Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. It belongs to its respective owner.

Blue Scarf

"Good evening, My Lady."

Ladybug is sitting at the edge of the tallest platform of the Eiffel Tower, looking down at the city of Paris. Every night, she and Chat Noir individually go around the city two or three times for patrol. They both meet up at the top of the Eiffel Tower—their favorite spot—when they're done, and they spend the next hour or so talking about anything that comes to mind under the brightness of the moon.

When Ladybug doesn't respond to his greeting after several seconds, Chat Noir approaches her with a worried expression on his face.

"Ladybug, what—" Chat Noir sees a tear roll down her cheek before hiding her face behind her bangs. He whispers, "Are you… crying?"

"No, I'm not," Ladybug answers, her voice wavering. Chat Noir kneels down to her level and lifts a hand up to her face to push her bangs out of the way. Ladybug turns away from him, making him flinch. "It's nothing, Chat."

Chat Noir sits next to her and softly asks her, "What's wrong?"

After hearing his question, fresh tears roll down Ladybug's cheeks. She angrily wipes her fallen tears away. "It's just—I'm so stupid," she says slowly. "There's… this guy at school that I like."

Something inside Chat Noir shatters, and he knows very well that it's his heart.

"I've liked him since the day I met him, and I just…" Ladybug sighs. "I can't do anything right. I'm always embarrassing myself in front of him, I'm always falling over my feet, I can't even form a coherent sentence—I'm a complete mess. He could never fall in love with someone like me."

"Ladybug, anyone would be lucky to have your heart," Chat Noir says with a smile on his face despite the pain in his chest. "You're strong, beautiful, confident, and smart. How can a person not fall for you?"

Ladybug looks down at the lit-up city with a melancholic expression on her face. "You might not believe me, but behind this mask… I'm nothing," she says quietly. "I'm the opposite of what you just said. I'm only ever that way when I'm Ladybug."

"I don't believe you," Chat Noir says. "I think—no, I know that you're the same girl with or without the mask. You just don't know it yet."

Ladybug shakes her head at his words. "You wouldn't love me if you knew the real me," she mumbles. She then wipes away her tears, and apologizes, "I'm sorry for making such a small thing a big deal. It just… hurts being brushed off by the person you love."

"I know how that feels."

Ladybug's eyes widen, and she turns to her partner to see him looking up at the starry sky. He has a smile on his face, but Ladybug knows it's forced. "Chat, I'm sorry…"

Chat Noir shakes his head, and only grins wider. She turns away from the sky and looks at her. "Don't worry about it, My Lady," he says. "You're allowed to love whoever you choose to love."

Ladybug frowns at her partner's smiling face because she knows he's trying his harder to stay happy for her. If she were to honest, if she never met Adrien, she probably would've given Chat Noir a chance.

"I don't mind who you fall in love with as long as he keeps you smiling," Chat Noir says charismatically.

"Chat…"

"I just want you to be happy," he tells her, turning away to admire the star-filled sky once more.

Ladybug doesn't say anything afterwards, and only looks up to watch the stars with him. They spend several minutes in silence, and the only sound that could be heard is the whispers of the wind. From the corner of his eye, Chat Noir can see Ladybug shifting uncomfortably in her spot, and after another round of silence, he breaks the ice.

"Is there something wrong, Ladybug?" Chat Noir asks, making her turn to him. "You seem uncomfortable."

"No, it's just," she begins, cheeks a bright pink. "I'm not used to telling people personal things. It's kind of hard for me to open up, so to just confess something like that to you…"

"I understand," Chat Noir says, and Ladybug looks down in embarrassment. "Should I make it equal, then?"

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asks, turning her head to look at him.

"I keep things to myself too," he says easily. "I feel like I should tell you a thing or two about me, since you just told me something about yourself. And it's also kind of weird—we've been battling akumas for over a year now, yet we hardly know anything about each other."

Come to think of it, Ladybug realizes that Chat Noir is right. She could list the little things she observed about him, and he could probably do the same. But he doesn't know anything personal about her at all. He doesn't know anything about her favorite drinks or hobbies, the foods she hates the most, the articles of clothing she refuses to wear. She doesn't know what he does in his spare time, if he has a part-time job in his civilian life—heck, she doesn't know if he even likes cats.

