Adrien's head pounded. What happened? Where am I? He looked around. A public square. A statue, just a few feet away. Ladybug. She was saying something, but he couldn't hear her over the ringing in his ears. He closed his eyes and shook his head, begging the pain to go away. After a moment, the ringing started to die down and the pain receded. His memory started to come back. The statue. That's right. It was about to fall. I pushed Ladybug out of the way. Wait did I…?

He opened his eyes again. Ladybug was gone. But then he heard her.

"Cat Noir! Where are you?" He spied her jumping along the rooftops. Glancing down, he saw he was in civilian form. Dodging into an empty alley, he quickly transformed. Using his staff, he made his way up to the rooftops and chased after her.

"Ladybug!" he called after her, but she didn't seem to hear. She had a good head start. Damn she's fast. He struggled to gain any distance on her. The suddenly she stopped. He heard her screaming. Crying. Was it because of him? Did she think he was dead? Of course she does, you idiot.

"Ladybug!" he called out to her again. This time she heard him. She glanced up as he finally started to get close to her. She mouthed a word that he couldn't hear. Just a few more jumps. He told himself, trying to get to her side as quickly as he could. Suddenly, a blur of red slammed into him, knocking him off balance. His feet slide from under him as they both began to fall. Grabbing Ladybug with one arm, he extended his staff with the other until it hit the ground beneath them. Once they were stable, he gracefully slid down the staff, holding Ladybug close. They landed safely in a small alleyway only a few feet wide.

"Well hi there, mi-" Before he could finish, her lips were on his. For a split second, he was shocked, but the sweetness of her kiss pulled him in. He let his staff clang to the ground as he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her closer. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and, now, her fingers entangled themselves in his hair. Her weight pressed him against the wall behind them. He drank in her sweetness, running his hands up and down her back, never wanting this moment to end. The world around them seemed to disappear as they continued kissing. Her face was wet with salty tears, but he didn't care. He closed his eyes, soaking in moment. This was his love. This was his Ladybug. His Marinette.

Her earrings beeped. He pushed back against her, turning them around the corner so that Marinette was now the one up against the wall, not wanting her to run off just yet. He poured everything into his kiss. All the years of longer for her. All the emotions he had ever felt for her. He let his lips slip away from her lips kissing her check, tracing her jaw line with kisses until he reached her neck. His eyes opened slightly, check to make sure that she was enjoying this, but then he spied her earrings. Cat Noir froze. She had de-transformed. The beep must have been the last one. He realized, too late. They locked eyes and the depth of situation became apparent. Her eyes instantly became full of terror, as if she had just realized what was happening as well. His heart raced. Cat Noir was kissing Marinette, not Adrien, her boyfriend.

"Marinette, I…" he started to explain, but Marinette shoved him to the side.

"Nothing happened! You hear me? NOTHING HAPPENED!" she took off down the street. Cat Noir started to follow her, but stopped when he heard giggling behind him. Turning, he saw Lila not that far away from him, her phone in her hands. Shit. How much did she see?

In a single leap he was snatching her phone. On the screen, clear as day, was a picture of him kissing Marinette.

"My, my, kitty...won't your ladybug be jealous?" Lila teased.

He glared at her. At least she didn't figure out Ladybug's identity.

"Here's your phone," he said, handing it back to her, "I deleted the picture."

"Doesn't matter," she shrugged. "I already sent it out to all my contacts." Cat Noir clenched his fist, wanting to punch her.

"Why you…"

"Oops! Was I not supposed to let the cat out of the bag? My bad. I just wanted Adrien to see he deserves so much better than that stupid Marinette." She turned and started walking away. "Bye, bye, you naughty kitty!"

He growled under his breath, but he knew that beating Lila to a pulp wasn't going to help the situation. Instead, he turned and spied his staff on the ground. Picking it up, he thought about his options. None of them were good. Sighing, he took off towards home. He had to talk this out, and the only one he could do that with was Plagg.

What have I done? He asked himself, as he soared across the rooftops of Paris. What. Have. I. Done?

Thank you so much for all the support and encouragement you guys have been sending. I love hearing from you! This story has turned out to be much longer than I expected, but I didn't want to rush it. The plot's really picking up speed now, so please let me know what you think! Also, sorry about the cliffhanger, I hate them too, but I promise to add the next chapter as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!