Monday morning Adrien was nervous. He had rehearsed what to say to Marinette, and thrown it out, and rehearsed some more only to repeat the process again. It was almost time to leave for school and he was still muttering his various confessions under his breath.

Tikki was worried he might chicken out. Was he like this every time he made a confession to Ladybug?

Tikki flew up to look him in the eye. "Hey."

Adrien stopped muttering and focused on the small, red kwami.

Tikki smiled encouragingly. "You're gonna do great. Stop worrying so much, and just talk to her from the heart."

Adrien took a deep breath. "It's just different this time, Tikki. With Ladybug, I'm a hero, but with Marinette… it's different. I just don't have anything to offer her. There's no reason for her to like me."

Tikki looked slightly startled. "Do you think that you have to offer her something for her to like you?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… yeah? Isn't that how it works?"

Tikki shook her head, his father had really done a number on him if he didn't understand that he didn't have to earn love. She asked patiently, "Adrien… do you expect anything from Marinette in return for your affection?"

It was Adrien's turn to be startled. "No! I just like her for who she is, not what she can give me."

Tikki nodded. "That's right. You don't love people because of what they can give you. That isn't real love. Real love is caring about another person, even if it's inconvenient and there's nothing in it for you. Don't worry. If this girl is everything you say she is, I'm sure that she cares about you for real."

Adrien let out a breath. "Wow… I never thought about love like that, but you're right. I didn't expect anything from Ladybug, and I don't expect anything from Marinette, and they have both shown they care about me without expecting anything in return."

At that moment there was a knock on the door, and Tikki dived into hiding. Natalie opened the door. "It's time to leave, Adrien."

Feeling calmer, Adrien grabbed his bag and headed out to the waiting car.

When he arrived at school, he was met by Nino on the stairs leading to the building. "Woah dude! I've never seen you wear earrings before."

Adrien had been prepared for this. "My father is thinking of using them in an ad campaign, and wanted me to get used to them."

He had been lucky that Natalie didn't pay close enough attention to him to notice them, because that excuse wouldn't have worked on her. Sure, he had worn earrings for shoots before, but she knew his schedule better than anyone, and would have seen through the lie instantly.

Nino looked him up and down. "Well, I don't know much about fashion dude, but they definitely make a statement!"

Adrien smiled. "Thanks man. Hey, you haven't seen Marinette around, have you?"

Nino shook his head. "Nah. That dudette probably slept in again."

As they started talking about other things Alya showed up and joined the conversation, also commenting on the earrings. Even though he'd thought to prepare a cover story he hadn't expected people to keep noticing them right away.

He didn't get to talk with Marinette before class, because true to character, she had got there at the last minute.

Adrien was distracted all through their teachers lecture, and waited anxiously to tell Marinette how he felt. Finally, the bell rang.

Adrien turned to where Marinette was packing up her things. "Hey Mari. I wanted to ask…"

His voice faded away, his eyes widened, and his heart thundered in his chest as she tucked a hair behind her ear and his eyes caught sight of a ring on her finger. His ring.

For a moment, all he felt was a strange emotion. It felt like a swell of pride. Or possessiveness. The girl he liked was wearing his ring, and it felt as if he had already claimed her.

Then the implications of what he was seeing really set in, and he realized that Tikki had been right. His heart had led him back to Ladybug, and the two most amazing girls in his life merged into one. He was so happy, he felt like he was going to burst.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who noticed the ring.

"Is that what I think it is girl?!" Alya exclaimed, grabbing Marinette's hand.

A panicked look crossed her face as she thought Alya had guessed her secret. "It is! That's Adrien's ring! Oh my gosh girl! You were holding out on me! Are you dating now? Who confessed first? I need deets!"

Marinette looked relieved, but only for a second. Then her eyes widened in a different type of panic, and she looked from the ring, to him, to his hand, and finally to his ears. After the surprise passed, she smiled slightly, and answered truthfully, thinking of all the times he had poured out his heart to her as Chat. "We haven't been on a date yet. He confessed first, but it occurs to me now that I never really gave him a proper answer."

At that she turned and looked him in the eye, her newfound knowledge that he was her partner, and her conversation with Plagg giving her the courage she'd never been able to muster. "Adrien, you are the most amazing guy I know. I was always scared to tell you how I felt… scared that you wouldn't feel the same, and the other side of me didn't think I could love you the way you deserve. But now I know. I'm not afraid anymore. Now I know that I can be that person. I want to be that person! I love you, and I have ever since that day in the rain. I want to spend my life with you, and I promise to have your back no matter what we face."

There was a high pitched squealing coming from beside them, but they didn't notice as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Tears pricked at Adrien's eyes as he took in what she was saying. He could hardly believe this wasn't a dream. Any doubts he'd still had about asking her were now gone. "Marinette, will you go out with me?"

If possible, Marinette's smile grew even bigger. "Yes!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around him. "I'm so happy it's you, Kitty." She whispered in his ear.

The squealing got louder, and Nino suddenly interrupted the moment. "Dudes… I think you broke my girlfriend."

Adrien and Marinette burst out laughing. When it died down, Marinette explained, "She's been waiting a long time for this."

"So have I, Milady. So have I." Adrien smiled knowing that now everything was right in the world.

AN: And that's the end! I'm glad everyone seemed to like this story. Thanks to everyone who favorited/followed/commented! For some reason the site wasn't letting me respond to them, but I really appreciated them! This was originally just supposed to be a one shot, but I like where it went. Sorry if the reveal and confession seemed a bit rushed, but as I said the story was always intended to be short. Anyway, hope you all liked the last chapter!