Authors Note: I just recently joined the Mircaulous Ladybug fanclub and I'm so absorbed in this show omg. Adrien and Marinette are way too fucking adorable not to write about and I love to have some angst thrown in so what the hell. This is one of my MANY identity reveal fics that I'll be writing so stay tuned for more oneshots or possible series'! PLEASE R&R, I'd love to know what you liked and disliked and hear of ways that I could improve!

"You...you said that you would always be there to protect me...Chaton…" Her voice came out as a ragged whisper as he clambered towards her. "No, no, no, nonononoNONONONO GOD NONONO LADYBUG!" He screamed as he scooped her up into his arms. Or at least what he could of her. It was never supposed to be like this...she was never supposed to end up in pieces...literally. He had to stop the bleeding somehow. She couldn't leave. He can't have failed. "Please God...no…" he whimpered as tears began to stream from his eyes. He watched in horror as she hacked blood up and it spattered in shame over his features. "I failed you, Ladybug...It...It should have been...me…" He said with clenched eyes as he held her closer. He could feel the life drain from her form and it left him sobbing against what was left of her torso.

"You're right… IT SHOULD BE YOU!" Her voice shrieked in his head. He screamed as he watched her mangled corpse rapidly decay in his arms as it reanimated itself; her one attached hand slamming against his throat and forcing him on his back. "YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE! NOW DIE!"

"NOOOOOOO LADYBUG!" Adrien screamed as he jumped from his bed drenched in sweat barely able to breath. He was reaching out at some invisible spectre as he stared wide-eyed at the wall in front of him. It took him a few minutes for him to realise that it was just a nightmare and that it wasn't real. His stretched out hand clenched at his shirt above his heart while his other hand hurriedly combed through his hair. "Just a nightmare…" He whispered as he looked at his alarm clock next to his bed. It blared a red 2:30am and he sighed; not even three hours of sleep this time. It was getting worse.

He pulled himself out of bed and made his way towards his bathroom where he cut on some lukewarm water and stripped down. He shivered as he stepped under the water as lukewarm still felt freezing against his boiling skin. He shakily wrapped his arms around his torso as he tried to think of anything except that dream. He attempted distracting himself with his friends, Nino, Alya, and Marinette...but it didn't help. And he couldn't dare think of his Lady because then he'd flash to his dreams once more. The teen broke down in the shower as he crumpled into a sobbing mess. He pulled at his hair, clawed at his skin and punched at the tile beneath him until his knuckles were bloody. "Why can't I just sleep…?" He begged to no one as he rolled onto his side.

This had been going on for almost 3 months now after a particularly nasty incident with a less than savoury Akuma villain, Mad Scientist. Some doctor had some new way of treating this rare disease that had been deemed unethical and inhumane by the Department of Health and Sciences and he felt that he had been slighted in saving human lives. So he had decided to take revenge by performing a botched version of the surgery on multiple Parisians throughout the city; leaving them as nothing but zombies left to roam the city and attack anyone they came across.

Adrian hadn't found out about the attack until he caught a news broadcast being shown at a photoshoot break and Ladybug was, of course, already on the scene. Problem was he had trouble actually finding the ability to get away from his group to transform and go to her rescue. When he did arrived on scene he was met with Ladybug on a gurney about to be dissected or amputated or both or worse. He didn't remember much after that aside from summoning Cataclysm and then seeing red. When Ladybug pulled him out of his rage he found himself pinning the villain down beneath him beating him senseless with no care for finding the akuma and rescuing the person who had been akumatized. According to her he had been out for blood and thinking back on it he could easily see why.

They hadn't really talked about those events since that day, however. The first month and a half after that night Ladybug even seemed a bit wary around him. Hell all of Paris did, who was he kidding? Their once loveable superhero almost murdered someone in cold blood. Adrien groaned as he reached up to turn the water off and pushed himself up off of the floor. He found some pants to wear and just sat in front of his computer for the rest of the night.

Now it was starting to the get to the point that he was avoiding sleep all together. Unless he absolutely had to go to sleep the model would either spend the rest of his nights out as Chat Noir or stay locked up in his room staring at his computer. During his free time during the day he would skip out on plans with his friends to spend more time at fencing practice or karate or something to help make sure his nightmare never became a reality.

