I despise school. It feels like I am trying to fit a square peg into a round hole here. I'll only be able to do one chapter next month too but for those who have asked I'll probably post on the 17 so keep your eyes peeled! Enjoy!

wismoo... You are a fast reader! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much you read it nonstop!

shippersindisguise... Even if it does the Whisperers have copies! They are not playing anymore!

Belvichy Chibs... Sure! I wish I was better at drawing people or had the time to draw an entire comic. I can certainly draw monsters so my Akuma have been illustrated!

(Slow Burn Detective AU!) Marinette is used to working alone on the streets of Paris as she strives to take down the Hawkmoth gang. When the thief Chat Noir comes crashing into her life things are bound to get magical, especially when co-detective Adrien returns to Paris and seems to want to be her new partner. Will their fated partnership end in a capture or a kiss?

Late Night Chatter

It had been a long day, filled with doctors and calls from people all asking for updates on Marinette. Even though Marinette's current room number and hospital name was a secret, Alya's news article had officially hit the shelves. Adrien had known that Alya talked to his father yesterday, the moment he'd returned to the hospital Alya had told him that to his face. Together the two of them had worked on some kind of press release plan but Adrien had not known when it was supposed to air or the total information it contained. For that reason it was a bit of a shock when the calls started flooding in. Alya fielded most of the calls, which was a blessing since Adrien wasn't the friendliest person on the phone. Unfortunately, she was also the one who got an earful when she answered the call from Marinette's parents. No one had called to let them know what was going on, not the hospital nor Alya, who had been waiting for all the information to come in before letting them know what was going on. She hadn't thought about her column or the fact that they read it, so when they did they were rightfully freaking out. Thankfully their classes had already ended, so they were not going to miss anything, but they couldn't get back into the city that day. Instead, they were going to be back in town tomorrow as early as possible. They were not pleased that Alya had left out of the loop for so long and Alya had to talk really fast to explain her reasoning as to why. It made for quite the interesting show for Adrien and he was glad he wouldn't have to deal with them like Alya would when they returned. He didn't have their phone numbers so he couldn't have called even if he'd wanted to.

While Alya had been dealing with people on the phone Adrien had been talking to the different doctors and quite frankly, scaring several of them. Most doctors had been puzzled at Marinette's continued sleep and they were planning on doing more extensive testing if Marinette slept through tomorrow as well. Adrien hoped that Marinette would wake up tomorrow because he had a feeling that her body was already healing far faster than a normal person's and he knew that if the doctors looked too close there would be several questions asked that would be impossible to answer.

Her health wasn't the only thing being questioned either. Nino had pulled him aside to inquire about his health too, and no amount of placating promises had sent Nino away entirely. It seemed like Nino was playing at being the 'mom friend' since Marinette was unconscious and he was concerned about Adrien. Adrien knew he probably appeared to be nearing the end of his rope but he couldn't do anything about it yet. Citing lack of sleep due to worry being the cause for his appearance almost got him manhandled from the room by Alya and he was glad that Nino had intervened in that incident. Lack of sleep caused a lack of patience in Adrien and even though it wasn't the total cause for his haggard appearance he would never admit the whole truth out loud. Alya seemed to realize this once Nino stopped her and kept Adrien from snapping at her. The room was tense for quite a while after and even though Alya voiced her concerns, albeit a bit more gently, she let Adrien be.

Currently Adrien was at war with himself because knew he needed sleep, a proper night's sleep, not the cat-naps he had stolen periodically throughout the day. There was no way he would be able to stay up all night again no matter how his instincts screamed at him too. Normally he would be able to offset his sleepiness with coffee or an energy drink but his weariness wasn't only caused by a lack of sleep. His energy hadn't yet recovered from his escapade as Chat Noir and the drain weighed heavily on him as he navigated the hospital staff. Exhaustion dragged at him, both mentally and physically challenging his ability to keep his eyes open when sitting down. Staying conscious when not talking to doctors was a bit of an annoyance but he didn't want to worry his friends and besides, his coffee habit was up to the challenge for the moment. As the day dragged on Alya and Nino had cast more than one concerned look in his direction but Adrien ignored them, knowing that if he gave them another opening they would go for the kill.