She trusts Chat Noir with her life, and yet she can't even jot down the basic facts about him. (And she considers him her closest friend besides Alya).

"You're right," Ladybug says. She looks down at the bright city of Paris, deep in thought. She says aloud after a good two minutes, "I have an idea."

"Tell me," Chat Noir says, swinging his legs back and forth.

"I want to get to know you, Chat Noir. Not as my partner, but as my friend."

Chat Noir's ears droop downwards. "I thought we were friends…" he says crestfallen. "You only ever thought of me as your partner?"

"No, I don't mean it like that!" Ladybug exclaims, waving her hands. "I mean, I want to know more about you, not because you're my partner, but because you're my friend. Tell me the little things about yourself, and I'll tell you some about me."

Chat Noir's ears perk up. "I'm good with that," he grins. "How many things do we say about each other a day? We'll run out if we say too many."

"I'm thinking one each," Ladybug suggests.

"I think three's better," Chat Noir chuckles. "Not too much, not too little. I think I'd die with one per day. It's too little."

"You're right, three is it then," Ladybug says, and when he gives her a smile, she completely forgets the reason why she was crying earlier. Chat Noir's optimism is really contagious, she discovers, and she could feel envy bubbling inside of her. "You can start."

"If you insist," Chat Noir says, making a thinking pose. After many seconds of watching him think, he finally exclaims, "I've got one!" Ladybug's face brightens, but falls flat when he asks, "What's your favorite color?"

"Chat, that's not how it works," Ladybug says monotonously. "You're supposed to tell me something about you."

"But questions work just fine," Chat Noir pouts. When her face remains unchanged, he gives in. "Alright, fine. So, about me…" He makes another thinking pose, and when his face lights up, he says, "I hate Camembert cheese!"

Ladybug raises an eyebrow. "…Okay," she says.

"No, seriously—I hate it," Chat Noir grimaces. "The smell is nauseating. But I always smell like it because my kwami loves it."

"I guess it's my turn now," Ladybug giggles. "Well, since you wanted to know what my favorite color is, it's pink. It used to be green."

"Why isn't it green anymore?" Chat Noir asks.

Ladybug's face goes dead serious. "Because—besides black—you're associated with green."

Chat Noir places a hand over his heart, pretending to be offended. "My Lady, you hurt me so."

She rolls her eyes, smiling, "Your turn."

Marinette runs into her classroom, and the bell rings the second she sits down. She and Chat Noir stayed up until the sun came up, and it was hard for her to fall asleep because she couldn't stop replaying her conversation with Chat Noir at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He always knows how to make her feel better—she couldn't ask for a better partner and friend.

"Just in time," Alya grins at her. Marinette laughs while scratching the back of her head.

The lesson that day goes into one of Marinette's ears, and exits the other. All she can think of is the facts she learned about Chat Noir. So far, she discovered that he hates (and smells like) Camembert cheese, he likes the color sky blue, and he loves sweets. She told him that she likes the color pink, she likes to draw, and her favorite flowers are lavenders.

"This next in-class assignment will be done in pairs," Mme Bustier announces, catching Marinette's attention. While the teacher passes around sheets of paper, Marinette turns to Alya, who nods over to Adrien. Marinette's face turns bright red, and she shakes her head, making her best friend sigh in exasperation.

Their classmates start getting up to walk over to their teammate, when Mme Bustier stops them. "You didn't allow me to finish," she says, holding a hand up. "I will be choosing who you're all going to be with."

Marinette shrinks in her seat. If she's in a team with Chloe one more time, she might just jump out the window.

Alya is with Nino, Rose with Juleka, Kim with Alix, Ivan with Mylene, Max with Nathanael, and Marinette shifts nervously in her spot because she hasn't been called yet, and there are only four names left. There's her, Adrien, Sabrina and Chloe, and she desperately hopes she's with—

"Adrien and Marinette," Mme Bustier says.

It took all of Marinette's willpower not to jump out of her seat screaming and crying. She sees Chloe glaring at her from the corner of her eye, but she couldn't care less. She's paired up with Adrien.

Alya sends her a wink and mouths, "Do your best."

Marinette nods, and slides out of her seat when Nino walks up the stairs to take her place next to Alya. She takes a deep breath and makes her way over to the seat next to Adrien, trying hard to control her bursting heart and the burning in her ears.

