"I'm really sorry, Marinette. Really, I am. But I just don't feel that way about you, I really like someone else.." he said quietly, holding his left arm and looking down at the ground in shame.

Marinette stood there in shock, her thousand yard stare piercing the face of the blond headed boy standing in front of her. The world around her seemed to move slower in time as the words left his mouth, and her breath shallowed. It had taken her a very long time to build up the courage to tell him how she felt about him, and she had finally done it, despite every fiber of her being that fought against it.

As time had gone on, their friendship had continued to grow and blossom day by day, and they only grew closer and closer. It had been months, and then months turned to years, and her infatuation with him had not once ceased. She'd even managed to calm her nerves around him, at least more so than she had been able to in the past. At this point, they were nearing graduation from high school, and she figured it was better now than never, or at least that's what Alya and Tikki had helped to solidify in her mind, to finally tell him the truth.

And yet now here she was, having shown him her heart, giving him every ounce of adoration for him that she could hold for him in her body, only to have her biggest fear shoved into her face. Adrien Agreste had rejected her.

"Oh..." she responded softly, already feeling the tears putting pressure on the back of her eyelids. "I-I'm sorry I had no idea I-"

"No no, Marinette. Please don't apologize." Adrien interrupted in a panic. His expression was ridden with guilt. "I'm the one who should be sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward or anything. It's just something I haven't really ever talked about with, well, anyone. And I hate that it had to affect you."

Marinette looked down at the ground, her head hanging in defeat. The walls that built up the school and surrounded the courtyard felt as though they were closing in on her.

"It… It's okay, really." She looked up, using every ounce of strength she could forge to give Adrien the strongest smile she could manage. "I'll be okay, you're still one of my best friends and this isn't going to change that." She closed her eyes and beamed at him. "She's a really lucky girl and I wish you the best with her. I'm sure she's amazing."

Adrien gave her a soft, sad smile, "She is, but so are you, Marinette." he said, lightly grabbing her shoulders with both hands. She noticeably winced, but he continued, "And some other guy is going to see that and make your whole world shine bright. You deserve to have that in your life." He looked down sadly. "And I'm really sorry I can't let that be me right now."

The tears were getting harder to hold back now, and Marinette was shaking at his words. "I think I'm… gunna go. My parents might start worrying about where I am if I'm not home soon…" she said quietly, moving her shoulders carefully out of his grasp and looking away from him. She could feel the corners of her eyes getting wet and her facade falling to pieces. Crying in front of him was the last thing she wanted, as if she wasn't already pathetic enough.

"Oh, okay." Adrien said, his arms falling to his sides in defeat. "Please be careful heading home. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Marinette."

She nodded once, her lip starting to pucker, and quickly ran away from him as though he was an akuma, and perhaps at this moment he was her personal akuma. Adrien frowned and felt his heart drop sickeningly as he noticed a tear running down down her cheek just before she ran off.

He'd really crushed her, and he hated it. Marinette was one of his best friends, and he'd grown unbelievably close to her. While it had taken some time for them to grow a close bond, that bond they shared was very solid and built up on plenty of shared interests. Her craving for designing and fashion and his infamous career in modeling were sure to bring them closer together on their own, but aside from that they had plenty to talk about, including, interestingly enough, plenty about the superhero duo that saved the city regularly. Marinette seemed to be just as big of a fan as Adrien, if it was fair to call him a fan of himself. He always liked that while he was always commenting on Ladybug's strengths and deeds, much like everyone else, Marinette seemed to step away from that and praise Chat Noir, which she would never know how much Adrien admired and appreciated.

But he didn't feel that way for her, or at least not as much as he did for another girl. Sure, he really liked Marinette, like really liked her. He had every reason to. She was beautiful and sweet, always looking out for others, and she'd captivated him for such a long time. But he knew his feelings for Ladybug were stronger.

"Way to go there, Prince Charming." cheered a nasally voice from his bag.

Adrien felt himself physically shake at how loud the voice was and looked around frantically to make sure that no one was around. Luckily for him school had been over for a bit of time and there was no fencing practice for the day, so he was alone. He lifted his bag up to his face and sneered at his kwami, "What's your problem?"

"Nothing." Plagg said, flying out of the side of Adrien's grey messenger bag with an apathetic look on his small black face. "I just think it was real suave of you to reject the one girl who actually likes you for who you are, for another girl that rejects you with every advance you make."

Adrien frowned angrily, "I can't help how I feel about Ladybug."

"Sure you can't," Plagg retorted sarcastically. "But it's not like you didn't like her too. You can't tell me that you asked Alya at the beginning of this year to let you sit with Marinette just because you guys are friends."

Adrien paused, "Well, yes and no. It was for Nino to be with Alya too..." he trailed off.

"And all those times you went to go meet your 'Princess' as Chat?"

Adrien blushed, "We're just friends though, she doesn't know that it's me or anything!"

"Ugh, you're so clueless, even to yourself." the kwami complained with an eye roll. "She really liked you, I could feel it. And you really like her. She's so similar to Ladybug, why not even give her a shot?"

"Because it wouldn't be fair to her!" he argued. "I'm in love with Ladybug, I wouldn't want Marinette to have to compete with her."

Even if it was just me making the matches. he thought silently. His lip pulled in at the selfish remark.

"Well, I think you're hopeless, and you just let go of a really cool girl that you had every chance with. Wonder how well that's going to hold up between you two." he said nonchalantly, returning to Adrien's bag for a piece of cheese.

Adrien winced, "Do you think that's going to change how Marinette sees me?"

"Who knows?" he replied from the bag. "But I'm only five thousand years old and have to have seen all my charges go through love and loss a thousand times, so what do I know, right?"

He groaned, closing his eyes and shoving his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Why did I have to break Marinette's heart, of all people? he thought bitterly. Why couldn't it have been anyone else?

Chat Noir found himself jumping through the streets of Paris later that night, scouting out already for his and Ladybug's evening patrol. The city was bathed in a warm light from the sun coming down, giving the place a calming atmosphere. The sun was only now touching the edge of the horizon, meaning there would maybe still be about an hour of daylight left, but if there was anything Chat knew at this point, it was that an hour could go by like a minute.

He smiled as he bounced from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally being distracted by the skyline surrounding him, but luckily not enough to accidentally throw himself off a building. It was likely that nothing was going to go wrong in the city that night, but patrolling was something Ladybug liked to do just incase, and who was Chat to go against spending time with his lady? Especially since it would get him out of his ever quiet house.

Something seemed odd to Chat though as he moved through the streets, taking in the scenery around him. Usually by that time Ladybug was already with him, either meeting up with him halfway or by showing up to one of the rooftops they usually congregated on. Tonight was different though. Ladybug hadn't shown up yet, and it had been a whole hour since their patrol was supposed to have begun. She wasn't one to be late, really. When it came to their duties, Ladybug was always on time, and it actually tended to be Chat Noir that was falling behind, not her. Something didn't feel quite right to him.

