Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Marinette sat down at her desk, put on her eye mask, and immediately fell asleep. She was never a peaceful sleeper, but now there was a lot on her mind. In her dream, she was Ladybug. Paris was burning. And across from her was Queen Wasp, Volpina, Mayura, and Hawk Moth.

“You can’t win, Ladybug” Hawk Moth said. “I will only ask peacefully once more. Give me your miraculous!”

“Never!” Ladybug shouted.

“Hm. Very well” said Hawk Moth. The four charged Ladybug. Ladybug raised her arms in an attempt to guard, but she knew she was no match for them. At least, not alone.

“Cataclysm!”

Ladybug opened her eyes. She looked around and saw nothing. Just pure white. “What’s going on?”

“M’Lady!” Cat Noir called out.

Ladybug turned to face him. “Cat Noir? What’s going on?”

Cat Noir smiled. “You were having a bad dream. So I destroyed it.”

Ladybug was confused. “So, that was all a dream?” Cat Noir nodded. “But…How?…”

“You know I would do anything to protect you” Cat Noir said.

“Yeah, but-” Ladybug said.

Cat Noir put his finger on her lips. “Shhhhh. It’s OK. You’re going to be fine. I’ve got you now.” He hugged her. She hugged back.

“Thanks Cat Noir,” she said.

“So, how ‘bout a date?” Cat Noir asked.

Ladybug smiled. “Cat Noir, you know I’ve told you we can’t.”

“Sure. Out there” he said. “But we’re here now. In here, we can do anything.”

“In here…? So, I’m still dreaming?” Ladybug entertained the idea for a little bit. However, Cat Noir’s ring flashed. “Cat Noir! Your ring!’

“Oh, don’t worry about that” Cat Noir said.

“Huh?” Ladybug said.

“…en? Marinette? What are you two doing?” Ladybug heard Ms. Bustier speaking to her.

She woke up, yawned, and took her eye mask off. She was confused, but remained rational. “I was napping before class, Ms. Bustier. I’ve decided to take every chance I can get for a nap during this busy time.” Marinette offered candidly. “But speaking of, here’s my homework for the last week. I really appreciate the extension!”

Ms. Bustier looked concerned, but seemed to understand. She took the documents and went back to her desk.

Marinette was looking up, confused at what just happened. Was that trying to tell me I should date Cat Noir? She looked down to see Adrien sitting down. She smiled and thought to herself Nah. That was just a fluke. Dreams do weird stuff all the time.

Once lunch time had arrived, Marinette joined Alya, Nino, and Adrien for lunch at the park, eating and chatting with cheerful abandon. Marinette looked at Adrien at times and nervously smiled at him. Come on Marinette! You can do it! Just talk to him! But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t. Just like most days before.

Marinette felt a little tired. She checked her phone and then got out her eye mask. “Sorry guys, I’m gonna CATch a nap before class. Wake me when you head back?” Her friends nodded. As she was settling in, she thought Wait, why did I do that? Did Cat Noir infiltrate my waking mind as well? She fell asleep soon after that thought occurred.

Ladybug looked around. All around was a dark winter. “Why am I lying down like this?” she asked herself. Before it could get more bitter, the sun shined through the dark clouds and melted all of the snow, leaving a lush green meadow. Ladybug smiled, and laid back down. Only her head wasn’t on the ground.

“Hey M’Lady” cat Noir said.

“Cat Noir?” Ladybug said. “What are you doing here? Why is my head on your lap?”

Cat Noir smiled. “You seemed uncomfortable. Does it bother you?”

Ladybug thought about it. “No….No it doesn’t. Why is that?”

“Well, M’Lady,” Cat Noir said slyly, “it’s because we’re going out.”

“WHAT?!” Ladybug said. “But…but Hawk Moth? And Paris? And our secret?”

Cat Noir smiled. “Did you forget? We’ve beaten Hawk Moth. We know who we are. I waited like we promised, and when I asked you, you immediately said yes.”

Ladybug was confused. “I did?”

“Of course” Cat Noir said.

Ladybug looked up at him. Cat Noir wouldn’t lie to her. She could see it in his eyes. They were pure. She can feel that memories coming in. The two of them winning against Hawk Moth. Cat Noir winning her over. It was the best she had felt in a long time.

She felt a little tired, and laid down on the lap of her boyfriend. He stroked her hair. She enjoyed it. The two of them just sat there in peace.

A little while later, Ladybug’s head fell onto the ground. “Woah! What was that about?…Cat Noir?…” She looked around for her boyfriend. Then she saw all black.

“Mmm?” Marinette startled awake, automatically wiping her drool and stretching with the mask still covering her eyes. She could hear Nino giggle and Alya using her phone. She wasn’t quite sure why, but it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. She groaned, stretched, and fell over again.

“Ahhh, that was the best sleep I’ve had in days,” she announced. She decided to reflect on her dream later. She then proceeded to take off her mask and saw Adrien, clearly panicked about something. “Oh? Adrien!”

“Sorry, I lent you my… uh, my shirt, and I,” Adrien fumbled for words. “I need it back?” He asked. Marinette blinked at him blankly before glancing around herself. As she sat back up she realized she was laying on his shirt.

“Oh!” Marinette said. Her mind raced. Of course Adrien would do that. He’s just that kind. But his shirt’s probably covered in stains. He’s a model, for crying out loud! He can’t show up to his photo shoot with grass stains on his shirt!

She scrambled to pick it up, checking it over before offering it back. “I’m surprised it’s not covered in grass stains if I was laying on it. Thanks!” Marinette continued to frown at the shirt thoughtfully, noticeably not looking at Adrien. “Though I’m normally a really restless sleeper, so it’s really strange it’s not covered in stains. You might not want to lend it to me again,” Marinette softly suggested.

“I don’t mind.” Adrien squeaked out. That response seemed more concerned than relieved.

I guess he doesn’t want to see his friends uncomfortable Marinette rationalized. Adrien quickly stood up and offered her a hand. Marinette grabbed her black shirt and took his hand, smiling her thanks. Marinette quickly moved off to collect her bags.

Why did I dream about Cat Noir again? And why were we dating this time? This is all so confusing. I don’t need another thing to worry about. It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream.

No matter how many times Marinette told herself that, of course she would worry. That night she dreamed she was Ladybug once more. She was face to face with Hawk Moth. Behind him were two glass cases.

“It’s simple,” Hawk Moth said, beginning his monologue. “In one case is Cat Noir: Your trusted partner and ally. In the other is Adrien Agreste: The love of your life. You can only save one. Who will you choose…Marinette?”

Ladybug felt scared. “You fiend!” she called out.

“Ladybug! It’s alright!” Cat Noir called out. “I want you to be happy! Even if it means I can’t be there with you!”

“Marinette!” Adrien called out. “It’s alright. You can’t give up Cat Noir! Hawk Moth will win. I’m fine with giving myself up for you and Paris!”

Ladybug watched as Cat Noir and Adrien argued among themselves about why they should be the one that she gives up. She didn’t want to give up either of them. Tears started falling down her eyes. “Stop!” She called. “Stop…” she said in a softer voice.

“M’Lady?” said Cat Noir. Ladybug looked up and saw she wasn’t facing down Hawk Moth, having to make the most difficult decision of her life. Instead, she was on a bed in what appeared to be a master bedroom looking at Cat Noir. “Are you alright?”

Ladybug looked around and saw her wedding band on the nightstand beside her. She remembered. She and Cat Noir were happily married, and Hawk Moth was a distant memory. “Sorry sweetie” Ladybug said. “I was just having a nightmare.”

Cat Noir gave her a hug. “It’s OK sweetie. I’m here for you.”

Ladybug giggled. “I know. Can I just hold you like this?”

Cat Noir smiled. “Of course. Anything for you, M’Lady.” Ladybug held on to her husband all night, and never let go.

