"I can't breathe," Marinette gasps, steadying herself by gripping the balcony's rail as her whole body tenses. She looks at Chat Noir, blinking rapidly as she tries to calm her racing pulse. "I can't - I can't - how did you find out?"

Chat Noir looks at her, beginning to reach out to Marinette before pulling his hands back and raising them in defense.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Chat says, and raw desperation for her to believe him is clear in his voice. "You were going to detransform, I went another way but ended up in the same place as you! I saw a flash of red, didn't realize what was happening, and then - I saw you standing where Ladybug had been, and I knew. Marinette, I'm sorry, I swear I didn't intentionally-"

"I know." Marinette's voice is surprisingly calm when she interrupts him, and she closes her eyes whilst inhaling the crisp night air, trying to arrange her thoughts into something other than internal screaming. She nods, trying not to shake as she opens her eyes a moment later, meeting Chat's concerned gaze. "I know you would never do that on purpose."

Silence drops between them, Marinette's voice lost as she tries to move the conversation forward. She can see Chat fidgeting, clearly trying to find the right words to fill the gaping void which has cracked open on the balcony, an invisible divide which neither knows how to cross safely.

Marinette is sure of how this is going to go. Ever since Chat started becoming more friendly with her civilian self, she's pictured this scene a thousand times, the revelation that the girl who pushed him away when wearing a mask let him in when she wasn't wearing one. In no scenario did it end well; in a couple of them, Paris ended up on fire after the total breakdown of their relationship.

It isn't a pretty image.

She had always hoped that, when Chat Noir did inevitably tell her that he could never trust her again and that she was an awful person who he wanted nothing to do with, they could still work together. Marinette knew it would be her fault if – when – she lost him, but hopefully Paris wouldn't suffer too.

The gentle chill of the night fills Marinette's lungs with every breath, and each passing second helps calm her. Her mind stops the constant stream of oh God oh God oh God OH GOD, softly reminding her that this was always going to happen; each time Chat had visited, each time she hadn't cut ties between the superhero and her civilian identity, had been a risk.

It had turned out it was a risk she'd been far too willing to take.

There was something ironic in the revelation of her identity occurring after a fight, rather than because of something she'd done; Marinette had spent months worrying she would slip up, that she'd say something that Ladybug would know but Marinette wouldn't; but no, all her careful treading, thinking through each word she spoke, had been for nothing – one wrong turn, and Chat had discovered her identity.

If it didn't mean that he would now be furious with her for lying to him, it would almost be funny. Really, wasn't she supposed to have good luck?

She's thinking through what she's going to say next, letting the words roll through her mind carefully, because Marinette knows that the next few moments could make or break the partnership that Ladybug and Chat Noir have worked so hard to create and nurture. The balance of their team has already shifted into dangerous uncertainty, the trust between them wavering as months of Marinette's deception comes to light. But before Marinette can speak, can begin her explanation, Chat Noir says the one word which matters.

"Why?"

Marinette doesn't need him to elaborate; the single word is loaded with Chat's confusion, with the uncertainty of why Ladybug had resisted his advances whilst Marinette had let him in, the two of them becoming closer and closer with every stolen conversation.

Another deep breath fills Marinette's lungs, and she gives Chat Noir a hesitant smile.

"Because you liked me without the mask," she says quietly. "And that… that meant the world to me."

Chat Noir blinks, his mouth opening to respond. Marinette holds up a hand to stop him before he speaks, and Chat pauses before nodding, letting her know that he won't interrupt her. Marinette's grip on the railing loosens; she leans back, tilting her head to look at the stars, and hates the fact that the beautiful night will soon be permanently marred with the memory of Chat Noir hating her. A sigh escapes her, and she shakes her head as she speaks, unable to look at Chat Noir.

"Before this goes any further, I want you to know that this – whatever we are - wasn't meant to happen," Marinette begins, and she looks down from the freckled sky to Chat, who's staring at her intently. "It was never meant to go this far." Her breath hitches, but her words don't falter.

"You saved me a few times as Marinette," she says, "and I thought that would be the extent of us. But… well, clearly it wasn't. At first when you visited me, I didn't want to be rude. You saved my life, and it would have been mean to just send you away. But then I got to know you," Marinette pauses, frowning as she tilts her head, her arms sliding from the railing to cross her chest, one hand curling over her chin as she thinks.

"Not that I didn't know you, I guess, but I got to know the you that I didn't know. You know?"

Chat Noir raises an eyebrow, and Marinette waves one hand as she shakes away her clouded thoughts. "Anyway," she continues, "when you were with me as… well, me, you seemed more like yourself. You didn't have me on some pedestal like you did with Ladybug, which meant that you didn't flirt with me – as much – and that you treated me like I was normal, not some perfect magical girl. And I guess… it was nice."

Marinette takes another deep breath, steeling her shoulders as she grips her elbows tightly. There's determination in her eyes, and Chat Noir doesn't know how he didn't see the resemblance between her and Ladybug until it was right in front of him.

