Hold me close and don't let go

Hello! Here's a bit of Ladrien fluff

...

Adrien startled awake at 3am to the sound of something hitting his window. It took him a second his eyes to adjust, and then his heart just about leapt out of his chest because he could swear that he saw a very familiar figure just outside. He stumbled out of the bed and over to the window and threw it open.

"Ladybug?" He asked with a yawn, not quite sure that he was actually awake and not just dreaming still. He discretely pinched his arm just to make sure and found that he really wasn't dreaming.

Ladybug had been perched on the little ledge under his window about to throw her yoyo and swing away, but upon hearing him, she yelped and almost fell off. He reached out and grabbed her hand to steady her. "Sorry!" She gasped. "Did I wake you? I'm so sorry!" Her forehead creased and it looked like she was about to cry. "I should've been paying more attention to where I was going, I'm sorry, I-"

"Hey," He cut her off gently. "It's alright. But are you okay? What are you doing out so late?"

"Oh..." She blinked. "I- I couldn't sleep. I was just getting some fresh air. I thought it would help. I'm so sorry for waking you."

Adrien understood. He had often done the same thing when he couldn't get to sleep.

"Do you want to come in?" He asked, too tired to think about whether that was a good idea or not.

She hesitated for a second before nodding slowly, still holding onto his hand, and stepping down into his room.

As she glanced around, Adrien took a moment to observe her. Ladybug looked… exhausted. Her shoulders sagged and he was sure that under her mask there would be dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping properly. The akuma attacks had been particularly rough the last couple of days, and he knew the stress of being the new Guardian was weighing on her. He couldn't take away her worries, but he could offer her a bit of comfort.

He held his arms out. "Would you- would you like a hug?" He asked tentatively, forgetting that he wasn't transformed at that moment. It wasn't unusual for either of them to offer the other hugs on bad days but it was different when it wasn't her superhero partner. He didn't know if she'd even accept.

Ladybug's wide-eyed surprise lasted only a second before she collapsed into him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his chest. His own arms wound around her just as securely and he could feel her let out a long breath and relax. "Thank you." She whispered.

Adrien could only nod in reply, his eyes falling shut as he rested his head on hers. He waited for her to pull away when she was ready to leave, but she stayed just where she was. When he glanced down at her, he saw that her eyes were closed and she was already asleep. With a soft smile to the top of her head, he shuffled over to the couch, taking care not to wake her. Moving as slowly and carefully as he could, he sat down with her and shifted so she was nestled comfortably in his arms.

The last thing he wanted to do was disturb her now, especially since she looked like she so desperately needed the rest. And as long as she was happy where she was, he was happy too. He would gladly sit with her all night if it meant she could get some sleep. As Chat Noir, he didn't have many opportunities like this to just sit peacefully with his lady, holding her close, so he was more than willing to stay still and let her sleep.

Humming the beginnings of a lullaby, he ran his fingers through her hair, pulling out the ribbons holding it back in pigtails. He had only ever worn his hair tied up when he was little and Chloe had insisted on tying what she could of his fringe into a tiny ponytail at the top of his head, but he knew it was nice to take it out and he could assume Ladybug would feel the same.

Once her hair was out, he brushed through it gently with his fingers, singing the lullaby quietly to himself.

Ladybug stirred and lifted her head a tiny bit. "What're you singing?" She mumbled, her words slurred with drowsiness.

He stopped his movements and she made a noise of protest. "Sorry." He whispered. "I thought you were asleep."

"No, i's nice." She shifted her head to get a bit more comfortable, then yawned. "Where'd you learn it?" She asked, letting her eyes fall shut again.

Adrien resumed his brushing of her hair with a little sigh. "My mum made it up. She used to sing it to me all the time when I was little."

"That's so nice." Ladybug hummed and nuzzled into his neck making his heart skip several beats. "She's pretty too."

"Too?" He asked.

"Pretty like you." She murmured, and he was glad that her eyes were closed as his cheeks flushed as red as her suit at her words.

"You... think I'm pretty?"

She smiled against him. "Very."

"I think you're pretty too." He told her and her smile grew.

"Can you sing the song again?"

"Of course." He whispered, letting his head drop down to rest on hers again. He sang the lullaby quietly until he felt her breathing even out and she was fast asleep again. It wasn't long before he found himself also drifting off.

When Adrien woke in the morning, Ladybug was already gone, but there was a small piece of paper folded into the shape of a heart sitting on his chest where she had been sleeping. "Thank you" was written neatly in the middle of the heart, and right next to it was a tiny scribbled ladybug.

Hope you enjoyed!