He wanted to see her again.

There was a certain kind of elation that went far beyond happiness, the kind of elation that came with finding out the woman you've loved for years, has loved you back for just as long. Adrian was in heaven, never in his life had he felt so… good. Still in bed, Adrian rolled onto his stomach and stared off into space, daydreaming about the night before. He thought about how he'd left things. The Cat Noir in him had a certain… theatrical way of doing things, and just as the kiss had slowed to a stop he had lowered his voice to a whisper. "Goodnight, Marinette," He had purred, just before dissolving into a cloud of black smoke and disappearing into the night.

"You're making that face again," Plagg commented. "You're still thinking about that kiss, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am," Adrian said dreamily.

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Well it was a bit over dramatic, in my opinion."

Adrian only smiled. "Yeah," He sighed. He hadn't meant to make such an over the top departure, he'd just… done it. He didn't regret it, but he almost wished he'd taken her home. He ached to see her, to just hear her voice, and though he wanted to talk to her he felt that he owed her more than just a text or phone call. "I've just got to see her," Adrian said.

"Now?" Plagg complained. "You just saw her, can't we just take a sunday off for once?"

"No, I've got to see her now," Adrian said firmly. "I just can't stop thinking about her."

Though Plagg grumbled and griped, he went along willingly enough as Adrian got dressed and headed into his kitchen to put together a picnic lunch. Sometimes he missed having Natalie around to do all of his cooking, but most of the time he was happy to have the independance. His heart felt warm as he prepared sandwiches for himself and for Marinette, and he ignored the gagging noises Plagg made when he pulled a single red tulip from the vase on the counter. "All packed," He said. "Let's go see Marinette."

Adrian grabbed the flower and the basket and hurried to his car, driving through the city with his heart in his throat, growing more and more excited with every mile. He climbed up the stairs to her apartment, and with a pounding heart he rang her bell. He held his breath as he waited for Marinette to answer, and the moment she opened the door he took her by the waist, tugged her close to him, and kissed her deeply on the lips. She leaned into his hold and he tightened his grip on her waist, melting with every brush of her lips. He felt her hands creep up the sides of his neck, making him shiver before knotting her fists in his hair. When he pulled back, Marinette slowly loosened her hold on his hair, resting her hands on his chest. The touch made his heart skip a beat, and he knew his cheeks had to be turning pink.

But then, so were hers. "You could have called," She pointed out breathlessly, a smile creeping onto her face. She indicated her pajamas and he flushed scarlet.

"I couldn't wait," He admitted sheepishly. "I… I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Come out with me," He insisted, tucking the red tulip into her hair.

Her face lit up, and she batted her pretty, baby blue eyes at him, making his heart pound. "Five minutes," She promised, and just like that ducked back into her apartment to get ready.

He stared after her, leaning back on the doorframe with a sigh. When she came out in a light green sundress, the tulip braided into her hair, the sight of her took his breath away. He cleared his throat, offering her his arm and leading her down the stairs. "So," She chirped, eyeing the picnic basket. "Where are you taking me?"

"A park," He said. "The one near the river. I figured we could have some lunch, take a long walk… talk."

Marinette smiled, the sound of her laughter like a tiny silver bell. "We do have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"That, m'lady, we do," Adrian replied with a grin.

The way she looked at him after that made him want to grab her and kiss her all over again, but he reeled himself in and took her to the park like he'd promised. When they arrived, he knew at once that they couldn't have picked a better day. He was glad they had decided to walk there, because the sun was shining warm and a lovely breeze was rolling off of the water. He watched Marinette as she balanced on the very edge of the sidewalk, teetering back and forth with the wind, her dark hair shining in the sun. Her hair had gotten so long recently, and he could hardly suppress his desire to pull it free of that braid and run his fingers through it. As he gazed at her a sudden gust caught her wrong, sending her wobbling over until she'd knocked them both to the grass. He landed on his back with a "Oof," the breath knocked right out of him as she landed on his chest.

Marinette's eyes went wide like saucers, her face glowing red, but before she could start stammering out an apology, he reached up and stroked her cheek, arching up to press a light kiss to her lips. "I adore you, clumsy girl." He chuckled.

Her fingers gripped his shoulders and though she was still as red as an apple, she started to laugh. Adrian helped her up, looking around and shrugging his shoulders. "This is as good a picnic spot as any, wouldn't you say bugaboo?"

