Saturday morning Marinette woke up with a slight hangover. Her head ached and her mouth was dry. She groaned and rolled over, the sunshine peaking through her window, blinding her. She shrunk away from the light like a vampire and looked at her clock on her bedside table. It was nearly noon. How late had she been out last night?

"Good afternoon!" She nearly yelped as Tikki flitted onto the bed and rested on the pillow next to her. She hadn't been awake long enough to endure Tikki's perpetual sunshine.

"Hey, Tikki." Marinette sat up in bed and stretched her arms over her head. It was time for her to get up out of bed and be productive with her Saturday. She had an article to finish and the deadline was approaching.

"Did you have fun last night?"

"I suppose so, but I'm not any closer to figuring out my feelings between Cat and Adrien. I left feeling more conflicted than ever. I still like Adrien, but I like Cat, too. What am I going to do?" She changed clothes as she spoke. Sometimes it was beneficial having such a wise little friend to help guide her.

"You just need to follow your heart. Your heart will never lead you astray. I know you're confused now, but you'll know who's right when the time comes." That all sounded cryptic and vague, so Marinette stewed in her feelings for a while longer. After last night there was no mistaking that she still had feelings for Adrien. It still wasn't clear if he saw more in her than a friend, though. That moment their eyes fell upon one another she knew she felt a connection between them, and she wondered if he'd felt it, too. Then there was Cat. She was already being sucked into his vortex, kissing him and letting him whisper such things to her that would normally make her blush. She felt safe with him. She just couldn't get around the fact that they still had no idea who each other really was. If she agreed to start anything with him, she felt that they'd have to come clean. It was the only way to make sure things didn't totally crash and burn. Maybe that was why she was so scared to start something with Cat. What if he didn't like who she was in every day life? What if he only liked Ladybug?

"My heart is pulling me in two different directions, Tikki. I don't know if it's ever going to tell me what I need to hear." Marinette picked up her laptop and sat it on the couch before going into the kitchen to brew some coffee. Once she had a steaming mug in her hands she returned to the living room and fired up the laptop. She worked diligently for almost two hours before needing a break. Tikki watched some tv, and it still amused Marinette after all this time how into cartoons she was. It was adorable and endearing. Looking at the clock she noticed that it was two o'clock, and there were eight hours separating her from Cat. Those eight hours would drag by so slowly. Unless Hawk Moth struck today, she'd have to wait until ten to see him.

The hours slipped by slowly, but soon it was time to head out for patrol. Slinking through the bushes around her house, Ladybug headed towards their meeting spot with quaking knees. She knew if he tried kissing her, and there was no doubt that he would, then she would kiss him back with all she had. In some ways it felt like a betrayal to her feelings for Adrien, but there was something irresistible about that intimacy with Cat that made it all feel worth it. Standing in the alley waiting for him to show up, Ladybug hummed a tune to herself. It was getting colder by the day as they fell deeper into autumn.

"How fast did you run here tonight, little ladybug?" She felt him come up behind her and wrap his strong arms around her waist. He dug his face into her neck, planting little kisses along her jaw. She sighed in blissful contentment at how natural it felt to be held and loved on by him. She had missed this more than she thought she would. Then a thought struck her. If anything ever did happen between her and Adrien, how could she possibly explain it to him? Did this mean she'd already given up on Adrien subconsciously?

"I shuffled here as slowly as I could," she joked. Really, she made it here as quickly as she could and arrived at ten on the dot. He hadn't taken as long to show up as he normally did either.

"Liar." He spun her around and pushed her against the wall. She made a sound of anticipation as he moved over her. His mouth fell on hers immediately, and she threaded her fingers through his silky blonde hair. The previous kisses he'd given her had been raw and fueled by passion. This time, however, he seemed to be taking his time. It was a sweet kiss that moved at a languorous pace, and she could feel him all around her, overloading her senses. His hands moved down her body slowly until they cupped her ass, and he pulled her closer into his body. She could feel his erection digging into her stomach, and as if on cue, her belly squeezed painfully. She hadn't been with anyone in a long time, and she needed this human connection. She was desperate for it. By the time Cat pulled away from the kiss, she was breathless and sucking in air as if her life depended on it. It felt like he pulled away a little bit of her soul with every heart-stopping kiss he placed upon her lips. He rested his forehead against hers and looked down into her milky blue eyes. "Tell me how much you missed me."

