PSA: This is not the last chapter. Only one more to go

You guys are the sweetest reviewers ever, thank you so much fo your thoughts and encouragement, it's honestly the best thing ever.

This chapter is 99.9837 percent banter and I'm not even sorry.

OOO

Pacing in her room, a few minutes earlier was a very distraught Marinette.

"It's simple. I just say, hey, I know your identity. No big deal, not like his identity is the only thing between him and Hawkmoth." She paused on her nervous walk, wincing at her kwami, "Tikki I don't think I can do this."

Tikki smiled in a motherly way, "Marinette, you fight akumas all the time, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I could make a fool of myself. He could be upset . . . Or disappointed. He could . . . Oh god Tikki, what if something happens to him like last time? What if he and Plagg get hurt?"

"Marinette," Her kwami said again, eyes flickering with sadness at the memory, "This isn't last time. Last time was an accident, they weren't ready for their soulmate yet. But you and your partner are."

"Soulmates?" She murmured. The word was familiar but foreign on her lips.

"You mean that hasn't been abundantly clear?"

There were so many times when Marinette was positive that she and Adrien were meant for each other, and maybe in a way she was right. But a fourteen year old girl with a crush couldn't possibly understand the utter depth of the word that Marinette felt now.

We're made of the same stardust. It's been us since the beginning of time.

The weight of it was so strong that her heart was beating like crazy already, just thinking about this.

Two halves of a whole.

For some reason, she suddenly wanted to cry, "This-Oh Tikki-I--"

The kwami patted her cheek, beaming, "I know, just say the words."

And she smiled back, "Tikki, spots on."

OOO

She swung onto the Tower as Chat put his baton away, looking around at the setting before them, "Well this is something." He said casually, raising blond eyebrows.

Ladybug only caught a glimpse of things, specifically red, before scaling over the railing and stepping down to the edge of the beam.

Two seconds later, something was burning at her feet, crunching under her suit's flats.

Chat rushed forward, as Lady jumped away in shock from whatever sort of mess she made now.

Flowers, red carnations were burning in a waxy tea candle, water and glass scattered around it. The flowers were in little jars and candles by their sides, set all around the railings, twirling around the beams, one of which had been her landing.

The blond stomped on the flowers a few times with his big, black boots before sighing and looking back at her, "Are you cut?"

She shook her head, shame and guilt swelling, "God I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz. I didn't mean to ruin your . . ."

He gives her a smile, "You're not a klutz," He paused, "And you didn't do this?"

"Me?"

"You didn't?"

"I'm not the flirt around here."

"Fair enough." He gave her a grin, taking a few steps forward to ease her, "Well then. Looks like our friends set us up."

He said it with such joy and humor that Marinette could hear her heart pounding in her ears. I know you, I know you. We're made of the same stardust, you and me.

"It looks like it." Ladybug responded, smiling. Because no matter the amount of fluttering in her stomach, her brain was still working correctly, allowing her to stare at him, bright green eyes and blushing grin. All soft in his movements and gentle in the step forward he took.

"Alya's probably set up cameras." He said.

She laughed, touching his cheek, "Probably."

"She's gonna blackmail us later."

"I can live with that."

He grinned, then suddenly became serious, touching his hand over hers, surprisingly warm in the leather fabric, "My Lady . . . I know you might be angry with me, but I think I've figured out who you are."

"Have you?" She moved back slightly, to give him a somewhat confused smile, "I was going to tell you the same thing."

"That explains this whole set up," He waved his other claw at the flowers around them, but never took his eyes from hers.

This simple, sweet way of him not looking anywhere but her sent Marinette's stomach lurching forward. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted to kiss him right now.

I could be wrong was the only thought that keeps her from pulling him forward, despite the fact that she knew it wasn't true.

"You think Alya and Nino found out?"

"Um, yeah." She took a deep breath, "Nino already knows who I am."

He laughed once, "Really? Alya knows my identity too."

"I guess they finally got in cahoots."

"Probably. I bet they'll play this video at our wedding or something."

