Miraculous Fluff Month 2017

Aug 7 prompt: 4 A.M.

"Plagg, claws out!"

It wasn't the first time Adrien had dreamed he was Chat Noir. During his waking hours, he longed to be on the streets of Paris; the longing often converted into realistic dreams of nightly escapades, fiery Akuma attacks, and witticisms with his Lady Luck.

Though Adrien could tell his head was dreaming, his body seemed to be reacting strongly to the subconscious stimuli. With every step he could feel the ground beneath his boots, could feel his heart race as he leapt off tall precipices, and could even feel the pulsing through his legs when he landed too roughly. The adrenaline rush mixed euphorically with his dreaming state, making him feel even more daring. He felt a grin spread across his face. Dream-Chat loved jumping from the highest places he could reach. Tonight…it was the bell towers of Notre Dame.

Using both his stick and his cat-like attributes, Adrien clawed his way up the aged structure. His muscles ached but it only made him push harder. He wasn't sure why this dream was so much more physically demanding than any other, but he relished in it. It was a release he hadn't had in too long. Upon reaching the top of the dark building, Adrien looked over the city – his city. It really was breathtaking. Not for the first time, Chat reminded himself how incredibly lucky he was that he was chosen to carry this burden of superheroism. As much as it was physically, mentally, and, thanks in part to Ladybug, emotionally taxing, the benefits far outweighed the challenges.

With a sigh, Adrien leaned on a wall. Ladybug. While he always tried to keep his cool during the day, partly because he was the name and face of Gabriel Agreste, and partly because he didn't want to embarrass himself, he never hid his feelings from Ladybug. He couldn't. It was as if all the forced emotional constipation in every other aspect of his life made it impossible for him to hold anything back once his black mask was on. He wasn't sorry for it; if anything, he was thankful. He only wished that he could act that way all the time.

Thinking about Ladybug and not being able to see her was putting a strange strain on Adrien's muscles. Usually she was here, in his Chat Noir dreams (one great perk of having those dreams), racing around Paris with him, a smile permanently on her face. Adrien shook out his arms and legs before stretching out his neck muscles, readying himself, trying to put her out of his mind for a while. He took a few steps back, ready to leap. It must be about time for him to wake up; each dream ended this way. The jump would be completely exhilarating, but he would never experience the landing. His eyes always popped open right as he would touch down. Stick in hand, Adrien was about to leap, when he saw a red blur.

He froze, then smiled. There she was! His Lady Lovely, his good luck charm.

"Hello, Chat," she smiled sweetly. "What are you doing here?"

"Hmmm?" was all Chat could respond. Ladybug didn't usually talk legitimate questions in his dreams. At least not ones he had to actually think about to answer. A questioning look passed through her eyes. She was saying something else now, but in the dream-state, Adrien was at a loss to what she was saying. And he really didn't care. In his dreams, he could ogle her all he wanted without her hitting him, or flinging him off a large building or into the Seine. And in this dream, her form wasn't as fuzzy, like a high-def option had been switched on. Adrien could feel his face morph into something that would have looked goofy. He put a hand on his heart and leaned against a wall again, watching Ladybug talk to and smile at him.

She's so pretty.

And then suddenly, she was leaving.

Adrien didn't hesitate. He went after her.

They were sliding down the side of Notre Dame, then racing across rooftops. Adrien never tried to catch his lady; he liked to just watch her. They kept this leisurely pace, Adrien just behind Ladybug's smiling face. She seemed to be pausing to wait for him at times, and other times seemed to be giggling while he tried to keep up. The stupid smile was still on his face – he could feel it – but the excitement of making sure Ladybug stayed in his sight was enough to keep him focused on moving forward. His heart raced faster as Ladybug picked up speed on one long stretch of rooftop before leaping into a high arc. She turned her head mid-air as if to make sure he was still following. Adrien thought that it was a funny supposition. Where else would he go than with his lady?

