"And so I told Nino that's why La Belle Ferronnière is the best painting in the museum," Alya proudly stated to Marinette. Don't get me wrong," she smiled. "He has a good eye for color, but any artwork with a hidden message..." Alya cringed with a soft laugh. "That's another story."

"Well, you are a reporter and love your research," replied Marinette before taking a bite of her ketchup-covered hotdog.

"Exactly! This could be my next side project!" Alya stood before Marinette and used the Louvre Pyramid as a backdrop. She then gestured her arms up in the air. "New report from up and coming journalist Alya Césaire: 'Who is the woman in the infamous La Belle Ferronnière by Leonardo da Vinci?'"

Marinette giggled. "I'd read that."

Alya smiled at her best friend. She remembered the days before she knew Marinette was Ladybug—when she had tried to figure out her identity. Alya felt silly for not noticing. Ladybug had been way closer to her than she expected—right under her nose. This got her thinking...

What if Chat Noir was just as close?

Over the past few days, Alya had repeatedly buried the dangerous rabbit hole she wanted to jump into—who was Chat Noir? Getting that little bit of information from Marinette about his age rekindled her curiosity.

Of course, Alya would never tell Marinette or anybody else who Chat Noir was if she figured it out. There was just something so satisfying about knowing.

No, Alya shouldn't be thinking about this. What kind of friend would she be if she went behind Marinette's back to figure out Ladybug's partner's secret identity?

But if Alya didn't tell Marinette, there was no harm done. Plus, Alya figured Ladybug and Chat Noir would have to reveal their identities to each other at some point—right?

This project to find the real person behind Chat Noir's mask could be Alya's key to success. She'd never conducted research this arduous before, but any subsequent work would be a cinch compared to unmasking Chat Noir.

"So, what are you working on now?" Marinette asked Alya.

"The incident with the cops and protesters," Alya replied, hands on her hips in a confident stance.

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Alya's jaw dropped. "—Girl! How could you not? I know you have a busy life, but it was literally all over the news! Don't you watch the news anymore?"

"Maybe once in the past two weeks?" Marinette guessed.

"What do you even do during your downtime, then? You're always working no matter who—what form you're in!" Alya sputtered.

"Sleep! I sleep, Alya! And I'm here with you today, so I also hang out with you!"

Alya rubbed her chin. "You know what? I think you need a spa day, and that day is today!" She grabbed Marinette's hand and dragged her across the pavement, sending Marinette's hotdog flying out of her other hand.

Before Marinette could protest, a blasting noise resounded from the opposite side of the giant pyramid. Crowds of people came running towards the other end of the museum, stumbling over each other.

Marinette took Alya's hand, and the girls dashed to the side before they could get trampled. They hid behind a smaller pyramid closer to the museum.

Marinette peeked out the side and saw a flying woman in a long spiral tie-dye dress. "I am Madame Lisa, and everyone must be part of my perfect group painting!" She raised a giant rainbow paintbrush and seemingly zapped a random man from existence.

"Group painting," Marinette said quietly to herself. "Alya, you stay here. If you need to get inside the museum, go ahead. I need to find the painting she's talking about, and it may or may not be in the museum."

Alya nodded. "You got this, Ladybug." She winked.

Marinette smiled. "Spots—"

Madame Lisa's paintbrush beam struck right next to the pyramid, making Alya and Marinette jump. They rushed to the nearest museum entrance.

Alya ran inside, and Marinette hid behind a pillar. Ok, transformation take-two. "Tikki, sp—"

The villain's cruel laughter got even closer, and a new crowd of people ran nearby. Maybe Marinette should have hidden inside the museum.

At the same time, Chat Noir arrived on the scene and worked to distract Madame Lisa. "Where's your Ladybug?" She mocked.

"She'll be here," Chat answered casually, swirling his baton around. "For now, it's just you and me."

Marinette stared up at her partner fighting Madame Lisa. Even his fighting was attractive. Oh, those muscles...

"Marinette!" Tikki snapped her out of it. "You've gotta transform!"

Marinette blinked and shook her head. "Right!" She made a run for the museum doors.

Chat Noir spotted her running from the corner of his eye. Marinette wouldn't be safe in there. Madame Lisa was sure to plunder the museum. He saw that the villain was distracted by another group of people and raced to Marinette.

