Shandy: Reviews!

wolfrunnerable: Well, he's new at this. First time for everything, let the cinnamon roll have his moment.

Alexandra Elf: Warning was in the description! *splashes water on face* But thanks for the compliment! I love writting fluff :3 Also, you might want to wait until you've recovered before you read the end of this chapter and the next chapter. More fluff is on the way!

Candy: Enjoy the chapter!

2973659726597365792637959365723659726375936597236597637569236579236

A couple days later, Adrien was worse.

Six. Six different crimes that he had stopped last night. 20 crimes stopped in total over the last almost-week since he had started. The idea of violence being used in a non-defensive way was slowly settling in his mind.

Painfully slow.

He had never thought that he would have to do anything violent that wasn't defensive, and yet, here he was. The police had nicknamed him as Night's Warriors because they weren't entirely sure about him (or his group- they honestly thought he could be a group of people when all sightings only reported one person). Thank heavens it was being kept a secret from the press for the most part.

"Dude!" Nino sighed. "You look worse than you have all week! Did ya catch something? Maybe you should go back home-"

"I'm fine, Nino. I just haven't been sleeping well." Adrien gave Nino a forced smile before laying his head back down on the desk.

It was really bothering him. Some of the people he had sent to the Police, he had to draw blood in order to do it. The only blood that was seen was from them accidentally hurting themselves or bloody noses. The images that he had never really seen before (he had never been one for violent shows) haunted his dreams, and it only made him more sleep-deprived.

It irked him. So badly.

How was he ever going to get a good night's sleep ever again? With those visions in his head? Of what he had done, even if he was doing it for a good cause.

Then Marinette walked into the room. She looked hesitant, but determined. He felt awed to see her so determined. It made him feel more awake, and he also found it easier to smile.

"Hey, Mari." Adrien said, partly (mostly) half-asleep. "You look great! Like, amazing!"

"Why, thank you, Adrien!" She beamed at him, and then she tilted her head in slight confusion. "Are you okay? You look like you could fall asleep on the dot."

"I just haven't been sleeping well." Adrien brushed off. "Honestly, I'm just glad that everyone is doing better than me."

"Dudette, what's got you so upbeat today anyway?" Nino asked.

"Oh." Marinette blinked, and then blushed adorably, suddenly becoming shy. She pushed her two index-fingers together. "I finally decided on something for… one of my designs! Yeah! It's going to be awesome!"

"That's great, Mari!" Adrien smiled like a goof. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful! I can't to see it!" Marinette mumbled a thank-you and moved to her seat. Nino shook his head a bit.

"You've got it bad, bro." Nino admitted.

"Got what bad?" Adrien asked, looking at his friend curiously. He could feel the exhaustion creeping in again.

"Nothing, bro. Nothing at all."

02626739569276357963975267965736592637956732659723659723659763795236

That night was different from the others.

He would often glance at Marinette's balcony to check up on her (he hadn't even touched her balcony since she had told him to go away), and normally, there was absolutely nothing left out.

This time, however, an open notepad and a plate of macaroons were sitting out in the open. He stealthily traveled closer to investigate- he was a curious being, after all.

Well, the plate and notepad weren't exactly all by themselves. Hiding poorly with a (clearly) black blanket wrapped around her, she was watching everything around her. If she hadn't been hiding so plainly, he would've smelled her out instead.

He traveled as close to her as he dared. Marinette had told Chat to stay away. Was this a test of his word or something like that? He had told her that he would leave her alone.

Maybe something else was visiting her? He nearly hissed in displeasure.

So he stayed and watched her for as long as he dared. No one came, and at one in the morning she sighed sadly, gathered everything up, and went to bed.

And it happened again the next night, only with Snickerdoodle cookies and a thermos with hot-chocolate.

And the night after that.

And the night after that.

Each and every night for a week and a half, she brought treats out and hid behind her lawnchair. Waiting. Watching.

'What is she thinking?' He thought to himself one night. He was sitting on top of her chimney, watching as she looked around anxiously, no longer trying to hide. Hit ears twitched at every sound that they heard. Marinette was messing with her bell. It rang softly in his ears.

He was so tempted to go down there and ask her what was up, but he was a Hafukyatto of his word, and he would hold that to the grave.

The next night, she wasn't there.