Ladybug heard the alarm go off. Cat Noir got up and left. “Do you have to leave so soon?” Ladybug groaned through her tired state.

Cat Noir looked at her and smiled. “I know you’re not a morning person, but you should consider getting up soon as well.”

“Five more minutes” she said.

Cat Noir smiled, and then leaned in and gave her a kiss on the head. “OK. I’ll see you in five.”

The alarm went off again, and Marinette woke up in her room. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. “Cat Noir? And I? Married?!”

Marinette made an effort to remain calm. After all, these were just dreams. Dreams in which she ended up marrying Cat Noir, but dreams all the same.

The plus side of all of this was she could talk to Tikki about this. “Hey Tikki” she asked. “Do you think dreams mean anything?”

Tikki looked at Marinette, who was getting ready. “Well, it’s hard to say” Tikki said, being honest. “I mean, it could be nothing, it could be something.”

“But I don’t WANT to be in love with Cat Noir” Marinette pleaded. “It’s better for everyone if we don’t…”

Tikki grinned.”That sounds like two different statements” she stated. “Do you not want to because you don’t feel it in your heart? Or do you not want to because it jeopardizes the fight against Hawk Moth?”

Marinette froze. “Well, the second one, obviously…” Marinette began. “But I can’t date Cat Noir. I’m in love with Adrien.”

“Marinette!” Tikki said. “It’s possible for you to love two different people. And it’s also possible for you to change your mind.”

“What are you saying Tikki?” Marinette asked.

Tikki answered “There are many possibilities. You don’t need to decide today, tomorrow, or even by the end of the month. And when you do make a decision, I know it will be the right one.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Tikki.”

Marinette made her way to school and to the classroom. The good thing about dreams was that no one else knew what was happening. Not like how pretty much everyone in her class knew that she liked Adrien. Well, except for Adrien himself. Still, she could hide it easier. After all, Cat Noir wouldn’t appear out of the blue to serenade her.

“Hey Alya,” she said.

“What’s up girl?” Alya asked.

“I had the most amazing sleep last night” Marinette said. She omitted that she had a dream where she hung onto Cat Noir and they were married. Alya would have a field day with that information.

“Uh huh, and by chance how did that occur?” Alya asked suggestively. “Any new sleeping habits that I could use to get the twins to sleep better?”

Marinette thought about it. “Nope,” she said. “Just what I normally do.”

Alya smirked. “So, was it perhaps a good dream that helped you rest easy, huh?” Marinette froze. Her face was red. Alya noticed this. “Oh? Were you dreaming about Adrien then?”

“Well…I…uh…” Marinette couldn’t tell her the truth.

“I KNEW it!” Alya said. “So, what happened?”

“Alya…” Marinette said, clearly embarrassed.

Alya smiled gently. “I get it. Too personal.”

“Heh he, yeah…” Marinette said. She let Alya continue to believe what she wanted.

“Don’t worry girl, your secret’s safe with me” Alya said.

“Right” Marientte said. The two headed to their desk. On their way, Marinette said her usual hellos to everyone. Once she got to her desk, Marinette pulled out her sketchbook and began drawing.

“Marinette” Nathaniel said.

She turned to face him. “Hey Nathaniel. What’s up?”

“Well, I was just wondering…” Nathaniel started. “How do you get those details just right when designing such intricate clothing. Marc and I have a few ideas for our new comic, but I don’t know if I can manage.

“Nonsense, you’re an amazing artist” Marinette said. “Here, let me show you what I do.” Marinette helped Nathaniel guide him through her process.

“Wow. Thanks Marinette” Nathaniel said.

“My pleasure” Marinette replied. Nathaniel went back to his desk.

Marinette continued to work on her designs. She got really into it. She had more energy from last night’s good sleep.

Marinette then looked up and saw Adrien right next to her. “AAAAAAAAAAA-Drien!? Wha-what?!” Alya burst out laughing from in front of Marinette. Adrien leaned back away from Marinette. Marinette noticed he was upset. Who wouldn’t be if someone just screamed at you? He pouted a little bit. Alya explained what was going on to Marinette, and she nodded unsurely at the logic.

Adrien rested his chin on a palm as he watched Marinette’s reaction. Too many expressions flitted across her face for him to be sure, but overall she was feeling positive about the change. Marinette kept her eyes on Nino as she turned to Adrien. “Sorry I screamed,” she offered in a muttered reply. “I was startled.”

Adrien smiled excitedly. “It’s okay!” he hurried to reassure her. “I’d be startled if my seat buddy changed without warning too.”

Marinette made a vaguely disagreeing face but then thought Well, it’s a little weird. But he’s here! She dismissed her concerns. This might get us closer! She looked at him. Adrien smiled happily. He seems to like it.

Marinette didn’t feel tired all day. Last night felt really good. Still, there was a lot on her plate, and eventually the sleep monster would catch up to her. She took out her mask and told her friends “I’m just gonna nap at my desk until next period guys. Feel free to ignore me!” Marinette covered her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Hawk Moth had won. He was ruling Paris. Ladybug stood there in despair. “How? How could I let that happen?”

All of Marinette’s friends and family were glaring daggers at Ladybug. “How could you?!”

“You did this!”

“This is your fault!”

“Why did we ever trust you?”

Ladybug felt the onslaught of negative comments coming from the people she cared dearest for. The people she loved. The people she let down. She squatted down into a ball and started crying. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” asked Cat Noir. Ladybug looked up and saw that it was just Cat Noir. Paris looked normal, and no one was angry with her. Needless to say, she was confused.

“I don’t…” Ladybug said. “What is going on?”

Cat Noir smiled. “Were your eyes playing tricks on you again?”

Ladybug thought about this. “I guess… I thought Hawk Moth took over everything… all my friends and family were blaming me…”

Cat Noir took her hand. “It’s OK, M’Lady.”

“Oh Cat Noir!” Ladybug said, hugging him. I just have so much on my mind. And I can’t talk to anyone because that would give me away! What should I do?”

Cat Noir was confused, but hugged her back. “You can always talk to me,” he said.

Ladybug pulled her head off his shoulder. She looked Cat Noir in the eye. She knew then and there that she could talk to him. About anything. But she didn’t want to. Instead, she placed her hands on his cheeks, pulled his face in, and gave him a kiss.

Cat Noir was surprised at first, but then returned the kiss. It was passionate, yes, but it was more. It felt safe. Comfortable. Better than any either of them had imagined before. It felt right.

Soon, Cat Noir literally melted and Ladybug was confused. She felt someone moving her though. She knew then to wake up. She took off her mask and looked at her hands. These hands. They grabbed Cat Noir and pulled him in for a kiss. Can I trust them not to do that in real life?

She looked around and saw Adrien. She decided to rest upon him for a bit. The two of them smiled. No. I know my hands will drift to Adrien. He’s here. He’s close. He’s home.

Later, Ladybug and Cat Noir jumped into action to stop an akuma. They managed to win, as usual, but boy were they tired.

“Now I’m tired again,” Ladybug whined. Cat Noir grinned up at her.

“May I suggest a CATnap?” He joked. Ladybug hummed in consideration, and Cat Noir stood up, surprised she was considering it.

“That’s not a bad idea, chaton, but not in costume. That’d be asking for Hawkmoth to take our miraculous.” Ladybug smiled at Cat, who pouted at her wordlessly. “I’ve taken your advice, actually. I’ve started napping any time I’m free. It has been absolutely amazing.”

“Ah, I had a question, actually, Ladybug!”

Ladybug turned back to him with a smile, absently tapping her thigh to show she was short on time. Please let me go, she thought. If I don’t leave soon, I might have those thoughts again.

“If you constantly want to cuddle someone, and hate the idea of them cuddling someone else, what does that mean?” Cat Noir nervously asked.

