A/N: Not everyone will have read my other story that I posted recently, but essentially I have just gained back my life and a new laptop, so I have had the opportunity to work on this a bit.

Also, I'm sure most of you noticed that I have changed this story from having five total chapters to four. It felt more natural to shorten it a bit and get to the point than to drag it out unnecessarily. If I think of something else to add, I will happily do so. But for now, thank you so much for joining me on this adventure and I'll be sharing more stories with you in the future~

Chapter 4

Adrien mentally passed the baton on to Chat to woo his lady and hopefully reveal himself to her. He had done well enough by working on their Adrienette side, so now it was time for operation LadyChat to take off. What he was about to pull was maybe risking it all, but he figured the best way to become more Adrien as Chat Noir would be…to be Adrien.

So, he showed up before his lady sans his Chat Noir costume in favor of a pair of fitted dark jeans, and a black button up with black face paint around his eyes and an adhesive mask with slightly tamed blond locks. And he not only felt like Adrien, he acted like it too. Knowing his Princess and His Lady would love him in spite of his insecurities, he shushed his cackling kwami for the hundredth time and-

Ladybug zeroed in on him as he slowly came around from behind the rooftop pipe, gave him a sultry grin, cocked her hip, then slinked over to his nearly trembling form to tilt his chin in her direction. How someone was so easily able to dominate while looking up at him was beyond his comprehension. And where was this coming from?!

Marinette took her time sizing him up, letting the Ladybug costume invigorate her. After cooing at him, Marinette noticed faint traces of blush scattering across his cheeks. Seeing the love of her life react to her much in the same way that she had not even 24 hours prior gave her a sinister satisfaction. It also gave her confidence and proved that two could play at this game. He may have set the trap by asking her to meet up here and now, but she was the one that would thoroughly enjoy her prey this time.

Adrien attempted to gain the upper-hand as he practically jumped away from her and mentally slapped himself out of his trance. Gaining some semblance of his vocal chords, he wheezed out a "hello" and waited for her to return his formal greeting. Watching the love of his life giggle like that while the sun slowly set behind her, casting her in the loveliest of pink and orange hues was stunning.

He watched Marinette slowly licked her lips and was helpless to do anything but watch. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But he was in too deep. This was stupid. Oh God, Plagg was…right. And the fact that she was still getting closer to him had him leaning back so far that he tumbled backwards, right onto the rooftop floor. Adrien heard her sigh with a fond smile and leaned over him with a teasing glint in her eyes. Adrien, thinking that she had been about to reach down to pull him up, stretched an open palm up to her. Poor Agreste.

Marinette had other plans involved for him. She instead took his hand, laced her fingers through his and plopped down on his lap to straddle him. Was he blushing before? Whoops, what should have been said was that now he was blushing…like a fire truck...on fire. And Marinette thrived from his reaction.

With a soft giggle, she pressed herself fully on top of him, completely aware of the havoc she was wreaking on the young model.

"What's the matter kitty Chat?" She murmured while leaning down to nuzzle the tip of her nose against his.

Chat Noir was literally wheezing. Maybe even having heart palpitations. Could someone his age have a heart attack? Well, according to all of his checkups the past couple of years, his doctors deemed him to have the health and strength of a vigorous ox. But those doctors did not know about the power of His Lady. And though she be little, she is fierce.

And though Adrien realized he should probably respond, he took his time to enjoy this moment. He savored the weight of Marinette in Ladybug form on top of him. He enjoyed how her pigtails brushed against his cheeks and ears before moving down to his shoulders as she shifted to press butterfly kisses to his neck. This really wasn't healthy for a teenage boy, but he just decided to make the most of it before he spontaneously combusted.

But at least he didn't have to think about his burial preparations because shortly, an Akuma whisked past them, seeming to enjoy lithely dancing across the rooftops of Paris, not a care in its mind about the two Superheroes engaged in near embrace.

And with a more than annoyed sigh, Ladybug raised a brow in his direction and cocked her head to the side, as if asking him how he'd like to proceed. He shook off his shock and stuttered his request to find a place to suit up. Ladybug rolled off of him, not before quickly pressing even closer to his form, then proceeded to bound off after the Akuma and leave him to find a suitable place to become Chat Noir.

And that was failure number one, due to obvious circumstances.

