"Pound it!"

     Ladybug was eternally grateful that the Akumatized victim was easy to defeat. But even with the easy win, the spotted heroine felt as if she was on the verge of tears. Every step sent a jarring jolt of pain up her entire leg, she discreetly cradled her wrist to her chest and felt a deep ache in her back.

     Luckily, the suit did dampen most of the pain so she was able to at least hide her injuries from Chat Noir. But it didn't erase it entirely. And if she was in this much pain with the suit, she could only imagine how much it'd hurt when she untransformed.

     The Akuma victim was surrounded by civilians, so Ladybug figured she was cool with leaving her in their capable hands.

     Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chat giving her concerned glances. Ladybug guessed that maybe she wasn't hiding her injuries as well as she thought she was. Ladybug caught Chat's eye and gave him a reassuring smile, with double thumbs up. He seemed unconvinced, just like when he, as Adrien, visited her in the hospital. 

     Turning away from the scene, Ladybug started whipping her yo-yo around to leave but stopped by a familiar clawed hand on her arm.

     "M'Lady, there was a student. I'm not sure she made it out. You remember the girl you had me protect during Evillustrator? Marinette? Well on my way here, I, umm, noticed she had crutches. She was going slower than anyone else. Should you and I go look for her?" Chat asked. And Chat could never grasp how deeply his concern touched Marinette. It was nice to know he cared.    

      However, this situation was too irresistible to not play with.

     "Oh? Does the little kitty have a crush?" Marinette giggled, trying to mask how much fun she was having.

     Chat Noir's face lit up bright red, a nervous hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Well," he started, "would you be upset if I said yes?"

     "Oh, Chaton." Ladybug sobered up a little as his wary expression. She figured she should start to take this conversation seriously. She didn't want to say something that would legitimately upset him. "I would be thrilled if you found someone. How could I be upset that my kitty is growing up? You're a free man, Chat. But, for the sake of my friend, do you really like Marinette that much?" She knew she shouldn't be using her alter ego to dig up this information, but she couldn't help but be intensely curious.

     "I do. I really do. And I know I made that promise to you -..."

     "Chat, don't worry!  Really. I do understand. I have someone in my life as well. And when the time is right, he will know exactly how I feel. But don't worry Chat, I'll always have a place in my heart for an alley cat like you." Besides, she thought, you're not breaking your promise to me at all. You're fulfilling it.

     "And I'll always have a place in my heart for my bugaboo."

     "And don't worry about your friend. I saw her head in the direction of her house. She's probably home by now." Chat nodded in response "And Chat, a bit of advice; if you love this girl, go get her."

     In a flash, Ladybug threw her ambitions aside and threw herself at Chat, pressing her lips against his. The kiss was short, sloppy, and sweet. Ladybug pulled away from a stunned Adrien and gave him a wink before turning and sailing through the city of Paris.

     "I'll take patrol tomorrow!" Ladybug yelled before she swung out of earshot. Chat was still too shocked to move.

     Marinette felt giddy, her pain momentarily forgotten, as she glided into her bedroom, landing with a soft grunt as she bounced on her bed. Marinette didn't bother closing the hatch door. She kissed Chat!

     "Tikki, spots off." The transformation dissolved, leaving normal Marinette a giggling mess on her bed.

      "You just kissed Chat Noir!" Tikki squealed, seeming energetic even after the transformation, probably due to not having used Lucky Charm.

     "I know! I didn't think I just... kissed him! I kissed Adrien." The bluenette squealed and covered her face with her hands. With the suit gone and the adrenaline from the kiss fading, the pain in her body started to rise. But Marinette was in too good a mood to let a little pain slow her down. "And he admitted to liking me. Me! Marinette me." The two girls started giggling again. "It's so odd, Tikki. I've wanted this for so long. Now that I'm starting to get it, I feel a little lost. Should I tell Chat that I'm Ladybug?"

     "Well, Marinette. That's a hard question. Do you want to?"

     "Yes! Of course. I have from the beginning."

     "Then I think you should. At this point, there's no use keeping it a secret from him. Not since you already kn-..."

     A clattering noise from the balcony grabbed both of their attentions. Grabbing the metal baseball bat that she kept by her bed, Marinette cautiously approached the opened hatch door. Chat would have knocked.

     Examining the balcony, the only thing she noticed out of place was the overturned table. Peering around, she didn't see anything else unusual. Tightening the grip on her bat, the bluenette wandered out in the chill to pull her table back up. Maybe a strong gust of wind knocked it over?

     Once finished, she retreated back into her room making sure she locked the hatch door. Marinette felt oddly unnerved.

