It was all suddenly falling into place. Like clockwork pieces being connected and starting to function after a long time of staying dormant, her brain started putting everything together. Not fast enough, but she was getting there.

The familiarity in this boy's voice, and in his expressions. He'd called her "My Lady", first, when he'd asked her for a dance, and she hadn't thought much of it back then. But now, he had called her "Princess", and it wasn't a nickname Adrien had ever used with her… or with anyone, as far as she was aware of.

Except that there was someone else who had used both of those nicknames when speaking to her.

Panic started to creep into her mind, and so her body's response was to turn away from the man whose identity she was now questioning.

"Marinette… no… Turn around" his command sounded more like a plea, a hint of concern in his voice.

Marinette was scared to do so, because the familiar attitude and phrases had finally clicked inside her mind. If she turned around and saw his face, she knew she would confirm her suspicions. And if that happened, how was she supposed to act towards the blonde expecting an answer from her?

"I can't" she replied, almost a whisper. Her fairytale ball's spell had ended with an unexpected turn, and she couldn't figure out if she liked it or not. Maybe she should imitate Cinderella and run away; pretend that the clock had struck twelve and that the magic was over.

"Why?" Adrien's voice resonated through her ears, and she felt him getting closer. "Did I offend you?"

The raven-haired girl closed her eyes, wanting to answer, wanting to tell him how absurd that was, but her voice wouldn't come out now. She held herself with crossed arms, still considering an escape. This would be a perfect time, but the possible consequences were terrifying. What was she supposed to do the next time he saw him, if she left now?

"Marinette" his arms were on her shoulders now, and he stood behind her. His grip was gentle, as if she were a bubble that could pop at any time.

Had Adrien figured out her secret identity? Was he assuming the role of Chat Noir just to tease her with his newfound knowledge? What would Chat think if he found out that someone knew about her double life, even though she hadn't revealed herself to him? Would he be jealous that he wasn't the first one to know? It wasn't like she had revealed herself to Adrien on purpose. In fact, she was just assuming that he had figured it out.

But, wait… that didn't make sense. The red and black decorations. The smug flash on his innocent face, so uncharacteristic of Adrien and more characteristic of another blonde. The nicknames. It wasn't that Adrien was assuming the role of Chat Noir, it was that Adrien was…

And then there was that sentence. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Marinette."

He knew; she was sure of it. And she was starting to figure out something else on her own part.

"Princess…?" she found herself asking out loud, not really noticing she had verbalized her thoughts, as if she were trying to make sense of it all.

Adrien blushed a bit, suddenly overly conscious of what he had said, though he did not regret it. He was being obvious, and he was doing it on purpose, because he wanted her to know.

"Adrien… what's going on?" Marinette asked, trying to keep her calm. It was all happening too fast. Her, dancing with Adrien. Her, kissing Adrien. And now, this sudden revelation of everything… everything. What did his words mean? What did his actions mean? What did that kiss, which seemed so far away in her memory now, mean? She tried to savor it, engrave it into her mind asFrank Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon was still playing in the background, but the overwhelming wave of her thoughts, of her trying to figure this out, was not letting her do so.

Adrien pulled at Marinette's shoulders gently, as if asking her to turn around. When she finally did, he looked at her with a sweet expression and reached out to hold her hand – not reaching it in time, as the door to his bedroom opened.

They were both startled at the interruption and looked towards the entrance of the room to find that Nino and Alya had arrived. "Duuude, we finally made it!" Nino exclaimed, and Alya waved at Marinette. "Hey girl!"

Marinette dreaded the interruption, even though she had wished for her best friend's presence just minutes ago. Her timing was definitely the worst. She realized that the subject would have to be dropped until an opportunity came, and just when was an opportunity going to come up again, and how was she going to approach Adrien about it? She couldn't just go up to him and ask him if he had figured out her secret identity, because what if all of this was just a coincidence, or her overthinking?

Even though she had considered running away, she wasn't actually going to. She knew she had to face this.

