Disclaimer: I don't own the characters nor the cover image, but the plotline is all mine.

"What do you mean, I can't have him?"

Marinette looked at Tikki like the kwami had morphed into a giant squid. What the kwami was proposing, the mere idea behind it, was... preposterous! Impossible! At least... not anymore...

But let me start from the beginning.

From the moment Ladybug had told him to protect Marinette, Chat Noir had taken upon himself to check on the designer from time to time. In the beginning, his visitors were stale and spaced, but they became more frequent. The reason why such happened was because Chat Noir found in her someone willing to listen, someone that didn't mind a stray black cat to rain on her parade, someone that took the time of her day to sit down with him and chat away about whatever. She still remembered the first time...

"Hey, Marinette." his voice echoed in her ears and made her jump. She wasn't expecting to see her partner perched up on the rail of her balcony at that time of the night. She feigned a smile in his direction, but immediately dropped it when she saw his downcast eyes and lowered ears.

"Hey, Chat... is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just... felt the need to talk." he scratched the back of his head "Nothing biggie, just... plain old me..."

"You know you can tell me what's wrong, right?" she placed a caring hand on his knee, and he almost jumped.

"It's... have you ever hoped for something so bad that you ignored all signs, even a clear refusal, just to keep that flame? Just to... dream and hope that she would come?"

"I suppose, yeah... why?"

"I asked a very special girl to come join me for dinner tonight, and even though she said she couldn't, I still hoped... and I got my hopes crushed. Again." he admitted, and Marinette gulped. She remembered Chat asking her to go with him, but she had refused. Had she done this to her partner?

"I understand you..." she sighed "My friends and I... we were supposed to meet up and go get ice-cream, but... he stood us up again. Stood me up again."

"I guess our romantic lives aren't as magical as what they write on books, right?" he chuckled dryly, and Marinette forced a smile.

"Maybe you and I can fix that." she declared.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.

"Well... maybe, whenever we feel the need to talk about anything, maybe we could go to each other... be each other's rocks. I could be there for you when you need me, Chat." she looked up to him.

The look Chat Noir gave her was strange. Suspicious, scared, unsure, but hopeful. "Are you sure you'd like that? There's a lot in this cat's life that is as dark as his suit." he warned.

"I think I can handle it..." she winked.

She sighed. That had been the beginning of something beautiful. Once of twice a week, Chat would stop by her balcony and knock three times on the window. Marinette would come out to the balcony and they would sit down and talk. Sometimes about anything, sometimes about everything. But there were days Chat brought home a storm, and Marinette wouldn't let him leave until all the rain had passed.

Chat cried for the first time in front of her two months after their little arrangement had begun. They were messing around like usual, talking and telling jokes, and Marinette's mother called her to go down the bakery. She asked Chat to wait and she followed her mother. Five minutes later she returned with a smile on her face and a tray full of pastries for her and her mysterious friend.

"Must be nice…" he let out, glancing at the sweets.

"What?" Marinette sat down next to him and cocked her head to the side.

"Having a family that cares for you, gives you midnight treats and goodnight kisses." He pointed at the plate and scowled.

"Chat, what are you talking about?" she frowned "Don't your parents do the same with you?"

"My father is too busy making a name for himself to pay attention to his only son, and thinks that keeping him busy with crap that matter nothing to the heart but make a great impression on a resume will heal the fact that they can't even have a decent conversation, let alone sit in the same room without him having to leave over something work related. And my mother… mom…"

She didn't miss the break of his voice in the last word. She saw his shoulders shake with the effort to keep everything bottled up, but she wasn't having it. Better or worse, she had promised him to be there, and if a storm was what she would have to endure to have her minou back on his feet, then she would take it on head first.

She pulled him by the arm and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Chat didn't quite grasp her actions at first, struggling against her hold, but once the warmth made itself feel against his leather-clad skin, he broke down. He opened the doors of his heart and let it all out. He clawed at her shirt, crushed her in his embrace, and it still wasn't enough. He wanted more, he needed her closer, her warmth against his skin, her breath against his cheek and her hands buried in his shoulders.

It took him a while to calm down. Five, ten, fifteen minutes, he wasn't sure. Time flew when he was with her, he knew it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The soft drum of her heart beating against his chest put him at ease, calming his nerves and settling his heart. He let the last few sobs rock through his body and pulled away. He didn't want to look into her eyes, he felt ashamed, but Marinette wasn't having any of it.

"Chat," she called, taking his face in her hands and wiping the crystal tears with her thumbs "I hope you know you are one of the bravest people I know…"

"How can you say that?" his voice was rough, dragged and raw.

"Because I know no one that could take on so much like you do and still keep a smile on their face. You don't need to put on the happy mask anymore, Chat… not with me anyway. When I look at you, I want to see you, baring out your heart, no mask. Promise me."

"Only if you do the same with me." He wanted compromise. Of course he did, no one in their right heart would follow down such a brave path without someone to drag along. But Marinette found that she didn't mind.

"I promise to bare no mask while I'm with you." She declared, smiling softly at him.

"I promise not to hide my true emotions from you, Princess." His smile was small, but existent.

"Thank you…"

"No. Thank you, Marinette."

Their friendship was something beautiful. It started as a simple conversation, but it evolved into so much more. There were nights when they would come to each other for comfort, and close to any words were spoken between the two in those nights. No, those nights were filled with calming presences, careful touches and healing breaths. There were times in which Marinette would lay down in her bed stomach up and Chat would curl up in a ball next to her, laying his head on her chest, and she would pet his hair in soft strokes. Those night were quiet, and heartfelt.

But there were other nights where it was just Chat and Marinette. In front of the computer with gamepads in their hands and a plate of treats in front of them. There were no villains to be fought, there were no classes to work to, there was no future to worry about. Those nights were loud, playful and happy. In those nights, Chat wasn't a superhero. He was just plain old Adrien, still dressed in a leather suit, but he was just… himself. He had come to find out that he could be just that around Marinette.

Marinette.

He was seeing a whole new version of her when he hung out with her as Chat. A version that he had gotten a glimpse of when she stood up to Chloe or in her art. There was something about this Marinette that made him want more, learn more, become more. This version of Marinette eased his fears, calmed his beating heart and settled his insecurities. This version of Marinette was something he didn't know he was missing, but never wanted to let go of.

"Hey, Purrincess?" he called during a cutscene of the game they were playing.

"Yeah, Chat?" she looked at him.

"Ever wondered what our lives would be like if we didn't have our masks separating us?" he asked.

She knew this was a serious question, despite his playful mood of a few moments ago. His mask was still on, his literal mask, and she knew he was scared to let anyone in on his secret. She knew better than anyone how hard it was not to tell anyone, after all. "I try not to…" she responded with honesty.

"What do you mean?" he looked back at her, surprised by her response.

"I mean, where is the worth of dreaming of situations that would never be true?" she asked "I think there is no point in that. But, if you really want an answer to that question, I would go with… we would have been friends a lot sooner."

"Huh." He let out "And you would have to put up with my clawsome puns a lot more often."

"Ugh." She groaned "That's the worst part."

"Prepare to be defeated, Mari." He grinned.

"Oh, you're going down, you cocky cat!"

It's not like it was easy for Marinette to forget that a big part of Chat's outbursts was her other self, Ladybug. She didn't tell him about it, she didn't think she could or want to, but it wasn't easy. There were many times in the past when Marinette had to catch her tongue in order not to give anything away about her other self. She thought of Ladybug as a hero, as a power of forces, but not herself. She wasn't Ladybug. I mean, she was, but she wasn't. Ladybug and Marinette were two completely different people. Yes, they both had the same flare, and the same heart, but Ladybug gave herself up to save the city of Paris. Marinette was selfish.

And she was so selfish that she made a promise to herself to keep Chat Noir around for as long as she could.

"Hey, Chat?" Marinette called, turning her back to the mirror "Can you come in for a second?"

"What is it, Pink Flare?" he chuckled at his own joke, a personal line between the two after a set record in a game.

"How do I look?" she asked, fixing her silver bracelet.

He looked her way and gasped. Marinette was wearing a flowery bustier crop top with spaghetti straps, waisted dark jeans and heels. She looked killer, especially with the dark makeup she put on around her eyes and the red color on her lips. She twirled a strand of her loose hair around her fingers and bit her lower lip.

"I…" he realized she was waiting for an answer "Where are you going all dolled up? Trying to catch anyone's attention?"

"I told you I was going out with the girls tonight, silly cat!" she giggled and turned back to the mirror. He took the opportunity to take a deep breath "And no, I'm not trying to catch anyone's attention… he's not going to be there."

"He bailed on you again?" he frowned.

"You know it." She sighed "I don't even know why I try anymore, Chat… he just keeps doing it. Even Alya, the forever Adrinette shipper is telling me to give up on him."

"I'm sorry, Marinette." He really was. "But who knows, maybe you'll get a surprise?"

"The only surprise I could get tonight would be to get home still functioning." At his confused look, she explained "Alya is planning on getting me wasted."

"Don't overdue it." He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, staring at her reflection "I'd hate to see my princess feeling like crap because she partied a little too hard."

"Yeah, well… maybe a bit of a wild party is what this princess needs right now." She smiled, and Chat kissed her cheek.

"Come home safe, Mari."

"I will, if I come home to you."

Chat saw her grow up. From the shy little spark that he met, she turned into a big bright flame. She became the bravest person he knew. She got over her fears and faced off her enemies with a bright sword of accuracy and a shield of confidence. She became a trainee for no other than Gabriel Agreste, and he couldn't be prouder of her. Chat himself also got over his crush for Ladybug. But, by doing so, he developed one for Marinette. I mean, why wouldn't he?

Her heart. Her soul. Her bluebell eyes that watched him with such care and love and stared at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Not like he was any better. Her midnight blue hair, always soft and pulled into the pigtails. He loved to run his hands through it, just messing it up in a cute manner, or sex hair (he didn't allow that thought to run for long, because it did things to him).

Oh, and who could forget their first kiss.

"Marinette." his voice was desperate. It had been the worst day of his life, and he needed his little light to fix it.

She came out of her room and out to the balcony wearing a long sleeved light pink shirt that came down to the middle of her thighs, black socks that came up to her knees and brown uggs. She stared at him with a strange look, but immediately grabbed the umbrella that was leaning against the wall and opened it, walking to him to cover him from the rain.

"Princess…" he whispered when he felt the rain stop.

"Chat… what's wrong?" she frowned, and started wiping the traces of rain from his face "Is everything okay?"

"I… just stay, Marinette… don't leave."

She knew that when he used her full name, he was serious. What the hell had happened to him to leave him such a broken mess? She took his face in one hand – the other still holding the umbrella – and tried to figure out what had happened. His father and him had been on fair ground lately, so that couldn't be it. Him and Ladybug were fine, she should know. Was this another part of his life that she didn't know about?

"I won't ever leave, Chat. Tell me what's wrong." She was serious. He was broken. What good could come out of it.

"It hurts, Marinette…" he broke down, hanging his head "It hurts so bad…"

"Tell me, minou. Tell me what hurt you so I can heal you and then beat the crap out of the person that made you feel this way." She growled. She was spending too much time with him.

"You've been spending too much time with me." He let out a dry chuckle, and she smiled.

"Kitties always come home, right?"

"Yeah." He tried to look at her.

"Why would the princess want to leave the castle that makes her feel safe?" she told him, and he sobbed.

"Promise." He gulped "Promise you won't leave me. Not like everyone else does."

"Chat…" she whispered.

She dropped the umbrella and took his face on both of her hands. She pulled him down and rested her forehead against his. There was too much of it, too much of the world's cruelty inside his heart, too much pain for her to handle. Even if it took her forever, she was going to cast it out for good. She wanted her kitty back, her best friend, her…

"Why would I leave…?" she smiled "After all… I'm home."

He hadn't meant to. Really, he was just stunned by her words. Shocked, surprised, happy. But hadn't meant to kiss her. He hadn't meant to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to him. He hadn't meant to lean down so fast and crash his lips against hers. He hadn't meant to take her breath away quite literally.

But he was glad he did.

Because the second he felt her against him, the second he felt her breath on his face, the second he tasted her lips, was the second he knew she was it. She was the one and only for him. Screw Ladybug, screw the girl his father was trying to set him up with, screw his father, screw everything else. And when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, he knew he had fallen.

And let's not pretend like it was the first and only time. The second that barrier was crossed between them, they were at it heavy. No sexual, but their make outs became so heavy that it was hard to distinguish. Sometimes they were pure, kisses sprinkled on their bodies and sweet nothings whispered in each other's ears. Those made Marinette giggle when she thought of them sometimes.

But others… others were hot, passionate and insane. Sinful touches, careless tosses and painful lust. There were nights when they simply lusted for each other, and in those nights the line between healing and desiring became faded. Those nights caused Marinette to blush like a tomato when she thought of them and, in the following morning when she was lying on her bed and him nowhere to be seen, she could still feel the ghost of his touches on her skin.

He came close to confessing to her one time. They were just snuggling in bed and Chat felt a sudden rush from his throat to his stomach. He gulped, trying to push down the feeling. Marinette grew concerned and eyed him carefully. At the view of those bluebell eyes, he almost told her the truth. But was able to camouflage it with a pretty pun on how she made his world turn.

He remembers clearly how he stated he belonged to her. It was after another battle with another one of Hawkmoth's puppets. After purifying the akuma, he pulled her aside, away from the sunshine and the eyes of other people. He pulled his long-time crush aside and he confronted her. He told her he understood. They were just partners, and in her mind, they couldn't be anything more.

He told Ladybug he didn't love her anymore. He apologized, and he left. After some time, he came back home to his little princess, who was expecting him with a soft smile on her pink lips. He said nothing more than her name and a wish to come home to her.

That night was the first time he marked her as his own.

She branded her marks on him too. She chose places where it couldn't be easily spotted, like the back of his neck, under his ear and even on his chest. He, however was much more careless. In her neck, straight out in the open, collarbone and jaw. She had to improvise a scarf one day and call it fashion in the middle of spring because of his rendezvous. Until she got tired one day and tattooed his small black paw in her left shoulder blade.

But one day…

"What do you mean, I can't have him?"

Marinette looked at Tikki like the kwami had morphed into a giant squid. What the kwami was proposing, the mere idea behind it, was... preposterous! Impossible! At least... not anymore. Not when they were so involved, and she loved him so much. There was no way she could return to what they were before, just friends and confidants. She felt too much for him, and if her kwami couldn't understand that…

"I have to go." She stood up and walked through the room.

"Marinette, wait!" Tikki exclaimed "Please, I'm only looking out for your best interests!"

But the rest of the kwami's words disappeared as Marinette took off her earrings and pocketed them. She didn't want her reminding her that what they had was an impossibility. She didn't need to know that Chat and she would never last, as she didn't need to know their romance was forbidden. Not to mention the whole I-am-ladybug thing she hadn't told him yet. As she ran through the darkening streets, she felt tears run down her face.

Chat found her soon after sitting on a bench in the deserted park. Her legs were against her chest and her shoulders dropped, face hidden. He took a seat next to her and waited. When she finally turned to him, he was ready to take on her storm. More tears, more half-bitten words and a lot of curses. His voice was soft, calming her down, and she appreciated it.

"It's…" she tried, snuggled against his chest about half an hour later "complicated."

"My life is complicated, Princess." He chuckled "Tell me what's wrong."

"Chat…" she looked up to him and he stole a kiss from her parted lips.

"Talk to me."

"It's… a friend." She declared "She knows about us, and about you, and don't worry because she won't tell anyone. But… today, she told me that you and I could never work. I couldn't have you."

Chat was silent. He knew. He knew he couldn't have her forever, and he knew he was just delaying the process, but damn, he loves her! But for the past two weeks, Plagg had been biting off his ears with the same talk, and he honestly couldn't thing of a time when he actually sat down and listened. He either ran away or bribed him with cheese. The latter was easier, and his silence lasted longer. Oh, but he knew well of what she was talking about. And even though they were both in denial phase, he believed he was strong enough to do it.

"Your friend is right, Mari." He sighed.

"What?!" she pulled away and looked at him with wide eyes.

"My kwami… the little God that allows me to turn into Chat Noir… he feels the same. He believes that we won't last and that no matter what, I can't have you."

"And you're just going to go with it?!"

"Mari, it's not like I have a choice!" he exclaimed "What if this, what we have, is stopping you from finding your true love? What if I'm keeping you away from your future?!"

"What if you are my future, you stupid alley cat?!" she confronted him, standing up "Has your thick head thought of that?!"

"A dark alley cat is nobody's future, Marinette." He stood up slowly and gulped "This hurts me more than you can ever think, but… I think we should break up, Mari."

"No."

"I'm sorry…" he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Don't do this, Chat."

"I'm sorry, Mari." He gulped, his throat tight.

"I can't live without you, Chat." She whispered.

"I can't live without you either, but I have to try!" he let out, hiding his face from her.

"Chat, don't do this."

He can hear it in her voice, her tears and her pain, but he turns his back on her and leaves.

A couple of days pass, and Hawkmoth strikes again. This time with a King Kong alike akumatized. Chat Noir is in pain, he has seen better days, but he fights with what he can and with what he doesn't have. But then, he notices something. Ladybug had taken more hits than necessary and still kept at it. She kept swinging her yo-yo like a madwoman, throwing herself into harm's way, playing the cards like it's her last second to live.

Chat noticed her recklessness and tried to stop her. And Ladybug turns to him and shoots him a wild look. He stammered and fell back. Not because he feared for his own life. Okay, maybe a bit. But because he had seen that look before. The wild, flame-glowing look that he found in a pair of bluebell eyes. The rage of a tiger, the roar of a lion, the anger of a very pissed off looking wolf. He stammered and fell back because he had seen that look before…

… in Marinette's eyes.

That same night, he took the heartfelt path to her balcony. He felt uneasy, unsure of what to do. Just drop by and say hi like being less than three feet away from her didn't break his heart into a million of pieces? Like he didn't fall asleep crying, even though he had been the one breaking them up? When he realized, he was already standing in her balcony. Knocking on the window that led to her room, he pulled back and leaned against the rail.

"Chat…" her voice was broken by the sight of him.

"Hey, Mari…" he lets out, looking at her "Can we talk?"

"What could you possibly want to talk to me about?" she spat. Okay, he deserved that one.

"How did you do it?" he asked, walking to her.

"Did what?" she frowned.

"How did you make me fall for you twice?" he closed in on her. She didn't have much room to move to, and eventually her back was against the wall.

"Again, what are you talking about?" Marinette was tired. She wanted to sleep and rest, so she could face the next day of class head on.

"Are you my Lady?" he finally asked.

"I…" she let out, but his eyes told her that there was no use lying. He knew the truth, and there was no turning back now "We're not supposed to know each other's identities, Chaton."

He kissed her. Blame him if you must, but for a guy that spent his superhero life crushing on someone, and then crushing on another girl, and then breaking up with the first one and love the second to death only to find out they're the same person… there's so much a guy could take. And she kissed back and closed her eyes and buried her fingers in his hair like she loved to. He dropped his transformation and pushed her against the wall harder.

When they broke away, he expected everything. He expected recognition from her, maybe love, a bit of anger, and kisses. But never, and I mean never did he expect her to freak out and push him away, yelling at him to get out. His heart broke right then, but he took it gracefully and walked away.

A week of holidays go by them, and they don't see each other again during that time. Not in patrols, not out on the street, and since there was no akuma, there was no real need for the superheroes. A week later, Marinette was walking up to school in a brand new coral dress with a nice sweetheart cut that reached her thighs and heeled boots when the limo stopped in front of the school and Adrien came out.

He looked around and immediately spotted her. He sent the car off and waited for her to come up to him. Marinette gulped and sent Alya in, ready to take on the storm. She shook her loose hair and walked to him, fidgeting with the strap of her backpack. She looked up to him and she knew she was lost. His eyes, his apple green eyes, so captivating and sweet, they killed her a thousand times. And they were so filled with emotion that she just didn't know what to do.

"Mari." He called, his voice lower than a whisper.

"Ch-I mean… Adrien."

"Hi." He gulped. He waited.

"You should have told me."

"You were the first to say to keep our two lives separated, if I may so remind you." He argued.

"Did you know I was her when you first came to me?" she bit her lower lip.

"You mean, all those months ago? No. But I went to you to complain about Ladybug, and you… you lied."

"I didn't lie, stupid." She growled "I simply didn't say anything because I wanted to heal you. Because that's what partners do."

"You made me fall out of love and fall back in for you twice, Marinette." He closed in on her.

"Look at the pot calling the kettle back." She argued "You knew I was in love with Adrien, and you didn't say square! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"You were in love with me?" he let out.

"Uf, as if you didn't know." She crossed her arms and pouted.

"I didn't… you were just so… nervous around me that I thought you hated me!" he chuckled.

"And the only reason why I'm talking to you normally right now it's because I'm pretending you are Chat Noir! He and I are very good at this, you know?"

"In what? The arguing or the hiding things?"

"Both. Now step off, you stupid cat before I maul you." She growled, and he took her wrist.

"Do you feel the same?" he asked, "Do you still love me?"

"You know I do, Adrien. I will love you until the rest of my days." She shook her head.

"Good. Because I don't think I can ever stop loving you." He declared and pulled her into a kiss.

A/N: Well, that was my first Miraculous fic! I don't understand why I waited so long to post it, I mean, I've been a fan for a while... Again, I don't own the cover image, just the montage, and I pulled the idea out of my butt when I was in English class! I hope you liked it, and if you did, please review!

LoneeWolf :)