Mentally sighing Adrien finished speaking with Marinette's nurse and wandered over to the couch where Alya and Nino sat. Marinette had been taken away for one scan or another so the room was quiet for once.

"So… are you sure you don't want to take a break tonight?" Nino hesitantly asked.

They had been flirting with this question nearly all day and after the last almost fight between him and Alya Adrien had expected them to drop the topic entirely. It was only then that Adrien realized he must really look like crap for Nino to be bringing it up again. "I am fine Nino. Alya has work tomorrow and you have a gig tonight remember? Alya can sleep here tomorrow if no one tries anything."

This time to his surprise they dropped the conversation after one last concerned look and Adrien tried to relax a little while his friends were still there. Fu wasn't going to pop up in the middle of the night again to stand guard while Adrien slept but there was no way he could keep up this battle of wills with no sleep for much longer. He was unfortunately tapped out, and if he tried to keep forcing it his mind would probably just shut off in the next 48 hours with no warning. It had happened to him before and he had ended up in the hospital himself as a John Doe since no one in the area had known him and he hadn't been carrying any identification. Plagg said it was like a safety feature to the miraculous so you didn't literally burn yourself out, since the magic could technically keep you going far past what your body could naturally handle. What he felt now was a combination of magical drain, his natural energy levels bottoming, and fight/flight instincts simply giving out under the stress.

When the nurse came and went for the final time that night allowing a kind of silence to fall in the room Adrien slumped with relief. His friends had left minutes before and Adrien was weary, his eyelids drooping even as Plagg buzzed around his head encouraging him to lay down to sleep on the couch. The couch did look comfortable but Adrien wanted to be closer to Marinette in case she started to wake up in the night. At least that's what Adrien told himself, in reality he was worried that Marinette was still in danger somehow and his instincts were not letting him truly rest unless he was in contact with her. With a bit of a groan from a stiff back Adrien settled into the chair he'd claimed as his and wrapped his hands around Marinette's again. The soft beeping and whirring of the machines in the background lulled him as Plagg settled in his hair promising to keep watch. Dropping his head into the crook of his arm as Plagg began to purr, Adrien let out a contented sigh while his eyelids slid shut. Within minutes his breathing even out as he fell into a deep sleep.

The first thing that came to her was sound in the form of beeping. It was an infernal beeping that had been the bane of her existence for two long weeks a year previously. The second thing that came to her was touch as a blood pressure cuff activated with a soft hum, tightening down on her upper arm to check her vitals yet again. The only thing that mattered to her though was the feel of the very warm hand that was wrapped about her own. Marinette didn't even have to reach out with her abilities to know that it was Adrien at her side holding her hand and a pulse of energy told her that she also held the Miraculous as well. She was safe, Adrien was safe, the stone was safe and within reach for the moment. Relieved Marinette relaxed, letting herself fall back towards the comforting abyss of slumber until a soft voice broke into her thoughts.

"You finally waking up bug?"

Marinette recognised that voice and with recognition came the desire to know what had happened while she was passed out. Even though she wanted to open her eyes, they felt too heavy like a lead blanket lay upon them and she couldn't quite throw it off. The sensation was frustrating and the effort she had to put in to staying conscious seemed utterly ridiculous. She could hear the beeping speeding up somewhere in the background and as she struggled she felt a deep vibrating purr center itself over her sternum. The vibration gave her something to hold onto and little by little she dragged her mind out of the darkness, finally managing to get her eyes open. As she had feared the beeping that had continued through her waking was coming from the medical machines around her which meant she was in the hospital again. Annoyed by this revelation Marinette took in a deep breath, wincing as stitches pulled in her side. Somehow she had survived getting shot… again. In truth Marinette hadn't been all that confident she was going to make it through that little fiasco but she was happy to find that she wasn't too bad off considering the damage she had sustained.

