Here it is, the grand finale! Thank you to everyone who read this story. The support has been so amazing. I can't even express my gratitude in words. I'm so thankful for all the support and everyone that read my story. Now that this one ends, I have plans for a new one. You can check out progress on it on my tumblr at blog/mitchkat1 along with a lot of other wonderful Ladybug stuff. I also have plans for a special Valentine's Day oneshot. :)

Chat Noir carefully stepped into the room, not saying a word. He didn't tell a joke or make a flirty remark. He was silent. Marinette shut the window and sat down in her desk chair. She crossed her arms and looked at Char Noir. She folded one leg over the other and sighed, "So what exactly happened?"

"I followed you home by accident," he explained. Marinette raised an eyebrow. You don't accidentally follow people home. Chat Noir saw her expression and changed his words. "I mean, I followed you on purpose," he continued. "Because I wanted to ask you if you had talked to Marinette since I wanted to apologize to you, but I didn't know you and Ladybug were the same person. So I followed you to the bakery and I accidentally saw you transform back to normal and I'm super sorry!" Once he finished his story, Marinette pursed her lips and leaned back. "I see…" she said. "Well, there's not much we can do now like I said earlier."

"You're really not mad?" Marinette's acceptance baffled Chat Noir. He expected her to freak out. "She's actually really happy," a tiny voice said from behind Marinette. Tikki flew out and sat on Marinette's shoulder. "I'm Tikki," the creature waved. "Marinette's kwami. It's nice to finally meet you."

Tikki had a sweetness and innocence that Chat Noir was jealous of. He kind of wished his kwami was Tikki instead of Plagg. That lazy cat couldn't do anything without complaining. "Cut it out, Tikki," Marinette said nervously. "She likes to kid around sometimes. Don't listen to her."

"Ah…" Chat Noir's heart sank a little. What did Tikki mean by "happy"? "Don't look so down," Marinette smiled. She stood up and placed her hand underneath Chat Noir's face. "Chin up," she winked. "Looking sad doesn't suit you."

It hurt Marinette's heart to see Chat Noir so down. She enjoyed him more when he was acting goofy. He gave her a smile, revealing his brilliantly white teeth. "That's my kitty," Marinette giggled. "I'm going to go downstairs and get us something to drink. We've both had a long day. Is hot chocolate okay?'

"Yeah…" Marinette exited the room to get two mugs of cocoa, leaving Chat Noir alone with Tikki. He stood there for a few minutes before deciding to sit down on Marinette's bed. He played with her cat pillow and touched her soft blankets with his hands. They smelled like her. He laid down in the bed and imagined Marinette sitting there beside him. A quiet purr emerged from his mouth.

Tikki watched him carefully. "You really like Marinette, don't ya?" the kwami smiled. Chat Noir looked up at her in surprise and blushed. He twiddled his thumbs, but said nothing. "Don't be so shy," Tikki continued. "I won't tell Marinette. That's up to you."

"I can't tell her. I thought I could, but I can't…"

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't like me, at least not that way. She likes Adrien as if that wasn't obvious." Tikki flew over to Chat Noir and sat on his lap. "You both are very silly," she giggled. Her little antennae bounced up and down as she laughed. "You should tell her the truth."

"Which one?"

"That's for you to decide, isn't it?" Chat Noir was amazed by Tikki's words. It was obvious Tikki had been around for a long time. She was wise and seemed to have the perfect advice. All Plagg could ever offer were facts about cheese.

As Chat Noir was about to speak again, Marinette came back into the room, carrying two steaming cups of hot chocolate. She handed one to Chat Noir. "Careful," she warned. "It's hot." She took a seat beside him on the bed and sipped her cocoa. It was nice to be able to share these quiet moments with him again. Marinette had been worried this opportunity wouldn't return now that her arm was better.

"Do you want to know something crazy?" she asked, setting her mug on her leg. Chat Noir looked up from his own drink. He had a hot chocolate mustache. Marinette laughed and pointed at his upper lip. Chat Noir quickly wiped the mess away with his sleeve.

"Anyways," Marinette continued. "The whole thing began because I broke my arm. It's kind of weird to think about how different things could have been."

"What do you mean, Princess?"

"Well, you wouldn't have discovered I was Ladybug in the first place. And we wouldn't have been able to spend every night together either. I have some great memories from those nights. I can't imagine not having them."

"…"

"And I wouldn't have been able to get to know Adrien better." Chat Noir flinched at the mention of his name. "You like him a lot, don't you?" Chat Noir asked sullenly. "Yeah, I do…" Marinette replied with a smile. She took a drink of her hot chocolate. "I'm sorry, Chat."