"H-hi, Adrien," Marinette says with a nervous smile and wave. She ignores the dirty look Chloe shoots in her direction because nothing could possibly ruin her mood now.

"Good morning, Marinette," Adrien smiles, and Marinette's heart skips a beat. "So, which short story do you think we should start with first?"

Marinette's face heats up. "I, um… I wasn't really paying attention, so do you think you could…" her voice gets lower and lower, and it's barely above a whisper when she utters the rest of her sentence. "Explain what we have to do? I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Adrien laughs. "We have to read three short stories, and then answer the questions on this paper."

She could've easily figured that out if she had just read the stupid paper in her hands. She mentally slaps herself.

"I see. Th-thanks," she says, reaching for her backpack to take out her textbook.

"No problem," Adrien says with a grin, completely unfazed by her behavior. While he flips through his book to look for the page of the first short story he decided on, Marinette digs through her backpack, panicking when her Literature book isn't inside.

She shamefully turns back to Adrien and says, "…I forgot my textbook at home."

"It's all right," Adrien says, pushing the book between them. "We can share."

"I'm sorry," she mumbles.

"It's no problem," he says kindly. "I thought that we could start with this story. I hope you don't mind."

"N-not at all," she answers. Marinette scoots closer to him to get a better look at the book, but instead of reading, she's staring at Adrien's profile. His blond hair, his green eyes, and his perfect everything. Adrien notices her staring and looks over at her, making Marinette quickly turn away to read the book with reddening cheeks. Adrien only smiles and re-averts his attention to the textbook laid out on the desk.

"Can I turn the page?" Adrien asks.

"Sure," Marinette nods. When he reaches over to flip the page, a strong scent hits Marinette in the face. She blinks for a couple of seconds, wondering just where that smell came from.

Marinette drops the thought and continues reading. After reading the page on the left, her eyes move to the right, but the words are too far for her to see. She nervously scoots closer to Adrien, and when she does, the same smell from earlier hits her once again, making her wrinkle her nose.

The scent is familiar, but she just can't place a finger on it. It's mixed with Gabriel Agreste's Eau de parfum as well, so the strong blend is both nauseating and distracting.

"Are you done?" Adrien asks, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts.

She quickly scans the last paragraph and responds, "Yeah. We can start answering the questions."

At the end of the day, Marinette receives a text message from her dad to pick up some Camembert cheese after school for dinner. Her mom is planning on making cheese fondue with tonight's possible leftover baguettes (but she knows it's because her dad wouldn't stop bugging her about making some).

"I've never tried Camembert cheese before," Alya says as she and Marinette look through the market's glass display cases holding various types of cheese.

"It's really good," Marinette says. She asks the salesclerk for a medium-sized, round block of Camembert. Once it's handed to her, Alya grimaces and plugs her nose.

"It smells so strong," Alya says, fanning the air.

Marinette stays silent when she gets a whiff of the block, and her eyes widen upon realizing why its smell was so familiar.

She smelled it on Adrien.

"I'm home!" Marinette exclaims upon entering the bakery. "I bought the cheese you—Adrien?!"

The blond turns around and shoots her a friendly smile. "Hi, Marinette," he greets.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she stutters, making awkward hand gestures.

"He came by for some chocolatines," Sabine answers for him, handing him a brown bag full of them. "There's an extra one in there just for you."

"Thank you so much," Adrien says, looking down into the bag. "I love sweets, but Nathalie hardly ever lets me eat any because I have to follow this whole model diet plan."

Marinette nearly drops the bag she's carrying.

"Chat Noir loves sweets," she whispers.

"Marinette, is there something wrong?" Sabine asks, eyeing the bag on the floor. Marinette quickly picks it up and laughs nervously.

"No, n-nothing's wrong! I just—you know, I just can't imagine not having sweets a lot of the time?" Marinette answers, wanting to slap herself for her terrible grammar and clumsy delivery.

"You get used to it after a while," Adrien says. "Well, thank you again for the chocolatines, and I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette."

