Ch. 1. Adrien

It all began with an innocent spark of curiosity.

He had known Marinette since his first day of school, and after coming clear from that slight misunderstanding, Adrien really thought he could call her his friend. She was sweet, thoughtful and adorable, and he felt warm inside every time she stammered around him. It was lovely, really.

However, every intent he made to get to know her better all fell on naught. Not only that the stammering – even if it's an endearing treat – wasn't really useful for communicating; but there was something else about her, something he couldn't put his finger on, that screamed 'Secret!' on his face. The more he tried to uncover it the more she shied herself from it. And of course, the more she tried to hide it, the more eager he felt.

It was there when she thought no one was looking; that look of strong determination that managed to take his breath away every time he caught a glimpse of it. He didn't question himself about the why of his reaction towards it; his sole focus was centred in why she hid it from others.

Then it came the day when an Akuma began targeting her. It was an understatement to say he was surprised when his Lady sent him her picture, with her usual warm smile and her hand in a peace sign, asking him to protect her. Her comment of the Akuma being in love with her didn't bode well with him, although it was soon forgotten when Ladybug commented she had an 'Important Secret Mission' she had to take care of.

Therefore, that left him in protection of the damsel in distress. Well, she didn't really strike him as a damsel-in-distress type, she was more of a… a princess? Yeah, that was more like it

So after saving the picture in his baton – as his Lady had remarked, she was indeed cute in it – he leaped on the rooftops of his beloved city looking for a very specific bakery, the only one that always made him stop whenever he passed by to smell the sweet scent of pastries that came from it.

He arrived just in time to see her walking out of the bakery and talking to Sabrina. She seemed too calm to be the main aim of a superpowered villain; did she even know she was being targeted at all?

For the lame excuse she used on her, she really did.

After the redhead left – whoa, she really has a temper – he let himself drop in front of the bluenette, startling her a bit. He couldn't resist the urge to tease her a bit, something he wouldn't even think about when he was Perfect Adrien, and he dropped to one knee, kissing her hand. Her really soft and delicate hand.

She immediately tucked it away. Ah, what a shame.

So he continued flirting with her – something he blamed his Chat Noir persona entirely –, watching her every reaction carefully. She answered as any other fangirl would when facing him, but there was something… off.

There it was! That twinkle of amusement in her blue eyes whenever he made an over the top commentary, and the twitching in the corner of her lips trying not to laugh. When he turned around showing off and looked from the corner of his eye, she could see her making faces, something she stopped doing as soon as he turned again to face her, having once again the façade of the perfect fan.

She turned around and couldn't leave the amusement off her voice when she asked "What about Ladybug? Aren't you a duo?"

Some part of his mind registered that he had completely forgotten about his Lady, but it was quickly buried deep in his awe for discovering a new part of his friend. She was teasing him. Sweet, shy Marinette was teasing him, Chat Noir.

Oh, what a day to be alive.

He explained his plan to her – it was pretty simple, really, it consisted on distracting the Evillustrator and taking away his pencil, he aiding her whenever she needed it. Simple, yet effective. After making sure she'd understood, he made a flashy exit, just for his ears to pick up the cutest giggle coming from her mouth when he was leaving.

Some hours later, he observed how she embarked the decorated boat and followed them as the Evillustrator took them on a romantic cruise at the Seine. He was surprised to feel the pang of annoyance when he watched her get all… cozy with him, and he might had to remain himself his priorities once or twice, but he calmed down whenever he caught her focused gaze. Huh, take that Evillustrator.

He landed neatly on the cabin's roof, and watched how neatly she handled the situation, her mind focused on stopping the Akuma's feet and not letting fear overtake her. But there was so much a civilian could handle, even someone as brave as Marinette, so when the plan failed and the Evillustrator began threatening her, he was almost certain she would recoil and return to her shy self.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Because instead of cowering in fear and dropping the pencil, her grip on it tightened and stomped with her foot "Come on! Seriously? Why is everybody comparing me to Chloe tonight?"

To say he was impressed is an understatement.

Then the Akuma tricked them and both of them ended up stuck on a glass box, but of course she thought of a plan to get out. She was clever like that.

He tightened his grip on her waist, and she dropped her fangirl façade to take his hands out of her waist and grabbing him by his shoulders instead. He then followed her plan – that obviously worked – and caught her bridal style in the air, being careful not to harm her.

