Three days. Three days of fighting with himself, of disbelief and wonder, of staring at pigtails and soft pink lips that he want to taste again, of Nino's elbow jabbing his side, and Alya's suspicious glare. Three days of staying as close as he dared to Marinette, of keeping her within arm's reach, of aching to run his fingers through her hair, of telling her that he knew.

Three nights of scattered dreams with frantic kisses and whispered pleas. Three nights of tantalizing curves beneath his hands, of polka-dots and pajamas, of skin and squeaks and cries of desire in his ears. Three nights of passion that woke him in a cold sweat and in need of a shower.

In some ways, Adrien wished that he could just go back to simple dreams of a cute girl in a mouse costume. But instead, he found himself crossing the unspoken boundaries with Ladybug and her identity. The need to know with absolute certainty forced his hand, sending him hopping into the night to perch hidden across the street from a familiar rooftop balcony in enough time for observation.

Patrols usually began at a designated meeting place, allowing them both to transform in secret and arrive in unidentified safety. But tonight - he was going to wait and watch. If Marinette Dupain-Cheng really was Ladybug, she would need to leave from her balcony. So, he waited.

The hatch opened with five minutes until meeting time, Marinette appearing from within. Although he strained to hear, distance kept him from understanding whatever she spoke with wild animated arm movements. But his enhanced sight made it easy to see her favourite pajamas - the ones from his dreams - before she was enveloped in a brilliant light that transformed her into his beloved Ladybug. When her yo-yo whizzed past and hooked to a nearby chimney before she swung into the night, he pressed himself against his hiding spot, closing his eyes to remain hidden.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

When she vanished from view, he allowed his legs to give out, crumpling to the rooftop. He could hardly believe that the curse of the black cat would ever allow him the wonder of falling in love with the same girl twice. He needed time to breathe. Time to focus on what this meant and how exactly he was going to handle telling her. Because there was no way he couldn't tell her now.

He didn't know how long he sat there trying to calm his erratic breathing and excited heartbeat, but the ringing of his baton startled him to his feet and sent him running. Ladybug's worried voice sounded over the speaker, asking where he was. He simply breathed an apology and clicked it closed in time to vault over the night sky to their meeting place.

There, standing on their favourite rooftop, stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng in the red suit with black spots he had long been in love with. Marinette's eyes stared at him through the spotted mask. Marinette's voice asking him if everything was ok. Of course it was ok. It was better than ok. It was perfect. She was perfect.

"Dreams again?"

She had no idea. Somehow he managed a crooked smile that soothed the worry from her face.

"Ok. Let's go."

Trying to think of anything while soaring over the city of Paris in pursuit of the girl you love wearing a tight red spandex suit as a Ladybug, who sometimes moonlighted as the most magnificent mouse to his cat….. was nearly impossible. His brain had long since gone on vacation, imagining catching Ladybug mid-swing and landing in a dark corner together. He wanted to do so much more than kiss her, but he simply followed along behind her and admired the curves of her suit for the thousandth time.

Distraction caused his feet to clip against the edge of an eavestrough, sending him tumbling across the flat stone, sprawled out under the stars. Ladybug took only a moment to return, doubling back to his location.

"What happened?" she asked, her yo-yo winding around her waist so she could reach down a hand to help him to his feet. "You seem very off tonight, Chat. Go home and go to bed."

Somehow he managed to bite his tongue enough not to mutter that he'd rather take her home to bed, simply nodding instead with a soft apology before scampering off into the night.

Spinning around, Chat wondered why he was standing inside a police barricade near the Eiffel Tower. It felt familiar. Thoughts popped into his head as he scanned up the tower to see Stoneheart standing between the braces with Mylene in his grasp. The first akuma victim. This was when - he turned to look at Ladybug cowering nervously beside him, ashamed of her own new hero failures as the face made out of butterflies spewed doom over Paris. Ladybug needed his encouragement to have faith in herself. That's what made them a team.

It was the same this time as it had been the first, that overwhelming sense of amazement at her bravery and courage despite the worry she'd had only moments before. He loved that girl. As ladybugs rushed throughout Paris in the aftermath, he stretched out to reach for her, pulling her close.

"I love you," he breathed.

The fresh smell of rain filled his nose a moment before the crash of thunder rattled the air, his hand outstretched to hold an umbrella. Large blue eyes stared at him from the other side of his grasp. He smiled at her as he waited for her to take it from him, her fingers grazing his in an electric shock that bolted straight to his heart. He blinked in surprise as she stepped forward to grasp the edge of his shirt.

"I love you," she sighed.

He threw the banana costume to the side as MultiMouse merged back to her full size, his ring safely back on his finger. She shot him a blinding smile before he strode the few paces to cover the space between them, grabbing her close as he told her he loved her.

Flickering candles on a rooftop under a full moon. "There's a boy." And then she kissed him.

Sitting on a school bench. "It's about a girl." And then he kissed her.

Snuggles on a train. Laughter on a rooftop. Picnic with friends. Over and over and over, images of moments together drilled through his dreams, waking him to a single thought.

Marinette loved him back.