Despite the rampage running inside her mind, and the bit of annoyance for the interruption, having Alya in the same room made her a bit calmer. She took a deep breath.

Adrien waved at Nino and Alya, with a hint of coldness to his smile, which was strange for him. Of course, he had to be annoyed at the sudden, inconvenient entrance of their friends – that is, only if what Marinette was thinking was actually true. Perhaps she really was overthinking. She had to be overthinking - because otherwise…

They engaged in idle chit chat. Nino was awed at how similar the decorations of the room were to the actual dance some nights ago – which had been Ladybug themed, based on her colors, as a sign of gratitude from the students for saving them in more than one occasion. Adrien politely answered that it had been Alya's doing. They had been accomplices in the planning of this event, it seemed, and even though Nino had helped plan this, he had not been aware of how similar his girlfriend was going to make this setting to the school dance's. Marinette was surprised her best friend had helped set this up without her knowledge, but even as she tried to engage as best as she could in the conversation, her mind was elsewhere entirely. She snuck glances at Adrien's polite stance from time to time to see if he was as engaged as he really seemed to be, or if he was also nervous about this whole situation. He caught her eyes once, smiling at her warmly, which made her look away. It was as if they were sharing a secret.

Nino and Alya were not showing it, but with one look at each other, they knew that they had made their entrance at a bad time. They knew they were probably interrupting something important. After a couple of minutes spent chatting, Alya suggested that Adrien show Marinette to the balcony, which also appeared to be decorated, while she and Nino looked over the playlist for the evening. It was an excuse, and all of them knew it, yet they obliged.

Adrien was grateful for Alya's witty journalistic senses, and shot her a knowing smile, which she returned with a wink as she walked away with her boyfriend towards the stereo.

Marinette walked herself over to the balcony, a little too fast, with Adrien trailing behind her. When she reached the glass sliding doors, she found that she was too nervous to pull them open, as her strength was failing her. Adrien reached out to the door, putting his hand on top of hers. "Allow me", he said, in a low voice which was so close she could perceive every characteristic of it. She heard a tinge of something else in his voice. Was he also nervous?

It was then that she saw the ring. A ring with a shape so familiar, she thought she could recognize it anywhere, even when its color was different, and a certain green paw was missing. Had he been wearing that ring all this time without her noticing? She found she couldn't believe she had missed such detail.

Adrien finally opened the door, and she reached the railings, holding on to them as if they had all the answers she was searching for imprinted on them. She didn't know what to think, or say, as her blond companion walked behind her and leaned on the railings to her right, his back to them, and crossed his arms. She dared to take a glance at his face; he was looking straight ahead towards the glass sliding door, not facing her.

"Are you okay Marinette?" he asked, in a serious tone, which made her worry, adding that to the list of complicated thoughts circling in her mind. "Look, I'm sorry if I've crossed a line," his hand brushed through his hair in a nervous gesture, "or if anything I've said or done has upset you. Just, please know that it wasn't my intention."

He had a mixture of emotions on his face. It seemed as if he was as conflicted as her.

"I'm just… trying to understand…" she muttered, loosening her grip on the railings, looking straight into the night Parisian sky. She was trying to be polite, and to reassure him that nothing was wrong, because she wasn't clear as to what he was apologizing for.

"What are you trying to understand?" Adrien turned around, leaning against the railing next to her, still not looking at her.

"Everything" her voice was just above a whisper, but he had heard. He was close enough to catch her voice.

Adrien smiled weakly. "You're going to have to explain this to me if I'm going to try to help you understand", he said, trailing her gaze towards the sky.

"Why did you kiss me?" was the first question that came to her mind, and to her mouth. Marinette realized this too late, opening her eyes wide for a second, and then turning her head away from Adrien. Her cheeks were burning again.

Adrien blushed too, but smiled. "Well, that's an easy one. I thought I had chosen that song correctly, though" he said, and she knew he was referring to the song they danced along to.