"See you tomorrow, A-Adrien," she says. With one last thank you, Adrien walks out of the bakery and into the busy streets of Paris. Once he's out of view, Marinette dumps the cheese on the counter and runs into her room, her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"What happened?" Tikki asks when she flies out of her wielder's purse. "Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not, Tikki," she says in a panic. She paces back and forth in her room, breathing heavily. "Everything that Chat Noir mentioned last night, I saw it in Adrien. Do you think he could—?" Marinette garbs the sides of her head and screeches. "THEN THAT MEANS ADRIEN HAS BEEN FLIRTING WITH ME AND KISSING MY HAND—"

"Calm down, Marinette!" Tikki says, and Marinette gradually calms herself down. "Anyone could smell like cheese, love sweets and like the color—"

Marinette's eyes widen. "Adrien likes sky blue too, I completely forgot," she places her hands on her cheeks and starts hyperventilating. "It can't be him, it can't be him, it can't—"

"You don't know for sure if Adrien is Chat Noir," Tikki says. "You can't just decide on it based on three common facts."

"You're right," she nods, steadying her breath. "I shouldn't jump to conclusions."

It could just be a coincidence.

It could just be a coincidence that Adrien just so happened to smell like Camembert cheese, like the color sky blue, and love sweets—just like Chat Noir.

The thought doesn't leave her mind, and before she knows it, she's sitting next to Chat Noir after a long day of school, night patrolling and suspicions. She doesn't bring it up, and they're classified it as coincidences for now.

"—your turn."

"H-huh? What?" Ladybug babbles, snapping out of her thoughts.

"I said, it's your turn," Chat Noir repeats.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Ladybug apologizes, a cloud forming at her lips. The thought that Adrien could be Chat Noir lingers in her mind, making her face grow hot because if Chat does turn out to be Adrien, then he's been flirting with me and I've been rejecting him every single time?!

"I said, I play the piano," Chat Noir grins. "Not to sound cocky, but I am pretty good. I'd play for you sometime."

"I never would've guessed you played such an elegant instrument," Ladybug says. "You look like a guitar kind of guy."

"That's the point of this game," Chat Noir laughs. "There are lots of things you don't know about me."

"You're right," Ladybug says with a small smile. "I'd love to hear you play one day."

"I'll be sure to practice then," Chat Noir grins.

A gust of wind suddenly hits them, making them both quiver at the cold. The weather last night was perfectly fine—not too cold and not too hot. Too bad it couldn't stay that way.

"It's getting kind of cold, isn't it?" Chat Noir shivers, rubbing his arms in order to create heat. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised—Christmas is in about a month and a half after all."

"I'm all right, actually," Ladybug says, but she knows she's just warm because of her panicked thoughts. She lies, "My suit is enough to keep me warm. Of course, we'll see if it stays this way when the snow starts falling."

"I guess my material isn't thick enough for this kind of weather," Chat Noir says, taking a seat next to her. "I should've dressed a little warmer."

"What's it made of?" Ladybug asks, feeling the fabric of his suit. "Leather?"

Chat Noir opens his mouth to answer, but a smirk suddenly appears on his face as he answers, "Nope. Boyfriend material."

Silence.

"I'm leaving."

"No, come back!"

Marinette sighs.

If there's one thing she hates about being class president, it's having to sometimes stay after school to finish up the class reports. Nino's suggestion for being able to listen to music in the library still stands, and Max would like to be able to choose his seat (it isn't fun sitting behind Ivan or Kim all the time—it makes it hard for him to see the blackboard).

Marinette is on her way to the teacher's office to hand in her report, when the sound of a piano playing catches her attention. She tries to keep walking towards the office, but she finds herself turning on her heel to follow the sound of the melody. Before she knows it, she's standing in front of the music room, where the piano playing could be heard from the other side.

Marinette places her ear on the door and leans against it, only to fall over and make it swing wide open. While she's sprawled across the floor, she hears the person stop playing the piano and she wishes that she could just stay down forever.

"…Marinette?"

Her eyes widen, and she looks up from the floor. "Adrien?"

The blond holds his hand out, and Marinette takes it with a blush. When he helps her back up to her feet, she asks, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Adrien scratches the back of his head and laughs softly, making Marinette's cheeks turn bright pink. "I was practicing the piano," he answers. "You?"

Marinette holds up the slightly crumpled paper in her hand. "I-I was on my way to give in th-these class reports," she stutters. She eyes the black piano behind him. "What are you practicing for?"

"An upcoming piano rehearsal," Adrien answers a little too quickly.

