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Marinette could barely breathe when she woke up. Her head felt like it was full of raw bread dough, and it was threatening to ooze out of her nose. What on earth had happened last night? She tried to lift her head, but her brain throbbed and pounded. How had she gotten home last night? And why – she looked down at her damp jacket – wasn't she in her pyjamas? And why was her mattress was cold?
Feeling a sneeze coming on, she ducked her head and exploded into her hand. Ugh, gross, she thought, staring disgusted at the strings of mucus lacing her fingers.
As she tried to remember where she'd left her tissues, Marinette became aware of something behind her. Something warm. Something… breathing? She rolled over, wiping her nose, and came face to face with a black shirt. Why was she in bed with a black shirt? A breathing black shirt. Black shirts couldn't breathe…
Her brain tripped over itself in effort to explain the rising and falling fabric beside her. Someone was in the shirt – that made more sense. She looked slowly up. Black shirt, coloured stripes, white collar and sleeves… tanned neck… slightly parted mouth… fine eyebrows… soft blond hair…
ADRIEN AGRESTE!?
Marinette slammed a hand over her mouth to shush her gasp, and immediately regretted it as she slapped sticky mucus on her cheek. Why was Adrien in her bed? What if he saw her? With snot all over her face! And why was he in her bed!?
Adrien stirred. Marinette bit back another gasp and pulled the blanket over her head. What had happened? Why was he here? How had he gotten here? How did she get in last night? What would her mother think? What would her father think? Visions of Tom Dupain ripping Adrien from her bedding and throwing him off the balcony flashed through her mind.
She had to get him out of there.
Should she offer him breakfast first? Maybe a croissant from the bakery? Or a pain au chocolat? Would her parents notice?
And WHY WAS HE IN HER BED?!
Bracing herself for the worst, she peeled the blanket away from her eyes to see…
...nothing. Just a blank, pink wall.
Marinette sighed and flopped on her back. It had been a dream. A hallucination stemming from her cold. She was going crazy. Of course Adrien Agreste wasn't in her bed.
She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.
Marinette didn't know how long she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to organise her slippery thoughts. Every time she thought she was getting somewhere she would sneeze, or cough, or suddenly remember her gross hand and wonder again where her tissues where. It might have been five minutes, it might have been an hour. There came the sound of someone knocking, and Marinette looked around confused until the trapdoor leading to the rest of the house opened, revealing her mother's face.
"Marinette? Are you awake?"
Groaning, Marinette sat up. Her head swam and a wave of nausea washed through her throat. "I, uh, I-I- aaTCHOOO!"
"Oh dear! You don't sound well!" Sabine pushed the door fully open, clambered up and marched to her daughter's bed. "You have a fever. No school for you today."
"But-"
"No buts, Marinette. I'll phone the school now. You stay in bed. I'll bring up some broth later, and some water. And some tissues."
Marinette remembered again the mucus on her hands and face and felt another burst of nausea. "Thanks, maman."
With a final sympathetic smile, Sabine left.
Marinette soon fell asleep again, and had a very strange dream about a giant cat swimming the Seine. And when she went to pet it, it grabbed her and pulled her underwater. She tried to call to Tikki for help, but the kwami was in a glass jar, gurgling cheerfully. And in another glass jar was Adrien, and he was staring at her.
"What's on your face?" he laughed, voice muffled by the glass.
Marinette touched her face and her fingers came away sticky with something red and black. Blood? She looked up; Adrien was laughing now. She tried to tell him she didn't know what it was, but whenever she spoke she sneezed, and each sneeze sent waves of black and red streaming from her nose, until the water was completely opaque and she could barely see her hand in front of her face.
"A-a-a-TCHOOO!"
Marinette sat up. More warm mucus dribbled over her mouth which she wiped away in disgust. She noted a small tray at the end of her bed with a glass of water, a packet of tissues, and a box of aspirin. Her clock read 11.56am.
Leaning forward, Marinette grabbed the tissues and wiped her hands and face, then blew her nose. There were crusty patches on her blanket where mucus had rubbed off her fingers and cheek during her nap; she made a mental note to change her bedding the minute she felt like she could stand without fainting.