Huh, she smelled really good. As sweet as the bakery she lived in.

(He would not admit the smug satisfaction he felt at her surprised expression once she realized in what position she was being held. It was just so fun to tease her).

Once his feet touched the ground, even if he was having a great time, he had to drop Marinette soon and leave to complete his mission, as the Evillustrator had threatened Chloe again – really, how many times can someone be the main target of the villain?

However, the image of her handling the evil headfirst would linger in his mind for quite some time, even if she returned to her shy self the next day at school.

He was fascinated by her. Adrien began noticing things he didn't notice before – how her little nose quirked when she was focused, and how the tip of her tongue poked out of her soft-looking lips when she was designing. The way her dark hair seemed to glow under the sunrays and her doll-like eyes seemed to be a constant stream of warmth.

Adrien also had caught himself once or twice wandering around the Boulangerie when he was on a solo patrol, realising where he was after sitting on the edge of the building in front of her room for at least five minutes, looking at her. He'd quickly stand up and leave, but in his mind would linger the image of her with her hair loose and damp, her hands handling fabrics as if they were precious things.

Plagg had begun picking up in his little 'obsession', as he called it – shut up, Plagg it's not an obsession; I'm just interested in knowing more about her, nothing else – and began teasing him mercilessly, saying that he 'called it' after the 'umbrella scene'. He obviously denied it all.

He didn't want to put a name to what he felt for her. He really didn't want to, because if he did, it would become real, and there was only place for his Lady in his heart, no matter how adorable or sweet or compassionate she was, or how much he lo-

Stop that line of thinking, Agreste.

So he kept on with his normal life, trying to hide his growing attra- curiosity towards the designer, hoping that once he got to know her fully, that strange feeling would fade away. However, the more he knew about her, the more interesting she became in his eyes.

Plagg would argue he was in denial, something he would deny, of course.

But there were things he couldn't deny after seeing her quirky side in their last adventure together. He had loved to discover that, despite being half-Chinese, she couldn't speak it to save her life, and he had enjoyed very much helping her with her uncle, as he was able to see once again the fiery spirit hidden inside her delicate-looking body.

He had loved having dinner with her that night, as her uncle wanted to thank both of them and prepared his award-winning soup to them. She almost didn't stammer a single word in the whole intercourse, something he felt both proud and slightly upset about, as he secretly enjoyed when she became a ball of nerves and her mouth ran wild.

The last thing he'd discovered and loved had been her interest in videogames. Adrien could count with the fingers of one hand how many friends he'd had before joining school, and none of them liked videogames. Nino had been a breath of fresh air, as he shared his passion for them, but he couldn't help but feel giddy when she shyly asked if she could give it a try. He was so ecstatic he even lent her his controller.

And boy, she was good. Her thin fingers seemed to fly over his controller, her mount chanting combos at the same time her bot did them flawlessly, and going by the commotion in the whole library, no one had expected her to beat Max.

Oh and her little victory dance? It was adorable.

So that's how they both ended classifying for the Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament together. It was a cooperative tournament, what meant they had to train. Together. As in one sitting beside the other.

They decided to meet at her house later, and Adrien was ecstatic. The tournament had given him the chance of seeing her room for the first time (without seeming a shady creep), and if he was lucky, he would be able to taste those delicious-looking pastries he saw whenever he passed by.

Marinette's parents received him, and they soon fell in a pleasant conversation. He was happy to learn that Marinette's passion for gaming came from her father, and felt a little pang of jealousy for the happy family. What would he give to have a home even half as warm as this one.

Then Mrs Cheng commented that Marinette talked a lot about him. That surprised him at first, but then a warm feeling spread to his chest. Marinette talked about him, and by their faces, it was good things.

He was glad Marinette interrupted them, as he was a few seconds from blushing. He followed her to her room, and he could swear he heard awes behind them. The Dupain-Chengs approved of them, it seemed.

N-not that he needed their approval.

Marinette's room was bigger than he expected. It all had a pink tint that reflexed the sweetness of the girl inhabiting it, and he could see some scraps neatly piled up at the corner, surely from some project of hers. Eyeing the walls, he tilted his head slightly – he could've sworn he'd seen something hanging on them some nights before.

