No one ever really asked how he was, his friends did, but he didn't fully feel he could tell them everything. The only person he could truly open up to was Ladybug. There was only one other person that he felt was beginning to open up his walls-Marinette. That scared him. So he wrote about it. Writing about his feelings- everything calmed him. It gave him an outlet to feel. He wouldn't keep his letters because his father would find them and he didn't want to know how that'd go. He couldn't write in his room because he didn't feel safe there. The only place he truly felt comfortable was the Eiffel Tower, ironically. And everyone would question why Adrien Agreste was on the top of the Eiffel Tower, but no one would question why Chat Noir was. Starting his letters off with Dear Journal or Dear Nobody was cliché and somehow made him feel lonelier. He'd write to the emotion he was feeling right then. It would be a conversation between himself at that emotion.

Often he would picture the interaction and somehow he always ended up in a coffee shop with a basic representation of the emotion. It worked. And when he was done, he'd always feel lighter. The paper he'd written on would then be transformed into something that represented that emotion right there- a paper airplane, beautiful and free. And he'd let it go, watching it as it picked upwind, carrying itself over the city below.

But today was something different. He was scared, but an interesting kind of scared. He was scared to mess up- to ruin his relationship with Marinette- their friendship. He was feeling so much, but he hardly ever wrote to an emotion that he wanted to feel.

First time for everything, he thought.

Dear Patience, he wrote. Can we share a drink and let go of the pressure?

And then they were.

"Take a seat," he offered, anxious to finally have this conversation.

Patience raised her eyebrows, gently setting her purse on the coffee table, "You made me say it, but be patient, Adrien. I'm getting there." Patience wasn't old, the opposite, and she just about had everything going on with her. She looked like an angel, blond-hair cut into a short bob and a white dress that resembled fluffy clouds that billowed around her. She almost resembled his mother. Her tea sat in front of her, steam rising, but she paid it no attention. Sitting down, she made herself comfortable before turning to Adrien.

"What's wrong?" Before he could answer she mentioned, "You know, I never get any letters, at least not as much as Love or Hatred- Hate for short. He hates when people call him 'Hatred'," Adrien nodded, he'd figure that one out the first time he wrote to Hate.

"It's just that no one ever wants Patience. They don't want to wait for anything. They want it now. So I appreciate that you've called me. I'm curious to hear about your situation."

"Yea, it's just the last time we talked seemed like forever, or never. Lately, it's been just me and the stars, and we get lonely. I've been lonely for so long,"

"Oh, Adrien, I hope there's a 'but' in there somewhere." Patience said hopefully. There was, "I met someone," she broke into a wide smile, "Tell me, tell me!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Patience," she rolled her eyes, "Well I didn't really meet her, I've known her quite a long time. We're friends-"

"Only the best types of stories. Oh, sorry, continue, continue."

"If I tell you this, pour my heart out, can you keep this promise?"

Patience nodded, "Say what you need to say."

"Her name is Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And I think I'm in love with her."

"Think?"

"I don't want to jump to conclusions, which is why I need your help. I need you, Patience. I don't know what I'm doing. I fall too fast- that's why I did with Ladybug, and I go down blazing. I don't want to do that with Marinette. I don't want to rush this or mess it up. I don't even know how she feels," he trailed off.

"Just tell me what you know, Adrien. I'll be here."

He ran a hand through his hair, "Marinette and I were never really close, we got off on the wrong foot the first time we met. She thought I put gum on her seat, but it was all just a big misunderstanding. I told her the truth one day in the rain,"

"So romantic," Patience commented. Adrien smiled briefly. "After that, we became friends, but it felt more like acquaintances. Her best friend was dating my best friend so we were always around each other." He grinned, remembering the first time he and Marinette had ever truly hung out just the two of them. "One day when we were third-wheeling with Alya and Nino as usual- it still felt awkward. Marinette could never really talk around me, she'd always stutter and get really nervous. No one would tell me why, and I couldn't ever understand why-"

Patience gasped, "What?" he asked. Patience shook her head, laughing slightly, "Nothing, nothing. I'll tell you later, keep going."

"All of a sudden, Alya turned back and had this mischievous look in her eyes. I had no idea what it meant. Then suddenly the two of them were gone, rushing off with the "we need alone time" excuse. And then it was just me and Marinette."

"You and Marinette," Patience repeated.

"Me and Marinette. But then there was an akuma attack."

Patience didn't seem at all like her namesake at this point, "I wanna strangle who ever's in charge of those, but we're going to be calm." She took a deep breath.

He chuckled, "But when we heard the destruction, I can't even remember what the akumas was, but Marinette took my hand," he couldn't help blushing, "and she dragged me to this park. She pulled us behind a bush- which isn't exactly the safest place- and she told me, to stay there. That sounds insignificant, but it was the way she said it so earnestly, it was a total 180 from her usual personality. She made me promise her that I'd stay there. I might have broken that promise immediately after she left because I'm-"

"You're Chat Noir." Patience finished for him.

"How did you-?"

Patience beamed, "You forget I'm apart of you, Adrien. I'm your emotion."

