A/N: Here is a little one-shot reveal… cause we all love 'em so much.

The akuma's name was Bittersweet.

If she could go back in time, she would have never had gotten involved with someone from work. Let alone her boss.

Their office romance had been unpredictable: brought on by working alone together for multiple, exceedingly late nights on a tough project.

He had been devilishly captivating and inappropriately handsy with her since the beginning. And she, a naturally quiet & introverted person, had taken his affections for true feelings.

His smooth words had been like honey to her ears. He had promised her everything: the moon, stars and planets—as well as his everlasting love.

She had become insatiably smitten almost overnight.

Now, the project was over, and he had dropped her like a bad habit. And when she tried approaching him about her lingering feelings: he fired her for her inappropriate behavior to save his own skin.

As the black butterfly flew towards her, she was sitting on the steps of her office building, with her box of desk supplies, and in uncontrollable tears.

She hated herself because she still loved him. God, it hurt how much she still loved him.

She was such a good person that she couldn't even blame him for firing her. She felt like everything had been her fault.

By the time Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived on the scene, Bittersweet was heaving attacks at anyone who came around her. Her voice was filled with pain and sorrow as she retold her story over and over again to her victims and wrapped them in a veil of starry shadows. They began hovering just above the ground—eyes closed as if in a deep sleep.

The pair leaped and jumped around her attacks, trying to find the source of her akuma.

Bittersweet shrieked and demanded that they stand still.

"Someone didn't get their beauty sleep." Chat Noir teased.

"I think there is more to it than that, kitty." Ladybug told him as she dodged another attack. She felt concerned for the akumatized victim, she really did. She knew a thing or two about one-sided love.

This was a particularly troubled akuma. She was just heaving attack after attack not really caring who she hit or how much destruction she caused.

Chat Noir used his speed and got in close for a sneak attack. He was able to confuse Bittersweet in attacking him blindly. As Ladybug used her yo-yo to swing in and sweep out her legs.

She let out a faint surprised scream as she got knocked to the ground.

"I'm feline-like we got this one in the bag!" Chat Noir called to this partner happily.

Ladybug smiled at Chat's little pun. However, he was failing to notice Bittersweet quickly getting back on her feet.

The akuma launched her attack, and directed it right at him.

"Chat Noir, look out!" Ladybug yelled, rushing forward to push him out of the way.

The akuma's magic hit her with a force that knocked her sideways.

She briefly remembered hearing him call out her name: his voice sounding panicked and full of fear—before her vision was consumed by shadows.

Marinette stood in a white room that did not seem to contain any walls, floor or ceiling.

She felt strangely at peace and nothing about the room felt scary or alarming in any way.

She took a few steps forward, and the room moved with her. As she walked, the pure whiteness of the room slowly shifted into a memory.

She was now standing in the park near her school. The day was sunny and warm. The carousal was spinning without any passengers. But the large fountain was bubbling happily as it pushed water into the blue sky.

Oh, Adrien was suddenly there. No doubt doing another photo-shoot in the park on such a lovely day.

She felt instantly happy seeing him.

To her, he was so absolutely perfect. Handsome, kind, considerate and a perfect gentleman. Everything she ever wanted and so much more. They had been classmates for a few years now, and her love for him had grown exponentially ever since they met on that rainy afternoon.

She never had the nerve to talk to him—let alone tell him her true feelings. She was always a stuttering mess even in casual conversation. If she could ever grow a spine, she could, possibly, maybe, somehow ask him if he wanted to catch a movie. Heck, she would settle for a cup of coffee and just stare at him in close proximity.

As if he could magically read her mind, he looked up and noticed her—giving a casual wave in her direction.

Marinette nearly jumped out of her skin and tried to wave back, but ended waving her hand so fast it was like a blur of fingers.

He probably thought she was being a total spaz.

And yet, he motioned for her to come over.

Marinette glanced wildly from side to side, seeing if he was perhaps talking to someone else. However, she was the only one around.

She pointed a nervous finger at herself—as if to say 'Are you sure you're talking to me?'

He smiled one of his perfect, heart-fluttering smiles and nodded.

She was suddenly at his side and she didn't remember moving. The daylight seemed brighter around him but, perhaps, that was just her imagination.

"Marinette, it's good to see you."

"G-Good to look at you too. I mean, erm, good to see you too, Adrien." His name came off her lips like a prayer.

"What brings you out to the park?" he asked.

