Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, if I did I would have already written 32 million reveals of LadyNoir...

The tiny droplets of water on the umbrella that was once his held an obscene amount of significance to Chat in that moment. The rain fell as softly as his Lady's landing on the rooftop, poised and elegant as always. She smiled, looking radiant as ever. If she knew about the secret she just gave away, she would not look as careless, Chat could wager.

Ladybug was unaware of the turmoil wreaking havoc in Chat's brain, smiled as she held up a black gift bag. An inquisitive eyebrow was raised on Chat's behalf and she opened the bag to reveal fur coats, handmade yet not scrappy quality. They were lined with fur and seemed to be waterproof on the outside. Near the tag on the inside of the hood, was the flourishing signature that belonged to Marinette.

He gave a sheepish smile, whispering that she need not do that for him. Then came the reminder that it wasn't her, it was Marinette. How she kept up the pretence so well was beyond him. It didn't look like it gave her the sweats, no anxiety, but it could be a brave face she was putting on. The wind blew an icy cold gust and she shivered, reaching inside the bag.

"Wait, bugaboo," he said. This time the inquisitive eyebrow was hers. He took her hand gently, prepared for her to let go, but willing her not to. When she gripped tighter, he pulled along the roof of the building headed towards their favourite spot. The tower glittered among the city towering over the other monuments. As they landed on the second stage of the tower she pulled out the pieces of fur, handing one over to Chat whilst she put her own on.

It fit so well she might as well have measured him. Apart from the fact that she didn't, which was another reason he was convinced it was Marinette behind the mask. Who else other than Ladybug would analyse Chat Noir that well, apart from Alya of course? A drop of water fell onto her nose, causing her to scrunch it up, not in disgust, just in an effort to get rid of the icy cold rain. Under the light of the tower she looked pale, prompting Adrien's next question.

"Are you feeling ok, Milady?"

"Why wouldn't I be Chat?"

"You look rather pale, or is translucent what you're going for now?" he replied, wits on edge tonight.

"Does the rain send you a little catty, Chaton?"

"Touche," he grinned.

She smiled.

Inside, however, Marinette was panicking. Chat had made it quite clear he thought that it was she who had made the coats. Though his tone was quiet, it was laced with secret knowledge which she couldn't help but feel she had given away. How, she did not know, but she would find out. A large raindrop fell onto Chat's face, within seconds a recoiling cat shook his head and scowled. A giggle left her mouth and made Chat laugh in turn. His laugh rung out like the bells of Notre Dame on a cold winter's day, bring life to the outside world. It was a laugh she was familiar with now, but for some reason today it was different. More familiar. More like home. She couldn't put her finger on it though. Racking her brains to find something, she searched desperately but all she found was memories of her most recent bouts of laughter, most of which were to do with either Chat or Adrien.

Adrien had become a close friend to Marinette in recent times after Alya and Nino brought the two friendships together forming one group. It was a solid group, a force to be reckoned with at school, even with Chloe around. Despite her being just as menacing as ever, they all managed to find a common enemy in her, well apart from Adrien. He, however, felt just as strongly about the situation, if not more, as the need to get away from her was heightened every time she called him 'Adrikins'. Incessant was what he called it, though he swore she was better as a child, Marinette doubted it.

However, she felt inclined to believe him, with the honesty that would be valued by anyone. It was something that reminded her of Chat. The equal amount of time she now spent with both of them she almost felt as if they were one in the same. In fact, she had been surprised the other night when the similarity of the two snuck into her brain in the dark hours of the night after spending the day working a new line of clothes that she had forced Adrien to help her with. Unsurprisingly he agreed. The look on his face was priceless when she told him the theme.

Tonnes of black and red fabric lay crumpled on the floor, when Adrien arrived at Marinette's house he gasped at the disaster that awaited him. It was a mess. But in the middle of it all was a small girl hunched over with a pair of scissors and skewed pieces of paper filled with designs. Looking up she grinned at the boy, gesturing to the ground next to her, perhaps the only bit of the floor that wasn't covered in anything. Adrien sat down, stealing a piece of paper from by her side, looking the designs up and down. He couldn't fault her, they were perfect. Perfect for revealing his identity, too. Horrified that she had picked this particular topic, he lay the paper back down on the ground and looked outside. Much to his dismay, the weather was worse than when he had arrived. He had planned to take her out for ice-cream if the rain had subsided. Getting down to business she held up the material against him, drawing little lines on the inside of the material.

After hours of cutting, stitching, un-picking and stitching again, she was finally satisfied with the items created. A black hoodie covered Adrien's top half, whilst his pants were slightly more outgoing. Red with black spots, they were comfy nevertheless. Two fluffy things sat on her couch, untouched pieces of cloth. He'd asked, but she'd said they were for another time. Now, in the gentle breeze, on the top of the Eiffel Tower, he was covered in the black one, that she'd obviously done in her own time, without realising that she made it for the same person who'd helped her with the rest of the line.

Chat smiled softly, remembering the furs on the couch. And she hadn't even noticed. Or perhaps he wasn't giving her enough credit. He knew she'd die trying to protect her secret, so why not his? He sat down next to her, watching every little detail. It was so simple, and he found himself wondering why he had not noticed before. His heart had grown for Marinette, finding a spot just as prominent as Ladybug's. But he had learnt that she wasn't even a chance, and it was more reasonable to find someone who he knew properly and one that he could trust. Not that he couldn't trust her. It was just... different. It was like a celebrity crush, similar to the girls around the city who idolised him. He idolised her. He adored everything about her, but he didn't know anything about her life behind the mask. Until now.

