Always Find You

Chapter 34 - "Just Ladybug"

Adrien only wakes up when he hears Marinette shout his name, followed by her gasping breathing. He's terrified of the sound of her not being able to breathe because he's heard it so many times before. He sits bolt upright, prepared to take anyone down who dares to touch her, but finds her with her eyes open, flat on her back as if she is tied down, and nobody else in the room.

'Shit, she's still asleep.' He thinks.

"Marinette! Wake up!" He shakes her shoulder to get her to snap out of it. She suddenly takes a deep breath in, followed by smaller hyperventilating ones.

"Can you hear me?" Adrien asks. Her cheeks are wet with tears and she's still breathing as if she just ran a marathon. Marinette's eyes start to move instead of staring straight ahead, and he can tell she's finally awake.

"Hey, hey," He slips as much honey into his voice as possible, "Calm down. It was just a dream."

It's always a gamble as to whether Marinette will be okay with being touched after a nightmare, but Adrien gently strokes her cheek with his thumb anyway. He puts his forehead against the side of her's and whispers, "My gosh, I thought I'd lost you again."

~ ~ ~

  It's finally starting to get dark as Adrien and Marinette sit out on the balcony together, sharing a blanket and sipping hot chocolate. They've been silent most of the time, ruminating over the past hour.

"I'm sorry," Says Adrien, breaking the silence.

"It's not your fault. You don't have to apologize." Marinette has since relaxed after talking through the nightmare with Adrien and getting many cuddles from him and Tikki. (Plagg insists he's too "sophisticated" to do the same, but secretly gave Marinette a hug while no one was looking.)

Adrien looks down at the mug in his hands, "No, but even when you don't tell me certain parts of your dreams, I know what they're about." He gives her a sad smile, "I just thought I'd apologize since my dad never did."

She nods quickly, taking a sip of her cocoa, "I've always kind of wondered if he felt bad about what he did-" Saying 'what he did to me' feels weird, as if she was the only person affected by his actions, so she ends the sentence there instead.

"I try not to think about it too much, lest I come upon the truth."

Marinette feels a chill despite her blanket and hot chocolate. A shiver runs up her spine.

"Are you cold?" He asks.

She nods silently and moves to get up, "We can just go inside."

"Wait, I wanted to watch the rest of the sunset with you." Adrien holds his arms open for her to crawl into, "I can keep you warm."

She gives him a little smile and moves closer to his radiating heat, "How in the heck are you so warm?"

"I'm not sure. 'Thermodynamic equilibrium?'"

Marinette blinks at him, "I have no idea what that means."

"It's ummm... well." Adrien rubs the back of his neck, "We exchange heat with each other until we reach the same temperature."

"So like this?" Marinette slides her hand under Adrien's shirt, letting his chest warm her cold fingers.

"Y-yeah." He stutters, "Kind of like that."

She smoothly lifts her right leg over both of his, straddling him and pulling herself closer, "Or maybe like this?"

"I mean, I'm not really sure there's an equal exchange right now, but-"