"Here, Adrien." He turned his head to look at an already sitting Marinette and he mentally kicked himself. Stop snooping around and get to it, Adrien.

He made his way to her computer and sat beside her, trying to play it cool. The two controllers were in front of them; he reached for one of them, but before grabbing it, he felt something soft and warm hand landing on the back of his. They both tucked their hands away and giggled nervously, Adrien rubbing the back of his head.

"S-sorry." She stuttered. Good job, Adrien. You're making her feel uncomfortable.

"No, you go!"

Let's try again.

"I'll just choose the other one-" they both said in unison and reached for the other controller, not predicting that the other would do the same. They once again joined hands and tucked them away as soon as they made contact another time, feeling self-conscious.

Adrien fought a blush as he reached for the controller further away from him, and saw Marinette reach for the other one. Both of them threw themselves into the game, tension still present between them. I need to think of something to talk about. Adrien thought eyeing Marinette. Or I'll make things way too awkward.

"Your parents seem nice." Way to go, Agreste

She smiled at him. He adored that little smile. "Oh, yeah, they are. But sometimes…" suddenly, she made a tiny shriek, and when he moved his gaze from the screen to her she had her arm thrown behind her chair's back and was looking at him sheepishly. Wait, was there something wrong?

"Sometimes what?"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and Mr Dupain opened the hatch of the room, carrying a steaming plate of recently-made croissants. His mouth salivated at the smell, but Marinette didn't seem in the mood for croissants right now. He was a little sad to let the pastries go, but he supposed he would have time later to give them a try.

When her father closed the hatch, he heard Marinette sigh. "Sometimes my parents can be a little nosy." He heard a soft noise again, but at the time he turned around he only saw Marinette smiling sweetly at him. He returned the smile. "Where were we?"

Adrien mentally took a breath of relief. The awkward atmosphere around them had long since vanished, and Marinette seemed to relax beside him. He got immersed into the game, and he couldn't help but notice how their styles of playing seemed to complement each other, making them win round after round.

Still, Marinette was the one who made most of the fatal blows at their enemies, but he was proud to say he assisted her quite well, giving her cover when she was preparing a really difficult combo.

The screen flashed, showing yet another victory for the two, and they both cheered.

"We won again! Thanks to you."

She giggled "Yeah! Um, yes we did."

"We? That was practically all you." He pushed himself away from the table and rested the back of his head, and shot her a self-depreciative smile. It was no secret she was way better than him. "You're amazing, Marinette. I guess you wouldn't even need me. I'm so lame compared to you."

She looked shocked at his words, and her mouth began running wild, something she hadn't done in a long time. Her hands moved frantically. "Um, uh, no, no, no! Um, I- no! You're so good. I mean, I'm the one who's not good- I mean, uh, I'm lucky, that's all." She shrugged, smiling.

She's stammering again! Would it sound so bad if he said he'd missed it?

The hatch of the room opened up again, showing Mr Dupain, but this time with a tray of delicious cookies. His head perked up, his mood instantly forgotten for a more important task in hand. He had to try those cookies.

"Anyone wants cookies? Right out from the oven!"

Right out of the oven! He might die in happiness.

Marinette seemed to think otherwise.

"Papa, we're trying to work here."

Bye, bye, cookies. I'll see you soon. Adrien thought with a longing gaze as Mr Dupain took them away. He made a mental note to buy some when they finished. And some croissants too.

Marinette's face seemed to glow when she turned back at him with a huge smile. "Actually, you know what? I've got a secret." She reached for her pocket and took out what seemed to be an amulet. "This is why I win."

"Are you messing with me?" he asked, because there was no way she was that good because of a good luck charm.

"Try playing a match with it."

She seemed so eager that Adrien was unable to tell her no. He reached out and grabbed the amulet from the palm of her hands, his fingertips brushing her skin. Was it weird to have a sudden urge to grab her hand?

Before he could ask her to do just that (and much to his relief), the hatch opened again, and both of her parents showed up. Mrs Cheng smiled sweetly at them, a pie in her hands.

"How about a delicious quiche? You can tell me what you think of it."

It was the perfect opportunity! And it looked so good! He decided to go for it and stepped in "Um, Marinette, a little snack wouldn't hurt, would it?"