~

     When Ladybug left it took Chat a few minutes to move. Did that really just happen? Ladybug had kissed him! It might have been short, but it was a kiss nonetheless.

     When the reporters started closing in, Chat gave a sly smile and used his baton to launch himself into the air and then directed the fall in the direction of his Princess' home. He wanted to double check that she got home.

     Landing nimbly on her balcony, he saw that the balcony door was already open. About to call out, he heard a voice. Marinette. She was making squeaking noises.

     Peeking over, he saw her laying on her bed with her hands covering her face. Chat smiled, about to interrupt her squealing when she spoke.

     "And he admitted to liking me. Me! Marinette me." Marinette started giggling, and Chat could've sworn he heard a higher, tinkling voice join hers. "It's so odd, Tikki. I've wanted this for so long. Now that I'm starting to get it, I feel a little lost. Should I tell Chat that I'm Ladybug?"

     Chat's ears lowered a bit. What was she saying? Who was Tikki? And telling him she's Ladybug? What did she mean?

     Chat's eyes widened when a voice that didn't come from Marinette replied. "Well, Marinette. That's a hard question. Do you want to?" It took Adrien only a second to find the source. Floating above Marinette's stomach was a tiny red creature. A Kwami.

     "Yes! Of course. I have from the beginning." Marinette said. If that was a Kwami, and Marinette was talking about being Ladybug... did this mean that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug?

     Talk about a freight train of information.

     The tiny Kwami, Tikki, started to respond to Marinette.

     I shouldn't be listening in on this, Chat Noir thought, I need to leave.

     Chat started slowly backing up, not wanting to reveal himself for eavesdropping. His back collided with something hard and he cringed as the table on her balcony fell over. In a flash, he used his baton to propel himself off of the balcony and away from her house.

     He didn't stop until he reached his house.

     Once in his room, he immediately said, "Plagg, claws in." The transformation melted and Adrien Agreste fell onto his bed, groaning. Plagg floated over to him, for once not demanding cheese.

     "Well. That was certainly something. So, Marinette is Ladybug?"

      "I can't believe it, Plagg. My Lady and my Princess are the same person. Do you think she knows who I am under the mask?" Adrien asked his Kwami, concerned.

     "I don't know, kid. Probably not. She didn't say anything about it. Only that she wanted to reveal to Chat that she was Ladybug. Seems like she's fallen for you feline side." Plagg wiggles his eyebrows and smirked.

     "But now what do I do?"

     "That's up to you, kid. I can't make your decisions for you. Although I do hope you decide to go down to the kitchen and bring me back a wheel of Camembert. The mini fridge is empty."

     Adrien chuckled, scratching Plagg behind the ears. "I'll get you some cheese." Pushing aside everything that he felt the blond boy pushed himself off his bed and went to fetch some cheese for his hungry Kwami.

     When Adrien returned, he tossed a wedge to Plagg. The small cat easily caught the cheese and started eating it ferociously.

     "Is this all -..." Plagg didn't finish before Adrien threw two more wedges at him. "Thanks!"                Adrien shoved the rest of the cheese in the mini fridge, closing it with a satisfying nod.

     "There. Five whole wheels. Should last you the next few days." Plagg gave a single thumb up and turned back to his cheese.

      Adrien finally began to ponder his situation. Ladybug was Marinette. And she wanted to reveal her identity to Cha Noir.  And Adrien also yearned to reveal himself.

     But he wanted to do it right. He wouldn't force his secret on her. First, he'd just tell her he knew her secret, as Chat Noir. He'd see what she wanted after that.

     "Plagg, I have an idea."

     "Ugh."

~

     Marinette was sketching a new design in her sketch book. She would have gone to her favorite monument but knew she couldn't walk all that way. So she settled for pulling a photo of it up on her laptop and designing in front of it.

     A light rapping sounded and Tikki flew up to the trapdoor.

     "I'll check if it's Chat Noir." The red Kwami said before phasing through the side of her room and disappearing. After a few moments, Tikki returned, holding something in her hands. A letter. "I found this on the balcony door."

     Taking the card from Tikki, Marinette turned it over in her hands. On the front read;

To My Princess

     Flipping it over, the bluenette opened the letter and hastily read it.

To my dearest Marinette,
If you would do me the honor of meeting me at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, I have something important to discuss with you. Meet me at 7:00 tonight. I hope to see you soon.
     - Chat Noir

     Marinette sucked in a breath and let out a squeal. Was Chat Noir going to admit to liking her? Was this a date? What would she wear?

     What time was it?

     Checking her phone, she saw that it was 6:15. Crap!

