So... this was only supposed to be a short one shot for a prompt meme on tumblr. But somehow I've already started writing a second chapter. It's only going to be a two shot and not actually have a resolution, but hey.

WARNING: contains Jackady spoilers (if you haven't already seen it).

More chapters on the way for... well, everything. I want to cut my 27 WIPs down bit. Preferably by finishing them than giving the ideas away.

Hope you enjoy!

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At Your Door

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Thump, thump, thump…

The sound nagged at the edge of her mind, making her stir. She groaned and turned her head to face the other way, snuggling back down into the pillows.

Thump, thump, thump…

She groaned again, louder this time and rolled over, trying to pin point the sound of the thumping. A small yelp escaped her and she found herself dropping to the ground. Looking about with bleary eyes, she saw that she was in the lounge, down beside the couch. Her sluggish mind managed to remind her that she had grabbed a snack after patrol last night and she hadn't made it back to her room. She must have fallen asleep on the couch… and she had just fallen off.

Her eyes flicked to the clock to see that it was just a little past 3am. Ugh, she should go to her room and-

Thump, thump, thump…

Her head snapped towards the floor. That sound was coming from downstairs. Like someone was knocking… Someone was at the door? It was 3am!

There was a creaking and she turned to see her father coming out of the room, tying his dressing gown around himself. He looked tired and confused and when he saw her he sighed.

"Mari, was that you?" he asked. It wasn't accusing. He did sound tired, but it was more from having just woken up than being exasperated. Her parents were used to her coming in late and making a bit of noise. Well, they were since they had found out that she was Ladybug. Or… well… since they confronted her about the fact that they knew.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I – I think there's someone at the door… Don't worry, Papa. I'll go check."

He gave a sleepy nod. "Okay. Be careful," he said. "And do get some sleep, you have school tomorrow."

"I will, Papa," she said with a smile. He returned her smile and headed back to his bedroom. Last year, letting her check the door in the middle of the night would have been out of the question. But now he knew that she could handle herself. Heck, she could probably handle whoever it was better than he could.

Thump, thump, thump…

Sighing, she dashed out of the room and made her way down stairs. Whoever this was, they were pretty persistent. She could see a dark figure standing outside the door of the bakery. Well, standing wasn't exactly the word. Whoever they were – he was (she could tell it was a he) – he seemed rather impatient, jiggling on the spot and taking a one-step pace back and forth.

Striding over to the door, she unlocked it and swung it open, a look of annoyance on her face. What kind of rude person knocked on a bakery door at-

"Adrien?!" she gasped, taking in the sight of the boy before her. "What are you doing at my door at 3am?!"

He had been looking over his shoulder in panic, but when the door had opened he whipped around to face her. He looked terrible. He was standing there in his pyjamas with no shoes. His hair was a mess and his face was pale. His eyes were wide and full of pain and fear, she could see the un-shed tears glistening in them. He looked like he was about to either break down or make a run for it.

"M-Marinette…" he croaked. His voice was so strained and broken he hardly sounded like himself.

"Wh-what happened? What are you doing here? A-are you hurt?" Her hands fluttered up, wanting to help him. She checked him over, searching with just her eyes for any sign of injury. He looked okay, just incredibly upset.

He looked at her with glassy eyes, opening his mouth to say something, but after a moment he closed it. He didn't seem to be able to find the words. Finally his eyes flicked down to the ground and he muttered something that almost sounded like… 'Sorry I didn't make it to the roof'?

"What?" she questioned, a little concerned and incredibly worried.

He looked back up at her and took a deep, shuddering breath. "C-can I come in?" he asked timidly. "I… S-something's happened and I-" He bit his lip, his eyes going to the ground again. "I needed someone to talk to. You were the first person I thought of."

Marinette's mouth popped open in surprise and she reached out to him, gently taking him by the arm and guiding him inside before locking the door. It wasn't until she was guiding him up stairs that she noticed that he was shaking, quite violently, actually. He had something clutched tightly in his left hand, his knuckles turned white with the force.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly. He sounded rather calm and put together, but there was an edge to his voice and his appearance that showed that he was three seconds from falling apart.

"It's okay," she reassured him, flicking on the light. "I don't mind at all. Besides, I'd fallen asleep on the couch." She gave him a weak smile as she led him to said couch and sat him down. "C-can I get you anything? Water, or a hot drink? A blanket? What about a-" As she went to go grab one or more of those things, he stopped her, his cold fingers wrapping around her wrist.

