Hey everyone, BassDS here with the final chapter of Identity, and before we go ahead and dive right in, I just want to say if anything sounds off to you, I am truly sorry. See, the way I work, 8 times out of 10, I plan everything out in my head, but when I actually start to write it, and try to adapt the mood the moment is suppose to set, sometime it works, and sometimes it doesn't, and I REALLY hope this scene between Adrien and Marinette seems as natural as it can be. Like I said at the start, I've been walking into uncharted territory in my case, and I hope I did my best here.

But anyway, as I said before in the last chapter, if you'd like me to continue a storyline based off of this story, please let me know; I mean, yeah, I'll more than likely end up doing it regardless, but I love getting input from others. It's my job, and that's what my writing is for: catering to all of you.

But, enough with the delay, this is BassDS logging out, and I hope you all enjoy the ending to "Identity".

...

Identity

Act III: Love

...

Marinette felt as if all the blood drained from her face. Just the way he said those words, the same tone Chat would say them with. It all just matched, but she almost didn't want to believe it.

"Me? Ladybug? I think you've been daydreaming in class." she said, trying to throw him off. "I'm nothing at all like Ladybug."

"Maybe I would have believed that at one point...but you ARE Ladybug, Marinette. The proof is in plain sight." he said as he looked toward her and extended his hand out and touched her cheek, his thumb caressing the healed scars. "You got these from the akuma we fought a few days back. And when we ran into the hallway the next day and I saw that bandage on your face...that's when I began to go over everything." he said as he got up and walked towards her balcony door and looked outside, his hand pressed against the glass. "Apart from me, you're the only one of our classmates that was never forced into becoming an akuma...can't believe I was too blind to realize the similar hairstyles, let alone the hairbands..." he chuckled a bit. "...but more importantly, it's your caring nature that shows and tells me you're the Ladybug that I love."

Those words just sort of stung Marinette in the heart. It was Ladybug that Adrien loved, and not her. It felt as if the world and future she longed for with him was crumbling at the foundations.

"So it's just Ladybug you love, is that it?" she said as she began to choke back on her tears.

Adrien could sense the sad tone in her voice as he moved back over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Yes, I love Ladybug, but it also means I want to love the person under the mask. I want to love the person Ladybug is when she ISN'T being a hero. I want to love you...that's the truth." he said as he moved back and wiped away the lines of tears from her face. "You believe me, don't you?"

"I just don't know what to believe right now..." she said as she turned her head away from him and looked down. "Tell me...if Ladybug never existed, would you have felt the same way about me as you do now?"

Adrien moved his hand atop hers as she gripped her pants in its grip before using his hand to move her head back up.

"I met the beautiful girl who lacked an umbrella on a rainy day regardless, didn't I? The girl whose always sticking up for others and what she believes in. And I know now that I mean a lot to you...now that I know that you're Ladybug, that moment you were willing to give Volpina your Miraculous to save that illusion of me makes just so much more sense. I see now why you were always shoving away Chat's advances." he smiled gently. "Even if we didn't lead the lives of heroes, I'm positive I would have fallen for you...that same caring nature that made me fall for Ladybug."

"Adrien..." she said as more tears were starting to swell up. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for the past year...something that's been hard for me to get out..." she turned her head to look into his emerald green eyes. "I...I love you..."

"Love you too...bugaboo..." he softly replied as he moved in to capture her lips into his, kissing her tenderly as her arms wrapped around him, her hands moving through his blonde locks as they finally broke the kiss, only to nip at the other's jawline before completely parting.

Tikki, on the other hand, could only gaze on, happy for her Ladybug at long last.

"I've dreamed of that for so long..." she said as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Not bad for my first-ever kiss..." he joked.

"Mmm...about that...technically, that's our second kiss..." she replied blushing madly as her mind thought back to Valentine's Day.

"Wait...we've kissed before?" he asked as his eyes widened.

"I'll tell you later, kitty..." she said as she hugged him tightly in her arms, only to feel something move against her chest.

"Mind not suffocating me in here!?" blurted out a voice that made Marinette pull back.

"What was...?"

"Uh oh...sorry Plagg." Adrien said as he opened up his shirt pocket to let him out.

"It was bad enough I had to hear the mushy-mushy stuff, but getting crushed is a totally different thing." he complained.

"Plagg, honestly, you have no sense of compassion." Tikki barked out as she flew out from the dress toward the cat-like being.

"I do have a compassion; for cheese, of course, for your information."

"What? No hellos? Right...I keep forgetting how difficulty you are to deal with." she huffed as Adrien and Marinette giggled at the two.

