As the pink cloud dissipated, Adrien could only stare in shock.

Two thoughts immediately came to mind.

One: Shit, this explained so much.

Two: Shit. He had just pissed off Ladybug. He was in so much trouble.

Though, at least he had revealed his Secret Identity to her, rather than a random civilian.

But that also meant she knew he had revealed his Secret Identity to her, when he thought she was just a random civilian.

Shit.

No wonder she was so angry.

Ladybug glared at him with an odd mixture of irritation and defiance.

Pigtails, a distant corner of his brain noted. How did I not notice the pigtails?

As the seconds ticked by and he didn't say anything Ladybug – Marinette! – shifted, throwing her hip out in an overt display of false confidence.

"What's the matter, Chat? Cat got your tongue?"

A grin stretched itself across his face irresistibly. It was a lifeline. His world was rocking on its foundations, but some things never changed.

"Not at all, Princess. I was just cativated by the sight of you."

Ladybug snorted, rolling her eyes, but he could still see her blushing. An interesting development.

"Flattery's not going to cut it, Chat. I'm still mad at you."

But her mouth was doing a kind of dance, like it was trying to smile, and she was still blushing.

"My Lady, you wound me. I don't flatter, I just state facts."

She made a little choked off noise, and she was definitely smiling, which was a definite win. Would it be overkill to go for a kiss to the hand?

Before he could make his move, however, she'd already arranged her face into a stern expression.

"Enough chat-ting! We have an akuma to deal with."

"Right. Back to the drawing board. Or, should I say, chalkboard?"

Ladybug giggled. Swiftly stifled, but he definitely heard it.

It was like the clouds had opened and a ray of light straight from Heaven had come to shine directly on Adrien Agreste.

She recovered quickly.

"That was terrible. Even for you." But a smile was still tugging at her lips.

"You love it!" he singsonged back.

Yes, she was most definitely blushing now, and she didn't deny it.

Ladybug had laughed at something he'd said! Scratch that, Ladybug had called him stupidly handsome not ten minutes ago.

An unfamiliar feeling was swelling in his chest, like a balloon, and he knew his grin had to be a bit stupid. Nothing had ever felt this good. He might float away any second.

Ladybug snapped her fingers.

"Focus, Chat!"

So. Some things really didn't change.

Right. Akuma.

"We should rescue Kim first."

Ladybug nodded, frowning as she peeped over the window ledge into the courtyard.

"Good idea. You distract The Punisher and I'll use my yoyo to pull him free."

"That shouldn't be a problem, my Lady. I have it on good authority I can be very distracting."

She laughed. "Yeah, when you're shirtless."

And where the hell had that come from?

"My - my Lady," he gasped, once he'd stopped choking on his tongue.

Ladybug looked aghast at her own daring, then squared her shoulders with an in for a centime, in for a euro look on her face.

"What? Come on, Adrien. You heard Alix earlier. "Beautiful Bruiser." You're a model! Every girl in school has a crush on you. And half the boys!"

After an irrational, giddy moment of marvelling that Ladybug knows my name! Adrien's brain latched on to the crucial part of that speech.

"Wait. "Every girl!"? Does that include you?"

He must have been gazing at her with a truly pathetic expression of desperate hope, because her expression shifted from wary to something more fond and resigned. In for a euro, in for shares at the bank, apparently.

"Of course, Adrien," she said softly, rubbing her wrist while avoiding his eye and abruptly reminding him that he was talking to Marinette. "You - you must have noticed?"

Well, actually, no.

Adrien did not have a good track record of noticing romantic interest. Perhaps it was a natural defence mechanism of Model Kind (Sub Genus: Teen Heart Throb).

But those girls stalking his shoots were just fans of his work, right? And some of the photographers were famous, actual artistic geniuses.

(Though there was that time Nino had taken him to one side to explain he might want to have a talk with Chloe about boundaries...)

But why would he need to notice people liking him when his attention was fully on Ladybug?

Who apparently had a crush on him. Adrien. Which was obvious in Marinette.

Holy shit.

Irony could be a real jerk.

"I am regretting some - no, a lot, a lot of things."

All those opportunities! He'd been to her house! He'd met her parents!

Oh, God, he'd met her parents.

Wait. Did they know about her crush? Was that why they -

She clapped him on the shoulder bracingly, like she was trying to Camaraderie-away the awkward feelings.

"No time for that now! We've got to save Kim!"

"Right!" he started to turn, but she caught his arm.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

He stared at her gloved hand. The hand of Ladybug. Who had a crush on him. Holy shit.

Luckily, Chat's mouth was a pro at talking at critical moments without much input from his brain. Something had to come up with the mid-battle puns, after all.

"A goodbye kiss for luck?"

Scratch that, unluckily. Seventy years of bad luck, black cats running under ladders, crossing you on the stairs unluckily.

Ladybug just rolled her eyes.

"Your transformation, Chat."

He glanced down at his decidedly Adrien attire. A source of wonder and awe to teen girls everywhere but not, alas, to supervillains.

"Oh, yeah, ugh, Plagg - !"

