Disclaimer: Everything belongs to their respectful owners.

A/N: I admit, I can't do stories with chapters because after three chapters I'd have no inspiration whatsoever, so one shots or two shots has always been my thing. But, I'll try to make a story with chapters though, since I've always wanted to do that but as you see I can't SIGH. Anyhow, this is just a little something-something I whipped up to get rid of some pressure I'm going through soo enjoy!

There were times when they were in control.

They would pass by each other by the entrance of the school, where he would be leaning against the pillar, holding onto his books as he nodded to everything Nino was saying, an occasional remark was thrown out here and there to voice out his opinion. Usually, he was one of the first few people to get to school early, wanting to avoid the stares as he got out of the limousine everytime he did. And then, she would come some time after that, ten minutes or so later with Alya beside her.

She would listen to Alya's frequent updates on her Ladyblog, the dull amusement glowed on her face everytime she saw the excitement in her friend's eyes, along with the adoration that came with it. They would walk up the stairs, and then she would see him.

They hidden it between themselves, you see, this little secret of theirs. Where none knew except them. Of dancing nights and silent breaths, it was only them alone.

He knew she saw the way how his eyes lit up when they met hers. Bright, green and gold swirling together in those chaos, as how he discreetly straightened himself up.

He realised she was holding back her laughter.

You're slipping, My Lady. Can't get people to know now, can we?

The smile that stretched upon their lips was subtle as she walked by, friendly and welcoming, fooling everyone around them if they happened to take a special interest in them all of the sudden. But they knew within themselves that deep down, the innocence that was plastered onto their faces were filled with mockery for each other, because they knew they weren't what they seem, they knew that it was all a terrible game that they were playing between themselves.

Just to aggravate him more, she gave a slight raise of an eyebrow.

The corner of his lips tilted even wider.

And then she went inside the building, trying to continue to listen to what Alya was saying, all the while feeling the way he was bearing holes on to her back as he too trailed behind her with Nino beside him to get to class.

There were times when they let it slip a bit when no one was watching.

Some days he would be the first one to sit at his desk, and then she would make her way to hers.

Though she wasn't looking at him in the eye, and he was deliberately avoiding her gaze as he wringed his fingers together on the desk that his white ring flashed under the morning light, waiting for their teacher to come in. He knew she was actually watching him, as he was as he followed her move from under his lashes.

Silently, that fleeting moment when she was just beside him that he could feel her warmth from where he sat, she let a finger stray on his shoulder, slowly sliding it across his tensed muscles and to his neck that it left a trail of fire on his skin. He stomped on the urge to shiver at her touch, and instead clench his fingers together tightly as he sat still in his seat, glancing to Nino in hopes to latch onto a conversation and distract himself from the internal combustion he would cause upon himself.

At the corner of his eye, he thought he saw her smirk.

Oh, he got her back of course.

She was at the library, a couple of books in arm to go through for their upcoming project, standing to her toes as she tried to reach onto one more book on the top shelf. It just so happened he was passing through that aisle when he saw the way how she was having a hard time trying to even grasp it with her fingers, and he couldn't help but laugh quietly at her antics.

He strode smoothly towards her, the same subtle smile on his lips as he stood behind her.

(He wore another mask in public, a look of complete blandness that it was hard to actually know what he was thinking unless he gave a small twitch of emotions with a smile, or if one were to search deeply, they could see the way his eyes shifted from one end of feelings to another.

Usually, he saved those types of things to the ones he was close with.)

He planted his hand lightly on the slope of her back, feeling the momentarily flinch of surprise she caused as he plucked the book from the shelf for her, meeting her wide eyes as she swivelled around to face him.

He kept the same expression on the whole through, holding out the book to her. "You looked as if you needed help."

She blinked once, before she too lapsed into the same mask he was wearing. Polite, thankful. But he saw the way how her eyes flashed before she could tuck it away fully. "Thank you, but I was getting to it really."

He shrugged, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets in hopes to hide the twitch of his fingers. "I wasn't sure about that but," He grinned. "You're welcome."

She saw past all of that of course, being the smart girl she was. He supposed he wasn't exactly as stealthy as he thought he would be when he was near her, but then again, it wasn't actually his fault to be that way when she was the cause of all of those happening.

Shaking her head slightly, she brushed past him, and he could feel the way it electrocute his body that his breath hitched for a while, hearing the way her words hummed in his ears.

"Don't be late tonight."

And just like that, she left him standing there, sitting beside Alya as she completely ignored him as if he didn't even existed when she flipped open one of the thick books.

He noticed that Alya was staring at him curiously, before glancing to the girl beside her, cocking an eyebrow at him indefinitely.

He only shrugged again, quickly slipping onto his mask as he walked towards Nino a few tables away from them, plopping onto the chair beside him.