Marinette yelped as Chat scooped her up in his arms. "Chat Noir?! She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life.

"It's not safe here," he panted as he carried her across multiple rooftops. He wanted to get her as far away from the Louvre as possible without wasting too much time.

Chat kept sprinting until he found a good spot. He gently set her down on the rooftop of a grey apartment building. He placed both hands on her shoulders. "You'll be extra safe here. Don't worry—Ladybug and I got it covered."

Marinette smiled at him affectionately. "I know. You always do."

He returned her smile, wishing he could stay a little longer. But he needed to focus on the task at hand and help Ladybug. Surely, she'd already arrived at the scene.

The second Chat Noir left, Marinette transformed. She quickly swung her yo-yo from building to building, hoping to reach the Louvre before Chat did.

She came in seconds ahead of her partner. "Took you long enough, Kitty Cat," Ladybug smirked, pretending she wasn't trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, for your information, I was here before you, and I was busy saving a citizen," Chat told her as they dodged multiple shots from Madame Lisa.

"Oh, what a noble cat," Ladybug flirted before doing a backflip over another beam.

Chat Noir used his stick as a shield. "Only doing my job." He winked.

Ladybug smiled. He took a risk for a couple of minutes to ensure Marinette's safety. Of course, he'd done it countless times before, but there were hundreds—if not thousands—of people scrambling to get away from the akumatized villain.

And of all the faces, he saw her.

In less than ten minutes, the superhero duo defeated Madame Lisa. The dozens of people remaining outside cheered when Ladybug said her infamous "bye-bye little butterfly" and tossed her lucky charm in the air with one final exclamation: "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Tiny ladybugs zoomed around, restoring the Louvre to its original state. Madame Lisa's victims reappeared. Some let out sighs of relief while others hugged their friends and family members.

Chat Noir snickered. "Do you have to say that every time?"

"Say what?" Ladybug quirked an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

"The bye-bye little butterfly thing?"

Ladybug laughed. "No, I don't think so. "I guess it turned into a habit. I'm surprised it took you this long to ask."

"You know I rarely question you, M'lady," said Chat. "Now, I gotta go check up on that citizen I left on a roof."

Eyes widening, Ladybug reached out to him. "Wait—! Did that citizen happen to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Because I saw her on my way here and took her home!"

"Oh, thank you," Chat sighed in relief.

"You need to stop leaving people at random houses, Kitty," she teased.

"Hey, it was the closest building that was the furthest away from the Louvre," Chat defended, sassily sticking up his nose.

Ladybug covered her mouth with a short giggle. "I'm just teasing. You're always so dramatic."

Chat Noir gave a tiny chuckle back. "Just wait until you have to rescue someone you care about." His eyes went wide. "I-I mean—she's one of my best friends! I don't spend as much time with the other citizens." 

A light pink blush painted Ladybug's cheeks. Chat Noir must've felt the same about their kiss the other night. This only made her want him more.

The sound of their miraculous' beeping got Ladybug back on track. "There's our cue," Chat said. "I'll see ya later, LB!" He gave her a playful salute before "pouncing" away.

Ladybug shook her head at the nickname before realizing that her partner may stop by Marinette's house to check on her.

Marinette was right. Again, seconds after de-transforming on her balcony, she spotted Chat Noir heading towards her house. Was struggling to hide her heavy breathing going to be a regular thing from now on?

It was golden hour. The heat slowly weakened into a more bearable temperature. Marinette was thankful that she never got overheated in her suit. The magic made it light, but she still sweated as she usually would during a long walk, which was a good thing. Marinette wasn't trying to get a heat stroke anytime soon.

Chat Noir stood in front of her, a concerned expression on his face. "Ladybug told me she took you home. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Marinette blushed, his words from the Akuma battle fresh on her mind. "Although...you could've picked a more comfortable location for me," she smirked.

"Yeah," Chat cringed, scratching his neck. "I'm sorry. I was trying to get you to safety. I mean, I could've picked a nicer spot, but I wasn't thinking, and—"

"Chat Noir," Marinette giggled. I'm just kidding." It was fun to tease him twice to see the difference in his reaction. She stepped towards him, noticing his fully lit ring. How the hell did he get to her house so quickly if he had to re-transform? "Thank you for saving me."

Chat smiled gently. "I'll always be there to save you, Marinette."

