teeth as the scratches on his chest prickled with pain. Green eyes looked over at the girl across from him, moonlight glowed against her skin, her pale arms wrapped around herself, eyes shut tight. Her dark and tangled, bed mussed hair framed her face, beautifully contrasting. Long dark eyelashes fluttered the slightest as she focused on keeping her eyes shut tight.

    "Thank you," he breathed, the relief he felt hanging in the air. She nodded, biting her lip absently in thought.  "I should probably get home before sunrise or there'll be a lot of questions."

    Her lip slid out from where she had bitten it, Adrien's gaze caught on her mouth, the curve of her lips, the memory of last night surfacing to mind. He was losing focus, falling into thoughts of what it might be like to kiss her again when she gave a short nod. "Chat-" She started but drew back, her lip caught between her lip again in nervous habit. Adrien tried to focus on something else, anything but her lips, but the echo of the memory still lingered and the desire to close the distance was becoming overwhelming. "Are you okay?" She finished, leaning forward. Her voice had a drowsy tone to it, but her concern wasn't hard to miss.

    "I'll be fine, Princess." He told her, reaching out to brush his fingers along the hand she had draped over her bent knees. She flinched under his touch, surprised by the contact. His chest tightened and unwound as she eased back to her earlier position, her fingers drifting against his.

    It was such a light touch, gentle and shrouded in comfortable silence as the first sliver of sunlight was beginning to rise over Paris. Adrien shifted on the bed, the sheets moving with him to expose Marinette's bare legs as he leaned closer to her, hands still fiddling with one another. She had her face tilted against her knees, her expression content and wondrously beautiful despite her apparent tiredness. His unoccupied hand came up to timidly cup her face, his thumb tracing her skin, trailing until it rested at the edge of her lips. Adrien's heart felt like a hummingbird, his stomach twisting with nerves in a strange but pleasant way. His next words were a whisper, "May I?"

    Her fingers stopped moving against his, her body pausing at his question before she shook her head ever so slightly, leaning forward blindly. He took a second to breathe before he used the hand cupping her face to tilt her towards him, meeting halfway with his lips.

    They kissed once, sleep still clinging to them as their lips moved carefully, slowly. Marinette's hand came to touch his chest, glide along the edge of his shirt, traveling until she had her fingers tangled loosely in his hair. Her movements lit a spark in his chest, burning up at his patience as he pressed his lips against hers harder, one hand gripping her hip while the other pressed her closer to him by the nape of her neck.

    Her response was instantaneous, her fingers pulling at his hair, gripping tightly at his shirt as the kiss deepened. Time became irrelevant, their tiredness slipping away to be replaced by desire as their bodies pressed closer, their breathing growing rushed and hearts pounding as one kiss ended only to be followed by another.

    'More' a voice in Adrien's mind called as his fingers dug into Marinette's hips. His mind had blanked, coherent thoughts slipping away to leave him with a blank slate of lust. Leaving him with the images of her lips, her thighs, the nakedness of her shoulders in the spaghetti strapped shirt she was wearing, of the pink blush that flushed her cheeks and chest. His mind was caught in the present, in the sound of her breathing against his mouth and the feeling of her hands pulling at his hair.

    She was unknowingly unraveling him, Adrien's senses flooding with nothing but Marinette. His desire was burning up inside of him, the ever pressing 'more' calling out to him to somehow deepen the kiss, to pull her closer, to break her apart the way she was breaking him. Yet something held him back and he found himself pulling away from the kiss, keeping Marinette steady as she leaned forward.

    He tilted his forehead against hers and they stayed like that, one hand trailing against the bare half of her thigh. Her fingers had untangled themselves from his hair, leaving it disheveled in a Chat like fashion, and she laced her arms loosely around his neck.

    After a moment, she cracked a small smile, a nervous giggle cutting through their silence. "Who are you Chat?"

    "Do you really want to know?"

    She hummed in thought, and Adrien waited with his eyes shut. "Not yet."

    His emerald eyes opened to look at her, "really?"

    And she nodded, and this time Adrien didn't hesitate before pressing his lips against hers, and she sighed when they parted, hazy morning light dancing against her skin. "What are we, Chat?" She whispered, the edge of her lip caught in her teeth.

    He breathed a laugh, unsure of an answer. So he replied honestly, brushing at strands of her hair idly. "I'm not sure." There was a moment of silence as the two of them roamed their individual minds. "Not much we can be while I'm only Chat Noir, is there?"

    She nodded, one of her hands finding his, her fingers threading with his easily. "I like this though, whatever it is."