"Y-yeah," She giggled.

Nodding, Adrian took her hand and walked her a little farther from the curb before spreading out the checkered blanket he'd brought along. They sat down together, and as soon as he opened up the basket Plagg came zipping out, circling his head and repeatedly whacking him in the ear with his tiny fists. "There was no cheese in that whole basket!" He cried mournfully. "I looked and looked and looked! Do you hate me, Adrian?"

Marinette lit up. "Is this your… Kwami?"

Holding him at bay with one hand, Adrian nodded. "Meet Plagg."

Distracted instantly, Plagg flew over to Marinette, circled her twice, then grabbed her hand and kissed it. Adrian visibly recoiled: Plagg had manners? "Pleasure to finally meet you, Ladybug," Plagg said, a slight teasing note to his voice. "Adrian over there never stops talking about you, though, so we've basically already met."

Adrian turned scarlet. "Plagg!"

"What a charming companion you've got there," Marinette laughed. "Here, meet Tikki."

Marinette unclasped her little purse, and a tiny spotted kwami floated out. One look and Adrian would have known she was Ladybug's. "Nice to meet you, Tikki," Adrian said.

"Don't be embarrassed, Cat Noir! Marinette talks about you more, I'm sure of it!"

"Wanna bet?" Plagg scoffed.

"Oh my god," Marinette groaned, covering her face.

The kwami's shared a good laugh at their expense, and Adrian sighed, pulling a circle of camembert out of his backpack. "You really don't deserve this," He said as Plagg devoured it.

"You… Don't happen to have any cookies, do you?"

Adrian looked up and Tikki was floating in front of him, very familiar baby blue eyes staring right through him. "Of course, help yourself!" He said hurriedly, pulling a box out of the picnic basket and opening it up for her. The little Kwami's eyes lit up and she dipped inside the box, pulling out an armful of chocolate chip cookies before settling beside Marinette to eat. Adrian smiled fondly. "Well at least one of them has manners," He chuckled.

"Those cookies look pretty familiar," Marinette accused, a smile creeping onto her face. "You haven't been talking to my parents, have you?"

"Guilty as charged," He laughed. "What can I say? It's the best bakery in Paris."

"I'll have to tell them that," Marinette said, laying her hand over his. "You're very sweet."

"It's easy to be sweet around you," He admitted.

Looking bashful yet pleased, Marinette snatched a cookie from the box and shoved it in Adrian's mouth, effectively silencing him and making herself laugh. He chewed and swallowed as well as he could, laughing right along with her at the absurdity of that silly girl. "Here," He said, reaching into the basket again and passing her a sandwich. "Eat up."

Nodding, she accepted the sandwich and scooted closer to him, settling between his legs with her back against his chest. He hadn't expected such close proximity on the first date, but it felt so right. He and Marinette were in an unusual position, having been in love with one another for years but only just indulging themselves. It was difficult to decide how to proceed. Their relationship may have been new, but their feelings were well aged and as she cuddled against him he felt that they had been truly made for each other.

Being with her was just so easy.

Adrian felt as if he were finally following his heart for the first time, and he was having the time of his life. They didn't do anything too out of the ordinary, nothing fancy or over the top, they simply shared lunch in the grass, laid under the sun, and talked for hours. They must have looked very domestic, feeding each other fruit and talking pictures together, and while he had considered extravagant things like fancy restaurants or ballroom dancing for their first date, he was glad he'd decided on the park. It was just Adrian, Marinette, and a basket full of snacks.

He couldn't imagine a better first day together, but as he chased her barefoot through the grass a sound reached his ears that stopped them dead in their tracks. They locked eyes and Adrian knew she heard the screaming too.

Without wasting a second, they clasped hands and ran for cover, darting into the trees where they wouldn't be seen. "Alright Plagg," Adrian said. "Claws out!"

He felt Plagg become one with his ring and the power seeped through him. Mask, ears, tail and suit he transformed, and when he was through he looked at Marinette who, to his surprise, was still standing there in her sundress. He frowned and she giggled, gazing at him with such adoration that even as Cat Noir he felt a bit bashful. "What's the matter, princess?"

"Oh, sorry, nothing," She said. "It's just… Well, I've never gotten to see you transform before."

Warmth spread through Cat Noir's whole body and he smiled, trying not to feel too hypnotized as Marinette shouted "Spots on!"