He wasn't paying attention as closely as he should have to the landing. He was coming in too hot, and didn't have time to cushion his landing. Good think Ladybug was there! Fortunately for Adrien, she was a soft landing spot. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't seen him coming. They went sprawling when he smacked into her, rolling around on the small balcony, knocking over pots of flowers, and landing in a lump on a pink lounging chair. With a crack, the chair sounded like it might have broken; before Adrien or Ladybug could extricate themselves from each other, the chair folded over them. They both yelped, and then just laid there for a moment. Adrien heard Ladybug take in a deep breath and let it out with a huff.

"Sorry, M'lady," Adrien purred, smiling again as his whole body seemed to warm up from their closeness. He was really enjoying this new high-def option of dreaming. "I just can't seem to keep my footing when I'm around you. I just keep tripping over myself. I must be…falling for you. Over, and over and over again."

Ladybug groaned but they were in such a jumbled heap, she couldn't put a hand over her face like Adrien knew she would. The thought made him laugh. And when Adrien thought of what they must look like now, trapped as they were, he kept laughing. When Ladybug joined in his laughter, and he could feel her entwined frame shaking with his own, his laughter grew until tears were rolling down his cheeks. After a few minutes though, Ladybug started to shift around.

"Come on, Kitty," she whispered. "We need to get out of this mess and get you back to bed."

I am in bed, was Adrien's first thought, and he was genuinely confused why Ladybug would say something like that. However, he conceded, starting to actually feel a little uncomfortable himself despite the elation of actually touching Ladybug. The position he was in was putting a serious cramp in his leg.

It took a few minutes, but when the super duo was finally freed, Adrien, realizing where they were, was happier than ever that this was a dream. They were at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and they had smashed nearly every pot on Marinette's balcony, not to mention the busted-up chair. Adrien cringed inwardly. He looked to Ladybug, but she had disappeared. The trap door to Marinette's room was open. As Adrien made his way over to the door, Ladybug popped her head out, then the rest of her. She was laden with fluffy blankets and soft pillows and was pulling more out from the room below, making a giant pile of softness next to her. Would Marinette approve of this? Adrien shook his head, and the sleepiness that was still lingering at the edges of his vision served as a sound reminder of his reality – or, non-reality. This is still a dream, he thought again. A weird, fun, crazy dream.

"C'mon, Chaton!" Ladybug called to him quietly. "Beddy-bye time." When Adrien looked over, all he could do was stare. Ladybug had made him a bed of blankets and pillows (complete with a stripey cat pillow) right there in the middle of the balcony. She sat next to it, patting the fluffy blankets, smiling warmly at him. A yawn escaped from him and a dazed Adrien walked obediently to the spot Ladybug had indicated, closing his eyes immediately. He felt Plagg and his alter-ego leave his body as Ladybug pulled a blanket up and over him. Although his heavy eyelids drooped, they batted open wide for a moment when he thought he heard a shrill "EEP!" before the blanket was tucked somewhat harshly around him, including his face.

"Ladybug…" he mumbled through the covers. "I can't breathe."

"S-s-sorry A-a-CHAT. I MEAN CHAT. S-sorry, Chat."

Ladybug pulled the blanket off his face gingerly. Adrien smiled up at her before giving in to sleep. Can you sleep while dreaming? He didn't know. He didn't care. He felt a hand on his hair before he couldn't pay attention to anything anymore.

Ten minutes later, fluffy cocoon-wrapped Adrien carried bridal-style in her arms, Marinette, with her Ladybug suit's help, carried the sleepy boy back to the Agreste mansion.

It's no big deal, she told herself for the hundredth time on the short trip. I'm just carrying my crush who happens to be my super crime-fighting partner with cat ears and punny sense of humor to his home after he smashed all my plants on my balcony and tried to jump off of Notre Dame. No big deal! Who said this was a big deal!?

For most of the trip, Marinette was able to carry Adrien without having to use her yo-yo to get to where they needed to go, hoping it would help keep him asleep. But for the last leg of the trip, it was going to take some finesse. She stopped on the building across from Adrien's bedroom windows. Marinette delicately set the bundle down.