He bit his lip, "Forgot about that," he paused before resuming, "When the akuma attack was over, it was a tough one that day, still can't remember what it was, except that Marinette came back. She was out of breath, as was I, rushing to detransform and come back there. The minute she saw me though, her face brightened like a thousand suns. She said she'd been so worried and then she hugged me. I didn't know what to do because one, this was Marinette, and two because I never really received much affection from anyone."

Patience nodded at him, understanding the history there. "So then what happened?"

"I-I hugged her back. It was the most wonderful feeling ever. Maybe it was that it showed someone was watching out for me, or that someone really cared. It's still the strangest thing to think that Marinette cared and worried about me-"

Patience groaned, "What?" Adrien questioned, she waved him off.

"I never knew where she went that day, but the fact that she came back was everything. That was when it started, I just didn't recognize it till recently. We started hanging out more, and even though it was awkward at first, it eventually became so easy. I could be myself with her, and I got to learn and know the true her." He beamed and it wasn't even voluntary.

"You love her," Patience observed.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck but didn't answer. A part of him was already aware that Patience was right.

"But you love Ladybug too," Patience pointed out, "What about her?"

Adrien frowned, that was an issue that he had come to terms about, "I do love Ladybug. I think a part of me always will because she's my first love. But Marinette is everything. Ladybug and I can only be so close, and I understand her logic now. It would too risk if we were to know our identities. But Marinette and I can be so much more, I can feel it."

"So why don't you tell her how you feel?"

Adrien nearly fell out of his chair, "One, I don't know how she feels, and two is the reason why I asked for your help today."

"Which is?"

"I need you. I need patience because I feel like I'm going to mess this all up. With Ladybug it was an immediate attraction that grew into admiration and love. I confessed early on and was rejected. It devastated me. Now, I recognize that I was the one standing in the way of Ladybug and I's friendship, which means the world to me. I think I put a lot of pressure on her to reciprocate my feelings and that's why she kept me at an arm's length for such a long time. She didn't want to hurt me, which still makes me appreciate her so much."

"And Marinette?" Patience now sipped her tea with a casualty, it had finally cooled down.

"Falling for Marinette was slow. It was like pushing a snowball down a hill. It started out slow, built up and crashed into me." he laughed at his analogy, "but then it happened. I don't know what to do, Patience. I haven't told Marinette anything and I may have been avoiding her this past couple of days," he trailed off.

"Adrien!" Patience chastised.

He held up his hands in defense, "I know, bad idea. But every time I see her I wanna tell her that I love-," he caught himself, "that I care for her. I don't want to freak her out though, I don't want to lose her. She means the world to me."

"What do you want me to do?" Patience looked him in the eye, ready.

"Help me not to rush things with this girl, please. Give me patience because I don't want to screw this up again. I'm so anxious right now, but do you hear what I'm saying?"

She did. He was a boy terrified of ruining a perfectly crafted relationship. He honestly had nothing to worry about, it was obvious the girl felt the same about him, long before he even had, but she'd tell him that later.

"I want you to help me wait till it's the right time to tell her. Gosh, I'm terrified of messing this up."

"You won't. I'll help you. I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about. I think Marinette like-"

"The way you make time disappear." Adrien was scrambling out of his chair, he should be heading home now.

"Do you have to leave?" She seemed disheartened but understanding.

"My father-"

Patience waved him off, "No need to explain. I'm betting all my stars on you, Adrien."

He nodded, "You'll show your face?"

"I'll show my face. It'll take time, but I'll be there, just you wait."

"So many puns," he joked, but grew solemn, "I hope that I find you."

She set her cup of tea on the table, empty, waving daintly, "When you find me, you'll know. The timing will be perfect. "

Sincerely, Adrien, he wrote.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, it was no surprise he felt lighter and happier. The latter was a new one. Folding the corners of his letter and its sides, within moments it became a paper airplane. Standing, Chat Noir pulled his arm back and threw the plane, watching as it wavered slightly before picking upwind, and soaring over the Paris skyline. Without a backward glance, he vaulted off the tower, heading back to his house.

Marinette was bored, but lying on her bed staring at the ceiling was not helping. She tried calling Alya but she was with Nino and suggested she call Adrien, with a flirtiness Marinette pretended not to hear. Adrien and her were friends, best friends at that, and even though she wanted to be more, she accepted where they were. Maybe if she was patient, something would happen someday. But she was happy with where they were. Adrien, on the other hand, seemed to be avoiding her. She didn't want to press but he seemed anxious the last time she had seen him. Chat too, seemed to have a lot on his mind lately whenever they organized patrols. Although worried, she figured both boys would tell her when they were ready.

And now she was too far in her thoughts.

But not deep enough to notice the paper airplane that had momentarily sailed into her bedroom through her open window. It was carefully crafted and Marinette could see the beginnings of a note or letter scrawled on it. Crawling off her bed, she reached to pick it up from its landing spot.

With the airplane in her hands, she carefully unfolded the plane confirming it to be some sort of letter. Inscribed was handwriting she had seen before but couldn't exactly identify.

Taking a seat back on her bed, Marinette flattened the paper, making it easier to interpret. The folds in the sheet had smeared some of the writing.

And then she began to read.

Dear Patience,