Author's Note: A Sequel to Healed With a Kiss and That Midnight Kiss


Smiling fondly, Marinette slipped out from under Adrien's arm. She hadn't expected to see him again—not after their long patrol earlier this evening. But apparently, the fatigue from monitoring the Parisian streets hadn't stopped her boyfriend from sneaking over and dropping in to visit.

She chuckled softly at the pun, stretching her arms as she dropped her legs over the side and rose from her chaise. He would have appreciated it… if he was still awake of course.

They'd spent the last three delightful—if achy—hours playing video games while cuddled up together in her room. She had no idea what he had been up to in the few hours since she'd seen him—or what possessed him to stop over—but it had clearly worn him out.

One moment, he'd been chuckling next to her—cuddling side by side on the chaise, and tucking her head beneath his chin… and the next, he was out like a light. Marinette had been content for a while to just savor his warmth beside her.

Reaching over the back edge of the couch, Marinette ruffled Adrien's hair before gently smoothing it back into place.

After watching the soft rise and fall of his chest for a moment or two, she ducked down to press her lips gently to his forehead. She relished the sight of his muscles relaxing under her familiar touch.

On the cushion beside Adrien's halo of hair, one of Plagg's acid green eyes opened to a slit; he watched in amusement for a few seconds before it dropped closed once more.

Marinette padded across her room. With one last look over at the weary, lonely boy tucked under the duvet she had draped over her chaise, she slid down the stairs from her room and tiptoed into the kitchen. She was on a late night mission: to raid the fridge as quietly as she could.

Crouching down, she opened the refrigerator door to seek out her prey.

Marinette grinned as she spotted it in the dim light, grabbing it from the darkest corner of the drawer.

After shoving the drawer closed and quickly shutting the door to hush the hum of the appliance, Marinette spun on her heels to creep back across the floor—dodging the noisiest floorboards along her way.

Happy as she was to spend the extra time with him, Adrien had been quiet tonight. Too suspiciously quiet. Even while he was gaming, he'd been far more subdued than the boy she knew so well.

Frankly, what was bothering her most was the fact that Adrien had been a little too reticent to head home.

Sure his room was empty, but she knew he was still very careful about following his father's orders, even while he was out of town on travel. They had spent many, many hours chatting via video call just to keep everything within his father's rigid rules.

Shaking her head, Marinette climbed back up the steps to her room, prize in hand. She didn't bother with the careful stealth she'd been using downstairs—it wouldn't matter much, not when the most sensitive ears in the house were currently the ones she wanted to perk.

Crouching down beside the chaise, she lay her hand out flat, offering the choicest morsel of Camembert she had stashed away for emergencies; unless she'd missed her guess, Marinette was pretty sure this qualified.

A soft snuffling sniff was the only sound in the room before glowing green eyes shot open—before the curious Cat Kwami zipped towards her unrepentantly.

"Now, Plagg," Marinette smirked, teeth gleaming in the darkness as she sat back on her heels. "Tell me everything he's trying to protect me from…"