Ladybug gaped at him. “Is cuddle a euphemism here?” She asked cautiously.

Cat Noir frowned. “No? What would it be a euphemism for?” Ladybug laughed nervously.

“Nothing! Nothing at all! You like cuddling with someone?” She reconfirmed. Cat nodded. “And you hate the idea of them cuddling someone else?” Cat nodded again, sighing impatiently. “Well, doesn’t that mean you have romantic feelings for them then? Possessiveness? Wanting them to just be yours?” Ladybug felt relieved. If I can convince him to fall for this mystery girl, I might stop having these dreams.

Cat nodded at each idea, a happy thrill filling him at the idea of having whoever it was to himself. “But I’m not in love with her, I’m in love with you! She’s just a friend!” Cat snapped out of his happy cuddle daze.

Ladybug stared at him, vaguely disapproving. Well, I knew this wouldn’t be easy… “Cat, if you hate the idea of her cuddling other people, you’ve got some kind of romantic feelings for her. But she’s certainly NOT ‘just a friend.’” Ladybug turned away, but Cat heard her mutter. “I HATE that phrase.” Ladybug scratched her head and turned back.

“Look, you can be in love with more than one person, okay? And I really cannot date you, so I won’t be hurt if you look for love elsewhere.” Ladybug held up a hand, forestalling his protests. “I mean it. It would be a misuse of our powers, and could lead to Hawk Moth winning. I won’t do it, no matter how loveable you are.” Ladybug smiled sadly at him. Even though I dreamed about it today. Even though it seems like I secretly want to. I know we can’t. At least not yet.

I can’t tell you any of this. I know if I did it’ll make it harder to let go. For the both of us. Still, I hope you understand my feelings. I hope that this silent speech can get through to you. Somehow.

Cat Noir was silenced by the heartbreak in her expression. The beeping filled the air insistently, and they smiled at each other. “CATch you later, milady!” Cat offered. Ladybug smiled at him as she spun her yo-yo.

“Right. Good luck, Chaton. Bug out!” Ladybug flew away, and Cat jumped into the alley nearby.

Once Ladybug was safely away, she transformed back into Marinette. She sighed and looked at her hands absently. “Marinette?” Tikki asked.

Marinette didn’t answer. She kept looking at her hands. I was so close. I could have done it. But we can’t. I explained why. And he seems to like someone else now. He seems happy about her. Like how I’m happy about Adrien! This frees us both up. So, why do I still feel divided?

She glanced at Tikki, who was puttering about. “Oh, sorry” Marinette said. “Here.” She took out a macaroon and gave it to Tikki.

Tikki delightedly grabbed it and started biting into it. “You know Marinette, what I said this morning is still true.”

Marinette smiled. “Yeah Tikki. You’re right. I’ll figure it out. Now, get inside. I’ve gotta head back.” Tikki flew into Mariette’ purse and Marinette walked off. She had a lot to think about.

Chapter Text

Marinette had been having her Cat Noir dreams all week. Sure, she was getting the best sleep she ever had, but these dreams kept persisting. Some of them were simple, some were genuinely sweet, and some were…let’s just say a bit more risque.

When Friday rolled around, Marinette felt more conflicted than ever. She just wanted a good night’s sleep without thinking about Cat Noir. “Hey Marinette” Alya said, coming up to her.

Marinette turned to Alya. “AH! Oh. Hey Alya”

Alya giggled. “What was that about?”

“Sorry” Marinette said. “I was just thinking about something.”

Alya raised her eyebrow. “You mean those dreams you’ve been having?”

“ALYA!” Marinette shoutedly whispered. “You promised.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry” Alya said. “So, about the history project…” Alya looked over Marinette. Sure enough, Adrien was staring at Marinette, and by proxy her. She got a mile wide Cheshire grin on her face. “I was thinking we could spend the whole weekend at your place working on it.” Alya looked and sure enough, Adrien’s face went pale.

Marinette, on the other hand, thought about this. Maybe this’ll help get my mind off of Cat Noir. “OK” Marinette said.

Alya saw Adrien’s jaw practically drop. “Great. It’s settled. I’ll come by once I gather everything from my place.”

“Seeya” Marinette said. Marinette was excited. It had been a while since she and Alya had spent so much time together. Hopefully Hawk Moth didn’t have any plans for this weekend, because she wanted to savor this for all that it’s worth.

When she got home, she told her parents that Alya was coming over for the history project. They were OK with it. She went upstairs and started organizing her notes in the living room. Once they were organized, Marinette felt pleased. She then sighed. Tikki came out. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I dunno” Marinette said. “These past few days have been weird. The reason I started this nap regiment in the first place was to relieve stress. And it’s gotten rid of most of the stress I’ve been feeling about everything else going on. But now it’s just replaced by Cat Noir stress. I’m just not sure what to think.”

Tikki smiled. “Well, is this stress better or worse than stressing about all of that other stuff?”

Marinette smiled and blushed. “Well, I guess this is better. You’re right Tikki.” TIkki nodded.

“Marinette!” Alya called.

“Hide TIkki” Marinette said. Tikki hid.

Marinette got the door. “So, are you ready to work on this project?”

“Sure” Marinette said. Alya came in, and the two began working on the project. They got a lot done on this first night. However, they worked themselves so much that they didn’t have the energy to move to Marinette’s room by the end of it, and they ended up falling asleep in the living room.

That night, Marinette’s dream was different than she had had all week. She, as Ladybug, looked around for Cat Noir. “He isn’t here” said a voice.

Ladybug turned to see that it was Rena Rouge. “Rena?” Ladybug said.

Rena smiled. “Happy to see me?”

Ladybug smiled slightly. “I guess so.”

“That doesn’t sound sincere” Rena said. “What’s bothering you?”

Ladybug hesitated. “Well, it’s just, recently, I’ve been having these dreams about Cat Noir.”

“What kind of dreams?” Rena asked.

Ladybug blushed. “Well, they vary,” she started, “but they’re basically all about him and I being a couple.”

Rena smiled. “I see. Maybe it’s just your subconscious telling you to ask him out.”

“But I can’t!” Ladybug protested. “I’m in love with…someone else.”

“Well, the way I see it, you can either ask out Cat Noir, or you can ask out this other person” Rena said.

Ladybug shrunk into herself. “I’ve tried asking the other person out…but I can’t find the courage to do so.”

“You’re afraid they’ll reject you, right?” Rena said. Ladybug nodded. “Then ask out Cat Noir. You know he won’t say no.”

Ladybug looked at the ground. “…but I can’t. What if Hawk Moth uses that against us?”

Rena laughed. “I get it. Romance is complicated. And so is stopping Hawk Moth. But if you find the right person, those risks are worth taking.” Ladybug seemed unsure. “Look. This problem is going to keep occurring until you do something about it.”

“But what am I supposed to do about it?” Ladybug asked.

“I have just the thing” Rena said. She turned Ladybug around. Ladybug now just realized that the two were on a roof, and she was now looking down. “Alright, now just leap and close your eyes”

“WHAT?!” Ladybug said.

Rena smiled. “I want you to imagine one of them catching you. Whoever does, that’s who you’ll ask out.”

Ladybug looked down again. “I’m not so sure about this.”

“Too late” Rena said, pushing her.

“WAH!” Ladybug yelped. She found her bearings and stopped flailing. “OK. Just close your eyes and imagine.” She closed her eyes, but before any remaining could happen, she hit the floor.

Marinette woke up on her living room floor. She was confused. She then reasoned that she was tossing and turning on the couch, and ended up falling.

“OK, that makes sense” Marinette said. “But why was I dreaming about Rena Rouge?” She looked at Alya, still asleep. “Maybe it’s because Alya was here? But that doesn’t make any sense. If I dreamed about Rena because Alya was nearby, that means I’ve been dreaming about Cat Noir because Cat Noir was nearby. But that can’t be. How would he come by with no one noticing?

