[#006] No Sleep (Miraculous Ladybug)

[bookmonkey44]

Theme prompt: Unexpected Company

Title: No Sleep

Fandom: Miraculous

Ratings/Warnings: None
Bonus: Yes

Word Count: 996

Summary: Nino couldn't sleep. Not after being one of Hawk Moth's victims. And it becomes even harder to sleep when one of Paris' heroes comes knocking on his window.

Nino couldn't sleep. And it wasn't because he got a new mix stuck in his head and he needed to record it before he went to sleep. It also wasn't out of excitement or nervousness. No, it wasn't any of the usual reasons keeping Nino up that night. Nino couldn't sleep because he had done something terrible.

He hadn't meant to be terrible. He had just wanted to do something nice for his best friend. And when Gabriel said no, for a party, for a chance for Adrien to get to know his new classmates, well, it brought about a rage in Nino.

Nino didn't even really remember what he had done after accepting Hawk Moth's deal. But the Ladyblog had it all saved and labeled under the name he had gone by: Bubbler. Nino had watched it fifteen times, hitting the replay button and watching as he caught adults in bubbles, to free the children of Paris.

Maybe Nino should have left the events as foggy blurs. Nino wished Alya had never started the blog so he couldn't sit in his room in the dark, headphones on, watching him be the worst he could ever be. A super powered angsty teen.

The video ended for the sixteenth time. Nino sighed, his hand reaching for his mouse when there was a knock on his window. Nino pushed his chair away, his headphones falling off, clattering to the floor. He stared at the bright green eyes outside his window. Bright green eyes which had come to his rescue.

Chat Noir knocked again, waving to Nino. Nino stumbled over to the window, pushing it open and stepping back for the hero to climb through.

"Hey Nino." Chat Noir stood, next to the window, leaning against the wall. "Are you okay?" Nino gaped, carefully pinching his wrist, confirming he wasn't dreaming, or hallucinating from lack of sleep.

"I'm better, since you and Ladybug saved me." Nino tilted his head. Chat Noir cocked an eyebrow at him, before pointing at Nino's computer screen. Nino huffed.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Nino shifted on his feet. Chat Noir walked forward, placing a hand on Nino's shoulder. "You had the best intentions." Nino blinked up at the green eyes. "A party for your best friend, that's super sweet. You shouldn't beat yourself up over what happened. Hawk Moth manipulated your emotions." Nino continued to blink, narrowing his eyes suddenly.

"Dude," Nino swallowed. Were you there when it happened?"

"I saved you, remember?"

"No, before I was akumatized." Nino rolled his eyes. Chat took his hand back quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alya posted it on the Ladyblog." Chat pointed again to Nino's computer. Nino jabbed his finger in Chat's face.

"Dude, I just watched the video sixteen times. And read Alya's accompanying article ten times. And no where does she mention the party I wanted to happen so badly, was for my best friend. She wanted to protect him and his family from negative press." Chat Noir's exposed skin, his forehead and the lower half of his face, usually a pretty porcelain white, turned the sickly kind. Then Nino poked Chat's chest, which was probably a bad idea as the hero could destroy things with one swipe of his devastating cataclysm superpower. "On top of that, how the hell do you know where I live!" Superhero or not, it was a little creepy.

"Uh, well, that is..." Chat's hand was still rubbing the back of his neck, while his other one was gesturing up, "I just, er," Nino stared at Chat. The superhero trailed off into a strange whine. His black cat ears drooped, and his shoulders sagged. Those green eyes flit between Nino and the floor with gilt written all over them, guilt Nino had already seen that day.

"Hell," Nino gasped. "Adrien?" Nino's knees felt weak. Chat sighed.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag." Chat put on a lopsided grin, a sad smirk. "Claws in." A whoosh and a flash of green light, then in Chat's place, Adrien stood, scratching at the back of his neck again. Nino groaned.

"Only you would pun at a time like this." Nino placed a hand on his forehead.

"Only he would screw up because he had to check on you." A tiny, floating, black cat landed on Adrien's shoulder. Nino stared, before stepping back and sitting on the edge of his bed. Nino put his head between his knees, holding back a scream and the instinct to hyperventilate.

"Hey," Nino felt Adrien sit next to him, sling an arm over his shoulder, "I appreciate what you did for me. Sticking up for me." Nino nodded.

"And you saved me." Nino started laughing. "Adrien Agreste, prince of the modeling world, runs around with cat ears, a baton, and that stupid little bell collar." Nino felt tears roll down his face, and he wasn't sure if it was from laughter or stress.

Adrien laughed. "Yeah yeah. Make fun of the costume all you want." Adrien leaned a little more against Nino. "Correct me if I'm wrong, you know, being new to the whole friends thing, but I think this makes us even?" Nino slapped Adrien's back.

"Dude, yes. We're more than even."

"As long as you keep this a secret." Nino rolled his eyes.

"Duh dude." No way Nino was going to mess this up. He had already messed up the birthday party. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks Nino." Adrien stood, smiling sheepishly. "Get some sleep." Adrien glanced at the little black cat. "Claws out." And in the blink of an eye Chat Noir was gone.

Though if Adrien thought Nino was going to get any sleep after learning his best friend was a superhero, he was completely wrong.

Comments

[bookmonkey44]

Haha, yeah. I guess the most important thing to know is the main villain, Hawk Moth, gives various powers to people who want their own revenge, in exchange, they'll fight the heroes and give him the items from them he seeks.

And with most superhero fandoms, shenanigans abound as the heroes try to keep their identities a secret.

Thanks for reading!