Oh my GOODNESS HE IS SO CUTE. Marinette sighed and thought again how grateful she was to have a very attentive Kwami not looking after her, but also this boy she loved with sunshine hair.

Tikki had woken up Marinette when she felt something amiss. She could tell Chat Noir's Kwami (who was introduced to her later as Plagg) had been trying to contact her somehow. So Tikki, sensing an emergency, woke Marinette immediately. They finally found Chat, who was perched precariously at Notre Dame, looking like he was ready to jump. It took everything inside of Marinette not to scream out to him. Instead she had rushed to his side and realized…he was sleepwalking. She had tried to hold something of a conversation with him but he was completely gone. So Marinette did the only thing she could think to do…take the stray kitty hope and keep him safe.

Until he had changed into the smokin' hot model boy she had been dreaming about just an hour before then. Marinette knew then she needed to take him home. If not for her sake – at the risk of him freaking out when he woke up – for his sake, so his father didn't freak out on him.

Marinette stared at the mansion and swung her yo-yo at a point above the open window. Then she picked up cocoon-boy and, trying her hardest to distribute his weight well enough to make the jump (and hopefully not wake him up), she swung.

Well, they almost made it. They at least made it to the window next to the open one.

With a sound smack, the pair of teens crashed into each other for the second time that night. Adrien just snorted in his sleep, but Marinette winced at the new pain in her arm and head. With some more care than the task now perhaps warranted, Marinette slowly made her way the last ten inches to the open window and swung herself and Adrien inside. She sighed. The hard part was over.

With one last quiet grunt, Marinette hefted the sleeping boy into her arms one last time. She carried him silently to his bed and laid him there, pulling the blankets around him and tucking him in again. With the care and worry and every mask gone from his face, Adrien truly looked angelic. Soft features, golden hair…. She sighed, rather audibly, and Adrien's eyes flew open. Marinette's eyes widened and she stood stock still. She had crouched by his bed to get a better look at his lax features and only now realized she should have made a break for it when she still could.

Of course. He doesn't wake up the whole trip here, doesn't wake up when he smacks into the window, but catches me when I'm staring at him. A smile flicked to her face. How very Chat-like of him.

"Ladybug?" he asked, evidence of complete shock radiating over his features. He shot up, propping himself on an elbow to look at Ladybug's crouched frame better. His eyes darted over her as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Which, really, was completely understandable.

Crap. He was legit awake how. Marinette debated a million different options of what to do next in a matter of seconds. Then she smiled.

"Goodnight Chaton," she whispered, and her smile grew when Adrien's eyes grew to saucer-size. Marinette put a hand on his cheek and debated one more option, biting her lip. Then, deciding that she had nothing left to lose, really, she leaned up to his face and kissed his forehead. If she thought Adrien couldn't look more shocked, she was utterly mistaken. She actually snorted a laugh out at the look on his face and was glad it was dark – she hoped he couldn't see how much she was blushing. As she stood to leave, the thought crossed her mind that she might need to give him a bit more explanation of why she was there before she left, even though she wasn't sure if his brain was functioning at the moment.

"Next time you go sleepwalking, Chaton," she whispered over her shoulder. "Make sure you lock the window first."

And then she was gone.

When Marinette got home, she sighed at the state of her balcony before gathering up the pillows and extra blankets and dropping into her trap door. Her red spotted suit zapped away, revealing pink pajamas with tiny black cats on them. Tikki floated up next to her head.

"So…" started the red, grinning Kwami.

Marinette froze. All brain function suddenly stopped and a wave of nausea washed over her. It was as if she had been hit by a giant truck with the words REALITY CHECK stamped on the side. Then the heat started to rise and she knew she must be red from head to toe, the physical demonstration of embarrassment embracing even inch of her skin, matching the equally mortifying disturbance in her mental capacities. Before Tikki could get out another word, comforting or no, Marinette went to pull her big blanket over her head and….

The blanket was gone.

Her blanket was still wrapped around Adrien Agreste. At his house. She groaned loudly.

It was 4:00 AM in Paris, and two teenagers laid in their beds, screaming into their pillows.
_

Fin!