    Adrien's heart lightened from her words, and he couldn't help the smile that lit his face. "Me too, Princess."

    Her hand squeezed his, and she moved to lean against his shoulder. "You should get home, like you said." Her voice was muffled against his shirt and the words stung in Adrien's chest with disappointment, despite knowing she was right.

    He sighed, running his fingers through her hair. "I should, though I'm not sure I can leave the way I came."

    "Shit!" Marinette cursed, moving away from him. She ran a hand through her hair, pulling at it in thought. "Okay, okay. This can work." She shook her head, rubbing at her eyes as she fell back against the bed in thought.

    "Is the bakery open?" Adrien asked, scooping up Plagg from where he remained deep in sleep on the far edge of the bed, and put him in the pocket of his jeans. Plagg preferred his schoolbag or over shirt's pocket, but his detransformation left him with few options and the the kwami was completely unconscious and unable to complain.

    "No, the bakery isn't open?" She posed it as a question, still deep in thought lying in the sheets.

    "Parents awake?" He asked, reclining beside her.

    "Shouldn't be up for another half-hour by my guess."

    "Back door I can sneak out of?" He was leaning over her, and he admired how she'd managed to keep her eyes shut for as long as she did.

    "Yes actually," her face lit up, the solution to their little problem found.

    "Perfect," and with that he landed one last kiss on her lips.

    She continued to lay there as he left the loft, her voice calling down to him as he neared the trap door that led to the apartment. "I'll see you again won't I?"

    "Is that what you want?"

    There was no hesitation as she called back, "yes." The single word had his heart racing in the confines of his chest.

    "Then of course I'll be back," he smiled, shutting the trap door behind him, a part of him still reluctant to leave. He navigated his way easily, remembering it from the night of the party.

     He was struck by how quickly things were happening, how his feelings could change so rapidly. Yet as he made his way downstairs to the back of the bakery and found the door marked EXIT, he fussed over the fact his relationship with Marinette didn't feel rushed at all. It felt like something that had been waiting just beneath the surface and he had finally found it. Despite growing apart from their different schedules, being with Marinette still felt comfortably...familiar.

    He shook the thoughts away, walking a block over before calling a cab. He felt happy with Marinette, it was simple and easy with her, and he refused to let his doubts twist his thoughts around on such a beautiful morning. His dad may not have allowed Adrien to see Marinette, but he had no authority over Chat Noir. And Marinette had no reluctance to be with the masked Adrien Agreste.
    

    Marinette lifted the covers over her head, blocking out the early morning light that was staring down at her loft. She sighed into her pillow, her mind looping over the time with Chat. Namely the kissing, the feeling of fabric - real, normal fabric caught in her grasp, of his skin against hers, his hair in her fists. He smelled faintly of sweat, a musky scent that moved with him, that lingered in her sheets.

    Chat Noir was just another teenager like herself, and fact they'd been together unmasked, him unknowing of her identity of Ladybug and her keeping his civilian self a mystery through closed eyes - felt oddly thrilling. It was the part of Chat she'd always wondered but never dared explore, and yet between two visits she found herself inexplicably drawn to him, masked or not, breaking the rules she had set those years ago.

    Still, she knew she wasn't ready to know just yet. Although, if what Chat had said was true - she already did know him. Lying in bed alone, her cheeks flushed a brilliant red as she realized how one sided it was. Did he go to her school? Did he ever stop by at the bakery while she was working? Would she see the boy she was seconds away from straddling just minutes ago, later today and not even know it? She groaned, running over all the scenarios, knowing what a kick Chat would get out of seeing her while she was clueless to his identity.

    Instead of fussing over it any longer, she turned back to the kiss, to the soft touches that had sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. He'd only been gone minutes and she wanted to see him again, to talk and touch and discover more about the charming Chat Noir. Still tired from the interrupted sleep, she curled up in her sheets, wondering how it would feel if he were there too. It didn't take long for her to drift off into unconsciousness, the morning slipping away into afternoon before she would wake.

    Three days had passed, Adrien's schedule filled to the brim with last minute modeling shoots in the dwindling summer weather, his days soon to be occupied with school. In those days Adrien was impatient to sneak out and see Marinette, but his fathers watchful eye and workload left Adrien trapped in his room at night, the only time he had to see Marinette.

    Besides, like the slashes across his chest, Plagg was still recovering. He slept most of the day and Adrien supplied him with ample amounts of Camembert to help speed up the recovery. Other than being completely drained, Plagg seemed okay, reassuring him that he'd be back to normal in a couple days. Thankfully, Hawkmoth seemed to be on his own vacation, leaving Paris to a few pleasant summer days.

