Marinette was tired, no she was exhausted. She was certain that her physics teacher and Hawkmoth were working together. Why else would Mme. Mendeleiev assign a two-day project the same day Hawkmoth released not one, not two, but three akumas?

So as Marinette trudged into Mme. Bustier's class, black coffee in hand, it was safe to say she might've not had the best sleep last night.

"Damn girl, what happened last night?" Alya asked. "You look like death."

"I feel like death. I was up all night working on the physics project, and Hawkmoth decided to be the absolute best person ever and send out multiple akumas. All right by my house. You should try and sleep while having to put up with the akuma's monologues." Marinette took a long sip of her coffee.

"Is that... coffee?" Adrien turned around in his seat, looking at Marinette, no looking at her coffee, with stars in his eyes.

"Back off, Agreste, this coffee is mine." Marinette glared at him.

"Please, Marinette?" He looked up at her, eyes pleading. Her heart begged for her to give him the coffee. She could always get more, and Adrien was so cute looking like that!

"No." She deadpanned, taking another drink. Sleep deprivation: 1, Crush: 0

"You have no soul." Adrien hmphed and turned back around, crossing his arms.

"You aren't running on an hour of sleep." Marinette bit back.

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?"

"Uh, cuz there's no reason for you to?"

"I wish." Adrien snorted. "I was up just as late as you Marinette, I had a super late shoot last night that didn't get out until close to midnight. And then that physics project, not to mention the attacks." He yawned.

"Oh." Her heart twanged with guilt, if only she had given him the coffee earlier! But her poor, poor, sleep deprivation needs it! What could she possibly do?

Marinette looked down at her cup of Heaven. She looked back up at Adrien and sighed.

"Here." She pushed the half-full cup towards him, tapping it to his back. He turned around towards her, and glanced at the cup. His eyes widened.

"Are you sure Marinette?" He gaped up at her.

"Yeah... You can have the other half." She shot him a small smile.

He grabbed the cup from her, but didn't let go of her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed it softly.

"I will forever be in your debt." He said, far too seriously for the situation. Marinette's heart skipped a beat.

Sleep deprivation: 1, Crush: 1

"Good morning class!" Mme. Bustier greeted as the bell rang. "Now everyone, let's open up our books to page 306, I've sorted you into partners to read the following sections and do the corresponding activities."

Marinette groaned and put her head down, with her luck, she'd probably be stuck with Chloe or Lila. Wouldn't that be the cherry on top to this pitch perfect day?

"Max and Mylene, Alya and Nino, Adrien and Marinette..."

Marinette's head flew right back up.

"It's your lucky day girl! You get to work with Adrien!" Alya whispered to her, slightly shaking the girl.

"Oh my gosh! I get to work with Adrien! We'll get an A+ on the assignment and then go to the movies and then we'll fall in love, get married, have three children, and a hamster named-."

"Can I sit here, girls?" Adrien's voice pulled Marinette out of her daydreams.

"Oh! O-of course!" She gave him a nervous grin.

'Oh God, I hope he didn't just hear me. I can't let him think I'm insane before our first date!' She screamed at herself.

"Thank you for the coffee, it helped a lot." He gave her one of his 1,000 euro grins. Marinette felt her heart melting.

"Of course, Adrien, any time." She giggled, trying to not get caught up in his presence.

"You know, if you want to nap instead of work, you can. I don't mind doing the assignment by myself this time."

"What? You don't have to do that for me!" Marinette cried.

"I know, but I want to, please? It'll make up for this morning too!"

A nap sounded like a daydream, and Adrien was so kind to offer. But if she napped then she would miss out on the opportunity to work with him! And they never got paired up on class projects. She could always nap at lunch, or in history class, oh! Or in physics, yes that would be the perfect revenge. Mme. Mendeleiev makes them stay up all night? Fine, she'll have to deal with a class full of sleeping students the next day. Yes, that is genius! Marinette smirked.

"Marinette?" Adrien nudged her.

"Oh, huh?" She glanced back towards him. "No, I'll just," she yawned, "nap in physics." She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Come on, Mari, I'm not buying it." He looked at her sternly.

'Huh, I guess the smile didn't work.'

"You need to rest. Just take a fifteen minute nap, I'll wake you up!" Adrien placed a hand on his heart.

Marinette narrowed her eyes. She didn't trust him, but it did sound like a pretty good deal to her. The only problem is if Adrien would keep his word. Oh, what is she talking about? Adrien would totally keep his word! Unless he thought not keeping it was the better option...

'Ugh, too much thinking, I'm too tired.' 

Marinette placed her head on the desk to think, not to sleep, to think. The difference is very important.

Hmm, if she took a nap, then she would get to sleep. And if Adrien woke her up, she would still get to talk to him! But what about getting an A+ on the project? And the movie? And Emma, Louis, and Hugo? And the hamster? She couldn't just abandon them! No, she must resist! She must...

Adrien's chuckle and wish for sweet dreams was the last thing she heard before drifting off into an easy sleep.

