Author's Note: Hey, guys. Sorry this is so late. My computer got a virus, and my files were all encrypted. Fortunately, I was able to recover most of them, and well, you're all lucky this chapter wasn't lost. Anyway, thanks to socksareforcavemen for betareading. I don't exactly have a fixed schedule as far as updating goes, but I try to post a new chapter every week or two, if all goes well. Anywho, Enjoy.

08. What Does a Girl Have to Do to Get Some Sleep?

MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WAS A SIMPLE GIRL REALLY.

Sure, there were times when she asked for fabrics or dug herself so deep into a hole that she couldn't see the sun anymore and had to ask for help, but she didn't ask for much. Well, at least, she liked to believe that.

So was it really too much to ask if she could just fall into her bed and sleep?

Apparently, yes. Yes, it was.

Okay, so maybe some of it was her fault.

Like, she knew that she was already feeling tired, so she should have just changed and brushed her teeth before heading out for patrol. And she knew that she had taken the time to plan a much shorter patrol route across the more 'popular' bits of Paris, but she still decided to take the longer (and more effective) route (and okay, maybe that wasn't a bad thing, but she was starting to regret her decision now). And she really should have known that consuming caffeine to get her through homework was a bad decision when the inevitable sugar crash came, and okay, maybe it was her fault.

But did it really deserve a video call near midnight? And such good timing too, just when she jumped down from her balcony and detransformed.

"What's going on?" Marinette bit out, the moment the call connected, then dialing it back a few tones because her friends didn't deserve her cranky mood, they don't know about the patrols.

Nino seemed to have mixed emotions as his face warred between amused, frustrated, and entirely done with the whole thing. And Adrien was strangely…dazed, which was rather unusual for the boy. Marinette frowned slightly, but was torn out from her thoughts by not-so-soft cry of victory.

"Great! Everyone's here," Alya plowed through, getting to the point so fast Marinette was sure she was getting whiplash. "Now, you know Secret Santas, right?"

And before anyone could comment, Alya was already speaking once more. "Oh, who am I kidding, of course you do. We did one for class. The week before school let out."

"I—Alya—What?" Marinette spluttered out, somewhere between not falling asleep and trying to pierce everything together.

Alya's brows furrowed. "You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet," she commented.

"I am," Marinette interrupted dryly.

Alya plowed on regardless. "So I'll keep this short—"

Apparently, Ladybug's supposed good luck was a myth (or it didn't carry to her civilian self) because at that moment, the video froze and audio fizzed out. Marinette could have cursed her internet connection. Her eye twitched. And all right, it was far fetched but Marinette was desperate, and before she knew it, Tikki had been gently relocated to the top of her computer monitor and video was back.

"—something fun!"

"Sorry, Alya," Marinette spoke, before the boys could add their input. "Could you repeat that? Wifi's bad up here." And fickle as hell.

"Secret Valentine's," Adrien explained, before Alya could.

"Oh, so I turn my back, and you steal my thunder?" Alya exclaimed. "Rude."

Adrien rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You already explained it, Alya."

"Thunder-stealer," the girl shot back, not letting it go in the slightest.

"Secret Valentines? We were talking about that?" Marinette asked, in an attempt to veer the conversation back on path. She yawned. "Personally, I'd like to finish sometime today?"

Alya made a face. "Fine. So you know Secret Santa, but like Secret Valentine instead. Like, between friends, cause, let's face it, Valentine's Day is just a single awareness day, and we should do something fun!"

There was a beat of silence before Adrien spoke. "You mean like giving each other gifts?" he asked slowly, a disbelieving tone in his voice.

"Yup!" Alya beamed.

Adrien gave her an incredulous look. "And this couldn't wait till tomorrow … why?"

Alya looked sheepish. "I wanted to give you the longest allotted time for preparation?"