Once suited up and ready to go, Ladybug beat her wings and took off, Cat following close behind, hidden in her shadow.

It wasn't hard to find the villain. There was a huge commotion surrounding the hospital, and when they arrived, most people were running screaming in the opposite direction.

Standing in front of the hospital doors was a girl. She wore a dress the color of a surgeon's scrubs and her hair was a metallic silver. Hanging from her belt was a skirt of blades, clanging noisily together whenever she moved. Each one looked deadly sharp, and Cat Noir couldn't help but notice there was a gap in the skirt, right at her hip, the missing blade clutched in the villain's fist.

Laying in a heap below her was a man dressed in scrubs, and when she looked up, Cat Noir saw that her face was half covered by a medical mask.

The mask was covered in blood.

Cat grabbed Ladybug's hand, pulling her protectively behind himself. She peeked around him, and he could see the color drain from her face. "Is he…?"

From across the street the silver haired girl laughed, the sound muffled by the bloody mask. "Is he...Dead?" She finished. "No Ladybug, he's not dead, but when he gets ahold of a mirror he's going to wish he was dead."

Ladybug was disgusted. "Who are you?" She demanded, stepping towards her threateningly. "What is it you want?"

"I am Lass-eration," The girl snapped. "And this is what I want." She pointed at the surgeon with her blade. "I want him to suffer, Ladybug! I want him to suffer like I'm going to suffer for the rest of my life!"

"Sharp comeback," Cat Noir growled, drawing his staff. "But I think it's about time we cut to the chase."

Lass-eration locked eyes with him and with a cry, tugged another blade free of her belt and charged towards him swinging. With one blade she spared with Cat, threatening Ladybug with the other. Lady's eyes were full of fear, and she spun her yoyo frantically, but it was doing very little to deflect the blows of a full fledged sword. "K-keep her busy, Kitty!" She shouted, falling back. "I've got to find the Akuma!"

She opened her wings to fly, but before her feet left the ground Lass-eration lunged for her, swiping her blade across Ladybug's ribs. She cried out in pain, blood splattering onto Lass-eration already gore soaked mask.

Suddenly, Cat Noir was seeing red. He let out a roar like a lion's. "CATACLYSM!" He bellowed furiously, raising a clawed hand to swipe Lass-eration's head from her shoulders.

"Cat, no!" Ladybug screamed. "You'll kill her!"

Before he could lower his hand Ladybug flew right into him, knocking him onto the ground before he could strike. He stared at her, panting, and he could feel her blood slowly soaking his front, but then he saw the blade out of the corner of his eye and he acted without thought, rolling on top of her just ass Lass-eration brought down her weapon. He felt it slice through the skin of his arm and he growled, shattering the blade with one cataclysmic touch. He launched himself at Lass-eration, throwing punches wherever he could reach without mercy while behind him, Ladybug summoned her lucky charm.

"Cat Noir, catch!"

He whipped around just in time, snatching a beautiful hand mirror out of the air. "Huh?"

He had no idea what Lady expected him to do with that, but he flashed the polished glass at Lass-eration anyway, brows raised in shock when she flinched away, wailing like a banshee. "NO!" She shrieked. "MY FACE!"

While she was distracted, Cat melted away.

"WHERE ARE YOU? I'LL KILL YOU!"

Cat watched as Ladybug swooped in, knocking Lass-eration in the face with her yoyo. Furious, she charged at Ladybug and Cat Noir reformed behind her, grabbing both her arms and yanking them roughly behind her back, almost enjoying the cry of pain she unleashed when he did.

With Lass-eration trapped, Ladybug easily ripped the bloody mask from her face, releasing and purifying the Akuma that was hidden inside.

She met Cat Noir's eyes and he tossed her the mirror, watching her throw it up and into the air with a triumphant shout. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Lass-eration fell to the ground, sobbing with both hands desperately covering her face. Cat Noir only caught a glimpse, but he could tell she was drastically deformed, as if parts of her face had been cut out by knife. He didn't spare another second to look, however, because on the pavement beside him Ladybug was on her knees, face pale. He hurried to her side. "M'lady, what's the matter?" He urged her. "Ladybug, are you okay?"

"It didn't work."

He faltered. "...What?"

She lifted her hand away from her ribs, and though her suit was red the darkness of her blood stood out. She was still very much wounded, and so was the surgeon. "It didn't go away," She whispered.