Sleep deprivation: 2, Crush: 1

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Adrien was exhausted, sure, but it was nothing compared to what poor Marinette was going through. He had grown used to operating with very little hours of sleep thanks to the glamorous life of a model, Marinette on the other hand...

He glanced down to where she was conked out on the desk. He had told her he would wake her up after fifteen minutes. It was nearly 45 now...

He couldn't help it! She looked so cute sleeping like that, and he knew how tired she was. Especially after giving him her coffee. He could always nap instead of going to fencing, his father would never know.

Marinette deserved her rest.

He was halfway through with the assigned activities when he first heard it. He thought he was imagining things, if his sleep deprivation had genuinely made him go mad. But no, there it was again. It was the call of his name, but not the name that Marinette would normally say.

"Chat," Marinette muttered again.

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. Was she dreaming about him? She must have been! He knew she used to have a crush on him, could those feelings still be around? His heart fluttered at the thought. Which was dumb, because his heart was red with black spots all over. "For Ladybug" was written on it in big bold letters.

"Chat, please, drop it."

Adrien shook his thoughts away, turning his attention to Marinette. Was it rude to listen when someone was sleep talking? Did that technically count as eavesdropping? Probably, most likely, definitely. Which means Adrien should stop listening, right... now!

He didn't stop listening.

"Chat, drop it, I've told you before, it just wouldn't work."

Adrien felt his heart skip another beat, but for an entirely different reason. Marinette was starting to sound a lot like someone else he knew very well... someone who had said those exact words to him the night before.

Ladybug had been exhausted, Chat had joked about getting her coffee and being her ride to school while she napped. Which of course, turned into a lecture about how they can't know each other's identities.

But no, it was probably just a coincidence, right? There was no way that Marinette was Ladybug, right? She was Multimouse! She and Ladybug have been in the exact same place at the exact same time. She wasn't Ladybug, it was just his wistful thinking.

Adrien wanted to kick himself. He thought he had given up his Marinette-is-Ladybug daydreams ages ago. Apparently, they still were sticking to him like coffee stains on a t-shirt.

Yipee.

"It's too dangerous, if Hawkmoth got a hold of one of us then we could tell him anything he wanted! It's better to chop that possibility at the root. If we don't have the information, then we can't give it to him! Simple."

Huh, Adrien had to admit that Ladybug's impression was spot-on (pun absolutely intended). Going as far to use the exact same expressions as Ladybug used last night. He had no idea that "chopping at the root" or whatever, was such a common phrase!

What a funny coincidence!

But Adrien should really stop listening before he heard something he would regret-.

"Master Fu told us so! You know it just as much as I do."

Too late.

'Master Fu' rattled around in his brain. There was no reason for Marinette to know that name. Especially not addressing him as "Master." But, there had to be a reason, right? Right?

'Of course there's a reason, you dingbat, Marinette is Ladybug!' A voice, sounding suspiciously like the cheese gremlin napping in his shirt, yelled at him.

His face turned into a bright red, matching the suit that, apparently, the girl sleeping next to him ran around in.

Marinette was Ladybug! Ladybug was Marinette! He finally knew and it was the girl he dreamed it was all along and everything is perfect and-

Oh shit, Marinette was going to kill him when she woke up!

He knew the one thing he wasn't supposed to know!

She could never know that he knew, ever. Even though it would be the hardest secret to ever keep from her. He had to keep it a secret, or she would take out each and every one of his nine lives in a one-hit K.O.! He had no choice really, he had to resist. He could not slip up, he would be resilient, strong, brave, courageous, he would! not! give! in! He would succeed! He would-

"Huh?" Marinette looked over to Adrien, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

'Alright, Agreste, whatever you do, don't tell her you know.'

"Did you have a good nap, Maribug?" His sauve smile turned into panic, you know, like one does when they reveal to the love of their life that they know something about them that they definitely shouldn't know. "Wait, shit I meant Ladynette?" His eyes widened as Marinette just looked at him, with no expression. Oh good Lord, he was dead. "Wait, crap, Ladybug? No! Marinette! Yep, cuz you're Marinette, obviously, not Ladybug hahahaha what a funny joke!" He clapped her shoulder, as her eyes narrowed, the sleep disappearing from her face.

'You had one job to do man! Good going you idiot!'

"Adrien Agreste," She said slowly with a sweet smile on her face, he gulped. That smile was gonna kill him, if the owner didn't first. "I will give you one chance to explain whatever the fuck just spilled out of your mouth. If you answer incorrectly,"she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. He wasn't sure if his accelerated heartbeat was from her proximity, her breath on his ear, or fearing for his life. "Crush or no crush, I will string up in front of the Eiffel Tower for all of Paris to see." She let him go, a glare replacing the smile.

'I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, she's gonna kill me and I'm dead and- wait, what did she just say?'

"Crush? Excuse me, what?" Adrien gaped as Marinette turned from anger to panic in .00000001 seconds.

"Uhhhh, you didn't hear that!"

"Oh ho ho, I most certainly did! You have a crush on me?" He hissed through his teeth.

"You know I'm Ladybug?" She hissed back.

"So you admit it!" He cried, victoriously.

