Chapter Text
"Are you two dating!?"
It wasn't the first time someone had asked this question, nor would it be the last.
Ladybug turned her head towards the voice, cheek squashed comfortably against Chat Noir's back where she hugged him from behind. Her full weight leaned on him as he stood upright, casually chatting with a civilian while she just... vibed. Tired and done.
She blinked slowly at the question-asker, a woman in her thirties who looked far too invested in the love-life of a couple of teenagers.
"No," It came out half lost in a yawn.
The civilian's face dropped into a confused pout as she pointedly looked between the two heroes, more specifically the cozy way they stood together. Ladybug raised an eyebrow, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
"No," she repeated with more emphasis and pointedly turned her cheek the other way, still smooshed against her best friend's back.
Sounds blurred to her ears as she drifted into a light doze, head heavy with her body leaning fully into her partner's steady support. She trusted Chat Noir without even needing to think about it. He'd hold her up and get her attention if she was needed. Until then, she floated.
The night before, back home in her room, Marinette had spent hours tangled in her own thoughts, sketching outfits she hoped to one day bring into reality. It had been quiet. Peaceful. One of the rare nights without patrol and she'd taken full advantage of it.
The consequences of which Ladybug was dealing with now.
“My Lady,” a clawed hand gently wrapped around her wrist.
Ladybug groaned in protest. She was comfortable, thank you very much. Sure, she was technically standing, but leaning on Chat like this was good enough. Her bed could wait.
“Buuuugaboo,” Chat sing-songed, prying her arm away from his waist. It threw off her balance just enough to make her sway, but he steadied her without missing a beat.
She blinked up at him, betrayed and bleary, as he grinned over his shoulder.
With her free hand, Ladybug rubbed at her eyes, not bothering to hide how done she was. This had better be worth it.
“Hm?”
“I think there’s a sleepy little cuddlebug whose earrings are beeping at her.”
She groaned aloud. She’d been so comfy. All wrapped in a little bubble of safety despite the curious civilians around them. Honestly, part of her just wanted to melt right back against Chat’s back and pretend none of this mattered. If her identity wasn’t on the line, she might’ve done exactly that.
But in the grand scheme of things, it did matter.
Right on cue, her earrings gave a sharp beep. A few moments later, another. She winced. Chat must’ve felt the time creeping up too and let her rest against him for as long as he dared. She appreciated that. No words, just quiet awareness.
She’d used her Lucky Charm, as usual. Chat hadn’t used his Cataclysm, which meant he still had plenty of time before he’d need to duck out. Lucky him. She was almost jealous.
Almost.
He let go of her wrist and Ladybug gave a long, satisfying stretch.
“Thanks,” she murmured through another yawn. “I’ll head off now.”
“You’re not going to go hide behind a chimney and fall asleep again, are you?” Chat asked, a touch of concern peeking through his teasing tone. He knew she could handle herself, but he’d still found her dozing off in strange places more times than either of them were comfortable with. During and after patrols.
She’d asked him once why he never seemed tired with their schedules. He’d just shrugged and said he was used to getting by on very little sleep. It didn’t exactly ease her worries about what his civilian life looked like, but it did explain some things.
“No, I’m going to bed,” she promised. “Which you should do too, when you get the chance.”
Chat gave a relaxed shrug. “I actually got a solid eight hours, for once. I’m golden.”
Ladybug smirked and reached up to flick at his blond bangs. “In more ways than one.”
He gasped, all mock offense. “Hey! I’m the jokester here! You can’t just steal my thing!”
She could only let her smirk widen into a grin. "Too late!"
Before she could leap away, a nearby civilian, one who had been hovering just outside of the unspoken "let the heroes breathe" radius, took a quick and desperate step forward.
"Wait! Wai-uh- before you go... are you two really not dating? Because you just seem so-"
Ladybug cut him off with a sigh through her nose, already lifting her yo-yo from her side. What was with some people's obsession with them dating? "No."
Chat stepped in smoothly, hands flaring with over-the-top drama. “Ah, My Lady! You wound me! All these months of devoted flirting, ignored!” He clutched his chest like he’d been shot, staggering in a slow circle to put himself between Ladybug and the civilian. “You see what I endure, monsieur? It’s tragic, really.”
The man blinked, caught between amusement and confusion, as Chat Noir launched into a rambling tale about tragic unrequited rooftop love.
Ladybug just shook her head, bemused, but took the opportunity to flick her yo-yo out with a practiced snap. “You’re the best, Chat,” she called, preparing to swing up and over the nearest building.
A "You know it!" followed her as she lifted off.
She didn’t take the direct path home just in case anyone got curious enough to follow. Her route curved lazily across the rooftops, the wind cool against her face as the city lights blurred beneath her. Sleep tugged at her bones, but her heart felt light.
Behind her, she could still hear Chat’s voice carrying through the air, something about composing sonnets by moonlight and suffering nobly.
Tired as she was, she smiled.
The bench was hard. her spine vaguely registered that as a fact, but the warmth of the sun and the shoulder under her cheek made it easier to ignore.
She hadn't meant to lean again Adrien. She really hadn't. It just sort of... happened. One second, he was pointing at clouds, saying something about how one looked like a croissant fighting a snake, and the next her head was resting against his shoulder like it belonged there.
And Marinette was too tired to panic.
She should’ve been panicking. This was Adrien. Beautiful, sweet, perfect Adrien Agreste. She normally couldn’t make it five minutes near him without tripping over her words or tripping over herself.
But right now? She felt… safe. Sleepy. Comfortable in a way that didn’t make sense.
His shoulder was solid under her cheek. His scent was clean and sun-warmed, and the quiet way he was breathing lulled her further toward sleep. For once, her brain wasn’t spinning in circles trying to figure out what to say or how to act. It was just… quiet.
A voice nearby pulled at the edge of her awareness, too muffled to understand, but she caught one word:
“-dating?”
She made a noncommittal sound. Not quite a yes or a no, just something that meant 'please stop talking, I’m busy not caring.'
Adrien’s voice followed, low and careful. “No,” he said. “Really.”
She almost smiled. Not because of the answer, but because of the way he said it. Soft. Hesitant. A little uncertain. Like he didn’t quite believe it, either.
Marinette didn’t know what was happening. Why her heart felt light even as sleep tugged at her. Why her body trusted him this easily. She shouldn’t be this relaxed.
But she was.
She shifted slightly, seeking a better angle against his side, and her fingers brushed his arm before settling into a lazy curl. The warmth of him steadied her.
The sensation of deja vu crept in around the edges. This moment. This closeness. Like she’d been in a similar situation before.
She frowned a little. She knew this. This unspoken trust.
Sleep pulled heavier now.
The thought drifted away before she could follow it. For once, she let it go. Adrien would keep her upright. She knew it without thinking. And if someone needed her, he’d wake her.
Until then, she floated.