After a couple of aspirin and a long drink of water, Marinette settled down again and waited for the medication to take effect. Her dream was slipping away, and she tried desperately to hold on to it. Water, glass jars, a giant cat… Adrien. ADRIEN. She yelped and sat up again. Adrien was in her bed this morning!
Or was he?
No. It was another dream, she'd already decided that. A very vivid, real-feeling dream, where the only odd thing was Adrien in her bed. A very nice dream…
She flushed crimson. A very inappropriate dream for a fourteen-year-old.
Marinette grabbed another tissue and blew her nose again. At this rate she'd need several boxes to get her through the day. She looked to the spot on her bed where Adrien had supposedly been in her dream and tried not to think about how the mattress was wrinkled and dented, as if someone had been sleeping there. And the crease in her pillow where her head had definitely not been. And the blond hair…
The blond hair!?
She snatched it up to inspect. Between her fingers the golden strand glinted in the light pouring from the window above. How had this gotten there? It was a dream, right?
Right?
Marinette glanced around for somewhere to safely store the hair for examination when her head was less groggy and she could think straight. Eventually, she decided on folding it in a tissue and leaving it on her pillow where she'd found it.
She felt like she was forgetting something important, and scrabbled around trying to remember it. What happened last night? It was still a blur – she'd have to wait to figure that out. The wrinkled bed? No, that was to do with the Adrien mystery. The cold? It was nearly winter – no wonder she was getting ill. The damp day clothes she was still wearing? Probably had something to do with what happened last night. Tikki?
Tikki?
Where was Tikki!?
"Waah!" With a wail, Marinette leapt out of bed, swinging her head this way and that, hunting for her purse…
There, under the bed. She snatched it up, yanked it open…
No Tikki.
"Tikki? Tikki! Where are you?" she yelled, not bothering to keep her voice low. "Tikki!" Marinette scrambled out of bed and flung herself down the staircase, stumbling down the steps.. "Tikki!"
"Marinette!"
The little red kwami floated up from the desk where she had been nibbling a cookie.
"Tikki, there you are!" Marinette stumbled over to her, wobbled, and collapsed in her chair. Tikki flew onto her shoulder and nuzzled her neck.
"How are you feeling, Marinette? We were really worried about you."
"I'm fine, just ill. For a moment I thought I'd lost you." Marinette laughed weakly then frowned. "Wait, we?"
"Uhh..."
"Tikki?"
"Marinette?"
Someone knocked on her door. Yelping, Marinette launched herself towards the stairs, tripped and fell face-down halfway up just as her mother came into view, carrying a bowl. However, Sabine hastily put it down and hurried over to her daughter.
"Marinette, are you okay? Stay in bed; you're ill."
"But, maman..."
"Bed. Now." Sabine heaved Marinette to her feet and helped her back to bed. Then she went back to retrieve the bowl. "I've brought you some lunch. Eat what you can. How do you feel?"
"A little better..."
"Good." Sabine pressed the back of her hand to Marinette's forehead. "You still have a temperature though. I think you'll stay home tomorrow too. Eat up and get some rest. And stay in bed."
With a kind, but stern, look, Sabine left. Before Marinette to get up, Tikki zipped to her.
"You heard her, Marinette. Stay in bed and get better. You have to recover as quickly as you can before another akuma attacks."
"Chat Noir can handle it," Marinette muttered, pouting. "He's not incapable."
"But only you can purify akumas." Tikki nudged the spoon in the bowl of soup Sabine had left on the shelf behind the bed.
"Oh yeah." Marinette grabbed the bowl and spoon and took a few thoughtful mouthfuls. It was warm and soothing as it run down her throat, softening the sandpaper-like feeling. When she had devoured half the bowl, she realised she was still in her damp – but nearly dry – clothes and decided to change into her pyjamas. After that, Tikki refused to engage her in conversation until she had eaten all of the soup.
"I suppose you want to know what happened last night," Tikki said.
Marinette nodded eagerly. "It's driving me mad."
"What do you remember?"
