AN: This is my first longer story for Miraculous, and my first Miraculous story told in 1st person. And, while we're at it, my first serious Miraculous story. I've had a skeleton version of this story written for a few weeks now, but I waited until the final episode aired in French before posting it in case I needed to change anything to flow with season 1. This story was originally supposed to be told strictly from Adrien's POV, but then Marinette's POV kept slipping in so I rolled with it. The primary focus is still going to be on Adrien though, and he's the narrator for the entire first chapter. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sitting in class, I could barely keep my eyes open. Weekends were supposed to be a time to relax and unwind, but not for me. Not Adrien Agreste. Between photo shoots and protecting Paris there was no time for that. And, now it was Monday morning already.

At least Plagg looked out for me. Anytime I started nodding off, he nudged me awake.

"Adrien, focus," he hissed, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I didn't respond, in fear of getting caught. I tried to take notes, but I was barely following the lecture and my words were just running together. In fact, what class was this?

I shook my head. Focus, Adrien. Get a hold of yourself.

Class didn't end fast enough. I stood up, feeling a little light-headed. I stumbled a step and Nino touched my shoulder.

"Dude, you okay?"

I nodded, shrugging his hand away. "I'm fine. Just a little tired is all."

Nino shrugged. "Okay."

I hated lying, but it was becoming almost a reflex. Though, maybe one of these days it wouldn't be a lie. This was just some kind of weird funk. It would pass.

I stood up and started to head out of the room, but I wasn't paying attention to the girl behind me . . . until we collided.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" Marinette's face was bright red. She started to bend over to get her books that had fallen from her arms, but I beat her to it. When I handed them to her, her blush worsened. I smiled. She was kind of adorable when she was flustered.

"My fault. Sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Alya, who was behind her, pushed her out the door. I frowned. Why was Marinette always so afraid of me?

Plagg snickered from inside my bag. "Lady-killer or lady-repeller. I can't figure out what you are."

On my way out, I purposely let my bag hit the door frame. Plagg groaned.

The gorilla picked me up and I ate lunch, at home, by myself. Nothing unusual. Though I really wasn't hungry. I moved it around on the plate more than I actually ate it.

My phone lit up, and I groaned internally when I saw my father's face. More photo shoots. Less time with friends. Whatever he wanted wouldn't be anything I wanted.

I answered anyway. "Hey, Father, what's going on?"

No how are you. No how is school. Straight business.

Two more photo shoots this week. On top of the two I already had scheduled. Just what I needed on top of homework and saving Paris.

I left half of my food untouched, my appetite officially gone. I returned to school, but I wished I hadn't.

Pop quiz in history class. Just what I needed.

I watched as everyone around me got to work, but I didn't even look at mine. Whether I knew the answers or not didn't matter. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. If I looked down, I was certain I would throw up.

Without giving it much thought, I stood up and crossed the room.

"Adrien, where are you going?" The teacher asked.

"I need to use the restroom."

"If you leave now I need to take your quiz. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Without hesitation, I nodded and snatched the paper off the table, not even bothering to sign my name. I handed it to her. She looked a bit startled, her eyes laced with concern, but I wasn't going to let it deter me.

In the bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water in the sink. "What's wrong with me, Plagg?"

Plagg flew out of my bag and studied me. "Over-stressed?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Take a break from patrolling. That will lighten the load."

I shook my head. "Absolutely not."

The only time I even felt okay anymore was when I was Cat Noir. No school. No disappointed father. All I had to worry about was protecting Paris from akumas. Besides, I couldn't leave the patrolling all for Ladybug. She had a life aside from protecting Paris, too. How did she deal with it?

Tonight, I would just have to ask her. Maybe she could help me.

I didn't feel like going back to class. Instead, I snuck out. No gorilla to pick me up. It was just me and my feet.

I almost went home, but then I remembered Natalie would be questioning it. Instead, I just walked around aimlessly. With most people at work or school, the streets were fairly empty and there wasn't a whole lot I could do without attracting unwanted attention. At one point, I passed Marinette's parents' bakery, and I almost went inside for a sweet treat, but then I remembered-her parents knew me. They would wonder why I wasn't in school. I could've gone in as Cat Noir, but that would just lead to other complications. I groaned. I just couldn't win.