Eventually, after going about his business for a few more minutes, he saw a figure clad in red sitting on the ledge of one of the city's rooftops. Excitedly, and with a large lack of hesitation or scrutiny, he plummeted down towards the roof, catching himself with his extended baton just in time before hitting the concrete surface. His hunch on it being her was proven to be true as he was now able to see her signature bluenette pigtails and spotted uniform sitting on the ledge a few feet away from him. She was hunched over, shoulders up and head down, as though she was focusing on some sight over the edge.

"M'lady, it's nice to see you." Chat remarked playfully with a bow as he retracted his baton. "I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't get to see my lovebug this evening."

Ladybug remained silent, giving Chat the tiniest of waves with her right hand before placing it back down on her lap. She didn't even give him a glance.

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. "Ladybug? You okay? You seem a little… off." he said, questioning her sullen form. Even from behind she looked exhausted, like she'd been pushed too far and reached her limits for the day. It wasn't like her to be so unenergized, she didn't even get onto him for his nicknames like she usually did. Something was wrong.

"I'm fine, Chat, I've just had a long day." She replied softly. "Don't worry too much about me."

Chat moved closer to her, "Hey, if you don't want to do this patrol tonight it's okay. I can take care of it if you're not feeling well."

"No no," she said, "I'll be fine, really. I just need a minute or two to… decompress."

Chat made his way over to her and took a seat next to her on the ledge. The view over it was amazing, being one of the tallest buildings in the city and giving them a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower basked in the setting sun's glow. Buildings cast shadows from their cell and water towers that gave the city a dark but welcome feeling. Chat Noir turned his head to his left to look at Ladybug's face and noticed something that alarmed him.

"Ladybug…" he began, "You're crying."

Ladybug gave him a quick glance, just long enough for Chat to see the fat droplets of water forming at her eyes and falling down her cheeks, and immediately turned away to wipe her eyes with her forearm. Once she was done Chat carefully grabbed her left arm before she put it back down again, making her turn slightly towards him. Her usually vibrant blue eyes were red and puffy, her mask clearly wet from tears, and her face was flushed. Her lips too were poutier and a darker shade of pink than they normally were, only helping to give her face a swollen look that could only belong to someone who'd been crying for a long time. Chat was in shock.

"What's wrong, m'lady? What's got you so upset?" he pressed calmly. His face was stricken with worry for his partner.

Ladybug sniffed, choosing to look down and away from him. "I don't really want to talk about it. It's stupid and you don't want to hear it."

Chat took his right hand and pressed it gently on her left cheek, turning her head a little more to look at him. He half expected her to bat him away but she didn't move, instead giving him a sad but expectant look with her eyes.

"I do want to hear it though, Ladybug. I don't like seeing my lady all upset." He argued. He then gave her a small smile. "Besides, maybe I can help you. I can't have my partner being all sad, whether we're on duty or not."

Her lips formed a firm line, and she removed Chat's hand from her face. "We have to get to patrol though, we can't sit here and talk all night." she protested.

Chat Noir surprised her by pressing his clawed index finger to her lips and shaking his head.

"Look, does Paris really look like it's in danger right now?" he asked, displaying the peaceful city before them with his outstretched right arm. "I have no doubt that the city can wait a little bit for its greatest superhero to get back on her feet. Besides," he said, giving her a playful smile, "I have all the time in the world, especially if I get to use it to talk to you."

Despite her state, she felt a giggle bubble up from her chest, almost out of habit. His flirtations were cheesey, but they did definitely make her feel a little better. Still, she looked away from him again, eyelids lowered, and stared down at the world below them. Whether or not she wanted to tell him about what was wrong, she was pretty sure her heart wasn't going to give her a choice. She knew she could trust him anyways, what was the harm?

"I told the guy I've liked for a long time how I felt today, and he rejected me." she replied sadly. "He said he liked another girl, and that we could still be friends, but it really hurt. I'd been in love with him for such a long time and had feared his rejection since the beginning. I understand and all, I'm not mad at him, heartbreak just hurts." Her head hung lower and she felt her shoulders bunch even closer to her as she grabbed her arms for comfort. A tear or two fell from her eyes against her will.

Chat was surprised, a small chill running up his spine. It was definitely shocking to hear that she had been after someone else this whole time, but it was even worse hearing that said person had rejected her. Someone rejecting Ladybug seemed nonsensical. She was brilliant, kindhearted, and undeniably beautiful. He couldn't imagine someone rejecting her feelings, especially since he would practically jump off a bridge for the chance to be with her.

At the same time, he felt the guilt from rejecting Marinette earlier that day wash over him. It was hard to do, considering he actually really did like Marinette, but it wouldn't have been fair to her because of how much he loved Ladybug. He would never have wanted anyone to overshadow her, and so he had to say no, as much as it hurt him. It would have felt like deceiving her, and that was something Adrien simply could not allow himself to do.

He found it incredibly coincidental that they both had such a similar occurrence that day, but he looked past it almost immediately to comfort Ladybug.

"Ladybug, I'm so sorry. That must have been really hard for you." he said, taking his left arm and putting it around her back, grasping the side of her arm gently. Unexpectedly, she leaned into him a little, taking on his figure for support. He could feel her shaking a bit, which he figured was likely just small tremors from her crying. He smiled a little as he felt her warmth on his chest. "I just can't believe someone would reject a girl as amazing as you."

She sighed sadly, "I can. Maybe as Ladybug I'm someone worth pining after, but the real me isn't. I'm so clumsy and pathetic and… normal. It's no wonder he doesn't like me."

She pressed herself into Chat just a little bit more, now practically engulfed in the boy's leather clad body. She wanted his strength to hold her together, as though without him shrouding her she'd fall to pieces.

"I wish I could be like Ladybug all the time, and less like me."

Chat Noir looked down at her for a moment, then pulled away slowly and begrudgingly so he could look at her better, "What are you talking about? You are Ladybug all the time."

"No I'm not." she argued.

"Yes," he said, touching the tip of her nose with his finger. "You are. With or without the costume, you are Ladybug, and you are you, and there's nothing wrong with you." He smiled, "And anyone who would reject you sounds like a real chump anyways."

She grimaced, "I don't really think that." She looked away and clasped her hands together. "I think he's a really great guy, maybe an even better friend, and I don't blame him for what he feels." She sighed, "You can't really help how you feel about someone, no matter how hard you try." She looked back at Chat, "Even I know a thing or two about that."

Chat Noir blushed at her words and acted on the urge to look away and scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. He definitely knew a thing or two about that as well. No matter who was on the giving or receiving end, rejection was hard, and it forced both parties to feel uncomfortable. Even he usually had to accept constant rejection from Ladybug with all his flirtations being ignored and pushed aside. While he was used to that and it didn't really hurt, it was still rejection, and he was still aware of it. But having kept something like that hidden for so long, only to have it given out in vain had to have been painful. He couldn't help but continue to feel the guilt wash over him as he thought of his sweet friend Marinette. In this instance, he saw so much of her in Ladybug's situation and couldn't help but feel her pain even more.

