I hope you flowers appreciate that I gave up my sleep for this xD Just kidding, I wanted to.
19-Tears
"Chat!" Her begging became louder, more desperate.
His foot caught on the railing and he launched forwards spectacularly, landing face first onto the terrace. Strangely, face landed on something cool and smooth rather than the rough stony surface he was expecting. Chat raised himself up slightly and looked down at his landing pad curiously before recoiling in shock and mortification. He was looking at the sleeping form of his classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng through the glass hatch on her terrace. He was about to stand and bolt for the closest roof top that did not give him a clear view of a sleeping female classmate, but before he could he saw her twitch suddenly, her face contorting into a grimace. Her mouth opened and moved in words he could not hear. Panic took over her features and he inched closer to view her better. The rational part of his brain screamed at him to leave because watching a classmate sleep was definitely high up on the list of creepy things people shouldn't do but he shut it down as he caught a whimper slip from her teeth. She was laying on her side, curled in on herself tightly, one hand clutching at her chest while the other extended into the air desperately reaching for something he couldn't see. It struck him then how small she was her knees tucked up to her chest, tiny porcelain hands with adorable chubby fingers with slightly damp hair that stuck to her face and long lashes that threw shadows on her face. If it weren't for the ugly twisted expression, Chat thought she could have been the perfect model for his father's sleepwear line. Her fingers flexed as she made a grabbing motion, fingers closing only on air and he heard her cry out through the glass.
"Chat!" Her voice cut through the glass and through him, piercing his heart. Was she dreaming about him? She called for him again and with a jolt he realised she was having a nightmare. "Chat!" Her begging became louder, more desperate. His heart ached and his fingers stretched out to lift the hatch. Inner Adrien screamed at him and his fingers paused. What was he doing? Her body thrashed suddenly, her hand flew out and hit the railing on the side of her bed hard enough to bruise, he winced. "No! No!" She was screaming now. His conscience fell silent and he opened the hatch without hesitation this time. He dropped down onto her bed silently and she cried out again. She didn't react to his presence and he knelt beside her. Now what? He ached to soothe her, but how could he when he'd just come into her room, uninvited, while she was sleeping? He watched her, torn but when he saw tears roll down the bridge of her nose something inside him snapped and he slid one arm underneath her, bringing her up into a sitting position, cradling her to his chest tightly. The effect was instantaneous. Her sobs quietened and her body relaxed. Her fingers still flexed looking for something to grab onto and he slipped his fingers between hers. She gripped them tightly and he winced, unable to help but wonder if she might break his fingers by accident.
"Chat." He looked down at her; her eyes were open but unfocused. Before he could say anything she wound her hand around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Was she still sleeping? "Chat." Her voice was muffled by his body and he began to panic. He hadn't even thought about moving but he had and now was in a very awkward situation. What if she woke up? What if his transformation wore off? But on the other hand… He glanced down at her face again. The agonized expression was gone, replaced by only a knitted brow; her body had relaxed against his, she'd stopped shaking and she seemed content. Two fingers slid down his neck and hooked into his suit above his bell. He looked around for a way out in case he needed one, but he could tell she wasn't about to let go of him anytime soon. "Chat?"
"I'm here." He answered without thinking and she pulled back, glassy eyes blinking up at him but not really seeing him.
"I was so worried." She breathed, his heart clenched painfully. This made absolutely no sense because she hardly even knew him as Chat and yet... And yet her tears had dried, leaving trails on her cheeks. And yet, her hands were desperately clinging to his collar and twined in his hair. And yet, as soon as he'd touched her, her breathing had slowed from frantic panting to slow, peaceful breaths. And yet, hadn't she cried out for him in her sleep in a blind panic? The same way he called for Ladybug when she was in danger? Maybe she had nightmares like he did. Ones that felt so real that they haunted you all day and made it hard to sleep. Ones that reeked of death and loss that meant he was afraid of the dark. Dinosaurs featured prominently in his dreams as of late and he wondered what kind of dreams she was having to be screaming for someone she barely knew.
Marinette tucked her head under his chin her hands sliding from his neck to rest on his chest instead, palm flattened over his heart. She didn't move for several moments and he assumed she'd fallen asleep. He was proved right when his ears twitched, picking up her heartbeat that slowed to a regular rhythm, her hand turned limp and slipped further down his torso. His ears flattened against his skull, his tail flicking anxiously. What was he supposed to do now? He was holding her in such a way that if he moved even slightly, he'd jostle her and, without knowing if she was a light sleeper or not, it was a risk he wasn't willing to take. Not when the dark purple bruises under her eyes leered at him. He wondered if this was a regular occurrence for her, being woken by nightmares. Did she often scream his name in a broken voice? Did she dream of him, thrashing against the sheets as she reached for him, fingers closing in on only air? Did she wake up at 2am and lie awake, as he did, not game enough to go back to sleep, lest the nightmares return to eat him alive? The thought made his chest ache and prickle with a dangerous emotion that he knew he shouldn't feel for his classmate. His arms tightened around her and he nuzzled the side of her face, a high distressed whine escaping his lips. He didn't want Marinette to hurt like that, not for him, he didn't deserve it. He shifted his grip from her back so he could use one hand to stroke her hair. It fell through his fingers like water, the inky strands shining like silk under the dim glow of her lanterns and Chat wished, not for the first time that his costume didn't have gloves.