"Oh me? Just out for a walk, I guess. You know, gotta stay active. I mean, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. You stay so fit… cause, you know, being a model and everything…"

Trying to hide her embarrassment, she kept talking. "I see, you must be out on a photoshoot today? Perfect day for it. It's such nice weather. I'm sure the lighting is fantastic for you…"

"Erm, yeah, I suppose so." He answered with a bit of uneasy laughter to his voice.

Marinette started playing with one of her pig-tails out of nervousness. "Photoshoots are so exciting, don't you think? Erm, I'm sure you are very used to them, so they probably don't seem all that exciting, but they are exciting to me! So, umm, yeah. Now that we've established that you're out at a photoshoot, I'm sure you don't need me hanging around messing up your concentration… heh heh."

"It's okay. I'm on a break right now anyway."

Marinette's mouth formed a little 'o' in shock. She was starting to lose all of her nerve just from their casual conversation. "Oh, you're on a break? Well, don't let me disturb your break. I should probably get going anyway..."

"Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?" he said, crossing his perfect arms across his perfect chest. Not that she was noticing those details or anything.

"Ask you? Something?" Marinette questioned, suddenly very confused at the change in topic.

"Yeah, Chloe told me that she overheard you and Alya talking about wanting to ask me something."

"She did, did she?" Marinette rubbed the back of her head and began chewing on her lip. "No. Nothing to say here."

"Are you sure?" he asked again. She wasn't really sure why he was pushing the topic. This was very unlike him.

"Well, to be quite honest, I have heard a few rumors."

"R-Rumors?" She felt like a parrot echoing his words.

"Yeah, like rumors of you… liking me?"

Marinette's eyes doubled in size. There was no way he could have found out about that! It was impossible. Alya must have let it slip to Nino or something. She couldn't believe this was even happening right now. Her life was over for sure. The rumors would make her into a laughing stock around the whole school. She would have to move away, find a new school and start a new life. Perhaps thousands of miles away where no one knew her name.

"Marinette?"

"Hmm?" She hadn't heard a single thing he had said.

"Is it true?" His face looked a bit annoyed.

"I-Is what true?" There she goes, being a parrot again.

"That you like me."

Oh boy. This was it. She couldn't deny it now. His eyes were practically burrowing into her soul.

"Well, actually, I-I… umm… well, you see, it's kind of complicated…"

"I'm sorry, Marinette. You're a nice girl and all, but I really don't have feelings for you in that way."

She stared at him with wide eyes. How could he reject her so fast? She had barely said anything at all.

"Oh… yeah, no biggie. I get it."

Adrien sighed and seemed to look through her like she was made of glass. "I've just got so much going on between photoshoots, fencing classes and private tutoring lesions—I really can't focus on anything but my career and education right now. You understand, right?"

"Oh, yeah, of course, Adrien. I understand."

The park seemed to melt all around her: colors oozed from the walls and puddled at her feet. The light from the sun was covered in thick clouds that swallowed the sky.

"I hope we can still be friends?" he said.

"Y-Yeah, t-totally." Her voice cracked on the last word. She was fighting back tears. She would absolutely not cry in front of him.

"Ladybug!"

She closed her eyes against the sensation and turned away from him. The room spun around her as she took a few steps away from him.

"I guess, I'll see you around…" she called back over her shoulder.

His words resonated with her and echoed in her mind over and over again.

He had rejected her so quickly she wondered if even their friendship was a lie. He really didn't have any time for her or anyone for that matter. Were they all just a nuisance to him?

"Ladybug! Come on, wake up!"

It made sense. He was using his career and private schooling as his reasoning for being so busy and to make her feel better about getting rejected. He truly was being nice to her—even in his rejection.

"Snap out of it already! Fight this!"

He was such a nice guy. Too good for her really. But, then again, she knew that from the beginning. It almost made it alright to get rejected by him: probably one of the nicest guys on the planet.

"Listen to me! Hear my voice!"

The sting of the rejection made her knees weaken. She looked back over her shoulder to see if he was still within sight of her. Thank goodness, he wasn't.

She really couldn't see much of anything anymore. The white walls were back and she was alone. But alone was good, alone felt safe.

She could finally let herself cry. Her hot tears fell down her cheeks almost instantly. She collapsed in a heap and wept from the heartbreak.

"Don't do this to me!"

