Ladybug's breath left her mouth like little puffs of smoke in spite of all of her movement during night patrol. It was late at night at the very end of January and it was still freezing cold with no sign of winter thawing out whatsoever.

A shiver ran down her spine as the wind suddenly picked up.

"Cold, Bugaboo?" Chat Noir called out from behind her. "I could warm you up if you like after all I am all fur you."

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. As always Chat had one of his incorrigible grins plastered on his face and she couldn't help but grin back. "No thank you, Kitty," she said primly, "I might catch fleas."

"A little too old to say I have cooties, aren't you?" Chat teased he leaped across the rooftop and stepped closer to her. "I don't think a girl complained about my cooties since I was six or seven."

"What can I say?" Ladybug shrugged. "I'm a child at heart."

"What a coincidence," Chat said flirtatiously, "so am I. we should arrange a play date."

"It's too cold for games, Kitty," Ladybug evaded, "and patrol is now over. So I don't know about you but I'm going home."

"It's getting warmer now!" Chat blurted out as he stepped in her way. "February tomorrow. Soon it will be Valentine's Day,"

Ladybug swallowed at that. She didn't want to think about Valentine's Day and how she failed abysmally last year to confess her feelings to Adrien and then there was Kim getting Akumanised and flitting about like a demonic cupid which led to that kiss. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"I've been thinking," Chat continued casually, "about the twelve days of Christmas song and how unfair it is that Christmas gets a love song like that while Valentine's Day, the holiday for giving your true love gifts, have no songs at all. I'm thinking of Fourteen Days of Valentine."

"You would," Ladybug replied dryly.

Chat stared directly into her eyes and Ladybug stepped back slightly at the intensity of his beautiful green gaze. Her treacherous heart skipped a beat. "My Lady," he said softly, "May I give you fourteen days of Valentine?"

Her cheeks felt hotter than ever beneath her mask. "I-I-if you want t-t-to!" she stammered out. "But honestly, Chat, we don't patrol every day and, thank God, we don't have Akuma attacks every day either. I don't see how you can pull off fourteen days of Valentine."

"Oh I think you'll find," Chat purred out smugly, "that I have my ways," he pulled her hand up to his lips and they barely brushed her knuckles, "Until tomorrow, My Lady."

"Tomorrow?" Ladybug repeated bewilderedly. "But we don't have patrol tomorrow."

Chat's only response was one of his smug grins and a flirty wink before he swung himself off the rooftop and into the night. Ladybug stared after him until he became nothing but a small back dot in the distance and then slowly made her own way home in a complete haze of confusions.

Could he…? Was it…?

"No," she shook her head rapidly, "no," she said more firmly, "there is no way he could know. Absolutely no way!"

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Marinette didn't sleep a wink that night.

Despite how certain she initially felt about Chat Noir not knowing her identity, and how he wouldn't be pulling anything romantic the following day, doubt niggled at her all through the night. She couldn't help but wonder how Chat Noir was going to pull his 'fourteen days of Valentine', she hoped desperately it wasn't going to be anything too grand and public, and then she wondered if he was actually serious about this or not, and then at some point she began to worry that he knew her identity.

The cold didn't help either as she snuggled deep into her coat and groaned pathetically.

She just wanted to back to bed and sleep these next few days out.

"Morning Marinette!" Alya called out as she suddenly slipped her arm through Marinette's. "Have you seen the Ladyblog this morning?!" she asked eagerly. "Someone submitted an awesome picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir last night. There is another hand kiss!" she squealed excitedly.

Marinette groaned.

She didn't want to think about Chat Noir again, she had just spent the whole night doing so.

"They must be together!" Alya carried on, obliviously excited, "or if they're not together, they must be getting together soon! Platonic partnerships don't involve hand kisses, what do you think?"

"Meh," Marinette mumbled.

"Are you all right?" Alya asked worriedly as she peered round to stare into Marinette's face. "You're not yourself."