Furthermore, he’s been in every dream of mine since I started this nap regiment. That would mean he’s been nearby every time I’ve slept, including nights. And that just doesn’t make any sense…unless I was that girl he was talking about? But then how would he know? This just makes no sense.”

Alya yawned and awoke. “G‘morning  Marinette,” she said in a groggy voice.

Marinette smiled. “Morning” she said. After breakfast and washing up, they got back to the history project. The worked on it all day, taking little breaks in between to relax a little. By the end of the night, they were almost done.

“Well, I think we can finish everything up tomorrow, what do you say?” Alya said. “I mean, I like your couch and all, but I would prefer sleeping in your room tonight.”

Marinette nodded. “Sounds good.” The two moved to Marinette’s room and sat on the floor.

“So, what did you dream about last night?” Alya asked.

Marinette was surprised. “Um, well…you?” she said nervously. It wasn’t a lie exactly.

“Figures” Alya said.

Marinette was even more confused. Right. She thinks I’m dreaming about Adrien. Who has been close by. Even closer now. But I’m not dreaming about him, strangely. And it’s not like he’s stopping over every night or something.

“What happened? I need all the deets” Alya said.

“Well…” Marinette said, nervously. She needed to figure out how to say it without mentioning she was Ladybug or that Alya was Rena Rouge. “Basically, I was telling you about the dreams, and you told me to ask Adrien out. You then pushed me off a building to help me somehow.”

Alya smiled. “Well maybe you should.” Marinette looked at her. “Not jump off a building, I mean. Ask Adrien out!”

“You know I’ve been trying” Marinette said.

“Well, maybe these dreams are trying to tell you something” Alya said. “You know; subconsciously.”

Marinette looked at her. Rena had said the same thing in her dream. “Maybe…” She thought about this whole situation some more. “Do you think that?”

“Huh?” Alya said.

“Do you think dreams mean anything?” Marinette clarified.

“Oh” Alya said. She thought about it. “Well, it could be. Especially if they’re recurring.”

“I’m just unsure” Marinette said. “It’s not that I don’t like these dreams, it’s just…there’s some problems.”

“Like what?” Alya asked.

Marinette froze. What could she say that wasn’t about her actually dreaming about Cat Noir? “Well, why are my dreams telling me to ask him out now?”

“I can think of a few reasons” Alya said. “Maybe you’re just letting out your frustrations now, since you haven’t been able to do so for a while now.”

“Maybe” Marinette said.

Alya grinned. “Don’t worry about it so much. You know I have your back.”

Marinette smiled back. “Yeah.”

“Well, as enlightening as this has been, we should get some sleep” Alya said. “Good night.”

“Good night” Marinette replied. The two soon fell asleep.

Marinete had a similar dream that night. Again, she was Ladybug. “Um, hello?” she called.

“You rang?” Rena said, dropping in.

“Rena?” Ladybug said.

Rena smiled. “You still looking for your kitty?”

Ladybug thought about it. “I don’t know” she said.

“Do you miss him?” Rena asked.

“A little” Ladybug said. “I’ve gotten kind of used to him being there. More than that, last night I didn’t sleep as well.”

“Oh what? Am I not good enough for you?” Rena said.

“No! It’s not like that!” Ladybug said.

Rena giggled. “I’m just teasing. I know you and Cat Noir make a good match. You’re the only one who doesn’t see it.” Ladybug pouted. “Come on” Rena said. “You wouldn’t be dreaming about him like that if you didn’t at least like him somewhat.”

Ladybug relented. “You may be right…” she said.

“Of course I am” Rena said. “What seems to be the problem?” She sat down. “Let’s talk.”

Ladybug followed suit and sat down as well. “Well, there’s two big problems. The safety of the city, and the fact that I like this other person. I don’t know what to do about both of these problems.”

“Well, as I told you before, sometimes risks are worth taking” Rena said. “As for this other person, it’s really just up to you. I can help you, but the decision is ultimately yours.”

Ladybug glared at Rena. “Like how you helped last night?”

“Well, yeah, that wasn’t ideal” Rena said. “But here’s a question. If you didn’t have to worry about Hawk Moth any more, which one would you ask out?”

Ladybug thought about it. “I don’t know. This is such a hard choice. They’re both so good. I just can’t decide.”

Rena smiled. “Well, just think on it” she said. 

“This wasn’t a difficult decision before” Ladybug said.

“Well, if this keeps up, it’s going to be more difficult” Rena said. 

“I know…” Ladybug said. Her dream faded out.

Marinette awoke the next morning. “Who would I ask out?” she asked herself.

“Did you say something?” said Alya, who was already up and about.

Marinette looked at her in shock. “Uh, it was nothing. Just another dream.”

Alya grinned. “Can’t wait to hear about this one.”

“Yeah…” Marinette said nervously. They finished the project as they thought they would, and just spent the rest of the day hanging out. It was nice. Just the two of them. Together. Free from any care they had. It was bliss.

When night fell, Alya suggested that they sleep in Marinette’s bed tonight. Marinette was unsure why Alya wanted to sleep in such close quarters, but she agreed. They got into the bed and snuggled up close together. “I wonder what kind of dream I’ll have tonight?” Marinette asked herself.

Ladybug found herself in the kitchen of Le Grand Paris. She looked at the metal box in her hands. That’s right. Lady Wifi locked Cat Noir in there. She grabbed the microwave and a stand. She put the metal in, turned on the microwave, and kicked it to face the wall. Once the signal was gone, she opened the door to see Cat Noir wasn’t there.

“He’s not coming” said a voice from behind Ladybug turned around to see Lady Wifi. “He’s gone! And nothing you can do will get him back!”

Ladybug was horrified and angry. “You!” She charged Lady Wifi and attacked her. Lady Wifi disappeared. Ladybug breathed heavily. She then looked around. “Cat Noir! Where are you?”

Meanwhile, Alya had been rudely awakened. She had just been kicked out of Marinette’s bed. “What was that about?” she said. She looked up and saw Marinette mumbling and reaching out to find someone. Alya smiled. “Well, I guess I gotta do better.” She climbed back up.

Back in the dream, Ladybug was still feverishly looking for Cat Noir. “Where are you? This isn’t fun anymore! Come on Cat Noir!”

“Hey!” Rena said.

“GAH!” Ladybug said. She pushed her away. Only to realize that it was Rena, not Lady Wifi. “Sorry!”

Alay was knocked out of the bed for the second time tonight. “Come on girl! I’m THIS close to taking this personally!”

“Sorry” Marinette mubbled. Alya couldn’t make out what Marinette said afterwards.

Alya smiled. She sighed. “I guess I have to.” She climbed back up.

Ladybug was still surprised she attacked Rena like that. “Oh nononononononono” Ladybug said, freaking out.

“What’s the matter?” Rena said, appearing to her.

“RENA! Um, well, I’m sorry about attacking you like that” Ladybug said. “I thought you were someone else.”

“It’s OK” Rena said. “You were looking for Cat Noir, weren’t you?” Ladybug was embarrassed, but nodded. “Well, he can’t be around you 24/7.”

“I know” Ladybug said.

Rena smiled. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll be with you tonight, and then you can go back to having dreams about Cat Noir. How does that sound?”

Ladybug thought on that. “That sounds…alright.”

“Good. Now come here” Rena said, opening up for a hug. Ladybug approached her and embraced. The two slept peacefully enough for the rest of the night.

When they awoke, Marinette got up and said “That was weird.” She was still a bit tired, but they had school, so getting up couldn’t be helped. “How did you sleep, Alya?” Alya looked up and glared daggers at her. Marinette knew something had happened. “Oh. I’m sorry.” She said.

Alya didn’t have the energy to explain anything “Let’s just get ready. Also, don’t forget to grab the history project.”