And his friends were definitely starting to notice just how shut off and distant he was becoming and it was incredibly off putting. Normally he was so upbeat and happy but recently he's just been void of any real emotion. He couldn't even fake a smile anymore and that was starting to show in his modeling work. He was starting to become less and less favorable by designers and magazines. They could only imagine how his father was taking to that less than desirable news.

And of course the one worried the most between the three of them was none other Marinette. She had noticed it day one when his fake smiles and attempts at socializing could have been considered passable. Now she felt like something had to be done soon before something awful happened. She had noticed how he was starting to wear longer sleeves and thin gloves over his hands that others would have just tossed aside as a new fashion statement but she knew that something wrong was happening. The love of her life was in pain and she wasn't able to help him.

But Adrien wasn't the only boy in her life that was becoming detached from the world and not acting like himself. Ever since that night fighting Mad Scientist her Chat Noir hadn't been himself at all. There were no more obnoxious cat puns, improperly timed flirts, or attempts to learn her true identity. The trade though was that in the span of just a few months he had suddenly become an amazing fighter. His actions were precise and controlled instead of recklessly wild like they used to be. It made their fights with Akuma villains last much shorter and he was the first to leave much as he was always first at the scene. And on the nights that they patrolled he never said a word. He remained as close to her as he could while giving her plenty of personal space and the moment she brought patrols to an end he was gone.

It was so...irritating! She needed her old minou back! She never thought she would miss those damn puns or his flirts or just his smile but both of these boys needed someone to talk to and she wanted to help them both through this problem, whatever it was. And she had absolutely no way to go about it! She rested her head against her desk defeated.

"What is WRONG with you?!" Her voice cut through the night air like a knife. The sudden outburst had taken Chat back and he stared at Ladybug wide eyed. "What do you mean?" He asked calmly. The lack of any emotion in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"You know damn well what I mean, Chat Noir! Ever since that fight with Mad Scientist you've never been the same! No puns, no flirting, no jokes or smiles or calling me your Lady...nothing! I know you didn't want to talk to me about it before but it's about time we did!" She fumed, her cheeks flushed with anger as she glared at the shell of what was once her partner.

"You expect me to be the same after I nearly failed?!" He shouted back at her. "If I had been one minute too late I would have lost you forever! I would have never forgiven myself! I still don't forgive myself for letting it get that far." His breathing became labored as his anger started to overtake him. But now that he had started he may as well just let everything out. "I was so scared of failing you that I nearly killed someone in the process, Ladybug. I haven't slept because my guilt won't fucking let me! Every time I try it's the same god damned dream of you dying in my arms torn to pieces blaming me because I couldn't save you. I couldn't keep my promise to always protect you." He vented as he choked back tears. His clawed hands pulled at the leather over his chest as he looks down, away from her.

"Oh Chat…" She whimpered as she watched her friend and partner fall apart before her.

"And the worst part is…" He starts between a broken, half assed laugh. "The worst part is that I don't even know who you are under that mask." He looked back up at her. "My whole purpose here is to keep you safe and for over half of my day I'm incapable of doing that because I don't know who I'm supposed to be looking after. All I know is who she is at night...The Miraculous Ladybug. A daring, smart, courageous, beautiful, brilliant, idiot of a woman that I've fallen in love with time after time but her real identity is a mystery to me."

"Chat…" "And I understand your need to want to keep it a secret." "Chat." "I get how you think that it will help protect us." "Chat!" "But have you ever once thought that maybe-" "CHAT!"

He stopped as her raised voice pulled him out of his rant to stare at her quietly across the rooftop. She was...crying? Why the hell was she crying? "I had no idea…" She started as her legs began to feel like they were about to give out underneath of her. "I had no idea that I was the one causing you so much pain…" She managed before her knees buckled beneath her and she started sobbing into her hands. His eyes widened as she started spouting 'I'm sorry' like a mantra and before he knew it he was on the ground before her pulling her into an embrace. "This is all my fault! All of it, your nightmares, the fact that you don't smile or make any puns...everything!" She wailed into his chest. How was any of this suddenly her fault? He found himself asking himself as he tried to calm her down.