Marinette could tell that she was breaking Chat Noir's heart. His eyes looked darker and were missing their usual glow. He wasn't smiling like normal. It seemed like he was beginning to fall to pieces. She felt guilty for hurting him as Ladybug and Marinette. No matter who she was, she couldn't bring him happiness.

"I think I know why I like him so much," added Marinette, trying to turn around the situation. "He reminds me of you." Chat's ears perked up. He hadn't expected this. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Adrien's silly when other people aren't watching. He knows a lot of jokes and has a pun for everything. He has a strong sense of right and wrong. He's supported me through so much, not even just in this past month. He praises my designs, helps me with my homework, and has been a great friend. You two are almost identical, though you definitely are flirtier, but that's okay. It's what makes you Chat Noir."

Chat listened to her in awe. All the things she described were the parts of him he was proud of as Chat Noir. He tried to keep his two lives separate. Adrien and Chat Noir's personalities rarely mixed, yet in front of Marinette, they had somehow and she liked that.

"I should stop talking," Marinette said nervously after noticing Chat's strange expression. "I'm not helping things, am I?"

"No! It's fine," Chat Noir exclaimed. He almost spilled his hot chocolate, but with his cat-like reflexes, he was able to grab it before the cup fell. Marinette laughed again. This silly kitty was having a rough night, wasn't he? Tikki sat between Marinette and Chat Noir, listening in on the conversation. She was pleased with the direction it was heading. Now if only Chat Noir would take the final step in the right direction.

"Marinette…" Chat Noir said. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. Instantly, he was caught in them. They were a beautiful blue just like the sea. He had to focus hard to get his mind back on track. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Marinette, I like… no. I love you."

It was a simple sentence, but it had taken him months to get out. He had tried confessing to Ladybug and failed. He had tried confessing to Marinette and failed. Now he understood that the girl he was confessing to was both and he succeeded. Marinette blushed and moved her hand to her heart. It stung a little. She didn't want to reject him again. It was too much, but she had no choice. But before she could say another word, Chat Noir continued on.

"That's why I want to tell you the truth."

Marinette tensed up and Tikki smiled, extremely excited. "Chat, you don't have to do this," Marinette replied. She leaned against his shoulder and smiled. "Just because you know who I am, doesn't me I have to know you are. If you aren't comfortable with this, I don't have to know. I'm not mad about not knowing. It's your secret."

Marinette didn't want the pressure to get to him. It wasn't fair to force him to reveal himself if he didn't want to. He had tried hard to be respectful of Marinette's identity, so she would do the same. That was the deal made from the moment they first met. Chat Noir shook his head. "I want to tell you. I feel like I've been playing you and I hope you can forgive me."

"You haven't done anything wrong."

"Yes, I have." Chat Noir thought back to how cruel he had been to Marinette. From the beginning, he knew how big of a crush she had on him. He purposefully got close to her with the intention of being friends, not lovers. He knew all her secrets, but she knew none of his. As Adrien, she had been an incredible friend. As Chat Noir, she had been an amazing partner. It was time she knew everything.

Chat Noir reached for his ring and began to pull it off his finger. Marinette bit her lip, trying to contain her nerves. Chat's words were cryptic. She didn't know what was about to happen.

Chat Noir removed the ring from his finger and there was a green flash. Marinette closed her eyes because of the light and when she opened them, she was shocked. Sitting next to her on her bed was not Chat Noir, but Adrien Agreste, the boy she was in love with. Marinette gasped and turned white. "I-I don't understand," Marinette stammered. "Is this a joke?"

"Does this look like a joke?" Plagg appeared on the bed and sat down next to Tikki. "Have you been enjoying the show too?" he asked her. Tikki hit Plagg on the arm. "Don't be rude," she hissed. Plagg moaned, but kept his mouth shut. Marinette ignored Plagg's comments. She was still in shock. Marinette reached her hand out and touched Adrien's cheek. This was definitely real. Adrien placed his hand on top of hers and smiled. "It's really me," he said softly.

In that instant, everything became clear. It was like the final piece of a puzzle. They had the same cheeky smile, the same love of puns. Adrien had done a good job of hiding his true personality. It would be hard for anyone to believe that he was Chat Noir. Marinette recalled her conversation with Alya about Adrien and Chat Noir's similarities. They both dismissed their similar appearances as a fluke since their personalities were so different. Marinette now knew that wasn't true.

"Kitty…?"Marinette whispered. Her voice was low, almost inaudible. Adrien nodded, Marinette's hand still caressing his cheek.