Then she couldn't help it, starting to laugh, "Our wedding? Is that a proposal?"

He winked, "If you want it to be."

Then she take both of his cheeks in her hands. "Uh, no way. I'd like a date first chaton. And don't say things like that while the cameras are rolling."

His eyes flicked down to her lips and she suddenly couldn't breath.

"Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Now you're just being difficult. Would you . . . Go on a date, with me?"

"I don't know, I don't even know you." She replied loftily.

"You really want to make me say it?"

"Well it would be terribly anti-climatic if one of us was wrong about the other."

He bit his lip for a moment before coming just a few inches closer and whispering out two words that sealed everything for her, "Hi Marinette."

All of her completely melted, "H-Hi Adrien."

He drew back, frowning, confused, hurt playing in his face.

Oh god, she was wrong, she was wrong and this was too much and she would hurt Chat Noir just like she had last time--

"Oh my god." She said, blinking back the sudden urge to cry, "I'm sorry, I didn't--"

Then he started to laugh. Just ridiculous, loud, snorting laughter, holding his stomach, "I can't believe I got you."

Her mind racing, she stammered out a, "You-You asshole!" She whacked him on the shoulder, "That wasn't funny!"

"You started apologizing and everything!"

"Screw you Chat! I thought I . . . I thought I hurt you."

He pulled her forward by the forearms, bringing up his hands to her neck, "Sorry." He didn't look sorry at all, "Gotta lighten the mood. It's my thing."

"Well maybe you should change your thing to being a butthole, because you're pretty good at that."

"A butthole?" He questioned, still grinning.

This wasn't fair. She couldn't stay mad at him when he would look at her that way, "Y-Yeah. A butthole. Nice and stinky."

Chat snorted again, looking at the sky, honestly amused, "You and Plagg would get along."

Wow, she had never even noticed how nice the column of his neck--Nope. Nope. None of that now, "Well not if I never meet him."

There goes that dorky smile, "You wanna meet him? Or you just wanna stare at my literal model body? Adrien's calves are disproportionate you know."

"That's definitely a deciding factor."

"He knows, that's why he wears jeans to cover up the shame. Your poor kitten here, has nothing of the sort."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Did you?"

"Are we really doing this now?"

He leaned closer to her, an earnest smile resting in his gaze, "Say my name again."

"Real kinky."

"What can I say?" His eyes were dancing.

She took a deep breath, touching his warm golden cheeks again, ecstatic in the fact that she could, "Hi Adrien."

Chat moved forward so fast she couldn't help the little squeak that came out as he crushed her in a tight hug. Warm even in his costume, she could feel his heartbeat hammering in his chest as she set her chin on his shoulder.

"When did you get so tall?" She wondered, feeling his laugh against her stomach.

"When did you get so beautiful?" He countered into her neck.

"Oh my god you two, my camera batteries are dying, could you kiss already?"

Both turned and looked above them to find a unamused Alya and a scandalized Nino.

"Alya!" He protested, "We were supposed to be quiet."

The girl rolled her eyes, "Yeah well I love the foreplay as much as the next guy, but you nerds are over the top." She held up the camcorder again, "Just kiss so we can go get ice cream."

Chat leaned in flush against his Lady with a smile, a secretive, trouble maker one that made her knees weak, and then kissed her nose with an over-exaggerated smacking noise, "There."

Marinette was glad he was holding her or she might have fainted from cuteness.

Alya pressed her lips and hopped down from her beam, shutting her camcorder off, "Not what I had in mind."

Chat stuck out his tongue, "But thanks for this." He waved one hand around.

"It was really sweet," Ladybug agreed, smiling at her friend. Finally over her blush from Chat Noir kissing her freaking nose like the cutie he was.

Their friend shrugged happily and Nino hopped down beside her, "Alya was the brains but I was the brawn."

Everyone went quiet.

"I know that sounds unbelievable but it's true, I had to carry everything."

"Like a gentleman," Alya said, after they shared a short laugh, "Now. Who wants ice cream on me?"