Note :

Hi !
I wanted to say the biggest thank you to XanLee, who translated this story from my original fic in french. Thank you so much for your amazing work !
THANK YOU !

You can find XanLee on Ao3 undre the name XanLee or on tumblr under the name sadrien-depreste. If you liked this fic, please do not forget to thank XanLee for the translation ^^

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This story is directly following my story "Find me if you can", but it can be read independently

Original story : Mindell, "Embrasse-moi si tu peux"
Available in french on my account

Adrien let out a big sigh.

This girl was going to drive him crazy.

It was now a dozen or so days since he had discovered who was hiding behind Ladybug's mask. A few weeks earlier, he had proposed a challenge: they would exchange little hints about their private lives, and see who figured out the other's identity first.

He was so sure of himself, sure that he would figure out who his partner was in no time. He was confident in his instincts and his deduction skills, and he was convinced that would recognize Ladybug at first glance if he saw her.

But naturally, his Lady had won their little game, hands down.

Not only had she figured out who he was first, but she had even waited a couple of weeks before telling him, letting him wade around through his hypotheses in vain. And when she did reveal to him that she knew it was Adrien hiding behind Chat Noir, she had the audacity to slip in such an obvious clue as to her own identity that he instantly realized that he was dealing with Marinette this whole time.

He was absolutely delights, knowing now that it Marinette was Ladybug, he didn't know how he hadn't realized her identity earlier, considering how striking the similarities between the two girls were. There was the physique, of course. The same jet-black hair, the same intensely blue almond eyes. The same freckles, the same laugh, the same voice. And then there was the character, both were passionate, courageous, determined…

Adrien had no obvious regrets finally knowing who his partner was. Quite the opposite, actually. If he was already in love with her before, this revelation had done nothing but exacerbate those feelings, giving them an intensity that was almost dizzying.

However, he did have one regret; that he had been a smart-ass throughout the length of the challenge. He had bragged more than he should have, teasing his Lady, shamelessly announcing loud and clear to her that he would win their little game without any problem, and that he was so much closer than her to finding the truth.

And now, it seemed that Marinette had decided to make him pay for his boasting.

Adrien had secretly hoped that their relationship would evolve after they uncovered each other's respective identities. He was so desperately in love with Marinette, and she knew it. He had been brazenly trying to flirt with Ladybug for months, and he had made it clear to his partner that knowing who she was had not changed his feelings, on the contrary.

And even if she never seemed to take Chat Noir's advances seriously, she seemed to be reconsidering the question since she learned who he was. Since she realized that he didn't behave like that with every girl, but only with her, and that his feelings for her were sincere.

They had had a little conversation about the behavioral differences between him and the hero identity he assumed, and he remembered perfectly well having said that he would never dare flirt with her as Adrien as he had with Ladybug as Chat Noir. Now that they knew they were around each other almost all day, he had decided to act the perfect gentleman, and took it upon himself to not annoy his partner with his endless advances. But whether she was aware of it or not, his Lady had apparently decided to put his self-control to the test.

Oh, it was nothing serious.

She was just going to drive him crazy.

No big deal.

At first, it was so subtle that he thought that maybe he was imagining it, but the more time that passed, the more certain he had become that Marinette had definitely decided to play with his nerves.

It started with the little glances, glances that were hardly more anything more than they had been before. In all due modesty, Adrien was used to being looked at. He knew that he attracted attention thanks to the more than fortunate physique he had been generously rewarded by the genetic lottery. In all due modesty, of course.

But here, it was different than usual, it was Marinette, it was his Lady, and he felt his heart race every time he caught her staring at him.

And he had the impression that she was becoming more tactile, too. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that she now knew that he was Chat Noir, and that their genuine comradery had made her less reserved that she was before. In any case, when Marinette spoke to him, her hands, which always came into action to support her words, sometimes stopped on his forearm, touching him briefly before parting. Maybe she wasn't even aware of it, but the simple contact was enough to send a shiver through Adrien all the way from his head down to his feet, feeling as if his Lady's fingers had left a burning impression where they had brushed his skin.