"He's Plagg." stated Adrien.

"Tikki." Marinette smiled.

"And I am HUNGRY."

"You know, you'd think after 5000 years I would get used to his behavior..." Tikki sighed.

"Think you got something for him? Otherwise he's just going to complain on the way home." Adrien asked.

"I'm sure I can find something." she giggled as she got up and headed towards her door.

"By the way...when you get back, think you can tell me about that kiss?" he gave a cat grin toward her. "I purromise I'll be good."

"Kitty..." she chuckled lightly.

...

The two of them sat atop the roof as they watched the sun begin to set behind the Eiffel Tower, being able to see only its shadow silhouette as the breeze blew past them lightly.

"Adrien...there's something I want to know. Why is it when we're at school, you act normal, but of all the times I've been near you as Chat, it's like you're a completely different person?" Marinette asked as they gazed out to the sky.

"Well, to be honest, being Chat Noir has given me the chance to be someone other than the teen model in all the magazines and papers; to be as carefree as my heart desires..." he began. "And really, I guess just finally act how I really feel inside and not worry about anything...something I haven't been able to experience ever since Mom..." he began to say before stopping.

"I'm sorry..." Marinette replied as she grip his hand in hers. "She was beautiful though..." she said, referring to the portrait she had seen.

"Don't be." he comforted her. "I think of her every day...I just wish I knew what happened, but Dad...I feel like he knows more than he lets on."

"You know what I think?"

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm sure she's proud at what you've become...I just know it."

"I wonder what she would say about me having a girl as lovely as you clinging to my arm." Adrien grinned.

"I think she'd be happy that her son is." Marinette replied as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Because I know I am with you."

"The feeling's mutual." he paused. "What about you? Why were you so confident around me when you're Ladybug and not yourself?"

"Love at first sight, really. I was head over heels for you. I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I was always scared of how you would react, being rejected, but as Ladybug; behind the mask, I was confident around you. All that nervousness seemed to just vanish."

"That's all behind us now." Adrien replied as he rested his head atop hers as they stared out into the horizon.

"It's so beautiful."

"Yeah, but it doesn't compare to you." he added as he entwined his hand with hers.

Down below back in Marinette's room, Tikki and Plagg sat atop the desk watching the two of them enjoying the sunset.

"I'm so happy for Marinette." Tikki proclaimed happily.

"I'm just glad I can stop hearing him talk about Ladybug all the time now." Plagg stated as he bit into his wedge of Camembert.

"So inconsiderate." Tikki said as she shook her head.

...

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Adrien said as he and Marinette walked toward the door. "And hey, listen, why don't you stay home tonight? I'll handle the nightly patrol." he whispered to her.

"Such a gentleman. Thank you." Marinette replied.

"It's my paw-leasure, my lady."

"Guess I'm going to have to get used to those puns, aren't I?"

"You know it." Adrien responded.

"Good night, Adrien." she said as he headed out the door.

"Oh, by the way, Mari..." he said as he turned to her.

"Hmm?" she motioned before being cut off by another tender kiss.

"I'm really glad it was you..." he said as his eyes met with hers.

"Glad to make you happy, kitty." she replied as she kissed his cheek before finally letting him make his way home, watching until he was out of her view.

From above on the 2nd floor, Tom and Sabine watched from above at the scene that unfolded before them, happy for their daughter.

"It feels like just yesterday I was bouncing her on my knees..." Tom uttered out to his wife.

"They really do grow up so fast." Sabine lamented softly.

Down the street, Plagg popped out and landed atop Adrien's head as he walked home. "So, feel better knowing who Ladybug is now?"

"I do...and really, for the first time in a long while, I'm really happy, Plagg." he confided in the kwami.

"Good. Maybe now I can get some sleep without you saying Ladybug's name over and over in your sleep." he yawned lightly.

"Watch it, or you're losing your evening cheese." Adrien shot back.

"You wouldn't..."

"Try me, buddy."

...

The next morning, Alya and Nino could hardly believe the sight they had just seen.

Chloe had been waiting in front of the door for Adrien to show up, wanting to present tickets to him for an event this weekend for just the two of the them. Her world literally got turned upside down when Adrien and Marinette entered the classroom hand in hand; completely shocking the blonde when she asked why he was holding hands with the klutz, to which Adrien replied that the so-called klutz was his girlfriend. They could see Chloe's eye twitching violently from the response.

"Did...did I really just see that happen? I didn't, did I?"

"Oh you did, Nino." Alya said happily as Adrien and Marinette sat next to each other. "And it's about freaking time."

...