Marinette smiled, but she knew this wasn’t over. “I won’t. Thanks for reminding me. You wash up first. You seem like you need it.”

“Thanks” Alya said.

They got ready, ate breakfast, and went to school. As they were walking in, Alya had informed her about what happened. Marinette was shocked. Wait. I attacked her twice in my dream as well. Do my dreams actually have knock on effects? “I’m SORRY!” Marinette said. The two went to sit down.

Alya turned around. She glared at Adrien angrily for a second before turning back to Marinette with a frustrated snarl. “I’m sure you are! You’re sorry I’m not your special little cuddle buddy, aren’t you?!” Alya cried. Marinette blinked down at her in complete bafflement.

“What are you talking about?” Marinette asked. Alya huffed as Adrien quickly walked around their desks to put his hands supportively on Marinette’s shoulders. Marinette didn’t even notice, focused entirely on Alya. 

Angry tears building in Alya’s eyes. “I’m not a good enough cuddler, is that it?! You don’t want to cuddle with me anymore now that you found someone better! So much for gals over pals!” Alya choked out. Marinette felt the accusation strike as she stepped back stiffly, exhaustion thrumming through her.

“What cuddle buddy? Alya, you aren’t making sense!” Marinette angrily replied, her confusion and sleepiness increasing her irritation at the situation. Marinette thought about it. Has Cat Noir been coming to cuddle with me? But how? And why hasn’t anyone said anything? I mean, if one of Paris’s superheroes showed up here to just cuddle some random person they don’t know, someone would be talking about it. Alya for sure would have said something if that was the case. This whole thing makes zero sense.

In a disbelieving tone, Alya replied “‘What cuddle buddy?’ What?! You don’t have a cuddle buddy? A certain special someone who cuddles with you all the freaking time?” Marinette looked at her angry and confused.

“No, I don’t!” Marinette shouted, obviously frustrated past her limits. Marinette knew it wasn’t cool of her to do what she did, but she had to stand firm. Especially since Alya seemed to be lashing out in a way she didn’t quite understand. “Alya, you KNOW I’m a restless sleeper! I warned you last night before we crawled into bed!” Alya opened her mouth to argue but Marinette doggedly continued. “I didn’t MEAN to kick you out of the bed!” Alya’s eyes narrowed.

“Twice.” Alya hissed in a low, threatening voice. Marinette shrank in mingled embarrassment and guilt.

“Twice,” Marinette amended with a guilty wince. Marinette kept attempting to apologize for her bed behavior, but Alya seemed to be focused on something else at the moment. The teacher then began pointedly clearing her throat. Marinette sat down, and just hoped Alya would forgive her.

Later, Marinette received a text. She checked it in secret. It was from Alya. “Hey girl. About this morning. Don’t worry about it too much. I forgive you.” Marinette sighed.

She texted back. “Thanks. But what was all that ‘cuddle buddy’ talk about before?”

Alya responded. “You’ll see” she said. Marinette was pouting at the vagueness. “I promise, it will be super worth it.”

Marinette thought to herself. Alya wouldn’t betray me, would she? I mean, I guess I deserve it after kicking her out of bed twice. But she forgave me. I guess I should trust her. She has my best interests in mind.

“OK” Marinette texted back. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Trust me” Alya texted back. Marinette smiled because she did.

OMAKE:

Alya and Nino were meeting over lunch. “I really thought that would be enough” Alya said.

“I think it is” Nino said. “We just gotta keep pushing them. You know how dense my man Adrien can be sometimes.”

Alya smiled. “And Marinette can be a bit too timid.”

“We just gotta keep this up, you know?” Nino said.

Alya smiled. “You’re right. If we really want to get through to them, and get them to see what we can see, we have to keep it going! Full steam ahead!”

Nino smiled and blushed. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Alya blushed back. “So are you.” The two shared a kiss.

Chapter Text

Marinette was having another one of her Cat Noir dreams. She fell asleep during a break. Everyone seemed to understand her new sleep routine at this point and didn’t question her on it. At least if it was during break she wouldn’t get chastised for sleeping in class.

She was dreaming that she, as Ladybug, and Cat Noir were sitting on a beach. It was just the two of them as far as the eye could see. In one hand, they each had a tropical drink. They were using their other hand to hold hands across chairs. The ocean breeze. The nice sunset. The crashing of the waves. It was paradise.

Someone who wasn’t in paradise was Rose. Rose was working on lyrics for Kitty Section’s newest song. She was having trouble though. The melody was clear and perfect. She knew how it made her feel. And yet, she couldn’t write a single word.

Rose was losing sleep over this. She could form each note perfectly. She could tell what the music was wanting her to say. She just couldn’t say any of it. She sighed. This wouldn’t be as bad if Juleka wasn’t sick. Juleka was Rose’s muse, for lack of a better term. For some reason, she would inspire Rose’s disorganization into words that made sense.

Rose took out a keychain Juleka made for her and looked at it for inspiration. Things were coming up, but not with the clarity of what Juleka normally made up.

“Well well” Hawk Moth said from his lair. “A struggling artist burning the midnight oil only to come up with nothing! How very tragic! Go, my little akuma, and evilize her!”

The akuma flew into the keychain. “Z Catcher! I am Hawk Moth! Having trouble falling asleep? I’m giving you the power to take sleep from others. Although that’s not all you need to take! I need Ladybug and Cat Noir’s miraculous as well!”

“Of course, Hawk Moth!” Rose said. She started to morph. Everyone in the classroom began to leave. Adrien had to wake Marinette up a little before Marinette realized what was going on. To be fair, there were some tremors in her beach dream, which did help wake her up.

She eventually broke off from everyone to transform into Ladybug and start dealing with Z Catcher. She looked the monster over. It was a giant pink creature that looked hazy and had bags under its eyes.  She had a keychain wrapped around her wrist. “I bet that’s where the akuma is!” Ladybug said. She needed to get in further to assess the situation more.

She swung in to get more details, but the akuma swung at her. She didn’t want to get hit, so she dodged. Z Catcher hit someone else, causing them to go into a sleep-deprived panic state. “Well, this is bad.”

“M’Lady!” Cat Noir yelled, extending his bo to her. She grabbed on and got whisked away. Z Catcher followed the two heroes outside.

Ladybug was happy to see Cat Noir as usual. Sure, he wasn’t there in the way she was getting used to, but he was at least real. She smiled for a second. Then the imminent damage caused by this sleep-deprived akuma caused it to snap back into reality. She realized the faster she got this done, the faster that she can go back to seeing Cat Noir in not life or death scenarios.

Unfortunately, the realization seemed to be lost on Cat Noir. I mean, of course it would be. It’s not like he knew. But Ladybug found him distracted somewhat. Sure, she wasn’t all there either, but she was at least focused enough not to get hit. She dodged out of the way of an incoming strike. She noticed her partner didn’t do the same, so she had to save him.

“Cat!” Ladybug’s voice startled Cat out of his sluggish daze. Cat Noir blinked and dangled around, now seeming to realize the situation he was in. He smiled in an attempt to charm her, and while it was more charming than it had ever been, it only just upset Ladybug furthe. What if she never got to see that charming smile again? She didn’t want to risk that.

She remained calm. Well, as calm as you could be in a situation like this. She looked at her partner and said “What is up with you?! You need to pay attention. This isn’t exactly an easy akuma, you know!” Cat’s ears flattened guiltily but before he could respond, Ladybug cut him off. “Nevermind. We need an advantage, so let me just call for a lucky charm.”

Suiting action to word, Ladybug unwrapped Cat Noir, letting him drop to the roof below hers as she flung her yo-yo into the air. She called out her signature “Lucky Charm!” When the mirror dropped into her hands, Ladybug glanced down at it before looking around anxiously.

