We tied Chloe to a chair all the while, Cat Noir didn't say a thing. Unable to bear the silence anymore I turned to him, "What is wrong with you?"

Cat Noir just shook his head and said nothing but I moved in closer folding my arms, my eyes drilling holes in his.

"If we're going to be in here together we have to talk about this, what is your problem? Is it me?"

I finally asked the question I didn't want to hear the answer too. I couldn't help but feel inadequate standing next to the rich perfect super model turned superhero, I could almost feel his disappointment.

He folded his arms matching my stance. "Yes, you are my problem. You're so, frustrating."

My anger rose and my eyes became slits, "Frustrating?"

"Yes! Frustrating and stubborn and bossy and you don't trust me. We've worked together for years, I haven't let you down once. Why couldn't you trust me?"

My anger flared. "You're impossible! I'm stubborn?! You're the one who always has to protect me, you're always the one throwing yourself right in harms way to protect me. Forgive me if I thought that it was possible you were doing what you always do, taking a bullet for the team. Which is what we are, or do you not remember?

We're supposed to share our burdens but for some reason you always insist on shouldering yours alone. Trust? Don't say that I don't trust you when you're the one who couldn't trust me to be your partner, your friend. You were to quick to assume that I would just throw you away for someone else, why can't you see that you are special to me, why can't you see that no one could replace you."

Cat Noir grabbed my shoulder suddenly, "Look at you, you're here. stuck in this trap with me, and there's nothing I can do about that. Hawkmoth and azure wings could show up right now and kill us both and I can't stop that. I told you very specifically not to come here and yet you did it anyways."

My anger crumbled and I finally saw his anger for what it really was, worry.

I put my hand on his arm. "Why do you always have to be so selfish, why do you always get to sacrifice yourself for me?"

His eyes turned cold. "Shouldn't we be talking about how to get out of here rather than fighting."

I closed my mouth and took a deep breath. He was right, We shouldn't be fighting, but there was just too much unsaid between us that I couldn't focus on the task between us.

Suddenly an idea popped up to my head, "Alya's downstairs! I can call her and ask her for help."

He frowned, "Why would Alya..." He froze mid sentence as if coming to a realization and then nodded, "Alya is Rena."

I winced slightly, Rena was still too much of a sore subject between us. I pulled out my phone but he stopped me, "You shouldn't call her."

"Why not?"

"She'll do exactly what you did and come rushing in without thinking, and then before you know it we'll all be trapped in here without any escape."

I reluctantly put my phone back in my purse. "Okay, what do we do?"He stepped away and began running his hand through his hair as he paced across the room.

"I don't know, the magic barrier stops us from even entering the elevator or going out the windows or the balcony. Maybe we could try making a whole in the floor and escape through there."

I shrugged, it was a good a plan as any.

"Okay, stand back." He said and when I had backed up enough for him he used his cataclysm on the floor. A hole through the floor deteriorated away and we both looked down the hole seeing the floor below.

"Wow, that actually worked." I commented, surprised.

He tssked and shook his head, "Why must you always doubt me?"

"After you?" I asked him and he moved to jump down the hole but ended up just floating over the open hole.

"Ah, come on!" He complained, "How come none of my plans ever work out?"

I smiled briefly. "We need a new plan." I said.

"Well, it looks like you're up." He said just as his ring chirped. He flinched slightly at the sound and then looked around.

"I'm going to go grab some food while you're scheming."

He took off and I was left in the room alone wondering why he took off suddenly.

I looked down at Chloe, whatever her plan was, failure or success, we could probably expect a visit from azure wings anytime soon. I pulled out my phone to shoot Alya a quick text, a plan hatching in my brain.

I looked around the apartment looking for something, anything to give me an idea. My eyes were drawn to the unsuccessful escape attempt on the floor. and a plan began to form.

I moved into the kitchen where I found Adrien rooting around the kitchen. A black creature who I could only assume was his kwami lounging on the counter whining about food.

I moved towards him, inspecting him closer, I was right, totally adorable.

Adrien placed a platter of different cheeses next to him.

"Ugh, no Camembert again?How do you expect me to regain my energy with such pathetic options."

"Plagg, calm down. This is all she has, you'll just have to deal with it."

He put up his nose to it. "Fine, but don't blame me if I'm not quite up to transforming next time."

Adrien rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Please tell me that you have to deal with the same kind of crap." Adrien said to me and I chuckled.

