Then There Was You

Chapter 12

Marinette shot up in her bed, gasping for air. She looked frantically around, but soon took in the familiarity of her room. A sleepy Tikki looked up at her from her pillow.

"Are you alright Marinette?" The kwami asked, although she already knew the answer.

"It was just the same nightmare again Tikki. I'll be alright. I might just go and get a drink of water."

It had been just over a month since the Akuma at Chloe's after party. It hadn't been a particularly bad akuma, but Chat had taken a heavy blow while protecting her. She had always hated seeing Chat get hurt on her account, even though she knew the Miraculous Ladybugs fixed everything, but it seemed so much harder now knowing it was also Adrien. He had been distracted during the fight, his mind clearly elsewhere. She felt that it was something to do with the phone call he had gotten just before that from his father, but after the akuma had interrupted them she hadn't had a chance to ask him about it. When she saw him the following day he hadn't mentioned it, instead making his way to her father in the kitchen and immersing himself in the bread dough. Kneading the dough seemed to have been therapeutic to him so she didn't like to interrupt, but he seemed testy when his father was mentioned, so she left it.

On top of that, she had also broken her own rule after only a few days. After telling Adrien it would be safer for Ladybug and Chat Noir to remain professional, she kissed him. It wasn't a little kiss either. Her overwhelming sense of relief at seeing him alright again had her crashing him into a wall as she pressed her frantic lips onto his. Chat, of course, didn't hold back either. In her defence, she thought they were hidden from public view, but she should have known her best friend better than that. Alya has just gotten a new long range camera which she eagerly put to 'good' use. The steamy images became the lead story on the Ladyblog and until the perfume advertisement was released, was the most downloaded image in Paris.

There had been one revelation though during that akuma fight. Neither of them needed to recharge after using their special powers. The akumas that came after that were not necessarily stronger, but more complicated, like Hawkmoth was just checking how long they could last. Now that they were adults, they had the same longevity as him. Tikki said that it would apply to all the miraculous holders so it did give Marinette some comfort that if it ever came down to a showdown, their team would be at its strongest. Maybe the time to end the reign of Hawkmoth will be sooner rather than later. She hoped so.

Returning from the kitchen she felt a cold shiver run down her back thinking about the nightmare again. They weren't new, she'd had them on and off over the years, but the intensity of them was stronger now, because her own feelings were stronger. Tikki told her the nightmares were simply a projection of her own fears, but that didn't make Marinette feel all that much better about it. She had always known that falling in love Chat would bring with it it's own set of difficulties, and was one of the reasons she had tried to keep her feelings for her partner platonic. That of course became impossible once she knew who he was and Adrien would always put himself in danger before he would ever let anything happen to her. She hated it, she hated watching him sacrifice himself for her, she hated seeing him get hurt and take the hits, but she also loved him all the more for it.

Marinette started making her way back to her bed when she heard something that sounded like a snore coming from her balcony. She thought maybe she was hearing things, but catching Tikki's eyes she knew her kwami had heard it too. Opening the hatch she gasped at the sight of Chat, curled up asleep on her deck chair. What on earth was he doing here in the middle of the night? Quietly she moved over to crouch down in front of him. She didn't want to have to wake him, but she couldn't very well leave him there like that. Gently she ran her fingers through his hair and he softly began to purr. "Adrien." She whispered. "You need to wake up now Chaton." Chat began to stir, his eyes blinking open before he sat up with a start.