He looked back at Ladybug, now looking back over the Paris skyline, tears forming in her eyes yet again. The light from the setting sun encompassed her face in such a way that her tears shined brightly and the shadows from it shrouded her in a way that gave her a picturesque look, as sad as she appeared. It was clear to him that she was really in a lot of pain. She must have really liked whoever this guy was, and for her love to be unrequited was crushing.

He could feel a pang of jealousy towards whoever the mystery boy was, especially because if it were him she'd confessed to he'd have lit up her world without an ounce of hesitation. She had already done that for him long ago.

He placed his arm back around her shoulders and she looked back at him, not bothering to try and hide the fact that she was crying anymore. His heart was breaking at the sight.

He breathed in, "Ladybug, I know that it may not mean a whole lot, but whether or not he feels that way about you, I think you're incredible. You're smart, funny, witty, unbelievably beautiful," he grinned and winked as he said that one, "and one of the greatest girls I know. You're worth so much, and just because he doesn't feel the same way, doesn't mean you should think any less of yourself." He smiled his usual playful smile and chuckled, "And you'll see that someone else is going to make your whole world shine bright."

Ladybug felt surprised by the last line, noticing the familiarity of it, and then gave a little laugh herself, wiping her tears away with her already dampened arm again before looking back down at her lap, fingers becoming intertwined again.

"That's funny, you honestly remind me a lot of him." she mentioned absentmindedly.

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? How so? Is it my charming good looks?" He said, posing by flexing his biceps.

Ladybug covered her mouth and chuckled, at first rolling her eyes, but she quickly found herself agreeing about the similarity. "Honestly, a bit yes." She smiled at him, examining him a bit more closely, her eyes practically trailing his every feature and drinking in his physicality. The way the black leather surrounded his skinny body yet allowed her to notice every physical aspect of him. The way his blond hair laid messily on top of his head. The way his vibrant green eyes shone in the light of the city sunset. She really hadn't taken the time to notice just how much like Adrien he actually looked, or maybe she had noticed for a long time and was only now taking note of it.

"You look like him, you act kind of like him, you talk a lot like him…" she paused and he put down his arms, giving her an expectant look. "Heck, you even sound like him."

Chat laughed, "Maybe I was wrong. Anyone like me has to be a pretty good guy."

She smiled, looking down again at her clasped hands sitting on her lap, "Or maybe in reality, he's a lot like you."

Chat looked at her, shedding his cockiness and replacing it with confusion. "Huh, what do you mean?"

She looked up in surprise, only then realizing what she said. She actually didn't quite understand it herself, but it had rolled off her tongue like nothing. Not an ounce of hesitation or a pause. She analyzed the words as they played back in her head, almost like a detective trying to solve a puzzle. What exactly did she mean? She couldn't help but wonder if she was suggesting something she hadn't really expected. And if she was, why was she only beginning to realize it now?

She'd always admired Chat, even before she started having feelings for Adrien. Right from the beginning when they started battling akumas together, she didn't ever feel like she couldn't trust him. In fact, she'd always trusted him, even when she knew almost nothing about him. He'd always been at her side, encouraging her, protecting her, and giving her just the boost she needed in every situation to save the day. Even as Marinette, when he would come to visit her he was always so caring and charming, making sure that her day was going well and assisting her if she needed help. Chat Noir was more than just her friend. He was her knight, her fan, and her partner. And really, what else could she need from him?

Maybe something she didn't think she did.

"Chat…" Ladybug breathed, looking into his awaiting eyes. She felt her face subconsciously move closer to his, while he didn't move an inch. What the hell are you doing?

Chat Noir's pale face began to mix with colors of pink. "M'lady..?"

"You…" she started. "You know you're one of my best friends, right?"

He paused at the statement, but then smiled warmly, "Of course, and you're one of mine." he replied confidently.

She smiled back and leaned back on her hands, looking at the skyline as Chat took the opportunity to quietly take a deep breath and calm his fast beating heart.

"I've always had this fear that something would come between us one day, whether it was the stress of being heroes or the lives we have behind our masks, but you've always stayed right by my side." She beamed at him and his blush instantly grew a deeper red. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

He smirked, scratching the back of his neck, "Like I would ever leave the side of my lady. Besides, you've never stopped brightening my day, so I figure I should return the favor as much as I can."

"Well you definitely do that." she said, taking the opportunity to lean against him again. "You've never had a problem doing it."

Despite his best efforts Chat could feel his heart pumping furiously, but still placed his arms securely around Ladybug, which to his glee she accepted with a small sigh of content. He smiled as his face went into her shiny dark hair, silently smelling it and noting the fresh hint of strawberry scent that wafted from it. He found it funny that she actually smelled a lot like Marinette, but figured it was probably just a coincidence, lots of girls enjoyed the same shampoos and perfumes. He couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her warm body against his own. It wasn't often that she was so open to his touch, and even though a lot of it was coming from her being sad, he was more than willing to comfort her and be there for her, no matter the cause of it. Even if it was something as nerve wracking to him as Ladybug wanting to be with someone else.

He felt her giggle nervously in his embrace. "I can hear your heart pounding, Chat."

Chat Noir's body heated up like a forest on fire. "Ha, erm, sorry... It's just nice being like this with you."

She sat up in his arms, a small smirk set on her face. "Chat Noir, nervous around me? That's something new for sure."

He smiled despite himself, "What do you expect? I adore you, m'lady. Any opportunity to be with you makes my heart go crazy." he said with a tilt of his head and another wink, making Ladybug begin to wonder if he knew how much he was doing it. "You're purr-fect for me."

She rolled her eyes but still blushed, "I guess I should know that by now, huh?"

He grinned proudly as she looked at him, really looked at him, and felt her own heart beating a little bit out of place. She couldn't help but feel confused by it, this wasn't completely normal for her.

Well, it was, kind of, it wasn't like she didn't like Chat. The confession of his love and admiration for her had hardly been lost on her, he'd certainly done it once or twice at that point, but she never really took the opportunity to ever really think about anything growing between them further than that. Not to mention every time he did tell her his feelings, they were usually pretty busy, akuma fighting and all, but of course that never stopped Chat Noir. Of course it didn't, she thought with a silent laugh.

Within the emerald pools that were his eyes she could almost see herself and him together throughout different periods of time, both as Ladybug and Chat, and as Marinette and Chat. He was always so charming, so protective, and entirely trustworthy, no matter what form she was in. She really barely had a care in the world when Chat Noir was around, because he was always there to make sure she wouldn't fall behind.

He really cared about her, hell he loved her. And she really cared about him all the same.

Would it be so bad to give him a shot?

"Hey, Chat." she began, not really sure of how to go about what she was saying. Did she even know what she was saying? She couldn't decide.

"Hmm?" he hummed, giving her every ounce of his attention.

She paused, lips firm, not really sure of what she wanted to say, but after a moment she found the words on her tongue. "Maybe all things considered it sounds kind of weird, and it's okay if you say no, but would you mind if I tried something?"

His heart began beating like a marching bass drummer given free reign of the score, "Wh-what would that be?" he stammered. Come on, Adrien, pull yourself together! he shouted mentally. He'd been losing his cool so easily today, that needed to stop if she was insinuating what he thought.