She looked hesitant at first, but then nodded in agreement. Yes!

They decided to have their break in the park near her home, so they could have their homemade quiche while enjoying the beautiful day outside. It looked a bit like a date, but he didn't mind. On the contrary.

"I'm really sorry." She apologized "It's impossible to get anything done with my parents around."

"It's okay." He bit down the quiche and had to stop himself before engulfing the whole portion. It was so good! "I didn't know your mother makes such an awesome quiche."

She seemed to like his compliment for how her eyes twinkled. Of course she'd liked it; it was as clear as the day she loved her parents, so hearing her friends say good things about them would make her proud, as if it was her the one who made it. He couldn't help falling a bit more for her.

Wait, what?

When they finished their snacks, they decided to return to her room, but before they could even stand up people around them began screaming and running, just for some of them ending up becoming a green glowing ball of energy.

Adrien looked up to see a robot he could swear he'd seen before in the character selection of UMS III. The machine – most probably an Akuma – absorbed the bright lights and it seemed to quiver.

"Tell me this is some kind of publicity stunt for the tournament." Marinette said and, as he'd expected, there was no fear in her voice, just a mix of surprise and concern.

He glowered at it. He needed to transform as soon as possible. "Doesn't look like a publicity stunt to me."

Then, Adrien noticed that the bot had turned slightly in their direction, almost as if it was aiming at them. Before it could act, he put his arms around the bluenette and jumped forward, narrowly missed a ray, everything thanks to his enhanced agility.

They landed on the floor roughly. He raised his body slightly to look at Marinette under him, and he couldn't help but blush at their position. It also reminded him of a certain Ladybug and how many times they'd ended up in similar positions, even though his Lady would be frowning at him, not looking back with the biggest blue eyes in the history of blue eyes, a soft blush tinting her freckled cheeks.

Akuma. Stand up. Now.

He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up, instantly breaking for a run after she was upright. They began avoiding the rays, his grip tightening in her hand. He didn't want to hurt such delicate hands, but he needed to get her to safety.

However, the shots seemed to catch up with them, and one of them fell too close for comfort. Her hand slipped from his, and he looked at her alarmed, only for her to return the same look.

In the lapse of half a second, he pondered his two options. He could join her again and try to make a break for it, but he knew that with his civilian speed and strength, although improved after becoming Chat Noir, was way too out of league for an Akuma.

That left him with choice number two, which was to hide and transform into Chat Noir. The downside? He left her vulnerable from when they split until he found her again.

There really was only one choice to make.

Splitting up, he watched in horror how the robot began following her, and he realized why it was so fixated in her. Great, Max had been Akumatized, and he now sought revenge. Just peachy.

He let Plagg out of his shirt and nodded seriously at him "Time to transform. Plagg, claws out!"

Just as he finished transforming, he used his baton to get to the rooftops. This Akuma was big, but he would have a better chance of finding Marinette from above. He began running at the direction of the robot, glad that it hadn't gone so far, and for his dismay, he could see a pink dot running in front of it.

The mecha leaped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, and he cursed for still being too far away to attack it. As he increased his pace, he lost sight of Marinette, but the robot seemed to aim at someone. He grabbed his baton and threw it at it.

"Game ov-" He managed to stop him in the middle of the attack and his speech. God, he loved being a superhero.

"Not yet." He raised an arm mockingly "Here comes a new challenger!"

He jumped down and landed crouched in front of the robot, his guard up and ready to fight. However, a sweet voice distracted him.

"Chat Noir, hey! Over here!"

He turned around and there she was, safe and sound (more or less). He jumped and made a barrel roll (what? It's a good move for evading flying attacks), avoiding the Akuma's attacks and landing in front of her, a smirk adorning his face. Here we go.

He grabbed her from her waist and stood up, clutching her close to him. Her arms held him tightly in a hug when he began running. She buried her face on his neck, and he could feel her agitated breathing against his bare skin.

His heart sped up as they leaped from car to car, then to a lamppost and the top of a building. He could have left her there, but something in him screamed against the very idea, hissing possessively. He needed her safe. He needed her by his side. He wanted to never let go.

So he kept on running even if he could have stopped a while ago, cherishing the feel of her around him, her sweet aroma filling his nostrils and enchanting him. She was his and only his.