The walls collapsed within themselves the more she sobbed uncontrollably. All the years of wanting and aching for this one guy. And, poof, just like that, he never really cared about her all that much to begin with. She felt more foolish than anything. She was mad at herself really. Mad that she didn't recognize it sooner.

"Ladybug! Please. Wake up!"

The vision ended with an audible pop to her subconscious. Her eyes shot open and she was suddenly staring at the sky. Or, at least, she was. Until a familiar masked face filled her vision. His bright green eyes filled with concern.

"Ladybug! Oh, thank God, you're alright. I thought I had lost you!"

She looked around cautiously. She was laying on a rooftop, her head and neck in Chat's lap.

He had been watching her face since she had first started to stir in his arms. He saw the tears fall from her closed eyes as she slept while under the akuma's spell. His words couldn't sooth her tears. He could only imagine what horrors she was seeing.

Slowly, she sat up, holding her head like she expected it to be hurting. Her vision was swimming a bit and she felt incredibly groggy.

"Easy, m'Lady. Don't get up too fast."

"What happened?" she asked him.

"You were hit by the akuma's attack. I tried to wake you, but you were trapped inside this dark barrier. The akuma tried to go for your earrings, so I grabbed you and took you to safety."

"Where is the akuma now?"

Chat pointed a clawed finger out into the distance.

Ladybug tried to stand up, but her knees were weak. Chat Noir ended up catching her before she fell.

"Woah, easy now. You need to rest."

"We can't rest. We need to stop Bittersweet before she…"

"Ladybug, you just took the full force of her attack. You need to go easy. You're not me, you know?"

He rarely called her Ladybug. Normally he used whatever cheesy pet-name he could tease her with. So, the fact that he said her full name meant he was being serious.

She owed him everything for getting her out of there and protecting her miraculous.

"I'm fine, Chat." She stated calmly, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She put a soft hand on his arm and patted it gently. "Let's just finish this."

He nodded his head but eyed her carefully. She was clearly still frazzled by what happened. It pained him more than words could say to see her like this.

The team found Bittersweet easily. They were pleased to see that, much like Ladybug, all of her other victims began waking up within a matter of time. However, she was quickly using her powers to find new victims.

"The akuma must be in her ID badge." Ladybug told Chat Noir.

"Got it." And leapt into action.

As far as akumas go, she wasn't particularly difficult to beat. The poor victim was too distraught to want to fight. Ladybug didn't even have to use her Lucky Charm. With Chat's speed, he was able to grab the ID badge and snap it easily in his strong, clawed fingers.

Ladybug cleansed her akuma and sent the white butterfly fluttering away with a sigh of relief. Her Miraculous Ladybug powers took care of the damaged buildings and the citizens of Paris still sleep under Bittersweet's spell.

However, despite the Ladybug magic, she could not shake the vision she had seen. Her powers could not remove the thoughts now planted in her mind.

Hugging herself for comfort, she was suddenly scared. Scared that everything she had seen was true and realizing just what that meant to her.

Chat Noir was back at her side with enough time to hear her mutter something to him under her breath and then used her yo-yo to swing away—leaving him standing there bewildered.

She made it back home on her own strength. But once her feet touched the floor, her transformation fell away as if Tikki sensed her exhaustion.

Marinette walked over and sat down in her computer chair. She was staring at her feet, still remembering the attack and reliving the vision that had passed in front of her eyes. She felt unnerved by it.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki asked.

Marinette snapped her head up to look into her kwami's expressive large eyes. "Sorry, yes, Tikki. I'm fine."

"Did something happen?"

"I don't want to talk about it just yet." She answered honestly.

Marinette decided to take her mind off of the attack by playing some computer games—they would certainly distract her troubled mind. She wiggled her mouse to get her computer to wake itself up out of hibernation.

Once her screen came alive, she froze. Her eyes staring at her computer screen background.

She had forgotten that it was covered with his face.

That face. That face that seemed to be haunting her now.

Marinette gripped her mouse so tightly that her hand began to shake.

That akuma's vision had been like a switchblade to her heart. She was hopelessly in love with Adrien and had been for some time.

And nothing would ever come of it.

He was a famous model and she was just… Marinette. He lived a life so far above her own that it still amazed her how much of a sweetheart he could still be.

Her emotions bubbled to the surface.

She couldn't look at his face anymore.

She switched her desktop background to something else. It made the pain more bearable to not be staring at his face.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other photos of him hanging on her walls. God, she really was totally obsessed.