"I…" Marinette was left speechless. She wanted to hear the truth. She wanted him to say everything out loud, because otherwise, she would be assuming. But she did not dare ask again.

The blond took a glance at her, straightening himself up from the railing and grabbing her hand, inviting her to do the same and to face him. She did.

"Marinette… I…"

"You can't say that" Marinette refuted, surprised to find herself interrupting what she thought he would say.

"And why is it that I can't?" Adrien asked, still holding her hand. Marinette was avoiding his gaze, and he was desperate for her to look at him. "Do you even know what I'm going to say?"

"I think I do… and I don't know what to do about it"

Adrien grabbed Marinette's other hand. "I don't know what to do about it either. I need you to help me figure this out, as I try to help you understand"

"I… I need you to be transparent with me" she said, finally looking up to his green eyes. She was so nervous. She was breaking the biggest rule she had put between her and her companion. Between Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Because this was him, wasn't it?

Her longtime crush was the man who claimed to be in love with her, one of her best friends, and her companion. She did not know how she should react to this, or how to feel about it.

"Whatever you want me to say, Mari, I'll say it. Just ask"

There he was, giving all of himself to her, and she was making it so hard from her part. It's not that she didn't want to…

"Do you know who I am? Do you really know who I am?" she asked, bringing her head down, as if afraid to hear the answer she was sure she was going to get, or as if she was going to be wrong. Her eyes were welling up with tears, because either one of those options were scary.

"I know, my Lady" was the response she got.

She looked up to meet those green eyes. She should have known. How did she not know, after all this time together?

"Chat Noir?" she whispered, her voice failing.

"Yes, Ladybug?" he smiled tenderly, as if he could comfort all of her worries with that gesture.

"Chat?" she asked again, because she couldn't believe that this was her partner.

"Yes, Bugaboo?" The nickname sounded strange in his voice. No, it sounded strange coming from Adrien and not from a boy behind a mask.

"For how long have you known?" the tears that had been forming behind her eyes were threatening to fall now.

"More than you know" was his answer. Marinette scoffed with disbelief, trying to hold back the tears to no avail; they were already falling. She was going to get a proper answer to that question soon, she promised herself; but for now, that was enough. Her tears slipping down her face, a soft hand cupped her cheek, gently wiping them away with its thumb. "Please don't cry." Adrien was trying to hide his concern, because he was watching the strong superheroine crumble because of him. For a second, he regretted this whole ordeal. He had pushed her into realizing his identity. He had been selfish.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"For what?"

"For keeping you in the dark…"

"Don't apologize"

"…and for not knowing sooner… I should've known…"

Adrien's hand now lay beneath her chin, lifting her head up so she could see his eyes. His expression was soft, but serious. "You had your reasons, Marinette. I don't resent you, believe me. And I want you to know that I didn't mean to find out, or disrespect your decision, I just… figured it out. So I'm the one who's sorry." Adrien scoffed, before adding, "And then I go and pester Alya with this crazy idea just so I could drop some hints. I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know if I wanted to tell you tonight, or have you figure it out, or… I just – I don't know what I was thinking. But I wanted you to know. And that was selfish. I'm sorry"

"Don't apologize. Silly cat" Marinette said, surprising him. She was using her free hand to wipe the tears that were still escaping from her eyes. Her other hand was still holding Adrien's.

"Fine, I won't apologize if you don't. We're even"

Marinette finally laughed, throwing her head back, separating Adrien's hand from her chin. The blond beamed at the girl's laughter. She looked so beautiful, under the rays of moonlight, even with tears drying in her cheeks.

"Any more questions? You must have a lot… I know I do" he asked daringly, though his face had a light tinge of pink.

"Does it bother you?"

"Huh?"

"That… that I'm Ladybug" Marinette looked away, bringing her free hand up to her cheek and turning her gaze away. Her sudden burst of confidence had slipped away just as fast as it had come.

