Marinette wasn't sure how her body temperature changed from normal to 37.8°C overnight.

She was fine yesterday as she went to school and manned the bakery later in that afternoon. She was able to kick an Akuma's butt with Chat Noir before sundown and wrecked him in Ultimate Mecha Strike III with her unmasked self after dinner.

She slept way too early for her usual bedtime that night because Chat Noir had to leave for a 'sunrise meeting'.

She didn't have any coughs or colds days prior that could hint her for some possible sickness. Her eating patterns were fine, her cycle was regular, her school work and designs weren't that stressful and her superhero business remained manageable.

So how come she ended up with flu?

"That's because your brain is not calibrated with your body, you Wonder Woman. Have you heard the word 'moderately'?" Alya sighed while tucking her best friend back to her bed.

Her voice croaked "Alya?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm going to die today."

The bespectacled brunette rolled her eyes indignantly. "You're such a baby, Mari. Don't you agree with me, Chat?"

Chat Blanc flicked his tail as a response while sitting grumpily on his Master's bedside.

"While Nino's busy with his 'second breakfast' downstairs, Adrien will be absent today for a photo shoot." she went on. "Too bad. His sunshine presence might be able to lift your spirits up."

"I don't want him to see me this way." the designer plucked a tissue then blew her nose. "I feel like shit."

"Don't worry, you're the most adorable shit I've ever seen."

Marinette jolted when her feline pet pawed her duvet and curled himself on her stomach. Despite the heaviness, she couldn't help but smiled when her fluffy living heater began his truck-like purrs again.

"They said that cat's mirthful purrs have magical healings on humans." the bespectacled grinned as she reached the animal for a head scratch. Her action only doubled the reverberation.

"He's been doing a great job actually." the owner sighed contentedly. "If only you see me how I woke up like a famished zombie this morning."

"I can only imagine." the girl commented dryly.

"Alya?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you please buy me some fried beondegi?"

Alya's gagging sound earned a resentful pout.

"C'mon, there are several stalls near Mme. Le Chien's shop." the raven-haired whined.

"Regardless if the shop is two arrondissements away or just around the corner, I will definitely not going to buy anything exotic." the brunette puffed her cheeks. "I don't know what's wrong with your taste buds, Girl. I barely handled you eating ant's egg soup, but worms? What's next, aphids?"

Marinette's snorts might've been sarcastic if not for her clogged nose.

Eyeing the clock display, her best friend hastily stood up. "Oops, I only have ten minutes left until the school starts. Don't worry, I'll make sure to pass the message to Miss Bustier about your condition."

"How about my fried beondegi?" she asked wistfully but received no response.

Few minutes after Alya left, Sabine entered the room with a food tray.

Chat Blanc cracked his green eyes for a minute before closing them again. Then he resumed his incessant purrs.

"How's my sweetie?" the Chinese woman asked then placed the tray on the bedside.

Marinette sniffled then wiped her runny nose. "I think I'm dying, Maman."

Sabine only chuckled as she helped her daughter to sit comfortably with pillows tucked on her back. The movement cued the cat to scoot away for his own meal downstairs.

"Sorry for the intrusion, maomi." the mother apologized.

"Maman?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I eat canyong?"

Her mother shook her head. "That's too oily and salty for you."

"But I want anything that's oily and salty." the raven-haired girl whimpered.

"It'll make your fever worse, sweetie."

"But Maman - "

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Sabine chided. "Eat your congee now before it turns cold."

The designer ate her warm tasteless porridge without any qualms, then drank her bitter medicine under her mother's careful eyes.

Once she was left alone, a red kwami flew out from a cat bolster then hovered near her face "How are you feeling now, Marinette?"

"Horrible." was her honest reply. "So horrible, Tikki. I think I only have few days left."

Tikki rolled her eyes. "What a drama queen you are, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"I'm not a drama queen." she pouted cutely. "And don't scold me using my complete name. You know how much I hate that."

"Drama queen."

Marinette was about to sass back but her sneeze won over.

"You need to sleep more, Marinette." the kwami soothed as she nuzzled her charger's flushed cheeks. "And you're still hot. Rest now, and don't stress yourself."

"What if there's an Akuma -

"Chat Noir can handle it," she interjected with a firm voice. "Don't you trust your partner?"

The sick girl blinked her bleary eyes before answering "With all my heart."

Chat Blanc returned to his Master's side minutes later, and when she eased back to lie down, he immediately lurched on her sheets and licked her temple non-stop.

"Chaton," Marinette swore his rough tongue smelled like tuna. "Am I that stinky enough to earn a bath?"

Tikki giggled when the cat failed to understand her words.

His groomings finally lulled the designer back to sleep.

When she woke up an hour later, Chat Blanc was nowhere to be found. She was squirming at the loss of her heater.

"Chat?" she moaned weakly. "Kitty, come back here."

A rustling sound of her skylight caught her attention, followed by a menacing hiss.

"Chat, I need you," she called him again without turning around. "Let me hug you, kitty kitty. Chat. Chat."

"I'd be more than happy to be your cuddle buddy, Purr-incess."

She frowned at the familiar voice. "I'm not talking to you, monsieur. I'm talking to my cat."

"Meow-ch, you wound me, Princess!" Chat Noir gasped dramatically. "Let me tell you that this claw-some body is more suitable for cold weather."

"I'm not in the mood to play some games, Chat." she groaned, and when she turned around to face him, she saw that her Kitty wasn't in the mood either.