But it was entirely possible that he was imagining it all. He often saw Marinette hug Alya, or give her a friendly pat on the shoulder… Perhaps it was just her way of showing her affection to those she was close to…

And then there that moment where they found themselves reviewing lessons as a group. Marinette, along with a few other classmates, and him had taken refuge in the library to work in peace. His partner was sat on the other side of the table as Adrien. She wasn't directly in front of him, but she was still perfectly within his field of view.

As she thought, she began to chew on up lower lip distractedly. The action immediately caught Adrien's attention, who was struggling to focus on his own work. It wasn't the first time that he had found himself so captivated by Marinette's lips, far from it, and it took all of his self-control to avoid staring too much.

And that was when Marinette had glanced at him.

It was short, hardly noticeable. The corners of her lips curved up slightly before she went back to her work with perfectly calculated indifference.

The revelation hit Adrien like a brick.

Marinette knew perfectly well what she was doing.

What she was doing to him.

And she was making sure that he understood that.

Adrien quickly rose, catching the attention of all of his classmates, who looked at him startled.

"I… uhh… I need to go to the bathroom," he excused himself before scurrying off, but not without noticing the amused look that danced in Marinette's eyes, whose cheekbones had flushed slightly.

He rushed to the bathroom and headed straight for the sinks, turning the faucets to splash cold water on his face. He felt like each droplet was tracing an icy path on his burning cheeks.

His heart beat wildly as everything became suddenly clear. All of those little looks, each successively more and more mischievous or charming. All of those falsely innocent touches of his skin against hers.

He felt a rush of heat suddenly invade his chest.

He thought that his imagination had been playing tricks on him, fueled by the feelings he held for his Lady, but it was now obvious that he was wrong. As he had just seen, Marinette was much more subtle than Chat Noir but no less determined.

A cunning smile suddenly took shape on Adrien's face. If his Lady had decided to play this little game, then so be it. He wasn't going to surrender without a fight. On the contrary, he would return it in earnest, and they would see who cracked first.

He took a deep breath, trying to control the excited trembling in his hands. He couldn't decently flirt with her like he did when he was Chat Noir. It would definitely draw the attention of their classmates, and he really didn't want them to spoil the fun. This little game was between him and his Lady, and only them.

No, he would have to show a little more discretion and finesse.

His grin grew larger.

Oh yes, he was going to enjoy taking his revenge.

When he finally recovered some semblance of composure, Adrien made his way back to the library to join up with his friends again. Settling into his seat, he shot a glance at Marinette, trying to let her know that he was perfectly aware of her little game. He took satisfaction in seeing her face redden before she plunged her nose back into her books.

Message received.

The next hour unfolded without any notable happenings, but Adrien still struggled to concentrate on his exercises. He read the same lines over and over, but his brain seemed to be unable to take any of it in. Even as Adrien did his best trying not to let his mind wander, his attention ceaselessly flew back to Marinette. He finally abandoned his efforts, getting lost in the memories of his partner for lack of being able to devour her eyes discreetly, and thinking of the best strategy to implement against her.

The bell made them all jump, indicating that classes would be starting again soon, and at the same time, signaling the end of the review session. They collected their belongings and made their way to the library's exit. Marinette brought up the rear, just behind Adrien. As soon as they crossed through the door, Adrien stepped aside to let her exit, and as she passed him, he reached out to her, lightly touching her arm. He could feel her shudder at the contact, and her cheeks colored themselves a delicate shade of red. She took a few steps, and turned around for a moment to flash him a bright smile before continuing on her route.

Adrien bit down on the inside of his cheek in an attempt to keep his cool, his heart beating violently in the wake of seeing his partner's response.

Now this promised to be interesting.

Adrien quickly realized that his plans would be more complicated than expected. It was one thing to know that Marinette was doing her best to put her endurance to the test. It was another thing for her to succeed at remaining unmoved against his stealthy, but nevertheless formidable advances.

There was the way she looked at him, of course, with her big blue eyes shining like stars. She was cheating, he was certain of it. It had to have been hypnosis or some mysterious spell, he saw no other possible explanation. Adrien was under her charm, completely fascinated, and he still struggled to tear his eyes away from her.