"But your lucky charm," He protested. "It always undoes the Akumatized's damage… Right?"

She didn't reply, she could only shake her head. He could hear her breathing become panicked, she was hyperventilating. "Come on M'lady," He said. "Time to bug out, okay?"

When he got no response he lifted her into his arms, running, melting into the shadows as he did and taking her with him. He traveled at a speed that rivaled that of light, getting both of them to his apartment just in time. Just as he laid her onto his bed he changed back, and Marinette followed not a minute after. Her green dress quickly began soaking up blood, the line of red spreading rapidly through the fabric. He didn't hesitate taking it off of her, hurrying to find a first aid kit. He cleaned her cut with shaking hands, sweat beading on his forehead. The sight of her blood broke something inside him, and he moved frantically, bandaging her up as fast as he could. "... Adrian?"

"Shh, Princess I've got you," He said, voice shaking. "It's going to be okay, I'm going to take care of you."

"Adrian, I'm fine! Your arm!"

She pointed to his bicep and he paused, chuckling without humor as he saw the blood soaking his sleeve. He passed her the roll of bandages. "It's just a scratch, really, but if you want to play doctor…"

Her eyes narrowed as she lifted his shirt over his head. "Easy Kitty," She teased.

The lighthearted moment calmed them both, but it didn't last. "I'm scared," Marinette finally said. "We've never…. We've never gotten hurt like this before. No one's ever actually… injured us like this while under the influence of an Akuma. Something's not right, Adrian. Something weird is going on. My lucky charm undoes a lot of damage, but it apparently can't heal cuts."

Adrian saw the fear in her eyes and it broke his heart. He was scared to, they've always gotten away without a scratch but realistically… Almost all of their enemies had been kids, no older than they were at the time. He gently took the bandages from her hands, pulling her body close to his and moving his hands up and down her back. Her bare skin was soft under his touch and he squeezed her tight, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Don't be discouraged, bugaboo," He murmured. "Sure your lucky charm can't heal cuts, but think, it's never had too. Our powers are changing, aren't they? We're getting stronger. It only makes sense that the bad guys are getting stronger too."

She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "What if they're too strong?" She whispered. "Adrian, you were almost stabbed in the back today."

"But we made it out, didn't we? We got the bad guy, we won, remember?" She tried to look away but he cupped her cheek and made her look at him. "We're an unbeatable team," He said firmly. "We always have been, and now…" He leaned in, brushing his lips over Marinette's. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her nose and her forehead, one arm snug around her bare waist while the free hand cradled her tear streaked face. "Look at us," He said. "This can only make us stronger. We're more than just a team, Marinette. You've always been more than a partner to me."

She cracked a smile. "You mean it?"

"You're my everything, Marinette."

Seeming to forget how close to naked she was, Marinette threw herself on him and wrapped both arms around his neck, kissing him deeply and pressing close. He held her tight, kissing back and moving his hands up and down her sides, the rough bandage a stark contrast from the silky softness of her body. With her so close to him he couldn't help but think about his shirt and her dress, all but forgotten in a heap on his bedroom floor.

"You're blushing, Cat Noir," Marinette teased him.

He opened his eyes and knew she was right. He felt like his face was on fire, he couldn't help it, he's never felt this way about anyone else and when they were together this way…

He was a man, after all.

"What?" Marinette prodded. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Bug off," He chuckled, gripping her by the chin and kissing her again, losing himself in the moment and letting the stress of what had happened melt away. Her hands on him made him feel like all was right in the world. He could feel her fingers in his hair, her lips on his lips and her legs around his waist. He grabbed her without thinking, caught up in the heat of things he let his hands wander upwards mouth going dry when he felt the lace of her bra under his palm.

He gasped, choosing that moment to break the kiss. He needed to catch his breath before his senses were lost completely. It was that bell like laughter that brought him back to earth, and when he met Marinette's eyes she was grinning, her demeanor was flirtatious, and completely hypnotic. "Vixen," He jeered.

"Not my fault you decided to cop a feel."

"Not my fault you bled through your dress," He shot back playfully.

Marinette feigned offence, crossing both arms across her exposed chest in a way that did anything but hide it from view. They were both laughing, but then Marinette's face fell and she brought a hand to his arm, fidgeting with the edge of his bandage. "If our injuries didn't go away," She said suddenly. "Then what about…"

Adrian went rigid. "The surgeon!"