"N-No, just… c-can you stay? Just sit with me for a bit."

His voice broke on the last word and with a slight nod, she came back and sat next to him. She lay a tentative hand on his shoulder. She knew that he needed comfort, she just didn't know her boundaries. She and Adrien had never really moved past talking and hanging out. She knew that what he probably needed was a good, tight hug. She just didn't know if he would be comfortable with that. Not just right now away. She would wait for some sort of signal for that.

She watched as he huffed out a breath that was closer to a sob and jammed the heel of his palms into his eyes. He was slumped over slightly, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. He sucked in a sharp breath and held it for a half a minute before letting out that huff again. He was trying to hold back tears... Trying to stop himself from hyperventilating.

Screw signals.

In an instant she moved closer to him and pulled him into a hug. It took a moment for him to register what happened, but then he turned into her embrace. Then he let go. He stopped holding back and fell apart in her arms.

He sobbed heavily, already hyperventilating as he struggled to breathe properly through the tears. His arms wrapped around her tight, his fingers gripping into her back like claws. At times he tried to whimper things to her, apologies mostly. Apologies for putting her through this, for being there, for acting like he was. But she just held him tightly. Her hand ran from his hair and down his back in a soothing motion. She made gentle shushing noises and murmured comforting nothings. She told him that it was okay, and that she was there for him. That it was okay for him to let it out.

It took a good while, but eventually the tears slowed and his breathing evened out. He still held her tightly, but he had calmed down a lot. By now he was practically curled up in her lap and she was gently running her hand through his soft blond hair.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled once again.

She smiled gently. "I told you, Adrien. It's fine. D-do you want to talk about it yet or just hug a bit more?"

Adrien let out a shuddering breath, his hands loosening and tightening on her shirt. "Yeah. Yeah, I probably should-" He cut off and she felt him tense in her arms. "…Where is it?!" he suddenly hissed. He sat bolt upright, panic on his face as he searched around, patting at his clothes and around him on the couch. "No, no, no, no. Where is it?!"

"Where's what?" she asked, she was startled, but she wanted to keep him calm. "T-that thing you were holding?"

"Yes! I must have dropped it! I must have-"

He was searching around frantically and she joined him. It didn't take her long. She felt something cold and round wedged in behind her. He must have let it go when he hugged her and gripped her shirt instead.

"Hey! I found it. Adrien, it's okay, I found it." She reached behind her and grabbed it, holding it out to show him. That's when she saw what it was and her breath caught. Adrien sighed in relief when he saw the large gold bell, but she frowned. She knew this bell. It didn't usually look that tarnished, but it was his. "…Adrien, why do you have Chat's bell?" she asked, trying to hold back the worry in her voice.

He jolted, looking at her with wide, startled eyes. Almost as if he didn't expect her to know what it was, but at the same time, like he should have known better.

"I - ah…"

"Is he okay?" she pressed. "What happened? Was there an Akuma? This looks like he used Catalyst." The words left her in a rush, the worry for her partner and her friend growing. She hadn't seen Chat use Catalyst in a very long time… well, she'd never actually seen him use it. It was a power he had that allowed him to capture and contain Akuma when Ladybug wasn't there. It was a fail-safe for if something happened to her, so that the Akuma threat could be removed and she could safely cleanse it later.

Adrien's mouth opened, trying to talk through her torrent of questions, his brow creased. "How did you-?"

"Adrien, what happened? Did you get caught in the attack? Are you okay? Is he okay? Why isn't he keeping the bell himself? Oh god. Ladybug wasn't around. What if he got badly hurt. What if he's out there right now, and he's injured and-"

Her trembling hands clenched around the bell as her imagination ran wild. Terrifying her with images of her partner lying hidden in some alleyway, broken and bleeding. But she paused when hands fell on her shoulders.

"Marinette, stop!" She looked up into Adrien's concerned eyes. He looked away from her and let out a sad sigh, closing his eyes tight. "I guess I have to tell you," he said quietly. "N-nothing will make any sense if I don't tell you." His hands fell from her shoulders and he rubbed at her face. "Oh man, she's really not going to like this, but – I... I can't. I need to tell someone because I can't process this on my own. And I can't tell her..."

Marinette placed the bell down on the table and took his hands in hers once again. "It's okay, Adrien. You can tell me."

