Ladybug dragged her feet up to where Chat Noir was waiting, overlooking the Parisian skyline. He had his back to her still, and he didn't notice her approaching. His was in his own little world. She stood behind him, silently, listening to him mumble his speech to himself before she arrived.

"I'm sorry… you don't know how lovely you are… I had to set you apart… no!" he sighed heavily and ran his hands through his messy hair in frustration. "Tell me your secrets. I already know them. ask me your questions? Plagg what am I doing?"

Plagg didn't say anything, so ladybug did. "Well nobody said it was easy."

Chat Noir leapt out of his skin to hear her so close behind him. he spun around and stared at her, wide eyed, and shocked. He stared at her, wordlessly. She looked upset. Or angry. Or both.

She sighed. "But it'd be a shame if we were to part."

He had nothing to say except, "I'm sorry."

Which she had no answer for except, "I know."

There was a long silence between them where neither wanted to speak first in case the other did, and were trying to think of an explanation for what they had done. In the end, Chat caved first.

"All my questions, and all of the answers you never gave me, and everything I ever did to try and figure out who you were, I just… I should have left you alone. Maybe then you'd have fallen for me."

Ladybug thought back to how she felt a month ago. "No. probably not. Almost definitely not. and I shouldn't be so ready to forgive you… but all of the mistakes, they aren't as loud as my heart."

Chat Noir tilted his head in confusion. "what?"

"you told me you loved me and it's haunting me…" she bowed her head and sighed heavily. "we keep going in circles and ending up hurting each other so I think it's time to reveal myself."

Chat's eyes widened. "Ladybug you don't have to-"

"Nobody said this superhero thing would be easy, but nobody said how hard it would be… or how painful. So I think we should go back to the start, and reveal ourselves so we don't have to work in secrecy anymore…"

Ladybug took a deep breath, preparing herself. If Chat loved her as Ladybug, and he liked her as Marinette, surely he could love her as one person. Chat Noir leapt forward and took her hand in his desperately.

"But I haven't proved you can trust me!"

She moved her hand to lay on top of his. "You've saved my life countless times kitty… I trust you."

She reached her hand up towards her earring. He reached to take that hand and hold it back.

"You cant!"

"I want to."

"No-"

"Chat Noir-"

"I already know who you are!" It just slipped out.

Marientte frowned. "what?"

Chat sighed. He bowed his head, unable to look away from her hands. His hands. Against hers.

"Tikki... Tikki ended up in my bedroom after you visited and I worked it out. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you..."

Marientte was not annoyed that he didn't tell her. Not right now. She would be, later, at Tikki, but not Chat. She was caught up on a different part of the conversation.

"you – your bedroom? What?!"

"I'm..." his voice shook and he paused to gulp back the ball in his throat. "I'm Adrien..."

He felt her reel back away from him. "WHAT?!"

He stared down at the ground without a word. She pulled her hands away from him to fold her arms in annoyance.

"don't tease me."

"I'm not teasing you Mari…"

She gasped. The fear in her voice shook him to his core. His shoulders hung lower. Since he couldn't think of anything to say, he told Plagg to transform him. Ladybug gasped again, stepping back slowly and horrified, until her back bumped against the railings. Adrien would have given anything to know ladybug was in love with him, but not now. not like this. He loved her so much, so deeply, that he couldn't let her reveal herself like this, when he didn't deserve it.

"I know... I know I don't deserve to know who you are... even though i already know... so please don't tell me. Please don't trust me with this when i don't deserve it..."

"You... you know? Like, you actually know who i am?"

"Yeah..."

"When did you find out? Before Tikki was in your room or after?"

"After."

Marinette's mouth twitched at the corners. As she started to piece together all the different puzzle pieces, the picture came together and they made her laugh. She couldn't stop herself chuckling. Adrien frowned.

"What?"

Marinette just giggled a little louder. She couldn't help laughing louder even as he frowned more and looked confused.

"What's so funny?!" He demanded

"Don't you see kitty?! Perfect cat vision and you don't see what's right in front of you!" She laughed.

"What?!" He demanded

"I was annoyed because you loved Ladybug and not Marinette, not me. But you loved me. All of me. And it upset you because Chat thought I was in love with someone else and I was. I was in love with Adrien, until I fell in love with Chat!" Marinette laughed.

"What?" He repeated.

Plagg zipped out into view and snapped at Adrien. "ADRIEN YOU ARE SO BLIND! You've been hurting each other because you thought you were in a love triangle but it was a square! You didn't realise you were always drawn to each other because you didn't realise there were only two of you!"

"Until Nathanael shook it up and made up pay attention," Marientte grinned.

She transformed, and stumbled as she reached to catch Tikki. Tikki bounced a little in her hand, but she caught onto Marinette's finger. She gave Marinette a cheesy smile.

"Hi? I err... I didn't know he was Chat i just..."

"That's my fault. Tikki isn't to blame," Plagg said.

Plagg sat on Marinette's hand beside Tikki, and helped her up into Marinette's palm. If she wasn't red already she would have turned it. Plagg and Tikki were yin and yang. They fit together. They just did. Marientte glanced at Adrien.

"If its meant to be, fate has a way of getting involved..."

Adrien glanced up to look at her. Fate certainly messed them around, but here they were. She couldn't stay mad at him. Marientte stepped forward, and reached out to take his hand. He held her hand tighter. She moved closer, to stand against him. He hung his head still.

"Tell me you love me… please?" he begged.

It was barely more than a whisper, but he needed to hear her say it.

Marinette smiled softly. "you're an idiot."

He winced and shut his eyes. "I know…"

"and I love you so much!"

Her hand curled up to cup his cheek gently, and pulled his face lower towards hers. She guided his lips closer to hers, until she could reach up and kiss him, hard. Adrien's eyes flicked open in surprise. She was kissing him.

She.

Was.

Kissing.

Him.

Marientte felt him smile through his kiss, which made her giggle. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. His hand moved up her back. She pressed against him. Warm and strong but soft. She pulled away first, biting her lip, and beaming. He grinned and laid his forehead against hers.

"Remember when Chat and Ladybug met? Remember what I gold you, all that time ago?"

She grinned back at him. "How could I forget? You were right too."

"I always knew we were made for each other."