They had to be careful, people had been suspicious when they were suddenly being civil to each other. No more stuttering words, no more oblivious looks of surprise. It was as if a flip of a switch had made them blend together, and they knew for sure that they didn't want anyone else to see what was really behind those demeanour they were using.

At night, it was then they really let it all out at once.

They were selfish, they've always been selfish when it came to each other. Their emotions were sharper, more open as they faced each other on rooftops with another name they wore for the people they were protecting. He realised for not the first time, when he was in her arms as he leisured in the way how perfect her lips was as they slanted across his, that they were as broken as any human being would be as long as they walked on this earth.

Times like this, when the night was silent and the stars shone brightly above their heads, that they devote themselves to each other, leaving behind shared breaths and touched skin as they went back to their respective places, the adrenaline still running in their veins that it was still felt until the next day.

It was almost painful to not feel her pressed against him, how she would leave feathered kisses on his cheeks, her fingers running through his hair that he was thrilled by the way her nails scrapped slightly across his scalp as he held onto her for dear life. She was a tease, and she knew exactly how badly he would be effected as he melted onto her completely, his arms wrapped tightly around her as he moulded their bodies together.

There were times when they couldn't run through the night together, and so he just went to her.

Like at this particular moment, after she stumbled up the stairs to her room after a long day of helping her parents out, she didn't even look surprised when he was on the floor with his back leaned against the bed, reading one of the books he left the last time he was there, with the bed side lamp switched on behind him. He didn't say anything as she walked towards him and sank down next to him, just barely touching him as she let out a sigh.

He looked up from his book, noticing the way her head was resting on the mattress, eyes closed, neck exposed. The flour dusted on her forehead, some pink icing sugar smeared below her eye, the smell of freshly baked bread clung onto her clothes, and it was obvious she didn't care to wipe them off now.

Then, an idea popped into his head.

Smirking, he put aside the book quietly. He leaned towards her that his nose brushed lightly against the elegant length of her neck, his arm snaking around her waist, pulling her towards him.

"You smell like cupcakes."

She rested her hands on his chest, her finger trailing across his collar bone as he pressed his lips at the end of her jaw. "Well, the smell kind of sticks on you after baking for three hundred people."

He raised his head to look at her in the eye, a smile appearing. "Yeah, I guess so."

Then, they just sat there together for a while, eyes drooped as if they were in a daze, the glow of the lamp draped softly across their skin as their breaths brushed against each other's lips. He searched her face, noticing the little freckles splashed across her nose, the way her eyelashes curled naturally as she closed her eyes again, on the brink of falling asleep.

He was indeed, very glad, that no one knew about this, these quiet nights when they were not Ladybug and Chat Noir flying through the city looking for villains, or even as two teenagers at school whom people assume there would be something going on between them. No, they were Adrien and Marinette, Marinette and Adrien, currently sitting on the floor of her room with the only source of light being that lamp behind him, the closed windows keeping out the faint sounds of traffic from below, wrapping them all up in this cocoon of warmth he always felt whenever he was with her.

Slowly, she met his eyes, blinking them open that her lashes brushed against his cheeks, and he couldn't help the smile that snuck onto his lips. "Hey."

She gave one of her own. "Hey there yourself," She paused. "Shouldn't we be patrolling?"

He hummed, his eyes drooping again. "I don't know, should we?"

She scoffed, tilting his head up with a finger, and his eyes was laughing at her. "Yes, we should."

He shrugged. "I like where I am now."

"We have duties."

He pressed his lips to the part where the icing sugar was still on her cheek. "Of course we do."

"Then, we have to-" She yelped when she felt his tongue wiping the icing sugar off her, grinning at her widely in amusement when she gaped at him. "Did you just licked me?"

He smacked his lips. "Strawberries, not bad. Still prefer vanilla though," He laughed when she flushed bright red, and only kissed the same spot. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

He trailed his lips to her brow as he felt her fingers playing with his hair at the nape of his neck. "Patrol, that's what."

"That can wait."

She leaned back, a frown on her face. "Adrien."

The warning in her voice told him that he crossed some sort of line, and he let out a sigh. "I just, want to spent time with you in your house, since mine would be more suitable for a museum than a place for someone to actually sleep in."

He felt the way her nimble fingers trailed across the line of his jaw, his own hands running up and down her back slowly. She watched him through those blue eyes, those blue eyes that captivated him and would pin him to wherever he was, a storm brewing in them as they glowed at him. He knew, he knew how deep he had gone for her as he felt the way his heart rocketed, the way his own skin prickled with some sort of excitement as he stared back at her, waiting for her reaction.

She sighed. "Just this once, you're lucky enough that there's no akuma attacking us right now."