Ladybug leaned in cautiously, unable to control the blush she felt forming on her face. "I think you know, but I wanted to ask permission. I don't plan on pushing anything on someone if they're wanting to reject me." she said, finding herself wielding a playful smirk.

It was in this moment where Ladybug witnessed what she felt was the impossible, Chat Noir was speechless. He'd really been shocked to the core with her suggestion, it was unexpected to say the least. After all this time, all the flirting and rejections that came with it, was Ladybug honestly making some sort of move towards him? Was it okay? Was it acceptable of him to take it considering the day she'd had? Was it acceptable considering the day he'd had?

Somehow, he knew that this was something he couldn't pass up.

Without warning, Chat's face lit up with a usual dangerous smirk of his, and Ladybug felt his arms tighten around her, now making it clear that there was no escape from what she'd done. His confidence had resurged, and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

All she knew was that she was willing, no, wanted to go with it.

"M'lady, did I not already tell you?" he said, pulling her face closer to his, his charming confident smile not daring to leave his lips. "Anyone that would reject you sounds like a real chump."

Without a second more wasted, Ladybug found her lips pressed against Chat Noir's. It wasn't a completely foreign feeling to her, considering that she had kissed him once before to save him from an akuma, but this time felt a lot different. While last time their less than romantic kiss came out of pure necessity, this time she could actually savor it, and wanted to savor it. It wasn't perfect, they were clumsy and unsure of their actions, but their touch came with a sense of care and affection that she hadn't really expected. All this time she had been running after Adrien, seeing Chat as nothing more than a friend and a partner, but this moment alone truly led her to believe there really was something more between them this whole time. How had she not seen what was right in front of her?

In the midst of their kiss, she took her hand and moved her bangs from her face, albeit a bit awkwardly. As much as she knew it would spoil some of the moment, the feeling of her wet face and hair from her sweat and tears mixed with the warmth from Chat's face was an uncomfortable sensation that she didn't care for. He didn't seem to mind too much though as their embrace continued without a pause. Chat was far too busy being elated with his victory to care. He'd finally secured the love of his lady, and she'd even been the one to pursue it. It was as though all that he had imagined as a fantasy was now a dream come true.

After a moment they parted, a bit begrudgingly, but superheroes or not they did need to breathe. Ladybug glanced away for a moment, still caught in Chat's now loosening hold, feeling giddy and lightheaded. The reminder of her heartbreak earlier in the day had practically vanished at the discovery of these feelings that she'd buried within her for so long.

She sighed, enjoying the small and slightly chilled breeze that caressed her face, cooling the heat that she felt would never leave her cheeks. Feeling confident and satisfied, she looked back at Chat, whose expression she was not expecting.

"Ch-Chat? Are you alright?" she asked, somewhat panicked.

Chat Noir's face had turned almost white, his mouth agape, and his clawed finger pointing in her direction. He looked as though he had caught influenza in the span of three seconds.

"Y-you…" he stammered slightly.

Ladybug looked at him quizzically, not understanding what was concerning him. Her face quickly fell at the thought that he hadn't enjoyed their kiss, but that didn't seem to make sense because he had been so willing and clearly active in the moment. Had she done something wrong? Was she too forward? Maybe he felt like she'd only pushed the idea on him because her heart had been broken?

She shuddered internally at even the slightest idea of having taken advantage of her partner, it wasn't like that.

Before she could even begin to protest or defend herself on her assumption, Ladybug noticed something. Squinting and staring deep into the reflection of Chat's eyes, she could see her own face staring back at her. Her face, her entire face. Not a speck of red covering her light freckles that bridged her cream colored nose.

Ladybug didn't look so much like Ladybug anymore.

Without a second thought Ladybug, now looking much more like Marinette, shot up from the ledge she'd been sitting on, almost falling backwards before quickly stabilizing herself, and frantically feeling her face with her hands. She could feel the cloth covering her fingers fleeting around her eyes and nose, a feeling that she normally was unable to sense as Ladybug. She looked down, unbelievably confused as to why the rest of her polka-dotted costume still adorned her body, but she had nothing covering her face.

She had been unmasked, and she had no idea how. She wanted to scream, but all she could do was stare, frozen and horrified, hands palmed in front of her, at the broken expression covering Chat Noir's face.

Chat's mind was racing, and he found himself unable to move from the ledge he had been sitting on. Ladybug's mask was gone, and underneath was Marinette. Literally the only thing that kept him from seeing the truth was a mask, a flimsy piece of cloth that could have practically come off with just his imagination alone. The entire time, his classmate, his friend, his secret crush that he had rejected for Ladybug, was indeed Ladybug.

He had been so blind.

"Chat…" she breathed, completely beside herself. She couldn't help but feel tears pushing their way to the corners of her eyes. She outstretched her hand to him, even though he was now about ten feet away, but the distance somehow felt like miles and she wanted a way, any possible way, to feel like she could close that distance without taking a step closer. His gaze suddenly met hers, looking lost and confused and… hurt? She pulled her hand back in response, taking her other hand and clutching it closely to her chest as she felt her heart trying to jump out of it. She started shaking while whimpers and sobs started to strangle their way out of her throat.

"Chat, I… I'm so-"

"Marinette, I'm so sorry!" Chat blurted out, practically falling to the ground in some pathetic groveling kind of bow. He was crying, and she could hear distressed sobs submerging from the woe stricken cat laying in front of her. Marinette stood there, staring down at him, not exactly sure how to respond to the unexpected apology.

"Wh-what are you sorry for? You didn't-"

"Marinette I didn't know. If I had known I never would have-" Chat gasped for air, finding himself having to hold back sobs of his own. "I never would have broken your heart to pieces. I'm so stupid, I'm sorry!"

Marinette's breath hitched. Broken her heart? But the only person that had done that to her was… Adrien. She looked down at Chat, his whole body resonating with guilt. But he couldn't be, could he? Chat Noir couldn't possibly be Adrien.

In that moment, it was as if Marinette's life had flashed in front of her eyes. Every instance between her and Chat protruded itself within her memories, and subsequently her moments with Adrien mixed in the slideshow. Every glance, every word, every touch, every joke, every flirt, every god forsaken cat pun, some of them even coming out of Adrien's mouth. They were all there, set right in front of her, for her to view and analyze in the span of a few milliseconds. She couldn't believe it, everything was lining up so perfectly, too perfectly, just for it all to now come crashing down in this pitiful and pathetic moment that she could have only conjured in her nightmares. There was almost no denying it, Adrien was Chat Noir, and Chat Noir was Adrien.

And Marinette's life was over.

She screamed, unexpectedly and loudly, and collapsed to her knees on the hard concrete surface, covering her face in distraught.

Chat looked up at her in immediate concern. Marinette had completely lost herself, like a snap, and he didn't understand it at all. Wasn't he the one who was supposed to be sorry? Wiping his eyes and laying his own issues down for the moment, he picked himself up off the ground to the best of his ability, bringing himself to a wobbly yet stable stand.