She leaped up and began tearing them down one by one. She ripped them frantically into tiny pieces and scattered them across the floor as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

She collapsed back in her computer chair, faintly panting at her sudden outburst. She stared at the confetti littered on her floor.

"Marinette..." Tikki begged softly, hovering closer to her.

"Please, not now Tikki. I just… need a minute."

The little kwami nodded her head and flew away to let Marinette have the space she requested. Tikki knew the girl well enough to know that when she was ready to talk, she would.

Chat Noir watched everything from a neighboring rooftop. His heart pounded so loudly that he thought it would burst from his chest.

He had his confirmation now: Marinette was Ladybug.

He had actually figured it out months ago. Their similarities had started to outweigh their differences. He had been trying to figure out a way to reveal his own identity to her and express his own feelings. But the setting had never been right to tell her.

But then again, he had been pondering the thought of her actually refusing his feelings as Adrien and as Chat Noir. He still didn't know how she felt about either man. He couldn't possibly reveal his intentions now. So, he had been bidding his time, waiting for the perfect moment. Simply because, she deserved that much. She was so much better than him in every way that he always felt in awe just being in her presence.

But after that horrible akuma battle, and her being hit by the akuma's attack head on, (Something that he was still blaming himself for) her distressed demeanor had been very obvious.

She did not pound his fist in celebration of their victory. She had just said a hasty goodbye, blaming her beeping earrings, and zipped away on her yo-yo.

Chat Noir had not even heard her earrings begin to beep. It wasn't like her to lie to him.

So, he had followed her.

And now, with his heart in his throat, he leaped from the rooftop to land, effortlessly on her balcony.

She heard his footsteps hit the ground outside her window. She watched him walk up to her window and stare at her like a lost cat wanting to be let inside.

Why was he even here?

She climbed the steps and opened her window. Her body blocked him from coming inside.

"What are you doing here, Chat Noir?" The words came out of her mouth particularly nastier than she had intended.

"Being sure m'Lady is truly okay." He answered. He got right to the point. She would either hate him for knowing her secret identity or deny it completely.

She eyed him suspiciously. He never called Marinette the pet-names he had given to Ladybug. Normally it was either Princess or Mari.

He obviously knew about her.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine." She tried to play it off one last time.

"Then tell me who that is floating behind you." He pointed a clawed finger over her shoulder.

"Very funny, Chat Noir."

"No, seriously. Look behind you."

"I'm not in the mood to play games."

Chat pointed again. "No games, m'Lady, Chat's honor."

Marinette turned around to see Tikki actually floating there with nervous eyes.

"If you won't talk to me, then, please, talk to him..." She begged softly.

"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, surprised that her kwami was giving in so easily to Chat knowing her identity.

"I'm sorry, Marinette, but I'm worried about you…" Her kwami said, looking sad.

"That makes two of us." Chat Noir spoke up.

Marinette whipped her head back around to stare at him. He looked so terribly concerned for her. It warmed her heart a bit to see how much he truly cared.

"May I come in now, m'Lady?" Chat asked.

"Fine." She huffed, moving out of the way so he could come in.

Chat jumped into her room, casting a quick glance around at the pieces of paper strewn all over the floor.

Marinette laid down on her bed. If she was going to have this conversation, she was going to do it in comfort.

"Are you upset that I know?" he asked her, turning his attention back to her.

She pondered the thought for a few seconds but then, decided to be honest with herself and him.

"No. Not really." She admitted to him. "I guess you were bound to find out eventually." She rolled onto her side and stared at the wall.

"Your secret will always be safe with me." He told her with a tone of seriousness to his deep voice. "I promise you that."

She closed her eyes. Happy that he would honor her secret, but also slightly disheartened that he had found out first.

"I know. Thank you, Chatton."

She heard him move closer to her, perhaps now standing at the foot of her bed. Although, he kept his distance. She liked that he respected her personal space.

The pair stayed awkwardly quiet for a few seconds, but it felt like minutes.

"What happened with the akuma, Princess?" he asked her finally, unable to bare the silence any longer.

She snuggled her face deeper into her pillow. "Nothing. It was nothing. Just a stupid dream."

"It wasn't nothing. You were crying while under her spell."

Marinette raised her head up a bit to look at him. She didn't realize he had seen her crying. She felt embarrassed that the vision had actually affected her physical body like that.