Instead of looking at her, he looked down at their joined hands, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I have the bell because I was looking for Ladybug. Well... I will be. After – after I manage to calm down. I don't know, maybe tomorrow. She's probably asleep, I mean, she didn't answer... I'm sorry. This isn't explaining anything. Um... Chat's okay. Well, kind of. Depends how you look at it. He's not... hurt, but..." He looked up to find her waiting patiently for his words. "I – I'm not okay, Marinette. I'm – I have Chat Noir's bell because I- Well, I..." He stopped and scrubbed at his face in frustration. "Ugh! Why is this so hard? I've thought about doing this so many times before, and now I'm actually doing it and I can't. I just can't get the words out." His hands clenched into fists on his lap and she took them in hers once again, trying to soothe him. "Marinette, I- I'm- Uhh... Damn it, Plagg, can you..."

Knowing that he was having trouble, Plagg took pity on him and flew out from the back of his shirt where he had been hiding. He only saw the shocked and bewildered look on his friend's face for a moment before he looked away. He couldn't bare to see it. He couldn't stand to see the look she would give him when she found out. He didn't want to see the realisation and the betrayal.

After all, he had come to visit her so many times as Chat now. It wasn't really fair to find out that someone you know at school had been lying to you and sneaking around to see you, pretending to be somebody else.

"Basically, what the kid is trying to say is that he is Chat Noir. Uh... surprise! I'm Plagg, by the way. I help him turn into Chat Noir. I know, I know, it's complicated and magical and we can explain it later. But we have bigger problems right now than-"

"Chat!"

He winced when he heard her soft gasp, and his eyes squeezed closed when her hands slipped from his like she'd been burnt. But after a moment he felt her fingers rest under his chin and gently lift his face up so he would look at her. His eyes fluttered open to see her starting at him intently, her eyes searching his. Then, after a long moment, a sad smile quirked her lips and she suddenly threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Kitty," she whispered, running her hand through his hair again. It took a moment for the shock to wear off, but then he finally hugged her back, holding her tightly. Of course she accepted him. Of course she wouldn't think bad of him for not telling her who he was. She was kind and understanding, and just so incredibly sweet.

"I-I wanted to tell you before but-"

"It's okay," she reassured him. "I know why you couldn't. But you know what? I'm so glad it's you."

"Y-you are?"

"Yeah. Maybe when you're feeling better I'll tell you exactly why. But for now we have you to worry about. What happened? What's wrong?"

Adrien let her go and leaned back on the couch, his head resting back so he was looking at the roof and he took another deep breath. "He knows," he said. "My father knows... I should have known better. The other week I had to rescue him and he saw my ring while I was transformed. The later he noticed my ring. He must have put it together after that."

"I'm taking it he didn't take it well," she said sympathetic.

"Nope," Plagg said, settling down on Adrien's shoulder with a yawn.

Adrien scoffed. "Quite the opposite. I think he's rather happy to know it's right under his noise. The - the ring that is. I didn't even click on at first. Nothing really seemed to change. He didn't even say anything... Then tonight..." He faded off, playing with the silver ring on his finger. The ring she now recognised as Chat's Miraculous, even though it's colour had changed. She didn't interrupt, just waited for him to figure out what he was saying. She gave his hand a squeeze to reassure him and eventually he continued. "After patrol tonight I was pretty wiped. I crashed out as soon as I hit the pillow. Then I woke up to Plagg biting me and there was this figure standing over me. He had my hand in his and he was about to take my Miraculous. And well, the only person who wants it is Hawkmoth. So I kinda freaked and transformed right there, flipping out of bed. I mean, he was trying to take my ring, he clearly knows who I am. But then when I transformed I could see, and it wasn't Hawkmoth, it was my father."

His hand clenched tighter around hers and she gasped in shock. "Your father tried to take it from you?!"

Adrien nodded. "I – I thought that it would be okay if he knew, if I could just convince him it was okay. But he just demanded that I gave it to him. And he said... some really weird things. That he needed it more. That it was for my mother and I was only putting myself and Ladybug in danger. That we didn't have to fight. And... and that's when I realised that - that I wasn't actually wrong with my first assumption. My father was talking like Hawkmoth... Anyway, he lunged at me and I jumped out of the window. I tried to ring Ladybug but she didn't pick up. Like I said, she's probably asleep. I mean, I wasn't sure if my father actually was Hawkmoth, but it really seemed like it. And I had to tell her, especially since he knew... And then the Akuma came. Some father who found out that his son was sneaking out at night, so he really had it in for me." He let out a bitter chuckle. "But that was when I knew for sure... The Akuma, he told me to come home. But he didn't just say that. He said 'Come home, Adrien'. He knew who I was and I just... My father is Hawkmoth. Th-there's no question about it. He is." His voice had started to shake again. "The man who has terrorised this city countless times, who has Akumatized so many of my friends, and tried to kill me and Ladybug more than once... is my father... Oh my god! He manipulated Nino! He intentionally pushed him over the edge! He made my best friend angry enough that he could swoop in and use him! Ha, because that went so well for him last time. He made that magician lose and Akumatized him and it backfired. He almost jumped off the roof!"

