The moon sent dancing shimmers flying across the surface of the water as Ladybug leapt over it, her chiming laugh echoing off the shadowed buildings around them. She spun through the air, a blissful smile on her face, and Chat was mesmerised in the way the wind sent her bunches bouncing, the way she curled to roll as she fell and came up laughing.

"It feels so good to finally be out of that stupid cast!" She cried in exultation. She spun on the spot, her arms wide and her head thrown backwards in glee. "Look, Chat!"

She demonstrated just how good it felt by nearly giving him a heart attack- running straight towards him with a demonic smile on her face. At the last minute, she lurched her torso and arms forwards to meet the ground, in order to do a graceful hand-spring over him, landing in a flamboyantly gymnastic fashion with her arms thrown in the air and her foot pointed behind her. Chat clapped, grinning, and she giggled.

"Excellent, my Lady. I must say, four weeks in plaster hasn't affected your grace or style one mite."

Ladybug laughed openly again, his heart dancing to the sound of her voice. She danced forwards to grab his hands and spin him around with her as she celebrated.

"I feel so free." Ladybug sighed, twirling away from her slightly dizzy partner.

It had been four weeks since her leg had been broken, four weeks since she'd been let out of one prison (Chloe's) and pushed straight into another (her broken leg's). Thankfully, there had only been three akuma attacks in that time, and Chat had persuaded her to sit out for two, only letting her transform when the akuma was captured in a jar, ready for cleansing. The third time, she'd insisted on helping- and he'd secretly been glad. Music Man hadn't been a fun one to fight, and he couldn't have done it alone.

She'd received a certain amount of support from her suit, and her kwami had lent her a lot of strength, but Chat hadn't missed a single wince. She'd tried to hide the pain, of course she had, but even her magic and supreme acting skills couldn't stop him from noticing when she was in pain. It hadn't been a fun fight.

But now, there wasn't a single wince or grimace. The doctors had been astounded at her speedy recovery- a break like hers usually took at least two months to heal enough to escape the cast, and several weeks more of physio to make not using crutches bearable. But Ladybug's magic healing had done it's trick- she was two months ahead of schedule, and right back the way Chat loved her. Happy.

T be honest, there were certain things Chat was going to miss. He'd loved her letting him take care of her. He'd loved seeing her bundled up in a blanket on her chaise as he brought her books and (when her parents were out) treats from the bakery and hot chocolates. Adrien had loved seeing the smile back on his friend's face, and hearing her laugh and chatter once more.

What he hadn't loved, however, was knowing that the one who made the dreamy smile take over her face when she thought no-one was watching wasn't him. Or rather, knowing that she didn't know it was him. Over the past few weeks, knowing that he could reveal himself had bizarrely instilled in him a stifling fear of doing so. He couldn't explain it- it was like some sick, sadistic reverse psychology. The opportunity he'd always longed for, for him and Ladybug to love and know all about the other, could finally be realised. But now he could make that dream a reality, he was suddenly terrified of it happening.

Questions spun through his head at night, in class, in all his spare moments. They were stuck on repeat, his fears and insecurities pulsing through him like a stuck record.

Would she be happy it was him? Could she learn to love him as both sides of him? Would she be disappointed? Would she love one side more than the other? Suddenly, he found himself second-guessing everything he said around her as Adrien, scared he was making a bad impression. Of course, he knew he was being silly (and Plagg wasted no time in telling him so), he knew Marinette loved Chat and had had a crush on Adrien for years, but could the two loves coagulate into one?

He was pulled from his reverie when Ladybug did an astounding leap onto the top of a building ahead, turning to chuckle at his dumbfounded expression as she landed. She reached out a hand and beckoned delicately with a slender finger.

Needing no more encouragement, he ran with a Cheshire grin on his face, and did an unnecessarily extravagant pole-vault onto the roof next to her, his staff shortening back as he purred at her.

"I'm impressed, kitty." She raised an eyebrow, the smirk evident in her voice.

"You're impressed by me?" Chat said smugly back at her. "Well, that's my aim in life achieved then. Now I can die happy."

Ladybug snorted, and reached out to flick the bell on his collar.

"You don't need to try and impress me anymore, kitty." She breathed, and he unconsciously moved towards her, their faces close. "You've got me."

He wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her up to meet their lips. She smiled into his mouth, her hands trapped against his chest. The moonlight cast the shadows of her eyelashes against her cheeks as she closed her eyes, but Chat just gazed at her as she sank into the kiss, entranced by her silvery, moonlit beauty.