"Not exactly." I opened my purse but Tikki wasn't.

"She's gone!" I said starting to freak out but Plagg shook his head.

"No, she's invisible, she's mad at you about the whole identity thing. I for one couldn't be happier but she's pretty upset."

I closed my purse and shook my head, my kwami having a temper tantrum was not high on my list of priorities, I'll talk to her later and make her understand that I had no other choice. I turned to Adrien who was staring at me and I blushed uncontrollably.

I tried to shake off how awkward the situation was but I couldn't. "Should we talk about this?" I asked pointing between the two of us.

He hoped up on the counter next to plagg who was now devouring all the cheese, and folded his arms. "What do you have in mind?" He asked, but before I could respond he continued, "Did you want to talk about how awkward this whole thing is, because I don't want to walk about it."

I closed my eyes and leaned against the counter on the opposite side of him. What could I say to fix this broken thing between us. Too many things were left unsaid but at the same time we already knew too much, revealed by the wrong person.

"No, Cat Noir, Adrien, I don't even know what to call you,this is what I mean. Anytime I imagined us revealing our identities to each other, this isn't exactly what I imagined."

He laughed, "HA! So you admit it, you've always wanted to know my identity just as bad as I wanted to know yours."

I smiled, "It was never my rule but to be honest, I completely supported it. I never wanted this?"

"Why not?"

I paused to order my thoughts, "You don't understand Without your mask you're a charming selfless person who happens to fluent in several other languages, a master fencer, a pianist and a super model. Under the mask, you're even more amazing than Cat Noir, but me? I think sometimes that without Ladybug I'd be nothing, take off my mask and who am I ? No one."

His shoulders started to shake and before I knew it he was laughing. I folded my arms and glared at him. This wasn't exactly the reaction I was Looking for.

"What?" I asked him, my anger rising ever second that passed with his gorgeous laughter. I f he wasn't careful, I was going to hit him in his gorgeous face.

His laughter finally slowed and he could finally speak, "I'm sorry but I never even considered that you felt insecure next to me, your sidekick."

"You're not my sidekick!" I said, tired of people bringing up that stupid lie.

"I know, but do you really not see how amazing you are? And can you even believe that I thought you would be disappointing that I turned out to be your partner?"

"Why would I think that?" I asked him utterly confused.

"Do you know what I do all day Marinette?" he asked and I decided to keep silent and not reveal my constant stalking to him.

"I spend my days at photo shoots and fencing practice and when I'm not doing that I'm locked inside my house, to scared of my father to stand up for myself, too weak to do anything bout how trapped and miserable I feel. You're on a whole other level than I am. You're strong, you stand up for yourself, for others.

I must be the most dense person on earth to not realize that you were ladybug all along, not because of the physical similarities or the way you talk, but its the way you go out of your way to help others, to support your friends, you are the kindest of people but at the same time you don't let yourself get pushed around. You are a force to be reckoned with Marinette, with or without the mask."

I opened my mouth and closed it several times, trying not to cry in front of my partner, my crush.

He suddenly started laughing again.

"What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing it's just that I was thinking about how we're both morons."

"Oh?

"Yeah, remember that day on the library roof."

I nodded and winced, forever embarrassed about how many times I must've looked like a fool in front of Cat Noir.

"It's you I was talking about, and you were talking about me but we didn't know it. Well, I mean we knew it but we didn't know it about each other, it's just funny."

My brain froze, "Are you talking about when we unknowingly confessed our undying love for each other?"

"I wouldn't put it exactly like that but, yeah I guess that sums it up well enough."

"You love me?"

He laughed again, this time it was devoid of humor, "Don't jerk me around Marinette. I've been very clear about my feelings."

"No, you said you love Ladybug, I'm not her."

He jumped off the corner and grabbed my hand in one smooth moment. "When are you going to realize that you aren't nothing without Ladybug but that she's nothing without you? You are Ladybug. I love you."

In an instant I pulled him down towards me and kissed him hard, my heart over-filling with emotions. I didn't know if this was Ladybug or Marinette kissing Adrien or Cat Noir, I wasn't even sure there was a difference. I just knew at that moment, something that years of stalking could never confirm, I loved Cat Noir/Adrien Agreste, whoever that was.

"Oh great," a voice interrupted behind us and we broke apart instantly, it was Alya, "This better not be the emergency you were talking about, or I will be extremely upset, pleased, but upset."