Two hours later, Adrien swept his phone off his pillow, certain for sure that this time he'd really heard it buzzing with an incoming message from Ladybug. There was still no message, and he flopped back onto the bed, despairing, one arm falling over his face.

It was evening, and long shadows were slowly stretching across his floor. Still, he couldn't bring himself enough to care enough to get up and turn the light on. Maybe he should bribe Plagg to do it for him. Or he could just wallow in darkness some more. It was a metaphor for his life. Always being in the dark about Ladybug's true name.

He'd taken Marinette's advice and worded his questions perfectly. His Lady would have no way to know that he was fishing for hints. And yet, it had been 20 minutes, and she still hadn't gotten back to him. Just left him on read.

As much as he tried to convince himself that she had gotten busy, or taken a sudden nap, or been called to help wash the dinner dishes, a part of him knew that he'd been discovered. Maybe she was mad at him, and this was the silent treatment. Want more information? Well, here's none! How do you like that, Kitten?

Something knocked against his window. Adrien flopped his face to the side, only to bolt upright on the bed and fling himself toward the window when he saw who was there waiting for him, one hand hanging from her yoyo string, the other in a tight fist, holding something. Her expression was steely.

"Nice try," she said as she dropped onto his floor, "but you were being too obvious." Her light tone was at odds with the seriousness in her face. She retracted and hooked the yoyo around her waist, then put both hands behind her back.

"It was worth a shot," he said with an apologetic smile.

"Let's see if you still think it was worth it when I'm done with you. Pick a hand."

"Uh." He still wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not. He pointed to the hand that had been holding the yoyo, the one he hoped was still empty.

She brought it forward, stretching out her fingers to show an empty palm, then took a step forward until they were nose to nose, and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"O-other one?" he asked, tripping over his own breath. He didn't watch her movements, only stared at her face, her intense look, as she brought her hand forward and rested it on his other cheek. She hadn't been holding anything.

"This," she said, "is revenge. Remember, you're not allowed to kiss me." And she guided his face down to her level. His skin tingled where her fingertips pressed against him, turning his face so she could kiss her way across his forehead and up to his hairline, then again back down, between his eyes, the bridge of his nose, the tip.

Her lips traced their way across his face, around his mouth twice, down the center of his throat.

Not wanting to hinder the movement of her mouth over him, he didn't cup her face the way he wanted to. Instead, his hands found their way to her waist, and he rubbed his thumbs in small circles over her hip bones in time with his breathing, trying to keep himself from panting under her onslaught.

"How is this revenge?" he asked. His voice was a wheeze, and he cleared his throat, ready to try again, but Ladybug was kissing her way back up his jaw, below his ear. His circling thumbs slowed, and his breathing completely stopped, when she pressed his earlobe in between her lips, held it there for just a second, before turning away, tracing her nose across his cheekbone, doubling back to follow the same path with a line of kisses.

"Don't–" he gasped out. Swallowed. Remembered to breathe. Tried again. "Don't you hate this? That I can't kiss you back?" He definitely did.

Ladybug growled in annoyance, pulling the neck of his shirt down so she could place an open-mouthed kiss on his shoulder, but her grumbling ruined the effect, and the brush of air tickled. In spite of himself, Adrien laughed.

He swallowed it when she stepped backward. Not far enough to escape his arms, but far enough that her mouth couldn't reach him. "Maybe I'm not very good at this kissing thing yet," she said. "I'm still new at it."

"No," he said, dropping his arms and stepping back. "You're very good at kissing." He needed the distance from her before his face literally caught fire or he melted through the floor. (Or he did something stupid, like break her rule and kiss her back.) "Would you like to know how good at kissing I am? Because I've never done it before but I bet I'm phenomenal."

She smiled and tilted her head. "Yes, I would very much like to find out about that, so you better figure me out quickly."

"Ugh, I just wanna kiss my girlfriend."

Ladybug, who'd been stepping closer, froze. Adrien felt his face going red. They'd only talked about it over text, what their relationship really was. Hearing it out in the open like that was different.

She crossed her arms. "Well, that's your problem, not mine. Until then, you need to make it up to me."

"How?"

"Compliment me."

"I thought for sure that was going to work." Adrien said. Marinette had made her idea sound so foolproof. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't think there was a way for him to figure it out without more.

"My poor Kitten," Ladybug said. Adrien was lying on his back on his couch, his Lady in his arms. One gloved hand had snuck under his shirt, and he was sliding one finger up and down her spine. It would take a long, long time for him to get used to this.

"Can I have another hint?" he said. "I feel like I'm missing something, but I don't know what it is."

"One more hint," she said. "But that's it."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Your hint is that I've already given you a hint today."

"You did?"

