Marinette stood by her open window and stared out into the night. It was almost time for her nightly patrol with Cat Noir. She fought it for a long time, but she had to admit they made a great team. It had been a few years now that they'd been working alongside one another, and he'd grown on her. At first, she found him annoying and problematic, but slowly over time he'd wormed his way in and found a place in her heart. She could now say to herself that patrolling wouldn't be the same without him. She'd never tell him that, though. It would go straight to his head and he'd never let her live it down. Marinette snuck through her window dressed as her alter ego Ladybug, and made her way through the bushes that lined her home. She had no idea why she still snuck around, she lived alone after all, but there was something nostalgic about climbing through her open window to head out on patrol. Picking her way through dark alleys, Marinette halted as she reached their usual meeting spot. As usual, he was late. She tapped her foot impatiently on the ground. The sound was the only noise to be heard in the dark corridor of the alley.

"Ladybug, miss me?" She had to stifle a scream as he snuck up on her. She'd have thought she'd be used to his feline ways by now, but he never failed to catch her off guard. Sneaking up on her had clearly become his favorite game.

"Like I miss the bubonic plague," she cracked back in annoyance. Truthfully, she missed his lame jokes and easy air in her daily life. Things would happen to her sometimes, and she couldn't wait until she could tell him all about it.

"Ah, you wound me, my lady." He put a hand to his heart as if she'd shattered it into pieces. Marinette rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip.

"Are you ready to patrol or should we stand here talking?" He stretched his arms over his head, and she watched as his pitch black suit moved along with his body. His strong, muscular arms flexed under the tight fabric and she could just make out the rising swell of his abs. Why was she even looking? He was a goofball and nothing more than her patrol partner.

"Let's go Ms. Grumpy Pants." He flashed her a killer smile and started strolling towards the end of the alley. She moved to catch up with him, still lost in her thoughts. She had slowly begun to take notice of him lately, and it drove her crazy. Especially because her affection lie elsewhere. After years of pining after Adrien, Marinette still couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt about him. What began as a schoolgirl crush had developed into some pretty serious feelings. Her best friend, Alya, tried to be supportive and give her the confidence she needed to tell him, but once she found herself face to face with him the words just wouldn't come. "Is there something on your mind?" She looked up and saw Cat Noir raise an eyebrow. He always saw right through her.

"No, nothing important." She offered nothing else, and she saw him reach up and scratch his head in confusion.

"You just seem really distracted tonight. Are you sure nothing's going on?" He tiptoed around her trying to brighten her mood, but she still had a surly look on her face. Even frowning, she was beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to know who she was in her daily life. What she did and who she knew. What she did for a living. He was teetering on obsessed with her, and he knew he probably didn't hide it very well. He didn't care that he didn't know her true identity, he was still falling in love with her. Had started to fall in love with her since the day he met her all those years ago.

"I promise, I'm fine. Let's just patrol and go home. I'm feeling kind of tired." She knew she was being a downer right now, but thinking about how much time she'd wasted not telling Adrien how she felt about him always depressed her. She'd had a thing for him since school, and now that they were adults, her attraction had grown stronger. He was everything she could possibly want in another person, and she saw the world in his pure green eyes. They walked along the street in silence, and she appreciated that Cat Noir knew her well enough by now to know when she needed some quiet space. At times, not even Alya knew her that well and they'd been best friends for years.

"Stop it, let me go!" Marinette and Cat looked at one another and rushed into a passing alley where the screaming was coming from. They saw a young woman being pinned against the wall by a hulking man as he fumbled with the button of her pants.

"Now, now, I believe the lady said to stop." Cat Noir tapped the man on the back of the head, and the man spun around to face him. Marinette rushed to the woman and helped her to her feet, leading her to the opening of the alley. The woman thanked her before running off.

"You guys? Seriously?" He laughed deep in his belly and rolled his neck. It was true that there probably wasn't a single person in Paris who didn't know them by now. They'd been major heroes over the years, and it was a wonder why this man wasn't running for his life by now if he knew their track record. He lunged at Cat Noir only to find Cat standing behind him within seconds.

"You're going to have to be faster than that," Cat laughed, dodging punches. Marinette stood off to the side watching him when she should have been helping him. She couldn't help herself. Seeing him so carefree and having fun on patrol was beginning to pull her from her bad mood. She found herself cracking a smile, and felt a flood of affection wash over her. There were times when she wondered if she could forget Adrien to share something with Cat. She knew he had a thing for her. He wasn't very secretive about it. She'd shared a lot with him in all this time, and she had to admit that he wasn't unpleasant. He was kind and cheerful, and he never failed to liven things up. True, he could be a little intense at times, but it was part of his charm. She wanted to know who he truly was, but never went through with the big reveal because it felt like a nice secret between them. Something that might disappear if they knew each other's true identities.

"Need any help," she finally asked. He glanced over at her with a gleam in his bright green eyes. She knew he was having fun, playing with his prey as if he were an actual cat.

"I think I can handle this one." She watched as he went in for the kill and knocked the man out in one swift movement just as the man lunged at him. Cat dusted his hands off and looked down at the large man three times his size lying in a heap on the ground. "Did you see that? He actually thought he had a chance."

Adrien looked at Ladybug and smiled. He saw a smirk on her face and knew that whatever had been bothering her earlier was pushed aside for the moment. He pounced on the opportunity and scooped her up in his arms, spinning around.

"Put me down, Cat," she squealed, but laughed. God, he loved the sound of her laughter. It was crystalline and clear, like beautifully carved glass. He stood her back up on her feet, and she clutched at his shoulders as she struggled to stand upright after being spun around in circles. He suppressed a shiver he felt coming at the feeling of her hands on him. Even as innocent as the touch was, he wanted more than anything for her to touch him with intention.

"Let's go, little ladybug." He hooked his arm through hers and they left the alley. They spent another hour patrolling before deciding to call it a night. He turned towards her and looked her in her pale eyes. "Until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow." Marinette watched as he jumped up onto an awning and disappeared behind a building. He moved so fluidly, as if he weren't a human being at all. She began the walk back towards her own home, yawning. She hadn't lied about being tired. She didn't sleep much the night before. After patrol she'd lay there wide awake and unable to sleep. Thoughts of Adrien had kept her up as they usually did. It was time to admit that she had insomnia. Insomnia brought on by a pining heart. She knew she needed to get some sleep because Adrien would be coming over in the morning for coffee and donuts like he did every Sunday morning. It was their little ritual that she cherished above all else. She often dreamed about sharing a morning with him after a long night of lovemaking. Not that it would ever happen, but a girl could dream.

Marinette made it back home and crawled in through the open window. She put on her pajamas and slipped into bed thinking about her warring feelings between Adrien and Cat. There were things about them both that she loved and things she disliked. It wasn't until recently that she'd started seeing Cat differently, though. She'd been yearning for Adrien for most of her formative years on into adulthood. But, who knew her better? Who could truly make her happy? She sighed as she rolled over onto her side in bed and stared at the wall. It was going to be another long night of her brain picking itself apart if she didn't do something about it. She sat up and opened her bedside table. Rummaging around, she found the sleep aids she'd bought weeks ago and had yet to try. Tonight she needed it. She felt drained and void of feeling from the pure exhaustion. She punched out a pill and swallowed it before lying back down onto her pillow. Sleep would come tonight, even if it was medication-induced. She looked at the ceiling of her bedroom and counted down from one hundred until she finally fell asleep at forty-three.