Without bothering to get dressed, they fed their Kwamis and transformed, hurrying back to the scene of the fight where, just like they'd expected, everything looked more or less normal. "Good to know the charm worked for something," Ladybug mumbled.

Cat nodded, sticking close to her and insisting on holding her hand. Being back there put him on edge, he kept replaying the fight in his head, seeing her get slashed across the ribs over and over again. The very memory of it made his blood boil, and in the deepest, darkest corner of his mind he wondered what exactly would have happened if he'd managed to strike Lass-eration with his cataclysm.

When he and Ladybug entered the hospital, the man behind the counter eagerly ushered them back to the room where the surgeon from earlier was staying. When they saw him all Cat Noir could think of was the deformities he'd noticed on that girl's face.

The surgeon now had the exact same scarring.

"So it was revenge," Cat said, thinking out loud.

"That it was," The surgeon said. "Her name is Suzette. She was my patient, she suffered from late stage skin cancer and went through a lot of surgeries. I performed all of them myself."

"Do you have any idea why she could have wanted to attack you" Ladybug asked.

"Actually, yes," He said bitterly. "She didn't want to go through with removing the cancerous skin. She figured her chances at surviving were slim either way, so she prefered to just, in her words, die beautiful. But she's a minor, and her parents wanted otherwise…"

"So you operated anyway," Ladybug finished.

He nodded. "Yes."

Cat looked over at Ladybug and felt a tug at his heart. Seeing her so upset hurt him. "That's… Awful," She finally said. "I'm so sorry, sir. Thank you for your time."

He nodded again and the nurse showed them out. Ladybug was quiet as they walked, so quiet that when the screaming began it was like nails on a chalk board. Cat Noir's whole body went rigid and he put himself between Ladybug and the shrieking, seeing a very familiar face; a heavily scarred face. "Lass-eration," He snarled.

"Suzette," Ladybug corrected, stepping out from behind him with a stern look. His ears drooped. "You don't have to protect me, Cat Noir. I'm not a damsel in distress, you know."

She held out her hand for him and he smiled, ears perked right back up as he laced his fingers through hers. They approached Suzette together, and Cat was a bit alarmed to see the police there, putting her in cuffs and reading her her rights. She caught sight of them and screamed even louder, hurting his ears at such close proximity. "You're so cruel," She wailed. "How could you take away my strength? HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME? Watch your backs! You'd better sleep with both eyes open because you're going to PAY FOR THIS!"

They watched, jaws dropped as the police dragged the girl away. "No Akuma?" Cat managed.

"No Akuma," Ladybug confirmed.

"So she's just… Bad."

Lady looked up at him, face pale as she confirmed his fears with a nod. "Yeah. She's just bad."

The whole situation left him feeling very uneasy. He escorted ladybug home, but even though it was getting late he had a hard time letting her go. He kissed her goodnight and drove home, and though when he looked back on the day it had been great, it felt a little bit as if his world had been flipped upside down.

That night when he laid down to go to sleep, he felt almost… nervous. "What's the matter, champ?" Plagg yawned. "Lose your Ladybug body pillow?"

Adrian shook his head, pushing the strange feeling away. "Its nothing…" He mumbled, ignoring Plagg's attempts at joking. "Get some sleep."

Even as Adrian closed his eyes, he felt a fear nagging at him, and that was when the nightmares began. He tossed and he turned as a voice as old as time spoke softly to him, urging him to relinquish his miraculous in return for…

"LADYBUG!"

Adrian jumped up, all tangled in his blankets and breathing hard. He looked around his room, eyes straining in the darkness. He was covered in sweat, images of his ladybug in trouble haunting him every time he closed his eyes. The message was clear; bring me your miraculous, or face your greatest fear, and his greatest fear was something bad happening to the woman he loved.

"Hey man, you don't look so good," Plagg mumbled. "You alright over there?"

"I've got to get out of here," He said dizzily, wiping his brow. "Plagg, Claws out."

"Seriously? In the middle of the ni-aaaAHHHHHHH!"

Plagg was yanked from his little bed, sucked into the ring as he transformed into Cat Noir. Without skipping a beat he leapt out his window, turning to shadow and ghosting across the city.

He reformed on the very edge of Marinette's windowsill, teetering just a bit before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Cataclysm."

