The only reason that Chat Noir noticed the tear in his suit was because he was practicing his poses. As a hero of Paris, it was important to him that he maintain his skills, keep them sharp. And if that included locking himself in his bathroom, summoning Plagg to transform him, and practicing his best "carefree but intimidating superhero of Paris" poses in the mirror (okay, and maybe his transformation dance on occasion as well), then so be it. Adrien was a model after all, and if there was one thing he knew, it was that the perfect pose had power. Plus, modeling for the mirror as Chat Noir was more fun anyway. But it was on one particular practice day that Chat Noir noticed that there was a tear in the fabric of his suit, right on the back of his left arm-a place he couldn't see without the mirror.

Chat frowned. How long had that been there? And also…how could he have a tear in his suit? He hadn't been fighting an akuma. He had transformed just to practice his mirror dances...er, poses. Examining the area, he was also struck by how neat the tear was. In fact, it looked like a pair of scissors had been used to make a clean cut in the leathery material.

"Claws in," he murmured, turning to catch the little black Kwami as he materialized.

"Are you done with your vanity show already?" Plagg asked, not waiting for a reply. "Feeeeeeed me, you promised."

"Plagg, can my suit be damaged?" Adrien asked, leaving the bathroom to head to the cheese stash.

"Well sure," Plagg replied. "You've seen it damaged in akuma attacks plenty."

"Yes, but this is different," Adrien said, handing a generous wedge of cheese to the greedy god (per their mirror-time agreement). "When my suit is damaged in battle, the Miraculous cure always fixes it. But just now I found a tear in my suit and I don't know where it came from."

Plagg eyed his owner as he savored each bite of the stinky cheese. Swallowing, he said, "How could you have a tear in your suit when you weren't using it? Even if it does get damaged, it resets every time you transform."

"That's what's so strange," Adrien replied, a look of confusion crossing his face.

Plagg thought a moment, then shrugged, taking another large bite of cheese. "I've never heard of this happening before," he admitted through his mouthful.

Adrien wrinkled his nose at the creature. "Do you think Ladybug might know? Being the Guardian and all?"

"Doubt it," Plagg responded. "Kid, if I don't know, then no one knows."

Adrien rolled his eyes, but Plagg had a point. After millenia of holders, surely the Kwami would know if this had happened before.

"Plagg, do you mind if we transform again? I want to see if it went away."

"You know the drill," the Kwami responded.

Adrien sighed. He was going to need more cheese.

After several transformation's worth of trial and error, an awkward attempt to take a picture of the back of his arm, and enough cheese to make the moon jealous, Adrien was no closer to figuring out why there was a tear in his suit. It showed up with his transformation, no matter how much he focused on getting rid of it, or even with a special transformation (though he had been itching for an excuse to try the flying one, so he wasn't too mad about that). Plagg, upon seeing the picture, was of no help at all.

"Relax, kid, does it really matter? It's just a tear," Plagg said, contemplating yet another bite of cheese.

"I dunno, Plagg. It's just bothering me," Adrien replied, flopping back on his bed. "What if it means something bad?"

"I doubt it. But if it's really bugging you that much, just patch it or something."

Adrien sat up. "You think that would work?"

Plagg shrugged. "Got any other ideas?"

It didn't take long for Adrien to realize that trying to repair the hole himself was not going to work. Though he had never tried removing the suit while wearing it, he found that even if he couldn't will a tear away, he could will a zipper into the suit, and remove at least the top half to better get at the tear. However, the bigger issue was that Adrien didn't know how to sew.

"You think your father would have taught you the basics, at least," Plagg remarked, watching Adrien try, yet again, to thread a needle.

Adrien, growing ever more exasperated, merely shot him a look.

"Then again, maybe not too surprising, given who your father is…" Plagg trailed off. "Look, maybe you should get help with this."

"From who, my father?" Adrien asked sarcastically, throwing down the needle. "I'm sure he'd love to help Chat Noir patch a hole in his suit."

"How about Pigtails?" Plagg suggested. "She's pretty handy with a needle. Remember the hat? And Jagged Stone's costume? And the band outfits? And the-"

"Alright, alright, point taken," Adrien said, and then sighed. "Sorry, Plagg. I don't mean to be grumpy with you. I just really don't know how to handle this." He put his face in his hands, rubbing his temples. He had a lot on his plate lately, and an unexplainable tear in his suit wasn't doing him any favors in his attempts to gain some measure of control over his life.

