Before:

"Wait!" Ladybug reached out to him, turning him back to her. "I'll only ever have the confidence to tell you this now and I need you to listen." She took a deep breath, shaking off a little of her nerves. "Just I . . . I love you." Ladybug watched his face, immediately biting her lip anxiously.

Chat Noir blinked at her. "Wh-"

"And I know that you're Adrien Agreste!" She blurted, covering her mouth with her fists.

Chat stared, confused. She said it so fast and so randomly that none of it made any sense. "Wait, how do you-"

"I should go." Ladybug turned to leave, but Chat Noir grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"No. You can't just leave after dropping a bombshell like that." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You need to, first, calm down and then explain some things . . . or everything. I'm lost here."

"I saw you, after our last battle . . . " She gulped. "Detransform. I guess we thought alike and went to similar places afterwards." 'Probably since we both had school that day.' She thought. "And . . . I had a dot more than you left on my miraculous, so that's probably why you didn't make it as far as I did, but . . . " Ladybug's eyes met his, her breath hitching. "I saw you. You didn't see me, but I saw you and know it's you behind that mask, Adrien."

"But why are you telling me all of this?" He shook his head. "You always wanted our lives to remain a secret, so why say you love me now? You always rejected Chat Noir. What makes Adrien any different? Why now? Is . . . is it because of me or who my father is?"

"No." Ladybug shook his hands from her shoulders. "It's, it's you. It's . . . I . . . I just like you. Like a lot." Marinette paced in a circle. "And I'm not saying this because you're a model or famous, even though you are but yeah . . . anyway, right now, while I'm Ladybug, I needed to tell you that I love you." She stopped in front of him, panting for a moment. "I might never have the courage to say it again. I love you Chat Noir."

"Wait. But why now 'while you're Ladybug'?" Chat asked. "Aren't you going to tell me who you are? It only seems fair . . . " He trailed off.

"Uh, y-yeah. About that." Ladybug pressed a hand to her sweating forehead, her bangs pointed up.

"You're not?"

"N-No." She admitted nervously.

"We're partners!" Chat yelled. "After all that's happened, you still don't trust me?" He looked hurt. "What was it all for then? How can you just blatantly tell me you know who I am and still insist on keeping yourself a secret."

"I can't! I-I it's all I have." She stared at the ground. "If I didn't have this mask on right now, I never would've had the courage to tell you that. When I'm Ladybug, I'm someone completely different. I wouldn't be here right now if I couldn't conceal myself. I need to keep this a secret. To keep who I am a secret. My only secret." Ladybug looked up. "Everything else I'll be honest about."

"But I can help you. I understand how you feel. I'm in the same exact situation with my miraculous. Although, you probably already knew that since you didn't fall for Chat Noir first. It would just make everything so much easier if we knew each other outside the suits." He paused. "But . . . you shouldn't feel like you have to hide yourself, especially from me. You're Ladybug; the one I love. Always."

"Ladybug's just an alter ego, Chat Noir. She covers the real me and frankly, I don't think you'd be interested in the real me. It's not the same." She snapped.

Chat Noir quickly grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers in front of her face. "You said a minute ago that you loved me and you know who I am. So what gave you the idea that I'd feel any different about you?" Ladybug stared at their hands that remained in front of her.

"I." She lost her words, focusing on how he gripped her hand carefully.

"Do you really love me?" He gazed at her eyes.

"Yes." She answered, looking up. "I do."

Chat Noir leaned forward and slowly kissed her lips. He held it there for a few extra seconds before he stepped back. He swung their hands back and forth, watching them in front of him. "You're wrong." He said. "There is a bit of Ladybug in you . . . whether you're wearing a mask or not." Chat Noir released her hand and backed away. "I still love you. I don't think I could stop." He turned to look over the edge of the Eiffel Tower. "But your mask doesn't define you."

Chat Noir jumped off the ledge, pulling out his baton to launch himself across the city. Ladybug watched with glossy eyes as he neared the mansion; Probably the only time she ever kept her eyes on her partner's exit. And it probably won't be the last.

4 Days Later . . .

"Did you really think I'd let you leave without a kiss?" Ladybug grinned, pulling Chat Noir to her by his tail.

He turned back to her with a smile. "Sorry. I'm just not used to all this affection."

"Then I guess you better start." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss against his lips. He secured his hands on her waist. "Because I'm not going anywhere."

"Sounds intriguing. Maybe we should add a little more flare to this relationship then." Chat pulled her back for another kiss.

"Flare?" Ladybug mumbled.

"Yeah like some spark. You know like . . . dates and stuff."

"You know we can't go on normal dates or anything in public, right?"

"Oh no." He smiled. "Normal's not really my thing."

"So what do you have in mind?" She asked.

He grabbed her hand and moved to the edge of the building they were on. "I'm busy tomorrow night, but is Thursday okay?"

"Yeah, I don't have anything going on."

"Perfect." Chat pointed to a middle level of the Eiffel Tower. "Meet me up there after 9 p.m. The rest will be a surprise."

"Oh, I like surprises."

"Great." He beamed. "I'll see you then." Chat kissed her hand before jumping off the building and onto another.

"Seems the duo are quite close now." A villain laughed from the shadows. "My plan is ready to set in motion."

A/N

So this is a new story I'm trying. It's definitely different from anything I've written before, and if you've read any of my other stories, you probably figured that out. This is going to be mature and if you don't like that, I'm warning you now.

-Alice Pink