Their disguises had faded and their secret unraveled; they could see clearly now. Both she and Chat Noir, who she now knew was Adrien, were at a loss for words.

Everything seemed to click as they looked into each other's eyes. The illuminated neon green eyes that belonged to Chat Noir were the same as the comforting ones she saw Adrien look at her with everyday. The gentle baby blue iris' that would longing glance at him in class were the same as Ladybug's fierce ones.

"Lady...Marinette, I-"

"Y-You're Chat Noir, Adrien?" She shakily asked, shoulders slumping as her expression contorted into one of confusion.

"I...I am. But that's not important! What's important is that you're Ladybug! You're my Ladybug! My bugaboo! I-I finally know who you are!"

He gave her no time to reply before pulling her into a warm embrace, but the hug felt oddly empty to Marinette.

"A-Adrien...I'm sorry…"

"Hm? Marinette, what's wrong?" He pulled back a bit so he could properly look at her face, still holding onto her arms, "We can finally be happy! I can finally tell you how much I love you, Ladybug!"

"L-Ladybug…?"

"I've loved you for so long, I couldn't stand it! I couldn't tell anyone and it drove me crazy! I loved you ever since we first met, My Lady."

"Since who met?"

Letting go of her, Adrien turned around and looked to the sky behind him, "Me and Ladybug. Well, when I was Chat, at least."

"But what about…a-about...I…"

Upon hearing her faltering voice, he turned around, concerned.

"Ladybug, are y-"

"I'm not just Ladybug! Is...Is that the only one you see!? She's not really m-I mean, I'm not really m-No, Ladybug isn't really me! It's not who I am!"

"What are you saying, Marinette? Of course you are!"

"Did all those times we spent together gaming and doing projects and talking at school tell you nothing about what I'm like?

"But I love you, Marinette! I'm telling the truth!"

"You don't...You don't really love me, Adrien," She told him solemnly, bangs shrouding her eyes as she looked down at her feet, "If you're Chat, then there's only one person you love, and she isn't real."

Trying to see her, Adrien slowly brought his hand to her chin, but was stopped and lowered his hands to where they wrapped around her arms as she whipped her head up, revealing a stream of tears running down her flushed cheeks.

"Ladybug isn't a person, she's a type of person. She's someone I transform into, but it's not who I really am. In the day time, I'm Marinette. I'm that clumsy baker's daughter who likes that sweet boy that had no friends and offered me an umbrella. At night, I'm Ladybug because I choose to protect this city. Can you convince me that you aren't just telling the miraculous me that you love her and instead love all of me?"

"I...Marinette, I...I didn't think that-"

"We have things to hide under these masks, Adrien. The only difference is that I choose to stay as I am when I'm not saving Paris. Do I even know what you're really like?" Marinette asked herself, wiping a tear that rushed down her pale face with the back of her hand and started laughing, "I never even considered that you weren't yourself when you were at school!"

"Why are you laughing, Marinette?"

"Because I'm...I'm so stupid for thinking I had a chance. I never would have thought that the one person who you like more than me is Ladybug, the person I become at night. And...and that all those times you flirted with Ladybug, you had no idea it was me. I'm…I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"H-How could I be disappointed? I know who you are now! I know what kind of a person you are, Ladybug!" He gushed and tightened his grip around her forearms, feelings overwhelming him.

"...if you still think that I'm Ladybug without the miraculous, then you're wrong. I'm nothing but a klutz that you shouldn't be bothered with. You don't have to worry about seeing me any longer, Adrien. The only times you'll see me again is as the one you love."

"The one I love is yo-"

"No, it isn't!"

With a harsh rejection, Marinette pried his hands off of her and pushed him away, sending the boy to the ground.

"...Goodbye, Chat Noir. I'll...I'll see you again...when we have to be together."

"H-Hold on, Marinette! Wait!"

Mumbling the words she used to call her kwami, Tikki, the teen transformed into her better self.

"When we have to be together, we will be. I'm sorry, Chat. I don't love you."