"M'lady…" He said softly, the words feeling foreign on his lips. She started to shake her head against him. "Don't call me that…" She pleaded weakly. "I don't deserve it. If I hadn't of been so careless and thought I could handle him alone until you got there then none of this would have happened. Everything would be the way it was…" She couldn't look at him. He buried his face into her hair and tightened his hold on her. He shouldn't have blown up on her. He shouldn't have told her anything.

"Ladybug…" he sighed. "How can you think that any of this is your fault? I will alway put you before myself. I will always look out for you when you do something reckless, take as many blows for you as I can, and do everything in my power to keep you safe. Not just because it's my job as Chat Noir but because I love you." He explains as he cups her chin between his thumb and index finger to tilt her head up so he could look at her.

"Chat…" She mumbled as she stared into his eyes. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and willed Tikki out of her earrings. She felt the magic fade off of her and heard the surprised stammers of her partner as he tried to figure out if he should shield his eyes or run away or stay where he was. But within seconds she was just Marinette cradled in his arms and she somehow felt worse and more vulnerable than before. The girl he wanted to protect with his life and loved was just this clumsy, stupid schoolgirl who currently felt like the worst possible person to be friends with, let alone be in love with. "How can I be worth that much to you…?" She asks quietly as she averts his gaze.

It does take him a moment to process what it is he's looking at before he can take the time to figure out the words she was speaking. How did he not realize this sooner?! How did she not figure out who he was sooner?! "Shut up Marinette…" He hums at her words before pressing his lips against hers. He can hear her internal scream as he kisses her but smiles a little as she returns it. Of all the people in Paris he thanked whatever small bit of luck he had that it was her. Without breaking their kiss he dropped his transformation the moment her hands met his face. He can feel her tense up beneath him and can tell that she's nervous over whoever he could be. He only hoped she was as happy with the result as he was.

Once the magic faded he broke their kiss and honestly smiled at her for the first time in months. All he could hear was the failed attempt at a squeal leave her gaping mouth as his smile turned into an expression of confusion. "Adrien?!" She didn't know whether she should be ecstatic or mortified. On one hand her long term crush not only was her partner Chat Noir this entire time but he just kissed her. He just told her he loved her! Well, said he loved Ladybug but he kissed Marinette. But on the other hand she had inadvertently caused this much damage to him? There were deep bags under his eyes and his knuckles looked like they were worn to the bone. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of more wounds he may have but something told her she wouldn't like it if she tried to lift his shirt up. She was on the verge of tears again and Adrien was quick to fill with worry.

"What's wrong?!" He asked hurriedly as he tried to brush the forming tears away. "Did you not want it to be me?" His question earned him a laugh which just confused the teen more."Of course I wanted it to be you. I've loved you since the first day we met. I just...I feel horrible that all of this happened because of me." She said weakly as she took his hands and kissed at his knuckles gently. Her other hand moved up to caress the top of his cheeks, right under his dark circles. "And I feel like there's nothing I can do to help you…"

Adrien didn't really listen to her last little sentence. She loved him too?! She loved him since the day they met?! That was almost over a year ago and she's never told him until now? He can't judge her too harshly on that because he's never seriously told her how he felt. Whenever he did mention it Ladybug...Marinette just thought he was joking and brushed it off playfully. He found himself leaning into her touch before leaning his head down to rest his forehead against hers.

"Just being there for me helps." He says softly as he closes his eyes. "Yeah I'm supposed to protect you but that's one hell of a burden to shoulder on my own. The fact that now I can talk to you about it, in costume or not, makes me feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Plus the fact that you actually return my feelings…" he said with a delighted sigh. "Feelings I don't deserve…" he caught her whisper. Suddenly his hands were on either side of her face forcing her to stare into his determined eyes.

"Don't say that, Marinette. Everyone makes mistakes but that's no reason to think you're undeserving of anything." He says sternly. She stares up at him surprised before weakly nodding her head. He lets go of her face and pulls her back in for another hug, one that she accepts graciously as she wraps her arms around him tightly. The two remain like this for who knows how long, forgetting about Paris or the fact that they were supposed to be on patrol or just the world in general. It was just the two of them in their minds and they finally saw each other for who the other one was and loved each other for who the other one was.