"I don't know what to say," Marinette said. "This entire time neither of us knew." Her heart was starting to calm down and make sense of things. In the back of her mind Marinette was thinking, "No wonder you liked them both." Marinette set her mug on the ground so it wouldn't spill. She turned back to Adrien and sighed. "What do we do now?" she asked. She wanted to know. How would they move forward? Adrien knew all about her and her crazy crush on him. Could they work together the same way anymore?"

"Answer me," Adrien said firmly. He grabbed Marinette's other hand and gripped it tightly. "Do you like me too?" Adrien knew the answer was yes, but he didn't know if Marinette would say that. Perhaps this was too much for her. Would it be enough to make her give up her crush right there and move?

Marinette didn't say anything. "I do like him," she thought. "Wait… This means that Adrien likes me!?" Her face began to heart up. Adrien watched Marinette's face go through a complex range of emotions. He couldn't figure out what she thinking. He braced himself for rejection.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I love you too," Marinette said, trying to hide her shy face. Adrien's face erupted into a smile. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a giant hug. Marinette was caught off guard for a moment, but quickly returned the hug. She felt safe and warm in his arms. They were the arms of her friend, Adrien Agreste, and her partner, Chat Noir. And now her boyfriend.

"Yay!" Tikki clapped as she watched Adrien and Marinette embrace. Things had worked well in their favor. Meanwhile, Plagg rolled his eyes, disgusted by the lovesick scene. He would rather be at home eating cheese than watching this cheesy romance play out.

Marinette and Adrien broke the hug and looked at each other. They didn't know the next step. Adrien set his hand on top of Marinette's. "Are we going out now?" he asked. "Yes," Marinette said, almost too quickly. She was excited and nervous. All her dreams were coming true. A clever smirk appeared on Adrien's face. "Does that mean I can do this then?"

He leaned forward and kissed her. It was just as wonderful as before and this time Marinette was able to truly enjoy it. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her even closer. He could smell her intoxicating scent, which was probably just the smell of a bakery. She could feel the silkiness of his hair as it brushed passed her. She could see his perfect, porcelain skin and his beautiful, green eyes. It was bliss, a perfect heaven.

"We should go," Tikki whispered to Plagg. "Give them some space."

"Fine by me. Do you think this house has any cheese?"

Tikki sighed and dragged Plagg away, promising him that they would find some cheese.

When Adrien and Marinette broke the kiss, they both began to laugh. "This is crazy," Marinette smiled. "We've really been idiots all along." Adrien nodded in agreement. "I was a fool not to notice my lady was sitting behind me in class the entire time," he grinned. He ran his fingers through her hair. It felt good to finally be able to touch her this way. It felt good to finally have his feelings returned. "By the way, you look absolutely purr-fect tonight, Princess."

"Thanks and you're just as sly as ever."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Adrien said proudly. He gave Marinette a wink, sending her into another fit of giggles. "As you should," she concluded. She laid down on his lap, shutting her eyes. She had done this when he was Chat Noir, but now it felt more natural. She was at peace. "Could we stay like this for a while?" she asked sweetly. "Fine by me," Adrien agreed. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, his hands still holding hers.

The sun rose and its light shined brightly through Marinette's bedroom window. It was clearly morning, but Marinette was not yet awake and downstairs. Curious, Sabine headed up to her daughter's room. "What could be keeping her?" she wondered. "I hope she didn't stay up all night working on another design again. She'll exhaust herself that way."

Sabine entered Marinette's room quietly in case Marinette was still asleep. She was about to call her daughter's name when she noticed an unfamiliar figure lying next to Marinette in bed. She recognized him as Adrien, the apple of her daughter's eye. He had been over to visit a few times before.

"When did he get here?" Sabine wondered. She wasn't upset at the scene. Instead, she was excited for her daughter. Sabine had been secretly hoping that those two would get together for a while. Adrien was a sweet boy. She tried to recall when Adrien could have come in though. "I swear I locked the doors last night and I didn't hear Marinette go downstairs."

Suddenly, Sabine heard quiet chatter coming from underneath Marinette's bed. "Be quiet, she'll hear you," a tiny voice whispered. "Yeah, yeah," another deeper voice retorted. Sabine quietly laughed and left the room, leaving her daughter alone. "I see," Sabine smiled. Mothers know all their daughter's secrets, even the best kept ones.

Marinette woke up with a yawn. She turned over and opened her eyes to see Adrien sleeping next to her. She sat up in surprise. "He fell asleep here!?" she thought. "How am I going to explain this to Mama?" Adrien's eyes fluttered open. He was awakened by Marinette's sudden movements. When he woke up, he realized he was still sitting in Marinette's bedroom. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. "I'm so sorry. I meant to leave and…"

"It's fine," Marinette squeaked. "But we have to go to school in less than half an hour." Adrien looked up at the clock. "I guess I'll see you there," he grinned. He hopped out of bed and called for Plagg. Plagg appeared from underneath Marinette's bed. "Time to go," Adrien said. "It's about time," Plagg moaned. "We've been here for hours."