"You in there Marinette?" The voice asked again and Marinette blinked slowly as she glanced around the room searching for the owner. The vibration against her sternum had ended at some point when she was struggling to wake and now that she was truly conscious she understood that the vibration had been a purr.

"Wh-" Marinette started only to wince as her too dry throat seemed to constrict.

Bright green eyes seemed to hover in the air before her only to vanish a second later.

"Plagg?" Marinette questioned, ignoring her painfully dry throat enough to force the name out.

"Yeah bug, drink this." Plagg replied as he dragged a styrofoam cup half filled with melted ice within her reach.

Marinette was already half sitting up in the bed, probably to keep blood from pooling in the wrong spots, allowing her to gladly accept the drink without spilling it as she drank. Her reaching hand was clumsy and Plagg assisted in holding the large cup until he was positive she could manage alone. Slowly she sipped the cool liquid, eventually downing the entire cup of water. The water eased the dryness and she crunched up several chunks of ice, which soothed her throat the rest of the way.

Taking several shallow breaths Marinette opened her mouth again, confident that it wouldn't hurt this time to speak. "Is Adrien ok?"

Plagg looked down fondly at Adrien who amazingly enough hadn't moved. He was still dead to the world, his hand firmly wrapped around Marinette's. "He hasn't slept properly in a few days since you first got shot. He probably won't sleep properly until he can take you home and sleep in the same bed with you. You have been out for two days straight."

Marinette blushed even as she crunched up the last bit of ice and swallowed. It was the good soft ice and it did wonders for her throat, which only felt mildly dry now instead of painful. Oxygen masks and intubation tubes always made her throat sore for a week after. Plagg was kind enough to take the empty cup from her and since her hand was now free she stroked it through Adrien soft hair with a bit of a frown. "He feels drained… Did he fight an akuma or something?"

Plagg shook his head, "No, stupid kits just been awake for too long and he used his abilities too much. I'm also pretty sure he's been feeding you energy in an attempt to keep you stable. The inherent magic within you and within the stone has fluctuated every time he has given it to you to hold. Normally it wouldn't be a bad thing but you can't heal too fast while in the hospital because it will look super suspicious. That and your abilities have been leaking a bit since you don't have any real conscious control over them. Adrien's been unconsciously helping to keep them corralled so you can build a strong base. You didn't have the strongest base to start with because you haven't been trained and you jumped right into healing people. On top of that getting shot drained you badly."

Marinette gazed up at him in horror. "I'm stealing his energy?! Am I hurting him?! How do I stop?"

"You can't steal what is freely given, bug." Plagg placated. "It's not hurting him, just making him tired but if you want to stop the flow just look inside yourself. I'm sure you've done that a few times already."

Frowning Marinette did as Plagg instructed and to her surprise she was able to look within herself and by extension Adrien fairly quickly. Energy swirled between them as a colored thread that shimmered in green, black and pink. The green and black seemed to be far more frequent even as the two colors seemed to be supporting the pink. Brushing a mental finger over the thread Marinette could almost taste Adrien's exhaustion. On top of the exhaustion Marinette could sense the echo of pain down the thread telling her that he had been injured. Feeling a little unsure Marinette pushed the energy she was receiving back at Adrien tainting it with her own healing energy as it went.

"Mari?"

Marinette gasped and winced as she came fully back into herself. This time two pairs of green eyes peered at her in the darkness. One was toxic green and the other was the stunning emerald she had been in love with for years.

"You're awake…" Adrien whispered, and Marinette grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry for sleeping so long…"

Adrien enveloped her in a hug before she could get the whole sentence out and Marinette laughed a little helplessly even as she wrapped her own arms around him. She couldn't hold him as tight as she wanted to because of muscle weakness but her returning hug seemed to squeeze the words, "I thought I'd lost you…" out of him before a sob shuddered through him.