Adrenaline fueled every step he took running from the school to the bakery, heart pounding more from excitement than from the breakneck speed. Thankful that Madame Cheng shooed him out of the bakery and up the stairs, he galloped up them two at a time. His hand froze for a single moment before banging furiously on the door.

A click sounded the opening, revealing Marinette. His Marinette. He didn't know if he could breathe anymore. Her eyes opened in surprise at his morning intrusion.

"Adrien?" She gestured him in more out of habit than desire, their eyes locked even as he brushed past her into the house. "What are you doing here?"

"I have to talk to you," he whispered, voice cracking under the emotions that he attempted to keep controlled. As she gently closed the door behind her, he took a deep breath. He could do this. He could.

"I need you not to freak out, ok?" Her already wide eyes blew even wider, although she nodded. Grabbing her hand, he dropped the mouse miraculous necklace. "You told me to put this back where I'd found it, but I thought I'd return it to you directly instead."

Other than a slow eye drop to the necklace in her hand and then back to his face, Marinette didn't respond at all. She simply stood there, frozen, with her mouth open slightly, her face paling to a shockingly light tone. He wasn't sure that she was breathing, lost somewhere in her mind. Gently, he placed his hands on her cheeks, stepping closer.

"Breathe, my lady. Just breathe."

Stuttering gasps for air escaped her as she continued to stare at him in shock. Slowly, he ran his thumbs over her cheekbones in a soothing caress, reminding her to breathe.

"I don't understand," she whispered finally.

"Remember the dreams I've been having? The ones with a cute little mouse that I couldn't stop kissing?" He smiled as she flushed at his words, her eyes still locked with his. "Those dreams showed me that my sweet little mouse was also my brave hero, Ladybug. You, Marinette. They showed me you. All of you."

He waited while she processed, slow blinks bringing her to understanding.

"You're Chat Noir? My Chat Noir?" Her Chat Noir. A purr rumbled through him and he didn't even care. When he nodded, she let out a long sigh as tears slowly welled up in her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumbs.

"I love you, Marinette."

She let out a happy sobbing laugh.

"I love you too, Adrien."

And then he kissed her because there wasn't much else to say.

Scanning the Paris skyline in the twilight, Chat shuffled back and forth from foot to foot, trying to not accidentally tear the red paper of the small gift he held. She was late. He searched the rooftops again, eyes finally settling on a red spot quickly moving towards him. Ladybug. He couldn't help the smile that broke through the nervous frown, nor the way that his heart leapt in excitement.

She landed softly beside him, looping her yo-yo onto her waist with casual ease.

"Hey, Kitty."

He would never get tired of her nickname for him. Never. Her beautiful smile took his breath away every time.

"I have a gift for you," he said, forcing himself to stay focused on the task. With two hands, he passed her the small red box. A blush on the cheeks betrayed her confident stance, taking the present with a small murmur of thanks. Carefully she peeled the paper to find a small box. Inside lay a tiny ring in the shape of a mouse. Little paws and snout peered over one side of the ring with a tail curling up the other side. The moment he saw it, he knew it had to be hers - a quiet nod to his little mouse.

She squealed softly in admiration before stretching up on her toes to press a kiss on her cheek.

"It is so adorable, Adrien. I love it."

"Happy Chinese New Year," he grinned, wrapping his arms around her. "Year of the Rat. A whole year to appreciate the mouse that you are under the bug costume." A costume he already fully appreciated caressing under his claws. She shivered at his fingers dancing up her spine before placing a finger to his forehead and gently pushing him away.

"I have a present for you, too, my kitty. Close your eyes and don't peek." He pouted playfully, making sure his lips stuck out in an exaggerated fashion. She frowned, tilting her head to the side in a lighthearted scolding. "Do it!"

He smirked as he squeezed his eyes shut, hands pressed into his eye sockets to avoid peeking. The only sounds he could hear were shuffling and barely spoken words he couldn't decipher.

"You can open your eyes now."

MultiMouse stood in Ladybug's place, a familiar pink and grey suit and mask replacing the red and black. He felt his body react instantly, pulse thrumming through his veins in heightened excitement.

"Catch me if you can, kitty." Her eyes twinkled as they flashed him a dare, her feet taking off at lightning speed. He groaned watching her leap fearlessly between buildings, his muscles tensing in anticipation. Time for the cat to catch the mouse.

She squealed when he did, pouncing on her with wild eyes and a wicked smile. He claimed his prize in the form of a kiss, his lips wandering down the line of her jaw while the hand on her back pulled her closer, even closer - melding her curves against him in a way that made it hard to think of anything.

Soft squeaks and breathless gasps at his touch left him whirling, wondering if this was real.

"So, kitty," he heard her voice breathe against his ear. "Why don't you show me what you were dreaming about?"

A feral growl was his only response as he happily complied.

AUTHOR:

Happy Chinese New Year! :)

Man it's been fun to write this and to read all your comments along the way. Thanks so much for joining me! :D As usual, thanks to CaptainMalcomReynolds for being my sounding board / beta / cool writing friend and for laughing with me at all the random double entendres that kept popping up. ;)

I admit, this story was way out of my usual writing style and I have a new appreciation for real smut writers, let me tell you!

More writing coming soon, I promise. :D I appreciate all your encouragement!