Marinette wasn't sure how to react when a certain blond boy jerked before her like a frightened cat.
"Ma - Ma - Ma - Ma - Marinette?!" Adrien sputtered as he dropped down and sprawled unceremoniously on the floor. She noticed that he was fisting something black, but before she could identify it, he immediately shoved it into his pocket. Then he sat ramrod straight and squeaked. "A - A - A - A - Are you awake?!"
The designer remained impassive as she blinked at him owlishly.
No way in hell someone like Adrien Agreste would visit her while he was somewhere doing an out of town photo shoot.
Unless...
"Erm, Marinette?" the blond called her name again. He even waved his hand to snap her reverie but failed. "Earth to Marinette?"
She just sat and stared at him like a frozen doll.
The panic that was marred on the boy's face a while ago was immediately replaced by a deep concern. With hunched shoulders, he went closer to her bed and reached her hand. "Hey, are you alright?"
Unfortunately, the poor girl's brain ceased to function not only because she was horribly sick, but because her unrequited crush was visiting her - and ohmygosh he was touching her - in her dreams.
Well, what would be the best plausible reason other than that?
"Why don't you lie down, non?" the model offered, which earned him a quick nod.
Marinette heard his relaxed sigh when she obediently eased her back from the headboard, and more when she allowed him to pull her blankets in and wrap it around her lithe body.
Somehow she was glad her Maman helped her change her sweaty PJs to a fresh, flowery ones a few hours ago.
Not that it mattered actually.
To provide more comfort, Adrien puffed her pillows carefully and tucked them to her sides. He even smothered the edges of her duvet to eliminate some creases, only to pause a bit when he palmed her sketchbook underneath the material.
His brows furrowed.
"Aren't you supposed to take a rest?"
Oops?
The designer averted her gaze guiltily.
She didn't know why, but there was something on his glowering emerald eyes that reminded her of a certain Kitty. It was a scolding expression he usually makes whenever Ladybug performed a ludicrous task.
It was strange how Adrien copied it with ease.
Before she could reply, a menacing hiss from the loft stairs caught their attention.
From the sound of it, Marinette realized that Chat Blanc also invaded her dreams - which wasn't a surprise considering how her pet harbored a mysterious animosity towards Adrien.
What she didn't expect was Adrien would make an animalistic hiss as a reply.
"..."
"..."
Then there was a moment of awkward silence.
"..."
"..."
When the blond slowly turned his head around, he gulped audibly upon meeting her stony expression. He was ready to stammer an apology when all of a sudden, the girl broke a fit of laughs.
"Oh my gosh, you're acting just like Chat Noir!" she declared between guffaws.
Adrien blushed profusely, and the way he incessantly rubbed his neck told her that he didn't expect himself to carry such weird attitude.
Or shall we say, cat-titude?
"Erm, you-you think so?"
"All you need is a black mask." Marinette wiped her nose with a tissue, balled it then dumped it in her waste bin without hoisting herself up. "He does that whenever he was displeased with something. Not to mention he cackles every time a pigeon flew by. Like he's offended by its feathers."
"Wo - wow." he gave a nervous chuckle. "I can't believe you re - really know him that - that well."
"Of course. Because he's - AH - " she paused to cover her mouth. "CHOO!"
"God bless you."
The girl wrinkled her nose with displeasure, then sneezed again.
"ACHOO!"
"You ought to take a rest, Marinette." he chuckled in a lighter tone.
Her lids were getting heavier each passing second, and with a bleary sight, she decided to shut it for a bit.
"So...going back to our topic." she heard him muttering. "What do you think of Chat Noir?"
"Huh?"
"Erm, you confirmed that you know him right? Why is that?"
Oh.
Marinette cracked a smile, and with eyes remained closed she answered. "He's one of my best friends."
His silent response was lulling her back to sleep.
Wait, is it normal to feel sleepy while dreaming?
She heard her bed creaked when Adrien sat on her duvet and felt the callouses of his fingertips when he brushed a hair strand from her cheek.
Never in her life she ever experienced a dream so surreal that this.
"Hey," he whispered in a cheery tone. "You're one his best friends too, Princess."
The designer beamed at the thought.
"Adrien?"
"Yes?"
"Please don't tell Chat about it, okay?" she murmured. "Or...or you'll inflate his ego."
He snorted before responding "You can count on me."
"And Adrien?"
"Hmm?"
"You might be cute, and I'm flattered..." she drawled, trying to keep her consciousness at bay. "...but no one can call me Princess...except my Kitty."
She barely registered the hitch of his voice, the damp kiss that was planted on her temple, and the endearment of "Get well soon, Marinette." when she embraced sleep.
Her mother roused her up moments later for her next dose of medicines.
"Congratulations. Your fever's gone." Sabine told her after checking the thermometer, then noticed her daughter's blanked expression. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
Marinette shook her head. "Nothing, Maman. I'm just trying to decipher the meaning of my dream."
"Was it good or bad?"
"Good, I guess? I mean, Adrien paid me a get-well-soon visit."