"Great! This is just perfect!" she yelled, not even bothering to hold back her sobs of anguish. She could practically feel her heart withering inside her as she angrily cried and let her mind torment herself with insults. Stupid, stupid, stupid! You idiot, of course he'd never like you for you! Whether he was one person or two, neither one of them would!

"Marinette…" Chat breathed, stumbling over to her and kneeling down to her level. He carefully placed his right hand against what was uncovered on her left cheek, only to have it immediately swatted away by one of her hands covering her face.

"Stop, please." she begged, breathing harshly through her hands. "Please, go away and don't look at me. Just forget about who I am…" She wished as hard as she could that she was in a dream.

"Marinette please," pleaded Chat, finding himself doing his own begging. "Please let me explain. We need to talk about this, please don't cry."

Marinette uncovered her face, her eyes glimmering with tears and fury. "What is there to explain, Adrien!" she shouted, shocking the blond sitting in front of her.

"I get it, okay? You love Ladybug, not me. Just like everyone else!" She gasped for air, crying and feeling her anger dissipate and turn into despair. Her head fell and she found herself staring at the ground, looking at her knees that were undoubtedly scraped under her suit from her harsh landing and letting the tears fall from her face and land on the ground in front of them, absorbing into the rock and staining it.

"Everyone loves Ladybug, everyone thinks that she's so cool and confident and perfect. But not me, not Marinette, never Marinette. Marinette is nothing compared to Ladybug!" Marinette sniffed and wiped her eyes, though she knew it wasn't going to do any good. "And maybe they're right, because I'm a pathetic mess. I'm a klutz, I'm disconnected from reality, I'm ridiculous… But yet, I don't know… I just don't get it, as stupid as that sounds... " She cried with an out of place laugh, letting another tear fall to the ground. "I guess that makes me an idiot, but I just don't understand, what's so appealing about Ladybug, but not appealing about Marinette? Why can't anyone just love me for me?"

Chat Noir could hardly believe his ears, but Adrien wouldn't accept any part of what she just said. He wouldn't allow it.

Marinette suddenly found the leather clad blond wrapped around her body in a tight hug. She could practically feel him squeezing the life out of her with how tight it was, and yet she could hardly find herself minding it. Rather than pushing him away like her now belittling thoughts demanded her to, she instead returned his embrace, clinging to him as tightly as she could and allowing herself to cry into his shoulder. She could feel him rubbing her back with his hand, while his other one had moved to the back of her head and was gently scratching her scalp.

They stayed that way for quite a few minutes, Marinette's sobs slowly turning into her merely shaking and sniffling once in awhile. Chat breathed a small sigh of relief, realizing that she'd calmed down and was hardly at all in the hysterics she'd been in. He only hoped that now she'd take some time to listen to him. Carefully, Chat peeled himself away from her small crumpled frame, making sure to show her that he wasn't leaving by moving his hand from the back of her head and cupping her face in his right hand.

"Marinette, please listen to me." he begged. Slowly, Marinette looked up at him expectantly, her eyes still glistening.

Unsure if it would work, he carefully moved his other hand from her back, placing it against his face and willing for his mask to disappear. To his satisfaction, he could feel the cloth around his face vanish and he closed his eyes to shield them from the green splotches of light that appeared around them. Marinette looked on in silence and slight surprise as the uncovered face of her messy-haired love interest was clearly revealed to her. As he opened his eyes, she could even see that the green surrounding his pupils was gone, leaving only the unmistakable green eyes that belonged to her never ending crush. Adrien really was Chat Noir.

"Marinette, I couldn't be more sorry. All of this is my fault." Adrien started. Marinette's gaze turned to one of confusion, and he continued before she could begin to get a word in. "I know I rejected you today, and I couldn't be more sorry about that. To be honest with you, when you ran away this afternoon I was really crushed. I'd never have imagined that you'd be into some boring guy like me. And stupidly enough, I'd liked you for such a long time and had just never really gotten myself to accept it." He smiled at her. "And it is true, I honestly have been in love with Ladybug, probably since the first time I met her, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you too."

Marinette's heart dropped, "B-but, she… I'm not-"

"Stop." he commanded sternly, shushing her again with one of his clawed fingers. "I already told you this, didn't I, Princess? You are Ladybug. And you are also Marinette. Ladybug and Marinette are one in the same, and she is a beautiful, talented, kindhearted, amazing girl, no matter how she's dressed." he said, momentarily taking the hand holding her face to gesture to her current outfit. "There is no difference between the two of you. All there is separating you is a preference for red jumpsuits versus small pink flowers."

Marinette sniffled, trying her best to accept what he was saying, but still found the need to shake her head and dismiss it.

"I don't believe that. Look at me, I'm a mess. No one would expect Ladybug to look like this. No one can see Ladybug like this. She's supposed to be perfect, and somehow I manage to keep up with that, but Marinette's not. Marinette is not Ladybug. Ladybug is way too perfect to be sullied by my name."

"I don't understand why you'd feel that way when you feel the way you do for Adrien." he pressured.

She was left a bit speechless by that statement. "Why's that?"

"Because Adrien is so not me." he said, exasperatedly. "I feel the most at ease as Chat, like I can be free from having to keep this image of perfection and proudness that I don't really feel. Dropping puns is me, being reckless and loud is me, flirting relentlessly with the most beautiful girl I've ever met is me. And to me, it doesn't make sense that you'd fall for boring old Adrien over Chat."

Marinette blushed, but could practically feel herself shrinking. She started to feel guilty, like she'd fallen for the wrong boy the whole time. But she thought she'd already figured that out.

"It's not like I didn't like Chat, hell I'm pretty damn sure that I just realized a minute ago that I loved him just as much, if not more." she voiced in frustration, her hands thrown in exasperation.

Adrien's eyebrows raised and he smirked, "Is that so?"

"Yes!" Marinette cried. "But see, that's the difference. You definitely felt more for Ladybug than me, and that's the problem."

"How is that a problem?"

Marinette hung her head and groaned, "Because Ladybug is my 'perfect version' of me. She's the one that never messes up, the one that always knows what to say or do and never even flinches. And then there's me, who screws everything up all the time. Hell, I couldn't even talk to you for the longest time, it took me over a year just to be able to work myself up to full on sentences. The real me is nothing in comparison to her."

Adrien paused thoughtfully at her last remark, but then found a very quick rebuttal. "I think you're wrong, Marinette. I think Ladybug is definitely more representative of the real version of you."

She felt confused by that statement, shooting him a very poignant look. He held his hands up defensively to motion that he planned on elaborating.

"Your confidence is the most apparent when you're Ladybug. And you have every reason in the world to have that confidence. When you're Ladybug, you're just as thoughtful, caring, considerate, and loyal, but the difference is that you throw away all of the insecurities Marinette holds and become this entirely different entity, one that both enthralls and intimidates others, even cocky cats like Chat Noir." he pointed out, winking yet again.

"Ladybug has allowed you to have an outlet that lets you be who you are, without having to worry nearly as much about what others think of you. And somehow you've taken that idea and turned it into this concept where you and this beautiful, confident, strong-willed girl can't possibly be the same. But you are the same, you're the exact same person entirely." He smiled with a look of guilt, "And honestly, even I have that problem with myself at times, or really all the time. I guess I should be listening to my own advice if I'm going to hand it out."

