t's been two weeks since Adrien told Marinette that he knew she was Ladybug, and to his surprise, the main emotion he feels is satisfaction.

He's been learning a lot about Marinette over the past few weeks—the way her lips quirk up at the sides when she's telling a little white lie about where she's been after an akuma attack, the way she gasps with indignation whenever he tells a particularly egregious pun, the way her awkwardness rears its unruly head whenever she least expects it, and, most recently, that he has completely underestimated how much of a flirt she is, and how unprepared he is to handle it.

He overheard Alya talking to Nino about it the other day, how Marinette loves how easy it is to fluster him, and how baffled she is—though happy and extremely curious—that her best friend and Adrien are finally dating, and Nino promising to do his best to talk to Adrien and learn all the details that Marinette refuses to share.

Thanks to years of experience watching romantic comedies where best friends do their best to wheedle information out of the main characters, Adrien has learned to be pretty good at changing the subject and shying away from talking about any topics that make it easy for either Nino or Alya to have an opening to ask about their relationship, because considering how inquisitive Alya is, with enough detail, Adrien has a feeling it won't take her that long to put together the pieces about their superhero identities—especially since it's only been two days since a nosy tabloid photographer caught Ladybug and Chat Noir in a romantic embrace after an akuma battle.

Of course, Adrien still wants to tell the whole world that he's dating the coolest, smartest, most amazing girl in Paris. He's always liked Marinette and as the days go by, he can't imagine his life without her in it, but the fact of the matter is that they're not just two teenagers dating each other, they're also a superhero team in charge of protecting Paris, and there's no telling when danger might strike—it's essential that they put the safety of their beloved city's citizens above everything else.

So why do it? Plagg is curious why the two of them are so willing to deal with the complications of a romantic relationship between partners and classmates when there are so many things that could go wrong—even though in the meantime, the little kwami is falling harder and deeper for Marinette's charms with every trip Adrien makes to the bakery, despite his unconvincing protests.

And then, the day they're battling with a particularly rough akuma, it happens. Chat Noir falls off a roof just as he runs out of time on his Miraculous, and Ladybug goes diving after him, the string from her yo-yo wrapping around both of them as they hurtle downward, their bodies pressed together as the string catches and they sway back and forth upside down, just like the first day they met.

The blood is rushing to Adrien's head and he's dizzy from the magic rushing out of his body, so he can't quite appreciate what's happening, but Ladybug is smiling and alert as Plagg comes zooming out with a concerned look in his eyes.

"Plagg, in my pouch! There's a packet of spare Camembert in there," she says, jerking her head upwards to her waist. "Eat it quickly so he can transform again. Mon minou, you're okay, right?"

Adrien nods and smiles. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," she replies, wrapping her arms more tightly around him as the swinging steadies.

Adrien is fascinated by the unusual look of surprise in Plagg's eyes as he flies over to the pouch where Ladybug has kept a packet of spare Camembert. It's clear that he's realizing something.

"I think I understand now," murmurs the little kwami through bites of cheese, before turning his beady gaze to Adrien. "This is why you've been keeping those cookies next to the Camembert, isn't it? In case something like this happens?"

"Yes," says Adrien. "That's why. I want to be there for her, no matter what happens. So I try to be prepared."

Ladybug smiles before turning to look once more at the little kwami hovering in front of them.

"Well then, are you satisfied?"

Plagg sighs. "I suppose so."

"Adrien, he's all yours."

"Plagg, transforme moi!"

It's a new experience, transforming from Adrien to Chat Noir while literally pressed against Ladybug, the magic rushing like ribbons made of lightning around his skin, and Ladybug's eyes are as wide as can be as she watches the ancient magic envelop him like a sudden gust of wind.

As the transformation ends, she releases the tension on the yo-yo string, and as they start falling back towards the ground, Chat Noir extends his baton all the way to the ground and they grasp onto the thin metal, swinging around it as they slide down it like a fireman's pole.

It's a spontaneous and unexpected moment, and Ladybug bursts into merry peals of laughter as their feet touch the ground.