"Adrien, oh Adrien I'm so, so sorry…" Marinette murmured hugging him as tight as she could. "I'm here now, and I'm awake. You don't have to be scared anymore."

Adrien pulled back enough to look into Marinette's eyes and she was horrified to see tears leaking down his cheeks. "Oh sunshine no…"

Adrien snorted even as Marinette wiped at the tears falling from his eyes, "I'm no sunshine Marinette, I'm destruction."

Marinette frowned, sneaking a glance at Plagg who looked a little pained. "Why would you say that? You saved my life and have saved countless others. You're no more destructive than I am."

"You still got hurt though… And I… I couldn't control myself long enough to take down Roger." Adrien hissed, trying to pull back but Marinette wasn't having it.

"Adrien I am only going to say this once." Marinette stated, her no nonsense tone making Adrien freeze in place. "You couldn't have stopped what happened to me. Roger had a plan set up to kidnap you and kill me in the next few days. He probably wouldn't have succeeded in taking you because let's face it, you would have killed him and anyone else who tried. BUT, do you understand how big of a mess that would have caused? THIS outcome, where we sit right now, is probably one of the best outcomes we could have planned for. Yes, I got hurt but a big part of that was my own stupidity and overconfidence. You were doing your job Adrien. I'm the one who messed up and decided to go off track, yet you still managed to save me! I lived, I learned, and I will heal, so please… stop hurting yourself over something you had no control over."

"I love you Marinette." Adrien whispered, allowing Marinette to pull him into a soul searing kiss.

As their lips met Adrien could literally feel the shift in the immature bond that connected them. If it had been a thread before, as thin as spider silk, it now swelled to ribbon connecting them deeper than before. Marinette gasped as they parted one hand pressing to her chest as she stared at Adrien with awe.

"Connected… I felt it before but I wasn't sure if that was how my abilities manifested in my mind or if it was something more… but now, we are literally connected… I can sense you. Is this how you found me?"

"Our connection has deepened, before it felt more delicate, like a strand of silk on my skin or a trace of scent on the wind but now…It's like a compass." Adrien tilted his head, a warm smile spreading across his face. "I didn't even think this was possible, I mean the bond between us has been shifting, becoming stronger for a while now but at first I thought I was going a little crazier than normal. Now that I know I'm not crazy I think I was able to sense it first because I'm a wielder already. You must really be coming into your abilities now, that's probably why you are able to feel it and why it's strengthening further. If your stone wasn't activating and doing so properly, I'm not sure you would be able to feel it at all. You feel like home to me, safe and warm, bright like a star. How do I feel to you? Can you feel anything from me yet?"

A blush colored her cheeks at Adrien's words before his question caught up to her. With a bit of a frown Marinette retreated into her mind as she tried to capture the feel of the ribbon that seemed to stretch away from her soul. "I… can. You feel powerful like a thunderstorm, comforting like a warm sunbeam. But you also feel... sad, unbalanced. What's wrong?"

His good mood instantly vanished as Adrien blanched, words seeming to freeze in his throat. Her question was an icepick to the fragile shield he'd managed to construct around his heart. He knew Marinette, knew that she wasn't going to condemn him like his father would. Still though, his fearful expectations choked him like they would if he were trying to keep his father happy, preventing him from being able to communicate what he needed to.

"Plagg…" The name squeezed itself from his lips almost as a grunt and Plagg was right there, settling in his hair as poor Marinette looked on with tremendous concern.

"Adrien lost out to his rage as Chat Noir Marinette." Plagg confessed. "After he dropped you off here he went back out to hunt Roger down. We managed to collect his phone but someone had picked him up further down the block. Adrien's rage at losing him coupled with his fear at losing you tipped the scales and sent him into an animalistic state. The Whisperers had to take Chat down and Roger hasn't been seen at all since then."

"How bad did they hurt you?" Marinette demanded and Adrien flinched, thinking she was mad at him but then her words processed.

"Th-they didn't? I mean they tranqed me, and Stormy zapped me with her thunder punch to stop me long enough for them to take effect, but I am pretty sure I broke at least one person's arm and several others ribs so… fair trade?"

The thunderous look on Marinette's face was terrifying and Adrien only felt relief when Marinette spat, "I'm glad you didn't find Roger because I want to be the one to kill him."

"Ohhh blood thirsty… I like it." Plagg purred from Adrien's head and Marinette glowered at him.

"Stuff it Plagg. How do we keep Adrien from slipping into a rage state? It's not fair for him to risk losing his mind just because I get hurt."

"Um I'm right here, I'm working on it, and you didn't just 'get hurt' you almost died!" Adrien huffed.

"Yeah I know that! But you have almost died too, like twice as Chat and that's not even the point here!" Marinette snapped even as the beeping machine behind her started to pick up speed.

Adrien ran a hand through his hair deciding they needed a change in conversation, "You need to calm down before the nurse comes in to see why your heart rate has jacked up. Unless you want them to know you are awake of course."

Marinette glanced up at the monitor which had increased its beeping and muttered a curse even as she took a deep breath in, wincing only slightly. After a few moments the beeping slowed allowing Marinette to continue with her questions. "So again… How are we going to keep Adrien from slipping into a rage? Do I run the same risk when my stone fully activates or is there something I can do to prevent it entirely? Do I need to make contingencies or something?"

"Nope, you should be fine. Your stone is bonding and changing with you. By the time you transform for the first time you will be in balance with not only your stone but hopefully your paired stone meaning us. This shouldn't happen to you anyways since you are a bit more stable both energy wise and mentally wise." Plagg placated.

"Gee thanks Plagg…" Adrien grumped, not liking how they had segwayed right back onto this topic.

"Don't interrupt!" Plagg scolded, swatting Adrien's head and making Marinette giggle. Before Adrien could open his mouth to complain Plagg continued. "This slipping thing is half my fault to be honest. You remember how I told you we first became Chat Noir? Well I was the one constantly in contact with the stone and it was bonding with me specifically. Adrien held the stone maybe three times total before we were killed so he literally had no connection with the stone, he was just unnaturally compatible with it. Back in ancient times 'bond to be' couples or soul partners spent up to three years with just their stones and their soul partners so they had a deep enough bond to survive the activation phase. Then they spent more time with their stones matching halves so they could keep the miraculous pair in balance. That being said, the only reason our bonding worked was because we had an unusually close connection with each other as humans and Adrien was highly compatible with the stone itself. We were also stupidly lucky. If we had died any other way… at best my soul would have bonded with the stone then been trapped till someone came along and connected with me like Adrien has. At worst they would have found two extra bodies and a lot of questions in the rubble."

"So is your closer bond with the stone negatively affecting Adrien or something? You two aren't going to suddenly switch minds on me or something right?" Marinette asked curiously.

"No we won't switch minds or anything like that but my stronger bond and his lack did mess up our balance in a way… both energy and power wise." Plagg affirmed vaguely. "Because Adrien skipped the stone bonding portion the stone rooted more firmly to my soul. It should have been my body walking around not his but as I said before it was too injured to survive activation. We weren't ready for that final step, nowhere near. When we both died and I forced the transformation it created an imbalance. Now when Adrien's emotions run too high as Chat he is far more likely to lose out to his instincts."

"But Adrien's been Chat for a while now… Why hasn't the imbalance righted itself?" Marinette inquired.

"Remember how I said that the ancients used to let the bond grow between the people and the stone before attempting activation? Well Adrien here is still technically in the bonding phase. It's also a bit harder on him because his power from the activation is growing on top of everything else. Power fluctuations can interfere with the bond although having contact with your stones match can assist in balancing the bond properly."

"THAT'S why you wanted my stone so bad!" Marinette gasped, the lights going off in her mind as the pieces fell into place.

Adrien nodded looking morose and Marinette reached forwards, cupping his face in her hands. "Adrien, don't think that this information changes how I think of you as a hero or my partner. If anything it makes me understand you a little better! Now that I know this exists and is a problem I should be able to help you fix it! When I get out of this god forsaken hospital we should have a nice long discussion with Fu. He should know how to help."

"I'm not a hero." Adrien muttered, even as he leaned further into Marinette's touch.

"You're MY hero and I am totally painting you in that light when I give my statement as to what happened with Roger." Marinette answered tartly, pulling him to her so she could press a kiss to his forehead.

Adrien felt a blush heat up his cheeks as he took her hands in his, "Do you think that's a good idea?"

Marinette nodded even as a frown marred her features, "It's risky but it's a good way to bring Chat Noir into the light as a good guy or at least a neutral party. The file I have been compiling shows that he has been falsely accused of numerous crimes and the way I've done it proves that the Hawkmoth gang has been using Chat Noir as a scapegoat to cover their own crimes. I know the kinds of questions Gabriel will ask and I might get into a bit of trouble for not arresting Chat when I had the chance weeks ago but… you or rather he saved my life for no other reason that he could and should so yeah. Saving me was definitely a point in your column. I don't think I can logically explain how I got to the hospital otherwise and you know Gabriel will hunt any unknowns to the extreme. Especially since Hawkmoth came after me again with intent to kill."

Adrien huffed, "Your right, I know you are right. I just know you have been planning this for a while and wanted to do things differently. I'm sorry it turned out this way."

Marinette patted his hands comfortingly, "It will be better like this and now it won't be coming out of the blue either. Is there anything that you want me to add?"

"Nope, ball is in your court. I will tell you that you scared the hell out of Alya though. I don't think she is really ok though she says she is. I know I wasn't until you opened your eyes." Adrien admitted, "I had to hide and watch them take you in then I had to wait for the hospital to call them and then hope that they would call me. We need a better system I think, I know Plagg was shocked that I made it without bouncing off the walls."

He didn't notice the tear slipping down his cheek until Marinette swept it away, "Adrien, I'm sorry. I can add you to my emergency contacts if you would like, but I don't think that will really get around an issue like what we just faced. Especially if the hospital delayed in contacting Alya for so long. We will have to brainstorm on some solutions in the meantime, because while I wish this hadn't happened, it could have been a lot worse. Either way you're not alone ok? We can figure everything else out later. For now… as much as I hate to admit it, I'm tired. Stupidly so even though I just woke up."

"Then sleep Marinette. You will need your rest. I know when I first wake up from stuff like this I feel pretty good but crash just as fast. Tomorrow is a new day and I will be here the whole time." Adrien said with a smile, "Do you want to hold on to your miraculous stone or do you want to put it in that pouch Alya put on you?"

"Pouch." Marinette yawned, putting the stone in the pouch so it would remain close. "You need sleep too, you know. You can't hide your exhaustion from me now."

Adrien grimaced and Marinette ruffled his hair, making Plagg hiss and dive for her pillow instead. "I'd offer part of the bed so we could snuggle but that will definitely raise some eyebrows. We will be home in a day or two though. Is that couch at all comfortable?"

"It's adequate. Better than sleeping stretched across two chairs." Adrien admitted. "I'll try to sleep. The nurse will be coming in just a few hours so rest while you can."

"Maybe I can go home tomorrow…" Marinette dreamed.

"And maybe the moon is made of camembert." Plagg grouched from her pillow. "Go to sleep love birds, you two will have plenty to talk about later."

Marinette and Adrien grinned at each other but didn't comment further. They both needed more rest and Plagg's demands were easy to meet. Climbing to his feet Adrien pressed one last kiss to Marinette's head only to be pulled into a full last kiss on the lips.

"Night princess." Adrien breathed when they separated and Marinette let her eyes close. "See you in the morning."

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