The Kwami's face softened and he flew over to his owner, perching on his hand. "It's okay, kid. I may not know what it means, but I don't think it's the end of the world. Why don't you go see if Pigtails can fix it? I'll even put the transformation on the house."

"You're just saying that because you know I'll sneak you a cheese croissant from her parent's bakery," Adrien mumbled into his hands, but when he lifted his head to look at the Kwami, a small smile crossed his face. "But thanks, Plagg. You're right. Let's go see Marinette."

Marinette was getting ready for bed when she heard the knock on her trap door.

"Just a minute!" she called, a grin spreading across her face as she hurried to put on her bathrobe. She never minded a visit from her favorite kitty. "Okay, you can come in!"

Her trap door opened, and the kitty in question slid through, landing lightly on her rug.

"Good evening, Princess," he purred, placing a kiss on her hand and sweeping into a bow.

"Ever the gentleman," Marinette smiled, though she gently pulled her hand from his grasp. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"What, can't a cat in leather armor pay a visit to his Princess without a reason?" Chat clutched his chest. "I'm wounded."

Marienette giggled, taking a step up the ladder to close the trap door behind the superhero. "Silly kitty. Come on. What's on your mind?"

"Well, actually, now that you mention it… I could use your help." Chat turned away from her, looking back over his shoulder, and did his best to point with his other arm. "There seems to be a pesky tear in my suit, and I was wondering if maybe, you could...fix it?"

Marinette frowned, stepping forward and taking hold of his arm to examine the hole in the fabric. Chat Noir shivered at the contact, suddenly self conscious of her touch on his biceps.

"I thought that your suit couldn't be permanently damaged," Marinette said, tracing the tear with her finger. "At least, that's what I've observed from the footage of your fights and stuff." She laughed, sounding a little nervous, and let go of his arm. "Were you out fighting an akuma this evening?"

"Nope," said Chat, turning to face her. "That's the weird part. Normally, my suit goes back to normal when Ladybug fixes everything. But this tear just showed up out of nowhere, and won't go away, even when I transform back and forth."

"Interesting," Marinette murmured.

"I've tried everything I could think of, and even asked my Kwami, but he didn't have any idea either," Chat sighed. "He did suggest that it might be repairable though, but I'm not good at sewing, so I thought of you…" The superhero trailed off, a hopeful expression on his face. "Think you can fix it?"

"I can try," Marinette said, heading over to her workstation, and opening her thread box. "I'm just worried that it might not take. I can try to stitch it up, but what if it disappears during your next transformation?"

Chat shrugged. "At this point, I'm willing to try anything. It's really bothering me, though I don't quite know why. It's just a tear."

"I always feel like the tears you don't know about are always the worst ones, though." Marinette threaded her needle with some black thread, using her teeth to break the end from the spool. "I for one, like to know what's going on with my clothes." She took Chat Noir by the arm, and led him over to her chaise lounge where he took a seat. She climbed up on the lounge behind him, sitting cross-legged as she leaned in to examine the tear more closely. "Um, Chat?"

"Yeah?"

"This might be easier if you, um…" Marinette blushed. "It's just, I don't want to accidentally poke you, so maybe you could… you know?"

"Oh, yeah, um, no problem, Princess," Chat replied, blushing a little as well. Feeling glad that the zipper he had added to the suit earlier had stuck around, he unzipped the top of his suit, pulling his arm out, and letting Marinette have the ripped sleeve.

Marinette took the fabric, trying hard (and failing miserably) not to look at the boy's now-exposed torso, with his abs on full display. Blushing, she dove into the fabric with her needle and thread, stitching rapidly. The tear began to close.

As Chat waited, he looked around her room. He had been here before several times, both as Adrien and as Chat. As Chat, though, they normally hung out on her balcony, though he had been invited in for snacks a time or two. Her room was decidedly her, bright, cheerful, and creative. He blushed a little when he spotted the posters of himself (as Adrien of course), remembering the disastrous TV show. He was thinking about how embarrassed she must have been to have had her privacy invaded in that way, when his thoughts were interrupted by the girl in question.

"All done!" She exclaimed. "Wait while I grab some scissors to clip the loose ends."

He watched her walk over to her sewing station, a wave of fondness sweeping over him. Good 'ol Marinette. His everyday Ladybug.