Marinette shivers. "Aren't you cold in here?" she asks, and then eyes his clothes. "It's almost winter—how are you still able to wear a t-shirt without freezing to death?"

"Thick material?" he laughs.

"I see," Marinette asks. "Cotton?"

Adrien's lips break out into a wide grin. "Boyfriend material."

Marinette freezes.

"What's it made of?" Ladybug asks, feeling the fabric of his suit. "Leather?"

Chat Noir opens his mouth to answer, but a smirk suddenly appears on his face as he answers, "Nope. Boyfriend material."

She fake laughs so as to not make him feel awkward, but she's panicking and screaming internally. The piano, the joke—this can't just be a mere coincidence now.

"I should go," Marinette says, waving the paper in her hand. "I'm already late as is."

"Alright," Adrien says. "Sorry for keeping you here. I'll see you tomorrow."

Marinette nods, and turns around to head for the door. "See you tomorrow."

She doesn't look back.

It can't be. It just can't.

There's no way that Adrien is Chat Noir. Adrien Agreste is reserved and modest and mature. Chat Noir is flirty and overly-confident and makes a pun whenever he's given the chance. Aside from kindness, he's nothing like the black cat superhero she fights crimes with every day.

Ladybug tells herself to forget about it because she's probably just over-thinking things. When night comes, Ladybug makes her way to the top of the Eiffel Tower to wait for her partner. She's looking up at the sky to admire the bright stars, when a cold gust of wind rushes past her. Ladybug hugs herself, almost regretting not bringing a muffler or bonnet.

"Good evening, My Lady," suddenly comes Chat Noir's usual greeting.

Ladybug turns to look at him. "Good evening, Chat—"

Her smile fades in an instant, and her eyes widen. A blue scarf hangs around Chat Noir's neck, and it looks a little too much like the scarf she made Adrien for his birthday.

She was already a bit suspicious as is because with every fact Chat Noir tells her about himself, she sees it in Adrien—the Camembert cheese, the color sky blue, the love for sweets, the piano, and even that stupid boyfriend material joke. It was so obvious—the answer was staring at her right in the face and yet she still denies it. Of course, Adrien surely isn't the only one who could be carrying those facts, but he's the only one who could have that sky blue scarf.

"That scarf…" Ladybug says quietly. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, this?" Chat Noir smiles, placing a gentle hand over it. "Another thing about me in my civilian life: my father is always busy, so he hardly ever has time for me. Because of this, he almost always forgets to get me a birthday gift. But he got this for me last year. I was so happy."

Ladybug doesn't say a word. Her eyes are wide, and there's a buzzing in her ears. His story sounds too familiar—there's no way this could be a mere coincidence.

Ladybug immediately stands up. "I have to go," she says.

"Already?" Chat Noir asks, standing up as well. "But I just got here. And we still have to play our game!"

"I have things to take care of," Ladybug says, looking away from him. She whips her yoyo out, ready to swing off in to the night.

"Alright," Chat Noir says in a low, disappointed whisper. "Good night, My Lady."

"Good night, A—" She clutches her yoyo tighter. "Good night, Chat."

"At this rate, we'll be looking at a green Christmas," Alya says as she exits the building alongside Marinette and Nino. Adrien left the second class finished because he had a photoshoot to get to. Marinette would normally be upset by this, but with the possibility of him being Chat Noir haunting her thoughts, she's glad to have some time away from him. (Especially since he was wearing his blue scarf today).

"I wouldn't mind that, really," Nino shrugs, pulling his fall jacket closer to his body. "I never liked bundling up and wearing all those winter accessories. I'd rather wear baseball caps than bonnets."

"I'm not a fan of winter jackets," Marinette laughs. "I look like a penguin walking in those. And sometimes, it doesn't even keep me warm."

"Exactly!" Nino exclaims. "I'd be fine with wearing my fall jacket all winter—"

A terrified shriek cuts Nino off, and the trio turn around to see a dozen of students frozen mid-run. An obviously akumatized victim walks out of the school with a menacing look in their eyes. The villain has cold blue skin, wavy snow-white hair draping over one shoulder, and a crown made of ice.

"I am the Snow Queen," the villain announces, one of her gloves glowing white. Marinette focuses her attention on the gloves—the akuma must be in there. "And I lay upon the curse of an eternal winter on all of Paris!"