He was also glad that she was as smitten to him as he was to her.

He smiled, capturing her lips with his as he tighten his hold on her, and he felt how she was laughing past the kiss.

"Silly kitty," She mumbled, a smile on her lips as he let out a chuckle.

"What will I ever do without you?"

They hadn't say those words yet, those short words that people always say between themselves, where they would either be as hollow as a pipe or as meaningful as they should be.

Though he had only said them quietly to himself whenever he saw her, or whenever he thought of her within the confinement of his own place, he didn't dare say it to her just yet. There was an unspoken rule to it, that it halted them from freely roll pass his lips, to force himself to keep it in his heart a little longer before he could say it.

Despite the affections they had shown, the quiet whispers of admiration and hope, he had to wait. He was tempted, oh so tempted, and yet he wasn't sure how she would react, how she would handle the sudden change.

Until then, he would show how much she meant to him with the brushes of lips he did to her, how he would caress her skin with his hands as he looked into her eyes, transmitting everything he had locked inside to her with just a look, hoping dearly that she would get the message, and give him permission for her to hear what he had to say. He was hoping that she would understand that, they couldn't avoid it forever.

And so, he waited.

To his surprise, she was the one who said it first.

It was when he had a wound that stretched across his chest, starting from his clavicle that ran down to his stomach, blood gushing out as he lay down on the ground with some sort of sardonic laughter bubbling at his throat as the night sky twinkled above him, the buildings that surrounded them in that alley seemed taller than before.

How pitiful that he might actually die then.

But there she was, frantically trying to cover his wound with shaking hands as her face twisted with tension, the blood coating her hands a darker red than her suit.

With a last beep, their transformations was up, and the kwamis flew from their bodies and landed on the floor beside them that left them in their civilian clothes, and his white shirt was quickly stained red as he felt ten times worst without Plagg to lend his energy.

"It's okay," He hadn't heard her stammer for the longest time. "You're going to be okay. Oh god," She quickly took off her jacket, pushing onto his wound that he hissed with pain.

"Come to think of it, Princess," He managed to croak, his voice sounded rusted, as if he hadn't been using it for a long time. "Never saw you this panicked before since I knew who you really were under that mask of yours." Then, he coughed violently, causing the pain to increase more that he winced.

"Shut up, you stupid cat," She hissed, and he was slightly taken aback at how wet her eyes were being. "Stop talking and let me call someone for help."

His vision was getting blurry, his eyesight focusing in and out of her face as he saw her trying to call the ambulance with her blood painted hands.

He probably blacked out for a while, because suddenly he was conscious enough to see that there were multiple lights flashing in that tight alley they were deserted, feeling the searing pain on his body rivalling with the touch of her hand on his cheek, where she was resting her forehead on his as she murmured those words he wanted to say to her.

"I love you."

She was still blaming herself.

It's been weeks, he would think she got over it.

But she didn't, because she seemed more coiled up than usual, the tension still hadn't left her brows. Whenever they patrol, she always waited for him, never again did she leave him playfully like she always did before that accident. She always kept an extra look out for him, her eyes wondering to his shoulder whenever they talked, worry and fear blatantly shown on her face.

Outside their uniform, she tried to avoid him, barely talking to him anymore as she bowed her head and avert her eyes, mumbling out an excuse to leave whenever he did try to talk to her. He was getting frustrated, she couldn't do that after she said those words to him, he had to get her back.

And so, that night, when they cancelled off another patrol, he paid a visit to her room, landing near the window on top of the roof, tapping it with a finger.

He waited for a while, before she opened it up, not even waiting for him to come in as she went back deeper inside her room.

He landed on the pillow that was used to cushion his fall, where he crouched for a while as he watched her sat on her bed, staring outside of the window.

Straightening himself up, he walked down the mini stairs, before standing right in front of her, dropping to his knees as he took her bare hands in his black clad ones.

She flinched, afraid that she would break him again as she pulled her hands back, pain blooming in his chest as he saw the way how it was effecting her. She held his eyes for a while, he saw they were filled with worry, before she looked away.

"I could have saved you faster."

He shook his head. "It wasn't your fault."

She snapped her eyes to him, as fast as a whip. "I could have saved you," She whispered hoarsely. "Not just let you bleed."

He shook his head. "There was nothing to be done."

"I could have."

He took his place beside her then, making her face him. "I'm fine now, you don't have to worry about that."

She stared at him, and he saw the way her eyes welled up again, before she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his shoulder as a sob shook her shoulders.

He too hugged her, pressing his nose onto the crown of her head as he pressed firm kisses onto her hair, assuring her everything she needed to know with every kiss.

He let out a sigh, before bending down to hover his lips over her ear.

"I love you."