AN: Wow, I can tell you guys must've really liked part one, given how much my inbox blew up within the last 24 hours. Anyway, here is part 2. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading this :)

Marinette's Birthday

"Alya, I don't like this look on your face," Marinette said, eyeing her friend's mischievous smile.

Alya slung an arm around her. "Don't worry. You'll love it. You know it."

It was Marinette's 16th birthday, and it had been Alya-and Nino's-job to keep her busy while her parents prepared her party. Nino, however, was gone on a "secret mission" while the girls strolled through the park.

Marinette had to admit, it was nice to get out of the house and roam Paris without Ladybug's suit for a change, but Tikki was in her purse, just in case.

Marinette wasn't dumb, however. She may have been blind to who her partner was under his mask, but she knew her parents were throwing her a surprise party and that Alya was the distraction. But, she let them have their fun in trying to surprise her, and she would do her best to act surprised after all the effort she was sure they were putting into it.

Heavy, running footsteps came toward them, and when she turned, Marinette saw it was Nino, catching up to them. He had been gone for almost an hour, and she couldn't help but wonder where he had been.

"Any luck?" Alya asked him.

He shook his head, looking down at the ground. "I don't even think Ladybug's luck could've helped this situation."

Marinette stayed silent, wondering what they were talking about. Then again, whatever it was she may not have wanted to know if it didn't work out.

Alya nodded, and Nino leaned closer, whispering in her ear.

She smiled. "Excellent."

"Um, what are you guys talking about?" Marinette asked. She didn't like all this sneaking around behind her back.

"You'll find out later," Alya said. "But for now, you need to wear this and we need to go elsewhere."

Alya held up a handkerchief, ironically one that was red with black spots. That girl really was obsessed, Marinette thought.

"Is this really necessary?" Marinette asked as Alya tied it around her head, cutting off her vision.

"Very necessary," Alya answered, taking her right hand while Nino grabbed her left. "Don't worry. We won't let you run into a wall or get hit by a car."

Marinette took a few timid steps forward, completely uncomfortable by this. As a superhero, she realized how vulnerable she was right now. If she were under attack, there was no way she'd get away, unless of course she took it off.

It was the weirdest sensation. She could feel everything. Every pebble under her feet every crack, the unevenness of the ground . . . everything.

After what felt like an eternity, one of her friends opened a door and someone snatched her blindfold.

Her eyes blinked open as a bakery full of people yelled "surprise!"

A wide smile spread across her face as she looked at all her friends. Well, almost all of them. She was disappointed to find that Adrien wasn't among them, but she tried her best to hide it.

"He wanted to come," Nino whispered. "But his dad wouldn't let him ditch his photo shoot."

She nodded, not knowing what else to do. She knew his schedule was always packed, but it hadn't stopped her from wishing he would be there. She remembered, at his own party just three months ago, how she barely managed to say two words to him, not so much because she was still too shy but because people like Chloe kept interrupting her. But, at her party, there was no Chloe and Sabrina, which would've made it a perfect opportunity to talk to him.

But, then, she scanned the faces of her friends who were there and smiled, a real smile. She had a room full of people to talk to already. It wasn't like she would be able to get him alone. Maybe this would end up being for the better.

By the end of the photo shoot, Adrien was starting to squirm. By the time it was over, Marinette's birthday party would be, too. Even though she was so awkward around him, he still considered her a good friend, and his friends were important to him. Besides, he looked forward to that part in the day when he would talk to her and she wouldn't be able to form a coherent sentence. It was pretty adorable.

As soon as the shoot was over, the gorilla drove him home and he went to his room. He dug through his drawer, finding the wrapped box containing his gift for her. After trying to get ideas from Alya on what to get her, he finally went with his own instincts and got her something he hoped she would like.

He turned to Plagg as the tiny black kwami ate his cheese. He planned to leave as Cat Noir, but he would change back before getting to her home. It was the only way to escape Natalie.

"Hurry up. We need to go," he said.

"You don't even give me time to savor it," Plagg complained, taking his last bite.

"Plagg, claws out."

After the party, Marinette sat alone in her room with Tikki, staring at pictures of Adrien. She had a great birthday, but it felt incomplete without him and his charming smile. He was one of her better friends, not just her crush, and she couldn't believe she didn't get to see him.

"You know he wanted to come," Tikki said. "Cheer up, Marinette."

She forced a smile. "Some days, I think it would be easier if I returned Cat Noir's feelings."

Tikki frowned. "Don't be so sad on your birthday. You had a great party. Don't let him ruin it."

A loud thud sounded from the roof. Marinette jumped and rushed to her window. A blur of black jumped to the ground before running off into the night.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Was that Cat Noir?

She shook those thoughts away. No way. It can't be.

As strange as it was, she actually wanted to see him, too. Ever since she kissed him on his birthday just a few months ago, she sometimes found herself thinking about it. He had been sixteen and never been kissed, but technically now, so was she. She kissed him as Ladybug, but Marinette had never been kissed. If only she had Cat Noir's courage to do to Adrien what he did to her.

The trap door opened and Tikki flew under her bed.

"Marinette," her mom said. "Adrien is here."

Marinette's eyes widened as she got to her feet. "C-coming!"

Before she could get too far, Adrien had already made it upstairs. He flashed her his infamous smile that turned her legs into jelly.

She sat down on her bed, unable to take another step. He pulled up her desk chair and sat across from her.

"Sorry I couldn't be at your party," he said, holding out a small, neatly-wrapped box. "I tried to persuade father to make the photo shoot earlier, but . . . you know how that goes."

She nodded, but then she froze when he started looking around. Then she remembered . . . his face still covered her walls.

