This was based on a prompt I received on tumblr, and I decided to post it here as well :) Hope you like it!

Of all days to run late, fate decided to choose this one.

In recent years, she had become used to running late, and was hardly ever bothered by it anymore. Her boss was very lenient when it came to showing up to work on time. She claimed that, "Creativity can strike at any moment. It is best to seize it and draw it, regardless of whatever the time may be!"

So whenever Marinette was a few minutes late to work, her boss merely assumed that she had received a divine intervention from the fashion gods at late notice and thus couldn't help being tardy.

Marinette didn't have the heart to tell her that it was really because she kept hitting the snooze button on her alarm.

But now she actually did care about being late, because today she was supposed to meet Alya and Nino at the Omelette du Fromage Café to meet the latter's new friend. Apparently, Nino has been friends with this newbie for a while, but said newbie had a busy schedule and so didn't have a lot of free time, sometimes none at all. But today was the day (or hour) that the guy finally had a break in his busy schedule to meet them for lunch.

Nino held nothing but praise for the new guy. He said he was homeschooled and sheltered for most of his life, but he was a 'cool dude' and a 'genuine nice guy'.

This supposed saint's name?

Adrien.

Nino wouldn't give a last name; 'Adrien' was all Alya and Marinette got.

As Marinette hurried along the sidewalk, dodging the bustling Parisians, she grabbed her phone from her jeans pocket to note the time.

Her lips pursed into a dismayed pout when she saw two missed texts from Alya. Managing to not walk into anything or anyone, she unlocked her phone to read the messages, which basically asked her where she was and said that everyone was waiting for her. She tapped the area to begin typing in order to send her reply, taking care to look up every couple seconds to make sure she didn't run into anyone.

Sorry running late new story of chat noir this morning

She was in such a hurry she couldn't even be bothered to input the correct grammar. Still, her text was at least understandable, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

But oh, that Chat Noir story…her cheeks lit up in a blush that certainly wasn't induced by her hurried pace. How his eyes seemed to just sparkle with mischief, or how a corner of his mouth was usually quirked up into that grin that always made her knees weak…

She shouldn't have these reactions to him, to a criminal and not to mention her enemy, but it wasn't her fault. He wasn't downright evil, he saved civilians from greater dangers time to time and never seriously hurt anyone, including herself whenever she was engaged in fights with him.

You see, when she wasn't being a bumbling, struggling fashion designer, Marinette was Ladybug, the superheroine that protected Paris to the best of her ability from Chat Noir.

He was a jokester, and while she didn't find most of his puns to be amusing, she did appreciate the brightness in him. He also possessed a silver tongue, knowing just the right words to say to make her falter and blush in their altercations.

On one hand, she hated that he had that kind of power of her. On the other hand, a part of her delighted in his flirtations. She knew they weren't real, yet she still felt flattered by them.

Apparently he stole several pieces of jewelry during the previous night. She couldn't remember what exactly he stole, but she did remember that he had made a clean getaway and there was no evidence that could help the police catch him. No fingerprints, no stray hairs, nothing. Nothing left except a blurry surveillance picture captured of him.

Figures the one night she decided to take off from patrol he committed a crime. To be fair she didn't just slack off randomly; it had been quiet lately and she thought it wouldn't hurt to have one night off.

Turned out that she was wrong.

Her phone vibrated not even five seconds later after she sent her text, jarring her from her self-deprecating thoughts and Chat's smirks.

Of course, I shouldn't be surprised xD Now move your ass, we're all waiting for you!

Marinette took a breath and did just that, weaving between people at a faster rate than before. In no time she made it to the café, a sigh of relief blowing past her lips when she saw the sign for it.

Without another moment to spare she burst inside the glass doors.

.

Adrien was in a good mood that morning. Not only did he pull off the jewelry heist flawlessly, but his father finally granted him some free time in order to have lunch with Nino and finally meet his girlfriend and their friend. Nino had plenty of good things to say about Alya and Marinette both, so he couldn't wait to meet them.

Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have more friends. Well, more than just Nino. Not that he wasn't enough, by any means. Adrien just wanted as many friends as possible. He was entirely aware that a secret criminal probably didn't have thoughts like those ones, but frankly he didn't care.