"Um." Marinette shut her eyes and tried to think back. Yesterday… she'd been at home, taking down the pictures of Adrien littering her walls. Even though she'd explained the situation to him – although she wasn't sure if he believed her or not – she didn't want it happening again. She remembered putting the pictures in a box, safely stowed under her bed. Then…
Then the akuma attacked.
"Across the city," Marinette murmured. "There was a fight. But we defeated it. And then… I was going home but I transformed before I got back. And… I fell in the Seine! That explains the wet clothes..."
Tikki nodded. "Then what?"
"Then. Then Chat Noir found me. And then…" She frowned and rubbed her temple. "I don't remember. It's all a blur after that. He must have taken me home. And then… when I woke up…" She gasped. "Adrien! But no, that was a dream, wasn't it?"
Tikki shrugged, avoiding her eyes.
"Oh, Tikki." Marinette sighed heavily and buried herself in her bedding. "I think I'm going crazy. It felt so real."
The next few days were a blur. Marinette drifted in and out of sleep, never sure if she was fully awake. A few times she thought she saw people in her room; Adrien, Alya, Chat Noir. Once she saw what she imagined Hawkmoth must look like – an ominous figure in swirling black fabric with giant wings. But they were never really there, just left over images from another strange dream.
It was a surprise, therefore, when she woke up on Thursday morning with a clear head and the ability to breathe through her nose. It was 6am: earlier than she would usually get up for school but she was glad of it today. The first thing Marinette did was scoop up the tissues which littered her bed and floor, and drop them in the bin by the door. Then she yanked her bedding off and chucked it in a pile in the corner. No way was she sleeping in that germ-ridden bed any longer.
After a long, hot shower, during which she washed her hair twice, she felt like herself again with all traces of illness disappearing down the drain. Marinette dressed quickly, packed her school bag, and hurried downstairs. Sabine and Tom were, as expected, in the bakery. However, they rushed her out before she could step inside.
"Even if you are better, I don't want any lingering germs finding their way onto our pastries," Sabine explained. "Are you sure you're okay to go in today?"
"I'm fine, maman. Totally better now. I just want to get out of the house and stretch my legs."
"Well, you're a little early for school, but..."
"That's fine. I'll take the scenic route. Maybe I'll eat breakfast in the park..."
Sabine smiled. "I'm glad, and I think breakfast in the sunshine is a wonderful idea. I'll grab you something – you go put on a scarf and jacket. I don't want you getting sick again."
When Marinette returned downstairs after running up to grab a few warm things, Sabine was waiting with a paper bag. "Here. Now, off you go! We'll see you at lunch."
"Bye!"
Marinette waved at her dad through the door to the bakery then turned and slipped out the back. It was a cool, crisp autumn day. Golden leaves fluttered in the wind and skidded across the pavement like boats on a pond. The sky was a clear, bright blue. A perfect day.
Whistling cheerfully as she went, Marinette headed towards the park where she found an empty bench to perch on. Her mother had packed her a croissant – still warm – for breakfast. The crisp outer layer flaked when she bit into it, and the yellow middle all but melted in her mouth. She noticed Tikki sniggering in her purse and unclasped it.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing. That croissant looks good though."
Marinette smiled ruefully and tore off a corner. "Here."
"Mmmm. It's good. It would be better with something sweet though."
"Maybe a pain au chocolat next time, hm?"
Tikki pressed her mouth together as if suppressing another giggle and ducked down to avoid further questioning.
As she enjoyed the rest of her croissant, she noticed a black cat slinking down an alley, and it reminded her of Chat Noir and her blurred memory. However, she didn't really want to think about it – she was happy believing that he'd simply taken her home, she'd crawled into bed and fallen asleep, then dreamt that Adrien was next to her. It was the only thing that made sense.
But why didn't it feel right?
Ten minutes later, Marinette strolled into school. She didn't realise how early she was until she traipsed up to her classroom and found only Max was already there. He waved hello, but his eyes went straight back to the book he was pouring over. Marinette checked her phone – twenty minutes until class started.
