A/N: Sorry for all the posting issues. My chapters kept disappearing form public view! Hopefully it doesn't happen anymore. But please let me know if you happen to notice it. Anyway, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. Reviews are motivation to keep going! (I just learned how to add the horizontal line! XD)

He was drunk on her intoxicating laughter - peals of sheer joy that made his heart soar. Cat Noir couldn't remember a midweek patrol having been so fun in recent memory. Ladybug had been so giddy that she had challenged him to a race over the rooftops, daring him to catch her.

After a quick round of the city and nearly ten minutes of cat and mouse, Ladybug slowed to a halt on a familiar roof. Not thirty seconds later, a clawed hand graced her shoulder as a breathy voice sounded just behind her.

"You stopped. I win!"

"Oh, no, Kitty," Ladybug looked back with a smirk. "I let you catch me."

Cat Noir's searching eyes looked for the other meaning he felt behind her words.

"Oh, I love autumn," said Ladybug, wistfully. "I'm not ready to go home yet."

"I'm never ready to go home." Cat Noir took in their surroundings and, noticing they'd stopped on top of Collège François Dupont, an idea sparked.

"Hey, isn't this the school where -"

"- where our kwamis almost got busted and where most of the akumas start? Yeah." Ladybug interjected pointedly so there would be no discussion of Mongoose nor the chance to relive Cat turning to stone. She shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Cat Noir spotted the minor twitch and seemed to read more than the veiled scowl on Ladybug's face. Pulling her into a tight embrace, he whispered, "I'm still here. I'm okay."

Ladybug squeezed the boy in black and allowed her hands to coast down his back, nodding against his chest in response to his gentle reassurances. Cat pulled away slightly, one hand still cradling the small of her back with one hand as the other wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Are you still up for staying out, Bug? Cause I have an idea for something a little different."

"Okay, let's hear it," she replied with a small, composure-inducing sniffle.

"Well, the school is empty and that courtyard is a decent size for a little sparring... Maybe we could do hand-to-hand? Make it a little more challenging without weapons?" Cat looked at Ladybug, trying to hide his insecurity about his suggestion, but gave himself away as he rubbed the nape of his neck.

After a moment of thoughtful consideration, Ladybug said, "That's a great idea, Kitty." He beamed at her praise and subsequent boop on the nose. "We're pretty adept with our weapons. I'm sure I could use some practice fighting in close quarters."

"First to pin the other wins?" Cat's eye shone bright with innate roguery.

"Hah! Good luck, Kitten!" Ladybug taunted her other half and backflipped into the courtyard below.

Nearly an hour into their scrimmage, neither hero had truly gained an advantage. They both expertly dodged, ducked, ran, jumped, and altogether, skillfully avoided capture, while finding enjoyment in their new activity. There were a few close calls, however; flying knees into an upper body leg-lock from which Cat Noir escaped by impossibly contorting his body to flip, a full nelson escaped by Ladybug as she ran up a wall and pitched over her partner's head.

Though Cat Noir wasn't one to give in easily, he began contemplating handing his lady the win - until he saw his opening, his one chance to best her.

He juked left and swiftly darted to the right, leaping into Ladybug's torso and knocking her off her feet. A tangle of limbs rolled across the floor, coming to a rest just feet away from the wall.

Ladybug had realized what was happening too late and braced for impact, closing her eyes. She opened them only once she noticed they'd stopped moving. As she looked up, she found eager emerald eyes glinting mere inches from her own. A sultry smile crept along the corners of Cat's lips. Ladybug breathed heavily as she noticed strong, clawed hands holding her wrists gingerly and knees planted on either side of her, just making contact with her hips. She blinked slowly, feeling her heart hammering in her chest and butterflies flapping wildly in her stomach.

Cat Noir looked down at his little bug, noticing the pink in her cheeks. He bit his lip lightly and leaned in, closing the gap between them. The knot behind his navel tightened as he saw her eyes close in anticipation. The tension between them was palpable, sentient, tugging him closer.

Ladybug waited for his lips to find hers. She trembled, feeling his hot breath on her neck. His golden locks tickled her cheek. She caught a faint, husky whisper as lips just barely brushed the side of her face.

"Pinned ya."

"You mangy cat! What are you trying to do to me?" She was visibly inflamed, but not unkind, as she bucked him off.

Cat Noir was sitting on the floor in front of her leaning back on his hands with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face. He pushed himself back to rest against the wall, drawing his knees in to act as armrests. "You know, I could ask you the same thing, Bugaboo." His smirk remained as he looked up at her with his head cocked to the side. She could see there was unasked question behind his eyes.

She took a deep breath and sat next to him, pulling his nearest hand into hers, interlacing their fingers.

"Tell me what's on your mind, my sweet kitty."

Cat opened his mouth to start speaking, but lost his words and began nervously rubbing the back of his neck with his unoccupied hand.

"Cat got your tongue?" Ladybug flicked his bell, trying to lighten the sudden mood shift.

He turned slightly, looking into those blue eyes that glittered like desert oases reflecting diamonds littering the night sky. He found it hard to speak as his heart pounded out a drum line. His free hand found the two entwined, fully enveloping his partner's little red-gloved hand.