Adrien was taken aback by this question. Did she seriously think so less of herself? He wished he was wrong; that he was just misinterpreting the question.

"Why would it bother me, Marinette? You're insane if you think it does. How do you think I felt when I found out that my best friend is actually the woman I'm in love with? What could possibly be better than that?"

"In… love with?" Marinette's eyes opened wide, releasing her hand from Adrien's out of shock. The boy was devastated to have this physical connection broken, and for a moment, he was scared that he was saying the wrong things, going on about this issue in a way he shouldn't. However, he had never hidden his feelings towards Ladybug as Chat Noir, and he wasn't about to do it as Adrien.

"Marinette, I wasn't…" Adrien took a second to gather his thoughts. He brought his left hand across his chest, holding his right arm in a vulnerable stance. "Chat wasn't lying when he said he loved Ladybug. He's loved her ever since he met her, not only because of who she is, but because of everything that lies underneath. Chat and Ladybug's friendship is the most important thing to me, and I know I'm saying too much, but… but I need to" the boy took hold of Marinette's hands again, out of necessity, because he needed her to understand that he wasn't lying, the hint of pink in his cheeks getting stronger. This is something Marinette never thought she would see – a flustered Adrien, flustered over an exchange with her. And, oh, what type of exchange it was…

"I have never lied to you as Chat Noir, and I'm not lying now, either. Finding out that Ladybug and Marinette are the same person was… shocking, I admit. But only because I couldn't believe that the sweet girl who could barely speak to me at first is the same confident woman I am in love with. But I'm glad… I'm so happy, Marinette. I love you. Both as Ladybug, and as Marinette."

"Adrien-" Marinette was going to speak, thinking he was done. He wasn't.

"I understand if you can't return my feelings, or if it's too much pressure on you. God, maybe this was all a bad idea, and I'm s-"

"I love you too" she whispered, not meeting his gaze. Her face was burning, and she felt like she was going to pass out, because, well, she was doing so many unexpected things at once. She was confessing her love to her longtime crush, who also happened to be her superhero partner, who, on his hand, had been in love with her for a while. They had both been liking each other in secret, and they never knew.

Adrien thought he had to be imagining the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"I'm… really, really glad it's you…" Marinette dared a glance at her green-eyed companion, and Adrien's only way of holding on to this moment was to pull Marinette into a sweet embrace. The girl was too surprised to do anything but let herself be pulled into the hug, but then she dared to bring her arms up to Adrien's neck, hugging him back.

She let herself drown in every emotion she was feeling and every information her senses were processing. Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir. He had figured out her identity, and had respected her decision of not revealing themselves to each other (until he couldn't take it anymore, at least; or so it seemed). He was still in love with her, even as Marinette. She could feel her body absorbing his warmth, she could feel him breathing in her shoulders, and she could feel his hands around her waist, a tickling, sparking feeling where his palms rested respectfully. A scent of vanilla was slipping into her, and she registered it as Adrien's shampoo. The light scent of his cologne was combining into the mixture.

And then, he broke the hug, but not the embrace, to look at her again. His hands were still hugging her waist, and her hands were still holding on to his neck. She saw him smile tenderly, and his expression conveyed every bit of happiness that he was feeling. Marinette smiled shyly in response, daring to hold his gaze. His eyes… of course he was Chat Noir. She felt as if she could have gotten lost in those green eyes forever. She wondered how the hell she had never noticed all the similarities. The hair, the eyes, his voice… she felt so stupid for not realizing sooner, but she knew that the Miraculous had that effect on people, with the precise goal to protect the heroes' identities.

"I can't believe I didn't know" she said. Adrien chuckled. "I felt the same way once I figured it out"

"Wait," Marinette suddenly made yet another connection inside her mind, "Is this why you've been approaching me more at school for the past months? Because you knew?"

Adrien's shocked expression was obvious. "I-I mean, we were already friends before I started approaching you more. I just… wanted to confirm my suspicions, I guess?" One of his hands went straight to the back of his neck, a habit he tended to have when he was embarrassed. His hand found Marinette's, which were still there, and he immediately returned it to her waist so that she wouldn't break the embrace.