     Rushing to her closet, trying her best not to let her ankle slow her down, she rifled through her closet until she came across a dress she had designed just a few months ago.

     It had a sweetheart neckline, with lace bordering the bottom of the dress that would've fallen a few inches above Marinette's knees. It was made of a black silk chiffon material and had ruffles over the chest area before bleeding into red tulle that puffed out over a silk black underlay.

     Giving out a sigh, Marinette moved the dress aside and pulled out the black hoodie from behind it. It had a bright green paw print in the middle, to represent Chat Noir, and also green lining the hood and the soft cotton at the bottom of the sleeves. It even had little cat ears on top. And to finish it off, it had "I look paw-sitively purr-fect" on the back, also in green. Marinette had made it for Nino's upcoming birthday but figured he wouldn't mind if she borrowed it for the night. It was the warmest jacket she had that wasn't dirty.

     Marinette slipped the jacket on and went to her dresser to exchange her fuzzy pajama pants for some comfortable light blue jeans. And to top it off, a pair of black ballet flats.
Tikki had read the letter after Marinette had left to change, and floated happily to the girl.

     "What do you think will happen?"

     "I don't know, Tikki. But I think I'm going to tell him I'm Ladybug. I think tonight is the night. It's the perfect opportunity."

     "Way to go, Marinette! I believe in you."

     Throwing Tikki a grin, Marinette threw her purse on and turned towards her crutches. Alya had brought the crutches back to Marinette's house. Marinette thought that Alya hadn't totally bought her excuse as to why she didn't have them. Marinette lied and said that she lost them in the crowd and just came home without them. But Alya let it go. Marinette had done weirder things before. She only scolded Marinette for walking without them.

     Grabbing the crutches, Marinette hopped down the stairs. Her parents were down in the bakery working, so she found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote them a note, telling them she was going out with a friend (and yes, she was bringing her crutches).

     Satisfied, Marinette started her journey to the Eiffel Tower.

~

     Chat Noir prowled on the top of Paris' most famous monument; the Eiffel Tower. He glanced at the dinner table he had set up, questioning whether he should change something or just tear it down altogether.

     A wrought iron table for two sat, with a black see-through satin table cloth laid over. Two matching chairs accompanied it, with black cushions to make the seats more comfortable. On top of the table were two dinner plates, silverware, and wine glasses. Adrien had picked out a wine that he hoped Marinette liked.

      And, on top of the table, there was Marinette's favorite takeout food. He had to ask Alya for the specifics on that one, and he hoped she didn't say anything to Marinette. That would ruin the surprise.

     In the center of the table sat a thin vase with a single flower in it; a lilac lily. Adrien didn't need Alya's help with this one. He already knew Marinette's favorite flower.

     And all around the table, there were twinkling firefly lights hung up. Adrien had received strange looks from the guard when he asked if he could set up here. Being a famous hero of Paris had its perks since the guard let him.

     "Chat?" Someone down below called out, barely picked up by Chat Noir's hypersensitive hearing.

      Chat leaped off of the tower and used his baton to slow his descent. Once his feet touched the ground, he spotted the girl.

     He couldn't help but grin at the words printed on the back of her hoodie.

     Chat Noir silently walked up to the girl, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You do look paw-sitively purr-fect, purr-incess."
      Marinette didn't flinch but instead turned her head to look at him. He caught the tail end of an eye roll. "Very funny."

     "I thought so."

      The bluenette leaned close to the hero's ear. "So what am I, I dare ask, doing here?" Marinette asked her voice a soft whisper that tickled his ear.

      "Well, Princess, I'll show you." Chat held grabbed her hand and spun her around. She let out a small gasp as she lost her grip on her crutches but Chat Noir caught both of them before they hit the floor.

     Scooping up the bluenette in his arms, he used his baton to launch them both into the air.

     Chat gently touched down on the Eiffel Tower's top floor, using a free hand to cover Marinette's eyes. Letting his grip on her crutches go, the fell to the ground with a loud clatter. The girl jumped, silently cursing.

     "Did you break something!" She asked accusatorily. Chat huffed in fake hurt.

     "I can't believe you thought I'm careless like that. I happen to know how to handle things with care." Chat brushed his lips against her ear and whispered, "Especially when dealing with a beautiful heart like yours."

     Marinette froze and a blush spread across her face. Chat Noir smirked proudly at her reaction.
Chat headed to the table, setting Marinette down on the chair while still covering her eyes. She adjusted to the chair and then stilled, waiting for him. Chat was leaning over the back of her chair, he wanted to see her reaction.

     He lifted his hand from her face and watched with rapt attention every emotion he saw cross it. First, confusion; then awe; then he saw a flash of happiness.