When it was time for school to let out, I made sure to be back at school when the gorilla arrived. Of course I couldn't go home and relax. It was time for the first photo shoot of the week.

Before it even started I was thinking about how I would get out of it.

Still, I tried to do it. I already let my teachers down. I didn't want to deal with father's disappointment, too.

Of course, it wasn't enough to just stand there. They wanted poses and expressions, things I wasn't in the mood to give. The photographer wasn't happy with me, and under his angry stare I muttered a "sorry".

After an hour of failed attempts, the photographer told me to take five. Little did he know, I had no intentions of coming back.

I slipped off behind a nearby building. No one was around. Perfect.

As if reading my mind, Plagg slipped from my bag.

"Plagg, claws out."

Goodbye, Adrien Agreste.

I learned from patrolling that I could stay Cat Noir for a few hours as long as I didn't use cataclysm. This transformation would last me at least through tonight's patrol.

I jumped from building to building going unnoticed. This was liberating. I couldn't do this as Adrien, even if I had the freedom.

Sometime after dark, I spotted her. My lady came toward me with her usual grace, stopping when she reached the rooftop I was on. For the first time that day, I smiled a real smile.

"Pleasure to see you on this purrfect night, Milady."

She normally would've rolled her eyes, but she seemed distracted, like she hadn't even heard me.

"Something wrong, Milady?"

She snapped out of it and frowned. "Just thinking, that's all, kitty."

"Speaking of thinking, I was wondering if I could ask you something personal."

I came closer to her, leaving only a foot between us.

"Depends."

"How do you balance civilian life and . . .this life?"

She paused. "What do you mean?"

Maybe this was a bad idea. "I mean, you have to have a life outside of this, and I was just wondering how you manage to be both."

"Easy. This is our duty. It comes first."

I nodded. "So what if personal pressures got to be too much?"

"I'd have to make sacrifices." She paused. "Are you having problems with that?"

I shook my head, swallowing hard. "Not anymore."

It was just as I suspected all along. Sacrifices had to be made. Though, I was certain she wasn't aware of just how big of a sacrifice I was willing to make. The less she knew, the better.

That night I didn't go home. When Ladybug was ready to call it quits, I went the opposite direction from her like I was going home, but instead I just continued roaming the streets of Paris. I didn't breathe a word of my plan to Ladybug. I didn't want her to think her partner was a coward who couldn't handle normal life.

Besides, this was temporary. One night of being Cat Noir full-time wouldn't hurt anything.

Of course there was the problem of sleep. But, I was restless tonight. I'd find somewhere to rest, but I knew I probably wouldn't sleep anywhere.

I stopped on top of a building that had a small ledge. Even though I blended in with the night, the ledge provided me with extra assurance. No one would find me up here.

My miraculous beeped once, indicating Plagg was probably getting tired. Luckily I had thought to slip some Camembert in my bag before I left.

"Alright, Plagg, claws in," I said. The small black kwami flew directly in front of my face.

"I know what you're thinking and I don't like it," Plagg said between bites of cheese.

"It's not forever. I just need a break," I said. Truthfully, now that I was back to Adrien, I was miserable. How would father react to my disappearance? He would just find a replacement model. That was all I probably was to him anyway, a face he could use to advertise.

"Can I fall asleep and stay Cat Noir?" It was something I never asked about before, but if I wanted to keep Adrien out of the spotlight, this would be vital.

"I don't know, but I think it would be stupid," he commented. "What if Hawkmoth finds out where Cat Noir is while you're sleeping on a rooftop? You'd be a sitting duck. Or sitting cat."

I groaned. Why couldn't this be easier? Why did both of my identities have to be famous?

I sighed. Right now, I couldn't stand the idea of going home. What was one night of staying Cat Noir really going to hurt?

I had made up my mind. We were going to try this. "Plagg, claws out."