-7-

Ladybug ran all the way home and slumped into her foldup chair on the balcony. Angry tears directed at her own stupidity burnt her eyes. She couldn't believe her blunder. Never in her career as a superhero had she been so careless. How could she forget that she was transformed? How could she have walked in as Ladybug yet acted as though she were Marinette? There was no denying that Adrien knew, the dawning on his face had been clear.

Dropping her head into her hands, Ladybug cursed herself quietly. Tikki would be mad and Chat Noir hurt, because he should have been the first to know. Damn, what was she to do now? She needed to get Adrien to swear to keep her secret, not that he should know it in the first place.

Ladybug stood to pace but her partner unexpectedly dropped down before her. Chat Noir wore a strange expression, one she didn't know how to read. "Are you okay, bugaboo?"

"No! I let the cat out of the bag! Dammit, now I sound like you!"

Chat Noir chuckled lightly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll consider it a form of flattery."

She cringed, trust her partner to try and make light of a heavy situation. Not that he knew what she'd done… yet. "Enough with the jokes, I screwed up. I was so tired from the early morning akuma that when I transformed again to help a civilian, I totally forgot to transform back and spoke to someone I know as if I wasn't Ladybug but as myself."

The grip on her shoulder tightened. "It's not as bad as you think, milady."

"But it is! I did it in front of the boy I've been crushing on, the same one I've been trying to express my feelings to." She clutched her scalp in frustration. "Not only that but I feel awful because I had always assumed that you would be the first person I shared that secret with, but in the distant, distant future."

"That's nice to know but don't beat yourself up about it." There was an element of amusement in Chat Noir's feline eyes. "This boy, how exactly do you feel about him?"

Ladybug turned her back to Chat Noir as she hugged herself, unsure if she could tell her partner about her feelings for Adrien. Chat had made his own feelings crystal clear and she didn't want to hurt him. Yet, he'd asked. Closing her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled with her words. "I adore him. He's sweet, kind and thoughtful. Super handsome," she added as an afterthought. Ladybug pivoted to face Chat Noir. "But I've made a mess of everything."

Chat Noir raised a single masked eyebrow as he closed the space between them, looking down his nose at her with a slight smirk. "It's not that big of a mess."

"But it is!" she insisted with a stomp of her foot.

"If you had really wanted to avoid confirming your identity, you really should have guarded your yoyo better."

She completely missed his broad hint. "What?! Adrien took me by surprise that's all."

"Oh really?" Chat Noir made a grab for Ladybug's yoyo and she quickly deflected his hand. "Hmm, see that? You managed to keep me at bay then."

Ladybug bared her teeth and rose to her toes so she could eyeball her partner at his level. "I was expecting it this time!"

Chat Noir's smug look was getting her so worked up that her brain didn't register the implication of his next words. "Plagg, claws in." In a flash, her partner disappeared and there stood Adrien Agreste. "See, not that big of a mess."

Her jaw dropped as she stared in a stupor at the boy before her. "A-a… Adrien?"

A grin spread across his face. "Yep," he said as he offered his hand to shake, "but you know me as Chat Noir as well."

Baffled, Ladybug placed her hand in his and almost fainted when Adrien raised her knuckles to his lips for a kiss. Her only verbal response was, "Eek!"

Adrien chuckled. "And here I was getting all jealous over myself. You know I love you too, right?" Ladybug continued to stare at him. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Tikki, spots off." Ladybug vanished and Marinette blinked a few times as the fog from her mind seemed to finally clear. "You love me, for real?"

Adrien was now the one taken aback as he watched her in wonder. "Wow, that's going to take some getting used to." Shaking his head as if to clear it, he added, "As for your question, yes I do love you, Marinette. I just didn't realise it. Those pesky masks make things tricky." He said with a wink.

Marinette let out a nervous giggle. "So, um, what do we do now?"

The model exhaled heavily, "Well, I was really hoping that this would be the part where we kiss."

"Really?" she squeaked.

"Really," he beamed.

And without further ado, Marinette caught Adrien by the nape and kissed him before she lost her nerve. He in turn, cupped her cheeks and kissed her back with a sigh.

Beside them a gruff voice interrupted. "Are you done yet? I need cheese, I'm starving!"

Adrien groaned as he glanced at his kwami. "Now Plagg? You really had to say something now?"

Tikki elbowed the cat kwami. "You couldn't wait, could you?"

"There was supposed to be a breakfast date and someone promised me a cheese omelette, I'm waiting!"

The model shook his head and dropped it onto Marinette's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, my pain-in-the-butt kwami has ruined the moment."

"Well, it makes me feel a little better about my blunder."

He lifted his head to smile at her. "Speaking of breakfast blunders, we should head back. Alya and Nino will think we've gotten lost. I said I was going to find you."

Marinette grinned, "Well the fastest way there is by rooftop, race you?"

"Does the winner get a kiss?"

"Definitely."

"You're on milady. Claws out!"

"Spots on!"

Within minutes the pair had sprinted their way back to the café. Chat Noir managing to win by the slightest of margins. Due to already being late, Ladybug assured him they'd kiss later. As they reverted back, Adrien threw her a smirk Marinette didn't know what to do with.

Placing a hand at her back, the model ushered her inside and they quickly sat with their friends. Alya immediately gushed about their brief encounter with Ladybug, seemingly unaware that it had also been her best friend. Marinette was greatly relieved and Adrien gave her a meaningful glance. Apparently, he'd smoothed things over when she'd run off.

This time breakfast went well, and of course Alya and Nino found a suitably thin excuse to leave early. As soon as they left, Adrien spun in his seat to face Marinette directly. "Well, they've gone which means they're expecting you to say something to me."

Marinette's cheeks burned especially since Adrien was grinning at her in a very Chat Noir manner. "I suppose they are."

Adrien rested his elbows on his knees and waited keenly. Marinette copied his pose so they were almost touching. "I love you, Adrien. Will you be my boyfriend?"

The model closed the distance and gave her a lingering kiss, when he sat back he replied. "In case you were wondering, that was a yes. And I love you too."

From the window outside there was a rambunctious cheer from Alya and Nino. Mission accomplished.

-The End-

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