"You obviously knew before and shut up! That's not what we're focusing on here!" She cried back.

"Adrien, Marinette! I understand if you two are done and want to tak, but please don't disrupt other groups." Mme. Bustier scolded them.

"Sorry, Mme. Bustier." They chorused.

"It won't happen again." Adrien promised.

"How did you figure me out, Agreste?" Marinette whispered, poking him in the chest.

"Do you have a crush on me?" He whispered.

"I can't believe that's what you're focusing on! That's obviously not what's important."

"Just answer the question Mari, and I'll answer yours."

"That is not how this works! I'm the one interrogating you here!"

"You just have to answer a simple yes or no! And then I'll answer all of your questions!"

"Fine! Yes, I do! What are you gonna do about that, Agreste?" Marinette yelled.

"I was the other boy! Marinette!" Adrien yelled.

"Adrien, Marinette, in the hallway! I will meet up with you in a minute to discuss your disruptive behavior." Mme. Bustier scolded both of them.

Adrien glanced from Marinette's pale face, to his teacher's glare, back to Marinette, who was looking over his face rapidly.

"Chat?" She croaked.

"Shall we, m'lady?" He bowed, letting her get out of their desk first. She was silent as he followed her out to the hall.

Adrien knew one thing and one thing only:

He was a dead man walking.

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All Marinette wanted to do was take a nap. That was it, that's all she had asked for. Perhaps she should've been much more specific.

She got her nap alright, but along with it came a dream of her and Chat's argument last night, Adrien figuring out her identity, and her crush, and of course he's Chat Noir! Because if that isn't just the perfect topping on the what-the-fuck sundae she definitely didn't order!

"So let me get this straight." She rubbed her temples. "You figured out my identity because I was sleep talking?" She looked back over at Adrien, who nodded.

After the scene the two of them had caused, Mme. Bustier had so rudely banished them to the hallway. Marinette was leaning up against the wall as Adrien sat on the bench next to her, swinging his feet. She wished he would stop that, it was much harder to be mad at him when he was so goddamn cute.

"How?"

"You mentioned Master Fu." He shrugged. "There was no reason for Marinette to address him like that. Pretty easy to connect the dots from there."

"Cuz you just so happen to be Chat Noir, who would be the only one that could figure out my identity from that."

"Yup."

"Fan-fucking-tastic."

"Yup." Adrien stopped swinging his feet. "Marinette, I'm so, so, sorry. I know that you didn't want us to know. I feel so bad, but you have to know, you turning out to be Ladybug is like, one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

Marinette turned to look at him. The guilt in his eyes didn't match the large smile on his face. Marinette offered him a small smile in return.

"I guess you turning out to be Chat Noir isn't the worst thing in the world." Marinette sat down next to him.

"So, what do we know now?"

Her heart and her sleep deprivation finally came to a conclusion. Her lack of sleep made her much braver than usual, and her heart finally sang at the opportunity.

"Well, I suppose the only thing left to do." She said slowly. Adrien looked over to her. "You sir," she tapped his nose, "owe me a date. Let's say Friday? Pick me up at 6?"

Marinette had to contain her laughter as Adrien's face went from one of confusion, to panic, to disbelief, to awe. He was gaping like a fish, a large blush on his face, and his eyes sparkling.

Marinette had never loved him more.

"What?" He rasped.

"You heard me. You sir, owe me a date."

"Are you serious?" Adrien said, standing up.

Marinette found herself second guessing. Was she wrong? Could Adrien's feelings really have disappeared because she's Marinette? Even though it's "one of the best things" that has happened to him?

"Because if you are, I'd really like to kiss you right now." He said, a grin breaking out over his face and extending a hand towards her.

It was Marinette's turn to blush.

"Well, I mean, yeah. You are the other boy after all." She took his hand.

"Oh my God, Marinette!" Adrien picked her up and spun her around.

"Adrien!" She shrieked through her laughter. "Put me down!"

"Only if you kiss me." He puckered his lips.

"Oh my God, you dork." Marinette giggled.

"I'm waiting, m'lady." He sounded muffled, never changing his lips.

"Fine." Marinette lowered her lips to his.

The kiss was soft, warm, although there weren't any fireworks, Marinette's accelerated heartbeat more than made up for it. It was perfect, even as their teeth clashed, because it was theirs.

True to his word, Adrien lowered her to the ground after she pulled away. Stupid oxygen making her have to breathe.

"Wow. I can't believe I've been the other boy all along." He breathed, before laughing.

"I was the girl who didn't like your jokes!" Marinette snorted.

"Yup." Adrien grinned.

"Well, I love your jokes now, chaton. You just need to work on your timing." She winked.

"Alright, alright. I purromise I will."

"Oh God, not the cat puns." Marinette sighed.

"You're gonna have to put up with them twice as much now."

"Wonderful." She deadpanned, before laughing.

"You know you love me." Adrien sang,

"I do, I really," Marinette yawned. "Do."

"Still tired?"

"Oh absolutely."

"Could I come over after school and we could nap together?"

"Sounds purrfect."

"Hey, that's my line!"

Sleep deprivation and her crush decided that they both won.