"C'mon girl! What are you even doing?"

Marinette jolted as Alya's voice pulled her out of her daydream. She blinked and focused on her amused roommate. "Huh?"

Alya shook her head and placed her hands on her curvy hips. "Please don't tell me you were dreaming about Agreste again?"

The raven haired girl blushed and ducked her head. "Ummmm….no?" she offered.

Her friend huffed partly in amusement and partly in exasperation. "Why don't you just talk to him already?"

Marinette raised her head to meet the redhead's eyes. "Because I can't seem to stop myself from turning into a blubbering mess around him," she wailed in despair. "Yesterday he was behind me at the burger joint just off campus and I told him that HIS BUNS LOOKED DELICIOUS!" She could feel her face flaming. "All I meant to say was the place looked like they have delicious burger buns….ALYA….it's not funny!"

"Speak for yourself," Alya gasped in between howls of laughter. "That is freaking hilarious! What did he do?"

Marinette flopped on the couch and covered her face with a cushion. "I don't know. I ran away."

Alya screamed with mirth at her last sentence and collapsed on the armchair. "Oh, God. Please stop. I can't deal!"

"And that is why...," Marinette said, "That is why I cannot go to the party tonight."

As expected, Alya shot straight up, all traces of mirth wiped from her expression. "Excuse me, what?"

"I can't face him, Al," Marinette whimpered. "I know Nino is your boyfriend and all but the party is at his and Adrien's place. I'll definitely see him and I'll die of mortification."

"Girl, stop being a complete and utter twatsicle," Alya chided. "Their place is huge….you probably won't even see Adrien all night. Just come with me and I'll handle everything."

"But Alyaaaa….he's Nino's best friend! Of course they'll see each other!" Marinette reasoned. "I can't do it."

"But you're forgetting one key component aren't you?" Alya reminded her.

"What's that?"

"It's a costume party."

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And that's how five hours later, Marinette found herself in a skintight red dress with black polka dots. The dress ended just below her derriere but the black thigh high boots that she wore made the look both more modest and sexier at the same time. A headband with two glittering antennae was perched upon her long, dark pigtails and a silky red domino mask obscured the top of her face. She sipped on the third glass of some fruity tasting punch that had been thrust into her hand on entry and surveyed the revellers around her.

"Having fun?" someone spoke up behind her.

Startled, Marinette spun around and came face to face with a tall, slender male in an artist's costume. A black beret rested on his messy auburn locks and a black mask concealed his features. She gestured to his paint smattered smock and grinned. "Did you even look for a costume, Nate?"

Nathanael smiled at her and shook his head. "Not really," he confided. "I got caught up in a painting and when I realized the time, I just flung on my old Halloween mask and the beret you and Alya had given me as a joke."

"It works though," she mused, giving him another look. "Did you get a drink?"

"I'm not drinking," he laughed. "And I don't think you should be drinking that punch either. I heard it's Adrien's own mix and it packs a serious wallop."

"Adrien made this himself?" she questioned, bringing the glass to her lips for another sip. The concoction was sweet and fruity but she could barely taste any alcohol in it.

"Yep," Nate replied. "So take it easy on it ok? Two glasses of that last party and I couldn't remember anything the next morning."

"You're such a lightweight, Nate," Marinette teased. Tossing back the entire contents of the large cup down her throat, she grabbed his hands and pulled him into the crowd. "Let's dance!"

Ignoring his stammered protests, she began moving her body to the music. Marinette was an anomaly….horrendously clumsy in everyday life but incredibly smooth and graceful on a dancefloor. Soon, she lost herself in the crowd and in the music, not even noticing as she went deeper into the crowd, blocking Nathanael's view of her.

So engrossed was she in the music, that she did not register that she had made her way to a darkened corner of the room. It was only when she collided with a hard, male body, that she paused and looked up. And up.

The tall stranger looked down at her, his lips quirked in amusement. One of his gloved hands came to rest on her waist as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Ladybug?" he questioned.

The low, smooth tone of his voice raised goosebumps over her arms and sent tingles down her spine. Demurely, she looked up and down at him, curling her lips as she did so.

"Kitty cat?" she responded, taking in his head to toe getup of black leather, complete with a pair of ears on his head and a black domino, similar to hers.

"I prefer Chat Noir, m'lady," he purred. "May I have this dance?"

With her nod, his hand tightened around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. She could feel the heat of him through their costumes and she felt a fluttering deep in her stomach. Slowly, she placed her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with the soft hair that fell on his nape.

The tempo changed….to a slow, seductive beat. Chat Noir's fingers tensed and he stepped back further into the shadows, bringing her with him. She followed willingly, something about this man ensnaring her. Hesitantly at first, and then with more confidence, her body undulated against his, teasing him, taunting him, leaving him no choice but to respond in kind.

How long they danced together, she had no idea. All she knew was the heat in her insides and the movement of leather against her body. His cologne teased her senses, heightening them, making her want to lose herself in the intoxicating scent and feel of the man pressed against her. Songs passed, beats changed and still the couple in the corner pressed together, moving with a familiarity that bespoke years instead of mere minutes.

When his hand moved from her hip to cup her cheek, she knew what was coming. Eagerly, she moved into the kiss, her lips slanting over his, tasting, testing. His muffled moan only inflamed her further and when he ran his tongue over her bottom lip, she opened to him without hesitation.

Heat. Movement. Everything was his.