She returned with the scissors, and with a couple of snips, pronounced the suit tear-free.

"Thank you so much, Marinette," he said, slipping the sleeve back on and zipping up the suit. "I don't know what I would have done without you!"

She blushed a little, but waved him off. "It was a very clean tear, and came back together super-easy. I didn't even have to patch it."

"Still, thank you." He scratched the back of his head, and chuckled dryly. "My father works with clothes, and you'd think he would have taught me to thread a needle at least, but I have no idea where to even start when it comes to sewing."

Marinette smiled, a little sadly. He had told her before about some of his family issues, showing up crying on her balcony out of loneliness and frustration more times then he liked to admit. He knew that Ladybug probably wouldn't approve, Marinette was a civilian after all, and they weren't supposed to share personal details with anyone, but he knew that Marinette would never tell a soul. And besides, he changed some details around so that it wasn't too identifying.

"Well, if you ever want to learn the basics, I would be happy to teach you," Marinette said, turning back to her sewing desk to put away her scissors and the needle. "Everyone should know how to sew on a button at least."

Chat lit up. "That would be great! I would be paw-sitively thrilled to learn from such a purr-fect teacher."

Marinette rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Okay, you alley cat, I think you've overstayed your welcome. I have a test tomorrow that I need to get some rest for. Would you like some treats for the road?"

A few minutes later, Chat was bounding back over the rooftops of Paris, a bag of baked goods in one hand, and a newly-sewn seam gracing the arm of the other. All was right with his world again, at least for now.

The tear didn't return on his next transformation, though the small seam that Marinette had sewn did remain. Adrien thought it was strange. Plagg concurred. Neither had a good explanation. On their next patrol, Chat casually tried to ask Ladybug if she had ever had a tear in her suit not be mended by the Miraculous cure. She had not, but said she would ask her Kwami if she had heard of such a thing happening before. When she asked why he was asking, he changed the subject. He had never told her about his night-time visits to Marinette, and knew if he told her the full story that he would probably have a hard time leaving out the fact that she had sewn the tear for him.

The next few weeks passed by in a blur. School. Piano practice. Kagami. Homework. Photoshoots. Avoiding Kagami. Fencing. Chinese. Lonely meals. Breaking up with Kagami. And of course, Akumas. So many Akumas. By the time he got home one Friday evening, Adrien was utterly drained. Collapsing face-first onto his bed, he lay there, feeling utterly alone and fighting back tears. Even though it had pretty much been his decision to end things with Kagami, he hadn't had time to fully process the recent development. He hated that he had lied to her. That he lied to everyone. He loved being Chat Noir, it was a great escape from the pressures of his daily life, but at the same time, it brought additional complications. Complications that he couldn't share with anyone else. The only person who might understand was Ladybug, but he didn't want to burden her with his problems.

Adrien sat up, rubbing his eyes. Plagg was hovering nearby, for once at a loss for words in seeing his holder in such a state. Adrien wasn't really a crier.

"What am I going to do, Plagg?"

The Kwami hesitated. "Look, kid, I'm not an expert on this emotional stuff. That's kinda more Tikki's thing. But it sounds like you maybe need to burn off some steam. Want to go for a run?"

Adrien considered the proposal. On a normal day, he wouldn't hesitate, but he was really tired. However, the decision was quickly made for him as his phone buzzed. Akuma alert. "Guess I don't have a choice," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Plagg, claws out."

He caught a glimpse of the Kwami's worried expression before he was sucked into the ring, and with a leap, Chat Noir bounded into the twilight.

A relatively short fight later, Chat Noir found himself on a rooftop with his Lady.

"Pound it!" she exclaimed cheerfully, holding out her fist.

Chat returned it less than enthusiastically. "Pound it." Before he could withdraw his hand, Ladybug grabbed it.

"Chat, what's this?" She turned his arm over to reveal, on the inside of the wrist of his suit, a tear, just like the one from a few weeks prior.

Chat frowned. "I don't know."

"That's so strange," she frowned. "I wonder why the Miraculous cure didn't fix it?" Ladybug circled him, examining his suit. "Chat! There's more!" She counted three other tears in addition to the one on his arm.

Chat felt sick. "I've got to go."

