Marinette managed to let her thoughts drift away from Valentine's day's events concerning a specific black cat when she was fighting Kim, aka, Dark Cupid. To be even more specific, what she did to take him out from under the spell he was put under from the arrow. However, other events bouncing around that day still sat in her memory. Adrien's poem, for one. She couldn't explain in words how much she wanted to kick herself for forgetting to sign it, especially even after the ladybug landed on the paper (which should have made the clear statement "hey! Sign me!"). Alya forgave her for her forgetfulness and Marinette moved on. However, later that night is when things turned for the worst (or best in Chat's eyes).

After every akuma, the duo agreed to patrol around Paris just to be sure no others have shown up. They knew none would, it wasn't like Hawkmoth to release more than one in each day, though on the rare occasion, it was within just a few hours of each other. After their first time as Ladybug and Chat Noir, they're both on their toes whether or not duplicates have formed. There was no way either of them could let what happened with Ivan happen again. So here they were, bouncing and swinging across buildings, miles away from each other up until the late hours of the night, sitting on a flat rooftop of some abandoned factory.

"Guess this one's in the clear, huh?" Chat said, his staff across his shoulders and his arms wrapped around in a relaxed state. "Guess you could say it's too dark for Dark Cupid to be seen, wouldn't you say, my lady?" Chat's grin could be seen from space after Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Real punny, Chat. I guess you're in your natural habitat after all. Being black and all," she retorted, though, knew it was worse than the lame joke Chat had said. Chat was pleased with the attempt and shorted his staff, hooking it to the back of his suit before taking a seat with his legs dangling over the edge. Ladybug took the hint that they would chat for a while so she sat the same way, looking up at the few stars twinkling above the bright city lights. Sometimes they were difficult to see, but when they were visible, they were easily the most beautiful thing in all of Paris or France for that matter. Chat thought otherwise, his gaze moving towards his Lady, watching her with a glint in his eyes and a smile on his face.

"Your hair is jet black… your eyes as blue as the heavens…" Chat started, mumbling more to himself than actually speaking to Ladybug. He turned his eyes away and watched the lights around the city flicker as cars moved in and out of sight, homes turning dark ready for the next day. "I want to ask who-"

"W-where did you read that from?" Lady asked, wide-eyed at her partner. Chat looked at her, confused.

"I was reciting a poem I wrote… It's not stupid is it?" He asked, unsure whether or not Ladybug liked it. He took a quick glance at her and rubbed the back of his head, hiding his embarrassment. "So it is… Knew I should have written something else," he groaned. "I'm not good with words, especially poetry-"

"You wrote that?!" Lady exclaimed, standing so she could pace. "No… no no no, you couldn't have written that.. Unless," she stopped, staring straight at Chat. The look in her eyes nearly made him flinch from the cold stare that slowly turned into what seemed to be recognition and fear?

"Unless what, my lady? You responded to it… didn't you?" Chat slowly stood, a little hopeful. "Unless it was someone else… god I'm so stupid," he shook his head, gripping his hair in slight frustration. "No way it was you, right? ..Right? ...Ladybug?" He took a step towards her just as she took a step back. "It said something like… like… 'your hair is golden, your eyes green iridescent, when I look at you I would like to share your dreams and thoughts. Yes I want to be your Valentine, we'll be good together, I will love you forever, my heart is yours," he recited, nearly perfect. If there was a slight chance that it was from Ladybug, he lived on it and memorized it all those hours after sorting through the other gifts and letters. He now felt kind of creepy because of it and smiled shyly.

However, the look in Ladybug's eyes turned more to fear than before, widening to saucers.

"A-ADRIEN?!" She exclaimed, quite loudly it was a surprise no one heard. Granted, they were on an abandoned factory. Chat's reaction was what was to be expected, however. At first, he felt a little guilty, now just blowing the largest secret to the only person that didn't want to know it, but then he felt a little relieved that Ladybug knew him outside of Chat Noir. There was the possibility that she only knew him from modeling, but there was no other way of her knowing about the poems if that's all she knew about Adrien. He could only recall one time where Ladybug saw Chat as his civilian form but they didn't speak a single word. Now it all made sense. The way she looked at him when he was in the limo was because she knew him in person… but that wouldn't explain what she felt when she saw him. Even when it came to Jagged Stone, she didn't seem to be as speechless like she was when she ran into Adrien.

"So… I guess the cat's out of the bag," Chat grinned from ear to ear, finally able to use the perfect pun. No matter how the reveal would be, there was no way he wasn't going to use that one. It's the cat pun of all puns for crying out loud! Ladybug paled and covered her face with her hands, quickly turning around.

"No! You can't be Adrien," she denied. "There's no way you are Adrien!" She grabbed at her hair, frustrated. "Oh god…" The sudden realization of the kiss earlier dawned on her. She kissed Adrien! Well.. Chat, but Chat is Adrien and Ladybug is Marinette so technically, Marinette kissed Adrien and this was way too much for her to handle. She leaned against the building, debating whether or not to run away, scream, or both. She decided on the screaming.