She opened her mouth to say something, but ended up letting the words die on her lips. Her head fell back down on her pillow, and she pulled her knees up closer to her chin.

Chat's shoulders slumped and he clenched his clawed fingers into tight fists. She was so stubborn. Sometimes it unnerved him to no end. She was in such obvious pain and there was nothing he could do about it.

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth while he relived the feeling of her limp body in his arms as he carried her away from the battlefield. She had been breathing, but her body was completely lifeless and nothing he said or did could wake her.

"… I called out to you over and over again… But, I felt like my voice couldn't reach you at all… I was so scared that I had lost you forever…"

Chat spoke to her so softly that she actually felt sorry for being so cross with him earlier.

"Chat, it's okay. I'm fine now. The akuma is gone. You don't have to worry about me."

"It's my duty to worry about you, m'Lady. That attack was aimed to hit me, if you hadn't pushed me out of the way…"

"I couldn't just let you get hit…"

"Yes, you can!" he exclaimed. "That's what I'm there for..."

"No! We are partners. We have to take hits for each other from time to time. It's not fair for you to always be the punching bag."

"I can't stand seeing you get hurt!"

"Neither can I!"

At this point, they were nearly yelling at each other. Marinette had sat up in bed, and he was now kneeling on the edge of it.

They both stopped talking and stared at each other.

A smile creeped across Marinette's lips. Chat couldn't help but match it with one of his own.

"I'm sorry." They said at the exact same time. They both shared a laugh and the tension from the conversation was gone in an instant.

They knew each other so well. It really made their teamwork feel real.

Marinette shook her head back and forth to clear her thoughts. "I guess, ugh, I guess my mind is just a mess right now. I just can't seem to shake off what happened…" she admitted to him.

"Tell me what happened. I want to help you."

"This isn't something you can fix, kitty."

"I just can't stand to see you this upset."

That was really sweet of him to say. She flashed him a dull smile. "I'll be back to my old self again soon. I promise. I just need a bit to get over the sting of it."

He nodded his head. He didn't like it, but he understood.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked softly.

Stay? Stay here with her? Did she want him to stay with her? Did she honestly trust herself to be around him right now? The answer was simple—she wasn't sure.

Her chest was tight as she tried to decide what to tell him.

"No… I'm okay now." she told him, but as soon as the words left her lips—she knew she was lying to herself.

"Alright, I'll go then. Try to rest, m'Lady." He said, while standing up and walking away. He didn't like leaving her this way. But he couldn't force the information out of her. Whatever she'd seen, she was dealing with it in her own way. But that was Marinette, painfully stubborn and unwilling to unload her problems on others.

No. That wasn't what she really wanted right now. She enjoyed his company. His presence was soothing her troubled mind. He made her feel safe.

"Chat…" she whimpered, her voice terribly soft and lewd.

It stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Please… don't go… just yet…" she crawled on the bed toward him slowly. If she was trying to be seductive, it was working.

His shoulders tightened and he felt his resolve begin to weaken. Her pleading voice was killing him slowly with every word. He dared not turn completely around to face her—for fear that what he would see, would become his undoing.

Everything in his mind told him that this was a bad idea. It would ruin their friendship. Not to mention their partnership.

His eyes fell upon her anyway. It was like trying to resist a force of nature to not see her now.

She was on her hands and knees, at the very edge of her bed. Her lower back arched high up while her hands dug into the edge of the soft mattress.

She was as close as she could get to him, without getting off of the bed.

She reached out for him. Her fingers searching and trying to grasp at the empty air. Summoning him back to her with an imaginary force.

Her eyes were like deep, reflective pools. The lines of her face so sad that it made his very soul ache.

"Please... I don't want to be alone."

He went to her.

Her hands instantly found his hips and dragged upward across his lower stomach and towards his chest.

The armor of his suit felt tougher than steel against her fingers There was no imaging what his body felt like underneath that magic armor, she could feel every groove and muscle of him beneath her prying fingers.

And yet, he felt her every touch like her fingers were touching his bare skin.

It ranked his body in shivers and he drew in a sharp breath.

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him that extra bit closer so she could lay her cheek against his pounding heart.

He touched her now: his clawed fingers petting her back in soft, small circles. There was comfort in his touch, but it also made her stomach fill with butterflies.

"It's alright, M'lady." He purred to her. His voice unbelievably reassuring and tender. "I'm right here."