Adrien's voice was rising with each sentence and she could see that he was starting to look hysterical again, so quickly she lunged towards him. She took him in her arms again and began stroking his hair. This time he immediately hugged her back. Plagg flew up into the air, an indignant look on his face at almost being crushed.

"Shh," she hushed him, her hands soothing against his hair. "It's okay. I'm here. He won't find you here."

"B-but what if he does?"

"He won't. With any luck he'll think you're still out there looking for Ladybug. And I have some decent luck." She sighed sadly as Adrien clutched at her clothing tighter, still shaking slightly. "You haven't had any time to process this at all, have you?"

He shook his head into her shoulder. "Not really. I-"

"Marinette?" The two of them had been so absorbed in each other that the sound of Sabine's voice startled them and their heads whipped around to her. Plagg quickly ducked in behind Adrien to hide away as she walked into the room. "What's going on? Your father said someone was knocking at the door and now you're yelling and... Is that Adrien?"

"Ah... H-hi, Mrs Cheng..." he greeted sheepishly.

"It's okay, Mama, I got it. Adrien's just... um, a little upset and needed to talk. Would it be alright if he stayed the night?"

Sabine blinked at them a moment. "Of course he can," she said kindly, a warm smile lighting her face when she saw the state of the dishevelled boy. "I'll go make up your chase for him. It will be more comfortable than the couch." She walked into the kitchen and started going through the cupboards. "I don't understand how you can fall asleep on it like you did tonight. I know you get wiped out from all that running around and such, but it leaves you with so many aches and pains it can't be good. Maybe I could book you a massage appointment at Master Fu's. Would you and Adrien like a hot chocolate? Oh, and would his Kwami like some cookies?"

Marinette stiffened when her mother said 'Kwami' and she felt Adrien tense as well. She was sure he was looking at her mother in shock, but she didn't check. She was staring at her mother, slicing her hand across her throat to get her to stop. When she didn't, she just ended up face-palming.

"What? I thought he would be hungry. And he doesn't have to hide. This is a Kwami safe house."

"Mama!" she groaned. Why didn't she stop? She was going to have to explain how she knew about Kwami to Adrien now, and the last thing he needed was another bomb dropped on him. She knew she was going to have to tell him, but this was not how she had wanted him to find out. She'd wanted to be gentle about it, not spring another surprise on him.

Of course, now that the invitation had been given, Plagg flew out from behind Adrien, glad to be free to fly about. "Well that's a blessing," he said. "But I'll pass on the cookies, thanks. That's more Tikki's thing. I'll just have some cheese. Camembert if you have any. Oh, but the kid will have some! He loves your cookies. He inhales them as fast as Tikki does. And I'm sure he'll agree to the hot chocolate once he finds his tongue again."

"I'm sure we have something," she smiled at the small creature.

She grabbed two mugs and plates and placed them on the bench. And even though his mind was still trying to process the fact that Marinette's mother (and presumably Marinette herself) knew about Kwami, he was still astounded at how fast she managed to whip up their drinks for them. It was barely a few moments later that she had two hot chocolates waiting for them, along with a large plate of cookies and a smaller plate that had four or five cookies and an entire round of camembert that had been cut into very small chunks.

"There we are. Why don't you three head up to your room while I grab the blankets?"

Marinette nodded silently, gently grabbing at his arm to lead him up. She took a drink and the small plate with a quiet 'thank you, Mama', while Sabine handed him the other drink and the plate of cookies. It wasn't until then that he noticed that she had gone oddly quiet. There was an anxious look on her face that hadn't been there a moment ago, and every now and then she would shoot him a worried look and bit her lip.

"Come on," she said, leading him to the entrance to her room. She was very skilled, and managed to get up there without spilling her drink, let alone anything on the plate. He was quite impressed. He was sure that if he wasn't Chat Noir there was no way he would have managed getting up the ladder like stairs with his hands full.