“Ladybug? What do you need?” Cat asked. Ladybug frowned at him unhappily. Ladybug turned her attention to the mirror itself. It had the same pattern she usually used in her designs.

It couldn’t be…could it? She thought to herself.“I have to go. Keep this mirror safe for me, okay Chaton?” Ladybug tossed the mirror to him, and rapidly disappeared into the nearby alleys. Marinette let her transformation run out. “Here Tikki!” she said, handing her a macaroon. Tikki munched down on the treat. Marinette took a deep breath and walked over to face Z Catcher.

Once spotted, she demanded “MARINETTE!! GIVE ME YOUR SLEEP!” Marinette was afraid, no doubt, but she began reasoning with the akuma, trying to get them to sleep.

The plan was working until Marinette heard something. She turned around to see Cat Noir charging after her with the mirror in tow. Marinette glanced at him, and her beautiful blue eyes widened in alarm. Cat tried to slow down as he realized the akuma wasn’t attacking Marinette, but was unable to stop. He collided into his princess with a quiet “Oomph!”

Cat Noir easily dropped the mirror to cradle Marinette’s head in his arms as they fell, protectively rolling around her and hearing the mirror break behind them. Marinette grumbled wordlessly as she squirmed in his overly tight embrace. What is this? Is this another dream? No. It can’t be. I’m not Ladybug. But still… This is weird. And also…pleasing? NO! NOT NOW! I need to get out! Despite her silent admonishment to let go, Cat held tighter to her.

“What are you doing here?” Cat Noir hissed as he leaned his head back to glare at her. “You should be safely away from here! What were you thinking?” Marinette blinked at him before frowning with narrowed, accusing eyes. Despite his righteous anger, Cat could feel his ears flatten in guilt for upsetting her.

“I need to be here!” Marinette whispered. “Ladybug got me. The akuma is just sleep deprived. If we can get them to relax, it should distract the akuma long enough for you to break the keychain. And I can take care of myself!” Marinette quietly asserted. Cat wavered between admiration and concern.

“I know you can take care of yourself, Purrincess, but you shouldn’t have to. That’s my job! I’m here to protect you!” Cat’s hands gripped Marinette’s shoulders tightly, and Marinette resisted the urge to completely melt in his arms.

Not now! she reminded herself. The akuma growled and they both looked over their shoulders. “That isn’t good.” Marinette mumbled. The akuma was beginning to glow. As they watched, the akuma hit a random civilian who immediately straightened up in a frenzy. As the civilian raced away to cause chaos, Cat Noir and Marinette winced at the akuma’s peaceful expression.

“It’s stealing everyone’s sleep, making them sleep-deprived and crazy.” Cat explained. “I can’t let you get hit, Purrincess, you’re too important to me.” Marinette squeaked as Cat scooped her into his arms. As he braced himself to run away and ignore Marinette’s attempts to make him let go, they heard a crunch, followed by a whimper.

The akuma had stepped on the glass from the mirror and was now sitting on the ground, sobbing about their foot hurting. Despite the butterfly mask over their eyes, they continued to cry and clutch their foot. Marinette and Cat stared for a moment before Marinette struggled free of Cat Noir’s hold and poked him, silently gesturing for him to take over. Well, that’s one way to do it, I guess…

Once Cat nodded, Marinette immediately ran ‘to get Ladybug’. “Stupid cat. He’s lucky that this all worked out. But he seems to be off of his game at the moment. I should ask him about that when we have time.”

Once she was hidden, she called “Tikki! Spots on!” and transformed back into Ladybug. She returned to see Cat Noir did what he was supposed to for once in this mission. Well, twice, actually she thought. He did save me initially. Ladybug’s yo-yo spun around and snagged the butterfly. With the miraculous cure performed, Cat bumped Ladybug’s fist with a relieved sigh.

“Cat, I don’t know what’s up with you, but you need to get your head out of the clouds during akuma attacks, kitty. We’re gonna end up in a real bind eventually.” Ladybug chastised him. Cat grimaced at her.

“Sorry, Milady. I’ll do my best. I’ve just had some issues lately with showing my friend how compatible we are.” Ladybug gaped at him until the beep of his miraculous distracted them both. “Oops! I need to find Marinette! Catch you later, Milady!”

“WAIT!” Ladybug shouted. It was too late. Cat Noir raced off to find Marinette. “She’s safe…” She knew her words couldn’t reach him at this point. He was long gone. Ladybug could have followed him, but since he was running out of charge, she’d run the risk of figuring out who  he was.

She turned to Rose and asked her if she was alright. Rose nodded and explained what happened. Ladybug smiled and said “Why don’t you try messaging her? It might help.”

Rose smiled. “Thanks Ladybug. I’ll see if that works.” She headed back to school, texting Juleka. To her delight, she got a reply.

Ladybug decided to follow suit. On her way back, she pondered about what Cat Noir said. “His friend? Compatible? Does he mean that person he mentioned earlier? Does that mean it’s working?” Ladybug smiled. “Maybe he’ll start flirting with me a little less.” Ladybug sounded cheerful, but in her heart, she knew she would miss it. She only would admit to missing it a little, but thanks to recent events, she knew she was going to miss it more.

She decided to go to the library to work on some homework to try and put all of that stuff out of her head. In the end though, she kept thinking about Cat Noir. His mistakes today. Him “rescuing” her. His compatible friend. It was a lot to take in.

Soon enough, she passed out. With all this thought about Cat Noir, she thought she’d get a good dream right away. Nope. Instead, Ladybug and Hawk Moth were facing off, as Paris was in embers. Instead of getting all wordy, Hawk Moth just said “You can’t save them all.”

“What?” Ladybug said. Hawk Moth kept repeating those words. They hurt more than anything Hawk Moth could say to her regularly. “Please…Stop…”
The world then became pleasant. Ladybug was surrounded by fire and Hawk Moth. Instead,she was at the park by her house. She sat down on a bench to relax.

“Hey” Cat Noir said. Ladybug turned around shocked to see her partner sitting on the bench with her.

“Cat Noir…” she said.

“You know it,” he said with his familiar attitude.

Ladybug smiled. “I’m glad you’re here… Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, bugaboo!” he said gleefully.

Ladybug blushed. “Well, you know how I told you I liked this other boy?” Cat Noir nodded. “Well, lately it seems I might be falling for you as well. But you told me you kind of liked this other girl. And that’s great, don’t get me wrong. It’s just I don’t know how to feel. I can’t decide between you two…”

Cat Noir smiled. “You don’t have to Marinette,” he said. Ladybug looked up. How did he know her secret? “Plagg! Claws in!”

Marinette was even more surprised. “ADRIEN?!”

“Hey Marinette,” Adrien said. “Now you don’t have to decide.” Ladybug stammered in confusion. Adrien grabbed her. “It’s OK. We can be together now.” Ladybug didn’t know what to make of the situation. She eventually gave up trying to figure it out and let herself enjoy this blissful moment.

However, like all these dreams, they had to come to an end. She opened her eyes, not expecting Adrien to still be there. When he was, she let out “A…drien?” What is going on? She thought.

“Good morning, princess?” Adrien quietly cooed. Marinette blinked at him with a sweet smile before her eyes slowly cleared of their sleepiness. As her eyes widened in alarm, Adrien dropped his hand to his side and smiled innocently at her.

“What’s happen-ning?” Marinette stuttered, completely flummoxed. Adrien winced a little at the beginning of her stutter. Adrien reassuringly smiled down at her and firmly placed his twitching hands under his legs.

“Nothing, Marinette. I just found you sleeping, and decided we should have a talk. Do you have time?” Adrien asked gently. He spoke in the softest, most soothing voice he could manage. Despite his attempts, Marinette shot up with alarm.