Marinette's eyes fixated on her partner's lips. She wanted so much more of him than even she could understand.

Chat leaned against the railing and looked into the girl's deep, expectant blue eyes. He surmised that she wanted to talk about what happened the other night, apologize about it, and never speak of it again like they did when it happened four years ago. But then they'd just be going in circles. Chat wanted to be Marinette's friend—Adrien wanted to be her friend, and it was exasperating that he couldn't act anything but awkward around her without the mask. And apparently, Chat and Marinette couldn't remain "just friends."

"Marinette," he started. "I'm sorry about the other night." Chat glanced at a ladybug crawling on the railing beside his hand. "I didn't mean it. I wasn't thinking clearly." He tensed, dreading her reaction. What if she got upset again, but this time, he couldn't stop her from getting akumatized?

"Chat," Marinette responded gently. "I...it's my fault."

He dropped his shoulders. "What? No, I'm the superhero. It's my responsibility to stop things like this from happening."

Marinette shook her head. "No, not at all. Don't worry about it." She stood before him. "I brought it up knowing it was a dumb idea, but..." her cheeks grew hot. "...I don't regret it."

Goosebumps formed all over Chat Noir's body under the suit. She didn't regret it? Did that mean she wanted to do it again? The very thought got his heart pumping. But he couldn't let that control his actions.

"Look, Marinette, I'm flattered," Chat spoke, hardly able to hide the red on his cheeks. "But we can't...I-I can't..." he lost his breath when he noticed she was much closer than before.

Marinette had placed her hands on the rails, locking him in from both sides. She stared into his eyes with the utmost sobriety. "Chat Noir, please be honest with me. You wouldn't have let that kiss go on for that long if you didn't mean it."

Chat swallowed his heartbeat. "Well, no, it wasn't an accident..."

"But...you regret it?" Marinette whispered, hanging her head slightly.

"I..." he breathed out. "...don't regret it. But that doesn't mean we can keep doing it. You and I both know why it's wrong." Chat looked at her with tender eyes.

Marinette's gaze returned to him. "You're right, but we also both know what we want. I don't see what's wrong with that." Pushing down her feelings for Chat Noir all these years was killing her. It was making her more desperate by the minute. Marinette just wanted to let herself fall for him entirely without worrying about secret identities and the end of the world.

"You're not wrong," Chat agreed, eyes now glued to her glossy lips. What is so wrong about me loving Marinette? He thought. Adrien could never muster up the courage to act on his feelings for her. It was driving him crazy.

Marinette slowly leaned in, her eyes asking permission, which Chat Noir granted with his eyes. He couldn't help himself.

Their lips met, and they shared a long Disney- movie-like kiss. When Marinette pulled out, Chat Noir lifted her chin and pressed his lips on hers once more.

Marinette gladly surrendered with a delighted sigh. She sucked on his top lip experimentally, having never tried more than just a few innocent kisses. Chat responded by lightly scraping his teeth against her bottom lip.

Chat shuddered as Marinette's hands slid up his leather suit to touch his shoulders. He held her waist, and they cautiously darted their tongues in and out of each other's mouths.

Giving in had never felt so right.

Chat broke their heated make-out session and brushed his nose against her neck. "Tell me," he whispered, massaging the back of her head in circles. "Do you want me to kiss you right here?"

Marinette was nodding before the words came out of her mouth. "Yeah, yes," she panted.

With an affectionate smile, Chat Noir ever so gently kissed all over her neck, leaving her breathless and lightheaded. He slowly introduced sucking and biting, earning him light gasps and moans.

Marinette couldn't think straight. All she knew were Chat's lips on her neck, leaving a trail of pure bliss across her hot skin.

She returned the favor by kissing under Chat's jawline while running her fingers through his gold-blonde hair.

"Can you stay here a little while longer?" Marinette asked in a hushed tone.

Chat nuzzled his nose against hers. "As much as I want to, princess, I have to go. My...parents are expecting me to practice playing an instrument." Adrien didn't have his scheduled cello lessons today, and he had to make it believable that he was practicing at all, so he'd have to play through a song at the last minute tonight.

Marinette hid her disappointment with a loving smile. "Ok. I understand. My life is a bit chaotic, too." She stiffened. "—But I'm sure it's not as hard as yours! I can't imagine being a superhero and saving Paris while doing all that!"

