It was a slow night in Paris. No Akuma attacks, barely even a bar brawl to break up. Not that Ladybug and Chat Noir were complaining. It was nice to have an evening to themselves, where they could just be friends, without the need to also be superheroes.

"Hey Ladybug, want to make a bet with me?"

"What are your terms, Kitty?"

"A race to the top of the Eiffel Tower. First one there wins."

"And what do I get when I win?"

"If you win, and that's a big if, I'll stop flirting for a week!"

"And if you win?"

"Then I get to ask you any question I want, and you have to answer it."

"Any question? I'm not so sure I like that."

"And I promise it won't be 'What's your real name' or anything that I could use to potentially find that out."

"Okay, Kitty. You're on! On your marks, get set, go!"

They were off, racing down the roads, jumping over buildings.

Suddenly, Chat Noir used his baton and leapt three buildings ahead in a single jump.

"Hey, that's cheating! My yoyo can't go that far!"

"I never said how we'd race, Bugaboo!"

Filled by her determination to win, Ladybug shot on extra speed, throwing her yoyo as far as she could.

Almost there. I can do this!

They were neck and neck, and it looked as though Ladybug were going to win, when suddenly Chat Noir did an aerial flip that put him just feet ahead.

Two buildings to go. One. And…

"I win, Bugaboo!"

"By like two seconds! It's a tie!"

"I won… by a whisker!"

"All right, Chat. I'll let you have this one. What's your question? But remember, you can't ask me who I am."

"I know. I already have my question in mind. The boy you told me you like,"

"Chat, asking me who he is will tell you who I am by extension. That's against the rules!"

"That's not what I was going to ask, either, M'lady. No, what I was going to ask is, what made you fall in love with him? What did he do, that I haven't?"

Ladybug thought for a moment, blushing slightly at the memory.

Is there any way my answering this will tell him who I am? I can't do that. No, I don't think so. I guess it'd be alright to tell him.

"Well, we actually didn't start on the best of terms. It was the first day of school, and he put gum on my seat. Or I thought he had. It turns out, he was trying to remove it from my seat before I sat on it, but I didn't find that out until later. I actually hated him because I thought he was a spoiled little rich boy who thought he could do whatever he wanted.

"But later on, as he was leaving school, he told me he only ever had one friend in his life, and he wanted to make more. He said he hoped I could forgive him for the gum incident, and then, as it started to rain, he gave me his umbrella. He didn't have a long walk, and neither did I, but to know that he was a good enough person to give me that umbrella. To make sure I was comfortable while he wasn't. I think I fell in love with him in that moment.

"But he doesn't know. I can't even speak clearly around him. I'm sure he thinks I'm just an odd person who can't speak properly. Every time I get around him, I either end up freezing, or stumbling all over my words. He makes my heart flutter, and I can never tell him. I sometimes think it's a curse. To have somebody who I care so much about, such a sweet somebody, but who I can never talk to.

"So, does that answer your question, Kitty?"

She hadn't noticed while she was retelling the story of meeting Adrien, but Chat was very quiet.

"Chat? Hello? Are you okay? I know, talking about another guy I'm in love with in front of you isn't polite. That's part of the reason I didn't want to talk to you about him. And because I didn't want you to know who he was, of course. Learning who he is is a short leap to finding out who I am.

"Hello? Earth to Chat Noir?"

"Sorry, Bugaboo. I just remembered something I have to do at home. I'll see you tomorrow!"

And he lept away, leaving a very confused Ladybug behind. She only hoped she hadn't hurt him too much. He was her partner, and one of her best friends. But maybe this was for the best. Maybe hearing how much she loved Adrien, might help Chat get over Ladybug. It was worth thinking about, anyway. And tomorrow would be another day.

"How could I be so stupid, Plagg!"

"What are you talking about, kid?"

"I asked Ladybug how she fell in love with the boy she likes. She didn't tell me his name, of course, but she told me the story of how they met, and how she eventually fell in love with him."

"And? How exactly does that make you stupid?"

"Because, Plagg. She was talking about me!"

"What do you mean she was talking about you? Ladybug doesn't love you. Sorry, but you apparently need to be reminded."

"No, Plagg. Not me Chat Noir. Me, Adrien!"

"How can you be so sure? There are thousands, no, millions of people in Paris. How can you know that out of all of those people, the two of you know each other at all, let alone that she was talking about you specifically?"

"Because, she told me the story of how Marinette met, and apparently fell in love with, Adrien!"