After a deep, strength-imbuing breath, Cat began, "You've been different around me lately. Well, for a little while. You've been more playful with me. You joke around more. You haven't been dismissive of my flirting. And, my favorite change - you've been flirting with me. I haven't said anything because I, honestly, just thought that maybe I was in a dream. I didn't want to wake up. Or that maybe if I mentioned it you'd come to your sense and reject me again. I love this new side of you. But it seemed to come out of nowhere. I don't know what changed. Don't get me wrong! I really don't want things to go back to how they were, but... But, I don't want to get my hopes up if I don't have a real chance with you." He inhaled sharply and tore his gaze away. Tears began to burn his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

"Oh, Minou. Things have changed." Ladybug moved to kneel in front of her kitten and took his face in her hands. "And that includes how I feel about you. I began to see the boy behind the mask. I started to see how sweet and sincere you are. I allowed myself to admit to being jealous of Ryuko and you not calling me pet names around her. We had such a busy summer. And I had a lot of time to think. My normal life started to feel like it was falling apart. And finally seeing you sacrifice yourself for me, turn to stone - for me -" Tears started to fall. "... I began to realize that...thinking I could lose you nearly broke me, Chaton."

Cat played with his fingers, glancing only briefly at his lady in red. "What... What about that boy you like?" He didn't want to ask, but he needed to know where he stood.

Ladybug curated her words, carefully. "I realized that I needed to let him go. He's in love with someone else and I have to accept that. But in deciding that, I chose to keep myself open to other possibilities for the first time. Then this sly, sweet little alley cat found his way into my heart. I think I've loved you for a while, Minou. But I couldn't say anything before because I just recently began admitting that to myself."

Cat Noir lifted his gaze to met his partner's face. "I love you, too, Bug. I always have. Do you believe me? That I love the girl under the mask?" He smiled at her, but still more questions hung on the tip of his tongue.

"Yes, I do believe you." Ladybug pulled him into a tight, intimate embrace and he buried his head in her neck. Suspended between them were unspoken oaths and desires. Hands danced across the entwined bodies as electricity coursed through every cell. Cat's lips brushed over a sliver of exposed skin above the collar of his partner's suit as she turned her face inward, permitting her lips to find his cheek.

The pair began to pull apart, an eternity stretching between them, stopping as shy lips passed by shy lips, leaving naught but a breath of air between them.

"Maybe we shouldn't," the red-clad heroine whispered, trying to let her logical brain resume control of her body.

"Maybe we should," came the soft, ragged reply.

They lingered for a lifetime before their lips met and the electricity in the air erupted into a lightning storm between them as the world fell away. Her lips were soft; he noticed a hint of strawberry. She melted into him as he guided her lower to the floor. Cat kept a hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer, eliminating any remaining space between them.

They were the last two hearts beating in the universe. As their legs intertwined, Ladybug's hands wove their way through the messy mop of blonde hair belonging to the boy half under her. The warmth of his lips and the deep rumble of a satisfied purr stoked the fire that swirled through her chest. She reveled in his touch as his scent of leather, spice, and cedar engulfed her. It was a familiar aroma, telling her she was home.

The pair parted only when their need for breath overpowered their need for each other. Cat still held her close as they remained on the floor, fearing that he may wake up if he let her go. When he spoke, his voice trembled with equal parts thrill and trepidation.

"Where do we go from here, Lovebug? Can we make this work?" Reluctantly, he loosened his grip as she moved to sit up.

"I don't know, Chaton. I want to, but how can we?" Tears of joy and sorrow intermingled as they streaked down her face. "We can't go on dates. If Hawk Moth found out what we mean to each other, truly, he would use that against us. We also have a duty to the city and its people. This," she gestured between them, "would be nothing more than stolen moments. And what would that mean for our regular lives? I don't want anyone else, Kitty, but really. How fair is it to hold ourselves back from having some semblance of normalcy when we're not in our suits?"

Cat hated this, seeing his beloved partner in turmoil. He found both of her hands and drew them up to his chest.

"My sweet bug," he began, kissing her hands. "If all we ever have is this moment, here and now, I can live with that. You are my world, but I have to understand your reservations. I want nothing more than for you to be happy."

Ladybug laid her head against his chest, still crying and preemptively regretting what she was about to say. "Kitty, you should find a sweet girl who makes you happy. Someone you can take out and shower with affection. You have so much love to give, Minou. You should find someone who will treat you right, who you can grow old with."

"No." The sheer force of his response shook her, causing her to draw back and look at his face. "There's only one girl that would come close to you. But knowing I may someday learn who you are under the mask, I don't want to miss my chance."

Ladybug pushed him away, grimacing. Heat rose in her face. She knew what she said to him, but she certainly hadn't expected him to say... that.

"Who?" There was unmistakable venom dripping from that solitary word.

Cat shrank at the pain and anger in her face. "What?" He asked only to stall the inevitable response.

"Who is this other girl that could 'come close to me'?"

Cat Noir rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't been thinking when he mentioned her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt his lady.

"Answer me, Cat Noir." There was a pleading desperation lacing the ire in her statement.

He closed his eyes and turned his face away and spoke in a small voice. "You know her. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You gave her the mouse Miraculous."

Something akin to confusion replaced the anger and betrayal in Ladybug's face. Her voice was soft and curious when she asked, "Do you love her?"

With a grimace, Cat returned his gaze to those bluebell eyes that felt like home. "I think I do. As much as you can love two people." His eyes widened in panic, fearing her retribution. Pleading, he cried out, "I'm sorry, Bug! I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you!"

"No, my sweet cat. It's okay. I shouldn't have gotten angry. Everything is so confusing right now and you're entitled to feel the way you do. You're my partner, no matter what happens."

"You really are my world, Bugaboo." Cat smiled in awe at the supremely selfless girl before him, wondering how he had been lucky enough for her to enter his life.

"Kitty, this weekend, we need to talk about going to the temple. But for now, I think we should get some sleep. It's getting pretty late." She hugged him and kissed his cheek before swinging away.