His words only made her hug him tighter.

"Tell me… please… what happened?" Hugging her tightly to his chest.

She took in a deep breath, relishing in the unexpected scent of his body, as he was pressed so close to her. He smelled like some exotic aftershave that made her imagine that he traveled around the world when he wasn't Chat Noir.

"I saw… I saw everything. In the akuma's vision, I saw my pathetic, hopeless future if I stay in…"

"It was just a spell. It wasn't real…" he interrupted her.

"But it showed me the truth. The real truth that I have been denying to myself for so long…"

"What kind of truth?"

"… the truth about the guy I love."

Chat's heart skipped a beat. He stopped rubbing her back for fear that she would feel his hand begin to shake.

"You… love someone?"

She pulled herself from his chest and looked up at his masked face.

"Does that surprise you?"

"No! Of course not. You are free to love anyone you wish."

She smiled a tiny bit. "I just wish I had the courage to tell him."

"You never told him?"

Marinette sat back on her legs, finally putting a bit of space between them. She cast her gaze away from him as she spoke, her eyes searching the space behind him.

Chat Noir instantly missed her closeness.

"I couldn't… I never had the courage to admit it to him."

"But you are the Ladybug. The hero of Paris. Loved by all. He, undoubtedly, already feels…"

"You're the only one who knows that I am Ladybug." She told him. "And I don't want him to love Ladybug, I want him to love me as Marinette."

Chat blinked large eyes at her. He couldn't believe he was giving her relationship advice—about someone else no less. Another guy, not him, had worked his way into his lady's heart.

He was instantly, insanely jealous. And yet, he understood her plight.

He already loved the superhero: Ladybug, and the designer: Marinette. So, when the two became the same person—his heart had sought her out with every fiber of his being.

He swallowed hard. However, this wasn't about him. It was about her.

He would let her go, if it meant giving her true happiness.

"So, tell him how you feel." He advised, trying to put on a brave face even though his heart was drowning.

Marinette sighed in annoyance—mostly with herself. "It's not as easy as it sounds. When I'm me, I'm a bumbling and clumsy idiot around him. He's a renowned model with class and manners. To him, I'm just his classmate who's good video games and designs bowler hats in her spare time."

Chat Noir was about to come apart at the seams. He was almost paw-sitive she was talking about Adrien.

"But the akuma, she showed me what a fool I am for loving someone so beyond my reach. I saw what would happen if I actually worked up the nerve to tell Adrien my feelings. He would reject me instantly… there is no doubt about it. It's almost laughable really…"

Adrien. She had definitely said Adrien. She had said his name.

"…And yet, much like Bittersweet, I will still love him. Despite everything, I will still love him like the stupid, love-struck idiot that I am."

He listened to her pour her heart and soul out to him. He listened and felt the weight of her words like a cold wind.

"You're not an idiot, princess. He's the idiot for not noticing your feelings and making you feel this pain."

"It's not his fault. He's got hundreds of girls pinning over him on a daily basis. I'm just another face in the crowd."

She fidgeted with her fingers as they lay in her lap. "If only I could go back to that one moment in time I would choose differently… I would fall in love with someone else." Her eyes were still looking past him, like she wasn't seeing him at all.

"Who?" His voice was just above a whisper.

Her voice was so beautifully tragic but quiet, calm and firm. But it was fitting for a girl whose beauty seemed to shine and grow with her sadness.

"I would fall in love with you, Chat Noir."

Her words fought their way into his mind and floated through his heart.

His fingers found the side of her face and pulled her gaze back up to his. She complied and he was lost in her deep blue eyes.

"You would love me?"

"Yes. Easily." She said.

His eyes were wide and raw with emotion. He searched her face for any sign of hesitation or doubt.

When he found none, he shattered the wall they had built between them.

He pushed her backwards against the bed. She fell backward instantly with his touch. The moment her head hit the mattress, he was on top of her. His handsome masked face filled her vision and she reached for him—pulling it closer to hers.

They were inches apart, both panting, but neither of them would close the gap.

His hungry mouth was unable to wait any longer. He kissed her gently as if afraid she would deny him. However, she was the one who deepened the kiss.

They grabbed for each other now. Fingers finding hair and holding fast.

Their kiss became a breathless dance of lips, tongues and flesh. Neither of them wanting to pull away.

They drank from each other's mouths. Relishing the feel of satisfaction after years of pent of desire.