Chat stood there, his hands on his hips, being patient while his lady flipped out over his identity. He gave her her space, knowing he would probably need it too if he were to find out Lady's identity and actually know who she was. Speaking of which…

"Hey!" He called out after she was quiet. "I threw that poem in the garbage! So you do go to my school!" He exclaimed. Alya's theory was right. Nevertheless, his lady has been in his classroom all along! "Rose? Alex?" He walked around her, trying to put a face to the girl he's been chasing after for months. "I know you're not Chloe… You can't really be anyone I know… you're always there when they're there at the same time…" He sighed, defeated. "Look Ladybug… if you don't want to tell me who you are, that's okay. It was you who tried to keep it a secret, so if you want to keep it that way, you can.." He admitted, though, wished the opposite. All he's ever wanted to know who his lady was behind the mask so he could love both sides of her unconditionally. Not what she wants him to see. Though, he can understand the circumstances pertaining to their identities. What if Hawkmoth somehow found out? But a small idea plagued his mind. If one of them were to be hurt in their civilian forms, how would the other know that? How would they know that their partner isn't going to show up during an attack?

"Look, Ladybug… you probably won't believe me… but whoever you are under that mask, I care about you. A lot actually," Chat laughed lightly with his hand in his hair awkwardly. "And I'll always care about you, even if you're not Ladybug anymore. So… yeah. That's about it." He grinned. Ladybug looked at her partner, still shocked, but began to calm down.

"Is it okay if I go? Just for a little while… to y'know… process all of this?" She hid her trembling hands behind her back. The confident composure she gains when under the suit was fading and if she were to stand here any longer, she would be a puddle of goo like she always is as Marinette. Chat's ears drooped a little but nodded anyways. He was sure he would need his space too, but eventually he knew she would come clean and they'd be happy together in both forms. Ladybug tossed her yoyo out and hooked it around a pole. Before she could jump, Chat grabbed her arm.

"Wait! My Lady, please, answer one question… You're not Chloe, are you?" Chat asked tentatively. Ladybug laughed and shook her head.

"No, Chat, I'm not. You should know that, you saw us beside each other plenty of times. I'll catch you later, okay?" She smiled before jumping off, swinging towards her home on the other side of Paris. Chat was really tempted to follow her, but he knew how much trouble he would be in. Not just from his Lady, but his father as well. He extended out his pole and swung towards his own home, climbing in through the back before ending his transformation.

"You know what's better than all this lady drama?" Plagg asked, hovering by Adrien's nightstand.

"Let me guess. Cheese?" Adrien changed his clothes and crawled into bed.

"Exactly. Cheese is simple, let me tell you. Just pick whatever kind you want and it's all yours!" Plagg fell down to Adrien's discarded clothes like a feather. The last Adrien remembered before falling asleep was the warm reassurance that he could someday confess to his Lady and she would accept.

That following morning, Marinette woke up groggily and turned off her alarm. The previous night was washed from her mind, acting like it was all just a dream and stumbled out of bed a little before making her way downstairs for breakfast. She found a note on the fridge and a plate of eggs ready for her on the counter.

"I'm sorry we couldn't eat together, your father and I had a meeting with a customer to go to. We should be home late tonight, there's dinner in the fridge you can heat up. Feel free to bring a friend over so you're not alone! Love you! -Mom" Marinette read aloud. She set the note down by the plate of breakfast, still warm, and sat down.

"Good morning, Marinette!" Tikki greeted her out from her bedroom. "What are we going to do today?" Marinette thought it over for a brief moment.

"After school, there's a project I need to work on at home. Maybe Alya could help me out. Why Tikki? Is there someplace you have to be?" Marinette questioned teasingly, shoving a forkful of eggs in her mouth. Tikki giggled and shook her head.

"No, Marinette! I was hoping we could go to Adrien's house later." Marinette nearly spit out the food and covered her mouth to prevent doing so.

"W-what?! Why would we do that?!" she exclaimed. "There's no reason to go over there!"

"Don't you remember what happened last night, Marinette? I thought you would want to go over there." Tikki sat down by Marinette's phone. Marinette thought long and hard about the previous night. She remembered patrolling Paris with Chat… ending up on a building and they talked for a while… about… she couldn't quite remember. Her dream and reality were blending together.

"Not really, Tikki. I had the strangest dream. Ha… who would ever believe that Adrien freaking Agreste was Chat Noir. Dreams are dreams for a reason I guess." She shrugged it off. Tikki laughed again.

"Marinette, do you want Chat Noir to be Adrien?" She asked innocently. "Because legend says that dreams are wishes your heart makes! It would be nice though, right?" Tikki figured that she could coax Marinette into sort of liking Chat Noir and Adrien all the while allowing her to think that it was all still just a dream. Up until the next time she sees Chat Noir, but that's a few days from now. Marinette contemplated that answer.