"Every time I saw you, I hated myself," Marinette whispers, and Chat Noir has to take a step closer to hear her. "You flirted with me in a mask, and then told me about it when I changed. I… I know how you feel about Ladybug. I knew anyway, but you trusted me with your heart in both identities, and all I did was let you down." She can feel herself begin to tremble, can feel the hot sting of tears burn behind her eyes; but she won't let them fall, refuses to crumble whilst she's apologizing to the boy she's betrayed the trust of.

"I'm – I'm so sorry, Chat. I never meant to hurt you in any way. This whole thing spiraled out of control, and I should have stopped it once I realized what was happening." She gives him a small, weak smile, and her heart skips a beat when he returns it. "You liked me because I was Marinette, not because I was Ladybug." She shrugs, and looks at the paving stone beneath her, unable to hold Chat's gaze any longer as heat rises to her cheeks. "That meant a lot to me. And being with you… it was easy. It felt right. And if you hate me for this I understand, but I hope we can still be partners."

The final words come out in a rush, a desperate plea to salvage the remnants of their professional relationship. She doesn't look up, doesn't dare see the reaction on her partner's face. She's not quite laying her soul bare, but Marinette knows that this wasn't what Chat Noir was expecting.

She doesn't see him move towards her, doesn't see the gentle smile playing on his face as he closes the distance between them. His arms wrap around her as Chat Noir pulls her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. Marinette freezes, eyes flying open as she tenses in his embrace before relaxing, her arms unwinding to wrap around Chat's waist.

"I don't hate, you Princess," he says, and the affection in Chat's voice as he calls Marinette the nickname he gave her so long ago warms her to the core. "I don't think I could ever hate you. We're always going to partners." There's a pause, and Marinette feels a sigh leave Chat Noir, her head pressed against his chest as she listens to his heart thud rapidly.

"I mean, I was hurt when I found out, I won't lie. But… I understand. We kept meeting by accident, and then it was too late to cut ties without making me suspicious. I get it. The whole 'keeping it a secret thing' kind of sucks, but I get it."

Marinette pulls back slightly, tilting her face to frown at Chat.

"You're being way too nice about this. Aren't you mad?" Marinette hates that, despite Chat's reassurance, worry still seeps into her voice. Chat Noir shrugs, his lips quirking into a half-grin.

"Nah. I mean, you've always been set on keeping our identities secret, and you're not the kind of person who goes back on their word. And you aren't vindictive, Marinette, I know you weren't doing this maliciously. The situation just kind of… happened." He pauses, and Marinette hears the nerves in his voice when he speaks again. "You aren't mad that I found out your identity?"

Marinette steps back, her waist pressing against the cold metal of the rails as she pulls herself out of Chat's hold. He lets his hands fall from her shoulders, placing them on his hips as he stands, his body rigid. With a shake of her head, the tension seeps out of Chat Noir, his shoulders sagging as a smile of relief grows on his face.

"I would be if you'd done it on purpose," Marinette said. "But I know you'd never do that to me. So no. No, I'm not mad."

Chat Noir nods, rocking back and forth on his heels as he throws his hands behind his back, clasping them nervously. He takes a shuddering breath, and smiles confidently at Marinette.

"I could make it up to you," he says, and Marinette gawks at him in confusion.

"Huh?"

Chat Noir shrugs, looking around the balcony as he repeats his words.

"I could… I could make it up to you."

Marinette tilts her head, placing her hands on her hips as she raises an eyebrow.

"And how do you plan on doing that, Kitty?" Her words are playful, but the intensity of Chat's gaze makes Marinette want to take them back. He takes a step towards her, and reaches out for her hands. Marinette obliges, placing her palms on the soft leather of Chat Noir's gloves.

"Close your eyes, Marinette," Chat Noir says quietly, and she suddenly realizes what's about to happen. Her eyes widen, and she laces her fingers between Chat's.

"Wait – are you sure?" she asks, and Chat Noir nods firmly.

"Trust me."

Marinette feels like she should protest, should argue the case for keeping some secrecy in case Hawkmoth manages to get information on them. But she doesn't. She's tired of secrecy, and there's really no point if Chat Noir knows both of her identities, anyway.

It's a step they were always going to have to take, someday. They may as well take it now, covered by the ebony cloak of night.

So Marinette closes her eyes as Chat Noir leans forward, and she feels his lips press against her forehead. The flash of green of Chat's transformation is bright enough to burn through her eyelids, and Marinette knows that her world is about to shift permanently on its axis. She feels Chat's gloves fade away, and Marinette is suddenly hyper-aware of the soft palms squeezing hers in reassurance.

Marinette doesn't open her eyes immediately; she knows this moment is the last one of beautiful, blissful ignorance, and that as soon as she looks up, everything will change. No more secrets, no more lies.

Just them.

She feels Chat Noir step back, pulling one of her hands up to his lips and kissing it gently.

"It's okay, Princess. Open your eyes."

Marinette hesitates, waiting one more second before slowly opening her eyes.

Her mouth drops open, and she blinks rapidly to make sure that she's awake, that this isn't some vivid hallucination.

But as Adrien Agreste releases one of her hands so he can rake his through his hair in a nervous gesture Marinette has seen too many times to count, she knows that this is real. He's real.

Adrien is Chat Noir.

And everything has changed.