little by little

imaginary visitors at midnight

Adrien awoke from the dream he'd been having with a start. He was breathing hard as he sat up and blinked rapidly, searching his surroundings. He'd already forgotten most of the dream, but he remembered bits and pieces.

Cerulean eyes, freckles, a taunting smile.

Adrien rubbed his eyes. Plagg stared at him from his perch on a pillow. "You okay, kid?"

Flabbergasted, Adrien ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I guess so."

A brush of skin, a gentle laugh, murmured words.

He rolled over to go back to sleep; he'd had another long day and was exhausted.

However, after rolling around for what had to have been twenty minutes, he found that sleep would not come. Adrien's eyes caught on the alarm clock perched on his bedside table, and he let out a long sigh.

The longer he laid there, awake, the more restless he got. His mind was racing, nipping at the edges of the dream he'd been having with a hungry curiosity. He had enjoyed it and wished to return to it, but it was just out of his reach.

"Plagg?"

"You owe me."

Chat Noir vaulted out into the night, a brazen grin on his face as he felt the wind rushing around him. The best way to tire himself out again was through physical exertion.

He followed the natural path of his patrol route, allowing his adrenaline to take over as he raced around. It had been Ladybug's night to patrol, but she was surely done by then. After all, it was—Chat checked his baton—midnight.

After running his route, Chat skidded to a stop on the roof he normally paused on to watch Marinette curiously. To his surprise, she was out there, lounging in a chair.

When he landed on her balcony, however, he realized that she was fast asleep.

He smiled fondly, picking her sketchbook up from the floor and setting it on the end of the chair she was spread out on. She was pretty deeply snuggled into the blanket she had thrown over herself, and upon closer inspection, Chat found that she was shivering.

He exhaled into a quiet laugh and decided to try and help her. With a smile, he took a step closer, casting a shadow over her form; he'd need to switch the fairy lights off, too.

"Hey," he murmured, gently nudging her shoulder with his hand, "Marinette."

She hummed and cringed away from his touch. "Mm... no..."

Chat bit down a laugh. "Mari," he repeated, shaking her shoulder a bit harder.

She was unresponsive.

Chat looked around for a moment, thinking. With a small sigh, he walked over to her trapdoor and pulled it open. He returned to Marinette's side, and, biting down any embarrassment he felt, he stooped down and slowly scooped her into his arms, careful not to jostle her.

Marinette hummed again and curled into him, her lips quirking up. Chat was so surprised that, for a moment, he just stared at her. She mumbled something he couldn't discern before sighing and falling quiet once more.

Chat blinked before shaking his head and making his way over to her open trapdoor. He knew Marinette a lot better than he had last year, but to this day, she still continued to surprise him.

Maybe that was why she was such a mystery to him.

Chat cringed when he had to dip her legs in first, but he managed to get her through and lower her to her mattress.

Moonlight filtered in around him and settled on her face in evanescent tidepools. Her black hair appeared blue, and Chat paused to mentally catalogue her expression.

Marinette was many things, but she was never at complete and utter peace around him.

He shook his head once more and stood, quietly closing the trapdoor. With a start, he remembered that he needed to flip the lights off for her. After he finally found the switch, darkness descended upon the balcony, which had lost its warmth upon Marinette's absence, anyway. He made his way toward the railing and looked back one more time before vaulting off into the night.

And if Adrien overheard Marinette recalling a dream of a mysterious angel coming to her to take care of her in the dark of night, well. Far be it from him to dash her enchanting dreams with reality.