As Marinette walks into school the next day, she hears someone call her name from behind her. She turns to find Adrien bounding up the steps with a broad grin stretched over her face.

Marinette finds herself tensing with the unusuality of it. After that... kiss, Marinette went home on a high. She's never felt that type of emotion before, but it quickly ended. Marinette spent the entire night pacing around her room muttering obscenities to Tikki as her kwami watched from inside a mug on her desk. No matter what words Marinette said to herself, she couldn't help but feel this rage and frustration for her ignorance. How she so simply overlooked everything.

This whole time, she has been fighting crime with her crush. This whole time, she has been pushing him away when he flirted. This whole time, they could've been something if she would've just opened her eyes a little more.

So, so stupid.

"Hey Adrien," she says as he reaches her. Adrien stands close to her, looking down with a joyful smile and eyes sparkling.

"Hello M'Lady," he purrs quietly and Marinette feels her cheeks burst with heat. She tries shamefully to hide it with a smile. Marinette isn't used to seeing the Chat Noir side of Adrien. Even as she knows that side so well.

"Someone's happy," Marinette points out, teasingly. No stutter. None. At all. Not only that but she's talking with him with comfortability as she would with a really close friend. And it's not like they weren't friends before as Marinette and Adrien, but as Ladybug and Chat noir they had something... special.

Adrien holds her hand and Marinette mentally tells herself not to panic.

"Well of course. I have a feeling that today is going to be a lot better than most," Adrien explains. Marinette smiles and cocks her head to the side.

"Why's that?" she asks. Adrien brings her hand to his lips and places a kiss on the back of her hand. It's a gesture she's only ever seen down by Chat Noir. This, is going to get some used to.

"Because I'm finally with the girl I love," Adrien admits almost sheepishly, despite both of them saying the words to each other the day before, Marinette feels her cheeks heat up dangerously.

Marinette smiles shyly up at him. Her crush is flirting with her right now. Her crush just told her that he loved her! But he also did the same behind a mask and she shut him down. Insane. This entire situation, insane.

Marinette's phone buzzes in her pants pocket and she mutters an apology to Adrien before checking it. When she turns the screen on she sees a text from Alya.

Alya: MEET ME BY CLASSROOM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO MISSY!

Marinette smiles at the text. Of course Alya would've noticed them by now.

When she looks up she finds Adrien staring at something with wide eyes and a gaped mouth. Marinette follows his gaze and sees Chloe walking quickly toward them with a beat red face and lowered eyebrows.

Adrien puts a protective hand on her shoulder as he continues to stare with a face the colour of snow.

"Marinette. I think you should go," he mumbles, finally looking down at her with apologetic eyes that seem to almost tilt down at the corners. Then he mouths the words 'save yourself'. Marinette nods firmely and leaves in a fast past walk after giving Adrien's hand a squeeze, to a Chloe free zone.

Half jogging away, Marinette sees Chloe glare at her with a gaze of steel before walking to Adrien.

"Marinette!" Marinette looks in the direction of Alya's voice and finds her best friend standing by their classrooms entrance. Her face is a display of shock, with wide and unblinking eyes, and a slightly gaped mouth.

"Hey Alya," Marinette says, walking casually up to her.

"Explain the - the closeness, the hand-kiss thing, and - and the intense stares. Are you two a thing now? What happened yesterday? Why are you not freaking out right now," Alya grabs marinette by the shoulders, "Explain!" Marinette laughs before the biggest grin possible forms on her face.

"Okay I am actually freaking out too," she admits with a laugh and a huge smile forms on Alya's face.

"So what happened? You guys didn't seem that close after lunch yesterday. You did go to the park with him right?" Marinette smiles, biting her lip with the greatness of the thought.

"Yah it was great. We went to that deli that we usually go to, and we had a really good conversation..." Alya practically leans forward as she listens to her story.

"And?" Alya asks, her voice an octave higher.

"And at the end he said that he really enjoyed hanging out and he asked me if I wanted to meet up with him after school too," Marinette explains. The lie falls off her tongue like poison. She feels horrible for it, but there is no other way to tell Alya without revealing that her and Adrien are Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"OMG really! So what happened then?"

"We met up at the eiffel tower and walked around a bit, but then we sat down on a bench and I told him how I felt about him." Alya gasps in shock.

"You? Really?" This time Alya shoots a teasing smile to Marinette.

"Yes really. Then the greatest thing of all time happened. He said he liked me back!" Marinette says. Alya squeals and pulls Marinette into a tight and suffocating hug.