Eventually, Alya arrived and hugged her tight. "Girl! You finally made it back! Why haven't you been returning my texts or calls? I had to go to your house to find out you were sick."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Marinette giggled nervously. "I was kinda out of it… I don't really remember much."
"It's fine, just don't do it again. I'm more concerned that you're here. Before me. Early. Are you sure you're not still sick?"
"Positive." She smiled. "Just didn't fancy rushing around like crazy this morning. Have I missed much?"
Alya launched into a brief overview of what she'd missed in class over the past few days, followed by a detailed account of every single piece of gossip, even about people Marinette hadn't ever met.
"But that's all sorted out now, apparently. What else… oh yeah, Adrien was ill."
Marinette's heart stopped. It was just a hallucination. "Adrien was ill? Is he okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine. He only missed a day. There were some pretty funny rumours going around when both you and him missed school on Monday, but Chloe squashed all of them." Alya laughed. "He was back on Tuesday. Just a cold. Sounds like he had a lighter case of what you had."
"Yeah, maybe there's a bug going around?"
Alya shrugged. "Maybe. Speaking of… Hey, Nino! Adrien!"
The two boys waved as they entered the classroom, with Nino quickly rushing up to give Alya a one-armed hug over the desk. "Hey, Marinette! Glad you're feeling better today!"
"Thanks, Nino." Marinette grinned then turned her attention to Adrien, who had sat down without a word and was arranging his notebook on his desk. Nino caught her gaze and nudged him.
"Hm? Oh, hey girls." Adrien finally turned, first to Alya, then with what may have been slight hesitation, he looked at Marinette.
Her heart stopped. Again. Without her pictures on the wall, she'd almost forgotten how beautiful he was. Almost. He flashed a smile, those gorgeous green eyes glinting like sun-dappled leaves, like light-struck peridots, like a cat's…
Like a cat's?
His smile faded a little. "Marinette? You okay?"
But Marinette couldn't speak. She was staring at his hair. Blond, sleek, shiny, like the hair she found on her pillow. Where she'd dreamt Adrien had been sleeping.
Something clicked in her mind.
Chat Noir had brought her home. But Chat Noir had used his cataclysm during the fight. By the time he got her home, he must have been near to transforming back.
Someone had been in her bed. Someone blond.
Chat Noir was blond.
Adrien was blond.
Chat Noir was in her room when she fell asleep.
Adrien was there when she woke up.
Which meant…
"Girl? Marinette? Marinette!"
Someone clicked their fingers in front of her face, drawing her back to the real world. Adrien was giving her a funny look – was that a hint of worry in his eyes? Nino had a similar expression, whereas Alya was hiding amusement behind arched eyebrows.
"You sure you're better? You totally zoned."
"I, uh…" Marinette flickered between Alya, Adrien, and Nino. She abruptly stood, banging her knees on her desk, and lurched out of her seat. "I just something remembered in the corridor so I gotta go now but back soon be...I? Me? Uh…"
What nonsense was she spewing? Did she care? No. Marinette stumbled down the steps and ran out of the room, ignoring Alya calling after her.
The corridor was packed with students heading to their lessons. A few of them stared at her as they passed, but Marinette paid them no head. She had to get away. But where?
She didn't think, she just walked. Soon, she reached the nurse's office and threw herself inside.
"Madame Dambois! I, uh…"
Madame Dambois, a steely-haired woman with thin glasses and a beaky nose frowned at her. "Yes, mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?"
"I, uh… was ill. And I thought I was better but my hurt heads. I mean my head hurts and uh..."
Dambois sighed and gestured her to come inside. "If you weren't completely better you shouldn't have come in."
"I'm sorry. I am better. I just have a headache. Could I sit here for a bit?"
Dambois sighed again. "Very well. Take an aspirin as well. If you're not feeling better by the end of first period I'm calling your parents to pick you up."
"Yes, Madame Dambois. Thank you."
As the nurse bustled around collecting water and aspirin, Marinette took a seat and tried to get her breathing under control.
But how could she possible be calm now?
When Chat Noir…
Adrien Agreste…
They were the same person!