His cheeks heated up and he cleared his throat. "I don't know if I should be shocked or flattered." He let out a nervous laugh. "And all this time I thought you only tolerated me."

Her own cheeks warmed. "We're friends, and I like you . . . a lot."

He studied her face for a long moment. "I really like you, too, Marinette." He placed the box in her lap. Timidly, she opened it.

it was a necklace. It had a silver chain with blue stones decorating the bottom.

"It matches your eyes," he said. "Alya tried to help me, but I saw this and thought you might like it."

Without thinking, she threw her arms around him. "I love it! Thank you."

He returned her embrace. "I'm glad you like it, Princess."

He pulled away, blushing furiously. Marinette was a bit flustered herself. Princess. That's what Cat Noir always called her, as Marinette anyway. She had to be imagining hearing it.

"Um Adrien, could you do me a favor?" She asked, swallowing her nerves. What was she doing? Where was she going with this? She wasn't entirely sure herself until the words were out of her mouth.

"Anything."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "It's my sixteenth birthday, and . . . I've never had a real first kiss." Her cheeks were burning. "I want it to be with someone special. And, you're really special to me, so I was wondering if you could . . . kiss me?"

"Marinette-"

"I mean, you don't have to! You can say no. And I swear I don't want to kiss you because you're sort of famous! I don't care about that. Oh no, please don't hate me . . . ."

Adrien watched her face grow redder by the second. Her words, before she started rambling, reminded him of what he had told Ladybug back on his birthday. Could it be . . . ?

His lady had said she liked someone else. She and Marinette did have the same bluebell eyes . . . could his awkwardly adorable friend be the brave heroine of Paris?

He felt like his heart would beat out of his chest.

There was only one way for him to find out . . . .

"I'll kiss you," he said. "But I have two conditions."

Her hands trembled. "Anything."

"One." He held up one finger, imitating Ladybug. If Marinette really was her, she would remember doing this to him, as Cat Noir. "This won't mess up our friendship."

She nodded.

"Two." He held up another finger. "You have to tell me what you feel."

Again, she nodded, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. Where had she heard that request before?

He glanced at her desk, a small smirk creeping across his face. He picked up the red and black bandanna. "What's this?"

Marinette's blush worsened. "That's . . . Alya . . . blindfolded me."

Chuckling, he took it and placed it over her eyes, tying it in the back. "I kind of have a Ladybug fetish," he said, lips tickling her ear.

Like earlier, she was very aware of what she was feeling. She knew he was close; she could feel his even breaths against her cheek. She hoped she appeared as calm and cool as he was, but she highly doubted it.

Her heart rate sped up as he drew closer, until his lips were a fraction away from hers. Was this really happening? Marinette had to be dreaming. No way was Adrien Agreste about to kiss her!

His lips captured hers in a sweet, gentle kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck as his hands rested on her hips. This kiss felt familiar, like she knew these lips from somewhere, but the only other person she had ever kissed was . . . .

He pulled away, too soon for her liking. She could feel his smile. "Milady, usually the spots are covering everything but your eyes."

Marinette froze. Adrien reached behind her head and untied the blindfold. He had that Cheshire cat grin she never saw on him, only . . . .

Her mouth fell open. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"This whole time, I was competing for your love, and the person I had to beat all along was myself," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Somehow, I think we're the only ones who could get in this situation."

She dropped her arms, looking at anything but him. "H-how did you know?"

"Easy," he said. "The kiss was only the confirmation. You gave yourself away when you asked for it." He brushed a stray hair behind her ear, smirking. "My lady is an adorable copycat."

Marinette's cheeks warmed again. "Are you . . . disappointed? That I'm Ladybug?"

He cocked his brow. "Why would I be? You're both amazing. Marinette, I would've kissed you even if I didn't suspect who you were." His smile turned downward a bit. "But, there's still a problem . . . You haven't told me what you felt from that kiss."

She didn't say anything. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, until their lips met. He closed his eyes and slid her into his lap.

She broke the kiss after a few seconds and pressed her forehead against his. He kept his arms locked firmly around her waist.

"Like we wasted too much time when we could've been doing this for the last three months," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Kissing him as Cat Noir had been better than she expected, but kissing Adrien now felt more right, more natural than anything. Because she knew who he was under that mask now. There were no secrets keeping them apart. If he were to transform into her kitty cat right then and there and kissed her, she was sure she would feel the same.

He moved her out of his lap and back to the bed, much to her dismay. He stood up. "I need to get going. But, I'll see you tomorrow at school, Princess." He smirked. "And tomorrow night on patrol, Milady. Happy birthday."

Plagg came out of his jacket, looking at him expectantly. Then, he looked at Marinette, eyes drawn to the necklace in her lap.

"Ooooh shiny. Is it edible?"

"Plagg!" Adrien hissed, glaring at him.

"Excuse him, Marinette. He's not the romantic type," Tikki said, coming out from under her bed.

Marinette laughed as her kwami snuggled her cheek. Adrien smiled at the two, hating that he had to leave, but he knew he'd see her again soon.

"Plagg, claws out."

For the first time, she watched him transform. To say it was beautiful was an understatement, she thought, as Adrien's usual casual wear and styled hair turned into Cat Noir's black suit and untamed hair.

It was then that she realized . . . all along, it had been Adrien taking shots for her. Adrien had been trying to protect her. Adrien had been the one flirting with her and making bad cat puns. Adrien had been her partner all along. How could she have not seen that?

She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting one final kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss. He smiled against her lips, returning it.

"Told you I'd claw my way into your heart."

She smiled. "That you did. One meow at a time."