I was inspired by so many fan art, that I had to write. My creative flow was just unstoppable, and it pained me to go to sleep without writing first.
So, here's hoping that this fanfic will turn out alright.

*clicks enter and runs to hide underneath blanket*

I. The Years After

"Happy birthday!"

The blonde-haired boy stood by the doorway, shielding his eyes from the sudden burst of light at the center of the room. Once he recovered from the mild shock, a bright smile appeared on his face.

"No way…Nino…this is…"

Nino came to stand beside him, patting the birthday boy's back as everyone gave him a sly smirk. The two walked over to the cake placed at the center of the group. All eyes were on the blonde boy as he took a minute to ingrain the moment into his memory.

This was just wonderful.

"Happy birthday, man."

As soon as the words left his best friend's mouth, he blew the candles out.

As of today, Adrien Agreste was officially 21.

He scanned the faces of his cheering ex-classmates.
Nino. Alya. Kim. Rose. Juleka. Max. Ivan. Everyone that he went to high school with were all here.

Well, almost everyone.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Nino spoke up,

"Mylène couldn't take off from her medical internship; Alix has been training for a marathon; Sabrina couldn't attend cause Chloé wasn't coming, and Chloé…well, you know the deal with that one," he laughed as he said his last words.

"Eh, what about–"

"Nathanaël has been overseas since graduation, so no one's really been in contact with him," Alya jumped in.

Adrien simply nodded.
There was, however, one more person that he had been wondering about.

"Alya, what abo–"

"Let's cut the cake!"
Kim's exclamation drowned out the words Adrien was about to say.

Everyone had started to pile around the table, fighting for a piece of cake (though there shouldn't be any worry since the thing was huge). He let out a small sigh. Aside from Nino and Alya whom he saw every couple of days, it had been years since he had seen his old classmates. Despite the physical changes, he was surprised to find they were all still the same.

Mostly.

Kim, who was still boisterous and daring, seemed to have toned down his hot-headedness. Ivan appeared more friendly, ditching the usual scowl he always had back when they went to school together. Of course, Adrien wondered if Mylène had anything to do with it. Rose and Juleka were the same: inseparable and somehow closer than before.

Adrien wasn't too worried about Chloé or Sabrina missing out; he saw them practically every day as they all attended the same university. He wasn't all too close with Nathanaël (or any of them for that matter), but he did remember the boy from when he was akumatized. Adrien chuckled to himself as he reminisced on that day. He was sure the boy resented Chat Noir (so, he guessed that meant him too) for ruining his "date" with Marinette.

…Marinette.

He wondered how she was doing. He hadn't seen her since graduation, and she was never around Alya when she, him and Nino would hang out together (which was weird since the two girl friends were joined at the hip). Since graduation, Alya hadn't mentioned Marinette even once. Adrien assumed the raven-haired girl was too busy nowadays.

He recalled his last interaction with her.

...

"A-Adrien!"

He turned to see a petite girl running towards him, clutching a package to her chest.

"Salut, Marinette," Adrien greeted.

The girl stopped shortly in front of him, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. She took a moment to compose herself, her eyes darting everywhere but in front of her. Adrien knitted his brow in concern when she bent over and closed her eyes. He was about to say her name when she opened her mouth,

"This is for you!"

She held out the package she was holding, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red than they were seconds ago. He gave her a small smile, thanking her and taking the package into his hands. She looked at him, her deep blue orbs peering into his bright green eyes. He would've blushed if she were to stare at him for another minute longer, but thankfully she turned away.

"U-um…"

Adrien cocked his head to one side, waiting for the girl to speak.

"D-do you–"

"Adrien, mon cher! Are you ready to go?"

He noticed Marinette roll her eyes, causing him to silently chuckle. Chloé ran up to them, passing a hard glare at Marinette before sidling up and grabbing his arm. He nervously laughed at the sudden display of affection.