"Do I have permission to say I told you so?" Alya asks as she pulls away, looking at her with telling eyes. Her face says the words already.

"Yes, but just this once," Marinette says and they both make their way into the classroom with big smiles.

"I'm so proud of you girl," Alya murmurs toward her. They both take their seat and Marinette shares a quick glance with Adrien. A conversation is held in their expressions.

'so how was Chloe?' Adrien shrugs exhaustedly.

'Chloe.' he seems to say.

Chat Noir sits beside Ladybug on top of the eiffel tower, overlooking a setting sun. Ladybug rests her head on his shoulder and he holds one of her hands in his. Is there any word to describe how perfect this feels? Being with her, being near her, being there for her in ways he couldn't be before.

"I'm sorry Adrien," she mutters. Hearing his name while in the suit is strange, but he doesn't pay attention to that.

"What are you sorry about?" he asks, looking down at her.

"About telling you that you only had one chance that one day. That was wrong. I shouldn't have said that, because no matter how bad that evening could've gotten, I still would've been there by your side day after day, fighting with you. I would've given you a million chances. I would've given Chat Noir a million chances," she explains and Chat gives her hand a squeeze.

"It's okay bugaboo. Because if you hadn't of said that, I wouldn't have figured out that you are Marinette so easily," he says and Ladybug laughs lightly.

"I did say that line at the deli didn't I?" she laughs, "I guess that's why you looked so shocked when I said that."

Chat laughs along with her, and eventually they just sit there, leaning against each other as the sun disappears.

"I think we can only date as Marinette and Adrien," Ladybug mumbles as if she is thinking out loud, "So then Ladybug and Chat Noir would stay completely professional. People may notice if we don't" Chat Noir thinks about it for a moment before finally speaking.

"I guess that will only be during battles. So, okay," he agrees.

It's like deja vu seeing the stars appear in the sky by her side. One by one, constellation by constellation. It's like the night is waking up.

Out of nowhere Ladybug begin to laugh, but it drowns out into a groan.

"I'm so horrible. I made you eat pulled pork sandwiches twice," she wines, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. Chat laughs loudly before wrapping a arm around her shoulders and leaning down to place a kiss on the top of her head.

"I think I may actually have a thing for those sandwiches now," he jokes with a laugh and Ladybug laughs to as she repositions her head as it was before.

"They are good aren't they," she laughs. He pulls her closer to his side. She must be cold, the air is chilly and the suits are only so thick. Maybe he can warm her up.

"I never did ask you what Chloe ended up saying," Ladybug says and Chat shivers with the horror of the memory.

"She acted like I was cheating on her with you pretty much. And a lot more words that she said so quickly that I couldn't make out," he explains and Ladybug laughs.

"Oh and if Alya mentions it you asked me to hang out again after school and that's when we ended up telling each other we both had feelings for one another on a bench by the eiffel tower," Ladybug explains.

"Okay, will do. Second date, bench, eiffel tower, confess. Gotcha," he repeats, holding out his hand to count his fingers tellingly.

"What did you tell Nino?" she asks. Chat almost shrugs his shoulders, but catches himself before he disturbs the way she rests her head.

"I told him we got together when we went out at lunch. He didn't really need more of an explanation." Ladybug sighs dramatically.

"That would be nice, but Alya couldn't not ask for extra details even if she tried." They both laugh before drifting off into a long silence. The world seems nearly silent to Chat's ears. Other than the faint hum of cars in the city below. He can't seem to decide on what to focus on: the stars dotting the sky, or the lights painting the ground. Or simply the girl leaning on his shoulder.

He likes option three the best.

Slowly he moves in which forces Ladybug to sit up off his shoulder. Chat places both of his hands on the sides of her face and he leans forward to place a kiss on her forehead. He can see her closing her eyes with the faintest of smiles on her lips as he rests his forehead against hers.

"Thank you Marinette," he murmurs and she opens her eyes to look up at him.

"For what?" she asks, her voice breathy.

"For being here. With me," he explains and her mouth turns up into a grin.

"I'd go anywhere you want me to," she whispers, placing a kiss on his cheek. Both of them blush from the action.

Sitting beside Chat, Ladybug realizes even more on how wrong she was. They didn't get one chance, and the one chance that they thought they were taking instead was a step. A simple step that lead to another, bringing them to a united love.

Ladybug knows that the love that they have is, well... miraculous.

This is the final chapter of the story. I hope everyone liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Gotta love the Miraculous Ladybug fandom ;) If anyone has any suggestions on a new story, I'd love to hear them!