"Kitty, wait, maybe I-"

She broke off as he launched himself from the rooftop, heading off into the Parisian night. He knew right where he wanted to go, and got there fast. Tears were streaming down his face, and as he landed on her balcony, he remembered that in his distress, he was out of time. His transformation dropped, and he ducked into the shadows under the eaves to quickly pull a piece of cheese out of his pocket.

"Why are we at Pigtails's house?" Plagg asked, looking around. "What if she catches you?" Catching sight of Adrien's face, he took the piece of cheese and began to eat quickly, no more questions asked.

Adrien watched silently as the little being gobbled the cheese, before whispering his transformation phrase again, walking over to the trapdoor, and knocking. No answer. He peeked over the edge of the balcony to the street below, to be rewarded with the sight of Marinette approaching the bakery on the sidewalk. Good timing. He waited a few minutes, then knocked again. He was just about to leave, thinking she must be having dinner or something, when the trapdoor creaked open.

"Chat?" asked Marinette. A look of concern swept her features as she took in his miserable form. Without a word, she beckoned him in.

He dropped through the trapdoor, desperately avoiding eye contact. She bustled over to her chaise, sweeping aside some papers and patted the now-clear spot. "Come sit. I'm going to get some snacks."

He obediently padded over to the lounge, taking a seat as she left the room. He stared at the ceiling until she returned, bearing two mugs of hot chocolate and some cookies.

"Here you go." She pressed a mug into his hands, taking the other one and taking a seat on the floor next to the lounge. They sipped their drinks together in silence for a while. Chat found himself eyeing Marinette, who in the quiet had pulled some of the discarded papers over to herself and was reviewing them.

"Homework?" he finally croaked, his voice breaking as he forced the word out.

She hummed in acknowledgement, continuing to sip her drink.

He took a cookie, then another. When he finally placed his now-empty mug on the floor, Marinette turned her attention to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her expression was kind, concerned, and she placed a hand on his knee as she searched his face.

Adrien did want to talk about it. He wanted to pour out his heart, his frustrations, his loneliness, his despair. But he was Chat right now, and telling her too much as Chat would be disastrous. He shook his head. "More tears showed up in my suit tonight. They didn't go away after Ladybug fixed everything. Could you sew them for me?"

"Of course, Chat." Marinette hesitated, looking like she was going to ask something, but then thought better of it, getting to her feet. "Let me grab my kit."

As she worked on the various tears, Chat felt the tension draining out of him. The cocoa, cookies, and Marinette's company had a soothing effect.

"There," Marinette said after a long while. "Go ahead and put it back on".

Chat pulled his arm through the sleeves of the top of his suit, having removed it like the previous time to make the sewing easier. As he zipped it up, he felt Marinette's fingers on his shoulder blade, tracing the last tear she had just finished sewing.

"Good as new," she murmured, but didn't remove her fingers. The physical contact, light as it was, felt so good to Adrien, and before he knew what he was doing, he had turned and flung himself into her lap, the closeness with another person setting off another round of sobs that he had been holding back since he arrived.

"Oh, Kitty," Marinette sighed. "It's okay. Let it all out." She rubbed his back as he cried, then moved her hand up to stroke his hair. "Shhhhhh. You're okay. I've got you."

Looking back at this moment, Adrien would feel both grateful and embarrassed. He had tried so hard to keep a straight face the whole evening, but Marienette had seen through him from the start. He wasn't just there to get his suit fixed. In his lowest moment, all he wanted was Marinette.

Eventually, Chat's sobs subsided, though Marinette continued to hold him. He wanted to stay like that forever, but it was getting late, and he had homework to do as well. He felt a lot better though, like he had finally gotten it all out of his system. He sat up. Marinette watched him as he got to his feet, offering her his hand. She took it, and he helped her to her feet as well, then drew her into a hug.

"Thank you, Marinette. For fixing my suit, and everything else."

She drew back, gently stepping out of his embrace. "Anytime, Chat."

He suddenly felt like he owed her at least a little bit of an explanation. "It's hard to be Chat Noir sometimes. It's a lot of pressure, and I have to lie to people I love so they don't find out. And that's on top of everything else…" he took a deep breath, but tears didn't sting his eyes this time. "It's really hard sometimes, not being able to tell anyone about all this. Anyway, I'm sorry I took it all out on you. And your lounge."

Marinette giggled softly, though for some reason she looked a little guilty. "I think the lounge will be okay. And I'm always here for you, as much as you need me."

Chat smiled at her, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "You're the best, Marinette."

