Harsh winds roared through the empty streets of Paris, catching in bushy trees like bugs in a net. The screeching of the storm was only amplified by the long alleys it followed. Shielding his face from the gale, Chat Noir pulled out his baton to leave a message for Ladybug. "I'm heading in early for patrol tonight," he yelled. "Nobody's leaving their houses in this." He tucked the baton into his belt and surveyed his surroundings. There's no way I can safely make it up to my window, he thought. There has to be somewhere I can camp out for the night.

His eyes landed on a modest bakery. Bingo. He waited for the wind to die down before crossing the street, and knocked on the glass door.

Nothing. It's just Marinette, I'm sure she'd be fine with me sneaking in for a bit. He found a wall facing away from the gusts and slowly scaled the bakery, landing on the roof without a sound. He silently opened the hatch that he knew lead to Marinette's room, to see that the lights were on inside. Mellow music oozed from a cell phone balanced on the desk next to Marinette, and she hummed along with the melody.

Chat carefully landed on the bed, praying that the sounds of the wind hadn't given him away as he closed the hatch. Luckily, Marinette was absorbed in her music, and continued to rhythmically knit. Chat perched on the edge of her bed to observe her, and listening to the methodical click, click of the knitting needles, his eyelids gradually became heavier. I'll just lie down for a bit, he thought, curling up on the bed.

He was abruptly awoken by a surprised shout. "Chat?"

Squinting at the source of the noise, Chat sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"How long have you been here," Marinette demanded, standing over the bed with her arms firmly crossed.

Chat yawned. "That's a good question."

"You have to leave."

"Do I? It's so stormy outside, and this seemed like the purr-fect place to rest. Can you blame me?"

Marinette groaned, holding her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Fine, but…sleep on the couch." She gestured to the recamiér in the corner of her room.

"Aw, really? I don't get to cuddle with Mawinette," Chat teased.

She blushed. "Especially not after that."

Chat smirked and retreated to the couch, glad he hadn't had to use his Cataclysm on patrol that night. He could stay as long as he wanted—or at least, as long as Marinette would let him. As the night went on, Chat found he was unable to sleep, even though he felt exhausted. He started to fidget with his tail to pass the time, when he heard Marinette call out to him. "Won't your parents be upset?"

He chuckled. "Neither of them really cares. One's always busy, and the other, well…" His sentence trailed off, and Marinette didn't dare ask why. Chat searched for a new subject. "Is it just me, or is it chilly in here?"

"Whenever there's a bad storm, sometimes the wind gets past our insulation."

"I see. Are…you cold?"

Marinette hesitated to answer. "A little bit, yeah."

Chat grinned. "I can fix that," he said, swinging his legs off the side of the couch and climbing up the ladder that led to her bed.

"No, kitty," Marinette groaned.

"Please? I don't bite," begged Chat, lifting up the covers and gazing eagerly into Marinette's eyes.

She huffed, and gave in. "Fine, but don't try anything funny."

"I would do nothing of the sort, you have my word." He crawled under the blanket and laid mere inches from Marinette, facing her back. "If you ever feel like getting a bit closer, be my guest."

Huffing, Marinette scooted farther away. "In your dreams."

Chat closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. His breathing slowed with his heart, and he waited patiently for his drowsy side to overcome the wakeful one. He heard Marinette shuffling around, and suddenly felt her head resting on his chest, her arms wrapping around his torso. His heart started to beat faster, his face growing hot. "I thought you didn't want to cuddle," he purred, returning the hug.

Marinette froze. "I…thought you were asleep," she mumbled.

"I can pretend to be, if it makes this easier for you."

"Don't!" They were both surprised at how urgent she sounded. "It's better this way."

He grinned and pulled her even closer, and she responded by tightening the embrace. "I couldn't agree more." An unfamiliar warmth tickled the back of his neck, trailing into the center of his brain. It pulsed just below his skin with every heartbeat, lulling him softly to sleep.


Birds sang outside Marinette's window, announcing the passing of the storm. Chat yawned and buried the side of his face into Marinette's hair. "I don't want to wake up yet," he whined groggily.

Marinette shifted her legs so that they intertwined with his. "It's okay. Neither do I," she giggled. The sun slowly leaked in through her curtains, elongating the shadows in her room and reflecting off of her mirror. The glare was aimed straight at Chat, and he kept his eyes squeezed shut. Marinette, however, was faced away from the glare, and her eyes remained wide open, staring at the t-shirt in front of her face. T-shirt…

"Chat," she whispered. "You changed back overnight."

Adrien stayed silent as a typhoon of frantic thoughts swirled through his head. Crap, does she know? How are you getting out of this one, Agreste? Plagg's probably laughing his ass off right now…

"I won't look," Marinette said, interrupting his train of thought. "I promise."

"You didn't already see?"

"I'm surprised at how little you trust me, kitty," Marinette joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Right. Close your eyes." Adrien pulled out of the embrace and stood up. "Plagg," he hissed. "Where the hell are you? And why did you change me back?

"Right here, kid," a voice called from the desk. Plagg was draped lazily over the monitor, waving at Adrien. "I got hungry. What do you want?"

"Transform me, right now," Adrien pleaded.

"So needy. Got any camembert?"

"I don't have time for…Marinette, would you happen to have any cheese?"

"Plenty," Marinette responded. "Hide somewhere so I don't accidentally see you, I'll go find some."

"Perfect! You're a life saver." Adrien and Plagg ducked behind the recamiér. "Ready." He heard Marinette make her way down from the bed and through the hatch to the rest of the house. Just a minute later, she returned.

"I'll put this on the desk," she said.

Plagg licked his lips and waited for her to close her eyes again before zipping out of hiding. Adrien timidly followed, wary of Marinette. As soon as Plagg had finished, Adrien whispered, "Claws out." With a flash of green, Chat was back in his suit. He exhaled with relief. "Alright, we're good."

Marinette opened her eyes and blinked, adjusting to the sudden light. "That was a close one," she laughed. "Well…you should probably head home."

"Aw, am I already being sent away?"

"Chat, I'm serious."

"Fine," Chat huffed. He pulled Marinette into one last embrace, savoring the moment, the warmth of her stomach against his. Before parting, he kissed her delicate forehead. "Thank you." As suddenly as he'd arrived, Chat opened the hatch and jumped out, leaving Marinette to process the moment in the middle of her room. He beamed brighter than the sun on his way back home, even as he realized the window to his room had closed, and he'd have to make up a reason for walking in the front door of his house at eleven in the morning. The heat that had rested at the base of his neck that last night had stuck with him; he knew he'd be returning to Marinette's soon.