This is an optional reveal. I'm actually pretty happy with how the last chapter ended, but I know how some people can't stand that kind of ending so…

If you were happy with how the last chapter ended, I wouldn't recommend reading this. Don't wanna risk letting you down lol

"Chat, I'm an idiot," Ladybug groaned. "The biggest, most stupid, idiot."

"Purrhaps," he said, handing her a cup of hot chocolate before pouring one for himself. They sat on their usual rooftop, yet another night's patrol finished. "But isn't that what makes you the cat's meow?"

"Me being an idiot?" She made a face. "I would consider that a flaw."

"Flaws aren't necessarily bad, my lady."

"I'm pretty sure they're called flaws for a reason," she replied dryly. "It's just...I literally made the same mistake before."

He laughed. "I guess that's one mistake you didn't learn from. If you're so worried, why don't you just put another note in his locker to tell him who you are?"

"And let him know which idiot was the one who forgot to sign the card? No thanks," she said, rolling her eyes as she took a sip.

"I'm serious. I'm sure he's wondering who left the card in his locker," Chat said with a smile. "Or, rather, how someone knows his locker combination."

"A lady has her secrets," she replied nonchalantly. He laughed.

"I never took you for a stalker, my lady."

"I'm not a stalker," she protested. "I'm just...a careful observer."

"Yes, yes. Whatever makes you happy," he said, grinning. "So if you're not going to put another note in his locker, what are you going to do?"

She shrugged, taking a long drink from her cup.

"I still think you should put a note telling him who you are in his locker."

Ladybug only answered with a grunt. Unfazed by her tone, he continued.

"Think about it. What if he starts asking around, wondering who left flowers in his locker or something? Then everybody would know," he paused. "unless you tell him it was you."

"He wouldn't do that," she said. But now her tone was uncertain. Chat pressed further.

"Or, someone hears that he doesn't know who confessed to him and takes credit for the confession. There's always a chance of that happening if he's popular enough," he continued. "Of course, that's only if he's a popular guy," he added after a paused.

Her eyes widened. "Do people really do that?"

"Yep," he lied smoothly. He was having way too much fun with this. He'd never thought of Ladybug as the gullible type when it came to romance, and it was amusing to watch. "Happens all the time."

Her eyes widened, no doubt thinking of all the possibilities. He almost felt bad.

"But hey, don't worry," he said cheerfully, bringing his mug up for a sip. "He can't be that popular, right?"

"He's…" Ladybug seemed to struggle for words. "He's...somewhat popular. Chat, what should I do?"

He shrugged.

"It's your choice."

Marinette gripped the card tightly in her hands, nearly crushing the poor slip of paper. She looked around in worry, afraid that someone would round the corner into the hall at any second. From experience, she knew that most people didn't come to school this early. Even if anyone did come into the hall now, there was a likely chance that the person wouldn't actually know Marinette and as a result, wouldn't realize that she wasn't opening her own locker.

She took a deep breath.

She'd decided to make a smaller version of the white card that she had given to Adrien yesterday, with the same kind of ribbon she used tied into a bow and glued onto one of the outer corners. She rubbed the paper absentmindedly. This was actually her third smaller version of the card. The first two had been crumpled and tossed into the trash soon after completion.

Before anyone came around and before she could change her mind yet again, she quickly opened the locker, her fingers automatically spinning the memorized combination into the lock. The locker opened with a small metal clang.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. All that was left was to throw the card in.

She carefully placed the card on top of a stack of books.

"Marinette?"

She spun around, her heart jumping to her throat. Adrien stood by the locker row end, just stepping out from around the bend. He didn't even look too surprised, almost like he was expecting her. Heck, he didn't even look mad. On the contrary, he looked somewhat relieved.

"A-A-Adrien?" she stammered, taking an automatic step back. What on earth was he doing here!? Of all the people to have seen her, it just had to be him? Literally, the one person who absolutely could not see her in his locker. This wasn't in his schedule; he wasn't even supposed to be at school for nearly another hour at least!

He grinned at her. "It's you."

"U-Um…" She didn't really know what he meant by that, much less how to respond to that. Her face was a scarlet and felt hot enough to fry an egg. He didn't seem angry—that had to be a good sign, right? Had he been expecting it to be her? How? "Y-Yes?"

He took a step towards her. She took a step back.

Adrien paused, appearing to notice for the first time just how on edge she seemed to be. He held up his hands placatingly. He might as well have not bothered for all the good it did.

"Mari—"

"I-I can explain!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I wasn't—I mean, I was—in your locker, but only because I saw it open and, um, I saw this paper and I, you know, put it back in?"

The model raised an eyebrow at her explanation, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Marinette, I've been watching since before you put my combination in."

Oh dear lord.

"Y-You were?" she squeaked. She was starting to feel faint, her cheeks burning impossibly hot. Her nails dug deep into her palms, the sharp pain undeniable proof that this wasn't a dream and that she is, in fact, making a complete fool of herself in front of Adrien again. Except, this time she wasn't sure if she could ever look him in the eye again, much less redeem herself in any way. She prayed for an akuma attack.