She blushed, and he left her standing in her room as he vaulted through the skylight, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The crying and cuddles worked magic on Adrien, and he felt much better the next day, back to his normal, cheerful self. He went through the day with a renewed energy that was complimented upon by his photographer, Chinese teacher, and even Nathalie.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, kid," Plagg informed him that evening as Adrein prepared for bed. "Mopey Adrien is kind of lame."

"Hey," Adrien replied around his toothbrush. "My feelings are valid, and I have just as much right to express them as anyone else." He spat and ranse, placed his toothbrush in the holder, and then turned to Plagg. "Let's check in with Ladybug quick." Most nights, Adrien liked to transform for just a minute to check his communicator, just in case Ladybug was trying to reach him. Normally she wasn't, but Adrien usually checked anyway.

"Claws out!"

As he opened the communicator in his staff, he was happily surprised with a message waiting for him from his Lady.

"Chat, I need to talk to you. When you get this, meet me at the usual place."

He grinned, grateful that he was already transformed. "Sorry Plagg. Sounds like I have a date."

A short while later, he landed lightly on the rooftop where they normally met up for patrol. Ladybug was waiting, sitting against a chimney and looking up at the moon. She was beautiful in the pale light, and Chat felt his heart skip a beat. She turned her head to look at him as he drew near, and he shot her his most award-winning smile in response. She smiled back, patting the roof next to her. He took a seat.

"Good evening, M'Lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She took a moment to respond. "I was a little worried about you, Kitty. You seemed pretty upset the other night."

Chat blushed, remembering how rude he'd been after their fight, running off like that. "I'm sorry, Bugaboo. I… had a lot on my plate that day."

Ladybug nodded, looking back at the moon. "I know that feeling."

There was a pause as she continued to look at the moon, and he continued to admire her features.

"I wanted to tell you something." She looked at him now, her expression serious, and he got a little nervous, wondering what she was going to say.

"This job… being superheroes. It's not easy. You know that better than anyone. And…" She took a deep breath. "The other day the stress got to me. And I…"

Chat waited with baited breath, as she inhaled deeply.

"I told someone my secret identity."

Chat reeled. This is not what he had been expecting at all. Ladybug, the one who was so insistent on keeping the secret, had been the first to cave. A wave of disappointment swept over him, but he was surprised to find it was tinged with empathy.

"I know I probably shouldn't have done it," Ladybug continued, staring down at the ground now. "But they're someone I trust completely. I know they won't tell. But I'm sorry, Chat. I know it's not fair. I needed someone to vent to, the pressure was getting to be too much. I felt like I was going to explode." Tears began to leak from her eyes, and any indigent feelings Chat was experiencing faded away. He regarded the girl in front of him, and he saw himself the day before. He scooted closer, and tentatively placed a hand on her back to soothe her.

"Shhhhh, it's okay," he said, echoing Marinette's words to him from the night before.

She sniffed, turning her head to look at him. "You-you're not upset?"

Chat shrugged. "A little, but I get it. And if it made you feel better, then I'm glad you did it."

Ladybug turned to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his shoulder. "Thank you, Chat. I was so scared to tell you, I didn't want you to be mad at me."

Chat squeezed her close, enjoying the hug. "You're allowed to feel what you need to. I'm not mad at you, I promise. And we can't have Ladybug exploding on us, now can we? Who would purify the akumas?"

Ladybug giggled at that, pulling back from the hug and wiping her eyes. "Very funny." She smiled at him, but her expression quickly turned serious again. "But Chat, I was thinking. This feels unequal now. That I get to have someone who knows both sides of me to be a support and you don't. So I was thinking, if you want to…"

Chat held his breath.

"...I think it would be okay for you to reveal your identity to someone you trust. I trust you to choose someone who you know wouldn't tell, though I would recommend picking someone who doesn't get Akumatized a lot, and for sure someone who already knows you as your civilian self."

Chat could hardly believe his ears. "For serious?" he finally managed. "I can tell someone?"

She nodded. "I think it's only fair." She bit her lip, but smiled. "After all, it wouldn't do to have our Chat Noir getting too torn up, inside or out."

Chat laughed softly. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to do it," Ladybug said, getting to her feet. "But it's important to have a good support system. Give it some thought." She shot him a smile, and then swung away into the night, leaving a stunned Chat Noir behind on the rooftop.