"Claws out!" There was a green glow and Adrien transformed into Chat Noir. Marinette never realized how odd it was to watch someone transform. Chat Noir opened the window and gave Marinette a wave. "See you in class," he winked. He jumped out the window and raced home so he could change and grab his school supplies. Marinette stared out the open window in awe. "Did all that really just happen?" she asked Tikki. "Was I dreaming?"

"It was all very real," Tikki grinned. "Congratulations Marinette!" Tikki gave Marinette a small kiss on the cheek. "Thanks," Marinette smiled. "I guess I better get ready too." Marinette changed her clothes quickly and ran downstairs. Her parents were working in the bakery. They had already gone through their usual early morning customers. "Good morning, Mama. Good morning, Papa," Marinette called as she grabbed a freshly baked croissant for breakfast. "Good morning, Marinette," Sabine smiled. "Did you have a good sleep?" Marinette violently blushed. "Yes…"

"That's good. Have a nice day at school. Tell Adrien I said hello."

"Uh… I sure will!" Marinette replied anxiously. She was busted. Luckily for her though, her mother was on her side. Meanwhile, Tom looked at his wife and daughter in confusion. There was something he was missing. Marinette gave each of her parents a kiss and ran off to school.

As she walked to school, she put a bit of croissant in her bag for Tikki to snack on. Marinette entered the school grounds and was welcomed by Alya who didn't look happy. "How did your date go?" Alya demanded to know. "You didn't text me last night? I was waiting for details."

"Details?" Marinette questioned. "How do I explain this to Alya?" she wondered. "I can't exactly tell her the truth."

"You see…"

"What's up, Alya? And you too, Princess?" Alya and Marinette turned around and saw Adrien. His hair was a bit messier than normal, probably due to the hurry he was in. Still, he looked as handsome as ever.

"Princess?" Alya exclaimed. She crossed her arms and gave Marinette a questioning glare. "I'd like those details now if you please." Marinette nervously tapped her fingers against her leg. "The thing is… Adrien and I are kind of… well, you see…"

"Marinette and I are going out," Adrien said proudly. He grabbed Marinette's hand and spun her around. Then, he gave her a delicate kiss on the cheek. "It's official," he winked. Alya could hardly contain her laughter. What had happened yesterday and why was Adrien acting so crazy?

"Love does strange things to people," Alya smiled. "Way to go, girl," she said to Marinette. Marinette blushed and mumbled a quiet "thank you". "We should go tell Nino!" Alya shouted. She grabbed Adrien and Marinette and pulled them behind her. "He'll be excited to hear the news!" Alya laughed all the way into the classroom.

Nino was waiting for them patiently in his seat. "Dude, what took you so long?" he asked when Adrien came in. Alya jumped in front of Adrien and put her arm down in front of Nino. "Guess what?" she grinned. "What?" Nino answered cautiously. Alya pointed at Marinette and Adrien who were currently holding hands. "No way!" Nino yelled. He gave Alya a high five. Then he turned to Adrien and said, "Way to go, dude. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Taking me so long?" Adrien repeated to himself. Marinette giggled at Adrien's reaction. "We should tell everyone the news!" Alya smiled. "Wait!" Marinette cried out. "No! No! No!" Adrien yelled. But both their attempts were useless.

"Hey everyone!" Alya shouted. "Adrien and Marinette are dating!"

The classroom erupted into a series of claps. Rose was jumping in joy with Juleka clapping behind her. Ivan and Mylene looked at each other lovingly, excited that their friends had finally paired up. Nathaneal said nothing, but had a big smile. Max nodded his head in approval. Alix and Kim were in the middle of debating something, but put that aside to congratulate their classmates. Sabrina was smiling and even Miss Bustier couldn't help but clap. The only person not excited was Chloe. She had a horrified look on her face and growled to herself. "Just wait until my daddy hears about this…" she mumbled.

Adrien and Marinette were both bright red. They were flattered by their classmates' enthusiasm. It seemed like everyone had been rooting them on from the beginning. Alya and Nino congratulated their friends again. "How long has 'this' been a thing?" Alya asked. "I thought I would be notified immediately if my friend starting dating the boy of her dreams."

"Same," Nino agreed. "Maybe they just like keeping secrets from us." Nino and Alya laughed while Marinette and Adrien looked at them uneasily. "What?" Alya snickered when she saw their faces. "You guys aren't keeping anymore secrets from us, are you?"

"Absolutely not," Adrien and Marinette both smiled in unison.