"I didn't sleep very well," Marinette admitted, "I'm tired."

"You're always tired," Alya said exasperatedly, "you should either go to bed earlier or invest more caffeine."

Marinette mumbled in reply. She wasn't entirely sure what she said but it must have been somewhat coherent as Alya didn't press her and instead resumed her excitable ramblings on why Ladybug and Chat Noir would make such a good couple. Having heard this a billion times before, Marinette was able to just nod and mumbled agreements at the appropriate times as she walked into school and towards her locker.

Much to her relief, her locker was completely empty of any love letters or gifts from secret admirers and her mood suddenly lifted as she entered the classroom much more confident in the fact that Chat Noir couldn't possibly know her identity.

"Hey," Alya halted to a stop at their desk, "what's this?" she asked as pointed to a small package and a folded up note that was literally sellotaped to their desk.

Marinette's good mood vanished as quickly as it appeared. "I d-d-d-don't know," she stuttered timidly.

"Really?" Alya said sceptically. "Because it's addressed to you."

Marinette choked on her own spit as she staggered toward her desk. Shakily she peeled off the sellotape and picked up the note and she then took a deep breathe before she unfolded the note (her name was typed on, not handwritten which did not help her nerves or relieve her suspicion). She felt her eyes bulged out, her cheeks flush, and her throat close up on her as she read the note.

"What?" Alya nudged her. "What is it?"

"On the first day of Valentine," Marinette read out, her voice squeaking ever so slightly, "my true love gave to me, one pure heart."

"Oh my God!" Alya squealed delightedly. "You have a secret admirer! A secret admirer!" she repeated excitedly. "One that is giving you presents for every day leading up to Valentine's by the looks of it. Do you think he'll reveal himself on Valentine's Day?"

"I-I-I don't k-k-know," Marinette stammered out weakly, "I…erm….can't…."

She couldn't compute anything right now.

Her brain has died, her heart was racing, and she had a sudden urge to run to a bathroom and hide out for the rest of her days.

It didn't help that Adrien, who had been there before they stepped into the classroom completely absorbed in his conversation with Nino, suddenly turned round with an interested look on his face. Marinette trembled at the thought of opening a gift from a secret admirer in front of the boy she was madly, devotedly, in love with.

How was this going to help her future relationship if Adrien thought she was taken already?!

"Come on, girl," Alya nudged her again, "open the pressie! Let's see what lover boy has brought you."

"Right!" Marinette squeaked out. "Yeah! Opening the present…." She trailed off hopelessly as she stared at the tiny, beautifully, wrapped present in sparkling pink. She traced the sellotape one it carefully with her fingertips as she couldn't help but notice how much care Chat had put into wrapping this present. She swallowed. Alya elbowed her for a third time. "Opening the present!" Marinette blurted out as she was nudged back into reality.

She then tore through the wrapping paper to reveal a small, white lacy bag with something sparkling inside. She blinked bewilderedly as she fumbled at the drawstrings and then tipped out the contents into the palm of her hand.

It was a rose quartz beautifully carved into a shape of a heart and set in a pretty silver frame that had two amazingly detailed, close up, roses that strapped the rose quarts into the frame. It was hung on a delicate, silver, chain. Every aspect of the necklace was utterly stunning and it stole her breath away completely.

One pure heart…

"Oh wow!" Alya gasped in admiration. "That's so gorgeous! Oh Marinette! You're so lucky!" she said jealously. "I wish my boyfriend would make romantic gestures like that."

"Oh come on babe!" Nino protested. "No normal guys spends fourteen days celebrating Valentine's Day."

"They do if they want to be romantic and make their loved one feel special," Alya crossed her arms sulkily, "are you saying that I'm not special enough to be showered in gifts day after day?"

Nino spluttered as he tried to get himself out of the hole he had now currently dug himself in. he failed spectacularly as he and Alya started to argue about whether or not Nino was actually romantic enough.

