"Dang girl, you have not had a good day." Alya shook her head, taking a bite out of her sandwich. Marinette knew she would be good moral support after the day she'd had. Alya was especially enthusiastic about Adrien, but Marinette wasn't so sure how she felt. On one hand, it was really sweet of him... But on the other hand, he seemed really upset. She sighed, glancing at her phone. She had his number. It would be so easy for her to send him a message...

"Should I... I don't know, send him a text to thank him?" Marinette bit her lip. "I don't think I should. I mean... What if we start talking, and then in person we talk more? I mean, of course I want to talk to him, but today is not a good day for me to start talking to Adrien..." She rambled, earning an eye roll from Alya.

"Mar, trust me. You either text him right now, or you never will. You've had his number for so long!" She gave Marinette a supportive smile, before returning to her lunch.

Marinette didn't eat lunch that day. She already felt sick. Especially after dealing which Chloe all morning. It didn't get better when she went to lunch. In fact, it didn't get better at all. Chloe backed down only when Adrien told her to, or when Alya went into protective best friend mode. She couldn't help but think that if Chloe knew that she was Ladybug, she would either hate her more (along with Ladybug) or she would stop hating her altogether. Marinette couldn't reveal her identity to anyone. She had trouble thinking about revealing herself to Chat, who was her best friend and partner in crime fighting.

Marinette sighed, gingerly picking her phone up. She unlocked it, and went into her contacts. Adrien... Should she really text him? She sighed, pressing on the message icon.

'Hi, Adrien, it's Marinette. I just wanted to thank you for defending me all day...'

She hit send, her heart pounding. She turned to Alya.

"There," she pursed her lips. "I did it. I messaged him."

"Good," Alya grinned. "I'm proud of you!"

Marinette shrugged, glancing at her phone. He hadn't messaged her back yet, but of course he hadn't. She had just sent the message, and there was no use in overthinking everything when... When her phone buzzed.

When Adrien Agreste replied to her message.

She turned to Alya, eyes wide. "He replied to me..." She squeaked.

Alya giggled. "Oh girl, read what he said! You can fill me in later. And remind me to thank your mom for the sandwich." Marinette laughed, and grabbed her phone.

'No problemo, Mari. Are you feeling any better?'

She smiled. This is why she liked Adrien. He was sweet, and caring, and wonderful. She more than liked him. He was perfect for her, even if she could barely talk to him or be around him. The feelings were still there; honestly, she was surprised he hasn't figured out that she had a crush on him. Or if he did, he showed no indication of knowing.

'I'm feeling a bit better; it's been a stressful day.'

She locked her phone and turned to Alya. "Adrien is so sweet," she said dreamily, resting her head on her hands.

The akuma attacked at night. Chat Noir was out patrolling the city when it happened. It was usually at night when he was out and about, when he couldn't sleep or when he was having a bad night. Tonight was a night where he couldn't sleep. As Adrien, he had constant thoughts of Marinette and Ladybug. Two girls so similar and yet so different. Whenever he tried to sleep, guilt overwhelmed him. His lady was perfect for him, and he wanted to steal her heart. He wanted to know who she really was... But would he like who she was under the mask? And sweet Marinette... He liked her, he did, he just couldn't see himself with her... Mostly because of his lady.

These thoughts ran through his head all day and all night, like they had for two months now. Ladybug seemed to notice that he was off, because she commented on it a lot. But he was the same. He was always the same. He was just so damn tired of fighting for Ladybug when she constantly told him that they would only ever be friends. And he loved being friends with her, of course he did, but he wanted so much more. She was all he had. She made the dreams stop. She made him feel loved, something which was hard to do. With his father being the way he was and his house not exactly a home, it was hard for him to feel loved. Ladybug came into his life and treated him like an equal. He didn't care that she didn't know his real identity, and neither did she.

Chat stood perched on a building, looking out at the city. An overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen crept over him, so he scanned the streets for any suspicious activity. There wasn't any. It was late, and barely anyone was out. He sighed, sitting down. The feeling didn't go away, his tension growing. This was the worst part, waiting for the fight.

It was then that the akuma attacked. It happened below him, rattling the entire building. He leapt off the building, landing on the ground in a crouch. He scanned the ally when he saw him. It was a civilian. He must've been in his early twenties; he looked to old, even in his akuma form, to be a teenager. Chat smiled. This was exactly what he needed.

Chat leapt at him, claws extended.

Thank you all so much for reading this story! Please remember to review; reviews are my fuel!