One hand of hers ventured to the back of his head, and he could barely stifle the groan of pleasure that came from his throat. She felt her sigh against him, her clutch tightening around him.

The other part that was centred in his superhero duty? Oh, it had long since fallen for the charm of the girl in his arms.

Boy, Plagg talked to him mentally, something he barely did once transformed. I get it that you want to run away with your Princess, but focus on what's really important. We can visit her later.

Right, the Akuma. He had completely forgotten about it. His eyes fell on Chloe's hotel and landed there. He made sure she put her feet on the ground, and never put his hands away from her petite waist.

She looked at him in the eyes, and there was a moment of tension between them. Her eyes conveyed so much in a look he was almost impressed, and he had to refrain himself from taking her in his arms again and never let go.

Boy. Plagg warned.

He cleared his throat and threw her an easy-going smirk, letting her go. He already missed her contact.

"I heard Ms Videogame champion really ticked off the final boss." He teased, mentally pleading her to act as nothing had happened at all. There was a loose Akuma in the streets of Paris he needed to stop, and Ladybug would need his help.

Something glinted in Marinette's eyes, showing that she understood what he was asking for, and she crossed her arms "Well, it doesn't give him extra points to go transforming everyone."

He could kiss her for that. Maybe he would later.

He nodded and walked to the edge of the building, getting ready to jump when her voice stopped him.

"Hey wait, Chat Noir!" He turned around and looked in confusion at her distressed face. "I left my friend Adrien at the park. He could be in danger, we have to go back!"

It was there. Just there, both of them standing in a deserted terrace when Adrien realized he was in love with her. His insides filled with a million of emotions at her words, and he felt at a loss of what to do.

There she was, as radiant and warm as the sun, as beautiful as the sunset. He didn't deserve her attentions towards him, neither as Adrien or Chat. But, no matter how unworthy he felt for her, he couldn't help but feel light-headed just from being around her.

He snapped out of his stupor, realizing he had yet to answer her "Uh, don't worry. Adrien's not in danger. He'll be fine." With all those butterflies inside his stomach? He doubted it. "You'll be safe here, just stay put." He couldn't help it; he began flirting with her and winked. It was his second nature "Don't worry, Chat Noir's taking care of everything. I should leap and do a barrel roll!"

He leaped to the void, but he felt like he was floating.

After dealing with the Gamer and purifying Max, Ladybug and he parted ways. He had gone straight to his room, his mind full of blue eyes and freckled cheeks. He made sure to send Marinette a message to assure her he was alright, as she had been so worried about him before, and she answered minutes later.

He made his way to the bathroom, opting for a quick shower as Plagg ate his share of Camembert. He stepped out only in his sweatpants, rubbing his hair with a towel, and let himself drop on his neatly made bed.

"I'm not one who enjoys saying 'I told you so', kid." Plagg said between bites. He swallowed. "But I told you so."

"I know." He replied softly, looking at the ceiling and a soft blush covering his cheeks.

"It was so obvious you were falling for her it was almost painful to watch. You were about to get kissy in the suit! I think the only ones that hadn't realized until now were the both of you."

Adrien groaned and took his pillow, burying his face in it.

"How am I going to face her tomorrow? Knowing my bad luck, I'm sure I will mess up somehow, showing my Chat side around her and letting the cat out of the bag; or worse, acting like a complete fool so she'll want to stay as far away from me as possible. How will I survive this?"

Silence fell between them, Plagg munching his cheese and Adrien deep in thought, sighing once or twice. Suddenly, Plagg spoke up.

"Would it be so bad?"

Adrien raised his head to look at his Kwami. "What would?"

"Her knowing you identity." At his confused stare, he elaborated. "What I meant to ask is, would you trust her with your identity?"

The blond boy opened his mouth to give an instant reply, but closed it again, giving it some thought. After a while, he answered. "I would love for Marinette to know both sides of me… but not now. I can't be sure if she'll be safe knowing something like that. Hawkmoth is a real danger, and I'd hate myself if I ever put her in even more risk because of my selfishness." He frowned. "Moreover…"

"What?"

"… Would she really like to know?" he asked, self-conscious.

The bad luck Kwami deadpanned. "You're actually kidding me right now, right?"

"What did I say that's so hard to believe?" he demanded defensively.