At the café, he was immensely glad that he seemed to hit it off with Alya. She was incredibly nice and cool, and also spunky and showed signs of mischief. She was a relatively unknown journalist at a news outlet, but she swore that one day she was going to get the scoop that would 'make her biggest reporter in the city'.

Marinette, however, was running late. He didn't mind, he just marveled at the fact a person could be late without getting any repercussions aside from a few teasing texts from her best friend. Growing up, Adrien had to be on time for everything, and thus had no experiences with being late. However, he did hear of what would happen if he was ever tardy for something.

Suddenly, the bell above the door jingled madly, prompting Adrien to snap his head up to where the sound originated.

A women had burst in, her cheeks flushed and chest heaving, indicating that she was in a hurry to get there. Even so, she still looked lovely to Adrien's eyes.

She stopped and peered around, observing every tables' occupants, when her gaze landed on his table. A small, relieved smile lit up her features and she quickly set off in his direction.

As she got closer, her beauty became even more noticeable. He could see that she had eyes the color of Endless Summer flowers, that grew deeper and more alluring with each step she took closer to him. Her black hair was pulled up into a bun, with two, loose tendrils framing her face. His fingers twitched, wanting to feel one of those locks of hair. Her full, pink lips pulled back to reveal a pearly-white smile, and suddenly Adrien was rendered incapable of speech.

Which would have helped at the moment, because supposedly she just said something and he completely missed it. Nino nudged his arm to get him to snap out of it, Adrien blinking once he came back to reality.

"I-uh-what?"

The girl tilted her head cutely and raised an eyebrow, obviously confused by his clearly articulate response. Nino laughed while Alya's eyes narrowed and glinted in suspicion.

"Don't go daydreaming when you finally have some free time, bro," Nino playfully scolded. "This is Marinette, my and Alya's friend."

Marinette pulled out a chair beside Alya and sat down, offering him another friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet y-" Marinette stopped, her gaze now scrutinizing every little detail of his face. Adrien frowned; was she judging him? Deemed him unworthy of her kindness? Did she think he was ugly?

"You're Adrien Agreste!" she shrieked, pointing her finger at his nose. "The son of Gabriel Agreste, my favorite designer!"

Adrien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, for once uncomfortable with having the spotlight on him. Based on her outburst though, he hoped that she could like him as a friend (and maybe more) and not see him for only his last name. He was already under her captivating spell; he would hate it if she proved to be just another fangirl.

"It's so great to meet you!" she spoke, awe evident in her voice as she calmed down. "I'm Marinette-er, wait, Nino already told you that. But I hope that we can be friends. Your father's designs are amazing!"

"Uh, thanks," he replied awkwardly, the usual response for whenever he received praises for his father.

"You do great work, too! I mean, it can't be easy being a model, right?"

Adrien smiled, letting out a small sigh of amusement.

"It's not so bad once you get used to it."

From that point on, Adrien and Marinette started to talk of their individual interests, Nino and Alya left forgotten as the pair continued to animatedly talk. It soon became evident that Marinette was genuine in her friendship, as she didn't just ask about the fashion industry, but also asked him questions like who his favorite singer was (Jagged Stone), or what foods he liked (he admitted he had a sweet tooth).

By the time Marinette had gotten up to announce that she would be right back, Adrien was already planning on buying her a hamster and a dog and whatever fabrics she wanted. He sighed as his eyes trailed behind Marinette's form as she walked to the restroom.

He didn't think it was possible to become so smitten with someone after only knowing them for such a short a time.

"Maybe now that Marinette's gone you'll actually talk to us again," Nino joked slyly, his mouth curving in a sly grin. "So, when are you going to ask her out?"

Adrien's features brightened at Nino's obvious approval of the match.

"Do you really think I have a chance?" he asked in a whisper. True, he seemed to hit it off with Marinette, but he didn't want to get his hopes up of her harboring an attraction for him.

Nino grinned in self-confidence.

"Absolutely-"

"Not."

Adrien and Nino turned to Alya, who had leaned forward in her seat so that she rested her arms on the table. She gave Adrien a pitying look, causing the model to frown. Did she not approve of him for Marinette? He thought he got along great with Alya and made a solid impression, and he thought the same with Marinette. So what was the problem?