"I missed you as much as- you know what, fuck it. I missed you a lot. More than I thought I would." Her confession seemed to shock him, and she held back her laughter at his look of surprise.

"I was expecting a smartass comment, but I like your answer much better." A tingle ran up and down her spine at the flirtatious nature of his voice. He was toying with her, trying to make her hot and heavy so she'd beg for more.

"How much did you miss me?" Her voice came out husky and laden with desire. He trailed a gloved finger down the side of her face and thumbed her bottom lip, nibbling on it gently with his teeth.

"Oh, I missed you very much. I missed this plump little mouth, and I missed your little attitude. I thought about you constantly. It seems I'm the one who can't go without a daily dose of Ladybug." His words filled her with happiness. She couldn't fully explain it, but the idea that he'd thought of her while they were apart made her want more of him. Then sadness struck her. There never would be more.

Cat noticed a shift in her mood suddenly. She'd been cranked up on desire, but now she looked kind of melancholic, and he wondered why. She was so expressive that he wondered what kind of faces she'd make if she were under him in bed. How he'd love to see those faces of hers and commit them to memory.

"Why do you look so sad, little ladybug?" He wasn't sure he wanted to hear her answer, but he needed to know what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

"What are we even doing, Cat? We both know this can't go anywhere. We're confined to kissing and building up all this wasted anticipation. Why not just focus all of that on someone who can actually give you what you need? Why me?" This hadn't been the direction he'd thought this conversation would go in. He thought it over a moment before answering. He knew that what he was about to say would probably cause an argument, but it needed to be said.

"If you'd just let me see who you are, if you saw who I was, it would make things much easier." She held a hand up before he'd even finished his sentence, shutting him down immediately.

"You know that can't happen."

"And why not? There's no rule out there that says we can't know about each other. Trust me, I asked Plegg years ago. You're being stubborn, and I don't know why." It worried him because he knew she was right. If they didn't reveal their identities to each other, they would never be able to have anything other than stolen kisses in a dark alley. That just wasn't enough for him.

"Because," she said in expasperation, throwing her hands up in the air, "what if you don't like me as who I really am? What if it's a mistake and it makes things awkward between us?"

"That would never happen." He said it so matter-of-factly that it nearly took her off guard.

"How could you possibly know that?" She was getting irritable, and she had no idea why. In reality he probably wasn't asking for much, but it seemed like such a steep price to pay not knowing what waited on the other side of that door.

"Because I love you," he said, raising his voice. She stood there in shock. She knew he had a thing for her, but she didn't know it was that serious for him. They stood toe to toe, both of them tense and on edge by his confession.

"No, you couldn't. You don't even know who I am."

"We could easily solve that right here, right now." He was challenging her. Normally she didn't back down from a challenge, but this one was extremely intimidating.

"No. Now back off." He backed her up against the wall again and used his knee to kick her legs apart. His hand drifted to the junction between her legs and she let out a yelp.

"Tell me you don't want me to touch you and make you see heaven." He slowly rubbed his thumb along her most private spot, and she swore she was already seeing stars. How long had it been since someone had last touched her like this?

"I-I can't, Cat." Her voice was small and high-pitched. He was going to get her identity out of her some way, somehow. If he had to torture her with little touches and searing kisses, then he would. He'd have her begging him to strip her of her clothing and have his way with her.

"You can, you just won't. Tell me, how much longer can you resist what we have between us? I know I'm at my breaking point. I want you, and I want you now." His gruff voice pulled her from her clouded state of mind, and she pushed his hand away so he was no longer touching her body.

"I resisted you for years, if you recall correctly." He smirked, and shook his head.

"You are the most maddening woman I've ever met, and I love you for it all the same." She stomped her foot in exasperation and pointed a finger at him, poking him in the chest.

"Stop saying that. How can you love someone you don't know everything about?"