    With the new school year fast approaching, Adrien wasn't surprised when he received a text from Nino urging him to come to a final party down at some beach house Kim's family rented out.

    Immediately, Adrien wondered if Marinette would be attending. She had said parties weren't really her scene, but he also knew Alya could be pretty persuasive. Sure, his father had forbidden him from seeing Marinette, but what if he hadn't known she would be there? And sure, if he went he would be seeing her as Adrien, not Chat who she had begun building whatever it was their relationship was with, but Adrien couldn't miss out on a chance to see her.

    That day, Adrien spoke with Nathalie to bump up his appointments and cancel his fencing lesson for the next day. Maybe it was the beautiful summer days, but she seemed in a good enough mood to agree. Although it left him exhausted from running through a full day of fittings and photo shoots and meetings, his schedule for tomorrow from the afternoon to the following morning were cleared.

    Now all he had to do was have faith in Alya, which was simple to do.

Chapter Text

Marinette missed him and she was prominently pissed about it. After the events of the previous night, her mind had been rewired, all thoughts redirected to a leather clad, ridiculous cat boy. She couldn't go five minutes without her mind circling back, wondering over where all these new feelings were coming from, worrying over seeing him as Ladybug if an akuma attacks, or just plain and simple letting her hormones take over as she indulgently replayed the kiss.

    For years she had shrugged off his advances towards Ladybug, and suddenly after two days he had gotten under her skin. She wanted to see him, to joke and laugh or attack his lips she couldn't be sure. But when it came down to it she missed him, her stomach fluttering with nerves and she searched the edges of her vision for him to come swooping into view.

    The day came and went, Chat Noir understandably nowhere to be seen. It was at night Marinette found his absence the most obvious. As she lay in bed with the memories of the past couple nights swirling around her, she found herself secretly hoping to hear the light rap of his knuckles against the glass of the balcony's hatch.

    As sleep tried to pull her away, she held onto thoughts of what it would be like to have his body pressed against hers as they slept. She wondered if he snored or maybe talked in his sleep? Did he normally sleep nude or with pajamas? Alas, her questions were left unanswered, Chat Noir never arriving at her balcony.

    One day merged on into another, the sun rising and setting like Marinette's hope to see him. As she continued her days working at the bakery or meeting up with Alya at the mall, the ache in her chest grew tighter and tighter. She had told him she wanted to see him again, and just like that he was gone. A more rational part of her brain would pop in once in a while, reminding her it had only been three days, but her feelings continued to shift and cause her heart confusion.

    She wondered if it was her fault for being so upfront. She wondered if Chat did this sort of things with a lot of different girls, as mysterious and flirty as he was, the image of him getting girls to fall for him before vanishing into the night wasn't hard to imagine.

    It was on the third day that she was very much frustrated of her minds questions, wondering if Chat even cared or knew of the confusion he was causing her in his absence. So when Alya tried to slowly ease into pestering Marinette to attend a party at Kim's, Marinette found her answering nearly right away.

    "Like c'mon girl, it's the last-" Alya's words fell to silence, her hair twirling with her as she swiveled to look at her friend. "Wait, did you just-"

    "I said I'll go," Marinette smiled at Alya's genuine surprise.

    The slightest narrowing of her eyes gave away that she was suspicious about Marinette's sudden agreement, but she smiled brightly, too excited about her answer to press her for an explanation.

    "Alya is going to kill me" Nino groaned as they found a place to park. Kim's summerhouse was aways out of the city, a less populated area now swamped with cars. People had the decency to keep out of others driveways, but by the time they had found a spot, they'd looped back around the way they'd come from and parked on the opposite side of the road.

    "We're only what, twenty minutes late?"

    Nino's face lit up in blue light as he gazed at his phone, "an hour."

    Adrien gave him a pat on the back, "good luck."

    As it turned out, Nino didn't need any luck to protect him from his girlfriends wrath. They'd found her in the kitchen, leaning over in the island with a drink in hand, laughing to something Kim had said. There wasn't a hint of anger in her when the boys arrived, something they credited to the dark haired, blue eyed friend smiling alongside her.

    Adrien's pulse picked up as they approached, and he wondered how he'd never noticed Marinette before. Her laugh, so infectious and too cute flowed through the music thrumming through the house, her cheeks flushed from alcohol.

    Nino leaned against the edge of the bar where Alya was seated, catching up on what they'd missed and how finding parking was, quote, a bitch. Adrien took the empty seat next to Marinette, leaning towards her as she took a long sip from the red cup in her hand. "I thought these weren't your scene?" He motioned to the party around them with one of his hands.