"Kid, I think you're dreaming. There is no way that's the story you heard. Maybe you misunderstood. Or maybe you heard what you wanted to hear. But there is no way, no way, that that was the same story. Just a coincidence!"

"Well, it's a heck of a coincidence then. Marinette hated me because she thought I put the gum on her seat, when in fact, it was Chloe, and I was taking it off. Ladybug even mentioned how she hated me at first because of the misunderstanding. Then she said how he gave her an umbrella while it was raining, even though neither of them had a long walk. Don't you see, Plagg? I gave Marinette my umbrella before getting into the car with The Gorilla. And she didn't have a long walk because her house is right across the street! And then she said that after she fell in love with him, she couldn't speak around him. She either stammers her words, or freezes up entirely. Just like Marinette does to me."

"You're reaching, kid!"

"Well, I'll find out tomorrow. I'm going to talk to Marinette and make her confess to me. And if she acts the way I think she'll act, I'll know for sure!"

The next day, after school, Adrien called out to Marinette before she could leave.

"Marinette! I need to talk with you!"

"Oh my god, Alya! Adrien is coming this way, and he wants to talk to me! What do I do!"

"Girl, breathe. You got this! Just talk to him like you're talking to me right now."

"Right. I can do this. I can do this!"

"Hey, Marinette! I'm glad I caught you before you left. Can we talk in private?"

Marinette let out a squeak, followed by a pleading look to Alya.

"Well, look at the time. I have to get going! I need to babysit the twins. K, I'll talk with you later!" and she ran off without another word to Marinette.

"Uh… He… Hey, Adrien. You talk wanted to? Er… You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, but it has to be in private. Can we maybe go into a classroom? Or your house? It doesn't matter, just somewhere where we cannot be overheard."

"Muh muh… my room?"

"Or a classroom. Wherever you'd feel more comfortable."

"Go let's to the classroom! No, sorry. Let's go to a classroom. It's closer."

Walking to the nearest unoccupied classroom, Adrien couldn't help but notice similarities between Marinette and Ladybug, now that he was looking for them.

They both were about the same height. Both were slender without being scrawny. Both had blue hair, always kept in ponytails at either side of the head, and both had stunningly beautiful blue eyes. Then there were the less physical similarities. Both were willing to take charge. Both cared about their friends as if their lives depended upon it. And both were the most courageous people Adrien knew.

"Marinette, I want to know, and please be honest with me, what you're feelings are for me. You're one of my best friends, but you never talk to me the way you do around Alya, or Nino, or Nathaniel, or really anybody. I'd like to know what I did to make you so nervous around me."

"Muh, me nervous? Nnnnnn never!"

"Marinette, you're stammering. You never do that around your other friends. Please, just tell me what I did wrong, so I can fix it! I want to be close to you, like you are with everyone else! I care about you a lot!"

This surprised Marinette. Adrien cared about her? Well, here goes.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Adrien. You," she had to take a deep calming breath, "You gave me your umbrella. You thought of me and my needs before your own. I don't hate you, Adrien. I… I…"

"You don't have to say it if you don't want to, Marinette. I know what you're going to say."

"No, you don't! You can't"

"Yes, I can. Because you've already said it to me once before."

"I've never told anybody how I feel about you!"

"You told me last night… Bugaboo."

Marinette's eyes grew wide.

"Adrien?"

"That's right. I'm…"

"Adrien… You're Chat Noir? But that's impossible! How could I be in love with Adrien, but not see him in Chat Noir? No, there's been a misunderstanding. It's simply not possible. And did I just say I'm in love with you out loud?"

Her face grew red.

"It's okay, Marinette. You know I love you as well. I have for three years, ever since the day we met. It just took me some time to realize it. Do you think, now that I've found you, could I…"

"Yes, Kitty?"

"Could I kiss you?"

Tears started to fall from her eyes as she nodded excitedly.

"I'd like that."

The kiss was short and simple, but it said so much more than either could say with words. They had finally found each other. There were no more secrets. And that's just the way they wanted it.

Wow. I honestly didn't expect this to be this long when I started typing. While I was at work, I had the line of Chat asking for a bet sneak into my head, and it refused to go away until I wrote it down. The rest of this story just flowed from there.

If you enjoyed it, please review it. And feel free to check out my other stories. I've got several from over a decade ago. I honestly couldn't say how well I remember my own works. But I've also got two other MLB stories published. "Happy Valentines Day, Marinette" is a one shot and has been completed, and "It All Started With a Letter" is a work in progress.

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you in the next one!