"I don't know, Tikki… They're nothing alike. Chat Noir is out and about while Adrien is quiet and reserved. Not to mention, when would Adrien have time to even become Chat Noir? Under all those things his dad makes him do, he would be so tired every morning." Marinette finished up her breakfast and brought her juice up to her room so she could get ready for school.

"Yes Marinette, but don't you know that Chat Noir loves Ladybug? If Chat Noir is Adrien, then it's possible that you two could be together!" Tikki batted her eyes happily. Marinette changed into her daily school wear and thought about it.

"I highly doubt that Chat Noir is in love with Ladybug. I'm sure he's got other girls to please," she said.

"Like who?"

Marinette jumped, holding her arms out as if she was ready for a fight and then relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Chat Noir, what are you doing here?" She asked, sitting on her chair to put her shoes on. "Don't you have school too?" She glanced up at the cat. Chat laughed.

"Maybe if I have school on a Saturday, sure. Did you get detention? I didn't know you were such a bad girl, Marinette." He winked. Marinette checked the calendar on her computer and it did say that the date was a Saturday. She pressed her hand to her forehead in embarrassment.

"Silly me… guess I'm still not quite awake yet, haha." She kicked off her shoes, not planning to go out just yet. "Well… that still doesn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" Chat jumped into her room from balancing on the window and sat on the couch, kicking back as if he lived there.

"Living life, princess. Apparently pleasing other women, such as yourself," he gestured to Marinette and grinned. "Why were you talking about me? Couldn't resist practicing to confess your love?" Marinette rolled her eyes.

"You wish, Chat. Just so you know, there's someone else I'm interested in, thank you very much. No way would I be with a stray like you. Too many fleas." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, turning her head away in mock disgust.

Chat gasped, clutching his chest. "You would me, princess!" He fell against the couch, his other arm was over his forehead dramatically. "I thought you loved me." He sat up straight, looking at her. "Who is this filthy competition of mine?" He stood, mimicking her composer and leaned over her chair so she couldn't move. "I need to tell him not to hurt my prin-" he paused, glancing at her computer. The screen displayed various pictures of Adrien with pink heart swirls across the screen. Marinette looked back at what Chat was staring at and blushed a little.

"So… Adrien, huh?" He stood straight and held his hands on his hips. "Not sure what you see in him. Betcha it's because he's famous?" He nudged Marinette's shoulder. "Or he looks good? Yeah…" He sighed. "Well I guess I can't beat that," he held his hands up in a shrug. "I mean… what kind of cat can compare to that?"

Marinette bit her lip before speaking. "It's… not because he's famous or looks good… it's because he's so sweet, kind.. Caring… the first time we really spoke, I wrongly accused him of something his friend did… but when he apologized, I felt it then… ever since, my feelings for him have grown stronger every day." She sighed, hugging herself. "Maybe one day I'll have the courage to confess to him, but I don't know… He's just a dream and I'm just… plain old Marinette." She sighed. By this time, Chat was investigating the pictures of Adrien on the wall. Just to mess with her a little, he continued to push at her.

"But I'm sweet, kind and caring and you were even awestruck that you were helping me with an akuma! What's there to not love about me?" He turned. "I'm funny, romantic, and charisma! None of those things he has. So again, what's so special about all high and mighty mister Agreste that I don't have?" Chat took one of the pictures off and looked at it closely, a small frown appeared on his face. "He's just a fake... "

"Don't say that about him! You don't know him, you don't know his life!" Marinette was getting fired up. "His mother disappeared, his dad is distant and his best friend is a rich brat that only cares about herself. He's lonely and I just want to be by his side." She calmed down in the end, but still felt the urge to kick the cat out of her room. Though, to her surprise, Chat turned, the presence of tears filling his eyes. She suddenly felt horrible and stood to take Chat's hand to lead him to the couch. She sat beside him and rubbed his back.

"Chat, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you," she hugged his side, brushing her fingers through his hair. She felt the jerky movements of soft sobs and held tighter. "Go ahead, let it out… I'm sure there's someone out there for you…" She paused. "What about Ladybug? You two are destined to be together." After another moment, Chat began to calm down.

"I'm sorry princess. I don't know what happened… I just… lost it." Chat sat up off her chest and wiped his cheeks. Marinette smiled at Chat and rubbed his shoulder.

"It's okay, Chat… everyone needs a good cry." She smiled politely at him and he nodded.

"Right, right… Thank you, Marinette… It was a pleasure seeing you, but," he stood, "don't forget. I'm your prince and if there's anyone coming between us, they're going through me." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later." He grinned and jumped out of her window, using his stick to catch the building next door to vault over. Marinette was frozen in place, too shocked to move.

"Tikki… I think I'm falling for Chat Noir."