"A pretty heavy-handed one, actually. I was surprised you didn't… cat-ch it." She cocked her head, resting her chin on his chest to look at him, one eyebrow quirked upward.

She was so beautiful, and it was so unfair that he wasn't allowed to kiss her just because he couldn't guess her name.

"Wait, did I talk to you today?"

"Purr-haps."

That really narrowed it down. Who did he talk to today?

Ladybug snuggled closer to him, sliding her hand along his stomach. "Please figure it out soon, Adrien. I want you to kiss me."

He could have asked her to change the rule again. He almost did. He could have asked her to explain what he'd done to deserve her onslaught when she'd arrived. Retribution for asking about the assembly didn't make sense. He'd been much more direct just now and she hadn't minded, just surrendered one without a second thought. But what else could it have been? What had he done to upset her?

He almost asked.

But Ladybug turned, humming into his neck, her lips vibrating against his skin, before peppering him with feather-light kisses.

And he kept his mouth shut.

That night, laid stretched on on his stomach under his sheets, he flipped through his contacts like Nino had suggested. The screen was blindingly bright, but he didn't have the energy to change it. He just scrolled up and down, up and down.

Whose number should he have had that he didn't? He already knew he had everyone in class. Plus everyone from work, not that it mattered. None of his coworkers went to school with him.

He'd gone through the lists of the other homeroom classes in his grade. There wasn't anyone in there he felt comfortable giving his number to who didn't already have it. Then through the other grades. He'd come up empty on each pass through the entire student body. Desperation started to flood him again.

Maybe he should just text Marinette and beg for another idea. She'd seemed eager to help him out that morning. She'd probably laugh at him, but there were worse fates than Marinette's laughter.

Yeah, he should ask her. He couldn't remember her phone number, or even the last time he'd texted her, so he started scrolling through his contacts with a purpose.

"Nathalie, Nino, Max," he muttered, reading down the list. "My Lady, Mylene."

He smiled at Ladybug's entry. As much as he loved the pet name placeholder, it would be nice to have her real name there instead. He could imagine accidentally hitting Mylene's name and starting a conversation. That would be… interesting.

Distracted by the thought of trying to explain to Mylene why he'd sent her a bunch of heart-eyed cat emojis in the middle of the night, he didn't immediately realize that Marinette's name wasn't there with the other M's.

He hadn't set it to "Princess," had he? That would have been embarrassing (and not to mention potentially secret-revealing) if anyone had gotten ahold of his phone. But there was no contact for Princess. There wasn't even one for "Purr-incess." His breathing became uneven as he searched his entire contact list. He didn't have any other nicknames for her. He ran through the whole list again anyway.

He didn't have her number.

Anywhere.

And he definitely should have had it.

Marinette was about the right height. She liked video games. Her hair was the same style, but that wasn't saying much. Lots of girls wore their hair in pigtails these days. His Lady was quite the trendsetter.

Marinette was confident and creative. And he had talked to her today. Had she given him a hint when she'd spoken to him? He couldn't put his finger on anything odd that she had said.

Could it be that civilian Ladybug got flustered and tongue-tied whenever she talked to him? But that would mean that Marinette had had a crush on him since his second day at school. That... would explain a lot actually.

Could Marinette be Ladybug?

Marinette was always ready to defend anyone that Chloe or another bully was pushing around, just like he'd expect from Ladybug. She definitely wasn't a morning person. There were just too many coincidences.

She was simultaneously silk and steel. Sweet vanilla and fiery pepper. She was cool under pressure and ready with a cheer for your successes or a shoulder to cry on.

Adrien wasn't even sure which girl he was referring to anymore. They were already blending into one person.

Marinette's eyes... he couldn't remember what they looked like.

"Hey, Plagg?"

The kwami grunted with a start. "I was having the cheese dream again, Adrien. This better be good."

"What color are Marinette's eyes?"

"The princess?" Plagg stretched out, back arched, just like a real cat. "How should I know? I have to stay hidden all day."

Adrien's gaze narrowed.

"Is Ladybug or isn't Ladybug really Marinette?"

"Maybe."

"You know the answer."

"Yes."

"And now you're being deliberately unhelpful."

"Yes."

Adrien turned his phone screen off with a click and sent the entire room into darkness. "I bet Ladybug's kwami is nicer than you are."

"Hmm," Plagg said sleepily. "Debatable. Why don't you just text Ladybug about it?" He curled back up into a little ball, almost invisible in the darkness, and started snoring immediately.

Marinette. That would explain why she'd been so eager to help him that morning. Marinette. Had he really been in love with Marinette this whole time? Marinette, who was so willing to help out those around her, with her ready smile and fierce love for anyone lucky enough to be near her?

He really hoped so.

Author's note: One chapter to go!