Chapter Five

~Epilogue~

A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the love on this story! You guys make the work worth it!

This is just a short epilogue, post-reveal sort of thing because fluff feeds my soul.

Q-A Authoress: Your reviews arrived while I was at work so that was a beautiful thing to make me smile while I was bored out of my mind XD So thank you!

mintlover360:I told you it was fluffy! XD And thank youu!

Ern Ernstine 13624: I'm pretty sure they're happy about it too lol

Tortuebliss: Yes she does lmao here's the update! XD

Just Another Kid: I'm so glad you liked it! And yeah, the fight scene was really short simply because I knew the chapter would have been insanely long If I'd let it go on. (Plus I wanted to get to the lovey dovey stuff XD)

Guest (1): Yay! :)

Guest (2): Thank you!

I'm Just Awesome: Oh...my god! Thank you! Wow! I'm actually kind of torn about what I want to do as a career (I'm looking into college right now as a matter of fact) but writing has always been something I've thought about. Thank you so much!

Guest (3): OMG! Thank you XD

quiddichChick6: Yay! I mean...not yay that you cried but...yay! X'D

Enjoy!

For the first time in a very, very long time, Marinette manages to wake up to the buzz of her alarm clock. Although groggy, she rolls over in her bed and squints at the bright, sunny morning outside her window and smiles. She can hear the commute of morning traffic, along with the clink of the bakery door bell downstairs. Her father's voice greets their customers in a cheerful tone and even from the other side of the floorboards, she can hear her mother humming a tune in the kitchen.

"Mmmm...good morning, Tikki," she yawns and stretches her arms high above her head, sitting up in bed. Her kwami yawns as well and lazily floats into the air.

"Good morning..."

Marinette swipes sideways on the screen of her tablet and sighs in relief at the sight of the time - eight o'clock. Perfect. She's just standing out of bed when the events of yesterday come flooding back to her. And a huge smile breaks across her face.

Throwing herself across the room, she scrambles for her phone. She can't tell Alya the specifics but she can tell her...something. The screen lights up and she pauses. Displayed is a text...from Adrien. Recieved five minutes before she woke up.

Hey Marinette, can we meet in the courtyard at school? We need to talk.

That...sounds ominous.

Her blissfully sunny morning forgotten, Marinette races out the door of the bakery, clutching her backpack to her chest, Tikki hanging onto the inside of her cardigan for dear life. Down the street two blocks and she reaches the school.

The front of the building is already swarming with students. Among them are Alya and Nino, the former of which sees her with a look of utter shock and waves her hand excitedly.

"Hey girl, you're here early-"

"Sorry, Alya, I've gotta find Adrien!" Marinette runs past her, straight up the steps into the courtyard. In her hurry, she misses the look her best friend flashes Nino. One of intense curiosity...and the way Alya slinks after her, peeking around the corner to eavesdrop.

And there's Adrien. Sitting on a bench at the foot of the stairs, hunched over and generally looking incredibly distressed. Marinette slows to a walk and swallows. She isn't sure she likes how nervous he looks. What if...what if he regrets what happened yesterday? Oh god...what if...what if she misunderstood what he said?! She isn't sure how that kiss could have meant anything else but...but...

Oh god she feels sick.

Maybe she should hide! Avoid him until he forgets she exists! Of course then there's the whole Ladybug thing but-

Marinette runs out of time for her internal rant as Adrien looks up and spots her. A blushing, nervous smile touches his lips and he stands up and waves. Marinette accidentally drops her backpack because for some reason she decided to wave with that hand. Then, she fumbles to pick it back up and drops it two more times.

"Relax, Marinette," Tikki whispers. "He's probably just as nervous as you are."

"Has this ever happened before, Tikki?" She asks, finally getting a grip on her trembling hands long enough to pick up her bag and slowly drag herself toward Adrien. "Have Ladybug and Cat Noir ever discovered each other's identities?"

"It's uncommon," her kwami admits. "But it has happened."

"And...how did it work out?"

But before Tikki can answer, Adrien jogs over to meet her halfway. His face is even redder up close and for the first time ever the model's hair looks dishevled and he looks exhausted, like he didn't sleep at all last night.

"Hi..." he breathes. And the way his eyes immediately find hers makes her want to shrink back a little. It's like he's scrutinizing her, trying to convince himself of something.

"Hi..." she replies, white knuckling the strap of her backpack. "Umm...I got your text."

"Uh-yeah. Um, sorry I texted you so early this morning, I...probably woke you up, huh? Sorry... I just...we-we need to talk."