     "This is beautiful, minou." Marinette exclaimed, her mouth a wide smile. She turned to face Chat but froze when she did. Their noses were almost touching, and Chat didn't hesitate to swoop down and press his lips to hers.

     Unlike their kiss earlier that day, this one wasn't rushed.

     At first, there was only a slow simmer of heat. The intensity grew with every second as their lips moved in harmony. Marinette pulled back, gasping slightly as she caught her breath. Chat felt his face erupt in a light blush, his breathing starting to return to normal.

     "I have something I need to tell -..." They both said at the same time. Both the blond and the bluenette burst into laughter.

     "You first, Marinette." Chat Noir prompted.

     Sucking in a deep breath, Marinette said, "I'm Ladybug." She waited for his reaction, trying to detect any signs of disbelief. Her disbelief came with his reply.

     "I know."

     "You know? How long have you known?"

     "Since earlier today. I kinda eavesdropped on you and your Kwami. Sorry about that." Chat nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

      "Oh! Well, what did you want to tell me?"

      "I'm Adrien. Adrien Agreste." Chat Noir admitted.

      "I know."

      "You knew? When did you find out?"

      "When you visited me and we watched Cats. You woke me up when you left the lounge. I saw you transform." She explained, shifted her body so that she was facing Chat in the chair.

     "Wow. Not how I expected this to go."

     "Me neither."
     Silence engulfed the two, their minds racing.

     "Are you disappointed? That it's just me behind the mask?" Marinette asked, her voice thick.
     "What? How could you think that? Marinette," Adrien gently cupped her cheeks and brought her lips to his.

     Their mouths moved in sync and Adrien hungrily licked Marinette's bottom lip, lightly pressing against it to ask for permission to enter. Hesitantly, Marinette opened her mouth slightly. It was all he needed.

     A dangerous dance began, their tongues a beautiful duet. They only broke away a few times to take in breaths before diving in again. Backing up, Adrien detached his lips from her in order to speak.

     "I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As both Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir, I love both Ladybug and Marinette. I love you. Don't you ever think you'd be a disappointment." Adrien growled slightly as he claimed her lips again.

     "Shouldn't we eat dinner?" Marinette asked, gasping slightly as she pulled away from him.

     Adrien was instantly aware of the absence of Marinette, the feel of her soft lips lingered over his own.

     "Sure. I'm going to de-transform so I don't waste my Kwami's energy." The blond managed to say after a few seconds.

     "Alright."

     "Plagg, claws in!" In a flash, Marinette's high school crush stood behind her. Adrien walked over and sat himself down in the other chair.

     "Tikki?!" Plagg phased through Adrien's shirt and floated over to Marinette's purse.

     "Plagg?" Tikki flew out of the purse and was air tackled by Plagg in a hug. She chuckled as she pulled back. "We saw each other just the other night. What's gotten into you?"

     "Love, Tikki. Love." Plagg replied.

     Marinette and Adrien both started giggling, watching the two. Tikki had a deep pink blush, and Plagg was grinning slyly.

     "To love." Adrien declared, lifting his wine glass.

     "To love!" Everyone else chorused.

~

     Marinette's heart raced as she held firmly to the hand in hers.

     Adrien and Marinette stood in front of the school, hands clasped as the bluenette took in deep breaths.

     "How do you think they'll react? Do you think they'll guess we are Chat and Ladybug?" Marinette asked, worry biting at her stomach.

     "It'll be fine, Marinette. I'm sure everyone will be thrilled that we are dating. Trust me, mon amour, we will be fine. It's been five months since Chat Noir and Ladybug became a couple. We've waited long enough. I don't think anyone will be suspicious. We've been hanging out a lot, and I'm sure they've all been shipping us for a while now. Alya will be thrilled. Even Chloe, I'm sure." Adrien's words were reassuring, and Marinette relaxed a bit. Adrien wouldn't let anything bad happen. "Besides, bugaboo, no matter what happens I'll stand by you."

     Using their grasped hands, Adrien spun the girl around and into his chest, capturing her lips in a kiss. They broke away when the bell rung.

     "You ready?" Adrien asked, gently rubbing his nose against hers.

     "Yes, minou."

     "Let's go."

     A/N: Yay! I finally finished chapter five! I got busy, so this was pretty hard to finish. But here you go! I hope you enjoyed it, loves. I had fun writing this chapter. And just so you guys know, there will only be ONE MORE CHAPTER. I know, too soon. BUT, don't worry. This will be a part of a book series, so this is only the first of many. I hope you've enjoyed it so far.
     
      The song for this chapter is Stand By You by Rachel Platten.
 
      Word Count; 3663