"What are YOU doing here? Don't you have bread to make or something," the blonde girl sneered.

Marinette opened her mouth to retaliate. But before she had the chance to, Chloé started to squeal.

"What is THAT?"

She pointed to the neatly-wrapped package in Adrien's hand, "Don't tell me you gave that to him. A paysan should try and keep what little they have to their name instead of buying useless things."

Marinette's face turned red, "Chloé, you–"

Cutting Marinette off once more, Adrien turned to scold his childhood friend.

"Knock it off, Chloé. You're getting out of line. Apologize to Marinette!" He brushed the girl off his arm.

Chloé, ever the sass queen, gave him a 'hmph!' and turned to walk away.

"It's not like I said anything wrong. How can a person of her status ever think about getting with a person like you? Clearly, I'm the better choice for you here," she flipped her hair with her hand and made her way to her car, "I'll text you the meeting place since you seem too…occupied right now."

Once she was gone, Adrien let out a sigh. Nothing good ever happens when Chloé appears.

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention to the small girl standing a few feet from him.

"Sorry, Marinette. What were you saying?"

The girl let out a small gasp as if she had forgotten he was there. She quickly smiled, but not before he had noticed the sad look in her eyes.

"Ah–er, nothing! I-it was nothing. W-well, look at that. I have to go. I'll see you at graduation tomorrow," she waved and ran off.

"Ah, wait!"

It was already too late. She had already turned the corner and left.

...

That was the last time they had really spoken to each other. He tried catching her on graduation day so she could continue her sentence. Not wanting to disturb her while she and her parents were taking pictures, Adrien decided to leave it alone.

That would be the last day they would see each other.

The package turned out to be a black and green sweater. He remembered how he felt opening the packaging and feeling the cashmere fabric against his fingers. It was the second most thoughtful gift he had received (second only to the scarf his father had gotten him). He was never able to thank her for it, and sending her a message through Alya just didn't feel right.

"Dude..."

Adrien turned to see all eyes on him, each with a slice of cake in their hands.

"Did you want some, or..."
Rose held up a plate with a big slice.

Adrien nodded excitedly, "yes!"

Everyone relaxed at his excited expression. They didn't want the birthday boy himself to be sad at his own party.

Nino and Alya exchanged glances throughout the rest of the night as Alya frequently checked her phone. Adrien, of course, noticed their behavior. At one point he wanted to ask them what was up, but decided against the idea in respect to their privacy.

...

The night ended young, just an hour before midnight.

After exiting Nino's apartment (Adrien was still was living in the confines of his father's mansion), Adrien went for a stroll in the park.

"Now, wasn't that nice, Adrien?"

A black, cat-like creature flew out from inside his blazer pocket and floated in front of his face. Adrien went into panic mode as he looked around for someone who could have seen.

"Calm down, birthday boy. It's late in the evening; most of Paris is already in bed sleeping," the kwami smirked.

"Plagg, you still can't pop out like that! What if somebody happens to walk by?"

Adrien let out a sigh as the kwami shrugged.

"Adrien, I'm thousands of years older than you. I'm sure by now I'm able to sense another person's presence."

Adrien shot a half-glare at his kwami, but it soon dissipated into a smirk.

"Since you're here..."

Plagg blinked.

"Plagg, transforme-moi!"

Before the black kwami could refuse, he was already being sucked into Adrien's ring. A brilliant light engulfed the area, and soon standing where Adrien Agreste should be was Chat Noir.

A smirk played on the hero's lips, he took one look at the dark sky and ran.

Adrien loved being Chat Noir. He loved the feeling of power rushing through his veins. He loved the feeling of being able to say the things he wanted to say. He loved the extra confidence boost being Chat gave him.

He loved being free.

Chat jumped from rooftop to rooftop, basking in the feeling of the wind kissing his face. His eyes widen as he spotted a familiar red figure in the distance. He could no longer hear his footsteps, only the sound of his heart beating filled his ear.