Not just not on the balcony, but she wasn't in her room. He sniffed the air- he could tell her presence had left the bakery about 10 minutes before he came to check on it.

'Maybe she's having a sleepover with some of her friends.' He thought to himself. He was getting antsy though- what if something else had happened?

Trying not to worry too much about it, he ignored his paranoia and began his patrol through the night.

He was on his way home, at around 12:56 AM, when he heard a scuffle of sorts in one of the alleys by Marinette's house.

He landed on a rooftop to see what was going on (did anyone really need saving, or was it just another stray dog?), and when he saw it his hair stood on end and he snarled.

How. Dare. He.

Acting on instinct (as he found was easier when fighting the petty criminals of Paris instead of going in logically with a plan), he extended his staff and hit the poor idiot in the gut, sending him flying into the wall. He landed in front of her, not glancing behind him. He didn't need to look behind him to know that it was Marinette who was the victim this time. Yes, he had seen her due to night vision, but he could smell her too. He had foolishly thought that it was more smell from Marinette's family bakery instead of his princess in need.

His tail swished to and fro behind him tensely, his baton growing into its normal (sword length) size as he got into a defensive position, a hiss cutting through the air. He heard a gasp from behind him.

"Who the f*** do you think you are?" The tall, lanky and strong, man said, glaring at Chat. "She's my prey for the week. Go find yourself some other b**** to f***.

He didn't.

Oh, but he DID.

And now, he was going to pay.

"You touched her." He growled, practically forcing the words through his teeth and the hiss. "Where no man is allowed to touch."

"Look-" Suddenly, Chat Noir had his hand to the criminal's throat, claws just barely piercing through the skin.

"You hurt her." He growled into the man's ear. "You f***ing hurt her."

"Y-Yeah, so?" The man gritted his teeth as Chat Noir raised him off of the ground, holding him closer to the wall. Blood began to run down Chat Noir's hand. He was itching to get this man to pay for his actions. Maybe even rip out his-

The ears on the top of his head twitched when he heard Marinette's sweet, heavenly voice whisper his name softly.

"Chat…" He could smell the tears and hear the heavy breathing. He froze. She called for him again, almost reverently. "K-Kitty…"

And that was when he realized- Marinette's safety and well-being mattered more than getting revenge on this idiot.

With a swift punch to the head, he knocked the idiot unconscious. He'd take care of the idiot later- he was bound to try something again. And when he did, Chat Noir would be ready.

Then, swiftly and without a word, he picked Marinette up and used his baton to launch themselves to her balcony.

The trapdoor was open (thank his lucky stars) and he hurriedly rushed her to the bathroom. Once they were there, he placed her down on the toilet and looked her over.

"Is everything alright?" He asked- his first words to her as Chat in at least two weeks.

The realization of just how long it had been since the last time they had talked like this hit him hard, almost knocking him breathless.

"Ch-Chat." Tears began to pool into her beautiful blue-bell eyes. "O-Oh, kitty-y." She hiccuped, and he hugged her, tears beginning to escape his eyes as well.

"M-Marinette." His body shook in an attempt to stop crying. "Don't scare me like that. Wh-What were you even thinking, being out on the streets this late at night?! Y-You must have a death wish, Mari! I don't want you to do that every again!" Marinette hugged him tighter.

"Y-Y-You stup-pid cat!" She exclaimed. "I-I was out-t there b-because I need-ded to-"

"Y-You probably don't even w-want me here." Despite his words, he held Marinette tighter, burying his nose into her neck. Her scent calmed him down a bit. "I-I should check f-for injuries, and then-n I'll be out of-f your hair- oh my gosh, I sh-should've come to s-save you sooner-"

"I-I wanted to talk to you, Chat!" She cried where a human ear would actually be on him if he had them. His real ears perked up in almost-pleasant shock. She what? "I-I'm sorry about th-that night, I-I-I just didn't- and then I-I panicked, and I w-wasn't thinking straight- a-and I'm just so glad you're here now, kitty!"

Chat Noir bit his lip, more tears flooding into his eyes. But they weren't like the previous ones. These were happy ones.

She didn't hate him.

She didn't hate him!

He slowly pushed her away, and when she looked at him in confusion, he smiled. "C-Come on, Princess. I gotta check you for any injuries."

