Chat Noir swung his legs back and forth and he relaxed on a buttress with Ladybug. "You know," he leaned back and glanced at her from the side, "You once told me you had a crush on a boy in your class, but you wouldn't tell me because it might give your identity away."

Ladybug hummed thoughtfully and laughed. "That was such a long time ago. Its been a few years since then." She cocked her head at him, "I've gotten over it. It was many years ago, and a silly crush, after all."

His heart leaped in his chest and he wondered if that meant that maybe, just maybe, his Lady would be free to fall in love with him? "So tell me!" He wheedled.

She shrugged, "If it means that much to you. We've graduated so I have no idea what he's doing now. His name was Adrien."

Chat froze and then tried to relax. "This Adrien got a last name?"

"Now that," she teased him, "Would be telling. Besides, it doesn't matter, like I said. I'm way over him now."

Chat felt the world fall out from under him and he swayed, "You know… I gotta go, My Lady." He kissed her hand with a flourish, "If I'm not home it time it will be a total cat-tastrophe."

He watched her sigh and roll her eyes as he leaped backwards and took off. His lady was Marinette. It all made sense. Everything fell into place. The way she reacted to him as Adrien, the clarity of her feelings for Chat.

She didn't love him.

The feelings of despair and anguish overwhelmed him and he finally collapsed onto his bed and wept like a broken hearted child.

He didn't notice when the akuma fluttered into his room and landed on his ring. As he lay on the bed a prickling, peculiar sort of scratching feeling came from inside his mind and he heard a voice, "Oh, Chat Blanc. This is a surprise. This is Hawkmoth, but I'm sure you already knew that. Your lady love doesn't love you? Well. Get me her Miraculous, and deliver yours to me afterwards and I can make her love you. Understood?"

His suit shimmered and turned white. He lifted his head off of the bed with a grin. "Understood."

He made a nuisance of himself around town, until he heard feet hit the dirt in front of where he had sat himself on a park bench. "Finally decided to show up, hmm?"

"Chat Noir, what are you doing?" She demanded of him, like she had the right.

He opened his eyes and looked her up and down, leering. "Waiting on you, My Lady."

"Chat, I-"

He cut her off. "Its Chat Blanc now, Ladybug. Or should I call you by your real name?" He laughed when she gasped in horror. "Surprised? After you gave me the boy's name it was easy to put two and two together. I wonder how he's doing," he mused, seemingly absently as he watched for her reaction.

"You stay away from him." She squared herself.

"What's this?" He said with a mocking laugh, "You sound almost like you care. Maybe if you did. he wouldn't be in the mess he's in right now."

Her eyes suddenly widened. "No." She whispered in a strangled voice.

"Yes." He said viciously, and leaped backwards. "Catch me if you can, Ladybug!" And he took off. He led her on quite the chase before she finally managed to trip him up with her yo-yo string. He struggled to be free of it before she actually caught up.

"Chat." She said softly. "Stay where you are."

"You don't control me, Ladybug." He snarled, still struggling. "You've lost any chance of influencing me. I'm going to take your miraculous and mine to him."

"No, Chat. You're not." She reached for his ring.

He hissed and slipped free before she could grab it and used his pole to flip away from her again. "I will and then he will give me the power to make you love me, like I love you."

Her eyes brimmed with sympathy and that made the rage in him grow all the more wild and he took off for the Eiffel tower. He would exhaust her. She couldn't keep up with him in there. He heard her say "Lucky Charm!" behind him and he laughed. It was all just a matter of time now. He sped up.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

After a fight that was ultimately fruitless and ended with him pinned to the ground spouting innuendo, she had his ring off and crushed beneath her foot. Everything after that was a whirlwind blur. He was Adrien. He was Chat. He was lost.

He could feel her watching him as the suit crept back over him as she restored everything back to the way it was. The way it was supposed to be. He knew what he'd done was wrong, but he ached to find out if Hawkmoth could keep true to his word.

Was it worth it?

"We need to talk." She said to him.

No. No they didn't. But his mouth said, "Yes. We do."

"I'm sorry." She said to him.

He shook his head. "I'm not blaming you." But he was. "This isn't your fault." Lies. "You can't force feelings." Hawkmoth said he could. "I opened myself up to the Akuma. Its my fault."

"Oh, Chat," She reached for him but dropped her hand halfway and a bitter tide of feelings rushed up to fill him.

"Don't pity me." He jerked away from her.

She was silent. Then, "I have to go."

He laughed. "I know who you are Marinette." He sighed. "It doesn't matter here. We're too high for anyone to see."

She nodded and he watched the suit melt away to reveal Marinette and how he ached to reach for her.

"I'm sorry that I never noticed." He said.

"Its not your fault either, Adrien. I didn't know that you were-"

"Are." He interrupted with a pained growl as his suit finally dissolved. "I wish I had known sooner. I was pushing everyone away because I didn't know you were her." He clenched his teeth to stop the tears.

"I'm sorry," She said again.

"Forget it. I'm going home." He reached into his pocket for a crushed box of cheese to feed Plagg before he transformed back and left her standing there.

But he did not go home.

He needed privacy.

He was going to make a deal.