"Oh, so you're finally done flirting? You remember I exist, now?" Plagg's voice emerged from Adrien's pocket, followed by his head a second later. He cast an unimpressed look in Ladybug's direction.

"Dupain-Cheng. What a shocker."

"What?! Plagg! Don't be rude."

Ladybug didn't seem offended, leaning forward to meet his eye.

"It's OK. Hi, I'm Marinette."

Plagg sniffed disdainfully. "Plagg."

She seemed enchanted - a true cat lover.

"It's good to meet you! Sorry, just - I've only ever seen my kwami before and - awww, you're so cute!"

Plagg preened and grinned evilly at Adrien. "Hear that, Adrien? Ladybug thinks I'm cute."

Adrien glared back. He'd obviously missed the 'stupidly handsome' comment.

"Congratulations. Come on, Plagg! Claws out!"

Some not-so-secret region of his brain might have treasured the hope of impressing Marinette - Ladybug! - with his superhero transformation. It was much cooler than just ripping off his shirt, right? Or changing in a supply closet, or whatever. It was actual magic!

That flame of hope died an undignified death as the green smoke cleared.

"Are you - wait, are you laughing?!"

"I'm sorry," she wheezed. "It's just - the tail! It just - popped out of nowhere! And the poses. And what happened to your hair? You look like you're auditioning for a boy band."

He'd be offended, but he couldn't help agreeing. He'd always wondered. One second, he was Adrien Agreste, perfectly coiffed model student and dutiful son, and the next - bam! - hello, 'Just Rolled Out Of Bed And Possibly Into A Bush' dishevelled chic.

"Magic wind?" he suggested. It was the best idea he had ever come up with.

She snorted and continued to stare at him bemusedly.

"And what happens when you change back? I've never seen you with a hair out of place. Magic hairspray?"

"I guess. Not all of us can get away with pigtails, Miss Sailor Moon."

Those pigtails. Seriously. How had he not noticed?

She smirked back.

"Was that supposed to be an insult? Please. Sailor Moon is iconic."

He clutched his chest dramatically at the very idea of maligning his childhood heroine.

"My Lady, I would never. And I take it back. I would look great with pigtails."

To his surprise, her safe softened.

"I was teasing, anyway. I like your hair. Both ways."

She was blushing again, and suddenly very interested in the floor. Adrien stared back because Ladybug liked his hair.

Wait. Ladybug had a crush on him.

He was going to have it engraved on his gravestone, even if he lived to be ninety.

But this was an opening, right? In all his Ladynoir fanfics, this would be the moment he'd say something suave. Ladybug would swoon. They'd kiss, and then they'd backflip away into the sunset. Together. Romantically.

As it was, his brain was buzzing blankly as their Mexican Stand Off of Awkward stretched.

He licked his lips and her eyes followed the movement.

He was going to it do it! He was going to say something! He didn't know what, but it was going to be game changing.

Outside, someone screamed and they both jerked guiltily.

Ladybug coughed. "We should - uh, check - "

"Right!"

A quick peek through the window confirmed that The Punisher had suspended Kim from the overhead walkway by his feet, where he dangled like an extremely unhappy piñata.

Whoops. In all the excitement he'd completely forgotten.

But Ladybug had that focused look on her face, like she was already calculating angles for her yoyo, romantic drama apparently forgotten.

So it was back to business, then.

Adrien twirled his baton in a totally not nervous 'oh god, I've got to prove myself to Ladybug and save Kim and the Day' way.

"Time to punnish this akuma, Ladybug? In the name of the Moon? Or should that be Paris?"

Ladybug reached over to grip his free hand - they were holding hands! - and squeezed, warm and reassuring, her gaze steady and serious.

"Forget the Moon, Chat. Let's do it for us."

Us!

"Are we an us now?" He squeaked, his voice was an octave higher than usual, and he might not have been breathing. Not that he cared.

She smiled wickedly, confident and unassailable once again, like she'd never even heard of blushing or social awkwardness. Someone needed help and she was ready for action, it was as simple as that.

She was amazing.

Emotion welled up in his throat and he barely stopped himself from blurting it out.

Blissfully oblivious to his internal struggle, she just winked.

"An "us"? Well, that depends, Kitty. Think you can keep up with me?"

And she was gone, launching herself out of the open window and into the courtyard below.

A/N - I live! Woah, sorry for the looong delay. I really hadn't been planning to add to this story, but it is back, thanks to popular demand! Really, thank you so much for your reviews, following and favoriting. The response to this story has been AMAZING!

I wanted to wrap it up in one chapter, but I figured this one was long enough and you'd waited long enough for an update anyway. I seriously agonised over this one and I've been tinkering with it for ages, so I hope it's OK! Hopefully one more chapter, in less than two years (I am SO SORRY, yikes).

Also, I borrowed owlet's "In for a ruble" line from her awesome 'Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail' series, which Captain America fans should definitely read. Credit where credit is due.

Also, also, you could choose to read this story as a tie in with 'Lady Lovebug', one of my other ML fics. Does Adrien read Ladynoir fanfic? Or does he write it? WHO CAN SAY?