Prompt: Marichat Fluff Wish! Chat Noir had a nightmare and he transforms to make sure his princess is safe.

Rated: K+

Safe

Adrien jumped awake in his bed, nearly knocking out Plagg, who had slept peacefully on top of Adrien's head.

"Ow! Hey! I almost caught the cheese wheel! Adrien why did-" Plagg's annoyed rant died down as soon as he saw the haunted look on the blond's face and he quickly hovered near him, "Adrien? You okay buddy? What happened?" he watched how his whole body shook in small tremors.

Adrien frantically searched the bed, his eyes scanning his dark, empty room and his breathing quickened even more, "Where…what…Plagg,"

Plagg flew in front of Adrien's face and grasped his cheeks, "Adrien! Talk to me pal! What's wrong?" he would never admit it out loud, but he was really starting to worry for the kid.

"Where's Marinette?" the question flew out of his lips in a hurry and Plagg rarely ever heard such a serious and worried tone in the boy's voice, except during akuma fights.

Plagg sighed in relief, floating back down on the bed after making sure nothing was amiss, "Pigtails girl is probably sleeping as she we by the way," Plagg settled in against Adrien's side again, yawning loudly, "Come on Adrien, let's go back to slee-"

"Plagg, claws out!"

"Wait, what?!" Plagg shouted as he got sucked into the ring and Chat Noir suddenly kicked off the covers of his bed, rushing straight forward and jumping out the window into the dead of the night.

The streets of Paris were mostly empty, save for a few wandering souls who found no rest tonight, just like him.

He, unlike them, had somewhere to be.

Jumping from roof to roof, baton spinning faster than normal and feet jumping higher than his usual leaps, it took him no time at all to finally land on the familiar balcony with no sound at all.

Reattaching his baton to his back, Chat Noir carefully walked over to the large window, peering inside.

His blood ran cold.

His eyes stayed glued to the bed, unoccupied, covers strewn about wildly, light coming from downstairs.

Marinette was gone.

Just like in my nightmare.

Claws dug deeply into the wooden texture of the window, "No."

Quickly, Chat Noir pushed the hatch door open, landing onto the empty bed, baton in hand, ears arched forward and eyes scanning the pink room for any signs of danger.

The covers were still warm, she had to be here.

Panic gripped his heart, but he stubbornly forced it back down when he heard footsteps approaching the door, a shadow cast by the low light downstairs.

Did the intruder come back? What happened to the Dupain-Chengs?

With cat-like reflexes, Chat Noir leaped toward the shadowy figure emerging from the stairs, baton raised over his head, ears drawn back, teeth bared in a snarl until he spotted the midnight blue hair and the bluebell eyes opened wide in shock.

"Princ-!" his words got caught off by extending his staff to lengthen, both ends of his baton pressing against either sides of the walls of Marinette's room firmly.

The abrupt throw back caused his body to lurch forward and back violently and Chat quickly dropped to his feet once he gathered his bearings.

He panted from the rush of fear that had swept over him from seeing the empty bed, devoid of the sweet girl that would gift him exquisite croissants and snarky remarks from his nightly visits.

"Chat Noir! What are you doing here? What happ-" Marinette kneeled down to inspect her partner until she was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug.

"Princess, you're safe!" Marinette blinked, placing her hands slowly on Chat Noir's trembling back.

"Chat Noir?" her previously panicked voice had softened to a whisper, "What's wrong? Why wouldn't I be safe?"

She felt his body still, his voice uncharacteristically low, "I…I had a nightmare." His grip tightened around her, "That you got captured by an akuma and imprisoned. I…couldn't save you."

Realization dawned on Marinette, memories of a frantic Chat Noir urging Ladybug to save Marinette first from the destroyed thorn tower, rushing inside the bakery to see if she was alright.

Marinette's slack grip around the superhero tightened, a hand coming up to gently run through his hair, "It's alright kitty, I'm here and safe." She smiled playfully, "Well, you did save me, I'm sure I would've tripped over the last step if it weren't for you making me freeze on the spot." She giggled quietly and Chat Noir chuckled, his head moving slightly against her own.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were an intruder." Marinette shook her head at his apology.

"It's alright Chat Noir…" her eyes darted toward the moon in the dark sky, "Why don't you stay here until I fall asleep? That way you can chase away my nightmares and I'll make sure you won't have yours anymore." She patted his back gently and they broke apart.

He mustered her with big haunted green eyes, still a little alert, a little scared from his nightmare.

Wordlessly, he nodded.

Marinette smiled, catching sight of Tikki stealthily flying into her hiding spot under Marinette's desk while she led the superhero up the steps towards her bed above.

It felt weird, being with a boy alone in her room at night, but this was Chat Noir, a boy she trusted with her life.

Marinette crawled into her bed and before she could contemplate on where to make sure Chat Noir was comfortable, she found the cat already lounging on the far edge of the bed, leaning against the wall, watching her.

She pulled the covers up to her chin, suddenly feeling shy, "Are you…sure this is okay?" she was sure he would get back pain from the uncomfortable position.

He only sent her a reassuring smile, "I've already overstayed my welcome, a little pain is nothing to endure for my princess' sake."

The girl huffed, "Don't be silly Chat Noir, you're always welcome here." Both grew silent after her declaration and Marinette turned to her side, trying to ignore the odd heat in her cheeks, "Good night kitty, sweet dreams." She closed her eyes, feeling his presence and she felt somehow at ease, as if he really was chasing away invisible demons that had caused her mostly restless nights.

A soft smile grew on Chat Noir's face, "Good night Marinette." He leaned his cheek against his propped up fist, watching the gentle rise and fall of her body beneath the covers, "Sweet dreams." The gentle purr escaping him made him settle in more comfortably, feeling at peace now, knowing she was safe and sound under his watchful eye.

Thanks for reading! Also posted on Tumblr! :)