As Marinette sped away, Adrien felt his stomach sink. Did she know? No. She couldn't possibly…
Could she?
He thought back to that night. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Her bed had just been so comfy, and she was sleeping so peacefully.
And she was on his arm, and he couldn't get up without waking her. Then she would definitely have seen him.
When he'd woken up, she was still asleep, completely hidden by her blanket. Thankfully she'd rolled off his arm, and it was still early, so he'd been able to slip out without her noticing and creep up the trapdoor to her balcony. Surprisingly, Plagg was ready to transform into Chat Noir, having sniffed out something to eat overnight, so he was able to get home quickly before Nathalie came by his room to wake him up.
But before he disappeared, he'd stolen one last look at the sleeping Marinette. She hadn't moved. There was no way she could have seen him.
He hoped.
Adrien shook his head. Definitely not. She had always been a little jumpy around him. Maybe because he was a model and was beginning to gain recognition for it. Maybe because he was Gabriel Agreste's son, and she idolised Gabriel Agreste. Maybe because she still hadn't warmed up to him after that gum incident on his first day of school.
Nah, she'd been perfectly friendly to him at other times.
Sure, usually that was around other people. And she could talk to other people. But she couldn't talk to him.
But she'd given him that little good luck charm. That had to count for something, right?
He was shaken from his thoughts by Nino nudging him. "Dude, you okay? You totally zoned. Turning into Marinette?"
"Huh? Oh. No. I was just thinking?"
"About Marinette?"
"Huh?"
Adrien felt himself flush as Nino wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "C'mon, dude. Don't tell me you don't have a thing for her."
"I… don't? She's just a friend. A good friend. I love her and all but… she's just a friend." A friend who looks very cute when sleeping… Wait, what? No. What about Ladybug – she's the one I'm in love with.
"Uh-huh, sure. Okay."
Adrien raked his fingers through his hair and glanced at the door. Maybe she was still feeling ill?
Maybe?
Marinette returned for second period, looking a little pale but otherwise fine. She quickly returned to her seat with a strange look in her eye. Something between steely determination and horror. Whenever Adrien glanced behind him she was staring resolutely ahead with the same expression, but judging from her notes she wasn't listening to the teacher at all.
Finally the lunch bell rang. Adrien barely had time to pack away his notebook when Marinette breezed past him and marched out of the classroom. He exchanged glances with Nino and Alya, who both shrugged.
"What's gotten into her?" Alya asked, leaning forward. "She's been acting real wacko."
"Maybe she's still ill?" Nino suggested before giving Adrien a meaningful look. "Maybe someone should go check on her."
Adrien pursed his lips – surely one of her closer friends should go after her? But when Nino kicked his shin, he stood up. "All right, fine," he muttered and hurried away.
Marinette was a fast walker, but with his longer legs Adrien managed to catch up with her on the steps outside.
"Hey, Marinette! Wait!" he called, reaching forward and grasping her wrist. She froze, and he bumped into her back. "Oof!"
"Sorry!" she breathed, whirling around. "I shouldn't have stopped that like. Like that. Uhh..." Her eyes were hooked on his hand still clamped around her wrist.
"Oh, uh, sorry." Adrien hastily let go. "I just wanted to check that you're okay? You've been a little… off all morning. Something wrong?"
"Nope!" she chirped, too quickly. "Everything is dunky-hory. Dory-hunky. Hunky peachy. Um, wait. No. Yes. Everything's great, fantastic even. Well, it was when you got here. Wait, no, it was great before, not that it wasn't great after but, um… uhh…"
As she babbled, her cheeks grew steadily redder until she resembled ripe strawberry. Adrien barked out a laugh. "I'm glad everything is, uh, hunky peachy."
"Yup. Um, so yeah. Gotta go. Thanks for checking me out. No, checking me up. Up on me. Checking- ohh..." Mortified, she stepped backwards, spun around, and charged down the street. Adrien watched her leave. Her rambling was nothing new but… he really thought they were getting somewhere in their friendship. Just when she had beginning to string sentences, she reverted back into a stuttering mess.
Just what was going on?