"There you are!" he heard a cute, child like voice from inside the room. He saw Marinette tense, but she continued on into the room with a heavy sigh. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up and come to bed. You know that sleeping on he couch makes you cranky. I tried waking you up but you were really out to it."

As he climbed up, he looked for the source of the voice, only spotting a small read creature floating up by Marinette, but the moment he focused on it, it darted away behind her. He froze, staring at the spot he had seen it... It couldn't be, could it?

Marinette sighed again. "It's okay, Tikki, you don't have to hide. I was going to tell him soon anyway," she said quietly, placing the plate and her drink down on her desk.

Cautiously, a red Kwami with a few black spots on her head poked out from Marinette's collar. Her eyes flashed towards Adrien before flicking to the plate, face scrunching in disgust when she saw the cheese. "What's with the cheese? There's so much anyone would think that Plagg was he-"

"Tikki!" Plagg shot away from Adrien in a black blur, dropping the bell he'd been holding in favour of tackling Tikki across the room in a hug. Adrien was staring at them with wide, startled eyes.

Marinette looked away from him at the floor. Her hands twisted themselves into knots as she chewed her lip. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't want you to find out like this. You've already had enough shocks dropped on you today, I didn't want to add to it. I was going to wait for you to calm down a bit and... I don't know, break it to you gently or something, but..."

She faded out, still unable to look at him, even as she heard him coming closer. There was a soft chink as he set the mug and plate on her desk, but other than that the room was completely silent. Like everyone was holding their breath. Not even their Kwami were making noise anymore.

And then he was right in front of her and she felt his arms wrap around her. His grip was just as tight and desperate as before, but when he buried his head into her shoulder, she could feel the slight smile that tugged at his lips. She relaxed into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. And they stayed that way until they heard her mother at the door and both sprang away.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt," she said, pushing a pile of blankets and pillows into the room. "Just dropping these off. You two continue what you're doing. But don't stay up too late, you both have school in the morning, okay? Love you, sweetheart. Adrien, I hope you feel better. And just so you know, you're welcome here whenever you like, even if it's after a late night patrol."

"T-thank you, Mrs Cheng," he stuttered.

"Love you too, Mum. Night!"

"Goodnight, you two," Sabine said with a fond smile at them both. And with that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Come on, the drinks are getting cold," Marinette told him. "Bring a pillow and we can hang out on my bed while we eat."

"That would be nice," he said gratefully.

He went to the pile of bedding on the floor and tucked a pillow under his arm, then grabbed his drink and the cookies before following Marinette up to her bed. She'd excused herself to go get changed into her pyjamas, which looked really cute, and when she came back he tried and failed not to blush at the sight. Once they were settled in, she lit some candles and placed them on the sill along the wall and Plagg turned the light out for them.

So for the next hour they ate and talked by candle light. Adrien's mood improved greatly, especially when they moved away from the topic of his father. By the time they had finished the cookies and placed the cups up by the candles and the plates down the crevice between her bed and the railing, it was very late and the both of them were very tired. At some point they had both snuggled under the covers and now lay facing each other.

"So... how long do you want to stay here?" she asked.

"Huh?" His voice was heavy with sleep, but he cracked his eyes open to look at her questioningly.

"I'm sure Mama and Papa will have no problem letting you stay here... well, forever knowing them. But it's up to you. If you don't want to stay here then maybe we can see if Nino would be okay letting you stay a while. But I am not letting you go home. Not without me."

Adrien frowned. "I – I don't know. I don't want to go home at the moment... well, I may have to to get some clothes, but... I just don't know. This is all a mess. But I'm glad you let me stay. I like your parents, they're really nice... Thank you."

"Silly Kitty," she giggled sleepily. "Like Mama said, you're welcome here whenever you want. And if you want to stay here forever then I'm not going to argue. Not one bit. In fact, I insist. You're staying forever. I am adopting this cat. You're my kitty now." Her arm reached out and fell over his shoulder, curling him a little closer

This made him laugh. "Who's being silly now, my Silly Bug."

"Mm-hmm," she hummed, starting to fall asleep and unable to come up with words let alone a decent comeback.

"Goodnight, My Lady," he murmured, his arm wrapping around her waist. A soft smile finally graced his lips before sleep took him as well.

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When Sabine came in to wake them in the morning, she found the blankets untouched and a certain blond boy snuggled up in bed with her daughter. Smiling, she quietly climbed back out of the room. They may be the heroes of Paris, but they were both children. And either way, they deserved a break. She would let them sleep.

Besides, Tom would be excited to hear about this new development.