“What did I do? Did I do something? Go odd, I did!” Marinette squeaked. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad…

“You haven’t done anything bad. I just thought we should talk if you don’t mind. Do you?” Adrien asked again. With Adrien quietly smiling and waiting for Marinette to get control of herself, it wasn’t long before Marinette calmed down.

“Sorry, Dadrien! A! Adrien! Sorry. What did you want to talk about?” Marinette smiled back at Adrien and she relaxed a little bit.

Adrien glanced around a little bit and then asked “You know how you’ve started napping lately?” Marinette blinked and nodded, her smile fading a bit in confusion. “Do you remember anything about them? Maybe something in particular?” Adrien fished for information. Marinette frowned at him, obviously confused.

Marinette was confused, but was glad Adrien was asking about her in some capacity. She decided to give him an answer. “Well, I always seem to feel particularly safe and protected when I sleep at school and at home.” Marinette admitted. “I tried napping in the park a couple of times, but woke up very quickly, and didn’t feel rested at all.” Marinette glanced at his rising shoulders and alarmed expression with confusion. “Why?”

“Well,” Adrien hedged. “When you sleep, you see,” Adrien trailed off. However, Marinette heard what Adrien tried saying to himself. “How do I say that you keep rolling right into my arms and cuddling into me so sweetly that I can’t keep my hands to myself? Sleeping with you has been amazing.” Adrien frowned thoughtfully and sighed. He was like that for a bit, but then he began blinking at Marinette, who had froze. He noted her frozen expression and tilted his head.

Did I hear that right?

“What?” He asked her. Marinette opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Adrien frowned.

He’s been cuddling me?

“Marinette?” He questioned. Marinette licked her lips, and Adrien found his eyes following the movement with intense concentration.

Wait, but that means…“I’ve been,” Marinette’s soft voice faltered briefly. “S-Sleeping with you?” Adrien’s eyes widened.

OMAKE:

One night, Plagg managed to de-transform. “The only thing I don’t like about this hurricane of poor decision making is the fact that I lose sleep out of it.” He looked around and found Tikki. “Well, let’s see what he finds so interesting about this.” He flew over and cuddled next to her.

Before he could fall asleep, Tikki woke up. Well, sort of. “Plagg…” she said in a half tired state. “What are you doing here?”

Plagg was puzzled. He wasn’t exactly sure how to answer this. He opted to say “Would you believe me if I said it was to see you, my dear?”

Tikki was too tired to pretend to play along. “What are you doing?”

Plagg seemed worried. “I’M not doing anything.”

Tikki looked on, disinterested in his protests. She was still too tired to do much about it. “Well, whatever it is, please don’t disturbed my chosen, will you?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Plagg said. The look on her face before she fell back to sleep told him that was the first thing she believed from him. Plagg snuggled next to her and assessed the situation further. He whispered “One of these days, he needs to tell her. If it just so happens that I do something to push that along, then so be it.” He smiled. “Although, I will admit, Adrien is totally right about this cuddling thing.” He snuggled next to Tikki and fell asleep gently.

Chapter Text

After the incident at the library, Marinette texted Alya. “Hey. You have some explaining to do and videos to show me.”

Alya responded. “Oh. So you found out?”

“Yes,” Marinette said. “And pretty soon, the whole school will too…”

“Oh. You’re not happy about this. I see.”

“Please just show me the footage.”

“Right. Meet me at the steps.”

They met up. Marinette seemed worried. “Hey Alya.”

Alya looked at her. “Dang, you really don’t look good.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, here, maybe this will cheer you up?” Alya said. She showed the videos to Marinette.

Marinette’s face grew redder and redder with each passing second as she continually reached for Adrien at every opportunity. She eventually had to cover her face. “What am I going to do?”

“I’m assuming you talked to Adrien about this,” Alya said. Marinette nodded. “Well, he wanted to cuddle up with you. I’m sure however embarrassed you are about that meeting, once you settle down, it’ll be fine.”

“I wish,” Marinette said bleakly. Alya was confused. She sighed. “Adrien and I weren’t the only ones in the room, and we got caught saying some pretty embarrassing things.”

“Like what?” Alya asked.

“Mainly that I’m sleeping with Adrien, and that we’re friends with benefits” Marinette answered.

“Oh” Alya said. “Are you worried?”

“A little…” Marinette said.

“Well, don’t worry,” Alya said. “If it was a friend, they would know by now anyway. They can possibly see this all as just a misunderstanding. And no matter what, I’ll always be on your side.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Alya.” She leaned on her, and Alya gave her a sideways hug.

Later that night, Marinette was in her room getting ready to go to sleep. She was already up later than she usually would go to sleep, stressing out about the situation, so she talked to Tikki to try and calm herself down. “Tikki, do you think everything will be alright?”

“You heard Adrien and Alya,” Tikki said. “They have your back, no matter what!”

“And what about everyone else?” Marinette said. “No matter what, something’s going to happen.”

“Well, in that case, I’d say you just need to weather the storm,” Tikki replied. “You’ve handled worse.

Marinette smiled. “Tikki? Did you happen to know?”

Tikki had to think on it. “Well, I had my suspicions, but generally I tend to sleep when you sleep.”

“I see… Thanks Tikki. Good night Tikki.” Marinette got nestled into bed.

She awoke to see a newspaper on her bed. She felt confused. She read it. “‘Agreste Family to Leave Paris Indefinitely’?! ADRIEN!” She ran out in search of him, but there was no trace on him in sight. He was absent from all his usual places, and his house was empty. “No. It can’t be true.”

Suddenly, she was in a dark isolated room as Ladybug. Surrounding her were all of the video files of her and Adrien cuddling. Ladybug tried not looking at them, but they followed her eyes wherever they went. “Stop. Make it STOP!”

Hawk Moth emerged from the shadows. “Memories” he said.

“Huh?” Ladybug said, turning toward him.

“These are now nothing more than memories,” he said again. His words hurt twice as much with him silhouetted against the images of her and Adrien being cozy together. “However, you can get him back. You’re familiar with the wish granting capabilities of fusing the ladybug and cat miraculous.” Ladybug nodded. “Well then, need I tell you more? Get Cat Noir’s miraculous, and give me yours, and you can have Adrien back. I’ll even let you make your wish first.”

Ladybug was so distraught. She was so blinded by her sadness that she felt a connection to Hawk Moth. “Deal!” she said with a grimace. She then left.

She patrolled the rooftops of Paris to look for Cat Noir. She found him. And he didn’t seem to notice her. She snuck up on him. Within a few inches, she raised her yo-yo to knock him out. However, he happened to turn around at that second and say “Hey Bugaboo! How’s it going?”

Ladybug stopped in her tracks. She looked into Cat Noir’s face, and saw nothing but trust and admiration. She couldn’t do it. This was her partner, whom she’d sworn to protect Paris with. And she made a deal with her arch-enemy to get who she loved back. “I’m so selfish” she said, collapsing onto the ground, tears streaming out of her eyes.

Marinette woke up to the sound of her alarm. Her heart was racing. She had had bad dreams before, but never like this. She felt scared. She was supposed to be safe at home, and yet she felt more unsafe than ever.

To make matters worse, once she had gotten to school, the rumor mill had already started. No one tried talking to her, outside her usual friends, and everyone was staring at her. Marinette felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Because now she had to deal with these slut-shaming rumors, on top of protecting the miraculous and saving Paris from Hawk Moth. Atlas got off lucky.

She ignored Adrien. She figured talking with him would only make things worse in the public eye. After all the rumors seemed to be about her, and Adrien was left squeaky clean. Of course he would. He’s Adrien! Marinette kept getting more and more upset. Just weather the storm!

The storm kept getting bigger and bigger every time she thought it would die down. At this point, Marinette felt like capsizing. I know I’ve faced plenty of evil villains, but this makes them all look like child’s play.

She kept having nightmares as well. At first, it was only that deal with Hawk Moth one that ended with her being a crying mess. But as it got worse, a new one popped in.