Adrien nodded.

"Oh...u-um, I, um, I-I think I need to go bury myself now," she said breathlessly. She made to walk past him with her eyes cast downwards, unable to even so much as to look at him.

"'Three white carnations. A small heart-shaped note attached,'" Adrien began. He buried his hands in his pockets as he slowly began walking closer, stepping around the benches between the rows of lockers. He stopped only a few steps away from her, blocking her escape. Marinette froze. "If you can't handle giving it to him in person, just put it in his locker or something. There's no way to mess it up.' Right?"

She slowly turned towards him, still refusing to meet his gaze. She turned his words over and over in her mind, not quite believing she heard correctly. "W-What…?"

"Flaws aren't necessarily bad, my lady," he said quietly. Her breath hitched in her throat.

Slowly lifting her eyes, she finally looked at him. He watched her intently, silently gauging her reaction as he chewed on the bottom corner of his lip.

"Chat?" she breathed.

"My lady?" he answered tentatively.

"Chat," she repeated, stronger this time. Her gaze flickered away and she frowned. She rubbed her temples, already feeling a headache coming on. "Wait—No. No, no, no. You're...Adrien...Chat?"

He stayed silent, watching her as she began to pace.

"But that means…Adrien…This whole time…" She spun on her heels. "Chat?"

"Careful, you'll wear out my name," he joked halfheartedly.

"I think I need to sit down," she said weakly as she sank down onto one of the benches beside them. She buried her face in her hands.

A few seconds later, she heard Adrien take a seat on her left side. Her arms prickled with goosebumps at the proximity and she was suddenly hyper-aware of just how close he was. Less than an inch more to the left and she was certain that she would feel him brush against her; she wasn't sure if her heart could handle that quite yet.

"Bugaboo?"

For the first time, she noticed the slightest hint of a tremor in his voice. A detail so insignificant that on a normal day, she wouldn't have even picked up on it. With a small jolt, she suddenly realized that he was also nervous. But why?

Marinette peeked at him through her fingers. He was still watching her, an uneasy smile on his face. His ears glowed pink and grew pinker still as he noticed her staring.

She took a shuddering breath.

"How long have you known?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by her hands.

He seemed taken back by the question and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How long have I known that you were Ladybug?"

She nodded.

Adrien smiled wryly. "Since about five minutes ago. All I knew was that Ladybug left me that note. I just had to figure out who it was."

"I-I see." She chewed on her lip.

They sat in silence for a minute, both waiting for the other to speak. It was Adrien who broke the silence first.

"Are you disappointed?"

This time, it was her turn to be confused. She frowned, lifting her head from her hands to give him a confused look. "What?"

"You know…" He gestured helplessly. "About me being Chat...?"

"What?" She gaped at him. "Why would I be disappointed? You...You're Adrien! A supermodel by day, a superhero by night… How could I be disappointed with you? I'm the one who should be asking that! You always flirted with Ladybug and even if that's all fake, I'm the complete opposite of that girl! I'm just Marinette Dupain-Cheng! I'm clumsy, forgetful, awkward, irresponsible—"

"I wouldn't have revealed myself if I was disappointed with you," Adrien said softly, cutting her off. "I'd just have politely rejected you and kept pretending that I didn't know who you were."

"But…I'm just Marinette."

He shook his head. "No. You're Marinette and Ladybug. Two parts of a whole, remember? Just like how I'm both Chat and Adrien."

"But—"

"Are you disappointed that I'm Chat? Do you think less of me?" he interrupted. Marinette immediately shook her head.

"Of course not."

He smiled, his relief obvious. "Then why would you think that I think less of you now?"

"It's just...I-I don't know what to think anymore," she admitted. She looked down at her hands. "My...crush is one of my best friends? I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

Adrien didn't speak at first, his silence worrying Marinette. Then he sighed. "You said that I flirted with Ladybug all the time. Do you really think that all of that was fake?"

Marinette hesitated. "I-I mean…"

"I don't go around chasing every girl I come across, Marinette."

"Oh…" Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. "Does that mean…?"

"I guess we liked each other all along," Adrien said softly, causing her to flush red again. "And...my feelings haven't changed. Knowing who you are hasn't changed anything for me. I know I don't know that much about you right now, especially since we both just realized who we actually are, but I want to get to know you better. If you feel the same way."

"I—Yes," Marinette breathed. Then, "Yes. Absolutely."

Adrien's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

She nodded, beaming. "Yes. Seriously."

He let out a short laugh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. Can I ask you just one question first?"

Marinette paused, wariness suddenly creeping back, but hesitantly nodded.

"How do you know my locker combination?"

Author's Note:

(2019 comment) Holy fuck, I actually wrote most of this back in 2017 and FORGOT TO FINISH/POST. So I found this again and rushed an ending :)

Anyone else notice Adrien just standing behind that locker door like a total creep at the end of Evillustrator, just waiting until Marinette was done with her conversation?