The Snow Queen throws a hand up in the air, and a burst of white shoots up into the clear, blue sky. The light spreads throughout the entire city, and strong gusts of wind and a flurry of snow envelops Paris.

"Duck!" Marinette exclaims, performing said action. Alya and Nino obey her, and watch in horror as the student behind them gets frozen. They each get up on their feet and run off to hide, but the Snow Queen traps them between large blocks of ice.

"Now, to freeze you three, who said that there shouldn't be a winter…" Snow Queen grins, ready to strike. Alya, Nino and Marinette close their eyes, ready to be frozen, but the blow never comes. They each open their eyes to see Chat Noir standing in front of them, and he appears to have stopped the attack with a twirl of his staff. Marinette stays frozen in place when her eyes land on the blue scarf wrapped around Chat Noir's neck.

"Run!" Chat Noir tells them as he continues to blocks the Snow Queen's attacks. The trio all run off to hide, but Marinette sneakily slips away to transform.

"Tikki, we have to help Chat Noir!" Marinette says when the kwami flies out of her purse. "TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"

Marinette transforms into Ladybug, and swings out of her hiding place. She wraps her yoyo around one of Snow Queen's hands, preventing the villain from throwing an attack at her partner. Ladybug lands next to Chat Noir, whose ears perk up at the sight of her.

"Nice seeing you again, My Lady," Chat Noir grins.

"Nice seeing you too, Chat," Ladybug says, zipping her yoyo back. "The akuma must be in her gloves—we have to get them!"

Chat Noir nods, and after giving each other a look and a nod, they run in opposite directions. The Snow Queen chooses to focus on Ladybug and throws a flurry of snowballs in her direction, of which Ladybug deflects with a spin of her yoyo.

Chat Noir quietly sneaks up behind the akumatized victim, ready to make a surprise attack, when the Snow Queen catches a reflection of him from one of the ice blocks she formed. She swiftly turns around and glares at him as an enormous snowflake forms in her hand. The snowflake's braches are sharp like knives, and the villain throws it in Chat Noir's direction with as much force as she can exert. The snowflake spins like a buzzsaw, and the superhero performs a backflip to dodge it.

He managed to get out of the way before the snowflake cut him, but his scarf didn't.

Chat Noir's eyes widen in horror as his blue scarf falls to the ground, now cut in two. Ladybug's mouth falls open at the damage done to his most precious item, and for a moment, the whole world is silent.

Because for the first time ever, Chat Noir isn't smiling.

Ladybug grips her yoyo tightly. "LUCKY CHARM!" she screams as she throws her yoyo in the air. A hand mirror falls into her hands, and the Snow Queen roars with laughter at the sight of it.

"Do you really think you could defeat me with a mirror?" she cackles.

Ladybug immediately scans her surroundings. She memorizes the ladybug-printed pattern and gets straight into action. She has to defeat the akumatized victim as fast as possible because she hates seeing Chat Noir this way.

Ladybug secures the mirror onto a nearby pine tree, and she makes sure it looks hidden so that the Snow Queen wouldn't see it. She jumps in front of the tree and makes the Snow Queen's crown fall off her head.

"Sorry, but I think it's time I knock you off your throne," Ladybug says.

The Snow Queen growls and stretches her hand out, shooting a beam of light in Ladybug's direction. Ladybug dodges the attack and performs a flip in the air, making the villain shoot another beam at her. The light hits the mirror hidden in the tree's branches, and the Snow Queen's eyes widen when the beam shoots back in her direction.

The Snow Queen is frozen in place instead, and Ladybug lands right next to her. She slips the victim's gloves off and rips them in half, and a black butterfly flies out of the akumatized item. Ladybug catches the butterfly with her compact and purifies it, releasing a white butterfly instead.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" Ladybug screams when she throws her Lucky Charm in the air. Magic dust flies all around the city of Paris, making all the snow and ice disappear. Ladybug sees Chat Noir holding his torn scarf in his hands, waiting for it to be fixed… but it never happens.

Ladybug approaches her partner. "I'm sorry, Chat," she says softly.

"It's not your fault," Chat Noir says, gripping his scarf tighter. "I should've taken better care of it."