    She smiled, wiping the excess drink from her lip with her thumb. "It's the end of Summer, call it an exception." There wasn't a single stutter in her answer, and Adrien found himself looking forward to the night.

    They hadn't had long to talk before her attention was being pulled away, Alya tugging on her arm. "Mari, we've got to get them to play beer pong now!" She was grinning wickedly, excited and tipsy.

    "Alya's been talking about it since the drive, apparently she did great at the last party but we weren't there to witness it." Marinette explained with an eye roll.    

    He looked across the bar at Alya, "a true shame, I'm up for it though if you want to prove your skills."

    "Absolutely!"

    "Dibs on Alya since, I was there to witness the skills in question." Nino said, taking a swig of Alya's beer.

    "We'll see," Marinette said, hopping off the edge of the stool. She offered her cup to Adrien, who took a drink while being very much aware of the lipstick stained to the cups rim. He handed it back to her a second later, following them to what he presumed was the beer pong table.

    He got a good look at Marinette's outfit in that span of time, a thin, red spaghetti strap top tucked into high waisted black shorts. She laughed beside him, her lips stained red and her sapphire eyes framed with long dark lashes. She was stunning, and Adrien was thankful he had a drink of his own to occupy his mouth with to refrain from kissing her.
    

    For someone who claimed to play the role of designated driver and had never attempted beer pong in his life, Adrien had killer aim. Such good aim in fact, that the opposing team argued he wasn't intoxicated enough and was cheating. Though, most of the complaining came from Alya who was indeed proving her skills, but was still no match to Adrien.

    Marinette groaned as she missed another shot, the ping pong ball bouncing off the table, past the cups and into the grass. Although she'd proven to have good aim as Ladybug, it was obvious it didn't transfer to the drinking game. Though, it could have to do with the amount she had to drink by this point in the evening. Regardless, she was certainly creating balance for her team with each missed throw.

    It was Alya's turn, and she squealed in delight as the ball bounced midway through it's journey, bouncing to land with a light splash in a cup. Across the table, the couple shared a kiss and highfive, both laughing all the while. "The back corner one!" Alya pointed, tearing her lips from Nino's to choose the extra cup that would be removed due to landing a bounce shot.

    Marinette held up the cup to Adrien who had just finished downing the cup the ball had landed in, and they traded the empty for the full and he drank it as well. She watched him lick the beer from his lips, and her heart stuttered in her chest. She looked away, pulling her attention to adding the cups to the stack, looking at their diminishing triangle together. Between Marinette's miss and the bounce shot, the game was at a tie with five cups remaining on each end.

    Back and forth the game continued, the opposing team pulling ahead with each drink Adrien took. Marinette slammed the cup she had just emptied into the tall stack, looking down at the single cup remaining on their side. Two targets remained on the opposing side, rearranged into a short line.

    She watched as Adrien took the ball and splashed in the nearby bucket of water they had handy, turning back to Marinette. She thought that would be it as usual, but he hesitated, held it to his lips and kissed the surface, holding her gaze before dropping it into her hand, "for luck." Marinette could feel the alcohol burning through her veins, but also the nervous heat that flared over her skin. She was burning up and Adrien wasn't even done yet as he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "bounce shot, you can do it, Princess."

    He pulled away with a lopsided smile, his own cheeks flushed red not only from the beer but his actions. Marinette, a bit more than tipsy at this point, nodded back with an almost laugh, turning to face the table. She ignored Alya's raised eyebrow and tried to ignore Adrien's close proximity beside her, tossing the ping pong ball with the bubbling thought of 'fuck it.'

    Time worked a little differently when drinking was involved, and Marinette vaguely noted the satisfying splash of the ball hitting home, of Alya exclaiming "DAMNIT!" and of Adrien releasing his breath beside her. She didn't really notice these things until after Adrien pulled his lips from hers though, until she was staring up into those green eyes of his with the sounds of the party rushing back to her.

    Prior to the kiss, Adrien felt reckless. His entire body felt warm and buzzed, the night just beginning and the competitive side of Marinette something he was finding more and more enduring. It wasn't until after the kiss that he felt on edge, wasn't until after that he realized he had slipped the nickname he called her under the guise of Chat Noir into his flirt. Wasn't until after the kiss with her looking up at him that he became very aware of where their relationship stood as only Adrien and Marinette.