"I may not know your real name, but I knew plenty about you. When you're angry or lost in thought you get this adorable little wrinkle in your forehead. Your laugh is so infectious that I find myself smiling when I just think about the way you throw your head back and laugh as if anything at all was the funniest thing you'd ever heard. You don't hide how you're feeling. I can tell what kind of mood you're in just from looking at you, and I know that right now you're feeling very torn because you know I'm right. You want more, and you know the only way to get more is to open up and let me see who you are. There's nothing to be afraid of, little ladybug. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." She could do nothing but stand there and watch him ramble. It pained her to admit that he was right, but she didn't have a secure enough argument to battle him with. Saying it just wasn't a good idea sounded so lame after this bare confession of his. He was laying it all on the line.

"What if we regret it?" That was her biggest fear. That they'd do the big reveal and he'd find out just how mundane she really was. Then he'd regret ever asking to know her, really know her.

"I promise you that the only thing I regret is wasting years of my life not knowing who you are." She pretended to think it over, but she knew she'd never go through with it. She was scared to death, and nothing he could say would quell that fear. "Would it help if I revealed myself to you first?"

"What?" She wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"I can show you right now who I really am. Would that convince you how serious I am about this?" She shook her head and began backing away.

"No, don't. That would be a mistake. Why can't we just stay this way?"

"Because, I'll never have as much of you as I want this way, and I don't know if I can live with that." His words struck her. He was serious, and he meant every single word he'd said. That much was obvious. She began backing away slowly. Her fight or flight instinct had been activated and she was getting ready to fly.

"I-I can't. I'm sorry." She turned and ran. She ran away from him, and her feelings for him. She liked him so much, so much that it ran deeper than 'like.' Ladybug wasn't sure that she'd call it love, but it was definitely more than simply liking him. She ran all the way back home without stopping and clambered through her window with all the grace of a newborn foal. She discarded the Ladybug attire and paced frantically back and forth.

"That could have gone better." She looked over to see Tikki hovering by the window. "He's right, you know. There's no rule that says two people with miraculouses can't know about one another."

"I'm sure that's true, but I have my reasons. I'm pretty sure I just blew it though, so I don't think it really even matters at this point." Tikki sighed and flitted around Marinette's head.

"You didn't blow it. He said he loves you. It's going to take more than one argument to change that." Marinette wasn't sure. They hadn't even patrolled tonight. Just stood in the alley making out then arguing until she ran off. This entire situation was doing her head in. On top of Cat's love confession, she still had the Adrien situation to sort out. Her personal life felt like it was falling to pieces right before her eyes, and she had no idea how she was going to fix it.

"I don't know, Tikki. I'm making a mess of everything, and I don't know what to do."

"Do what feels right. That's all you can do." That was sound advice, but she didn't know what felt right. All she knew was that she should have seen this coming from a mile away. There was only so long they could carry on the way they did before something like this happened.

She put on some pajamas and sat in front of the tv. She wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, and she knew it. Damn the sleep aids, they just made her feel like a zombie the next morning. Flipping through channels Marinette stopped on a true crime documentary. It was perfect paired with her surly mood. Tikki had grown quiet and was nowhere to be seen. If even Tikki was saying there was nothing standing in their way, did that mean she was overreacting? No, no she wasn't overreacting. She was protecting herself, and, little to his knowledge, she was protecting Cat as well. She sat there brewing her thick emotions to a boiling point before she finally broke down and started crying. Tikki brought her a tissue when her crying had mostly subsided. She was pure emotion at this point, and she wanted nothing more than to hug Alya and cry on her shoulder. Unfortunately, there was no sharing this with any of her friends. No one could know that her heart was splintering, and that made it all the worse. Whatever she did, she'd have to figure it out soon. Like, before tomorrow night. Luckily, she had all night to formulate a plan. Feeling determination for the first time tonight, she pulled out a sketch pad and began writing down all her options, and pros and cons to go along with them. It took her all night on into the morning to come to a decision, but once she did, she felt confident again. She knew what she had to do, and she'd tell Cat when they patrolled in the evening. She would approach him with purpose, and she'd tell him exactly how she felt. Looking down at her list of options one last time, she circled the one she went with and snapped her sketchbook closed.