"Good job, kitty!" she exclaims, tickling his chin.

"What, no kiss for your chaton?" he responds with a little pout.

She rolls her eyes. "No! Absolutely no kisses until we defeat the akuma."

"Well then, my lady, what are we waiting for?"

Ladybug laughs and springs away, and he joyfully follows.

It's been two weeks since Marinette told Chat Noir that she knew he was Adrien, and to her surprise, the main emotion she feels is peace.

She's always been so nervous about letting anyone else in, about revealing a secret that sharing would jeopardize the safety of everyone in her city that she's never realized quite how tightly wound she's always been.

Knowing that she no longer has to run away from Chat Noir when her Miraculous runs out of time is a relief and a luxury she never thought she would have. The fact that there's someone else she can confide in about the crazy double life she leads—it's wonderful and comforting in a way that she never expected it would be, and though she knows that being aware of each other's dual identities has the potential to be dangerous, the comfort and support makes it all worth it.

There's something so lovely about knowing that she can stay with her partner after a battle, that he is also her love, and that even though there's a lot they still have to learn about each other, knowing each other's identities has put them in a better emotional place than either of them have been in months.

The more Marinette thinks about it, the more she admires Adrien for being able to balance it all with no help from anyone but Plagg—the pressures of a high profile life, doing well in school, athletics, and hiding a secret superhero identity on top of all that.

But Marinette knows that Adrien admires her too, and in fact, he often says that he even has it easier than her. Marinette doesn't buy it; there's no way that her loving, caring parents could possibly make her life as complicated as her boyfriend's life is, but she appreciates the sentiment.

One night, when they're on a joint civilian night patrol, trying to take it easy after a particularly rough akuma battle (in reality, it's actually a date and they both know it, but Marinette is insistent upon calling it a patrol, just for tradition's sake), they find themselves back at Point Zero in front of Notre Dame. Tikki and Plagg are both napping in their respective resting spots, their tiny snores echoing through the air, and Adrien and Marinette are truly alone.

It's a quiet November night, a new moon, the sky dark and the streets nearly empty. Marinette knows that anyone else looking at the two of them holding hands and laughing would think they're just a couple of crazy romantic kids; and while they are, their story is so much more than that.

Point Zero is a place where people have come for generations to make wishes for the future, to silently offer prayers and dreams to the shiny metal star embedded into the stone, imbuing it with a sort of power that almost emanates in the softly lit night air. As Marinette looks down at the well worn star, she feels overcome by the sensation of being part of something far bigger than either her or Adrien, and squeezes tighter.

"What is it?" he asks, sensing her restlessness.

"Can you feel it?" Marinette replies, eyes wide.

"Feeling infinitely tiny in an infinite cosmos? Oh, yes," he replies, his voice deadpan and utterly serious, though the twinkle in his eyes gives him away.

She snorts and shoves his arm. "Oh, hush, Monsieur Philosopher!"

Adrien grins and shrugs. "Hey, you asked! I'm only being honest."

Marinette laughs and sighs. "Well, you're not wrong. I do feel a little small today."

"How so?"

"Well, when we're fighting together—I just feel so powerful and free, like we're on top of the world, like we could do anything—even though we're both so young. And yet I know it's not going to last forever, you know? You and I, we're not the first Ladybug and Chat Noir. And we won't be the last."

Adrien purses his lips as he considers this. "Do you think we're the first Ladybug and Chat Noir to fall in love?"

"I don't know," says Marinette. "I guess we could ask Tikki and Plagg, if they're willing to tell us."

"Somehow I feel like they won't tell us. At least not until we're old and married. But I like to think that we're a very special Ladybug and Chat Noir. The only two to fall for each other in the City of Lights and of Love."

"Is that a roundabout proposal, Monsieur Agreste? Are you hiding a ring in your coat pocket somewhere?"

Adrien takes her other hand and turns to face her as he leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead with a smile. "Not tonight. But someday. You can count on it."

"I'll hold you to that, Adrien," replies Marinette, eyes sparkling. "I'll be waiting."

"I know," he says. "And I'll be there."