He always felt like an oddity when he was around her, yet the closer they got, the more he figured out. He liked her sense of justice, the way she stood up for what she believed in no matter what. And especially against Chloe. And now that he knew they were one and the same, he could see that in Ladybug, too. As well as their joint love and passion for design. The information he held was invaluable, and couldn't be taken lightly. If she found out he knew, she would kill him. Or worse. And he didn't want to imagine that. Yet it was only fair that he told her he knew, and at least reveal himself in exchange. He looked at her, bright blue eyes glittering like the stars above them. She was calm, still, and he had no idea how to tell her without evoking some kind of panic.

Contrary to Adrien's belief, however, Marinette was panicking already. At the start of the night, she felt ill, and wanted to stay in, but didn't bail just because she was seeing her kitty. Her best friend, partner, and her most trusted confidant. And now also her crush. She loved him, but she loved Adrien, too. And she couldn't help but feel she was toying with not only both of them but herself too. Beside her, his breathing was quiet, but she could tell he was jittery. What on earth was up with that cat?

"Bugaboo..."

"Yes, Chat," she sighed.

"Never mind..." he muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, go back to your stargazing," he said. Instead, she looked down to where her hands were, as close to Chat's as possible without touching. She longed just to hold on to his hand, and nothing else, to just sit there, but the mangy cat wouldn't be able to stop himself from asking why. And she wasn't sure whether she wanted to answer that in all honesty. A small bracelet tied together with red string. Around it, numerous decorative beads filled it, colours of blue, green, pink, yellow, red and black featuring. Shock shot through her like a bomb. The familiarity killed her deep down. She thought Chat was cleverer than that. If anyone else had been Ladybug it would've been fine. It sunk in and she gasped. More audibly than she would've liked, too.

"Lady?"

"Chat, I, um... I..." her new loss for words was less than comforting to Chat. He sat there, assuming that she'd figured out he knew.

"Ok, calm down. I need you to listen to me before you accuse me of finding out intentionally. I only found out today," he said, in a commanding, unreasonably calm tone.

"What do you mean you only found out today?" she cried out.

"I had thought for a while, but I never investigated, because I knew you wanted to keep it a secret. And I still respect that, because I'm not going to tell anyone, cat's honour. I only really guessed when you brought my umbrella her tonight. And the furs, because I'd already seen them, and the bag in your room the other day when we worked on that -,"

"Oh Jesus Christ," she moaned, eyeing the beaded bracelet on his wrist.

"Marinette," he said tentatively, treading carefully over her name. "It wasn't your fault. I just recognised my umbrella, because it is the only one I know with that little cut in the handle. I promise I won't tell anyone, just trust me."

Inside her head, she was screaming telling herself to tell him she knew as well, but all she could croak out was, "Don't you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?" he said gently.

"Because... I'm not anything like Ladybug," she whispered. He smiled. Not that cheeky grin that he usually does, or the flirtatious wink. A genuine Chat smile. A genuine Adrien smile.

"I can't believe you really think that, Mari," he said. "You two are exactly the same. The only difference is one of you has a mask and the other one doesn't."

"Yeah, but if I told you that you and Chat were exactly the same you wouldn't believe me either."

"Pardon?"

Silence.

"How?" he croaked.

"That bloody lucky bracelet," she said, pointing to the bracelet on his leather-clad wrist. Now there was a cheeky grin.

"Well, I like to keep it on me, what can I say?"

"I'm touched, Chat," she smiled. Looking around she asked, "Do you think anyone will see if we take our transformations off?"

He looked down, watching the slow traffic and the small blobs walking around under their umbrellas. He shook his head. "I don't think so... Are you sure you want to though?"

"I think we've both waited long enough, kitty," she said.

Releasing their transformations in unison, both unsure of what to do next. The weight off her shoulders left the freest feeling Marinette had had in a long time. Three years of keeping this secret had taken its toll, though hidden well, and she was relieved to have told just one person. Especially the one she trusted most. Compelled by impulse, Adrien took her hand, pulling her into a secure hug. He was as surprised at himself as she was, but he remained there, hanging onto her as if his life depended on it. "I promise, I will never tell anyone," he whispered in her ear.

"Me either."

"Mari?"

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. Looking at her lips, then back up to her eyes, he gulped. "Will you go on a date with me?"

Widened eyes stared back at him. "This is not just coming from Chat Noir is it?"

"Mari, bugaboo, milady, it doesn't matter what I say it's still the same person. You're still the same person. Trust me, before tonight I thought I was digging myself a hole getting closer to you, and Ladybug at the same time, but now I think I've managed to escape it. Mari, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I will be hanging out forever waiting," he said.

"Oh you too, then?" she asked cheekily.

"Is that a yes?"

"I suppose, if I get something in return," her eyes flicked to his lips this time.

"You know that's not how we work," he grinned. Nevertheless, he said, "Can I?"

She nodded. Leaning forward, he was unsure of what to do, only led along by his sheer determination and adrenaline pumping through his shaking veins. Placing an unsteady hand on her cheek, the other one on her hip, leaning in until their lips touched slightly. His heartbeat irregular, the only two things he thought were steady right now was his intense blush and love for Marinette. The same thought ran through Marinette's head while she pretended they weren't on the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the night out of their costumes. Pulling away a similar dazed expression was on their face.

"I suppose I should escort my lady home," he said.

"Whoa, I'm not going home!"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, ok, you're late for class every other day you don't need to be late tomorrow."

"But it's only literature first," she moaned.

"Listen we're already studying Sleeping Beauty, we don't need a literal princess."

Falling silent, Marinette realised this was the beginning of a whole new chapter in their story.

A/N: Not my best work, but I really love this fandom, and my 16 year-old ass couldn't help but write a reveal. If anyone actually reads this, please tell me what you thought of it and what I could do better in the future.

Thanks, Cass