"Chat…" Ladybug frowns. Shaking his head, Chat Noir leaps out of the scene with his scarf in hand, and Ladybug watches his figure disappear in the distance. Her earrings give makes a warning beep, and Ladybug flees before she transforms back into Marinette.

When nightfall comes, Ladybug makes her way to the Eiffel Tower to see Chat Noir already there. His face is buried in his hands, and she knows very well why.

Ladybug quietly makes her way to the Eiffel Tower and takes a seat next to her partner. Chat Noir notices her presence, but he doesn't greet her like he normally would. Even though it's just for one night, Ladybug misses his goofy smile.

"My favorite pastime—besides designing clothes—is talking to you right at this very spot every night."

Chat Noir looks up at her.

She smiles at him. "There's no one I trust more than you."

His eyes widen slightly at her confession.

"And lastly," Ladybug says softly. "I like you better when you're smiling."

Chat Noir gives her a small smile.

"Thank you, Ladybug," Chat Noir whispers.

Ladybug places a hand over one of his. "Anytime."

"Adrien? Where's your scarf?"

This is the first thing Marinette hears upon entering her classroom the next day. She enters class to find Adrien sitting in his usual spot, and while his fall jacket is hanging on the back support of his chair, there's no sky blue muffler in sight. Nino and Alya are in deep conversation with him, the topic mostly being about his scarf.

Marinette greets them all a good morning, to which they all greet back with a smile. She slowly walks up the stairs to get to her seat, and she listens intently to her friends' conversation.

"Today's not that cold," Adrien lies smoothly. Marinette remains quiet because what a coincidence that Adrien decided not to wear his scarf the day after Chat Noir got his ripped in half.

"What are you talking about? Today's much colder than yesterday," Alya laughs. "It's a good five degrees lower. You should be wearing it."

"Really?" Adrien asks. "That's weird. I felt pretty warm when I exited my house earlier."

"It's probably the heating in your car," Nino laughs. "Dude, you're so lucky you don't have to walk in this weather. I thought the Snow Queen's curse wore off after Ladybug's Miraculous Ladybug."

The three continue talking about anything that comes to mind, but Marinette doesn't join the conversation. And when Mme Bustier walks into the class, she doesn't pay attention to what's going on at all because it's clear to her now.

Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir.

From where she stands, Ladybug could faintly make out her partner's silhouette waiting on the tallest platform of the Eiffel Tower. A gift box is tucked neatly between her chest and the crook of her arm, but she's suddenly having second thoughts on whether she should give it to him or not.

"I have to," Ladybug whispers into the air. She walks to the edge of the townhouse roof she's on and hesitates before finally jumping off the roof and swinging towards the Eiffel Tower.

"My Lady," Chat Noir greets once she steps foot onto the platform. He laughs, "I was starting to think you weren't going to show up."

"I'm sorry," Ladybug says, biting her lip.

"There's no need to be sorry, I didn't wait too long," Chat Noir grins.

That's not what I'm sorry for, Ladybug thinks. I'm sorry it has to be me.

Without another word, Ladybug looks down at her gift box and tosses it at her partner, who catches it without trouble.

"What's this?" Chat Noir—no, Adrien—asks, eyeing the present. The wrapping looks oddly familiar, the box enveloped in sky blue with a pink ribbon on top. He just can't seem to remember where he has seen it before.

"It's an early Christmas gift," Ladybug says, taking her usual seat next to him. "I wanted to give it to you right away."

"Can I open it now?" he asks, grabbing one of the pink ribbon's bunny ears. When Ladybug nods, Chat Noir tears off the wrapping to reveal a white box. Ladybug holds her breath when she sees him slowly lift off the box's cover from her peripheral vision.

Chat Noir's mouth drops open in shock to find a sky blue scarf that looks exactly like the one his father gave him for his birthday. A grin suddenly breaks out on his face, and he lifts up the article of clothing.

"It's a scarf!" he exclaims, clouds forming at his lips due to the chilly air. "It looks just like the one that got ripped—where did you get it?"

Ladybug lets go of the breath she was holding. "I… I made it," she says softly.

"Really?!" Chat Noir asks in awe, clutching the muffler tightly. "You're so talented, Ladybug! Thank you so much! How did you get it to look just like mine?"

"Because I was the one who made that scarf, Adrien."

Chat Noir immediately freezes. "…What did you say?" he asks in a low whisper.