"No." She said stubbornly, hugging him tighter. "B-Being near you makes me feel better."

"M-Mari… Princess…" Chat Noir hugged her and nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck, taking a few more steadying breaths before continuing. "We can cuddle after I make sure that you're alright."

"But-"

"Please?"

"Fine." Marinette let go of Chat and he made note of any wounds that were on her. A bruise was forming on her cheek, her right forearm was scraped and bleeding a bit, there was a cut on her neck, and there was a bruise on her left shoulder where her shirt was torn. He lifted her shirt up gently to see if there was any other damage done.

'No damage to the ribs, but I'm no expert. Her right side's a bit bruised…' He looked up at her just in time to see her look away from him and to her arm, her cheeks a touch pink. He quickly put her shirt back into place, blush on his face as well. She didn't need that happening after that had happened to her.

"Wh-Where's your first aid kit?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Under the sink." She said. He nodded and reached over, opening the cupboard and grabbing the container labeled 'First Aid'. He fumbled with it for a bit (stupid claws) and pulled out several items that he would need.

It was silent as he dressed her wounds, with her helping him with some of the things that he didn't necessarily understand about the medical supplies.

The silence was a little weird. Not awkward, but more like 'I want to say something and I should say it, but I don't know how to'. He was about to speak, but Marinette beat him to the punch.

"I'm sorry."

"What?!" He exclaimed, surprised. "Why on earth would you be sorry?! If anything, I should be! If I had been there earlier-"

"It's not your fault, Chat!" Marinette cut him off stubbornly. "I was the one who told you to stop coming over! I was the one who made everything complicated! I was the one who went out tonight without telling my parents and without any fighting experience in an attempt to right my wrongs! None of this is your fault, Chat!"

Chat Noir blinked, shocked. Well, he didn't believe her about the fault-thing, but her rant did feed questions to his notorious curiosity.

"Marinette…" He swallowed nervously, afraid of an answer as he finished up with his last bandage. "Why did you leave your house tonight?"

"I needed to find you." Marinette winced a bit as he finished, standing up. Chat Noir quickly stood to help her, and she accepted it, letting him lead her to her bedroom. "I needed to apologize. I could've handled the situation better, and since you never came back when I was out on the balcony for the last few nights-"

"Wait- that was to try to talk to me?" He blinked. "I mean, I suspected, but I thought you were meeting with someone else, or were testing my willpower." Marinette giggled.

"Yeah. I didn't know how else to contact you." She admitted. "Then I remembered that you told me all those years ago to meet you in the alley that we met if I wanted to talk, so tonight I went out in an attempt to find you. To apologize." He helped her sit down on her chaise, sitting down next to her.

"Apologize for what, Princess?" He asked.

"For telling you to leave." She admitted. "I could've done it better, in a way that wouldn't have hurt you the way I know it did." At his shocked face, she giggled.

"D-Do you know who I am?" He asked nervously. She shook her head, a bit sad.

"No, I don't." She admitted. "I know you well enough to know that it would hurt you. And that it was very likely that you would be mad at me. I made everything so complicated, kitty." She leaned against him, looking very tired.

Complicated? She kept on saying that, and his curiosity was burning to find out why, but he swallowed it down when she yawned. He could find out tomorrow.

"You should go to bed." He said, shifting a bit so that he could pick her up and carry her up to her bed. "Not that you need it, but Princesses should have their beauty rest."

"I'm not tired." She complained.

"Sure your not." Chat Noir laid her down in her bed, and was about to leave when she grabbed his tail gently. He turned to look at her, a bit confused and shocked. She knew his tail was sensitive- he had told her so during one of his first visits.

"Stay." She said, looking up at him pleadingly. He gave in to her request and joined her, allowing her to snuggle with him as he snuggled back.

He felt his eyes grow heavy, and her hand found its way to his ears and began to scratch in a way that only made him fall into sleep's embrace quicker. He was too tired to stop the purr that escaped him.

As he snuggled her a bit more, he vaguely heard her say something along the lines of 'now I just need to tell him'.

Thank heavens tomorrow was Saturday. Nathalie would let him sleep in till eleven on the weekends. That way, he wouldn't get in trouble.

8383869593826374848484837273774848372727388347747474737737373737