    Yet he found his nerves unwind as the night continued as it had been going, easy laughter and the refilling of drinks. Song after song blaring through the speakers in the house and near the pool in the backyard. There was the occasional time he found Marinette looking at him from the corner of his eye, or when her she'd spout a nervous giggle instead of the laugh she'd been so free to give. It wasn't a bad change though, in fact Adrien found it quite the opposite as she leaned against his shoulder.

    She hadn't been there long, but his arm was starting go numb from the pressure she was resting against him, and his bladder seemed to have other ideas that didn't include sitting with Marinette while Kim, Alix and some others Adrien didn't recognized played a drinking game involving playing cards on the living-room coffee table. "I'll be right back," he excused himself, heading towards the bathroom down the hall.

    There was a line up, so he slipped into the room Kim had appointed their group of four for the night. He fumbled through the room in the dark, his eyes slow to adjust but his mind too numb to find the light switch. He found the bathroom eventually though, making sure to lock the door behind him while he relieved himself.

    It was when he returned to the party that things took a turn for the worse. Not only was it obvious something was going down by the mixture of whispers, whistles, muffled gasps and distant yelling, but the stream of people clogging up the hallway towards the living-room was a bit of a giveaway.

     Adrien used his elbows to make his way to the living room, earning a few gabs back and complaints from the drunken crowd. By the time he got back he had missed the initial drama, but what was left was Chloe looking far to proud of herself, even with an angry red mark on the side of her cheek. It was the sight of Marinette with the front of her shirt soaked through, droplets of liquor clinging to her chest and a completely humiliated look on her face that lit something inside his chest.

    Moments fell against each other after that, Kim arguing with Chloe and Adrien somehow making it from the hall to the couch without realizing it. A moment of Marinette looking away from him, another of Chloe winking his way, officially setting him over the edge. It was his voice a snarl, demanding, "what the hell did you do?" and the crowd watching that smile slip off her face.

    "Some people need to know their place Adrikins-" She pouted, but Adrien couldn't even think straight anymore.

    And just like that they were outside, the door slamming behind him and Marinette's hand clammy in his as the warm night air pressed against their bodies. They were walking briskly towards his car, the short heels on Marinette's shoes clicking against the pavement as she silently kept pace with him.

    Adrien popped the trunk, hands shaking in lingering anger as he tore through the contents, eventually finding his old white collared shirt. Without a word he held it out to her, and without a reply she took it. He turned his back, and felt her pause, heard it in the crickets before the rustle of fabric joined the chorus.

    Admittedly, he was tempted to look back, but a part of him knew this was his fault, Chloe's unyielding hate for Marinette always tied back to him in one way or another, so his eyes didn't wonder. She was slow getting changed, the fabric undoubtedly hard to remove by the way it had clung to her. He heard her drop the wet shirt on his car, he swallowed.

    "You can turn around," she mumbled behind him.

    He tried not to like it, he really did, but he couldn't fight how his heart raced in his chest at seeing her. The shirt was long on her, the edge of her shorts just barely visible. She had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a few buttons hastily done up. Her hair fell just past her shoulders, and when she had her blue eyes on him he felt locked in their gaze.

    "I-I'm sorry Marinette." The words felt empty in his ears, not enough to express how awful he felt about Chloe's actions.

    She laughed a short laugh, the kind that tried to hold onto the humor but just couldn't, "it's not you're fault, Adrien. I shouldn't have flirted so much or leaned on you, or even replied when she approached me. If this is anyone's fault it's mine, we're not together, I shouldn't have acted like we were. I shouldn't have-"

    The scent of the wine was closer when he closed the distance, the distant sound of the party just a hum in the night once his focus was on her lips. It was a careful kiss at first, a question or request that she complied to, falling silent as she stiffened then relaxed beneath his touch.

    She twined her arms behind his neck, ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer against her. She was starving for this kiss, and Adrien let his affections spill over as he pressed her against the car, trailing his lips down her neck, kissing and sucking on the delicate skin. She sighed his name, pulled him back to her only to catch her breath before finding his lips once more.

    Adrien was lost in her, his heart thrumming as he pressed closer, closer. She was propped up on the back of his car, her bare legs dangling on either side of him as her hands explored his body, his tongue exploring her mouth.

     Her hands were cold as she slid them under his shirt and it sent a shiver over his body. The moment was hot and cold, opposing sensations driving him crazy as he pressed against her lips more persistently. He had to come up for air though, had to pull away for the breath he lost the minute he had seen her that night. Marinette took the opportunity to kiss down his neck, her hands slowly traveling over his abs and towards-

    Pain stung from his wounds and he winced, his body recoiling the same way her hands did. She looked at him with wide eyes, one hand falling to support herself, the other brushing fingers against her kiss bruised lips.