"Adrien," Ladybug begins, turning to look him in the eyes. "I've figured it out. I really wanted our identities to be secret, but then we started playing this game, and there were just so many coincidences between you and Chat Noir. I mean, the fencing and the piano and the smelly Camembert cheese—not that you smell bad! I mean, the scent is strong, but your cologne makes up for it—not that I smell you. A-anyways, I couldn't just not tell you because you deserve to know. I can't just keep you in the dark forever and also—I'm rambling, aren't I."

"Before you go off explaining the rest," Chat Noir says, putting his scarf aside. He then stands up, and Ladybug gets up as well. "Why don't we let our transformations go first?"

"I… I don't know if I want to," Ladybug says, looking down. "You're going to be disappointed once you realize who I really am. You love Ladybug so much, I… I don't want to do this to you."

"No matter who is behind that mask," Chat Noir says softly. "I love that girl."

Ladybug looks up at him.

"That's what I told myself when I first met you," he smiles sincerely. Chat Noir lets his transformation go to reveal Adrien Agreste. "You can trust me."

Nodding, Ladybug closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She's shaking up and down, and her heart is beating insanely fast—she's afraid of his reaction. But he has the right to know.

She lets go of her transformation, but her eyes remain closed.

"Marinette," she hears Adrien say, and her breath gets caught in her throat. "You can open your eyes now."

She takes another deep breath and slowly opens her eyes to see Adrien smiling at her. Marinette doesn't return the smile, however, and sits back over the edge of the platform. Adrien takes a seat next to her, and only silence follows.

"Marinette," Adrien says, breaking the ice. He picks up his Christmas gift and clutches it tightly. "Were you really the one who made me that scarf?"

"Yes," Marinette nods. Upon hearing her response, Adrien is angry that Nathalie would even lie to him and take someone else's present. He's angry at her for thinking that he wouldn't find out, but most of all, he's disappointed in his father for failing yet again to get him a birthday gift. He's not going to confront them, but he doesn't know if he'll be able to trust them again.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long," Marinette says, snapping Adrien out of his thoughts. "But… you just looked so happy because you thought it was from your father. I couldn't bring myself to tell you."

Adrien smiles at her. Marinette is so kind and selfless just like Ladybug. She isn't nothing behind her mask despite what she says—if anything, she's better.

"So, this whole time, the scarf I was wearing was made by My Lady," Adrien says. He looks down at the sky blue scarf in his hands and smiles at it happily. "That makes it all the more special."

Marinette looks up at him with slightly wide eyes. "Are you really not disappointed?" she asks. "Ladybug is so… capable and strong and just—so much better than me in every way. I forget my textbooks, I trip over everything and I'm just… Marinette. I'm the complete opposite of her, so I completely understand if you are disappointed. You can tell me."

Adrien smiles at her. "I'm not," he assures her. "We've been through everything, Marinette. Akuma battles, late-night patrols—I'm not letting go of you just like that. With or without the mask, you're the same person who's been with me every step of the way."

Tears prick her eyes, and Marinette looks away to hide her face. Seeing this, Adrien laughs and pulls her in for a hug. Once she manages to register what's going on, Marinette hugs him back.

Plagg peaks his head out of his place in Adrien's pocket, and Tikki slowly pokes her head out of Marinette's purse. Upon making eye contact, Plagg jokingly makes a face of disgust, to which Tikki answers by rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Finally," the kwamis mouth.

"Happy holidays, Adrien," Marinette says softly when they let go of each other.

"Happy holidays, Marinette," Adrien grins as he wraps his sky blue scarf around the two of them. Marinette laughs at the action and Adrien only chuckles as he moves closer to her.

Smiling, they turn away from each other and look up at the starry sky as the snowflakes of the first snowfall slowly dance around them.

A/N: I already wrote a Miraculous Ladybug reveal fanfic, but in Adrien's POV ("Red Ribbon"), so I thought I'd write one in Marinette's.

The Snow Queen is based on concept art of Frozen's Elsa, by the way! I was trying to think of a name for a winter-themed akumatized victim, and I immediately thought of Snow Queen I don't know why LOL. That boyfriend material joke is actually based on Thomas Astruc/Papapillon's tweet saying that Chat Noir's costume is made of boyfriend material. I had to add it in there.

Thank you for reading!