Ladybug.

As if she heard her name, she turned to look at him. Her blue eyes widen as he came closer and closer, stopping a few inches short from her face. Despite the close proximity, she doesn't blush. Rather, her lips formed a sly smile and her eyes narrowed.

"Chat."

And his knees grew weak at the sound of her voice. She pushed him away gently with two fingers to his forehead.

"You're looking as beautiful as ever, my lady," Chat winked.

The heroine rolled her eyes,
"What are you doing here, Chat? I thought we agreed that it was my turn to patrol today."

Chat took a seat next to where she was standing. He sat cross-legged while his tail swayed behind him,
"I thought my lady needed me."

Ladybug snorted, "I don't think Paris is in any immediate danger tonight. But," she crouched down next to him so that they were on the same eye level, "thank you for thinking about me."

Chat was oh so glad his mask covered most of his face. His cheeks burned as she ruffled his hair. He bit down on his slight embarrassment and grabbed her wrist to pull her closer to his face,

"There's never a day that goes by when I don't."

And he wasn't lying. He thought about her whenever he could. All these years of fighting together, and he still wasn't used to the pounding in his chest whenever she was near.

She frowned and pulled herself away from his grip—something he was used to by now.

"And how many Parisiennes have you said that to?" she challenged.

"None but you, my lady," he fought back.

She turned and frowned at him again. But this time, he could see the twinkle in her eyes that she couldn't hide. He smiled to himself, knowing that he was the cause of it.

They both turned their faces to look at the view of the city. Everything was quiet, everything was peaceful. It had been so for the past few years. Hawk Moth had strangely diminished his attacks right after their graduation, and they've stopped altogether a year ago. They didn't know what caused the change in Hawk Moth's behavior, but they had their suspicions that he must be planning something grand. They couldn't let down their guard after all those years of fighting him. Which is why they still continue their patrol, albeit less frequently but still a few times a week.

Chat Noir was only thankful he still got to see his lady. Being with her brought out something in him, something that he wasn't aware of until he had met her.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her hair had grown longer, now slightly past her shoulders but was still tied up in her two signature pigtails. His eyes scanned across every curve of her body. She had grown a bit (in places his eyes dare not to stare at for too long), but she was still slim.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

"I think it's fine for tonight."

Chat blinked, realizing he had been too lost in his thoughts to notice that his lady was standing up now.

She looked down at him,
"Let's go home."

Chat simply nodded. He didn't expect their patrol today to last long, especially with nothing dangerous happening. He was just a bit disappointed that he wasn't able to be with her longer.

It was his birthday for God's sake.

And then his cat ears perked up.

"W-wait, my lady!"

Ladybug paused mid-run and turned around.

"I-it's a beautiful night, don't you think?" He nervously laughed.

She folded her arms across her chest, lips protruding out into a pout,
"Really, Chat. What is it?"

He gulped. She knew there was something he wanted to say.

"W-well...it's just—it's a special day and I would very much like to hear a phrase coming from Ladybug's mouth herself..."

He fumbled for the right things to say. Would it be acceptable to tell her it was his birthday? Does it even work like that? How wrong does it sound to ask somebody to wish you a happy birthday?

"Chat," she was standing next to him with a face twisted in worry.

Damn, I made her worry again.

"It's nothing. It's only...it happens every year anyways. Sorry to stop you," he rubbed his neck.

As if something clicked inside her head, Ladybug's mouth formed an 'o' and she looked down.

Before he could say anything further, the red-suited heroine pulled him in for a tight hug.

Chat stood very still, not wanting to move in fear of breaking the moment.

"Happy birthday,"

She whispered into his ear. He felt himself melt into her arms and hugged her tightly back.

After seconds, she let go. With one last smile, she dashed off into the night.

He looked at the Gare de Lyon clock, watching as the hand finally signaled for it to be midnight.
He grinned.

Just in time.