Not breaking the kiss, she ran her fingers up his torso, feeling the well-defined muscles. He shuddered under her touch and moved his lips to her jaw. From there, he placed hot kisses on the graceful line of her throat, before settling on a spot where he could alternate between biting and sucking.

Humming her approval, Marinette arched her neck, silently giving him permission to continue. She pressed even closer, until she could feel the hard bulge of his arousal against her belly.

He gasped and gripped her hips. "Upstairs?" he asked, his voice sounding low and hoarse.

"I can't," she protested. "This is my best friend's boyfriend and his best friend's house. It wouldn't be right to use their bedrooms."

He stilled at that and then a chuckle surprised her. "I have another idea then," he murmured wickedly.

Intrigued, she looked up at him. "Really? And what would that be?"

"Come with me."

He took her hand and led her outside. Although she had only been to the house a couple of times, she recognized the route that they were taking instantly.

"The pool?" she questioned.

"The pool house," he corrected. "And I know for a fact that Adrien and Nino prohibit guests from partying by the pool as it's too much of a hassle to clean up."

At Adrien's name, her heart did a little jump and she began to second guess her little excursion.

"Ummmm….do you know Adrien and Nino personally?" she asked.

He chuckled at that. "You could say so," he replied, amusement lacing his tone.

Just then, they arrived at the pool house and he quickly pulled her inside, locking the door behind him.

Marinette surveyed the decor and quirked an eyebrow. "This is a POOL HOUSE?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

In the dim light, she could make out what seemed like a full living room set. There also was a table with chairs to the side and a door that presumably led to….

"A bedroom?" she wondered out loud.

"Mmmm hmmmm," he agreed, his voice sounding right behind her.

Marinette jumped, startled. He really did move as silently as the animal he was dressed as. His warm breath fanned her ear and just as he leaned down to kiss her neck, she stepped away.

"I-I can't….," she stammered.

He stilled and in the moonlight streaming through the windows, she saw him tilt his head to the side.

"Okay," he agreed easily.

Out of all the responses that she was prepared for, his easy acquiescence was the last thing that she had expected. And because she was so thrown off balance and because the alcohol had loosened her tongue significantly, she began babbling.

"You-you see….I have this ridiculous crush on Adrien Agreste. But I get horribly tongue tied whenever he's around….I say the most awkward things and then I just want to DIE. And he's not only gorgeous but one of the kindest, most intelligent people I know and he could have any girl he wants…so I obviously don't stand a chance but mmphh -,"

Her rantings were cut short by Chat Noir grabbing her and delivering a passionate kiss.

He let her go almost immediately and looked down at her, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

"Was that the truth? Marinette?" he asked softly.

She gasped. "You know who I am? How?"

In response, his hand reached out and flicked the switch next to the door. Soft light flooded the room and Marinette gaped as her partner removed the mask from his face.

"ADRIEN!?"

"Hey," he responded shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Surprise."

Marinette was speechless. She tried to say something but all she could do was stare at him with her jaw hanging open. In fact, she stood there like that for so long that Adrien began to get worried.

'Please don't let me have broken her,' he thought.

When he had glimpsed the Ladybug dancing in his crowd of guests, he had been instantly entranced. He was contemplating leaving his comfortably secluded corner to go to her when she'd ended up literally bouncing into him. One look at her and he was a goner.

Of course, he had known her true identity from the start, as he had seen her walk into the party with Nino's girlfriend. He had always been interested in Marinette but because she barely spoke to him and had a tendency of running away whenever he entered her vicinity, he had simply assumed that she disliked him for some reason. He had all intentions of dancing with her for one song, then identifying himself but she just fit so RIGHT. And he had consumed enough alcohol to be selfish enough to pursue her even though he knew that she had no idea who he really was.

"I'm sorry….," he began. "I've been wanting to speak to you so badly - ever since the first day we met." His eyes were downcast, so he missed the spark of interest in Marinette's gaze as he continued. "And every time I get close to you, you ran away or refused to respond to me. I thought that you disliked me or something. I know I should have let you know who I was from the start but - ," his voice cut off sharply at the feel of slender fingers trailing down his stomach.

Looking up, he saw that Marinette had moved closer to him and that desire was burning in her incredible blue eyes.

"Kiss me," she breathed.

Adrien wasted no time in complying with her request, swooping in and claiming her lips, ravaging them until her knees buckled and to support her.

Stumbling to the sofa, he collapsed upon it, Marinette straddling him. She peppered his neck with little kisses, threading her fingers through his pale gold locks.

Then, she began to laugh. "What a pair we make, Adrien," she giggled. "Alya would probably say that we're a double helping of assmonkeys."

He grinned as his fingers traced hearts on her back. "We probably deserve that title too," he agreed. Gathering up his courage, he blurted, "Will you go on a date with me?"

Her body paused and Adrien mentally chided himself for moving too fast. Then, he tensed as she deliberately ground herself into his lap, causing him to harden with embarrassing quickness. Her siren smile showed that she liked his response to her movement, as she leaned in and bit his earlobe. The unexpected action drew a soft moan from him and she reared back with a pleased expression.

"Yes," she said. "Yes I will." She stood up and took his hand. "Now take me to that bedroom and let's finish what we started."

As Adrien grasped her fingers and pulled the red-clad girl with him, he couldn't help but be thankful that ladybugs apparently really did bring good luck….

Even to black cats.