"I can't believe Ladybug told someone," Adrien said to Plagg as he sat at his computer, staring at the college of Ladybug pictures that made up his background.

Plagg looked up from his cheese, rolling his eyes. "Yes, you've mentioned it once or twice."

Several days had passed since their rooftop meeting, and Adrien was still in a slight state of shock. "And she gave me permission to tell someone. Can you imagine? Someone else knowing that it's me under the mask?"

Plagg didn't bother to grace him with a reply, simply rolling his eyes again.

"The question is who," Adrien continued, ignoring the poor attitude of his Kwami. "Who should I tell?"

He turned back to his computer, opening his photo file and browsing through pictures of his friends for the upteenth time. "Not Chloe, that's for sure. Nino? Mm, maybe...or maybe not. Nathalie? No, she'd probably tell Father. Kagami?" A pang of guilt hit him, but he ignored it. "Definitely not. She didn't seem to care much for that side of me." A thought struck him then, and he slapped his forehead. "Of course!"

Plagg eyed him as he pulled up a new picture, one taken at a picnic with him sitting next to a certain bluenette. She was laughing in the picture, and Adrien recalled he had made a joke right as Alya had snapped the picture. "Marinette!"

Plagg dropped his cheese, but Adrien didn't notice. "Marinette would be perfect! She already knows me as Chat Noir! Sure, she can be a little awkward around me sometimes as Adrien, but I'm sure once she knows we're the same person, that will go away. She's brave, and loyal, and I can't remember a time that she's gotten Akumatized. Which, when he thought about it, was impressive given how many of their classmates had been victims of Hawkmoth, but that was beside the point right now. His mind was made up. Marinette was the perfect person to reveal his identity to. And he had a good idea of how he wanted to do it.

Adrien came to school the next day prepared. Granted, the only difference was that he had a pair of scissors in his bag, but that was all the preparation he needed. He decided to wait until the end of the school day to make his move, grateful for the good fortune that his Chinese class had been cancelled for the afternoon. He stole little glances at Marinette all day, his heart beating fast as he imagined her expression when he revealed to her that he was in fact, Chat Noir.

During the last hour of class, he enacted his plan, asking to use the restroom. Once alone, he retrieved the scissors from his bag, removed his white overshirt, and carefully hacked a tear in the sleeve, right above his right elbow, where the original tear in his suit had been. How poetic, he thought to himself. He was pretty sure now that the tears had been caused by his emotional state and the pressure he had been feeling, and it was fitting that the girl who had fixed the tears would be the same one to help him with the pressures of being a superhero. He smiled fondly as he replaced the scissors in his bag and pulled his shirt back on, before heading back to class. This was such a good idea.

"Dude, what happened to your shirt?" Nino caught his arm as the class was dismissed. "There's a huge hole in the sleeve!"

Adrien peered back around behind him, trying to look. "There is? Oh no, Father's going to kill me!"

Alya chimed in, as Adrien knew she would. For some reason, she had a really bad habit of volunteering Marinette for things, and he was counting that today would be no different. "Marinette can fix it! Can't you, girl?"

Marinette blushed, but Adrien seized the opportunity.

"Oh, that would be great! Marinette, could you do that for me?" She hesitated, but he gave her a dazzling smile, and she caved.

"Of-of course, Adrien," she blushed again. "But I don't have any thread that matches your shirt in my emergency kit. We'll have to go back to my house."

"That's fine," Adrien replied, taking her arm and guiding her towards the door of the classroom. "I'm free."

He didn't miss the bewildered looks that Alya and Nino shot each other as he steered Marinette out the classroom door, but he didn't care. He was just a few minutes away from sharing his secret with someone else, and he was over the moon.

Marinette was quiet on the walk back to her house, though Adrien was practically skipping as they went. "Such a nice day out, isn't it?" He smiled at her. She smiled back, looking a little puzzled, but soon enough they were at her parent's bakery.

Her mother was at the counter when they entered, and pleasantries were exchanged.

"Adrien! How nice to see you. Group project?"

"Actually, Marinette's going to fix my sleeve," he said cheerfully, holding up his arm to show her the damage.

"Goodness! Well, best of luck then," she said, handing them a plate of baked goods that Adrien gladly accepted. He followed Marinette up the stairs to her room, through her trapdoor, and headed straight for her lounge, plopping down contentedly.

"Uh, Adrien?" Marinette was looking at him strangely.