Marinette marveled at this boy sitting in front of her, adamantly trying to convince her that she and this other half of her were on equal levels. The whole situation in its entirety was an utterly confusing mess. Feelings were strewn about, thoughts were mixed and strung together, and really, it didn't feel like any ounce of the conversation was going to get them anywhere. Her mind was overloading, and she couldn't help but wonder if Adrien was feeling the same way.

She covered her face with her hands again, not to cry, but to groan. The pressure of this exchange was nearly unbearable to deal with. "What the hell are we doing?" she whined through her fingers.

Adrien stared back at her, worry covering his face. Marinette was having a hard time processing everything going on, which wasn't hard to understand because he was having his own fair share of issues. He continued to feel the root of the problem between them resting on his shoulders, since he had basically started all of this, hadn't he? Maybe it would have been easier had he just accepted Marinette's proposal in the beginning. A reveal between them following that certainly would have been a lot more light hearted. He felt like he'd taken everything that the moment should have been away from her. He felt like he should have known, and honestly he should have. All of the clues were there and the truth was practically staring him in the face the entire time. It was the only time he actually felt Plagg's insults about him being dense and clueless resonate with him. And then of course, that realization brought with it the fact that Plagg must have known the entire time.

Adrien felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. But even idiots can have good ideas sometimes.

Adrien stood up, the noise of his shoes and leather scratching against the roof earning a glance from Marinette, and then a stare of astonishment as she noticed what he was doing. A flash of green and white light later, and Adrien Agreste stood before her in his normal clothes, a small black cat with eyes as green as Chat Noir's floating beside him.

"Wow, I'm impressed, kid. I honestly never expected you to figure it out, even when her mask came off." chided the tiny kwami floating at Adrien's shoulder.

Adrien ignored Plagg's snide comment and instead chose to hold out his right hand to Marinette. She stared at it cautiously, wondering what exactly she was expected to do about it. He answered the question he could see swimming in her eyes before she could ask.

"Hey there, Marinette. I'm Adrien, also known as the super handsome and talented superhero Chat Noir. You might have heard of me, I'm kind of a big deal." His champion smile brought light to his whole face, despite the sun's looming descent around them.

Marinette continued to stare at his hand, and then glanced back at him smiling at her. After a moment she took it, feeling the warmth of his uncovered skin through her gloves, and felt almost instantly rejuvenated. She was starting to understand.

As she stood up, with his assistance, she released her own transformation in a flash of white and pink, revealing her true self and her own red and black kwami beside her. She smiled sheepishly, "Hi Adrien, I'm Marinette. I don't know if you've heard of me, but I'm actually also this superhero girl named Ladybug. I'm told that I'm pretty cool, but heck, what does the entire city of Paris know?" she proclaimed proudly.

Adrien beamed at the confidence exuding off of the beautiful girl holding his hand. It was the first time he had ever seen Marinette, as herself, with such a power to her stance and voice. He was more than happy to get used to it.

"I actually have heard of you, and frankly, I'm a pretty big fan." He bowed his body a little, taking the hand he was holding and kissing the top of it tenderly. He took a moment to appreciate the soft cream skin his lips touched as Marinette could feel her insides melt a little. "And pardon me if I'm a little forward, but would m'lady allow me the honor of spending some time with me? I feel like we should get to know each other a little better, being secret heroes and all."

Marinette laughed and Plagg groaned.

"Oh brother." he said, floating over to an elated Tikki as their charges walked over to the center of the roof, fingers still interlocked.

"Wow, that was literally the most obvious thing ever, and I still didn't notice it? And you're calling yourself the dense one."

"I wouldn't call you dense for that, feather allergies are pretty common."

"That's way too freaking coincidental though, both occurrences were in the same day! How did I not see that?"

"The same exact way that I didn't see the other nine million hints staring me in the face, especially tonight's blatant ones."

"So then we're both idiots."

"The most miraculous idiots in Paris."

Marinette laughed and shoved Adrien playfully at his quip, earning an equally hard laugh from the blond sitting next to her. It had been an hour or so since they started talking, the sun having gone down a good while ago. The only lights illuminating the city now were the street lights throughout the city, the Eiffel Tower, and the soft glow of the moon. Adrien and Marinette sat once again on the ledge of the roof, bathed in the orange lights of the city and hardly paying attention to their surroundings as they laughed and enjoyed their time together. The tension had long since settled, and they had taken much of their time to reminisce on their encounters with akumas, their theories and workings towards finding Hawk Moth and his motives, and most recently, the moments where they had been too ignorant to realize one another's secret identities, even when it felt obvious.

Tikki and Plagg had been off to the side as their charges conversed, taking their own time to finally catch up. Occasionally they would discuss topics around their duties and finding Hawk Moth, but much of their conversation happened to be focused on the two teenagers seated a few feet away from them. Plagg had droned on for a while on how oblivious his miraculous holder had been towards Marinette's identity and how the entire situation "could have been avoided if he had an ounce of common sense", but Tikki waved off the accusations. Their charges were smart, but they were simply so good hearted that they tried to respect one another's wishes and concerns towards their identities, thus choosing not to think too hard about it. Things may have been obvious, but they're hard to spot if you're not trying to look for them.

"So what was the deal with the mask then?"

"What do you mean?" Tikki asked, surprising Plagg with the pure innocence in the question.

"Did you not do that? Did you not make her mask go away?"

"Nope, that was all Marinette."

"Why would she do that?"

Tikki contemplated the question for a moment, finding that she wasn't entirely sure. "I honestly don't know. I don't think she meant to. I remember feeling her discomfort when they kissed earlier, like her face was getting too hot. Her mask was pretty damp, so when she moved her hair a little it kind of just came off."

Plagg snickered, "Wow, that's pretty funny."

Tikki frowned, "I don't know about that. She seemed really upset, I hate that things turned out this way." She looked at Plagg with her wide blue eyes, worry seeping from them. "She'd been thinking about confessing to Chat about her identity for a little while, I know this isn't even close to how she pictured it."

Plagg shrugged, "I wouldn't be too worried about it. They look pretty happy anyways." he said, nodding his head towards the couple a bit away from them.

They were happy, almost blissfully so. The barrier between them had been removed, and while it seemed new and scary, they were actually somewhat thrilled at the comfort they could now allow themselves to feel between each other. They didn't have to hide anymore, there were no more walls stopping them from entering one another's lives. Being together could become more effortless than they thought, whether they were Marinette and Adrien or Chat Noir and Ladybug.

Adrien looked to his left at Marinette, noting the difference in her face from the first time he had seen her that evening compared to then. Rather than a picture of hurt and disappointment, her expression was bright and amused, the soft lights of the city illuminating her once again vibrant eyes and highlighting the plucky apples of her cheeks. He found himself staring at every detail of her, but now in an entirely different light. When had this beautiful young woman gotten so much brighter? Perhaps it was from the fact that two incredible girls had now become one, and each essence meshed together in something that was almost blinding. Adrien was awestruck.

