The rest of the week was unbearable. Adrien spent his nights either too restless to sleep or too plagued by nightmares to get any good rest, which meant that he was falling asleep during his lessons, off his usual game during his extracurricular activities, and down right on edge when ever he could sneak time to work on the literature project with Marinette.

Any sudden movement or loud sound or uneasy feeling had him jumping from his seat. Adrien felt like he was going crazy. Realistically, he knew that there was little to no chance that she would be put in danger, but for some reason he just couldn't help the protective urges that he felt for his friend- whatever he was feeling for her (he still couldn't quite put a name to it) had him tightly wound to a point where it was effecting every single aspect of his life.

On the other hand, anytime that he had found to sneak over to her house as Chat left him feeling relaxed and blissful- it was as though her very presence was the key to his sanity. Why was it that just watching her sew or complete homework or laugh could put him at such ease?

Those were the nights that he felt the best.

When he couldn't sneak over to see her, Adrien would just pace his room as the dread in his stomach twisted into a tight ball. He had just seen her earlier that day- she was fine- he knew that Marinette was safe- he still couldn't get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

"Hey- Adrien- You need to calm down, kid. You're no use to anyone running on no sleep." Plagg pleaded with him on Friday night. "Please, just please try and get some rest. You're meeting Marinette at the park in the morning to work on that project, right? It's almost midnight- will you please try and get some sleep?"

The teen continued his pacing for a few minutes contemplating what the small god had suggested. Eventually he slowed and turned to his smallest friend before nodding. He really was running on fumes and he could feel the itch of his over-tired eyes. Paris would be in trouble if he couldn't keep up his superhero duties. Shedding his clothes, Adrien made his way slowly towards the large empty bed and then crawled in.

Plagg flew around the room to switch off the lights before he squeezed his way in beside his chosen one and nuzzled the boy's cheek.

"Thanks buddy... I know I've been tweaking this week... do you think I'll ever snap out of it? Has this ever happened with other Noir's?" Adrien's small voice broke through the silence of the cavernous room. He could feel a small twitch from the small being that could have passed for a shrug.

"Most of my chosen's haven't had this issue before. Either they were so enamored with their Ladybug or else they were married to the civilian and were able to watch out for them most, if not all, of the time." A small huff of air breezed onto his neck before Plagg continued, "I'm just hoping that your anxiety over it lessens with some time..."

"Yeah... me too... Maybe you're right and I should just get some sleep and see how it feels tomorrow at the park." The young man snuggled farther into his bed and tried not to think about if he'd have another nightmare or not. Instead, his thoughts trailed to the look of peaceful concentration that Marinette had when she was working on a new design, to the feeling of contentment that he felt as she hummed a tune, and to the way her eyes shone and glimmered in the starlight.

And before he knew it, morning had come and he was grumbling to Plagg about having to get up and moving for the day. Adrien had to admit that he did feel better getting a few hours worth of sleep without any interruptions- he had to consciously not think about the past weeks dreams- but he felt like he had a firmer grip on reality.

Of course Marinette wasn't in danger- there hadn't been an actual Akuma attack in weeks now- and if there was one soon, what were the odds that his friend would be caught up in the middle of it? He just had to let himself relax and everything would be fine.

It was with this freshly optimistic view that the model got himself ready, packed up his study supplies, and left to meet the bluenette at the park.

The weather was beautiful for a crisp fall morning- the sound of crunching leaves beneath his feet accompanied his short walk- the smell of coffee filtered out through a cafe's doorway as other pedestrians entered.

As he veered off into the park, all Adrien could think about was what a good day he was having- the best he's felt since that terrifying dream- and he couldn't help the small smile that worked it's way onto his lips as his eyes caught sight of the girl that he couldn't get out of his head.

She was hunched over her sketchbook. Her tongue was poking out a little bit as her eyes traced the pattern that her pencil was flowing across the page. Her hair shone in the uncharacteristically bright sunshine and his eyes traced the way her pigtail curved along her neck.

Adrien's breath caught as a thought occurred to him: Marinette was beautiful.