"Why doesn't he have a chance?" Nino asked, confused. "Were you here for the last ten minutes? They'd be great together!"

"I think so too," she agreed, the neutral line of her lips never lifting. "But Marinette's already in love with someone else." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a vexed scoff. "It's ridiculous, yet she's crazy over him."

Adrien felt his stomach, and not to mention his heart, drop.

"Who-who is he?" he murmured lowly, trying and failing to not let his disappointment show in his voice.

Alya snorted, devoid of humor.

"Chat Noir. Can you believe it?"

Chat Noir, huh? He sounded like a prick. What was so great about that guy, anyway? He-

Wait a minute.

That guy was him! He was Chat Noir! And Marinette liked Chat Noir, which meant that she liked Adrien! So if Marinette liked Chat, and he liked her, then he could see her as Chat and-

"Adrien? You still there?" Alya called, tilting her head in concern. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd take it so hard."

The gears in Adrien's head stopped spinning, his plans for now grinding to a halt in order to answer Alya and not act like he was ecstatic over the news.

"Oh-uh-yeah, I'm still here. Really, though, Chat Noir?" he asked, schooling his features to look crestfallen. "Why does she like him so much?" He actually really wanted to know the answer to that question, that wasn't acting at all. What would make seemingly-sweet Marinette fall for his criminal side, not that he minded.

"She's convinced he's not that bad because he saves some civilians from time to time," Alya replied flippantly, her lips flattening to show her sardonic amusement over the whole thing. "And she thinks he's hot, though she insists that's not why she likes him. But you weren't there to witness her saying of what she would do to him if she had the chance."

Adrien's eyes widened as a blush engulfed his cheeks, neck, and even the tips of his ears.

"Dude, I knew you were sheltered as a kid, but jeez," Nino laughed, obviously noticing Adrien's reaction. When Adrien didn't offer a response save for a slight shake of the head, Nino turned to his girlfriend across from him, blowing out a puff of air between his lips in disbelief.

"Damn, but Marinette actually talking dirty? And here I thought she was innocent."

" 'Innocent' my ass," Alya scoffed. She rolled her eyes before adopting a pitying smile to her face, her eyes reflecting the same emotion as she stared straight at Adrien, whose blush by now has since severely faded.

"I'm sorry, but as of now Marinette is totally hung-up on Chat Noir. I hate to say this, but even though you're a hell of a catch, she probably won't even notice. Until she gets over him, which I don't see happening anytime soon, I would just settle for being friends."

Adrien lowered his head, as though resigned to his loveless fate.

In reality, he was planning quite possibly the most pleasurable heist in his life.

…

At around midnight, Chat Noir gripped the railing of Marinette's tiny apartment balcony and hoisted himself over it, landing perfectly on his feet. After lunch, when the girls left, Nino was all-too-happy giving Adrien Marinette's address, fully encouraging him to pursue her so that she could get Chat Noir out of her mind.

He had to admit, that method could've worked. However, he didn't want to wait for that possible day in which she might return his feelings as Adrien Agreste. He liked her, and she liked his alter ego. He could work with that for now, and just reveal the truth of his identity when the time came. Besides, why wait for something that might not even happen? If Marinette was really in love with Chat Noir, he doubted that she would easily give Adrien a chance.

He peeked inside the glass door leading to what appeared to be her living room. It was dark inside, and he couldn't hear any noise. Maybe she was sleeping?

Wait.

There, just beyond the little hallway…a hazy glow of light reflected against the wall. She must've been in her room.

Chat stood back, taking a deep breath before exhaling sharply in an attempt to calm his nerves. He knew she liked him, yet he was still nervous. He couldn't help it, after all, he never actually visited a girl at her apartment with the sole intention of wooing. And especially not as his criminal identity.

He pulled out his baton, and using the screen as a makeshift mirror, proceeded to tousle his unruly locks into what the general public liked to refer to as "sex hair". The photographers loved it, the women fawning over the ads loved it, so it was safe to assume that Marinette would like the hairstyle as well.