Marinette was equally pleased with how everything had turned out, but she had to force herself to look away from Adrien, lest she be caught up in staring at him all night. Whether her feelings were reciprocated or not, those original feelings of her outrageous crush still lingered, and she had felt like if she continued to allow her eyes to be stuck to him all the blood would leave her body and become a permanent resident in her face, staining it red.

Still, it didn't change the fact that she had been told that Adrien loved her. Adrien loved her. And she loved him.

Or at least she was pretty sure, everything was still pretty difficult to soak in.

"Hey, Marinette?" Adrien asked.

She jumped at the sudden noise, but quickly managed to recover. "Hmm?" she hummed nervously, turning to look up at him. She could feel her face flush automatically as she looked into his eyes, but luckily it was nothing too bad. He enjoyed the look on her face, but had to ignore it for pressing matters on his mind.

"I want to apologize to you for earlier today."

"Apologize for wh- oh…" she trailed off, realizing what he meant.

Adrien scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… Marinette, if I had known… Hell even though I didn't know, I shouldn't have rejected you. Like really, I shouldn't have."

Marinette gave him a sad smile. "You don't have to apologize for that, you can't help how you feel, and I'd have never asked you to change that for me."

He grimaced, god why did she always have to be so thoughtful? "I know that, but I still liked you. I've liked you, as Marinette, for a long time. But I decided to let my obsession with your other half get in the way, when the whole time I had a caring sweet girl willing to be at my side the whole time." He sighed, "I feel like I made a mess of everything, and really hurt your feelings in the process, and I'm sorry for that."

She thought about that for a second. "Well if you get to apologize for that, I get to apologize for liking the wrong side too."

Now he was the one who was confused. "What do you mean?"

She lowered her eyes. "I'd been pining after you for so long that I just never took into account that I had a perfectly wonderful guy who showered me in affection, care, and love, right beside me. And funnily enough, it was the side of him that felt the most free and comfortable, and yet I was going after the one that he resents the most. Even though he shouldn't. You don't get to tell me that Ladybug and Marinette are one in the same if you won't believe that between you and Chat. You're both wonderful, you're wonderful."

He smiled at her, knowing that she wasn't paying attention but didn't care. He couldn't help wanting to smile while he was around her. "You are too, Marinette. You are completely and wholly wonderful, and I should know, a cocky cat I know's been professing his love to you a million times over."

She looked at him, flashing a guilty smile, "Such a ridiculous love square we threw ourselves into, if you ask me."

He chuckled a bit at the expression on her face. "Ridiculous for sure. If Adrien had accepted Marinette and Ladybug accepted Chat Noir, we'd have had no issues it looks like."

She smirked, "But I win because I woke up to my feelings for Chat before you did to the ones for me." she said tapping his nose with her index finger.

Adrien laughed and shrugged, "That's not surprising though. It was bound to happen at some point, I'm pretty irresistible."

"If that's what you call it." she chided, lightly punching his arm. She may have done it a little harder than she thought because Adrien winced and rubbed at his arm a little, but he didn't care. It was funny to him to feel that same unmistakable punching arm from Ladybug coming from Marinette instead.

Marinette inhaled a deep breath of the cool Paris air through her nose, and then slowly exhaled it through her mouth. A question danced on her chilled lips.

"So what do we do now?"

Adrien considered this question carefully. What were they supposed to do? At this point everything had been laid out onto the table, no secrets left untold, confessions clear as day. They loved each other, possibly even more than they had thought considering their feelings were no longer split between two people. Adrien felt like he should just scoop her up at that moment and run off with her, like a sickeningly cheesy love story where they go away to elope and live out their fantasies mere moments after they realize their feelings.

Though he felt like he could justify these actions, Adrien knew they made no sense. They lived in reality, and in reality Adrien and Marinette still had a lot to learn about each other. They were best friends, partners, and incredibly close, yet somehow neither one of them could realize their identities had been right in front of them the whole time. It made Adrien question if they really understood and knew each other as well as they should, at least considering how long they had known each other and worked together. They hadn't been able to distinguish the fact that these seemingly clashing personalities actually belonged to one person rather than two, and he desperately wanted to change that.

He was hardly worried that it would change anything, no not at all. If anything he was completely certain all it would do is make him adore the bluenette even more than he already did. But he wanted to get to know her not as two people, but as one entire, incredible person. He felt like he owed that to her. And he was fairly sure that she would feel similarly towards him.

But honestly, what better way to get to know someone than to date them?

He looked at Marinette, that Chat Noir smirk of his coming into play and getting the better of him, "Well I'd suggest each other, but that may be a little forward."

Marinette lost it. Her face was completely red with embarrassment but she couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the comment, though maybe a little bit out of humiliation as well. She didn't really care. It was honestly the most relaxed she'd ever felt around him and she was enjoying every bit of it. He was beaming.

"I'm thinking dinner and a movie first, cat." she corrected, once she was able to breathe again.

Adrien laughed, "That will definitely be arranged, if my girlfriend is up for it."

Marinette was elated and her heart pounded sporadically upon hearing the words "definitely" and "girlfriend". Girlfriend. Adrien's girlfriend. Alya would be thrilled.

"Hey, lover boy!" Plagg yelled, flying over to his miraculous holder's side. "I'm sure you're having a good time with your 'girlfriend' over here, but Tikki says it's getting pretty late and the two of you should probably wrap it up and get going home. Not to mention I'm hungry."

"Yes," she confirmed, making her way next to Marinette. "I'm glad you two had fun and got to catch up, I'm sure this has been a bit of an event for you, but there will be plenty of time for this later. You both know you have school tomorrow."

Marinette groaned, thinking of the difficult early morning awaiting her, not to mention she wasn't interested in leaving at this point. Things had gotten really comfortable between them and she wanted nothing more than to relish in it. Adrien returned Marinette's sentiments almost telepathically, but had to agree with the kwamis that it had definitely gotten late. He knew that he wouldn't be checked on for the rest of the night, but he couldn't be so sure about Marinette's case. It was better to get her home.

"I'm afraid they're right, m'lady. It's time to get you home." Adrien relented, pushing himself up from the ledge and bringing himself to a stand. He gingerly offered her his hand and she took it gracefully, working to stand up and balancing herself with it on the concrete surface.

"I'm pretty sure I know my way home, cat." she replied teasingly.

He shrugged, "Maybe so, but I'm not going to risk losing time with you, so I'm escorting you home. I'd say whether you like it or not but I know you will so you may as well just accept it."

She rolled her eyes, "How did I never guess you were Chat Noir? You've been cocky like that around me before."

He smirked, "Well you know now, and just so you know, the flirtations and puns are only going to get ten times as heavy. Especially now that I know you like them."

She groaned and dramatically caused herself to look pained, it being the only way to hide the blush and jumps in her speech that were trying to claw their way out of her. The confidence heavy personality was a bit overpowering to deal with as Marinette, especially hearing it come from Adrien, but she was sure she could and would get used to it, even if it flustered her to no end. Adrien was amused by it.