Marinette nods. "About what...?" Oh god pleaaaase don't say you regret it!

"I, um...about what happened yesterday..."

Noooooooooooo!

"I...you...you don't...regret it, do you?"

...wait what? "Wait, what?"

The blush on Adrien's cheeks instantly goes deeper. "Um...I just mean...uhh..."

Oh...oh my god...he doesn't regret it. He's worried that she does! Oh thank goodness.

And for once in her life, Marinette thinks she has just the right words. Reaching out, she scoops up one of his hands, the one with his ring, and shakes her head. "Adrien," she says quietly so no one will hear. "I've had the biggest, most nerve wracking crush on you for...forever. Finding out about this," she says, running her thumb over his ring. "Is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me...because it just means there's no reason for me to be so scared. We make a great team and you're my friend on top of being you. So no. I don't regret any of it."

He smiles. A little, cooked Cat Noir smile that makes her heart flutter. "Hey," he whispers, brushing a part of her bangs away from her face. "You're not stuttering."

Marinette grins and shrugs with one shoulder. "I guess finding out you're my goofy partner is all I needed to finally get comfortable around you."

Adrien laughs and leans down toward her. Marinette cranes up and their lips meet again. And it's like fireworks in her stomach and behind her eyelids.

No wait...there are literally flashes of light.

They pull apart and spin around to find Alya grinning widely, snapping photos of them with her phone. "Ah! Alya!" Marinette shrieks. "Wha-what are you-how long have you been there?!"

"Long enough, baby!" her friend laughs, "I have no idea what you guys were saying but you're both gonna be filling me in ASAP! This is the biggest story of the season!"

Adrien looks down helplessly at Marinette, who stares back at him with shock plainly on her face.

And then the bell for class rings and the crowd of students outside begin trickling inside the school. Alya grabs one of Marinette's hands and one of Adrien's and drags them up the steps.

"So? How did it happen? Who made the first move? You've gotta fill me in!"

Adrien snickers and shakes his head, giving Marinette a schemeing wink. "Don't you have a bug-themed superhero to be looking out for?"

Akya shakes her head excitedly. "Not when my BFF just scored the boy of her dreams, I don't!"

Marinette smirks at his plan. Stall for time. "I had to pick a natural-born reporter as my best friend, didn't I?"

"How could you resist?" Alya laughs. "When she's so fabulous."

Both of them laugh and discreetly bump their fists together when the three of them reach the classroom and Alya realizes she's run out of time for her interogation. She turns to them with a sour expression, knowing she's been duped.

"Ah-ha, very slick, guys. But I will get my answers."

"You will," Marinette assures her, steering inside the classroom. "After school."

"We'll get our story straight on the way home for lunch," Adrien whispers and she nods.

"Good plan, partner."

"I aim to please, M'Lady." Adrien winks and sits down beside Nino and Marinette finds her spot behind him. For the rest of class, she alternates between replaying their two kisses over and over in her head and staring dreamily at him. So of course she gets called out by the teacher, Chloe teases her for being an airhead, and Adrien scolds the blonde for being mean.

Seems like some thing are never going to change...

But as soon as the lecture has resumed, Adrien turns in his chair and slides her a note on a folded piece of graph paper. She accepts it discreetly and opens it on her lap under her desk.

We never got around to finishing our project. Your place this evening? I promise to behave ;)

Marinette giggles softly and scribbles out a response. But just as she's about to pass it back, there's a scream from the street and something explodes, rocking the floor underfoot. Both of them jump to their feet and shout,

"I need to use the bathroom!" before sprinting into the hallway. The door slams shut behind them and they throw themselves into a janitor's closet. In the cramped quarters, they both barely fit. And yet Adrien grins and leans casually on the door.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Marinette rolls her eyes. "Save the smooth talk, we've gotta transform."

"Right..."

"Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!" The janitor closet door swings open and Cat Noir bows as Ladybug runs out. "Ladies first!"

"Let's go, Romeo!" And then they swing into action, their teamwork as flawless as ever. Seems like knowing each other's identities hasn't changed much. Marinette still feels giddy when she thinks about Adrien, he still flirts endlessly with her on the battlefield, and they're still extra careful to keep their identities a secret around other people, referring to each other strictly by their hero personas.

But when the fight ends, the paparazzi is gone, and they're alone...they sneak away together and release their transformations, walking to Marinette's house hand in hand to finish their project.

End

A/N: Kind of a weird ending...but I suck at endings so...sorry XD Anyway, I hope you liked it!