When in doubt, share it out.

In other words, Marinette decides to comfort her boyfriend after a nightmare with a story. Cause she's a good girlfriend like that. Even if it humiliates her.

Adrien sighed in relief, knowing his world was as it should be, hearing his friends voices just outside his room. He had been waiting for years for this. His father had finally allowed him to have a proper birthday party and as he did his morning stretches, he felt the lips of the one he loved press a kiss onto the center of his brow.

Oh yeah, he forgot she was next to him. It was so strange and yet, it just felt natural. He always had a large bed, but now that half of it was filled, it made the room he viewed for so long as a prison to feel, well... just like a normal room.

Putting on his morning slippers, he hobbled his way to the shower as Marinette told the people outside to wait for just a bit. Commenting on how a smelly Adrien was not always a fun Adrien.

The hot water streamed down his back, releasing the knots he had accumulated over the past week of fighting Akumas.

"Hurry up in there!" Marinette shouted from his bedroom. "We have people waiting for you out there."

He wrapped a towel around his waist as he walked out of the bathroom, swaying his hips in a playful manner, hoping to see his girlfriends reaction.

"You know not all cats hate getting we-"

When entering his room, he saw that Marinette was nowhere to be found.

"Sweet-tooth? Where'd you go?"

The bed, which they had just been laying in not 15 minutes prior, was made to perfection. On her side was a small piece of paper with his mother's ring resting cold on top.

I'm sorry, love. Although I've enjoyed our time together, we both knew it could never last. I love my family and being with you puts them at risk. While you are and have always been the love of my life, I can't be you any longer. Master Fu can't get everyone right and sadly, we are that one. Goodbye, my kitty.

Love, your bugaboo.

As the hot tears fell down his face, he felt his father's hand rest on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, son. I know all too well of the pain you're feeling. I still miss your mother and to this day, I would do anything to bring her back."

The room that had once been filled with light was now pitch black save for a faint blue glow in the corner.

"Perhaps we could get them both back. Take my hand, son. Take my hand and we can get them both back."

Adrien looked up to what he thought was his father, only to see Hawkmoth swallowed in shadows with his father's hand extended to him.

"No!"

His entire body ached as he shot up straight, sending the blankets that lay on him clear across the room. His breaths were heavy and labored, but he could swear he heard a faint slapping in the corner of his room.

He looked in the direction of the sound, but found nothing but darkness. Deciding he needed to get the terrible nightmare off of his mind, he scrambled out of bed, hastily throwing back his covers as he finally made it to his feet.

As he entered the bathroom and slapped the wall, trying to find the light switch, he was enveloped in bright light. When his eyes adjusted to the over blinding brightness, he trudged towards the sink, mind still reeling.

Just as he splashed cold water onto his face, Adrien swore that he heard a short click from his bedroom, almost as if his bedroom door had just shut.

Keeping his steps slow, he crept out of his bathroom door, sliding it open just a crack. Peeking his head through, he scanned the area for anything suspicious, but found nothing but the darkness of his room and the shadows of slight on the floor from the moonlight.

Afraid to speak too loud, he whispered, "Plagg."

The sleepy kwami, still half sleeping, mumbled out, "What's, Adrien?"

Seeing that the coast was clear, he ventured further into his room, moving over to where Plagg slept. "Did you see anyone in here? I could've sworn that I heard my door click."

Plagg groaned as he became fully conscious. "Kid, I've been blissfully asleep, dreaming about Pigtail's cheese pastries and Tikki's cuddles. You better have a good reason for waking me other than thinking that someone's in your room when there's clearly not."

Adrien rolled his eyes, but it was only half-heartedly. "I just… I'm on edge, Plagg. I just had a nightmare and I can't shake it off."

The cat like kwami moaned as he stretched his tiny body. "Well, maybe a visit to the princess might cheer you up?"

Adrien's eyebrow arched in shock. "You're offering to transform? You never wanna transform. Are you sick? Do you need to go see Master Fu?"

Plagg floated off his bed, fluttering over to his owner to poke him in the forehead. "Drop the sarcasm, kid. It doesn't look good on you."

"You just wanna see Tikki, don't you?"

"Shut up."

Between hard laughs, he was able to get claw's out.

Hopefully, she won't mind a cuddle buddy for the night.

As he crawled out the window, Catsuit glimmering in the moonlight he jumped from his house, making the way to his girlfriend's house, the last thing he heard was a familiar flutter echoing through the night.

Marinette was dead asleep when a harsh tap to her skylight woke her. Blinking away the blurriness from sleep, she looked up to see Chat hovering over the window with a sheepish smile.

Lifting the hatch up, she moved back to let him drop in, his transformation dissolving away as his knees hit the mattress. "Kitty, what're you doing here so late?"

He refused to meet her eyes as his hands began to play with her blanket. "I dunno. Kinda had a nightmare and just thought.. Maybe I could squeeze a few cuddles out of you for a couple hours?" His eyes finally lift to meet hers and she immediately saw the fear that had festered there.

"Oh, Adrien." She said in a soft tone as she lifted her blanket as to make room to pull him in next to her. "You don't have to be scared to ask me for cuddles, especially after having a nightmare. I'll always be here for you. You wanna talk about it, or just cuddles?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head into her neck as a small sense of calm washed over him. "Just this, please."

She nodded against his head as she began to run her fingers through his soft hair. "I think I can do that."

As quiet fell over to them, she turned just slightly to see Tikki and Plagg snuggled up together as well.

Pulling the blanket better on them, she asked, "You feeling better?"

With his lips pressed against her neck, he nodded. "Just a bit, thanks to you."