Everyone in her class was surrounding her. They were all calling her various names. “Hussie!” “Harlot!” “Slut!” “Two-timer!” “Whore!” “Trick!” Marinette could barely hold herself together. She curled up into a ball and cried.

“Well well” Hawk Moth said. “Teenage girls have it rough. They have to present themselves in such a way where they have to be available, but not too much. Caring, but not too much. Trendy, but not too much. I truly feel sorry for them. Fly away, my little akuma, and give this girl everything!”

The akuma flew to the school, into the classroom, and fused with Marinette’s purse. “Succubus! I am Hawk Moth! Why don’t we teach these fools what a real demon possessed by lust looks like?! Of course, I’ll also need Ladybug and Cat Noir’s miraculous.”

“Yes Hawk Moth” said Marinette. A purple-black aura surrounded her. When she emerged, her skin was fire red. Her eyes, a glistening gold. Her hair, upright and flaming blue. She was dressed in a black one piece, with black elbow-length gloves, black knee-high boots, and a little black purse. She was also sporting wings and a tail. “I am Succubus! With one kiss, your soul is MINE! Starting with YOU!” She pointed at Chloe. Chloe looked scared. Succubus jumped to Chloe and looked her in the eyes. Chloe got lost in her trance, and they exchanged a passionate kiss on the lips.

Once she was finished, a white energy was seen leaving Chloe’s mouth and going into Succubus’. Chloe then turned completely pale, and her eyes rolled up so much that you couldn’t see her pupils anymore. “Who’s next?” Succubus asked. Everyone panicked and started running. Their panic was no match for Succubus, who managed to fly around the room, shove her tongue down their throats, and steal their souls.

“Marinette!” cried a voice. Succubus turned around to see Cat Noir. “Stop this nonsense!”

“I’m not Marinette anymore, kitty! I’m Succubus! And I’m going to capture the hearts and souls of everyone in Paris!”

“Not if I can stop you!” Cat Noir called out.

“Oh please!” Succubus said. She cornered Cat Noir up against the wall. “Come on kitty. You know I’m irresistible.” She walked her fingers across his chest “Now pucker up!” She began to kiss him.

“No,” Cat Noir said. Succubus was confused. “You’re not as cute as Marinette was! And you never WILL BE!” Succubus was completely flustered. “CATACLYSM!” He grabbed her purse, freeing the akuma.

When Marinette came to, he realized what she had done and began crying over it. The dream would always end before she could turn into Ladybug and fix everything.

Marinette wasn’t sure which dream was worse. She kept trying to relax herself throughout the week, but to no avail. Nothing she did could make this situation better. What’s worse, sometimes she would hear tapping. She was so out of it that any outside noise felt like the name-calling. “STOP!” she said.”I know! I know. I’m just a tramp. So please. Just stop.”

One day, Marinette finally decided to talk to Adrien about all of this. If he had been making her sleep better, then maybe she could get a half decent rest for the first time since this all started. However, Chloe came up to Adrien and practically gripped him like a hawk gripping a field mouse. When Marinette saw Adrien push her off and she started talking about some vile stuff, Marinette decided to leave. She didn’t need any of this right now.

She plopped herself down at her desk. Alya could sense her concern. “Marinette, I’m sure it’s not like it sounded.” Alya’s voice pleaded but Marinette resolutely got out her eye mask and settled in at her desk for a nap. She was too tired for this nonsense, and the rumors weren’t going away despite Adrien’s constant efforts to suppress them.

“Alya, I’m certain he wasn’t talking about me.” Marinette quietly admitted. “But I’m also too tired to deal with drama this morning. My sleep has been terrible, and I can’t stop remembering those cursed videos you showed me.” Marinette firmly settled the mask over her eyes.

Alya sputtered, obviously incensed. “Cursed?!” Alya screeched. “They are not cursed! They will become heirlooms of the cutest couple in our country one day! They are the cutest bullshit I’ve ever witnessed! How dare you call them cursed!” Alya hissed, offended on her friends’ behalf.

“They’re cursed because they keep running through my mind and all I wish is that I could have experienced any of that awake.” Marinette muttered. Alya was conspicuously quiet, but Marinette was too busy fighting the tears building in her eyes. They burned and itched but Marinette was determined not to rub her mask and show that she was crying.

She eventually got lost in her thoughts. Marinette didn’t hear Adrien come in, or Alya leave. Half asleep, Marinette almost missed it when someone wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Marinette drowsily sniffled at the congestion building in her throat from silently crying. The drowsiness was chased away by adrenaline when Adrien wrapped her in his arms though.

Adrien was so warm and firm, soft in just the right spots to make it comfortable for Marinette to snuggle forward bravely. Marinette took a whiff of Adrien, noticing that he wasn’t wearing the cologne he sold. His natural scent was so soothing, though. She wondered absently if they bottled this scent anywhere. It felt so safe and comfortable here, with Cat.

…Cat? The sudden realization hit her hard. Unfortunately, a lot of stuff hit her hard, so the burst of adrenaline got countered, and Marinette was rendered unconscious.

This time, it began as a new nightmare. Paris was in a crystalline white. She was furious. She looked at herself. She didn’t have the Ladybug miraculous anymore. She had the cat. And to top it all off, she had been akumatized. She was Lady Blanc.

Everything was taken from her. Her love. Her friends. Her family. Her joy. Everything. She waged a war on all of Paris. Nothing could stop her.

“M’Lady!” said a voice from behind. Before she could turn around to see who it was, she felt a warm glowing hug. She looked behind her in the moment to see that it was Mister Bug. He held onto her tightly and didn’t let go. Lady Blanc felt tears coming. But these were tears of joy. She hadn’t felt so happy in a long time.

The destroyed Paris faded, as did their costumes, leaving Marinette and Adrien. Adrien let go of Marinette. “Thank you,” Marinette said.

“My pleasure” Adrien said.

Marinette looked at him. “So. You’re Cat Noir?”

“Of course. I told you as much” Adrien said.

Marinette blushed. “I can’t believe the two people stealing my heart were the same person.”

“I could say the same thing,” Adrien said.

“So, would you be willing to go out with me?” Marinette suggested.

“Of course” Adrien said. “There’s one thing you have to do first. Convince me. The real me.”

“Real?” Marinette said. “So, this is another dream?”

Adrien nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll receive the same answer from the real me.”

“How can you be so sure?” Marinette asked.

“Those ‘cursed’ images? They’re your proof” Adrien said. “I never objected. I even wanted it. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

This was the first time she believed those words since this rumor mill started. She smiled. “Do you mind if I just stay here a little longer?”

“Based on those images, I don’t mind at all.” Marinette hugged Adrien and burried her head in his chest. She just stayed like that until she decided to wake up.

OMAKE 1:

(Time: Marinette and Alya’s weekend together. Location: Hawk Moth’s Lair)

“I feel a disturbed presence. A restless sleeper, looking for something out of their reach! Fly away, my little akuma, and evlize him!” Hawk Moth said.

The akuma flew into Adrien’s room, who had been pacing back and forth. “Adrien?!” Hawk Moth pondered. “Fall back! I’m not turning my son into a supervillain!” The akuma retreated.

OMAKE 2:

(Time: The week of the rumor mill churning. Location: Hawk Moth’s Lair)

“I’m sensing the presence of someone who wants to quash some scandalous rumors! What perfect pray for my akuma! Fly away, and capture this poor young girl’s heart.”

It got to the school, and started to approach Marinette. “What?!” Hawk Moth had to double think this again. “Fall back! If Adrien considers her marriage material, I don’t want her turning into his own personal nightmare!” The akuma left.

Chapter Text

Marinette and Adrien made their way to Marinette’s room after school. “So I just gotta get a shirt, right?” Marinette said.