Marinette couldn't help the giggle that came out upon seeing the way Adrien's head shot up and his eyes grew as big as dinner plates. She gave him what she hoped was a coy wave, praying that it didn't look as nervous and awkward as she felt. The startled model hurried over to the window where she sat and fumbled with the latch as he attempted to open it.

"Ladybug! Wow. Hi. It's good to see you. Here. Hi. I, um… What, uh, what are you doing here?"

She had been prepared for that question. For 11 days she had racked her brain and jotted down ideas for why Ladybug would show up uninvited to a civilian's house. With a reminder that she was here to fulfill his fantasy (and hers if she was being completely honest), she tried to speak confidently with just the right amount of flirtation in her voice.

"I wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten." Good. That was a complete sentence without a stammer. Her voice sounded slightly sultry even to her own ears and this gave her the confidence to keep going.

Adrien looked at her confused. "I'm sorry, what haven't you forgotten?"

"I haven't forgotten what you did for me during the fight with Desperada," Marinette said with a small grin. "I didn't have time after the battle to thank you. And with everything else going on in Paris I haven't been able to make it over here before now."

At the mention of Desperada, Adrien's face fell. "I don't deserve thanks for that. I failed you miserably."

Seeing how dejected and ashamed he looked Ladybug moved forward and took his face in her gloved hands. She was off script now and was praying to every Kwami that she wouldn't screw this up. Maybe bringing up Desperada hadn't been the smartest choice, but it was the only interaction Adrien had with Ladybug that would be worthy of a visit.

"No, no, no, Adrien," she said gently. "Just because you couldn't beat her didn't mean that you failed me. You spent a month trying to protect me. You lived the same five minutes more than 25,000 times because you wanted to help. Anyone else wouldn't have cared so deeply to make that sacrifice."

Her words were seeming to help as Adrien was now looking her in the eyes. She brushed a stray hair from his face before continuing.

"And even when you finally did acknowledge that you couldn't do it, you told me the truth. It would have been easy for you to simply say you changed your mind, or that you tried it a couple of times and couldn't get the hang of it, or anything really. But you were open and honest and genuine."

Adrien didn't seem to have a response to that, but he did seem to notice the longing and affection on Ladybug's face. He shifted just a little bit closer to her and let her continue.

"That's why I wanted to thank you. Because of your courage and dedication and sacrifice. And because of your honesty. Those traits prove that you are worthy of a Miraculous, even if the Snake wasn't a good fit," As she spoke the words Marinette had been slowly leaning towards Adrien, who in turn was doing the same until their foreheads were almost touching. She continued in a hushed voice, "But I'm here tonight to let you know that I haven't forgotten the kind of person that you are. And I never will."

With that she closed the remaining gap between them and planted her lips firmly on his, wrapping her arms around him as she did so. This might be her only chance to kiss Adrien and dammit, she was going to make it a good one. There was only a split-second of hesitation on Adrien's part before he was returning the kiss with equal passion. God, it was everything she dreamed it would be. The two of them poured unspoken emotions into the moment, letting their tongues gently dance across each other's lips. She was pleased how in sync they were, as they both needed to come up for air at the same moment. They stepped back from each other and took a moment to look into the other's eyes. Neither of them spoke, not wanting to break the spell that had been cast between them. As if they had an unspoken connection, Ladybug and Adrien launched themselves back together without needing to say a word. They stumbled backwards towards the white sofa, collapsing without missing a beat, continuing as if their lives depended on it, as if this would be their only moment together.

After several minutes, Marinette lifted herself up and looked down at Adrien. While not nearly as polished as he was for his photoshoots, she had never seen him look more attractive than he did in this moment. His hair was a mussed halo accented by slight beads of sweat on his forehead, his lips were swollen from action, and he was looking at her with such affection and desire.

Well, she thought to herself, mission accomplished. I would say his fantasy is fulfilled. Leaning down, she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Though more chaste and innocent than the last several had been, it still conveyed the same emotions to the speechless boy. With a bittersweet smile she stood up.

"I'm sorry to say I have to get going," she said, hearing her own disappointment, " I know I can trust you to keep this between us."

"Of course, Ladybug. I would never break your trust." Adrien stood up while he spoke, gentlemanly escorting her to the window. Ladybug leaned in and gave him one more sweet, lingering kiss.

"Goodnight, Adrien. And thank you." As she turned to leave she heard the words she was afraid he might say.

"Will you come again?"

There it was. Marinette took a deep breath before turning her head to him again. She had written a response for this too, explaining the danger they would both be in, how she couldn't abuse her powers, how he deserved someone who could be with him in public and not just come for stolen moments at night. She opened her mouth to tell him one word: No.

"Maybe."

Or that word instead. Marinette's eyes widened as she realized what had slipped out. Adrien gave her a grin so charming it ought to be illegal and she couldn't resist blowing him a kiss as she leapt off into the night. She had already dug herself in pretty deep, so what was one shovel more?

Yeah, Tikki was definitely going to kill her.