"You're doubting she likes you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"… Yes?"

He scoffed. "You're a stupid kitten." He dropped his cheese and floated to his face. "Listen to me carefully, kid; I'm going to say this just once. The girl's head over heels about you! I mean, she's been a literal stuttering mess around you these months? Didn't you notice all her blushing? The side glances? Are you really that blind?"

Adrien really thought about their interactions with a new light. The more he thought about it, the more his cheeks heated up. He bit his lip and groaned, burying his face once again in the pillow.

"I'm stupid." He mumbled.

"I know."

He uncovered his face, seriousness returning to his face. "But even if she likes Adrien, he's more of a mask of me than Chat Noir is, and if she doesn't have any feelings for him-"

"You're actually being serious here?" Plagg roared. Adrien stared stubbornly to the front until the little god yanked his face to make him look down at him.

"Adrien, quit underestimating yourself for five minutes and listen to me, okay? I'm not going to address the everlasting discussion of 'Adrien is Chat as Chat is Adrien' because we both know we won't get anywhere, so I'm going to explain it to you in another way."

"I am an ancient being, Kid, and in all my existence I've seen way too many sappy love stories. Some had a happy ending, other ones ended in despair, but I've aided a lot of love-struck kittens to know the signs of people in love, and she has them all. And," he raised a paw before he could protest. "She has them with both of you."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "I can accept she could harbor feelings for me as Adrien, but how could she possibly have feelings for Chat too? How could she possibly love two different people?"

"The way you love both her and Ladybug. It's the same, kid, even if you want it or not."

He still looked unconvinced. Plagg snapped.

"You know what we're going to do?! You're going to transform into Chat Noir and pay her a visit. I'm not finished!" He exclaimed before he could protest. "You're going to tell her you've passed by to check on her or whatever, I don't care, and then we're going to stay in her room until you realize how stupid you're being right now. Did I make myself clear?"

Adrien nodded speechless.

"You owe me so much cheese, kid." He rubbed his temples. "I'm not made for this. Tikki's the one that gives love advice, not me."

Adrien called for his transformation, his mind oddly made up, and he followed the familiar track to her home. Once he reached his usual spot, he looked through the window. The light of her nightstand was the only source of illumination of her room, and he observed how she absentmindedly combed her midnight locks.

Breathing in, he landed softly on her balcony and knocked at the trap door, waiting for her to open the hatch. He could hear her soft steps climbing up the stairs, and when she opened the hatch, he could feel all his breath leaving his lungs.

She was the most precious thing he had seen in his life. Glossy lips, silk hair, porcelain skin, everything about her was perfect. Her clear eyes bore into his, and he wondered what was she thinking.

She opened the hatch fully, and she smiled at him. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes." He answered, letting the content he felt since he'd landed in her balcony shine through.

She climbed down and he followed her. When her bare feet touched the ground, she made her way to her chaise and sat down, resuming her combing. As much as he loved watching her, he had been curious about something since that afternoon. He made his way to a basked full of cloth, and what he saw there made him chuckle softly.

It was a picture of him, framed and all. So she did like Adrien after all.

He quickly left that spot so she wouldn't grow suspicious, and he could feel her eyes on him. The thought of it made him shiver.

"Are you going to sniff around every corner of my room, alley cat?" She teased him. An opening!

He grinned cheeky at her. "I might do just that. Then I can claim that place as my own and be by my Princess' side forever."

She rolled her eyes, but she could see the softest of blushes on her beautiful cheeks. A small victory.

"So what brings you here, Chaton?"

Since when did she call him Chaton? He really liked that term of endearment coming from her mouth. Wait, she'd asked a question, right? What was his excuse again?

"I merely wanted to check out on you, see if you'd made it." Not that he already knew because she had told him so in her message. Well, what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. "I hope you didn't have any difficulties getting out the hotel?"

She smiled secretively at that. "I managed just fine. Thank you for your concern." She then placed the comb on the chaise and stood up, walking towards him and stopping one feet away from him "And I have to thank you for getting me out of there earlier, even though you didn't have to. And for helping Adrien too. He texted me earlier and told me you aided him, so thank you."

Why was she so frigging sweet? If she kept on worrying about him, he will have difficulties not slipping up. Or refraining himself from hugging her.