Giving a satisfied nod once he was sure it was perfect, he tried the handle to the door. Miraculously it opened, leaving him standing outside in surprise.

Woah. He didn't actually expect that to work. He was sure he was going to have to use his claws to pick the lock.

Oh well, all the more easier for him, he supposed.

He walked inside, gently closing the door behind him so it wouldn't make a sound and alert her. Dumbly he peered around the room, wondering what to do next. Should he wander toward the light?

Yeah right, and just pop in and say hello?

No.

Or, maybe he could-

His cat ears twitched at the sound of a door opening wider and footsteps approaching. Shit, she was coming and he didn't have a plan! He wildly looked about the room, eyes darting everywhere as he tried to think of something.

Throwing all caution to the wind for the first idea that came to him, he hustled over to the high countertop that connected to the kitchen and leaned his elbow on it, reenacting one of the most basic poses for a model. He relaxed his features into a lazy grin and hooded eyes, the perfect picture of seduction.

She was getting closer, closer, until finally her furry slippers and bare legs were visible. She turned the corner, allowing him to see her hair devoid of the bun she wore earlier that day. It fell down her shoulders, the locks looking so soft his fingers itched to feel them. But he couldn't pounce, not yet.

When Marinette finally picked up her head to look at him, her eyes were suddenly wiped clean of any trace of fatigue. Her shoulders stiffened and her mouth opened to let out a shriek of fright. Fortunately, it didn't seem loud enough to attract the attention of any neighbors.

Chat remained as he was, although the grin he bore curled even deeper upon seeing the way her cheeks flushed once she fully gazed at him from head to toe.

"Chat Noir?!" she whispered, probably not believing this. Honestly, he could hardly believe this was happening, either. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

He forced himself to remain calm and not give in to his anxiety. Calm, cool, and suave. Always in control. Because that's what Chat Noir was, cool and in control of any situation.

"Well," he drawled, shifting from the model pose to his full height. "I heard that the most beautiful girl in Paris has taken a liking to me." He grinned, his tail swishing side to side in pleasure as he noticed her cheeks darken. "Is it true?"

Marinette could only openly stare at him. Was this real? Was she dreaming? Chat Noir, standing in her apartment, calling her beautiful with that sinful gaze of his? Not taking her eyes off him, she reached for her arm and sharply pinched the skin.

She grimaced at the slight pain, yet very quickly forgot about it as quickly as it came since he was still standing in front of her.

Chat frowned in concern.

"Are you okay? Why did you pinch yourself?"

"Because I have to be dreaming," she answered automatically, breathless in her response because she still couldn't believe that he was actually here. "You can't be here."

Chat's lips spread, a bright Cheshire smile in the darkness.

"You're not dreaming, Princess. I'm really here." He sauntered closer so that he was standing in front of her. Breath caught in her throat and heart hammering in her chest, Marinette dared to peer up at him. Little did she know, the way she looked at him beneath her lashes made his composure briefly falter.

He grinned, a devilishly handsome smile he has seen several women swoon over in the ads he posed for.

"And I heard that you had some particularly scandalous ideas for what you would do to me if you had the chance." His voice dropped to a low purr, his lips just a hair's width away from her own. "Well, Princess, here's your chance."

Adrien knew what he had done was more risky than any of the crimes he had ever committed. Never in his life was he ever more unsure of any outcome. He was coming on a bit strong, he had to admit. However, he never did this kind of thing before. Sure, he had dated a couple girls, but never was he attracted to them more so than he was to Marinette, nor did he ever approach them with the sole intention to seduce.

Meanwhile, Marinette was still having a hard time believing that Chat Noir here in her apartment and hardcore flirting with her. She knew if this was indeed real, she should've screamed in his face, somehow get him to leave, then transform into Ladybug and kick his ass.

But…this still had the possibility to be a dream, right? And he just basically offered himself to her. Plus, real life or not, she doubted that she would ever get an opportunity like this ever again.

Okay, here is what she would do. Just one kiss now, and then tomorrow she would go back to normal and continue fighting him as Ladybug.

Tonight, she was just Marinette, a girl stupidly in love with a criminal. And Chat Noir, a criminal who had somehow heard of her admiration and came to investigate…and bizarrely present her the opportunity she has been dreaming about for months.