A thought crosses Marinette's mind without warning, and she hated it almost in the same breath. It battles against every inch of her head as she truly considered telling him. But seeing him so vulnerable, sad, and utterly alone. So, she swallowed her pride, and whispered. "You wanna hear a story?"

Adrien pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, the frown just a little less, but sadness was still drowning him. "Sure."

Taking in a deep breath, she tried her best to exhale fear and anxiety. "Well, you see. There was this boy I liked since the second day of school. Did this whole romantic gesture that made me fall head over heels and all that mumbo jumbo."

Adrien snorted. "It was sweet."

"You didn't even know!" She sighed. "Anyways, back to the story. There was a day where Alya had the bright idea— wait no, it was Tikki who suggested it— that since I couldn't talk to the guy that I liked in person, maybe I should do it over the phone."

Adrien decided he in that moment he needed to give this story his full attention. Pulling away, he shifted to sit in front of her, criss crossed, and hands in his lap.

Marinette pouted at the loss, but continued anyway. "So, with Alya's help, I got his phone number, and called him. He didn't pick up, and I threw my phone to the chaise, thinking I had hung up."

Adrien's eyes were now glossed over with excitement, chest heaving for air as he listened intently and curiously.

It almost made her laugh. "Alya, being the best friend that she was, asked why I just didn't woman up and say what I wanted to. I told her 'what was I supposed to say? Hey, hot stuff, this is Marinette, I'd ask you on a date to the movie, but I have such a crazy crush on you and the only way I can speak to you is over this stupid phone, pretty ridiculous, right?'"

Her boyfriend couldn't hold back his laughter as it brusted from his lips, arms flinging to wrap around his stomach as he fell to his side. "W-what hap-ppened next?" He asked as he choked on air.

She tossed him a glare, and pressed on. "As it turns out, I didn't turn my phone off, ending in me leaving that on your voicemail."

He sobered up at that. "But wait, I never got that voicemail."

Her composure cracked at that. "You know how Alya was teasing me about stealing phones? And how yours was missing that day?"

His eyes widen as a sneaky smiled filled his lips. "You didn't."

"Oh, but I did. And Tikki won't let me live it down to this day."

"Never!"

She lightly growled in Tikki's direction before turning her attention back to Adrien. "So, yeah. I had your schedule written down-"

"You had my schedule written down?"

"Shush. Storytime. My creepy stalking can be discussed at a later time."

He chuckled, but otherwise complied to remain quiet.

"And so, with Tikki's help— and Alya's later on to break into your phone— I nabbed it, and deleted the voicemail. I then, snuck it back in later. Oh, and that's why I never made it to the unveiling. Cause I was stealing your phone."

Her eye twitched uncountably as she waited for his response.

Again, the laughter erupted from him, causing him to fall once more, only this time, he fell into her, rather than his side. "You cease to amaze me, princess."

She giggled along with him. "I try, kitty. Now, are you feeling any better?"

He lifted her into his lap to easily maneuver them and placed them both under the bedsheets, laying her gently on her side. "Much. Thanks, Marinette. That meant so much to me. I know how scary telling me that story was. But, hey, at least I'm a lot less confused about that day."

She grinned at him as he snuggled closely into his own spot on the mattress. "Yeah, and now I know how Theo got akumatized." The deadpan stare had a hint of play in it, but he could tell she still meant business.

"Sorry, I know that was wrong of me. I shouldn't have done that. I guess we made a lot of mistakes, haven't we?"

She hummed in agreement. "Yeah. But I think people forget that we're only human, and we're only 15 and a half. We're gonna make mistakes, what matters is that we learn from them. We may be superheroes, but we're not perfect."

"Speaking of being human, I think we need to get some sleep. Is it alright if I set an alarm for 5 and I leave out the balcony?"

She smiled at the thought of sleeping next to him, making sure he wouldn't have any nightmares. "Of course. Just make sure you get up when your alarm goes off."

He settled back against the pillows. "Last I checked, I'm not the one that makes it to school with only two minutes left to spare."

"Just go to sleep, hot stuff."

"As the princess commands."

Adrien quickly slid open his phone to set up the alarm and placed it on the stand above their heads. With his head surrounded by giant fluffy pillows, he pulled Marinette closer to his chest. "Night, bugaboo."

"Night, kitty."

The harsh light of day entered the room as the glow from her living casket was overtaken by the sun peeking through the sinaluar window. The sound of her footsteps echoing through the room like thunder as she once again struck his face.

"Your son!"

He didn't lift a finger in protest.

She struck him once more.

Nahtile's usual robotic flat tone sparked with emotion. With anger. "We have gone after children, politicians, even babies, but never your own son! Tell me that this is for them! Look into my eyes and tell me it's for them!" Her chest was heaving up and down, as her nails pierced the upper layer of skin on her hand.

"If you ever go after him again I will make it my life's mission to make sure you never see that boy again! Miraculous or not!"

Before exiting the cold room, she looked back at him one last time. "You better figure out why you are still doing this. I promised you I would help get your family back. There is a price to what you want, Gabriel. A price your son won't pay."

Gabriel. Why you like this!?

At this point, just so we're clear as to where his head space is (Cause I'm not making this a plot filled thing) Gabriel's basically at his breaking point. He see's Adrien happy with Marinette, and almost akumataing his own son was out of desperation of final attempts. He's becoming unraveled because he doesn't know what he's fighting for anymore. His son's happiness can't be an excuse anymore. So he's at the end of his rope.

Anyways. Lots of love, and good-freaking-night (Its 1am and I'm exhausted, lol)