He kissed her like she would disappear forever if he stopped. She kissed back hoping that he would never leave her side again.

Much like their battles, his body lay covering hers—always protecting her from any danger even in the throngs of desire. Her dark shield.

They came up for air only to plunge back down in haste. They could not get enough of one another.

His lips found her neck, while her fingers clawed at the muscles of his back. Their legs were twisted together, holding each other as close as possible.

Her moans and gasps echoed in his ears.

Everything he was doing to her, she wanted more. More of him. More of this unfiltered passion.

And he could not resist the sounds she made for him.

They found parts of themselves in each other. Missing pieces that were completely lost until now. Finally together and completely overwhelmed with one another.

She grabbed the side of his face, and brought his lips back to her mouth. Too hungry for his taste to let him continue kissing his way down her neck.

He kissed her like he was trying to climb inside her mouth and eat her very words. Those sweet/sad words that made him loose his mind and fall helplessly more in love with her.

Marinette moaned against his lips—completely overtaken by her kitty's desire for her. She gave herself to him completely.

And then, the beeping began.

His time was almost done—the power in his ring quickly diminishing.

The both stopped and stared at one another now. Desire suddenly replaced by anxiety—as the beeps sounded their alarm.

Neither of them knew what to do. They needed more time to figure it out.

But time was not on their side.

Marinette gazed at Chat Noir like she suddenly couldn't believe she was in his arms.

Chat gazed at her like she was his whole world. Her beautiful face was in blissful shock, her lips parted and panting.

It broke his heart to pull away from her now. But he did.

The weight of his body was suddenly gone from hers. She propped up on her elbows to see him standing beside her bed.

His back was to her and he started to take a step away.

No. No. This wasn't right. He was leaving! He was actually leaving her.

Damn everything. Damn it all. She wasn't going to be a coward anymore. Not with Chat Noir. Not after everything that had just happened.

Marinette didn't think, she just reacted.

Reaching out, she grabbed his ahold of his tail and held on tight like it was her only lifeline back to him. Her face was horribly flushed with embarrassment as he turned around to look at her.

Unable to move unless she let go, anxiety began building in his voice.

"If you see me now… everything will be different."

She gripped his tail tighter and, shaking her head back and forth, pinched her eyes shut tightly.

"Everything already is different." She told him.

"Then why close your eyes?"

He was right. She opened them slowly and looked at him one last time as her Chat Noir.

The pair stared at one another with only the sound of his ring's frantic beeping.

And then, his ring stopped beeping.

The tail slowly began to disintegrate away in her fingers. She watched it melt away in a wash of yellow sparks along with the rest of his black armor. And now a figure stood before her.

A man she knew all too well.

Her voice caught in her throat, the only sound escaping was an 'eep'-like noise.

He shifted anxiously in his sneakers, but his eyes never left her face.

"Surprise?" he teased her gently.

"It's… you. Adrien… it's you!" She said, her breath coming out in small gasps with every word.

"Yeah. It's me." He said, kicking at something imaginary on the floor out of nervousness.

"It was you? It was you, this whole time?"

He nodded his blonde head.

"But… you… are… you… and Chat… he's… you…"

Her hands covered her mouth in silent shock. She softly rubbed her fingers across her own lips, immediately recalling the taste of his lips and tongue like a fresh stain on her heart.

The memory filled her face with color, and she put a hand on each cheek to calm the fire building in her face.

He was suddenly there, reaching out and touching her hands. Gently, he pulled them off of her flushed face.

"Don't hide from me anymore." He begged her.

She smiled and let out a breathy laugh that sounded almost like a whine.

It was really him. The love of her life was also her most trusted partner. It all seemed too perfect to be real.

Adrien noticed her hands slightly shaking in his. He squeezed them lightly to calm them. He was having a hard time controlling himself too. The desire to kiss her again was eating at him.

"Tell me this is not a dream." She asked.

He smiled and leaned closer to her, coming up onto her bed. "It's not a dream, m'Lady."

She smiled at the nickname. "Prove it to me, kitty."

He didn't need any further encouragement. He closed the distance between them in an instant: dropping her hands so that he could wrap his arms around her. Her own arms wound themselves around his neck.

His forehead met hers as they stared at one another so closely pressed together once again.

"You finally found me." He whispered against his lips.

"No," she said, tilting her head and gripping his shoulders. "You found me."

They kissed once again with laughter lingering on their lips.