"A superhero's job isn't for the weak," Chat teased.

"So, you're essentially calling me weak?" Marinette smirked.

Chat blinked. "No, absolutely not! I was just messing with you." He touched the ends of her hair. "You're so brave, Marinette. No other normal citizen has ever helped me defeat a supervillain before."

Marinette tilted her head. "When did I...?" Her voice trailed off.

"Evillustrator," Chat reminded her.

Marinette jerked her head back in surprise. "You remember that off the top of your head? You've fought so many villains since then! How do you keep track of them?"

Shaking his head, Chat Noir laughed. "I don't. I just remember it being the first time I met you."

Marinette's cheeks turned red faster than she could blink. "O-oh, yes, that was fun," she stammered. "This guy from my class had a crush on me! Thankfully, he found someone," she laughed.

"Yeah, thankfully," whispered Chat, drowning in her eyes. Adrien was beyond relieved that no one had taken her away from him—not that he owned her—in the four years they'd known each other.

After one last kiss, Chat Noir leaped off Marinette's balcony, finding it hard to focus on getting home safely. He almost jumped straight into a wall, causing Marinette to giggle.

"Be careful," she playfully rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't want Paris's hero breaking his gorgeous face." Marinette teased him for his ego.

"Hehe, don't worry," Chat got himself together. "I have cat-like reflexes!" He gave her a wink before running off for good.

Tikki wasted no time zooming out of Marinette's purse. "Marinette!! WHAT were you—"

"Oh my god!" Marinette interrupted the Kwami, hands on both sides of her face. "I left Alya at the Louvre!" She fumbled for her phone in her back pocket and saw her friend's missed calls and texts. "Shoot!" She called Alya.

"Hey, Marinette," Alya answered with a hint of laughter behind her voice.

"Alya...oh my god, I am SO sorry!" Marinette said, pacing back and forth on the concrete. "I was—a lot of things happened after the battle! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She apologized profusely.

Alya laughed. "No sweat, girl. I know your brain must be totally cluttered right now. I just wanted to know if you were coming back, but since it's been over forty minutes, you clearly aren't, so I just headed home. Don't worry."

Marinette let out a huge sigh. "Thank you, Alya. Again, I'm so sorry. I've been a terrible friend lately."

"Don't start that again," Alya scolded. "You're a superhero. You pull off more things in one day than I could in a week!"

"Maybe, but they end in disaster," Marinette groaned, plopping down in her chair. "Like Ms. Alarie always said: 'It's the quality, not the quantity that counts!'" She mimicked the shrill voice of her writing teacher from senior year.

Alya cracked up. "What are you on about? Your work is the best! Our entire friend group agrees! You're extremely talented, brave, kind, generous, HOT...I could go on."

Marinette giggled. "Ok, ok. Fine. I believe you."

"You just have to see yourself that way."

"I know," Marinette replied with a halfhearted smile. "Thanks, Alya."

"Of course, Mari. Now, don't lose sleep over what happened today, ok?" Alya joked.

Marinette rolled her eyes to the back of her head. "I won't, mom."

"I can sense the sarcasm."

"You were meant to," Marinette laughed.

Alya laughed with her. "Hey, since I got nothing better to do tomorrow, would you like to hit the mall and start with some morning coffee there?"

"I don't have anything better to do, either," replied Marinette with the same impish tone. "So I'll be there.

"Perfect!" Chimed Alya. "I'll meet you outside the food court at 9:00, then."

"You bet. See you there!"

After Marinette hung up and went inside, Tikki forcefully flew out of her holder's purse. "MA-RI-NETTE."

Marinette groaned loudly as she fell backward in bed, hands over her burning face. "I don't wanna hear it, Tikki."

"You told me it was just one kiss last time!" Tikki pouted. "I'd say that was way beyond one!"

"Don't tell me who I can and can't love," Marinette replied, her voice muffled by her hands.

"I'm not!" Argued Tikki. "All I'm saying is control your actions! Remember what happened last time? What if something happens between you two, and one of you gets akumatized? Or BOTH?"

Marinette uncovered her face and gave her Kwami a flat look. "I'm not a kid anymore, Tikki. I have better control over my emotions now. And I'm sure Chat Noir does, too."

"Heartbreak knows no age, Marinette," Tikki whispered to herself.