"O-oh, yeah. Adrien. I found him on my way back to fight the Gamer. Piece of cake." Crisis averted. Now for the pretty lady in front of him… "And it was an honour to carry you to safety, Princess." He kneeled to the floor and grabbed her hand, kissing it. "This knight's first priority is your well-being, after all."

Oh, she blushed scarlet at that. God, how he loved her.

"O-okay." She stammered. She stammered!

He stood up, not releasing her hand but intertwining their fingers, and she became jittery and nervous under his gaze, and he couldn't help but smile smugly at her. He made her nervous! She had stammered, and for her growing blush in her cheeks, he could guess she liked his pampering. What meant there was a chance she liked him! Ha!

He could fly to the moon and back.

She averted her gaze to their joined hands, her fingers absentmindedly playing with his Miraculous, her blush slowly receding. Despite the silence, he felt quite comfortable, how could he not? He was in a cosy room, with his loving Princess, and he couldn't feel warmer inside.

She made a soft gasp then, and he could feel curiosity nagging him. What was she thinking about?

He placed a hand on her cheek to call for her attention. "Penny for your thoughts, Princess?"

She raised her head, her eyes widening a bit. What? What was it? She bit her lip in hesitation.

"I-I was just wondering how could I thank you for everything you've done to me."

You can kiss me, if you wish.

He threw that unwanted (wanted) thought out of his mind and replied truthfully. "You don't need to, Marinette. It's my duty to protect all of you."

She frowned cutely, clearly exasperated. "But I still want to do it. You helped me great deal with the Evillustrator, and today I'd have become a big ball of XP if you hadn't intervened. Now, if I just had any ide- oh."

A slow smile made its way to her face as she stared at him, and her eyes glinted with something akin to playfulness. He opened his mouth to ask her about it, but she surprised him when she yanked him down, she standing on her tiptoes and kissed him on his cheek.

Sweet mother of Jesus.

Her soft lips lingered on his skin for a bit before she dropped down and let go of his collar, grinning proudly at him. The only thing he could think while he blushed scarlet was how much he wanted to taste those sweet lips of her. He was sure they would be as sweet as she would.

He opened his mouth, but no witty comeback came. He was trying to regain the control of his body but Marinette wasn't done, oh, no. Because as her bluebell eyes never left his, her index finger trailed its way from his shoulder, leaving goose bumps on the way, to his bell, which she rung teasingly.

"Cat got your tongue, Chaton?"

Chat had died and gone to heaven.

However, both of them came back down from the cloud they'd been on when a loud beeping filled the room. Both looked down at his ring, just to see the first light to disappear.

"I guess this is my cue to leave, Princess." He said, his voice rough. He cleared it subtly. "Would you care to escort a stray cat outside?"

She nodded, and both of them climbed up the stairs to her balcony. The fresh air managed to cool of his skin as he walked to the railing. Jumping so he was standing on top of it, he crouched down facing her.

She had her arms crossed, protecting her body from the cool night. Her hair danced with the soft wind, and that soft smile never left her lips.

He reached for her hand and grabbed it, his thumb caressing the back of it. She made a step forward and there was just a palm of distance between them. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, but he didn't let go of her hand again.

"I must say goodbye, Princess." He mumbled against her hand.

"You are free to visit anytime, Chaton."

The corner of his lips tucked upwards. "I'll make sure to drop by sometime. Adieu."

He dropped her hand and let himself fall backwards to the void. Once his whole body was in the air, he took his baton and extended it, raising his body to the next rooftop. Before he began running, he looked back only to see Marinette still watching him, her hands on the banister.

He had to refrain himself from whooping as he ran. His heart hadn't stopped beating out a samba since he'd left her behind, and a dopey smile found its way to his lips.

Kid. Plagg called for his attention. Did the visit help you?

"Yeah, it did. Thank you Plagg, you're a good friend."

Tsk. I demand a reward for all the inconveniences. I was still tired from the last Akuma, that's why the transformation is ending too early.

"Two wheels of Camembert's enough?"

Yes! Two wheels are just fine.

He chuckled as he ran, his house already in sight. The stars twinkled brightly in the late night, but despite their beauty, Adrien was already wishing that morning came so he had an excuse to see her again.

Sweet dreams, Princess. See you tomorrow.