And then there was the captivating spectacle of her lips. Marinette had clearly noted the devastating effect that her little lip-biting show had at the library, and she quickly added this little habit to her repertoire, calling upon her act each time she was lost in her thoughts.

She obviously had no qualms about setting off all of her partner's senses. The other day, as they were sitting next to each other to work on a group project their teacher had assigned, she leaned over toward him to look at the notes he had taken. A seemingly innocent gesture, but she had gotten a bit closer than was really necessary. Close enough for a lock of her hair to gently caress his arm. Close enough for him to smell the light floral scent of her shampoo. Close enough threaten to tear apart the last shreds of reason Adrien still held on to.

Not to mention the sound of her voice, which took on such tender inflections when she addressed him out of reach of any eavesdroppers.

She took over all of his senses, little by little, in a methodical and unrelenting manner. The day that she decided to launch her attacks against his sense of taste, Adrien would surely and definitively lose.

He sincerely wondered how this little game could still elude their classmates, but clearly, nobody seemed to notice the slow torture Marinette was subjecting him to. Perhaps it was less visible than he believed, perhaps he had just developed a particular sensitivity to the presence of his teammate…

In any case, she had him in the palm of her hand and she knew it. She deliberately played with his nerves like one would play a musical instrument. And given the effect she had on him, Marinette was undoubtedly a great musician.

But Adrien wouldn't be outdone, now firmly committed to returning his partner's favors and respond to her enticing provocations with the same ardor.

All things considered, he started to understand what drove Marinette to start this electrifying little game of enchantment. The wait only made this even more exciting, exacerbating emotions and sensations and playing deliciously on his nerves. It was becoming almost addictive, and the fact that their exchanges took place in secret didn't help anything. The faint tension induced by the fear of being taken off guard increased Adrien's enjoyment tenfold.

Adrien had always been one for games, and this game was simply exhilarating.

But naturally, Adrien's greatest source of satisfaction was undoubtedly in Marinette's reaction to his discreet attempts at seduction.

However, this almost became an additional difficulty. He mentally prepared to face the glances, smiles, and sweet words of his Lady. But he could never anticipate the cataclysmic effect she had on him when he saw how she reacted to his advances. When he made her blush, when he heard her voice waver slightly in the heat of the moment…

Because she was susceptible to his charm, that was beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Adrien no longer had any qualms about gazing at her intensely when he was certain that no one except herself would catch it. He admired the luminous blue of her eyes, the delicate curve of her nose, never getting tired of the sight. And when Marinette realized that he was staring, her cheeks always tinged a dainty shade of red as she smiled at him sweetly.

He also sought out contact, taking every opportunity he could to brush against her skin. Carefully grazing her fingers as she passed a book, letting his elbow touch her innocently when they sat next to each other… all acceptable excuses.

Each time, he could see her flinch, then blush, then smile.

And each time, he could feel a shiver run up his own spine, and he had to hold himself back from squeezing Marinette in his arms.

Adrien was perfectly aware that this little game couldn't continue for much longer. He could feel himself starting to come to his limits and very soon he wouldn't be content with just flirting with Marinette. He wanted more, so much more. Each contact with her was electrifying and he wanted to take her into his arms and hold her body against his. Each whiff of her perfume was entrancing and it made him feverish with the desire to be even closer to her and get drunk off of her scent.

Each of her smiles made him want to imprison her lips with hers.

A few days later, Adrien got to class exceptionally early. He opened the door to the classroom, holding back a yawn, when he suddenly froze in his place. One person was already in the room. Marinette. Arms crossed on her desk, she seemed to be asleep.

Adrien chuckled. He knew that she wasn't a morning person, and getting here so early had obviously exhausted all of her strength. He sat at his desk and turned toward his classmate who hadn't budged, still in a deep sleep.

He leaned over toward her, reaching his hand out to lightly run his fingers along the girl's face.

"My Lady…" he whispered softly.