He had known that she was pretty- anyone with eyes knew that his classmate was pretty- and her personality only helped to enhance her pretty features... for some reason he just hadn't looked closer. But here she was... and she was stunning. How had he missed it before?

As if by some connecting force alerting her to his presence, Marinette's head snapped up and her astonishingly blue eyes locked onto his own and he was irrevocably drawn to her.

Adrien's legs moved him forward slowly as he dazedly gazed upon her- he watched as her face broke into a large grin, her eyes sparkling- and his heart skipped out of rhythm.

He couldn't believe that he had never seen her like this before. Even the way she stood up swiftly, clutching her sketches to her chest, and flipping a pigtail over her shoulder was appealing to him. Is this why he had been freaking out this week? Had he begun to see her as more than just one of his good friends?

With mind spinning, he tried his best to form a greeting, "H-hi Mari-"

The loud crash of a crumbling building cut off the words and his head whipped around to stare in shock as another blast ripped through a fountain.

Of course- the luck of a black cat- how could he have forgotten.

Without pausing to think, Adrien turned away from the destruction and grasped Marinette's hand which was hanging loosely by her side. The only thing he could focus on was finding a good spot, far enough away from the akuma, that he could hide her and that she would be safe.

"I- um- uh- I should probably get t-to the bakery so I-I can let my parents know I'm s-safe." He turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide and filled with panic- his stomach sank with the knowledge that she was scared- he vaguely thought that he needed to find a place to transform- Ladybug would be there soon.

"No." He couldn't let her wander the streets with an Akuma on the loose. Too dangerous. He wouldn't be there to protect her. He needed to find a place to hide her.

"W-what?" She looked so small, so uncertain. He couldn't let her get hurt.

"It's too dangerous. You're always running off- I-I need to know you're safe." He felt the pull of her hand as she stopped. His steps stuttered and he nearly tripped over a tree root as he looked back at her incredulous face.

"Adrien- I'll be fine. It's not like this is the first attack that Paris has ever seen." Marinette's hand slipped through his fingers just as her safety slipped out of his grasp. She wasn't going to listen to him and she wasn't going to let him find her a safe place. "I-I need to go Adrien- I'm sorry!"

He watched her retreating form as she ran off towards the ensuing battle and his mind flashed back to the image of his nightmare. If she wasn't going to hide, then he had to make sure that the akuma didn't make it anywhere near her. He would just have to take it out before she was put into any actual danger.

Diving into a bank of bushes, Adrien called for Plagg to transform him and raced his way after his friend and towards the threat. He caught sight of the twin pig tails of the bluenette bobbing and weaving through the crowds of people fleeing the scene.

It was with a shock of anger that Chat noticed that the small girl was making he way not towards the bakery, but towards the collapsing building and danger. How was he supposed to protect her if she was actively putting herself into the thick of it?

His heart sank as the construction-themed akuma roared and swung his wrecking ball at another building... one that happened to be located above the alley that Marinette was currently dashing towards. Chat was already moving- his legs and lungs ached with the speed and ferocity at which he was making his way towards her- this was too similar to what he had dreamed. This was too much for him.

The large metal ball struck true- glass shattered and rained down- concrete broke apart as though it were wet sand- and Chat flung himself uselessly forwards just trying to get to her in time.

He saw Marinette stumble as her head shipped up towards the sound of the impact, eyes wide and mouth parted in shock, and then he was on her. Wrapping her small frame into the cocoon of his suit-protected arms, Chat used his momentum to propel them into the safety of the alley. He felt the sting of baseball sized concrete slamming into his back as he sheltered her below him.

Her sharp gasps of shock, as he continued to endure the pounding of the debris, kept him grounded. Each hit was getting more painful as the magic of the suit was wearing down but he couldn't move- he had to make sure that she was okay.

"Oh Chat," her eyes were steady on his and he noticed a small wince each new time something struck his back. He couldn't tell where the akuma had gone, but at least it seemed to move on from this block of buildings- maybe Ladybug had finally got here and was working on distracting it.

The pain was getting worse. The debris stopped falling. The dust filtered through the air in a large plume of smoke making it hard for him to breathe.

