Adrien went upstairs feeling like he was in a dream. Stepping up wasn't easy when his knees became weak. All the time he was wondering how it was possible he missed the fact that Marinette was Ladybug.

At the same time Plagg was cackling and that made the boy sure that he was right. Nothing was more amusing for his kwami than a painful irony!

"I told you it wasn't a spam and you should open the attachment!" Plagg croaked between the first and the second floor, when he was sure that Mrs. Cheng wouldn't hear them.

"The attachment!" Adrien stopped immediately and reached for his phone.

He found the mysterious e-mail from himself and – without further hesitation – he opened the file. It was a photo which he had taken from hiding. Marinette was standing in her room, looking out of the window in concern. Her frown and determined gaze reminded him Ladybug so much and so clearly! His Lady always had that look when she tried to figure out a plan for defeating the akuma. Every single time. He had seen that look so many times that it was highly impossible he could be mistaken now. That was his proof.

"Did you know?" he asked his kwami, who left his pocket to see the picture.

"About what was the attachment?" Plagg was surprised. "I had no idea."

"About who is Ladybug." Adrien clarified.

"Oh, that…" kwami tried to stall.

"So you knew…" Adrien didn't need to hear the answer anymore. "It's a pity you didn't tell me."

"Kwami can't tell their holders' names. Nor the names of holders of other miraculouses."

"I wonder why."

"Maybe to protect the miraculouses?" Plagg was thinking aloud. "Just think about it. If you knew who Ladybug is, weren't you tempted to gain the ultimate power?"

"No." Adrien replied firmly.

"Oh, right. I forgot you're the embodiment of altruist. Yet, there were some superheroes that wanted to get the other miraculouses, believe me."

"So, does this mean that the whole rule of not revealing our identities is only for protecting the miraculouses?"

"Only?!" Plagg spotted sarcastically. "And who will bear the responsibility for immature teenagers when they'll know about each other?"

"I'm not immature!" Adrien protested.

"Right, kid… Just an emotionally unstable teenager in the middle of a hormonal tempest…"

"You've just said I'm the embodiment of altruist!"

"The one doesn't preclude the other." Plagg replied wisely. "I don't want to remind you all times when you acted stupid."

"Like what?"

"You make me kick you when you're down…" kwami said wryly. "Let it be. Just imagine that you know Ladybug's identity when Paris was flooded by…"

"Siren." Adrien finished the sentence.

"Exactly. You wanted to give up your miraculous! You made me tell you… er…" Plagg hesitated, but they both knew how important for them that moment had been. "Uhm… So… What was I talking about?"

"OK, OK…" Adrien muttered. "I've got your point. But you must know, and Marinette must know that too, that I'll do everything for her. And I'll never let anyone hurt her!"

"In my opinion you should tell her that. Clearly. My cat's six sense tells me about some problems ahead."

"What do you mean?"

"If she saw the same pictures that you've just seen, she had to figure out that you're Cat Noir."

"That makes things even easier… I don't have to tell her that."

"Well…" Plagg wasn't convinced. "You haven't been successful in coming to an agreement so far…"

"This time we'll be. Hide, let's go upstairs!" Adrien ordered and quickened.

Marinette opened the door almost immediately after his knocking. But instead of expected hugs, he got an awkward smile from her. Did she always need a rain to forget about her shyness?

"Hi…" he whispered with a smile.

"H-Hi…" she stuttered. "Le-Let's go upstairs be-before my parents get you…"

She took his hand and led him to her room. When he closed a trapdoor behind them, he confessed:

"Your mom already got me."

Marinette turned around immediately and stared at him in horror.

"Did you…?" she began but couldn't finish that question.

"Yes, I saw those pictures. And yes, I figured out." He confirmed. If Plagg had told him that she'd probably guessed the truth, there was no sense in pretending he didn't know.

"But we're not allowed to know…" she whispered.

"I haven't said anything…" Adrien smiled, making a step towards her.

"But…"

"You haven't said anything either…" he made another step.

"But…"

"Nothing's changed. Ladybug will keep rejecting Cat Noir. Now I can't even blame her. Cat Noir had no chance comparing to me…" he joked in a self-confident tone, as Cat Noir used to do in front of Ladybug. Marinette couldn't help rolling her eyes. He laughed. "It would by much easier if you told me who's your crush." He added.

"Stop joking about that! It's a serious breach of the principles!"

"How do you know what are those principles?"

"Ti-Tikki told me that no one can know my identity." She whispered.

"Including your partner you should trust with your life?"

"I… don't know…"

"Us against the world, remember?"

"Yes..." she smiled.

"So, let's talk to Master Fu."

"You know him?!" she exclaimed in astonishment, but he only laughed.

"Not only you have secrets, Purrincess…"

She flushed when she heard the nickname that Cat Noir had given her. Her blush deepened when she noticed that he had been standing just before her.

"I told you once that you'd fall for me as soon as you get known who I am…" he whispered in her ear, embracing her.

"I hate when you're right!" she murmured in his shirt.

"Not true…" he smiled and kissed her.

x x x

Meanwhile Sabine Cheng was sitting downstairs with her cup of green tea. She reached for her phone and chose someone named "Uncle" to send him a message: 'Mission accomplished'…