Marinette blinked rapidly, slowly emerging from the world of dreams, only to be immediately caught by a pair of fascinatingly green eyes.

She had scandalously long eyelashes, her classmate suddenly noticed.

"Adrien…" she answered through a smile, her voice still a bit hoarse with sleep.

Then, little by little, her cheeks tinted a superbe shade of red as she became aware of Adrien's hand on her face. Her eyes widened slightly, then she smiled again without any hint of backing away. Unable to detach his gaze from that smile, Adrien moved his hand almost instinctively, delicately brushing Marinette's lips with the tips of his fingers.

They were soft and warm, and the young man was closer than ever to his breaking point.

"Oh, Adrien…" Marinette sighed again, almost languorously.

She reached a hand out to him, affectionately ruffling his hair. Then a mischievous sparkle suddenly began to dance in her eyes.

Adrien would have liked to say that a burst of pride was the only thing that kept him from placing a sweet kiss on Marinette's half-open lips, because he wanted her to kiss him first. But in all honesty, he knew that wasn't the case. The one and only reason he hadn't gone any further was the fact that they suddenly heard Chloé's shrill voice in the hallway, making them both jump.

Fortunately for them, she hadn't caught their exchange and was just chatting with Sabrina as they headed to the classroom.

Marinette straightened up, but not without sending him a tender smile, and Adrien turned back to his desk. It took all of the force in the world for him to regain his composure, his heart beating so hard that it was a miracle that nobody heard it. His breath was short and his hands trembled.

Never would he have believed that his Lady could have such an effect on him.

It could not be worse.

Adrien took back that judgment the next day, when a victim of Hawkmoth was about to devastate the Parisian streets yet again.

It could be worse.

Much, much worse.

Because he hadn't seen his partner as a superheroine again since they had both started their little game of seduction.

Because Ladybug's charm had always had a devastating effect on the poor Chat Noir.

He struggled to concentrate in their battle, literally captivated by his Lady. He was fascinated by the way she moved, each of her movements giving off an unmatched grace and confidence.

And then there was her costume. Whoever it was that decided one day that it would be a good idea for Ladybug to be dressed in such a tight outfit, they had Adrien's eternal gratitude. Even if that same person would surely be responsible for his premature death, whether it be a heart attack or a stroke from focusing his attention on his Lady.

Because very clearly, Ladybug's costume didn't hide much about her anatomy, highlighting each of her sublime curves. Chat Noir felt like he was on the verge of spontaneous combustion just looking at her.

After the battle, Chat Noir for once found himself at a loss for words, incapable of articulating even the slightest utterance. He was just staring at his Lady's eyes, mouth agape. From the outside, he surely must have looked like someone had hit him over the head, but he was certain that he would have been less stunned if that had really been the case.

Ladybug sent him a big smile, and Chat Noir felt his knees turn to jelly.

She had probably realized this, because her smile turned slightly impish, as she stared at him with an air of mischief. Now that they were close to each other, Chat Noir could see her eyes distinctly. It was crazy how her mask highlighted them, the brilliant blue of her eyes seeming to shine even more in contrast with the red of her outfit.

Chat Noir gulped heavily.

He felt hot, too hot.

Ladybug approached him and leaned ever-so-slightly toward him, way too close for his mental health.

"Are you okay?" she asked him in a soft voice, with just a touch of wickedness, as Chat Noir was incapable of taking his eyes off of her lips.

She knew. She knew the effect she had on him. This girl was diabolic, Chat Noir decided without abandoning the immense admiration he still felt for her. His heart and soul definitely belonged to his Lady.

He wanted to kiss her, to capture her lips and to cover her face in burning kisses. But he couldn't do anything, not with all those witnesses who could show up at any minute. So he stammered out an incoherent excuse, then hurried off while his legs still worked.

The following day, Adrien had few opportunities to see Marinette. The day was mainly devoted to group activities in preparation for an upcoming school trip, and much to his regret, Adrien wasn't in his partner's group. Even the noontime break wasn't much help, Marinette and her group having eaten a little later than him. He had barely been able to see her as she hurried down the halls, her arms loaded up with various supplies.