    Adrien was panting, his chest heaving as he recovered from kissing, from the pain that ebbed in the wounds, from the panic at what this could mean, and from how downright beautiful Marinette looked in this moment.

    "M-May I?" She whispered, and all Adrien could do was give the slightest of nods. He was frozen in place, the sound of his heart loud in his ears as she gingerly lifted up his shirt, pausing before the wounds. She exhaled, but Adrien still couldn't find his breath.

    She revealed the wounds, the ones she undoubtedly recognized from just nights ago. So distinct in their place and size, fear coiled in Adrien as her lips parted but no words came out. Her blue eyes kept staring, her hand twitching with the desire to touch it, but thinking better of it as she let the fabric fall back over to hide the slashes.

    "Y-you're..." Her words trailed off, and Adrien failed at swallowing the lump in his throat. So he repeated his earlier gesture, this time looking into her eyes as he gave the smallest of nods.

Chapter Text

    Instead of heading back to the party, they climbed into his car. The backseat was tight, but they could talk comfortably, face to face leaning against opposite doors. In the beginning they sat in near silence, Adrien trying to rein in his breathing as panic tried to eat at him.

    Marinette made herself comfortable, unhooking the straps on her ankles and kicking off her heels. His shirt hung loose on her, her hair mussed from their earlier makeout. Still, she looked strangely calm about the entire situation as she rested her head back against the window.

    "Do you wanna talk about it?" She eventually asked, drawing Adrien's attention away from the sweet sent of wine that had overtook the backseat.

    A chuckle bubbled out of him and he liked the way it made Marinette blush. "Not really sure what to say," he paused, "that's not true actually, I wanted to apologize for not texting you back after you let me stay the night after the party."

    Marinette looked away, gnawing at her lip in thought. "Right, well it's alright." She wasn't looking at him, and it made his chest ache.

    "No, it's not. My dad threatened me about it, he was worried people would get the wrong idea that I went home with a girl after a party and-"

    Marinette's face went absolutely scarlet, her lips pinching as she cut in, "oh god, you mean he thought we-" She faltered on the word, the blush creeping over the visible part of her chest as she fell into a fit of rambling. "I mean not that I wouldn't - but we didn't - and I didn't really think about how that would look and oh god-"

    Perhaps it was the fact his secret of being Chat Noir was up, or perhaps it was due to the lingering alcohol in his system, but Adrien found himself leaning forward in the backseat, a teasing lilt in his voice. "You would?"

    He'd never seen her blush so hard before, and he took a strange bit of joy in seeing her so flustered. "Not here," she mumbled.

    Just like that, Marinette turned the tables on him, his body froze in place, hovering only a short distance from her as his skin broke out with a fiery blush that burned his face and neck, hell he could feel it in his stomach. He wondered if his strange mix of desire and nervousness were so plain to her as she covered her face with her hands.

    "I mean...umm" Despite loving seeing her this kind of cute embarrassed, he knew there was a limit he didn't want to push. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to each of the hands she held over her face.

    "It's alright, Princess."

    She peeked out at him between her fingers before pulling them away completely to reveal herself. "It's so strange hearing it from you," she breathed, reaching out to touch a blond lock of hair.

    "Hearing what?"

    "You know..." She trailed off, dreamily watching a set of headlights as a car drove in towards the party. "Chat's nickname."

    "I am Chat," he reminded.

    "Even stranger," she whispered, shaking her head.

    More headlights came and others left, designated drivers showing up to carpool people back home. The muffled sounds of car doors opening and closing, of faint laughter and the thrum of music through vehicles passing by pressed against the windows. Still, Adrien felt like in the backseat of his car, they were alone in their own little world.

    They stayed up talking after that, sometimes the conversation returned to how he was Chat Noir and Chat was Adrien, but it only seemed to cause Marinette a lot of emotional confusion and long pauses, so they settled into other topics. They talked about their summer vacations and their new schedules for the coming year, they joked about Adrien's miraculous beer pong skills and other things until Marinette was yawning, and they'd somehow shifted in the span of their conversation until she was lying with her head in his lap.

    Adrien felt a long overdue happiness surrounding him as he combed idly through Marinette's hair, whispering his memory about how awesome she had been all those years ago when she had helped with the Evillustrator.    

    Marinette's eyes flicked open despite her apparent drowsiness, "oh my god!" She exclaimed. "You totally asked me about Chat Noir after that didn't you? You even talked him up! You asked me about yourself, you dork!"

    Adrien flushed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "You remember that?"

    She reached a hand up to caress his cheek, a smirk at the edge of her red lips "don't worry, it's kind of cute you'd ask what I thought of you."

    He swatted her hand away with a pout. "Whatever."

    She laughed, and Adrien could feel his heart soar at the sound. He remembered that day too, and wanted to smack himself for not paying more attention to Marinette back then. Sure, he had been curious about her opinion of Chat aka him, but he didn't see her as anything but a friend. Maybe if he hadn't been so focused on Ladybug, he would have seen the amazing girl right in front of him.

    His fingers played with the ends of her hair as she drifted asleep. It wasn't long before his hands stopped moving, his eyes growing heavy as sleep overtook him as well.

    They didn't sleep for long, Marinette's scream cutting through the night. Her chest felt tight, her body coated in a thin veil of cold sweat as she stayed paralyzed in lingering fear. She kept her eyes shut tight, her breathing short and sporadic as the nightmare ghosted her mind.

    She caught her breath as she was lifted and cradled in lean but strong arms, her face pressed against a warm chest with a beating heart. "Shhhh, Mari, you're okay." He murmured against her, his fingers running through her hair.

    Suddenly the fear unraveled, lost it's hold on her as she opened her eyes to see blonde hair that tickled her cheek. Although the windows were tinted, it appeared to be dawn, the road lined with dead cars in the still morning. Adrien breathed against her, the nightmare dissipating with each shared second.

    "S-sorry I woke you," she mumbled into his neck.

    "It's alright, my neck is killing me anyways." He chuckled as she pulled back, landing a kiss on her forehead. "Sleeping in the backseat doesn't feel like quite a good idea as it was last night."

    Marinette tried to stretch her legs in the limited space, groaning in agreement. "Maybe not, but I'm glad I didn't have to see Chloe's stupid face again."

    Adrien rubbed at his temples, his eyes just a little narrowed. "Saaaaame," he agreed. "I guess some good came out of it though, you look awfully cute in that shirt if I'm being honest."

    "Are you being honest?" Marinette asked, mentally scolding her body for the light blush she felt raising to her cheeks.

    He hummed something that sounded like a yes, and kissed her. He gave kisses so freely now, even without the booze running through him, and Marinette found herself surprisingly happy to know he and Chat were the same person. She couldn't imagine the confusion she would have faced this morning if she hadn't found out. Instead, her feelings finally made some sort of sense, no longer stretched between the two boys but instead fitting neatly into one identity that was somehow both.

    Adrien's breath wasn't particularly pleasant, but she imagined hers was no better so she kissed him anyways, ignoring the taste and instead putting her attention to the feeling of his lips against hers, and in the feeling of his heart beat against her fingertips.

    "I'm starving," he sighed, his thumb trailing her jaw.

    "C'mon, I'm sure we can find something." She pulled on her shoes and opened the door, the cool morning air biting into the bare skin of her legs. Her body felt drained, her chest still a bit sticky from the wine, and her back ached from sleeping in the car, but Marinette still couldn't stifle how happy she felt.
    

    Adrien felt like, to put it in the simplest sense, shit. Don't get him wrong, waking up with Marinette was wonderful (once she got through the nightmare obviously) and it was a beautiful day outside, but beneath all that he had a kink in his neck, his head was pounding, his skin felt sticky and his clothes wrinkled with lingering party scents that somehow made his head hurt even more.

    Obviously he wasn't hung over though. Nope, not at all. Impossible.

    He just needed to get out of the damn sunlight that was burning his eyes and eat some food to fill the void that was his stomach. End of story.

    Marinette found some cereal and milk for them while Adrien started a pot of coffee. They tried to be quiet for the sake of the Alix who was passed out on the nearby living room sofa, something Adrien was thankful for as every noise sent a pang in the sides of his head.

    They ate their breakfast at the island they had met at the night before, now littered with empty bottles, plastic cups, and the occasional sticky spill. They pushed most of it aside to sit next to each other, huddled over their bowls of fruity cereal. It was odd how heavenly something as simple as cereal could taste, but in this morning after moment it tasted like the best thing in the world to Adrien Agreste.

    The coffee finished brewing and Adrien had his ready quick while Marinette fussed over hers, adding more sugar when she thought he wasn't looking. He smiled at this, his gaze sliding from her shoulders and down her body indulgently. She had nice legs, legs long in proportion to her, smooth and narrow and surprisingly toned. She had ditched her heels for a pair of slippers she'd found when they came inside the house and looked cute.

    Marinette watched him from over the rim of her mug, a smile tugging at the exposed edge of her lip. "Do you wanna go for a swim?"

    Adrien very much did not want to face the sunlight again, but he was feeling a little better and couldn't resist the upwards quirk of her lips. "Right now?"

    "Right now."

    She set down her mug, still noticeably half full, and exited the kitchen. Adrien shook his head, following her down the hall, still sipping at the coffee that was warming his veins, waking him up ever so slowly. Quietly, Marinette opened the glass door that led outside, slipping through before ushering Adrien to follow.

    The back yard was a mess, but the pool appeared unharmed. Like the kitchen, the backyard had bottles and cups and strangely enough - clothes, scattered over it's entirety. The pool was motionless though, decent sized as it went from four to seven feet. Adrien remembered Marinette's interest in it last night, but the group had voted swimming while intoxicated wasn't their greatest plan and continued back inside instead.

    Now, Marinette had the slippers kicked off somewhere in the yard, her bare feet on the second step, water lapping at her legs. "C'mon it'll be fun," she assured, birds chirping in the morning breeze.

    Adrien took one last swig of his coffee before abandoning it on a small patio table. When he turned back around, Marinette was pulling at the buttons of his white shirt, stripping into nothing but her bra and shorts. His heart tripped in his chest and he tried not to stare.

    He failed.

    He had seen girls in swimsuits before, so Adrien knew that a lot of them actually revealed more than a bra. But he also knew that swimsuits didn't have the push-up ability that bras had, nor were they adorned with the contradiction of black lace and a innocent little bow.

    It was red. Red like the top she arrived at the party in. Red like the blush flaring over Adrien's cheeks.

    With a splash she was gone, leaping into the deep end of the pool. Adrien let out a breath, watching her swim back to the surface of the water. "You're not going in like that, are you?" Marinette teased, her ebony hair floating around her in the water.

    Adrien shook his head as he undid the buttons on his pants, his heart in a nervous frenzy despite having undressed in front of strangers backstage for photo-shoots and runway shows before. From the corner of his eye he watched Marinette float on her back, stealing a peek as he kicked off his sneakers and striped down to his boxers. She blushed when he caught her, impulsively giving her a Chat Noir wink that drove her to dive back under the water.
    

    Internally, Marinette was screaming. To start, she ditched her shirt in front of Adrien. Adrien Agreste, longtime crush from the past, who also managed to double as longtime friend and partner Chat Noir, who she kissed as well as Adrien. Who was Chat. Her thoughts were in a nervous whir, her morning tiredness washing away to leave her with the reality of the situation. So here she was, stripping in front of him and diving into a cold pool too early in the morning and teasing Adrien into taking off his clothes and joining her.

    How she managed this without spontaneously combusting or drowning herself, she did not know.

    The difficulty of remaining calm on the outside spiked the minute he lost his clothes. Marinette had seen Adrien in many different outfits in the magazines she collected - for fashion design ambitions obviously - but those pictures of unbuttoned shirts or low riding jeans were vastly different from this.

    This being Adrien Agreste, blonde beauty in all his model glory stripped down into nothing but black boxers. She should have been prepared, considering Chat's suit was skintight and left little to ones imagination, so she should have known he would have abs, right? The thing was, Marinette was still struggling to fit together the two into one entity, so when Adrien's shirt was left discarded on a lawn chair a part of her died a little in a wonderful way as he dove into the water.

    She knew the pool was her suggestion, but boy was Marinette so completely and utterly screwed.

    He came to surface beside her, shaking away some of the water in a dog like manner. She could see the top of one of the scratches on his chest peeking above the water, the lines rippling as they tread water.

    "You're staring," he noted.

    "It's weird knowing its you."

    "Ah, so you're having an inner war, not just admiring the view."

    She groaned and shoved him, feeling less awkward now that she wasn't the only one half naked and he was filling the silence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

    "You wound me, Princess." He said, one hand over the spot where she had pushed him before moving to float on his back.

    "The inner war is settled though, you're undoubtedly Chat."

    "Yet you're still staring." He teased, his eyes closing as a smile played on his lips.

    Mariette took one of the pool floaties from nearby, tucking it under her arms. "I thought we were taking turns?"

    He laughed at that, loosing his focus as he began struggling to stay afloat. The two of them didn't swim for long, knowing the rest of the house would awake sooner or later, but they remained in the back yard. They talked quietly and laughed loudly, relaxing in lawn chairs under the sun while their wet clothes attempted to dry while clinging to their bodies.

    That morning would become one of Marinette's favorite memories, separated in such stark contrast to the day awaiting the heroes in Paris.