"Marinette?" Adrien spoke up softly.

"Yes!" Marinette squeaked.

"Would you like me to help you put your necklace on?"

Marinette wasn't sure how she managed to choke out another yes but she must have because Adrien suddenly stepped behind her and carefully took the necklace out of her hand. She bit down on her lip as hard as possible to prevent any more incoherent squeaks from leaving her mouth as she felt Adrien's fingertips brush against the back of her neck as he fumbled with the clasp of her necklace. Her cheeks burned bright red as she felt him exhale warm breath all over the back of her neck.

She felt awful.

For many reasons, she felt wrecked because Adrien was so close to her and completely turning her into jelly, she then felt guilty because he was causing this while he was putting on a necklace from another boy, and both he and Chat deserved so much more than that, and then there was the terrifying fact that Chat Noir apparently knew her identity.

"It suits you," Adrien complimented her with a sweet smile, "do you like it?"

"Yes!" Marinette blurted out with another squeak. "I pretty it, its love." Her eyes widened in utter horror as she realised how garbled and stupid she sounded. "I mean I lovely it, ah, no, urgh, I love it," she managed to get out more firmly, "it's pretty."

Adrien's eyes lit up at that. "I'm glad," he murmured.

Marinette, however, was too preoccupied with the thought of Chat Noir knowing who she was to think what Adrien could possibly mean by that.

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Chat Noir landed on Marinette's balcony firmly on his feet that very evening.

Marinette was huddled under a blanket while nursing a hot chocolate. She looked utterly adorable as she flushed her usual bright pink as she fiddled with the necklace he had given her earlier today.

He beamed at the sight of her before he gave her a little, courtly, bow. "Good evening Princess," he said cheerfully as he pulled her hand away from the necklace and pressed a loving kiss on the top of her knuckles, "did you enjoy your first day of Valentine?" he asked innocently as possible.

Which was really, really, difficult as he was struggling not to laugh in delight and glee. She had liked the necklace! She had wanted to put it on her immediately, she had blushed, and admitted she thought it was pretty. His plan of wooing her was already working.

"H-h-how?!" Marinette demanded. "And when?!"

"I accidentally caught sight of you de-transforming in an alleyway," he confessed, "two weeks ago. Are you cross, bugaboo?" he asked worriedly.

"I….no," Marinette sighed, "I'm not cross that you know. You've respected my decision to keep our identities a secret in the past so I trust you didn't deliberately seek out my identity behind my back." Chat felt his shoulder slump in relief as a burden he hadn't realise he had been holding these last weeks was finally lifted from him. "Are you…." Marinette said hesitatingly, "…are you here to tell me your identity?"

"I will," he promised her, "but not tonight. I want time to woo you first."

"W-w-woo me?!"

He swooped in close which caused Marinette to jump back slightly in her chair. He resisted the temptation to lean in completely and press his lips against hers, it wasn't time for that yet, and instead he tapped the rose quartz heart that laid against her collarbone "Of course, Princess, this is only day one," he grinned, "I still have thirteen more days of Valentine to shower you in gifts."

"You don't have to," Marinette murmured sweetly as she clutched her necklace, "this is more than enough."

It wasn't enough, not to him. In his mind she deserved so much more, he could spend his whole life spoiling her with all the jewels and it would be never enough to tell her how much she meant to him. Never enough to tell her how precious she really was.

"I want to," he said simply.

"Well," Marinette smiled nervously, "thank you."

"It's a pleasure, My Lady."

"I have to ask though," Marinette stood up and pulled her blanket closer as she ducked her head to look at her feet. Her cheeks were bright pink again and she was shifting from foot to foot nervously. "In your note….you called the necklace one pure heart….why?"

"Because," he said quietly, "loving you makes my heart pure."

And on that final note, he left with one last lingering kiss on Marinette's hand as he savoured the feel of her soft skin against his lips and the pleasure of seeing Marinette's face turn as red as her superhero suit.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow.