It was her parent's 22nd wedding anniversary. From her hiding place on the stairs, Marinette watched her parents dance in the living room. There was no music playing; her father was humming a tune and guiding her mother along. Her mother was giggling and smiling up at her husband, allowing him to twirl her around to the tune while she hummed along as well.

Marinette grinned as she watched them while she lived a fantasy that involved a blonde-haired, green-eyed boy doing the same thing with her.

The song came to a stop, and her parents gazed at each other in complete and utter love. Her mother reached up to cup her father's jaw. "I'm so lucky to have married my perfect partner."

Marinette's heart froze. Partner. Not perfect man. Prefect partner.

Suddenly, that blonde hair in her fantasy was not perfectly in place but ridiculously tousled. And those green eyes were surrounded by a black mask, looking rather cat-ish instead of human. Yet, the more she pictured it…she could see what they looked like. That vibrant green in human eyes.

Her fantasy started to unfold. Good bye jingle bell, hello white tee-shirt. No more leather suit, leather jacket instead. Jeans, dark-wash. Black converse, little white toe included. Strong hands without the claws that held and protected her. She could just imagine running her hands from his bare hands up the sleeves of his jacket, feeling the way his muscles rippled underneath it, reaching up towards his popped collar before pushing past the leather to run her fingers through his curls at the base of his neck and earn that wonderfully bright grin that made her heart feel light. She could imagine all of that.

Except she couldn't take off his mask.

Any remnant of a smile fell from her face as she sneaked away from her hiding spot and retreated up to her room. Even then, even after she turned away from her parents, she could still picture herself in her parent's place. Having that flirty yet completely lovable man leading her around the living room, dancing to a tune he hummed along while their daughter watched and wondered about her own love story.

Their daughter.

Oh goodness, she could imagine them having a daughter. And two boys.

And it was so easy to picture.

When Marinette shut the door, she released the heavy sigh she'd been holding in. Fact was that no matter how hard Marinette tried to deny it, Chat had been worming his way into her heart. If she was really being brutally honest with herself, he had been for the past year. It was easy to pretend that Adrien still fully and totally held her heart, but in all reality, Chat was one step away from completely stealing it.

And once he did, Marinette knew it would never get returned.

"Marinette," Tikki said softly.

Marinette tapped her earrings. A good run would clear her head. "Would you mind?"

Tikki shook her head, gentle smile on her face. "Not at all."

Ten minutes later, Ladybug had flown across the rooftops of Paris only to land at the Eiffel Tower. Her head had been cleared a second ago, only for all of her confusion to return with a vengeance.

"Milady, what brings you out here?"

Ladybug whipped around to see her current problem. She frowned as she turned back to the Parisian skyline. "I should ask the same for you, Chat."

"Taking a break from work."

"Lot on your mind?"

"No, just trying to prevent insanity."

"Oh, and here I thought you were already."

His hands covered his chest in mock pain. "Oh, my poor aching heart! Someone just stabbed a knife through it."

She rolled her eyes at his theatrics. "Well, why else would you throw yourself in harm's way on a regular basis?"

"I am a knight, milady. It is my job."

"And here I thought you were doing it from the depths of your undying affection for me."

She may have been kidding, her tone might have been mocking, but Chat's expression proved he was dead serious. "I do."

And there he went again. Who knew she had so many walls surrounding her heart, but he took his cataclysm to them one after the next. Soon, there would be nothing left but heaps upon heaps of rubble surrounding her poor, raw heart. Soon, it would be out, unprotected from him, fully available for him to steal. And he was so painfully close.

She thought she would hate him for it, for all the destruction he did to her, but she didn't. Instead, her mind chanted steal it, steal it, steal it. It was almost unnerving. Yet, she knew that he would protect her heart like it was the first and only wonder of the world. He had been protecting her for as long as she knew him. She trusted him with her life. Her heart shouldn't be any different.

Yet, she was scared.

She was scared because if he took her heart, she'd end up taking his. She was scared that she'd break it, but she was far more terrified of the possibility that it would stop beating before she was ready to let it go.

They were superheroes, and that grim reality that she might lose the one person she so treasured scared her more than Adrien rejecting her ten times over.

"Chat…"

BOOM!

Both heroes jumped at the shockwave, immediately searching the city skyline for the akuma. After two years, they were ruined that way.

"There," Chat pointed towards the cloud of smoke on the skyline.

They were off like a shot towards the building that they now recognized as a popular hotel and restaurant known for its ever-romantic atmosphere. Currently, the building looked like it had seen much better days as the akumatized man stepped out. He was easy to spot; after all, anyone with red skin was definitely an akuma.

"You know, milady," Chat shouted in way of catching the akuma's attention, "I always wanted to treat you to a dinner here, but I don't know if we could even get a reservation. It looks like business is booming."

Ladybug rolled her eyes at that one.

The man growled, throwing something up in their direction. They leaped out of the way, only just in time to avoid the explosion.

"I have a deal to keep," the man shouted. "I take your miraculous, and no one else gets hurt."

"Not gonna happen," Ladybug shouted.

He tossed something at her again. She barely made it out of the way before it exploded. She looked at him, trying to figure out the what the box in his hand—

Was that a box of conversation hearts? In a five star restaurant?

"What, someone wasn't happy with cheap candy?" Chat shouted, noticing the box for himself.

"Someone can't appreciate old memories!" The akuma plucked a heart from the box and threw it at Chat, only for it to explode as it impacted against the building.

The thunderous roar from the little heart shook the streets. Cracks sprawled out along the front of the building, growing higher and higher upwards. For one little heart, it sure made a bang.

"How do you want to handle this one, 'bug?" Chat asked, landing beside her. "He's going to destroy the block with that box."

Ladybug quickly tried to scrounge up a plan, only for the man to run inside.

"Keep him inside. Let's try to minimize the damage to one place."

"Good idea."

Of course, it only seemed like a good idea. Thirty long minutes later, the two superheroes chased the akuma up to the uppermost floor, nearly getting crushed by collapsing ceilings in the process. Ladybug's yo-yo had been caught under debris by floor five, they needed Chat's pole to hold floor ten up, and Ladybug's Lucky Charm had been used to escape unlucky floor thirteen.

They were ready for this to end.

The little box of hearts seemed unending as the akuma threw them haphazardly at the superhero duo. Three minutes. That was all Ladybug had. Three minutes.

"What do you even have to gain listening to Hawkmoth?" Chat shouted in an attempt to keep the akuma's attention on him and not on Ladybug while she tried to think of a plan to take the troublesome box of explosive hearts.

"I'll make her pay. Twenty years wasn't enough for her. After all I've done for her, she gives me divorce papers."

Ouch.

"If she's going to destroy my heart, I'll destroy hers and everything she thinks she loves." He dumped out another heart candy into his hand. "Always loved another man, she claimed. She just took me in out of pity. You know what that's like, Chat Noir?"

Ladybug cringes. The way he says it, it's not a question. It's a taunt. He's pressing what he knows it Chat's sore spot, and he has no shame in doing it.

Chat takes a breath, and it wears on Ladybug's heart just a little more because she knows he's scrambling to collect the pieces of his own broken heart. She was certain she lost another wall in that moment. "You're right. I do know," he replies, firmly and determinedly. "But I would never destroy anything of hers. I love her too much to do that. I have to be willing to let her go."

And with that, it takes yet another cataclysm to the remaining wall around her heart. However, she hardly thinks about the damage he caused to her. She can't, because the only thing she's thinking about now was how determined she was to clean up the damage she did to his heart. That is, if she can.

Riled, the akuma takes a handful of candy hearts and aims to toss them in Chat's direction. He leaps away instinctively, but Ladybug still cries out to warn him. Noticing her, the akuma turned at the last second, throwing them at Ladybug instead.

By the time she noticed, she barely managed to leap away. The shockwave hit her hard, and she's vaguely aware of the shattering window behind her or the sickening crack of the building falling apart. She barely heard Chat's cry for her. All she registered was the heartbeat of pressure, the wave of heat, and the pain burning down her back as she skids across the torn-up floor.

Her earrings released a beep. Two minutes. She has two minutes. She forced her eyes open, watching as the villain now stands over her, ready to take her earrings.

But Chat had other ideas.

He grabbed the akuma from behind, holding him in a headlock and pulling him away from the downed superhero. Determined not to go down easily, the akuma tossed another heart, landing on the floor with a bang!

As Chat wrestled the akuma, Ladybug struggled to shake herself out of her daze. Only to realize the floor was sinking beneath her.

Get up, get up, get up. She forced herself up, just as the floor released a groan and crumbled.

She screamed. Chat cried her name. The akuma chuckled madly.

The entire floor gave out. Ladybug leapt away, trying to make it in time, but the only thing she managed to grab was a metal reinforcement bar. The rough, cement-coated metal was like razorblades on her hands, even with her gloves. She clung tightly to the only thing keeping her from falling fourteen stories.

The angle the rod was bent at made it impossible to move, to reach safety, or to pull herself up. She was stuck hanging there. "Chat!" she cried, not knowing what else to do.

Beep, beep, beep! Her earrings scream. Sixty seconds, and Ladybug falls away. Sixty seconds, and Marinette will be the one hanging from the rod, with the little bits of stone cutting up her hands as she creeps down the rod slowly. Slowly.

Ladybug does not cry. She doesn't. She's a superhero. But right now, she's not afraid to admit that tears are running down her face.

"Ladybug!"

His voice is heaven, and his golden hair and black mask is a sight to behold as he appeared over the edge of the destroyed floor, reaching out to her with fiery determination blazing in his green eyes.

"Chat," she choked out.

"Give me your hand."

She was scared to let go of the bar that she's barely been able to hold onto it with two hands. She had one shot to grab his hand, or she was going to plummet.

He reached out far as he can, his hand just centimeters away. One stretch. One little stretch.

Ladybug made the grab, latching onto Chat's wrist while her grasp on the metal bar completely gave out. Chat groaned under the sudden pressure, but slowly started bringing Ladybug up to safety.

With one last tug, he hoisted her completely up before tumbling backward, Ladybug landing on top of his chest.

Her earrings beep frantically, and Chat shut his eyes as she flashed pink and Tikki fell away.

She was suddenly aware of how quiet it was. There's no akuma screaming. There's no explosions. There's only the sound of their heavy breathing and the groans of the demolished building.

Her heart continued pounding even as her adrenaline rush wore off. Suddenly, she's shaking. She nearly died. She nearly died. Holy crap, she nearly died.

Tears choked out of her as she collapsed completely on Chat's chest.

"It's ok," he said, his own voice shaky. His arms wrapped around her as if they could pull her any closer. As if they could take away all this and protect her. "It's ok, Ladybug."

But she's not Ladybug. Not right now. She's Marinette and she nearly died and she was scared. No. She was terrified.

She continued to choke and sputter on tears and sobs, her head buried in Chat's neck while his hands rubbed up and down her back in calming motions.

As she began to calm, as the tears slowed and her mind kicked back into gear, something started to bother her. Like she should be remembering something important. Something…

"Chat," her voice was weak and warbled but she pressed onwards, "where's the akuma?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the battered box of conversation hearts. "Here. Ready for you to cleanse when you recharge." He took a few breaths. "The guy passed out during our struggle. Hit his head pretty hard. He should be ok. If not, the worst he has is a concussion."

In that moment, Marinette realized that his eyes were still closed. Slowly, gently, hesitantly, Marinette reached up to his mask and ran her fingers over his closed eyelids. His breath audibly hitched at the contact. "Thank you, Chat. For this."

His smile was sad. "You wanted your identity to be kept a secret. As much as it kills me, I'll honor your wishes."

"One day, Chat," she whispered. "One day. I promise."

The resulting grin on his face was the only bright thing in the dust-filled room. "I'll hold you to that."

Her fingers trailed down his mask to his cheeks. "And thank you for saving me."

"I'll always have your back," he replied, pink sprawling across his face under his mask. "No matter what happens or what we go through."

She felt the truth deep down in her heart, the heart he was stealing at that very moment and leaving his heart in return. It's large and full of love, all for her. All for her. She didn't deserve it, but she got it anyway. She didn't even think Ladybug should be that lucky. "And I'll always have yours," she promised. "Don't believe for a second I don't."

"I know, Ladybug."

"Lastly, Chat," she whispered, leaning over his face, her fingers sliding to his jaw. "Thank you for being my perfect partner."

Her lips found his in a gentle, hesitant kiss. He's shocked at first, she can tell by the way his entire body tenses up underneath her own, but then he relaxed. And responded. And the kiss turned desperate. Like he can't believe it's happening yet won't let her go. His empty hand found her jaw while the hand holding the akuma wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her against him all the while knowing she would disappear in seconds.

He didn't let her go when she pulled away. His hand lingered on her jaw, even creeping upwards to cradle her cheek. "Ladybug," he whispered.

She's frozen, her breath coming in short, ragged bursts. Her heart raced like she'd just run a marathon, and it didn't have anything to do with the akuma battle.

Speaking of which…

"I have to go," she replied.

He sighed, disappointed yet not surprised. The hurt on his face really stings her heart, but she really does have to leave. He brought the box of conversation hearts back into view and his hand began sliding from her cheek. "I know."

She placed her hand on the back of his leather clad one, pressing it against her cheek for a second before disappearing from him. She snatched the box, scooped up Tikki, and managed to make it down one flight of stairs before handing her Kwami a cookie.

Tikki ate it as fast as possible. She was still weak, but Tikki assured Marinette that she was fit enough to heal the city and get her Chosen home.

If Marinette wasn't so exhausted, she might have marveled at the fact the entire building was restored in a matter of seconds, but her adrenaline rush was wearing off, and she was beginning to feel sick.

She needed to get home.

When she made it home, she dropped her transformation and dropped onto her bed, completely passing out within a matter of minutes.

"If you hadn't already made up your mind about Chat, I would be yelling at you for kissing him like you did."

Marinette groaned. "I know, Tikki. I would have deserved it, too."

It had been two days since the insane akuma attack. Paris was still shaken about this one, considering how many people were injured and how much damage was done. Marinette simply thanked all her Ladybug Luck that no one was killed in the endeavor.

"What are you going to do about it?" the little kwami asked. "You can't just leave him like that."

"I know. Tonight's patrol. We'll talk afterwards."

Tikki grinned at her Chosen. "I'm proud of you. I'm also proud of you for making that choice. I think it was a good one."

Marinette half-smiled. "Thanks, Tikki."

When night came, Ladybug was, admittedly, nervous. After all, how was Chat going to react considering she kissed him like she did? Because it wasn't just a kiss, not like the one she used before to break the spell Chat had been under that first Valentine's Day. This was…a breaking point. A point of no return. That's what it was.

Ladybug leapt up to their meeting place, only to see Chat already there. He didn't need to speak, it was all written in his raw gaze, his slightly pinched brow, and his slight frown. "We need to talk," he said anyway.

"After patrol," Ladybug promised. "We'll have all the time in the world."

Chat seemed to relax after that. Not enough to tease, though. "Then let's go."

Patrol was tense, quick, and hardly thorough. Still, to the public, it appeared like they completed it as efficiently as ever. Frankly, while not up to their usual standards tonight, it was good enough for them.

They ended where they always do: hidden up in the bars of the Eiffel Tower where no one could see and where they could see everything.

"Did you mean it?" His voice wavers weakly as the raw hurt and small flicker of hope contort his face.

Ladybug stared into his brilliant green eyes. This was it. Her point of no return. Right now, she would have the courage to tell Chat when she never had the courage to tell Adrien: that she was offering her heart to him, the heart that he already stole, without reservation. "I did, Chat," she said, her voice weak and whispery. "I very much did."

Tentatively, she reached forward and rested a gloved hand over his heart. Chat glanced down at where her hand rested on his leather-clad chest. "I'm sorry for hurting you as much as I did. And I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize how precious you are and how much you mean to me." She forced her tears to stay down, even just for a moment. "And I'm sorry for asking for your heart now, even though I have no right to do so."

"No." Chat's hands immediately flew over her own, keeping it steadily pressed against his chest, and his wide-eyed gaze meet hers. "No. You always had my heart, Ladybug. You always had it, even if you didn't accept it." He swallowed, trying to find the words while trying to hold in his own emotion. "You had every right to decide if you wanted me or not. If you wanted someone else, you had every right to choose him. To not choose me. I know I wasn't always the best at respecting that and I'm sorry. But maybe…maybe I was desperate and hopeful, or maybe hopeless. I don't know, but what I did know is that I loved you. That I still love you. Whether you allow that in the romantic sense or strictly platonic, it was always up to you."

"I'm sorry I took so long to decide," Ladybug replied, stepping closer and pressing her other hand over his own. He slowly engulfed that hand, too, pressing both her palms against his chest. Over his heart. "But I've made my choice, Chat. And if you'll have me…I'd like to choose you."

"Milady, you don't ever have to wonder if I'd have you." One of his hands strayed to make its way to her cheek. "Because I'd give up everything for you."

She leaned into the warmth. It was so easy to imagine that it was his hand and not a leather glove. She grabbed hold of his wrist, keeping his hand against her cheek, absorbing the comfort it brought.

Slowly, he pulled her closer. She put up no resistance, happily leaning against his chest. The hand he used to hold hers to his chest moved only to wrap around her waist, holding her there against him in a way that conveyed his unwillingness to ever let her go. And that was just fine with her because she didn't really want to let him go either.

With his thumb, he rubbed little circles on her cheek. Her breath hitched at the feeling, but she leaned further into his hand, nuzzling it as she allowed her eyes to drift shut.

Then she felt his nose against her temple. Had he really been that close?

And then his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her hairline. She sighed, allowing herself to completely get swept away by the bliss she was in. She felt another kiss, slightly lower, right above her mask. Then to the side. Then below.

Her free hand had wandered up Chat's chest and wrapped behind his neck, holding him close, holding him there. Her other hand gradually made its way to his shoulder, steadying herself against the fluttery feeling his kisses were stirring in her.

Then his lips found their way next to hers, and she whimpered when he missed. "Chat…"

"May I kiss you?" his words were breathy, hardly a whisper in the air.

She could feel his breath roll across her lips with each hushed word, shivering at the feeling of the way his thumb grazed her bottom lip, asking, begging for all this to be real. Because he still doubted that it was.

She was determined to prove it wasn't just a dream. That this was real. That what she was feeling was real. She leaned forward the inch distance between them, her fingers tangling up in his hair as her other arm wrapped tighter around him. Their kiss didn't grow past the sweet need they had for each other. Gentle touches begging the other to stay. Begging for this not to be a dream. Begging that when they opened their eyes, the other would still be there.

Ladybug lost track of all time and quickly lost track of the kisses. She didn't know how to count them. Depending on what was defined as a "kiss", they either shared five or fifteen. Or maybe it was just one long kiss, but Ladybug was tempted to say that their last kiss where Chat pulled her close and kissed her like she was his only source of air was a kiss all its own.

And then he pulled away, much to her dismay, but she supposed she needed air to breathe, not just Chat's intoxicating kisses. He didn't stray far, though. His forehead landed against hers and she felt every one of his own rapid breaths puff against her cheek.

"I love you," he said, reverently and sincerely. "I love you."

"I love you, too." And it didn't feel at all like a lie.

They stayed like that for the longest time, moving only to sit down. Ladybug curled up in Chat's lap while he held her like she would disappear at any second.

"Can I ask why now?"

His question broke the silence between them, but Ladybug hardly called it surprising. "It wasn't just a sudden decision, Chat, if that's what you're asking. You…I've been questioning my feelings for you for a while now, simultaneously questioning the ones I had for another guy."

"I knew there was another guy," Chat grumbled, giving her a possessive squeeze.

She snuggled deeper in his arms, reassuring him as well as relishing the comfort they provided. That he provided. "Then, on the day of the akuma attack, I was watching my parents dance together in the living room. They weren't dressed up, there wasn't even any music, they were just dancing with each other, looking as happy as ever. And then my mom said, 'I'm glad I married my perfect partner.'"

She felt Chat's breath hitch, and she shifted in his arms to be able to look him in the eye. "And that's why I was up on the Eiffel Tower. I was clearing my head, because I knew I couldn't deny it any more. That…" she trailed off, her hands sliding up his chest to rest on his shoulders. "That I cared more about having you by my side. All the time, not just in battle. That what I really wanted…was you."

His entire expression melted into an utterly love-sick, joyous one. His green eyes glimmered with near tears. Tears Ladybug was ready to kiss away if shed. "I'm so glad you think of me that way, milady. Because that's exactly how I feel about you."

Her grin was wide enough to hurt, and she realized that the sappy expression on Chat's face was probably on hers as well.

But she really didn't care. Especially when Chat leaned down and kissed her again, his soft lips sweet and slow against hers, stealing her breath away. It was short, yet they lingered for the longest time, neither wanting to let go.

"So what now?" Chat whispered, his lips all but an inch from hers. "Where do we go from here?"

Ladybug heard his real question. How far does this relationship get to go? Which lead to the other, more silent questions. Do I get to know who you are? Do I get to take you out for real? He was telling her she got to lead. She got to set this pace. Because she knew that if Chat were taking control, they would have known each other a long time ago. They would have been dating from the start. But he was always content to follow her lead. To give up his desires for hers instead.

So it was time for her to ask, "Where do you want this to go, Chat?"

He hesitated, mostly out of surprise. "I want to be able to court you properly."

She nodded slightly, knowing his answer would be something like that. "Where would you take me, for a first date?"

He paused in deep thought.

She grinned. "I thought you would have had this planned out already," she teased.

He chuckled. "I'm changing my mind. Because what I originally had planned is no longer good enough for you."

"I'm not that special, Chat. You don't have—"

"On the contrary, milady," he interrupted, "there is no one more miraculous than you are. And you deserve something far more special than what I had planned." He paused again in thought. "How about…on Saturday, we take a walk around Paris. Just you and me, and a day where nothing is planned. I know a bakery that sells the best pastries in all Paris, so we can stop there at some point. Then, Saturday evening, I know they have street performers playing music in the park. I get to lead you around for a couple songs before I take you home and wish you good night."

She leaned up, resting her forehead against his and allowing her eyes to drift shut as her smile grew. "That sounds amazing, Chat."

"See? I had to re-plan it."

She giggled. "Saturday it is, then. What time would you like to pick me up?"

His eyes opened, surprised yet happy. "I get to pick you up?"

"Yes. And I have very specific instructions for how you are to arrive."

His expression turned very serious. "All right."

She patted his shoulders. "White tee shirt. Leather jacket. Dark jeans. And black Converse. Can you manage that, Chat? Or is that too much?"

"This cat can manage," he assured, his signature Cheshire grin spreading wide across his face.

"Good. How about we meet at the Dupain-Chang bakery. You know where that is?"

"Of course. They only have the best pastries in all Paris."

It made her proud to know that it was her parent's bakery Chat had been referring to. "I very much agree. You'll meet me there at…" she trailed off, looking at him once again to take the lead.

"Well, how much time would you like to spend together?"

All day. "Um…after lunch?"

"One?"

"Perfect. You'll know who I am, easy to spot in a ladybug dress and red ribbons."

His mouth went slack for a moment before he burst out into laughter. "Did my lady just pun?"

She faked a sigh. "I suppose I did."

His laugh never faded as he held her close. "I knew you always loved them."

"Only sometimes, kitty," she tried to retaliate seriously, only to dissolve into laughter with him. "Only sometimes."

They had reluctantly parted that night. Only after another few kisses and a "see you Saturday" did they manage to leave. At one thirty in the morning.

A giggly and bubbly Marinette had spent the last three days making her one-of-a-kind "ladybug" dress. She had found the cutest fabric at the store, deep red with black polka dots of various sizes. It was perfect.

Whenever she had a moment of free time after school and in between the three akuma attacks that happened that week, she worked on the dress. Friday night, she finished the final touches before holding it out to examine her work. Long sleeves, A-line skirt that flared perfectly at her hips and finished at her knees, and a scoop neckline (that had been the hardest decision of all, but she settled on it solely because it would be similar to the one of her ladybug outfit.) It had taken a bit of time to match up the pattern and the Princess seams of the bodice, but she managed to get all the spots in good order. Finally, she completed the ensemble with a thick, black sash at the waist that tied back to a bow.

When Saturday came, Marinette dressed in it first thing. (And by "first thing", she meant when she woke up at ten in the morning.) She paired the dress with some black leggings and red ballerina flats that she had caught sight of in a window on her way home from an akuma attack before finally tying her hair up in her signature pigtails with two long, red ribbons.

She picked up the black purse that she had made with extra fabric just for the occasion, allowing Tikki to hide in there before making her way downstairs to break—er…lunch.

By 12:55, Marinette was waiting outside the bakery. She had informed her parents she was meeting a friend and that they were going to spend the rest of the day together so she might not be home for dinner.

Somehow, her maman saw straight through Marinette's story and told her that she wanted to meet the boy who was taking her daughter out. The blushing girl could only manage a "soon, I promise."

It was 12:58 when she suddenly grew nervous. What if he didn't show? What if she disappointed him? What if…what if he grew mad that it was her, Marinette, the girl that Ladybug had craftily told him to watch out for? Would he be mad that she had tricked him like that?

Well, he'd have every right to be.

12:59, and her shoes suddenly became very interesting. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling very much like the disappointing Marinette that she knew she wa—

"I should have known."

Marinette startled at the voice. Chat. But the second her eyes locked on the figure…

Adrien.

Adrien Agreste.

He stood there in a leather jacket, white tee, dark-wash jeans, and his little white-toed Converse. He even went the extra mile and mused his hair, making him look every bit the Chat Noir he was. And his smile. Oh, his smile. So gentle and happy. It caused his vibrant green eyes to glow with joy.

Joy.

"I should have guessed when you said to pick you up at the Dupain-Chang bakery. I should have known right then who you were."

It took Marinette a moment to pull herself together and organize her thoughts. Because in front of her was the boy she'd given up for the boy she'd fallen in love with. And he was looking at her like she was the greatest thing in the world.

Suddenly, her heart was soaring.

"Are you okay with it just being…me?"

His expression gentled as he took a step forward and cupped her cheek with his hand. "What do you think, Princess? Because I think I have more reason to ask that question than you do."

Her grin only widened as she reached up to lay her hand over the one he had on her cheek. "Do you want to know a secret, kitty?" she whispered. "I didn't pay attention to Chat…because I was too busy trying to get Adrien to pay attention to me."

Adrien's grin fell slightly and he blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. "Are you saying," he eventually said, "that the man I was competing against for your heart…was myself?"

Marinette nodded only once before giggling at the absurdity of it.

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I really am the epitome of bad luck!"

His outburst only caused Marinette to laugh harder. "Well, I believe that I have enough luck for the both of us."

He smiled, then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled the grinning girl against him. "I think I can live with that."

The next eight hours flew by far too fast. Where was Timebreaker to turn back time when you needed her? Marinette wanted to stay. She wanted to wander Paris with him for hours, talking about everything and nothing. She wanted him to lead her around their little corner of the park, her tripping over his shoes time and time again, while the musicians played in the background. She wanted to watch the sunset again, with her curled up against his side and his arm wrapped protectively around her.

She did not want to be standing in front of the bakery as the night breeze blew by and Paris' streetlights popped on.

"I had a lot of fun today, Marinette," Adrien said, his hands holding hers firmly. "A lot of fun."

"I did, too."

He flashed her a smile, then raised both her hands to his lips to press a long, lingering kiss on her knuckles. "Do we get to do this again soon?"

She smiled up at him. He was still letting her lead. "I very much want to."

"Then we'll plan out our next date whenever I have time."

"That sounds wonderful."

They stood there for a while longer in silence before Adrien shot a disappointed glare at the door. "I guess this is good night."

No. It couldn't be. Not yet. Marinette slid her hands out of his, only for them to land on his elbows. "Not yet it's not."

The twinkle in his eye was so distinctly Chat that she wondered how on earth she never noticed it before. "No?" he asked, his hands finding her hips to drag her closer.

Her hands slid up his arms, feeling every muscle under the leather before trailing up his popped collar and into his hair. "No."

His eyes drifted shut as he pulled her close and his lips landed on hers. There was nothing hesitant about this kiss. Nothing needy. Nothing desperate. It was soft. And sweet. And gentle.

Until it wasn't. Until Adrien pulled her close and tipped her back and engulfed her in his arms. And Marinette let him, following his lead and grabbing him tighter as he near swept her off her feet.

"Ahem."

Adrien was quick to break the kiss and look up at Mr. Dupain. Marinette could only blush bright red as her father stared down at her in Adrien's arms.

Whoops.

Adrien set her back up on her feet. "Um…good night, Marinette."

She took a step back towards her papa. "Good night, Adrien."

He gave her one last smile before looking up at the burly man behind her. "Good night, Mr. Dupain."

"Good night, Adrien."

Her kitty cat could take a warning when he heard it because with one last nod, he quickly walked off into the night.

Marinette allowed her dad to pull her into the house and braced for the impact.

"You and I, young lady, need to have a talk."

Twenty-five years later, Marinette was following her husband's lead as he whisked her around the living room while he hummed a song for them to dance to. Twenty-two years. Twenty-two years of marriage. And still going strong.

They were Ladybug and Chat Noir, after all. They could never fade.

The song he was humming came to an end, and he dipped her to finish their dance. Every time he did, she was reminded of their first date, when they danced at the park.

When he walked her home. And dipped her into a kiss.

She still remembers her father and mother questioning her for a solid thirty minutes afterwards on how long she kept her relationship a secret from them.

Adrien pulled her back to her feet, smiling down at her with all the love that had blossomed over the twenty-five years since that day.

Marinette wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders, feeling his muscular shoulders tense with pleasure under his leather jacket. His arms wrapped around her waist, fiddling with the black polka-dotted fabric of her skirt.

She smiled at him, relishing the feel of having him close. Of having him here. With her. Throughout the twenty-two years of marriage and the five years of friendship before that. "I am so glad I married my perfect partner," she said to him.

His green eyes softened even more. "I'm so glad that you chose me."

Right before he brought her into a kiss, Marinette swore she could hear the pitter-patter of feet retreating up the stairs.

She absently wondered if it was just their daughter, or their two sons as well.

A/N: Thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing). I need to give credit where credit is due. This fanfiction is largely inspired by the fanfiction Kisses by PFTones3482. Then there is a comment that Chat makes that I somewhat stole from the fanfiction Blindly by Drake Rhapsody. (It wasn't completely intentional, but when I wrote it, it fit so well.) So thanks to them for the inspiration. Both these fanfictions are in my favorites if you want to read them.

edit: I finally cleaned this story up so that it's free of errors. :)