Gently, he tapped on the glass and it turned to dust. With the new opening he slipped inside, tip toeing to Marinette's bedside. A breeze rolled in through the open window and he froze, watching as Marinette stirred. She blinked her big blue eyes at him and without a word, lifted the corner of her blankets. Gratitude surged through him. "Claws in," He said quietly, leaving him once again in his tee shirt and boxers. He slipped into bed with Marinette and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He didn't think about the nightmare, and he didn't think about how he wasn't the only one sleeping without pants, the only thing on his mind was how good it felt to have her curled up against him. Surrounded by the scent of her and lulled by the sound of her breathing, Adrian quickly fell asleep.

As it turned out, he hadn't been the only one having trouble sleeping.

Marinette had had almost the exact same dream as Adrian, all she had been able to think about was… Adrain. What if he got too protective of her and got himself hurt? She knew how he got, especially with his claws out he could be a little over the top, but if they were only focused on trying to save each other and not on trying to save the world… Both of them would wind up hurt.

When she woke from the nightmare, she heard the telltale pitter patter of her partner drawing near. She thought it was part of the dream until she felt the breeze coming from her open window.

When she opened her eyes, Cat Noir was standing over her like a guardian angel, there to protect her from her jarring nightmare. She lifted her blankets, not caring if he saw her in her panties considering he'd already seen them earlier that day. Plus, by the feel of his legs tangled with hers, he was in his underwear too. Once he was settled under the covers, chin resting on the top of her head, she tucked herself closer and stroked up and down his spine. She moved her hand up the back of his shirt to feel the warm skin beneath the cotton, the sensation of skin on skin soothing her to her core. A low purr rumbled in his chest and she suppressed a giggle, falling asleep to the sound of it.

In the morning, Marinette felt a surge of fear. She didn't want to open her eyes and discover that Cat Noir's late night visit had all be in her head. She squeezed her eyes closed, but when she rolled over she felt a warm body shift around her, cuddling her nearer as if she were a teddy bear. The purring started up again and she smiled, scattering kisses along the curve of Adrian's neck. She felt him shiver beneath her and when he opened his eyes, the smitten look he gave her turned her heart to mush. "Good morning, M'lady," He greeted her. "You never told me you had such a great view. And from bed, too."

"Eh, the view's okay," She shrugged, running her hands along his broad shoulders. "Provided you don't fall to your death. My window has no glass, see…"

Adrian's smile turned sheepish. "I'll uhh… Have that replaced," He promised. "I… Didn't want to wake you."

"To be honest, I was already awake," Marinette admitted. "I kind of had this really… horrible dream."

His brows shot up. "Really? You too?"

"Is that why you came?"

Adrian ran his fingers through her hair, eyes worlds away. "I couldn't sleep," He admitted. "I was terrified. I couldn't bear the thought of spending another minute without you in my sight."

"It makes me really nervous," Marinette mumbled. "I can't shake the feeling that something bad is coming."

Adrian gave her a sympathetic smile. "It was probably just a dream, M'Lady. We're still a little shaken by what happened with Lass-eration, we need to unwind, that's all. You shouldn't let it worry you." He reached up, stroking her cheek and giving her little round earing an affectionate flick. "Besides," He said with a wink. "No matter what's coming, we're an unbeatable team."

Marinette's heart fluttered in her chest, and Adrian leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers and kissing her slow and sweet. She let Adrian roll her onto her back, leaning over her and resting both of his hands on her waist. His touch felt like fire and the way he kissed made her stomach twist up into knots. The only thing that stopped them was the sudden ringing of Marinette's phone.

Mortified, she met Adrian's gaze and he gave her a smoldering eyed smile, nodding towards the bedside table where her phone rested. She quickly apologized and slipped out of bed, hyper aware of the fact that she was only wearing panties and a tank top as she answered her phone. "H-hello?"

"Hey girl! It's Alya!"

"ALYA!" She shrieked. Alya had a really high paying job as a journalist and it forced her to travel a lot. Marinette hadn't seen her in weeks."Oh my god, hi! How's it been? How's work?"

"Over, girlfriend!" Alya whooped. "I'm coming home today!"

"Today?" She gasped. "Well… We have to get together! I've got so much I want to tell you." Marinette glanced over at Adrian, who was gazing adoringly towards her, eyes drifting more than once to her bare butt cheeks. Her face went red. "It's something you have got to hear face to face."