A moment later and they were transformed, finding it strange yet comforting the way that they were able to simply do it in front of one another, rather than having to run off and find a place in private. It was like a whole new world of possibilities slowly opening for them, and in time they were sure to discover each of them, together.

A newly masked Ladybug released her yo-yo, swinging it with the intention of latching it onto a pole nearby, but she was halted by Chat's quick "Wait." Her string fell from its momentum in her hand and swung lazily by her feet. The look she gave him behind her mask was quizzical.

"I just... I just wanted to make sure this was all okay." he said timidly.

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked, a hand moving to her hip.

"Everything." he answered. "What happened tonight, what happened this afternoon, our identities being revealed, all the confessions, just everything. This has been a lot to take in, and I'm sure that it's been a lot for you too. I just don't want to overstep my boundaries, I want to make sure everything between us is okay."

She blushed, feeling automatically flustered at the genuine care exuding from the boy standing in front of her. More than anything, he wanted to make sure that the relationship between them would be unscathed. He didn't want to lose any part of her, in fact he wanted to maintain every part of her that he could manage.

Nothing else mattered more to him than making sure Marinette was happy, and she felt the same way towards him.

"I love you." she said. It was quick and quiet, almost unvoiced, but she spoke it with complete sincerity. He heard it as if she had yelled it.

"I love you too." he returned, without an ounce of hesitation. He knew he meant it, and she did too.

She beamed, every fiber in her body dancing in delight. They may had said it a thousand times that night and it wouldn't have meant anything in comparison to what it meant in that moment. They had a lot to learn still, but that fact was certain. They did love each other, and that feeling was only going to grow stronger with passing time. Even if that love did not mean something entirely romantic, love was a very broad term, and it was not something that would come without challenges and hardships. But they loved each other, would stop at nothing to protect one another, would stand by each other's side no matter the case, and they knew that better now than they ever could have.

Two lovestruck teens bounded through the nighttime sky, laughing and cheering all throughout as they led an unannounced race in the direction of their homes. Elated by the events that evening, they hadn't noticed before their departure a small and curious fan who had just happened to be staring up at the sky during their late walk, and a certain event was captured on that passerby's phone.

The Ladyblog would be booming with updates and notifications in the coming hours.

Alya yawned, having been up late last night with notifications pinging on her phone every minute or so late into the night. The Ladyblog had been bombarded with new information one of her members had posted, and she herself had been thrilled by the news, keeping her up most of the night. She looked up from her desk groggily as Nino made his way to his seat next to her, glancing at the exhausted brunette sitting next to him.

"Stay up late doing homework?" he asked.

"Not exactly." she replied, scratching the back of her sore neck.

He laughed and patted the top of her head, "You shouldn't do that too much, you're gunna start looking like Adrien and Marinette."

"Speaking of which, where are those two?" she asked, peering over her arm that was holding up her head just slightly from the desk. She glanced at the desk below them, noticing that the two still had yet to arrive to class. They were no strangers to being late to class, but Alya was aware of the fact that Marinette had confessed to Adrien the day before. She frowned behind her arm, remembering that her texts to her friend asking what had happened had gone unanswered. She couldn't help but wonder what had transpired, feeling concern towards the idea that perhaps things hadn't gone quite as planned.

She was just about to ask Nino if he had heard anything from Adrien that morning when she noticed the door to the classroom opening and the blond headed boy in question entering, holding it open for someone lagging behind him. She immediately noticed that the person in question's hand was being held by Adrien, and as they made their way into the room Alya noticed the unmistakable sheepish grin of her best friend.

Alya gaped at the sight, gaining a shy wave from Marinette as their eyes met. She looked back at Adrien who was smiling confidently in Nino's direction with a subtle thumbs up, whom she noticed was in utter shock as well at the sight laid before them. Nino almost immediately recovered, expressing a very victorious fist pump in excitement for his friends, while Alya still remained surprised.

That girl has a lot of explaining to do, she thought as she recomposed herself and beamed at the happy expression plastered to her friends face. She happily noted the small box in Adrien's hand labeled with the initials belonging to Marinette's family's bakery, meaning that Adrien probably picked her up for school that morning. She wanted to feel betrayed that Marinette hadn't told her what was happening, but she smiled and rolled her eyes at the thought of Marinette being too nervous to tell her. She could have wanted to keep it a surprise too, but Alya, knowing her friend, was pretty certain it was the former situation.

"Did you know about this?" Nino whisper yelled at Alya, watching the couple take their seats in front of them.

"I knew she was going to tell him how she felt yesterday, but she never answered me about how it went. Guess that answers my question." she said, displaying the two in front of them. They were happily chatting away about something, still holding hands in their seats.

Nino grinned, "This is awesome. I'm so happy for them. They're perfect for each other."

Alya grinned back at him, "I know, it's two perfect couples in one day. This is great."

Nino raised an eyebrow, "Two?"

Alya was dumbfounded, "What!? Have you not been checking my blog!?" Alya scrambled for her bag next to her and quickly pulled out her smartphone, tapping in the passcode to give her access. Her screen was already on the exact page that she wanted.

She shoved it into his face, "One of my ladybloggers posted this picture they took last night. They were walking down the street and looked up and saw Cat Noir and Ladybug together on a roof. Right as they took out their camera to take a picture they caught them kissing!"

Nino was amused by her excitement, but he took note of the picture in front of him with an ecstatic grin. Though the picture was far from the best quality, he could easily make out the unmistakable figures of Ladybug and Chat Noir standing close together and holding one another in the pale light of the city. Their faces were undoubtedly touching in a motion that looked tender and sincere.

"Wow, that's so cool. I've been shipping them for such a long time."

"I know! Me too! All of my LadyNoir fans are going insane. They wouldn't stop posting fanart and pictures of them all night and of course I had to look at all of it."

Nino laughed, "Of course you did."

Alya looked back down at the happy couple below them, enjoying the look on Marinette's face as Adrien clearly flirted with her. She was flustered, like she always was, but her face looked so much more relaxed around him than it ever had before, as if her confession had taken away all of the weight that had been pressing on her shoulders about him. They looked entirely at ease, almost like another couple she knew pretty well.

Alya's mind went in a mischievous direction, "Don't you think it would be really cute if Adrien and Marinette turned out to be Chat Noir and Ladybug?" she whispered to Nino.

"What?" he asked, entirely amused. "Don't be ridiculous, that's almost as silly as you suggesting Chloe was Ladybug."

"Well, it would make sense wouldn't it? They're both perfect for each other, and they even look kind of alike. I think it's a pretty plausible theory."

Nino shook his head, "How about before you start theorizing you give the four of them a break. I'm sure they'd probably like to be able to enjoy themselves a little before everyone starts speculating stuff about them."

Alya sighed, defeated. She knew he was right, but she still noted the similarities and tacked the idea into the back of her mind for later. Marinette wasn't going to escape talking to her about what happened, whether it be that day or the next.

Either way though, she was glad. She stared as her friend smiled, leaning close to Adrien and sharing a small sigh of content with him.

Her favorite people in Paris were happy, and there was nothing better that she could ask for.