Adrien's group was progressing slowly on the project assigned to them, and by the time they had finally finished, the other students in their class had already left.

His morale lowered, Adrien turned back toward their usual classroom. Unlike his classmates who had taken their belongings with them to the art room where they had settled to work, he had left his bag at his desk.

He entered the empty room and collected his things. He was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a notebook on the ground. He bent down to pick it up and flipped through it quickly. The pages were filled with designs of clothing of all kinds, with extremely detailed fashion research.

It was Marinette's sketchbook.

Feeling the beating of his heart accelerate at this discovery, Adrien couldn't stop himself from quickly going through the book, admiring Marinette's meticulous work. She was clearly very passionate about it, and being quite versed in the fashion world, the young man could tell that she was talented.

Out of curiosity, he looked at a few more pages, when he froze suddenly, his eyes widening in surprise. The page he had just flipped to didn't look like any of the others he had seen so far. Here, there were no clothes, no sketches of jackets or skirts or of fabric patterns. Just faces. His face.

Marinette had drawn him, covering the entire page with multiple portraits of him, mingling with several small hearts.

Adrien suddenly felt like a wave of heat was pouring over him as his pulse accelerated violently, his heart pounding in his chest. Without him even realizing it, a smug smile slowly crept onto his face as he contemplated the girl's work.

He suddenly heard someone make a small noise.

Marinette was at the threshold of the door, her big blue eyes fixed on the sketchbook that he held in his hands. A malicious expression drew itself onto Adrien's face as the girl approached him briskly.

"Nice designs," he said playfully, showing the page he had been admiring, moving the notebook just far enough so that it was out of Marinette's reach, who was now facing him.

"Nice model," she replied in a low voice, cheeks redder than ever.

She reached out her hand in an assertive gesture.

"Now give me back my sketchbook, kitty."

Adrien's smile grew even larger, while he kept the book away from its owner.

"You didn't say please," he provoked while waving the notebook slightly to better taunt Marinette.

An indecipherable glimmer shone in the girl's gaze. She took a step towards Adrien, who let out a little hiccup of surprise. Now only a few centimeters from him, she went up on her tiptoes. She grabbed her partner by the collar of his shirt and pressed her lips to the hollow of his ear.

"Please…" she whispered in a voluptuous voice, her hot breath caressing Adrien's skin.

He suddenly felt like a volcano had erupted in his chest, carrying torrents of hot lava through his veins, setting fire to every corner of his body.

It was too much for Adrien, who felt his ultimate defenses cracking. Dropping the sketchbook on the nearest desk, he gently grabbed Marinette's head between his hands, taking care not to hold her too tightly to allow her to free herself at any moment. Without detaching his gaze from hers for even an instant, he slowly moved his face towards her, all the while his heart beating wildly.

The girl didn't budge a centimeter. Her face was colored every shade of red possible, offering a striking contrast against the extraordinary blue of her eyes.

Finally, Adrien's lips met those of Marinette. With the impression of warmth, the young man suddenly felt as if an electric current was running through him. Marinette's lips were soft like satin and their taste was faintly sweet, perfectly matching the floral scent that Marinette radiated.

He was completely enchanted.

He pulled away from their kiss regretfully, trying to find his breath.

His blood was beating fast in his temples, and when he removed his hands from Marinette's face and slid them around her waist, he realized that they were shaking.

His partner seemed to be at least as flustered as him. Her breath was short and he could feel her shuddering in his arms. Her lips, pinker than ever, curved into a soft smile and her eyes shone like stars. She reached her hand out, tenderly caressing Adrien's cheek.

"I could not wait for you to kiss me, my kitten," she murmured.

Adrien felt a shiver of joy run up his vertebrae.

"Yes, my Lady," he responded in a husky voice. "But I think that I could do better," he couldn't help but add in a sly tone. "I'm going to need some practice."

"Yes. Lots of practice," she replied with a delicious throaty laugh.

Adrien gave her a bright smile, before leaning back into her, eagerly beginning on this new resolution.

*** END **

Note : XanLee, thank you once again for your translation :) !