The Chinese woman caressed her daughter's face with a smile. "You know, they said that the person who appears in your dreams is the one that thinks of you the most."
The designer perked up. "You think so?"
"Without a doubt, mon cherie."
Marinette slid herself on her sheets blissfully as her mother gathered her medicine pouch, water bottle, and an empty plate of cheese crackers.
Cheese crackers she damn well sure she left it untouched.
"Maman?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you seen Chat?"
"Downstairs." was the response. "Banned to climb back here because he spilled the entire bottle of vinegar all over himself."
"He's not hurt, by the way." she went on. "That silly feline of yours kept pawing your trap door, then finally decided to make a ruckus in the kitchen in order to call our attention. Good thing the bottle was made out of plastic instead of a glass, else it'll be a bloody hell. Why did you lock your trap door in the first place?"
She didn't, as far as she recalled, but decided to drop the issue.
Tikki flew out from her confinement a minute after Sabine left the room.
"Chat Noir was here." the kwami told her.
Well, that explains why her trap door was locked.
"That silly Kitty must've barred my cat." the designer snickered at their ridiculousness. "What did he do, Tikki?"
"Aside from checking you out." she teased which earned an eye roll. "He left you something."
She pointed the brown paper bag tucked behind the lampshade.
Marinette's eyes became misty when she recognized the packaging and broke a watery laugh when she opened the contents.
Chat Noir bought her Le Chien's special fried beondegi.
A Korean snack made of crispy silkworms doused with sesame oil and salt.
Oh, how she wanted to kiss her Kitty.
"'Ma Purr-incesse, I had to cat-ch these bugs fur mew - love CN'" she read the attached sticky note then groaned. "Why must he ruin everything with a pun?"
Tikki flew in front of her Chosen's face when she snuck her hand into the bag. "Didn't your mother tell you not to eat anything oily and salty?"
Marinette blanched, then clutched the paper bag to her chest as if protecting it from her kwami's grasp. "Bu-but I'm okay now!"
She squirmed from Tikki's scolding glare.
"C'mon Tikki, a single bite won't hurt." the girl bemoaned. "Besides, what would Chat Noir going to say if he learned that I did not appreciate his gift?"
"You manipulated him to buy it for you."
"I did not." she huffed offensively. "I asked."
"Same thing."
Marinette pouted indignantly then flashed her most pitiful eyes. "Please, Tikki. Beondegi is one of my comfort foods. It's my lifeblood. Can you imagine your life without cookies?"
"Fine!" the kwami threw her arms in the air then flew back to her nest. "Don't you ever blame me if you got sick again!"
"Yay!"
Excitedly, the designer grabbed a handful of fried silkworms then ate it wholeheartedly.
It was tasteless because of her clogged nose, but the greasiness and crunchiness made everything delicious. The sand-like feel was present on her tongue, and within few minutes she finished the entire bag.
Oops?
"Mari?" a familiar voice sounded below.
Marinette immediately threw the paper bag in her wastebin then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
She gave a toothy grin when Alya emerged from the stairs with Chat Blanc tucked on the sides.
"Yuck, your cat stinks!" the bespectacled brunette grimaced as she placed the white cat on the floor. Said white cat mewled defensively. "Hey girl, I brought you apples. To keep the doctors away."
"Thanks."
"Sabine said that you're not feverish anymore," Alya said while placing the basket of fruits on her bedside table. "Does that mean I'll be seeing you at school tomorrow?"
"I sure hope so," she replied, plucking Chat Blanc away when he tried to claw an apple. "How's school by the way?"
"Boring because you're not there. No homework. Anyways, I'm here to show you something."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Alya was quite giddy when she loaded a page of her blog on her phone. Once the article was up, she shoved the screen in her best friend's face.
Marinette squinted when she saw the title.
'Chat Noir Has A Thing Towards Bugs...And Worms Too?'
Attached to the article was a group picture consist of a feline superhero and the entire crew of a certain Korean Resto.
Chat Noir might be smiling, but the girl knew him better.
"One of my followers submitted that picture." the brunette explained with glee. "Who would've thought Chat Noir has knacks on exotic foods?"
Marinette was in the middle of reading the entire post when her stomach grumbled loudly.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Um, I don't know?" the designer winced when her stomach grumbled again. "I think I'm going to...to..."
She pressed her palm on her stomach, and when the third grumble sounded, she hurriedly rushed towards the toilet.
Alya maintained a stoic stare when she looked at her fleeting best friend, then fought a grin when she heard a loud 'PRRRRRRT' coming from downstairs.
Her attention was diverted when Chat Blanc pawed something on the waste bin.
.
.
.
.
"Where's Marinette?" Nino asked when he saw the vacant seat beside Alya. "I thought she's okay."
"Constipation. That silly flake ate something that made her stomach upset." the brunette sighed then looked on his side. "Another photo shoot for Sunshine Boy again?"
"Not this time." Nino sighed then showed her a text message. "It seems that Adrien also caught a bug."