So, without a word, she grabbed his bell and roughly connected their lips.

She heard him make a small noise of astonishment, before it changed to a sigh, and eventually into a groan of submission. She hummed when she felt his arms wrap around her waist to pull her closer and his mouth moving and molding with hers, inwardly delighting of how she could affect him like this. Not to mention that her late-night fantasy was finally coming true.

Speaking of, this was usually the part where she gripped his hair and at last sated her curiosity of how soft it was.

It seemed that he liked this new action she took, given the lascivious moan that rumbled from his throat.

Her tongue poked at his bottom lip, not demanding to be taken nor timidly approaching. It was simply a question, a request for permission. She finally had him; she didn't want to scare him off by abruptly escalating their kiss when they were just getting started. She wasn't nearly finished with him yet.

To her immense satisfaction, he parted his lips and readily joined his tongue with hers, roaming and exploring her mouth while she did the same with his. She was glad this didn't prove to be a 'fighting for dominance' kiss. She wanted this to be perfect, to experience this and take her time while she can, because she knew that this was her one chance and will likely never have this opportunity again.

A few seconds later and he detached his lips from hers, a disappointed whine slipping out of her throat at the lost contact. In the back of her mind, she chided herself on sounding so desperate. However, in that moment she could hardly care less.

Marinette relaxed her grip on his hair, aware that their time was probably over and that he wanted to leave, when he did something she hadn't expected at all. He bent down and started lavishing kisses upon her throat, this time drawing out a whine filled with wanton abandon as she tilted her neck back to offer him better access.

Even though her mind was hazy, she didn't miss the way his lips stretched into a smug smirk against her skin.

He continued to pepper the column of her throat with kisses, until he stuck to one particular spot, the area just above where her neck and shoulder met. She squeaked when she felt his tongue swipe along the small patch of skin he had previously kissed, her eyes flying open and her fingers briefly tightening their hold on his hair. That is until her eyes slid shut, rolling to the back of her head as he bit the chosen flesh and began to suck, clearly intending on leaving a mark.

She considered telling him to stop, since covering hickeys was definitely a pain in the ass. But she could worry about that later in the morning; she was enjoying herself and consequences be damned.

When he was finished, he placed one last kiss on the bruised flesh before retreating back. He paused prior to going back to her lips, grinning at the impressive love bite he had left with her with that would surely earn some attention if not properly concealed.

He knew it was late. She probably had work in the morning, as did he. For as much as he would love to stay longer, he couldn't. And so, he pressed a final, languid kiss to her lips, relishing in the warmth and affection before drawing back and pressing his forehead against hers.

"I guess it is true then," he remarked huskily with a low chuckle. "The most beautiful girl in Paris doeslike me."

I love you, Marinette wanted to clarify, but didn't. She went through this whole experience without freaking him out once; she wasn't about to do so right when he was about to leave.

"Out of all the things I've stolen, I have to say that your kiss was by far the most valuable," he spoke, his words sending heat straight to her abdomen and her knees to weaken. He thought that just from one kiss from her? Well, more like a flurry of kisses, but still.

"Sweet dreams, Princess. I'll be seeing you soon," he promised before stepping back and making for the balcony doors. Marinette, still flustered from what had transpired between them, her lips slightly swollen and hair intimately mussed, could only stare at him as he opened the doors.

Finally, her mind made it out of the lust-induced fog caused by Chat Noir, now able to speak to him.

"I-g-good night!" she called in a whisper.

He turned, sparing her a parting glance, his mouth quirked up in a warm smile.

"Good night, Marinette," he bid softly, dipping into a gentlemanly bow, prior to stepping through the door and closing it behind him. His booted footsteps left the balcony not five seconds after.

Marinette stood there, feeling quite alone in the apartment now with Chat gone. Her brain rushed to catch up with what happened, now able to properly focus now that the tempting distraction was gone.

Then, she did what she would never admit to doing, not even to Alya.

She squealed loudly, jumping up and down and flapping her hands and positively vibrating in euphoria, the very image of a giddy teenager.

Until she remembered how late it had to have been and promptly scurried back to bed.