My Valentine's Day gift to you, dear reader ;)

Chapter 17 – Snuggles and Surprises

At around 2am every morning Marinette would wake up cold, having realised she'd kicked off her blankets some time during the night. If she was lucky, Tikki would float up and drag them back up from her ankles and over her chilled body. But as blue eyes blinked open in the darkness, Marinette realised she wasn't cold. Heat was practically radiating against her back and a warm hand was resting on her hip.

Alarm had her entire frame stiffening while her brain caught up on recent events. Marinette relaxed a little as she remembered who it was lying behind her. Chat Noir. But she tensed again at the warmth of his thumb gently caressing the sliver of exposed skin between her pyjama top and shorts.

Slowly she reached for his wrist to extract his hand from her body. But as she did so, Chat Noir nuzzled his face against the back of her neck and slid his hand across her belly to her opposite hip, tucking her back firmly against his body. As he held her, Marinette realised something was very different. There was no cool touch of leather against her skin. Chat Noir's arm was not coated in his miraculous suit.

On impulse she reached beneath the sheet for his thigh, finding it covered in a fabric that felt like denim. Chat Noir had dropped his transformation and was fast asleep behind her. She could not roll over. She could not chance seeing his face without the mask on. The best option would be to wriggle out of his hold and sleep on the chaise downstairs.

With this in mind, Marinette began to wiggle her way down in attempt to escape Chat Noir's hold. Instead he murmured something about Ladybug in his sleep and tightened his arm around her hips. Marinette let out a frustrated snort and blew a stray tendril of hair from her face. As she was considering her next move, Chat Noir's bare nose trailed along her hairline at her nape. He stopped as his face bumped against her pigtail and she let out a sigh of relief. But it was short lived.

Soft lips pressed against her neck and Chat Noir murmured again. This time she was able to understand his words. "I want you to be mine, so much." He had to be dreaming of her alter ego and it pulled at Marinette's heartstrings. This was cruel. On some unconscious level, Chat Noir possibly understood he was holding the girl of his dreams in his arms.

"Chat," She called, giving his arm a light shake.

"Mm," he purred.

"You need to let me go."

"Don't want to," he all but growled, snuggling in tighter.

"You've dropped your transformation."

He stilled at her statement. Then the hand at her far hip curled tighter as he pulled her to lie on her back. Chat Noir released her but settled over Marinette, one hand either side of her shoulders. Unthinking she looked up at his face but it was cast in shadows, eclipsed by the faint moonlight filtering through her skylight above him.

"Perhaps you'd prefer me without my mask, milady." Chat Noir uttered as he lowered himself onto his forearms, still looming over her. His face was now close, canted slightly to the side as he drew even nearer.

"Chat…"

"Please," he pleaded, "Let me kiss you, at least once while I'm not affected by an akumatised person."

The raw agony in Chat Noir's voice touched Marinette on a level so deep she couldn't possibly deny him. She understood that pain, that yearning for someone. With both hands she cupped his face, imagining it was Adrien wanting her like this. "Okay, but just once."

And smooches next chapter. I know romantic cliffhanger - boo hiss. But hey, I figure it's a chance to let your imagination go nuts in the meantime XD

Thanks for reading!

PS. If you make enough noise I might post the next chapter tomorrow ;)