He wasn't sure if Plagg had heard his thoughts or if he'd had enough, because there was a flash of green and he was Adrien again, and Marinette's hair felt as soft as it looked. She let out a shuddering sigh and nuzzled him, her hand falling off his chest and into her lap. Slowly, carefully Adrien lowered her onto the bed, cradling her neck and head so it didn't roll back, he settled her onto the mattress. He wriggled his arm out from between her back and the bed, trailing his other hand down her cheek before pulling away. The second his hand left her face, before he could ask Plagg to transform him back into Chat Noir, Marinette whimpered, high-pitched and desperate, and her hands curling in her sheets, breathing hard and fast. Without thinking-he really needed to start thinking actually, that's how he got himself into these situations to begin with-and he grabbed one of her hands. Her fingers curled around his immediately, her body uncoiled slowly and her breathing slowed. Adrien let out a hiss of frustration. How was he supposed to go home if she kept panicking the second he relinquished contact? It wasn't that he minded if he had to stay the night, in fact, he wouldn't mind at all, Marinette was warm and soft and she smelled good and her bedroom was nice and homely unlike the clinical feel his bedroom had. So, no, it wasn't the prospect of a sleep over that made him anxious, it was that she had no idea that he was in her room right now. Sure, she'd seen him earlier, but it was unlikely that she'd remember that she had seen him given the way her eyes had glazed over him. Even through his lack of knowledge about social etiquette, he knew that staying in a girl's room, uninvited while she was totally oblivious wasn't exactly encouraged.
Her frown had returned and he placed his thumb in the center of her eyebrows and stroked upwards to smooth out the lines while his other hand struggled to maintain steady circulation in Marinette's grip. "What do I do Plagg?" He whispered, not taking his eyes off the sleeping girl.
Plagg yawned and floated over to her head, examining her face critically. "She's cute." He stated.
"Plagg." The Kwami ignored his charge and settled on Marinette's pillow beside her ear and closed his eyes. "Hey, get off her!" Adrien hissed. Plagg opened his eyes and rolled them at the blond.
"Relax sh-" Plagg's eyes landed on Marinette again and the black Kwami froze.
"Plagg?" Adrien frowned at his odd behaviour. "What is it?"
"Her earrings are nice." Plagg said vaguely before unwillingly tearing his eyes away to focus on Adrien instead.
"What? Oh, she... wears them all the time." Adrien shook his head. "That's irrelevant. What am I supposed to do?" He moved his hand from her eyebrows to trace the bridge of her nose instead, before jerking his hand away as he realized that no matter how soft and lovely her skin was, he really shouldn't do that because it's weird no matter how you look at it. Even if her freckles were adorable and he was struck with a strange urge to touch each and every of them. Plagg's gaze was now focused on something behind Adrien's shoulder, but when the boy turned to look, there was nothing but a flash of red, a trick of the light he supposed. "Plagg!" Adrien said as loud as he dared. The Kwami's eyes snapped to the model's face.
"What?"
"What am I supposed to do? I can't leave her here on her own; she's freaking out whenever I move away from her. And she's so exhausted..." His fingers found the bags under her eyes unbidden and he hastily moved them away again before chiding himself for being creepy.
"Get comfortable kid." Came Plagg's muffled response.
Adrien looked up from Marinette's face to find Plagg nestled in her fringe, blending in perfectly with her dark hair. "What?"
"You're too nice to let her suffer and I wouldn't let you leave her alone anyway. Might as well get comfy." His words were slow and deliberate as if to make Adrien understand.
"What do you mean you wouldn't let me leave her anyway?" He asked, frowning.
One green eye peered at him through Marinette's hair and the Kwami patted her cheek affectionately. "Look at this small cinnamon roll. So precious, so pure." He mumbled sleepily as he nuzzled Marinette's face, sniffing at her hair.
Adrien choked on his own spit before rolling his eyes. "I told you to stop using my Tumblr. And don't sniff her, it's weird."
"You smell her all the time at school!" Plagg argued. "Whenever she walks past you take a big ol' whiff, don't pretend you don't! I see you do it. And so does Nino." Plagg shook his head and ignored Adrien's spluttering protests. "And besides, I told you to get comfy kid. She's having nightmares, help her out a bit; she's your friend right?"
Adrien hesitated before kicking off his shoes and sliding an arm under her shoulders, curling his elbow so he could grip her shoulder. What he didn't expect was for Marinette to roll over, slinging a leg over his and pushing her nose into his stomach mumbling 'good kitty, time for naps' as she did so. He froze as she shifted but the moment their torsos came into contact her breathing slowed into a deep-sleep rhythm, her body and face relaxing, tension leaving her, her fingers lightly curled, hand resting on his chest and her cheek was pressed into his stomach. Plagg floated over and resettled in her hair, kneading her temple for a few seconds before curling up into a ball and falling asleep instantly. Adrien's eyes fluttered closed and he moved his hand to rest on hers, their fingers loosely intertwined. Slowly their breathing and heartbeats became synchronized as he too, for the first time in a long time, slept without dreaming.
Ah, my cutie-pies, how I love them.
I'm afraid I must make a sad(?) announcement. In a few days I will move out of my parent's house and into university accommodation so I can being my first year of tertiary education. This does not mean the end of Mon Minou. Oh, no. I definitely intend on seeing this through to the end (and beyond? ;) But updates may be a little slower. I'll thank you in advance for your patience (even though Hawkdaddy calls us the 'impatient ones) and I hope you'll continue to stick with me as I finish this series! :)
On my Tumblr; LastRoseOfSpring, you can find drabbles, requests and gifts that I've written (under the tag 'spring writes') and perhaps I'll post info about updates and WIPs about Mon Minou there until updates become regular again. My ask box is always open and you can find amazing Mon Minou artwork there too!
20-My Inspiration
Hmm... I wonder what this will be about? Any ideas my flowers?
xx
