#professaurus

Adrien slumped as his transformation fell, reliefalmost washing away the cloying scents stuck in his throat. If an akuma eversent him back to the time of the mage who invented the Miraculous, he’d huntthat person down and—and—!

He slung his fist back and punched a chimney, wincing as thebricks scraped his knuckles raw.

(A single, tiny glitch in the spellwork of the Black CatMiraculous, and now every one of its postpubescent holders was cursed with thisgodforsaken seasonal hell week calleda heat. If the effect wasn’t drastically weaker while detransformed, Adrienwould have thrown the ring at Master Fu and quit the first time he sufferedthrough it.)

“What are you doing?!”

Adrien didn’t get a chance to hold his breath before Ladybugwas back in his space, taking his hands gently to inspect them.

“You can’t go around hurting yourself like this, kitty,” shelectured.

There were wrinkles between her furrowed eyebrows, a worriedfrown on her pink lips, and he desperately wanted to kiss them away, drown himselfin her taste and her sweet scent.

Instead, Adrien pulled away.

“It was…I won’t do it again.” He couldn’t look her in theeye as her Miraculous beeped. “You should go home, princess.”

“No, I think the princess should take you back to hercastle,” Plagg interrupted, startling them both. “The heats wouldn’t be sooften or so bad if you actually matedwith someone during them.”

“Plagg!” hissedAdrien, swiping furiously at his kwami, but it was too late.

“You’re in heat already?!” Ladybug squeaked.

Her scent changed suddenly, revealing savoury notes that sent needy shivers down his spine.

(He can’t do this.)

“It happened during the battle,” Adrien said shortly,turning to run away. “I’ll see you in a week, Ladybug. If anyone asks about meat university, say I have the flu.”

A gloved hand caught his bare wrist as he left, slender butunyielding, and Adrien swallowed.

“I can help you,” Ladybug said quietly. Adrien closed hiseyes and breathed, trying to fight the images of what that help would entailand only getting another whiff of her maddening scent. “You know I can, and I wantto do it. Will you let me?”

(She wanted to,his libido howled, and Adrien tried to crush it down.)

“You’re…very kind, my lady,” he answered, feeling unbearablyweak.

So it surprised him she whirled him around, grabbed hisshirt, and pinned him against the chimney.

“I’m not doing this to be kind,” she said heatedly, chest nearly pressed against his and nosesbrushing and oh. “I’m being selfish.I want to do this because I want to see you better…but I also—I want you tofeel good, Adrien!” Ladybug lickedher lips. “I want to be the one who makesyou feel good.”

Her heady scent was fogging his mind, heating his body, and herested his hands on her hips because he wanted—he wanted—

“I want you, too,” Adrien rasped.