"Yes?" he replied, taking a bite of a croissant.

She hesitated, then shook her head. "Nothing," she laughed nervously, turning to her sewing table.

Adrien grinned to himself, taking another bite of the pastry. Just a few more seconds.

Marinette selected a needle and brought a couple spools of white thread over, holding each one up to his shirt before deciding which one matched the color the best. "Um, could you maybe take your overshirt off? I don't want to stab you."

Adrien smiled, shrugging off the shirt.

"No problem… Princess."

Marinette froze, shirt in one hand, needle lifted in the other. He turned to face her.

"Marinette, I want to tell you something," he began.

"No."

He blinked. "But-"

She looked down at his shirt, and began to viciously stab the needle into the fabric.

He kneeled down next to the lounge where she sat, pointedly avoiding his gaze. He was confused. "Marinette. I need to tell you something important."

"Can it wait?" her tone was short, but also seemed a little desperate.

Adrien was bewildered. This was not how he had planned this to go. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really want it to wait." He stood up, pacing the floor, then turned back to face his friend. A rush of boldness overtook him as he watched Marinette sew, and he made a snap decision. "Plagg, claws out."

Marinette's head snapped up as Plagg was sucked from under the lounge where he'd taken refuge into the ring, and Adrien completed his transformation into Chat Noir. Her jaw dropped.

Chat Noir dropped to one knee beside the chaise lounge, taking one of her hands in his. "Marinette, it's me. I'm Chat Noir. I know it must be a surprise, and you're probably worried about me exposing my identity to someone, but don't worry, Ladybug said it was okay, and she said to pick someone who I trusted, and I think out of all my friends you're the one I trust the very most. You accept me for who I am, both sides of me, and I couldn't think of anyone I wanted to know the truth more than you, Marinette. You've helped me through my lowest times, and I can't thank you enough for being there for me, but now you know my secret, now you know why my life is so tough sometimes, and sometimes it's just too much, you know? And you do know, because, well, you've seen it firsthand." He paused his monologue for a breath, gesturing to the shirt still held in her hand. "You've fixed my tears time and time again. And I wanted you to know how grateful I am for that. I wanted you to know the real me." He smiled at her, but the smile faded as he saw that her expression hadn't changed. "Marinette? Are you okay?"

Slowly, she closed her mouth. Silently, she turned and set the shirt and her needle and thread on the chaise next to her. Then she looked up at the ceiling and began to laugh. Just a chuckle at first, then a giggle, then she was full-on laughing until tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Adrien wasn't sure what to do. What was so funny? Was he a joke to her? He sat back on his heels, feeling awkward, unsure of what to say. Maybe this had been a mistake.

Eventually, she wiped the tears away and her laughter subsided. "Oh Kitty," she said. "When I told you to find someone you trusted, I never imagined it would be me."

Chat Noir searched for a witty comeback, but her words puzzled him and all he could manage was "huh?"

Marinette smiled at him. She stood, bringing him with her, and pulled him into a hug. Surprised, Chat didn't resist, instead wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair, taking her embrace for acceptance. Then, she spoke, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"Tikki, spots on."

He froze as the girl in his arms was enveloped in a pink light. When it subsided, it was his turn for his jaw to drop.

Ladybug smiled up at him. "Guess the cat and the bug are both out of the bag now."

Chat Noir was speechless, but not for long. He smiled down at her, joy flooding every part of his being. "The bag must have had a tear in it."

Startled, she laughed, and he joined her, pulling her close for the first of many, many hugs that would turn into stolen kisses. As always, Marinette had just made everything right with his world. And he was the happiest Chat alive.

"But seriously, did you plan this?" Marinette asked, holding up his torn shirt.

Adrien grinned sheepishly, reaching into his bag and pulling out the scissors.

Marinette shook her head and laughed. "You silly Kitty. You could have just asked to come over."

"Oh, but this was more poetic!" Adrien exclaimed, placing a hand dramatically over his heart.

"Well, Mr. Poetic, you'll have to fix it yourself then. Let's teach you how to sew."

Hello! I hope you enjoyed my very first Miraculous fic. I'd like to dedicate it to the English professor who told me back in 2012 that writing fanfiction was a phase. If you enjoyed the fic, please favorite, it's a oneshot and will not be continued. I am, however, working on more Miraculous fanfiction, so give me an author follow to stay tuned for more fluff. Queen out!