But 23 failures later, it seemed like every time he was alone with her, it proceeded like that! Every time he tried to gather even an ounce of confidence or control of the situation, his Lady in either form would ruthlessly dominate his very being and toy with him...and he liked it. Maybe Alya was right.

There was even the time she had

Before he could dwell anymore about his dilemma, a certain spotted bug-themed teenager swept through his open window. And seeing as he was in the middle of actually practicing the piano, his hand abruptly slammed down on a variety of wrong keys, creating a discord of chaotic chords to shatter the serene sound barrier.

Both parties cringed, and Adrien swung around to make sure no one would come in to check on his strange mistake, while also sweeping the room. After three tense minutes, Adrien relaxed his shoulders seeing a Plagg-less room and a governess-less one as well. Facing the object of his affections though proved to be a whole new challenge.

Especially when said 'new challenge' now lounged across his piano with an ironic Cheshire smile, one hand holding up her head, and the other laid languidly across her hip.

When silence spilled into the room for a few more minutes as Adrien waited for this new development to unfold. But when Ladybug made gestures to continue, he did exactly as his Lady bid. So, for the entirety of Moonlight Sonata, Adrien played effortlessly and willingly drowned in the sea of his love's gaze.

Marinette's original self-satisfied smile transformed into a soft endearing life of the lips was truly breathtaking. And it was in watching that look of adoration cross Adrien's face that made Marinette cease her teasing.

Fingertips ghosted across and caressed their final keys, the final notes humming through her body.

"So" Ladybug whispered.

"So" Adrien whispered right back.

"You know. I was kind of mad at first..." And Adrien watched with rapt attention.

He waited in blissful confusion for her to proceed. And when her brows furrowed, he understood that something was amiss.

"…about the mind games…" Ladybug continued slowly, as if waiting for some epiphany to strike him. But continued upon seeing the cute, if not annoying tilt of his blonde little head.

"And the secrets…" She drew a pout when it still was getting through to him just what she was hinting at and decided to drop a few bombs.

"And the school incident, and acting cute in my room that other night, not to mention the elevator stunt, among other things kitten." And Ladybug nodded in full satisfaction as his pretty green eyes expanded while staring at her in slight fear.

Subconsciously, he knew this was coming. In fact, he figured her wrath might continue into the frigid greetings of winter. And though he hadn't intentionally meant to, his simplistic teenage boy mind thought it might be intelligent to tease and prod a reaction out of her.

"But-"

"But?" He blurted out a bit too eagerly, fingers hesitantly reaching out to her, and quickly withdrawing once he realized what his limbs were up to. But Ladybug quickly snatched them up and tangled them with her own, pressing a playful kiss to his knuckles.

"But," she emphasized pointedly, "I think I understand now. Maybe. You wanted me to find out on my own that you found out, huh?"

Baffled at his Princess' genius, he shook his head up and down in bobblehead-like style.

"And you also wanted me..." She trailed off, not quite sure what she was going for and not intending for that the be the end of the statement as she looked around trying to find the right phrasing.

But Adrien, lowly affirmed her incomplete clause, causing two flushed faces and a snickering cat entity in the background.

A lone autumn leaf, the shade of a baked honey crisp apple whispered past and stuttered as it engaged with the soft, moist grass of the park near Marinette's home.

A squirrel passed by, hopping towards a tree with its tail fluttering trustingly behind it.

A Nino passed by, thoroughly enthralled in his new mixtape, eager to share it with his sort-of girlfriend and hopefully convince her to accept the damned title he offered to her of boyfriend, even though she wanted to wait for Marinette and Adrien who wanted to stupidly dance around one another despite the fact their feelings were blooming and quite obvious for each other, and no he wasn't going to help and ruin something that should happen organically Alya.

Then that Nino backed up and did a double take. And Nino thought, 'well I'll be damned, that did happen organically,' as he snapped a picture and sent it to his not-yet-girlfriend, though that finally might change today with the news he was sharing with her. It would only be later that he would wonder how his best friend even got into that tree to kiss Marinette that passionately.

Later that evening, upon vaulting over Paris and swinging back into his room, he calmly de-transformed, kicked off his shoes, bounced over to his bed, turned around and fell back onto his bed in starfish-like fashion. With his manic grin that would scare the cheese out of Plagg's dreams, he grabbed a pillow and proceeded to squeal into it and maniacally kick his feet in the air.

That night, Nathalie decided never to check on Adrien past a certain time again.