In fact, his uncanny green eyes were telling her that he was downright worried.

She shivered when his dark gloved hand brushed her locks lightly then parted it to reveal the blush she was damn well sure it wasn't due to her fever.

"You're not supposed to be here," she muttered, covering half of her face with blankets. "You'll get sick."

The feline hero chuckled. "What kind of Knight am I to abandon a Purr-incess who needs my su-purr-ior paw-tection?"

Her eye twitched irritably. "You and your puns are making my fever worse."

"Aww, but I'm here to make sure you're safe from harm." he smiled warmly as he caressed her face. "Have you taken your medicines?"

She chewed her lips as she mulled over "An hour ago, I believe."

"So you have three more hours to take your next dose. How about your meals? Have you taken your breakfast? Oh wait, you need some citrus intakes. Do you like oranges? How about apples? I've heard it keeps the doctors away."

"Beondegi." the girl whispered beneath her sheets.

"What is it, Princess? I know Ps and Ms are difficult to pronounce but - "

"Beondegi," she said it loudly. "The fried one. It's ah, erm, Korean food."

"Oh. Is it spicy? Because spicy may be good to clear out your nasal passage, but it may also cause some throat irritation and..."

She shook her head dumbly. No way she could ask him a favor on something that was considered gross by many.

Chat Noir gave her a bewildered look. "Hey, don't give that cat-itude like I just bullied your pet - "

An angry snarl from the stairs interrupted him.

"Okay, maybe I bullied your pet. A bit."

She scowled at his sly taunts.

"But what I'm saying is, don't get mad at me for having some concerns about your well-being." the hero continued. "Don't sulk there, Princess. You know I only want what's best for you."

"I'm not sulking."

"Yes you are, ma minette." he pulled down the sheet that was covering her mouth. "Aww, and you're pouting too. So cute~"

Her pout deepens. "I'm not your kitten."

"You are. I can even groom you right now." the black-clad hero stifled a laugh when the designer squirmed away. "Okay. How many beondegis do you want?"

This perked Marinette up for a moment. "Do you know what beondegi is?"

"Uhm, no? But I can look it up. Is it expensive or - "

"No, no, no, no! Don't search it! It's fine!" she yelped when she hastily sat up and triggered her dizzy spells.

The feline hero immediately caught her then reclined her back warily to the headboard. "Whoa, careful there Princess! Don't be so cat-astic, okay? I paw-mise I'll buy them fur mew."

"Are you sure?"

The sparkles on her bluebell eyes earned a lop-sided grin. "Paw-sitive."

When she scrunched her nose, he grabbed a tissue box then handed it to her. After she plucked a few pieces, she covered her nose for a good sneeze.

"God bless you." was all he could say.

"Sorry, Chat." she apologized meekly. "And thanks. I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

"Pssh, you can keep the money. Your happiness is enough..." his voice trailed off when he saw her clock. "Oh, crap! I am over break for five minutes!"

Her brows furrowed on his panic state. "Don't tell me you're not supposed to be here, Kitty?"

"Well, when a birdie notified me that you're sick today, all I could think of was to see you immediately." he blushed as he rubbed his neck. "So I may or may not asked someone for a toilet break to come here...?"

"That must be a long toilet break, Chat." she deadpanned.

"I know right?"

The raven-haired girl waved her hand. "Leave now, you silly cat, before they could skin you chop."

"I don't know if I already told you this." Chat Noir reached for a strand of her dark hair then kissed it. "I like it when you let your hair down, Marinette."

Boy, was her fever went up to forty-ish there.

"I'll be back before you know it, Princess." he winked then left.

Chat Blanc poked his head to check if the coast was clear before his entire body could emerge from the stairs.

"You do really hate Blackey, don't you?" Marinette shook her head exasperatedly then patted the space beside her. "Come here, kitty kitty."

The cat obeyed her with no questions asked.

A few hours later, she was roused up for her medicine.

"There's a plate of cheese crackers and cookies here in case you feel hungry," Sabine told her. "I'll be leaving your trapdoor open so that you can call me if you need something else."

"Yes, Maman."

Marinette couldn't sleep after that.

She tried to get up and do some sketches but her body was too groggy to cooperate. Inspiration be damned, she pulled out some fashion magazines and checked some runway shows from her tablet but her nagging migraine would force her to shut her eyes closed. She opened her phone to read some text messages from her friends, only to decide not to reply them until the end of their class.

Lying on her bed, she could feel the heavy purrs of her cat that was sprawling on her side. She also heard small clutterings from Tikki as she munched her treats on her bedside table. The bustling sound of Parisian traffic outside, the chirpings of the birds that perched on her window sill...

And the silent footsteps from her balcony made her smile.

'Silly Kitty.' she bemused mentally. 'He doesn't know how to keep his priorities straight.'

The designer feigned ignorance and acted like she was sleeping when her skylight swung open. By that time, she knew her kwami already hid somewhere safe so she was a bit complacent when her visitor landed on all fours.

Chat Blanc unfurled himself from his Master's side then gave the said visitor an unwelcome growl.

"This is not for you, Whitey." the deep voice scoffed then hissed "Don't eat that, Plagg!"

Plug?

When Marinette opened her eyes then turned around, she didn't expect to be greeted by a different pair of green hues.

The designer immediately sat bolt upright.

"A - A - A - Adrien?!"