"Oh my God" she was both flustered and a bit mad, because that would have meant that her newfound friendship with Adrien was only because he had found out her identity. She was jealous of herself, and she knew how stupid that was.

"I'm sorry" he smiled apologetically. "In my defense, I always thought you were pretty cute"

"You're just saying that" she said, trying to hide her pout behind a smile that soon became a real one. "Besides, it doesn't matter. I guess it got us to where we are, somehow"

"And where exactly are we?" Adrien asked, in a very Chat-like, cocky tone of voice.

"In your bedroom balcony, silly" Marinette teased, bringing out Ladybug's daring side. She would not let herself be teased by Chat Noir and let him get away with it, even if he was Adrien Agreste.

"That is not what I meant" he replied.

"I know", was her response, followed by a smirk.

Adrien's behavior had taken a turn from when she had first arrived tonight, his smooth and knowing Adrien-like posture being broken and combined with Chat's witty, flirty attitude. It was going to take some getting used to, to think of these two boys as one.

Their gazes locked into each other again, and Adrien's eyes darted towards Marinette's lips, just like they had when he kissed her before, while they were dancing. Her breath hitched, because when it happened the first time, she had been so nervous, and it had been so unexpected that she hadn't really registered it as she could now. She now knew that he wanted to kiss her, and of course, she wanted him to kiss her. Still, it made her nervous, because this was Adrien.

"Mari?" The girl's heart was beating quickly. She was going to love hearing Adrien call her that from now on, she thought, because he had never done so until tonight.

"Yes?" she whispered, not breaking her gaze.

"Can I-?" an interruption.

"Yes" the quick response.

This kiss was nothing like the ones when they were dancing. This one was more forceful, more desperate, Adrien pulling Marinette's waist towards him, breaching the space between their bodies, and Marinette's hands moving up from his neck to his hair. She really thought she might be dreaming. She was flustered, yes, and she always thought she would freeze if this scenario played out in real life – but she was not going to waste any second of this, any second with Adrien.

The blond was also over the moon, because he, too, had dreamed about this for a long time: to finally be with his Lady in their civilian forms. He was so lucky that it was Marinette. He was so lucky to finally have her.

The kiss turned into kisses, because both of them wanted more, but both of them were trying to keep their composure. This was only the second time they were kissing, after all. The deep kiss turned into sweet pecks as neither of them wanted to let go. Adrien's lips started moving to the side of Marinette's face, pecking his way towards her cheeks. She laughed out loud, and he thought that he would do anything, for the rest of his life, to keep listening to that laughter.

"We have so many things to talk about" Marinette said. Adrien pulled away, smiling wholeheartedly.

"Yes, yes we do. Starting out with why you're not wearing your Miraculous!" he replied, inspecting her hoop earrings.

Marinette blushed, panic rising. "I-it's not that I took them off on purpose! Alya basically forced me to take off those 'little studs', as she called them! Believe me, it was a lost battle! But I have them right here, just in case of an emergency"

Adrien looked at Marinette as if he was going to chastise her, but then he smirked.

"So, are you saying that you are Ladybug?"

"Adrien!" her response. He laughed, pulling her close again.

"I'm sorry. You're right, Alya is a force to be reckoned with. And you're also right about us having a lot to talk about. But for now, will you please come enjoy the rest of the night with me? Alya and Nino are inside too, you know?" he asked, now caressing her cheek with his hand. She laughed out loud again, and nodded.

"Yes, chaton"

A/N: Hope you liked this added fluff, and Marinette freaking out! This is not how I picture a reveal but it's where the story lead me to so...

Keep in touch for more Miraculous works coming soon! :)
And special thanks to one of my best friends ambarai (who doesn't have an AO3 account) for beta reading this! She also noticed the Miraculous mistake (ha!), along with a reader, so I decided to fix it!