Slowly, Chat was able to push himself back up onto his feet; his back ached and walking was difficult but Marinette was safe- she was advancing towards him, tears in her eyes, and reaching out to try and steady him.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you." The words hissed out of him as his anger finally surpassed his fear. "I told you I was worried about you being hurt... and here you were running toward the danger." Her mouth flapped uselessly as she tried to come up with something to say.

His voice came out in a low whine, "How am I supposed to keep you safe if you're working against me?" Her face was swimming in and out of focus- he could hear the screams of Paris' civilians fading into the distance- he was falling forward and everything went black.

"Kid!" A small voice broke into Adrien's mind. "Kid, you have to wake up- we have to get out of here-" He didn't want to wake up for school yet; he was so tired. "C'mon Adrien, please kid, we need to move!" The hissed words accompanied by a quick pinch on his cheek had him shooting up.

"Wha-?" Plagg flew up and covered Adrien's mouth before he could say anything else. Looking around the room, he noticed that he wasn't where he thought he should be. Wasn't he in an alley way? How did he get here? Where was here?

His mind was frantically trying to catch up with the pounding force of his heart. He needed to focus. He was on a couch- a familiar couch- not the one in his own room. What else? Pink- there was a lot of pink! Smell... it smelled like cookies and... bread! Marinette? Was he at the bakery?

Why was he sleeping at the bakery? Why wasn't he transformed? What had happened with the akuma? He flicked worried eyes towards his kwami- what was going on?

The small god swished his head back and forth, squinting his green eyes behind Adrien's head. When he turned to look, all he saw was Marinette's very occupied bed. Shit- he really needed to get out of here.

"Any energy to transform, buddy?" His whispered words felt like a knife in a balloon and his heart clenched in fear as the small cat shook his head in the negative. "Great... Okay, sneaking out it is."

Gathering as much courage, and steadying himself against the sudden wooziness of standing up, Adrien silently tip-toed towards the hatch that would lead down into the Dupain-Cheng household. A small snore from the bed behind him had his body freezing in an instant.

A few seconds later, he felt comfortable enough to creep his way down the steps and away from his sleeping classmate. Another terrifying 5 minutes of trying to navigate their home in the dark and Adrien made it out through the back door. Breathing in the cool night air, he took off in a sprint towards his home.

He couldn't sneak into the mansion and so had a very awkward time trying to explain to Nathalie why he was getting home at 3 in the morning. She gave him a stern look and decided against letting his father know anything about it as long as he didn't complain about being tired the next day- he happily agreed just for the fact that it got him into the safety of his own bedroom quicker.

Plagg flew out as soon as the door was shut tight and went straight to his cheese. Adrien tried to be patient, but his mind was still reeling trying to fill in the gaps from the alley way to Marinette's bedroom- he asked the kawami, calmly, what the hell happened.

"I'm sorry kid- I held the transformation as long as I could- those rocks took a lot out of me trying to keep you safe." Small flecks of cheese sprayed out around his words. "Didn't know you'd pass out- heard Ladybug take care of the akuma- she helped get you to Marinette's to rest. I really held it as long as I could... the girl was asleep by the time my powers let go so no one saw you." His green cat eyes connected morosely with his own. "I was worried about you kid- I didn't think you'd ever wake up."

Adrien walked over to his magical companion and scooped him up before bringing him to his cheek. "I was worried too Plagg... I guess I completely lost it today, huh? Some hero of Paris I am..." He couldn't help the shame that was working it's way up through his chest- he'd let down everyone today.

"No kid, you saved that girl today... I can't tell you anything more important that you could have done." Plagg poked a small appendage into the soft tissue of his cheek. "You ran on your instincts and you made the right call. I am so proud of you."

Adrien's chin wobbled as he suddenly found it hard to speak. He thought about Marinette and how frightened she had looked as the building came down around her- he thought about how beautiful she looked in the early morning rays of sun- and he thought about how thankful he was to be Chat, if only for the fact that he was able to be there to protect her today. He didn't think about what might have happened if he hadn't gotten to her in time.