Chapter Thirteen

Marinette stared at Chat Noir in confusion, forgetting that they were sitting opposite each other on her bed. It was only when Chat shifted to cross his legs and began to fidget with the end of his tail that she was reminded of their location. "Do you want to talk downstairs?" she asked with a wave of her hand.

Chat Noir eagerly nodded his head and a few of the rain droplets that had been caught in his hair splattered on her bed. "Sorry," he said as he realised what he'd done. He attempted to wipe away them away but instead the claw on one of his fingers got caught on her quilt.

A giggle escaped Marinette as Chat Noir desperately tried to free himself without damaging the fabric. "Let me help you," she offered as she took hold of the offending finger and gently angled it away from where it had snagged. When she lifted her face to comment she was surprised by how close he was and then his eyes dropped to her lips and she jumped back. "All sorted," she grimaced as she backed away and escaped down to her room.

"Thanks," Chat said as he followed her. His lips pursed as he placed his hands at his back and eyed her like he was about to confess a terrible grievance. "Mariette, there's something you should know."

She studied him with curiosity, wondering why his tail was twitching so much. "Um, okay. What's up?"

His teeth grazed his bottom lip as his eyes locked with hers. "I know you're Ladybug."

Of all the things he could say, Marinette had not been prepared for that. For a second, she considered denying it but it felt wrong to do so. "H-how?" she started, mouth agape as she stared at him. "How did you figure it out?"

He stepped towards her but hesitated when she leaned away. "Your clues were enough to lead me to you."

Marinette couldn't look at him, her eyes were busy searching for Tikki. She didn't know how to deal with this. Sensing her discomfort, Chat Noir placed his hands on her shoulders and caught her gaze. "It's okay, Marinette. You don't need to be upset because you know me too. Plagg, claws in."

Realising what he was about to do, Marinette scrunched her eyelids closed as a green flash of magic shone in her room. "It's safer if I don't know!"

"Marinette," he coaxed as his grip tightened on her shoulders. "Look at me, Marinette."

"No," she said as she vigorously shook her head, keeping her eyes firmly shut.

Warm hands cupped her face and she knew he was close because she could feel his breath on her face. "Marinette, please. Look at me."

"No, it's better if I don't know. Hawkmoth could use it against us."

"I don't care. I know who you are, so you should know who I am." A heavy sigh came from him as she continued to keep her eyes closed. "Marinette, I said I'd come to see you tonight."

Her forehead lined with confusion. "What? No, you didn't."

"I did." He was awfully close. Suddenly she felt the side of his nose brush hers and her hands lifted to his chest, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to push him away or pull him closer. He shifted one hand into her hair as his cheek slid smoothly along hers. Then his lips whispered in her ear. "I'm-"

He was cut short by the sound of the trapdoor swinging open. The warmth of his skin left her face. Marinette turned her head and only opened her eyes to specifically look at the entrance to her room. Sabine's head popped up and turned to look between Marinette and her unmasked partner. "Hey sweetheart, I didn't hear Adrien come in. I was just going to let you know that your father and I will be heading to bed shortly. Although, now that we know your visitor is here we might just delay that for a while. Adrien, would you like something to eat?"

Marinette's hand shot out to grasp her desk because her legs were suddenly unsteady. Her wide eyes tracked across the room to land on the boy beside her. Sure enough, there stood Adrien Agreste with a faint blush high on his cheeks. "Thanks Mrs Dupain-Cheng but I'm still full from dinner."

"Okay then, I'll leave you in peace. How long are you intending to stay, Adrien?"

The blonde cut a look to Marinette, seeking confirmation that he was allowed to stay. She answered for him. "I-I think you mentioned you were able to hang around for an hour?"

Relief flooded his features. "Yeah, that's right. Is that okay, Mrs Dupain-Cheng?"

"Of course, Adrien."

Marinette pointed to her computer. "We'll be doing some gaming."

"Sure," her mother replied with a knowing look as she closed the trapdoor behind her and Marinette continued to stare at it for a few minutes, uncertain with how to proceed. Adrien was Chat Noir and Chat Noir was Adrien – what the heck!

Adrien stepped into her view. "Marinette," he said quietly as he tilted her chin up with his fingertips. "You seem surprised."

Her eyes raked over his handsome features. "You could s-say that."

"I thought you might have figured it out. After the kiss today." His blush grew darker.

The temptation to drop her chin was strong but his fingers prevented her from doing so. "Um, no, I had no idea."

His hand shifted and his fingers tentatively stroked her jaw. There was a coarseness to his voice as he spoke. "You said to me, as Ladybug, that there was a boy. I thought that maybe since you went on a date with me…" He looked away briefly, his eyebrows pulling together. "Is he still in the picture?"

Marinette took a moment to respond, she'd been mesmerised by the caress of his hand and the vulnerability in his eyes. It took her a moment to process what he was saying. When she did, she turned and reached to her desk, retrieving a picture frame from the drawer that she'd purposefully hidden in case he'd visited. She held it photo-side to her chest with trembling hands and returned to stand before Adrien. He looked at her curiously, the muscle in his cheek pulling tight as she turned the frame around. Then his eyes widened as he recognised that she held a framed picture of him.

Adrien's head snapped up, his eyes wide with wonder as his free hand lifted to cup her cheek. "It was me? All along?"

With a crooked smile, Marinette nodded as she held his photo to her chest. "It's always been you."

An astonished laugh escaped him and he shook his head as if needing to make sure what he'd heard was correct. "So that's why you set me up on a date with Ladybug."

"Yeah," she sighed. Then added, "And I've been wanting to date you for a very long time."

Adrien grinned at her. "Well then, isn't it lucky that the feeling is mutual."

Before Marinette could make further comment, Adrien's lips captured hers. He kissed her slowly at first, his mouth moving over hers with a tender passion that slowly built as she laced her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. The photo frame in her hands was forgotten but it didn't make it to the floor. It was wedged between them as their kissing became or amorous. Adrien dropped a hand to the small of her back, pressing her even closer as his tongue entered her mouth. At that moment, Marinette melted into him, sinking her fingers into his hair to tilt his head slightly so she could thoroughly kiss him back.

Eventually the photo frame made things too uncomfortable and the pair parted for air. Adrien chuckled as he removed the object that had been pressed between their bodies. "So how long have you had this?"

"Um… a little while." Marinette grimaced as she toed the floor with her shoe.

He placed the photo frame on her desk and took her hand, leaning in to whisper. "I have a whole album of Ladybug photos."

"What!" she squeaked, feeling slightly better.

Adrien placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Is that weird?"

"No! Not at all," Marinette reassured him with hands raised to try and ensure that he didn't run off. "I totally get it."

"So, um, since I figured out who lies behind the mask, does that mean we can date now?"

Marinette's eyes bulged to the point she wondered if they were about to fall out of her head. "You want to date me?"

"Well, yes." He said as he nervously ran his hand through his hair.

"Sounds great to me." A sly grin spread across her face. "What do we tell Nino and Alya?"

How's that for a reveal? ;) Now I'm off to plot the next chapter which may or may not be the last one. Thanks for reading and please stay tuned...