-9-

Marinette hadn't expected to see Adrien until Monday. After the way he'd stormed out, she had been almost certain of it. Her stupid bumbling mouth hadn't given her the opportunity to explain that Luka wasn't the guy she was crushing on. Instead she followed Adrien out, uttering nonsense in attempt to smooth things over. It didn't work.

For the rest of the day she'd alternated between trying to do her homework and yattering at Tikki for help. Of course, Tikki's advice consisted of the very cliché: the truth will set you free. The problem wasn't the truth, it was Marinette's ability to express her feelings to Adrien. Multiple attempts in the past had failed spectacularly. She wasn't even going to mention the prescription incident. That was something she hoped to forget.

After dinner, Marinette settled into bed with her tablet, intent on watching a romcom when there was a thud on the balcony above. Scrunching up her nose, the girl lifted her head and peered up at the skylight. She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw a pair of glowing feline eyes staring back down at her. Then he knocked on the glass and flashed her a dazzling smile.

Placing a hand over her thundering heart, Marinette stood and unlatched the skylight. "You scared the life out of me."

Chat Noir had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry. I thought my less than stealthy entrance would alert you to who was visiting."

"You could have been an akuma."

A cheeky grin spread across his face. "Want to transform for me?"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't think you wanted to talk to me until school."

"I changed my mind." At that Chat Noir extended his hand to her. "There's something I want to show you."

Marinette glanced at his hand then down to her attire. "Should I get changed first."

Even in the dark, Marinette could see the blush staining Chat Noir's cheeks. "Um, yeah. That might be good. I'll go stand at the railing. Promise I won't look."

Scurrying off, Marinette quickly picked out a pair of jeans and t-shirt that were suitably cute and slipped on her shoes. In no time she was back at the skylight, flipping it open and climbing out.

Chat Noir looked over his shoulder. "You didn't transform."

"Was I meant to? I thought you wanted to show me something. Do we need to go somewhere?"

"Yeah," he said extending his hand again. "Will you come with me?"

"Okay."

Accepting his hand, Chat Noir pulled Marinette close. His gaze didn't stray from hers as he extended his stick and launched them into the sky. Without her suit, Marinette's grasp tightened on her partners arms. Praying that she wouldn't fall. Although she could always transform mid-air or wait for Chat Noir to catch her.

Their journey was relatively short and she was surprised when he took them into his bedroom.

"You better not have anything crude in mind."

"Me?" he looked insulted, yet grinned. "Hardly. Plagg, claws in."

Marinette watched as Chat Noir disappeared and Adrien Agreste was revealed. Her mouth dropped open when she noticed that he was wearing the outfit from the magazine clipping she said she'd liked best. The model smooth down his shirt and his grin turned roguish. "I thought you might like to see this outfit in person."

Before she could respond, Adrien grabbed her hand and led her to his piano. He sat and tugged her down to sit beside him. The model flicked both hands at the wrists and relaxed his fingers and began to play. His tone was soft as he spoke. "This song is by Elton John, and it's called The One, I thought it appropriate." And then he sang.

Marinette was riveted by the gentle smoothness of his voice but a particular set of lyrics had her heart racing…

"In the instant that you love someone,

In the second that the hammer hits,

Reality runs up your spine,

and the pieces finally fit.

And all I ever needed was the one,

Like freedom fields where wild horses run,

When stars collide like you and I,

No shadows block the sun,

You're all I ever needed,

Babe, you're the one."

She watched as he continued to play. Adrien kept glancing at her with meaningful looks while his fingers danced across the keys. By the time he finished his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths and his eyes held a vulnerability that made her realise the depth of his feelings.

"That was beautiful," she whispered.

"So are you," he uttered with reverence.

They continued to stare longingly into each other's eyes, the distance disappearing as their upper arms and shoulders pressed together. But Marinette laid a hand on his chest, stopping the descent of his face. "You were wrong about Luka. He's not the one I'm in love with."

Pain flittered across Adrien's face and his jaw clenched. Marinette pressed a finger to his lips before he could speak.

"It was you, Adrien. It was always you. It's why I was so shocked when I discovered you're also Chat Noir. I'd stupidly rejected the boy I so dearly wanted." Her hand shifted and she wrapped her fingers around his tie. "And this is what I imagined doing with your tie." Wrapping the material around her fist, Mariette gave a firm tug and tilted her face up to capture Adrien's lips.

The model's hands were suddenly cupping her jaw, then sank into her hair as he kissed her back. Time seemed to slow down as the pair kissed with unhurried ardour. Eventually, Marinette was the one to back away, still holding tight to Adrien's tie as she looked up at him.

Adrien smiled with undisguised adoration. "You love me?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Yes I do."

"Well I'm glad that's cleared up because I love you too."

It was a good thing there were no akuma attacks for the rest of the weekend because Ladybug and Chat Noir were far too interested in each other. Alya was beside herself as candid shots of the superhero duo kissing rolled in at the Ladyblog and she posted them for all to see. Yet she was annoyed because Marinette hadn't responded to her calls or texts.

By Monday Alya was antsy and ready to demand why Marinette hadn't been in touch. That was until she watched her best friend walking hand in hand to school with her crush. Finally, Marinette and Adrien had gotten together and my gosh they were adorable. Knowing this, all was forgiven, especially when Chloe exploded in a tirade while Marinette and Adrien merely shrugged then kissed. All was good in the world.

The End

And there were have it. I could have drawn things out longer but this last chapter almost wrote itself. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing. I really appreciate your support.