He let go a minute later, placing her softly back on the ground.

"But it's fun to impress you, princess." He said, with a purr. She stumbled a little when her feet met the floor, and he steadied her, worried for her leg.

"Well keep doing it then." She said a little breathlessly, and he realised to his satisfaction that the stumble wasn't from her injury, but from the kiss.

He leaned in and breathed next to her ear, "I plan on it."

She drew back from him, a dark blush on her cheeks. He grinned, and she laughed, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"I welcome it," Ladybug promised, drawing away. She stalked off and he followed, like he always did and always would. She sat as she reached the edge of the roof, and relaxed, her legs dangling over the side.

Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder as he joined her, the two staring at the Eiffel Tower's dark silhouette against the brightness of the moon. She heaved a happy sigh and giggled at the low rumble emanating from inside Chat's chest.

They remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both enjoying the closeness and comfort of their partner. Various things ran through Ladybug's head, but eventually she focused on the same one thing that had been occurring to her more and more, lately.

She discreetly looked up at Chat from under her lashes. He was staring ahead, a small smile on his face as his hand rubbed circles on the small of her back. The silvery light of the moon gave his usually golden hair a bronze-ish look, his strong cheekbones highlighted and his eyes a shimmering green.

She pursed her lips, and furrowed her brow in thought. Chat felt her head shift and looked down questioningly at her slight frown.

"Everything alright, my Lady?" He asked gently.

"Yeah." She replied, her gaze still roving over his face. He raised an eyebrow. "I just…uh." She paused, then sighed, not knowing what to say. It had been bothering her for a while, but she didn't want to bring it up and possibly ruin such a great night of celebration and liberty.

She knew she'd told him he didn't have to. She knew she had to right to want him to. She knew it was his right to choose when to tell her. She knew all that… but she was desperate to know.

Who are you?

The unspoken question hung on her lips, curiosity burning behind her eyes.

Why didn't he tell her? Was there something he had to hide? Was he ashamed of himself? Was he scared that if he revealed himself they'd have no excuse not to publicly date as civilians? Was he ashamed to be seen with Marinette? Was there another girl?

Ladybug had no right to ask those questions, something both she and Tikki reminded her whenever she voiced them aloud, tired of her own exasperation and unsated curiosity. She had no right to be so curious, especially considering the lengths she'd gone to keep her own self hidden. But still, she burned for the answers. She longed to ask those questions.

"You know I love you, right?" She asked instead, carefully.

A short exhalation left Chat's mouth, and a bark of a laugh followed a second later. He wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders as she sat next to him, and pressed a kiss to the top of her hair. He looked down at her a second later, a (confused) smirk playing with the corners of his mouth.

"That's what's troubling you, Ladybug?"

She shrugged and looked at where their hands were intertwined between them.

"Part of it."

She felt him shake and looked up in alarm. His lips were pressed together in surpressed mirth and his eyes were dancing.

"Of course I know. How could I not?" He said tenderly, stroking the side of her face with the back of a finger.

"I… I just want you to know, okay? I do, I love you. So much."

The mirth faded from Chat's face and he turned his body towards her more. A slight frown graced his forehead.

"Okay, Bugaboo, what's really going on?"

"N- nothing! I…" She broke off at Chat shaking his head, letting her know the lie wasn't working. Ladybug sighed, and decided to tell him the truth. Or some of it, anyway.

"You haven't told me who you are." Chat stiffened, and looked away. Ladybug placed her hand on his knee in a swift effort to comfort him. "And that's okay! I totally respect your right to your secrets. God knows I wasn't all that great with the idea of you finding out my secret, so you've got every right to feel trepidation. I just… you need to know that no matter what, I will love you and whoever you turn out to be."

Chat finally looked back at her, and her heart fluttered slightly at the intensity (and something else, something unidentifiable) behind his eyes. He placed a hand under her chin and pulled her towards him to crush her lips with his. She gasped at the passion he poured into it, but the kiss didn't last long. It seemed to be purely for the output of the emotion she couldn't place, as when he pulled back, all she could see in his eyes was love and caring.

"I know you will." He murmured, turning back to look at the moon again. Confused but not entirely unsatisfied, Ladybug put her head on his shoulder again.

The ensuing silence was more loaded than the one before she'd spoken had been. Both were thinking deeply.

Why won't he tell me?

Why can't I tell her?