Chat Noir's hand was hot even over Ladybug's superhero outfit. She could feel it, like pulses of electricity, shoot through her veins. It stopped her dead in her tracks. Cemented her down like a statue. Her eyes burned into Chat's own heated look. The waves of his yellow-green shaded eyes penetrated deep into her conscious.

Could he actually see into her thoughts?

She felt so vulnerable in those seconds lost in thought that a panic erupted inside of her. Her heart beat loudly against her chest. Ladybug let out one laugh as her eyes scanned through Chat's facial details. The laugh got louder-hysterical-until she was hiccuping instead of laughing. It caught Chat off guard enough for his grip to loosen. Ladybug snatched her hand back, smiling at him as she tried her best to act natural.

Thoughts like those were dangerous, she reminded herself with a quick nod. She tightened her smile.

"Listen, Chat Noir, I…"

What was she going to say? Honestly, she had no clue. She was a complete disaster when emotions were considered. On the other hand, Chat was hot and raw. He was completely open to her, and the need she saw in his eyes as he waited for her answer was clawing at her.

There was no way this would work. He must have known that. It wasn't too long ago that he himself was running off from her. When did it start-him wanting to be closer to her, to know her on a personal level that surpassed just "partners."

He wanted intimate.

The word sent shivers down her spine.

"I'm not saying this against you." Ladybug ran some of her fingers through one of her pigtails, finding a vantage point behind Chat to watch. "I just don't think that kind of… intimate relationship is something we need. We've worked fine together without it to this point. Besides, wouldn't it be kind of embarrassing if we knew each other in real life?"

What a load of shit, Ladybug thought to herself. Fully loaded.

"I'm sure you know me, though..."

Ladybug perked up. "What did you say?"

Chat looked her square in the eyes again. She could feel her breathing go out of whack. It wasn't good. Whatever he was doing to her. Her instincts were screaming danger, but his eyes had her caught. They swirled with life-loneliness. There was something else in there, something quickly rising to the surface she knew she didn't want to see.

"You don't get it," Chat said.

His voice was deeper in the frosty air. White puffs were coming out of his mouth, mingling with the puffs of her own. They circled together in dance as they intertwined.

It wasn't even only the puffs of air that were drawing closer-it was Chat Noir too. He stepped in front of her, grabbing her hand in his his own. Tightly he held on, like he was scared she was going to disappear in front of him.

If only he really could read her thoughts, he might have held on tighter.

"Do you even know what intimate means?" he asked. "Do you know what you mean to me? I know that cat's like to play games, but I could never deceive to you. My whole heart, my whole world… it all belongs to you. All you have to do is reach out and take it. Or even just notice."

Ladybug wasn't an idiot. She knew what Chat was saying, or implying since he really hadn't said anything. But instead of the panic that was washing over her, or the heat that was enthralling her, for a brief moment she saw a glimpse of herself in Chat's eyes.

She saw herself chasing after the image of Adrien's back. The further and faster she ran, the more distant Adrien became. No matter how many walls she jumped, no matter how sore her mouth was from screaming, she couldn't reach him there in that vision.

Looking at Chat like that she looked at herself made her whole body bit his lip, eyes creasing as he looked at her. The wind slightly swayed his hair from left to right. Ladybug could see the conflict in his eyes. Even on her end, all the petty words she spouted out about disappointment were only half-hearted. She knew he would accept her because they a bond that wasn't easily broken.

But there were so many rules clogging them up. They both knew rule number one, a rule they abided by at any other time, it seemed, except in front of each other; though neither was an exception.

The lines between right and wrong were starting to fade.

A whirlwind was sweeping them up.

Her heart clenched as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ladybug pulled him closer to her, and could feel how stiff his body became against hers, but she needed to feel that he was close to her. She just had no idea why.

.

There was hesitation in Chat as he gripped his hands together. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks through his mask, the beating heart of Ladybug right next to his own, the tips of her fingers that tickled his neck.

Everything.

It drove him crazy.

He took deep breaths-in and out-to try to calm himself down. But his heart wasn't stopping, and neither were his arms as they wrapped themselves around Ladybug. Chat pulled her closer to him when he felt her move against him more.

What was there to lose now? All that was left was to let the moment capture him. Chat closed his eyes, as he let the thought soak his mind. He wiggled his nose next to Ladybug's neck and hold onto her for dear life.

How much he didn't want to let her go flying off into the night again to leave him alone. He wanted her next to him to sooth the pain of a cold bed, to fill the cracks in his heart that seemed to scream for nothing but her. Would she even want to stay near him if he told her all that, though? There was really no answer he had to that question.

Chat breathed hard against Ladybug. He could feel her shiver against him, and this time he was sure it wasn't the night air. Biting his lip, Chat tightened his grip against Ladybug. She moved back in that second, but just as Chat was ready to plead again for her to say (whatever it took), Ladybug shifted into his line of sight.

She stared into his eyes. They were filled with innocence he could see from miles away. The thought alone burned him.

He couldn't take it anymore. It was more than just wanting to see the mystery behind the mask, to put a name to her melodic voice. So much more that he knew he had to do something. Or he'd go more crazy than he already.

Chances were the cards he had left.

So, he took a chance, and he kissed her.

.

It was beyond any wild imagination he'd had. Just to know how soft her lips were against his was completely worth the risk. Chat moved one his hands up along her side and lifted them to cup her face. He smiled as he ran his fingers along the small bumps of achene he could feel along her skin.

When he pulled back, he smiled at her, tapping her cheek. "You're human after all, My Lady. And here I was thinking you were too perfect to be real."

Ladybug went still in his hands. Chat watched her with interest as she opened and closed her mouth, hoping with all he had the words going through his mind weren't about to come out of her perfectly plush lips. She looked between his eyes and his lips, and while Chat was sure that she was trying to process what was going on, all he really could do was think about how stunning she looked like as a mess.

"You're beautiful, My Lady."

Both Chat and Ladybug blinked. Chat stepped back, placing a hand over his mouth. He stared at Ladybug who stared back at him until she snapped her head to the ground. She took a breath and turned around.

"M-Ladybug, wait!" Chat called.

He held out his hand to reach her, but made no movement to go near her. To him, her back was broad. It was straight and tall, wide as the ocean. The back that he looked at so often, he could describe every detail with his eyes closed.

"Chat." Ladybug's voice echoed through the silence. "You said you said you wanted to know who I was, well…"

Turning around on her heels, Ladybug held her palms out by her side. She stared at Chat as he heard a beep. He snapped his eyes to her Miraculous, shocked to see that it was on the last tick. When had it gotten so low? He looked at his. Two ticks left. The sudden breath from Ladybug caught Chat's attention as he drew his gaze back to her.

"Take a good look."