Marinette loved her best friend, she really did, but sometimes Marinette wanted to throttle Alya and her lack of impulse control (chasing akumas down at a spur of the moment did not help to discourage anything, despite the number of times Alya had ended up in the crossfire of said akuma attacks). And she really should have been even the slightest bit peeved, but Marinette could only summon the energy to snort. "You just want a reason to receive presents, don't you?"

Alya stuck her tongue out. "Quiet you. And it's tomorrow anyway, right?"

Sure enough, it was past midnight, but no one was amused by this reveal.

"Dude," Nino drawled out, shaking his head. "You gotta work on that impulse control." He sighed, grinning ruefully. "But I suppose it can't be too bad. I'm in."

"What do you mean 'too bad'?" Alya exclaimed, as Marinette and Adrien voiced their support.

Adrien chuckled. "So, how are we going to do this?"

"Okay, first rule, nothing more than ten euros," Alya said, sending a pointed look to whom Marinette could only assume to be Adrien.

"Fifty," Adrien immediately shot back.

They all gave him incredulous looks. "Twenty-five," Alya relented. "Not all of us are as loaded, golden boy. And besides, it gives you a chance to curb your shopping problem—"

"—I do not have a shopping problem!"

"—and try out something homemade or cheap."

"Fine," Adrien gave in. "Due date?"

"Valentine's Day," Alya said, as if it should have been obvious. Only one problem…

"But that's on a Tuesday," Marinette complained. "And we have class the next day. Let's make it Saturday, and add in a sleepover or something."

"Sounds like an idea," Alya agreed, nodding.

"Um, guys," Nino interrupted, jerking his thumb to his right (and Marinette had to wonder how he knew Adrien's little box was next to him on the screen), "you're forgetting about golden boy over here. His father still keeps him on a tight leash."

"For the last time Nino, I'm not a dog." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "But um, Nino's right. I don't know if my father will allow me to go on a sleepover, especially a co-ed one."

"You're coming, Agreste," Alya insisted. "We'll kidnap you ourselves if it comes to it. He can't keep you at home forever, especially with graduation and your freedom looming in the horizon."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed. "Don't worry, we'll come up with a battle plan. Get Nathalie on our side. Your father's always more inclined to allow something if she agrees with it. Set everything up, and tell him at the last minute, so he can't argue because it's all arranged already."

Everybody paused, and Marinette could swear they all managed to meet her in the eye, even through the screen. She flushed. "What?"

"I—That's a really detailed plan, Marinette," Nino commented.

"And … it might work," Adrien admitted.

"Oh yeah! That's my best friend! Class rep, people!" Alya grinned. "Mari, I'm coming to your house right now for a hug."

"Alya, no. Impulse control. My parents are asleep, and I'm supposed to be too. So are you three, for that matter. Now, let's get the whole thing over with quickly. How are we going to do this?"

"Party pooper," Alya accused, as Adrien joked, "Pick names out of a hat?"

Without missing a beat, Alya added, "Exactly", and took out a hat before placing it on her desk.

Nino groaned. "Oh my word, she really did it."

Marinette could sympathize.

The reporter ignored him. "Nino, you're up first. You two, close your eyes until Nino says you can open them."

"And what about you, Alya?" Adrien asked, already closing his eyes.

Marinette held back a snort. Beneath that exterior, Adrien was just as (if not more) excited about the whole endeavor than Alya was.

"I won't look," Alya swore. "I'll just hold it up near the camera until Nino can read it and fold it back when it's done. And then the last name will be mine."

A few minutes later, it was Marinette's turn, Nino and Adrien having gone. She looked at the name on the screen, slightly blurry but readable all the same.

ADRIEN.

Next time on Inside and Out:

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Adrien was certainly desperate.

He hadn't thought it would be hard. Twenty-five euros for a gift? Well, it wasn't a fifty but he'd take what he could get. Besides, it was Nino, his best friend. Well, they all were, but that wasn't the point. The point was that this would be easy. Right?

Apparently, he was wrong. So wrong.