Eventually they broke apart the hug to share a chaste kiss before Marinette pulled out her phone to check on the time. "Oh wow, it's really late. We should be heading home soon." She says as she stands up. She watched Adrien's expression deflate at the thought of going home or trying to sleep. She could tell he was scared that he was going to have his nightmare again. She herself was scared about him having this nightmare. "I..uhm. We can't make a habit out of this but...my parents are out of town right now so it's just me at the bakery. If you want you can...stay at my place." She offered as a blush crept over her cheeks. He looked up at her with a wide grin and stood up excitedly. "I'd love to! A night all alone with my princess, how can I refuse?"

She giggled as his antics. Finally he was starting to act like his old, happy self. She knew that everything would't go back to normal and she knew that it would still take some time for Adrien to feel completely better but this was a start. He seemed genuinely happy with a real smile on his face and she was so glad. She took his hand as she turned back into Ladybug so she could easily make it back home from the roof they stood on. He gave it a gentle squeeze as he transformed into Chat Noir and they both leapt from the rooftop and headed towards her parent's bakery.

Once in her room and both back into their civilian selves Marinette was quick to get ready for bed in her bathroom. Adrien waited patiently for her in her bedroom wondering if he should stay completely dressed or at least get somewhat comfortable. He took off his button up shirt and paused as he considered his pants. Sleeping in jeans was incredibly uncomfortable but being in just his boxers might be too little. What if she got upset by that? The just told each other how they felt it was way too soon to be in just a shirt and boxers in front of her, wasn't it?

All thoughts of whether he should or shouldn't take his pants off came to a sudden halt as Marinette emerged in her pajamas. Of course she wore shorts and a t shirt to bed. His cheeks flushed as he looked over how friggin' cute she was before he suddenly looked down. "Those uhm...you look...really cute." He said shyly.

Marinette felt her cheeks turn bright red at his compliment and she hurried into her bed as she muttered a quick "Thank you." They were both silent for a moment and just kind of looked around the room awkwardly before Marinette spoke up again. "Uhm...are you sleeping in your jeans?" She asked. He blinked at her for a few moments before looking down at his pants. "I..uh...didn't know if I should take them off or not. I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it." He answers.

"You are wearing underwear right?" She asks. His whole face turns red. "Of course!" Marinette giggles at how flustered he gets over her question. "Then I see no problem with you getting comfortable." She said with a smile. He nodded at her and slightly fumbled with his jeans as he took them off and neatly folded them before placing them with his button up. He went back to looking around the room, wondering where he was going to sleep before he heard a soft patting on Marinette's bed. He looked over at her and saw that she was patting the open space next to her. How was it that as Chat Noir he was the forward one but now, even though Marinette usually was the reserved one, she was the one taking the lead in this?

He made his way onto the spot next to her in bed and stiffly laid down next to her. She smiled at him and turned off the lights before laying down on her side with her back to him. Even though she seemed calm about the whole situation she was freaking out in her head. Should they cuddle, was that okay for them to do? Adrien was in her bed with her, a dream come true, but it was nothing like she had imagined it to be. She was staring at her wall running through all the possible scenarios in her head of what could happen when she heard him clear his throat.

"Uhm...would it be okay if I...held you? If not that's fine I just…" he trailed off. She rolled over to look at him as best as she could in the dark before she wiggled herself closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and placed a hand over his chest. "Like this?" She asked. She felt one arm come up and wrap around her from behind and his other hand rested above hers. They both rose and sunk as he let out a sigh. "Yeah...just like this." She looked up at him and could tell that he was smiling.

"Hey...before you go to sleep…" She whispered, lifting herself up some and moving her hand to cup his cheek. "Goodnight." He felt her words against his lips right before she closed the distance and kissed him. He brought his free hand up to rest behind her head and held her there as he kissed her back. When they finally broke they both let out a contented sigh, "And sweet dreams." She muttered. He chuckled at her and nuzzled his nose against her. "Goodnight, Marinette." He said as he settled her back on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you too, Adrien…"

It wasn't long until the teen pair both drifted off into sleep and it's pretty safe to say that they remained snuggled against each other the entire night. There were no nightmares for Adrien, no waking up in the middle of the night alone and scared. He had the love of his life in his arms and like a dreamcatcher she kept his fears at bay and let him sleep all through the night.