Author's Note: Special thanks to mayuralover who pointed out a glaring error that I missed in editing the last chapter. I adjusted that final paragraph to reflect what I meant, as opposed to what I wrote, and she was gracious enough to confirm it makes sense this time. Thanks again for the catch, mayuralover! My apologies to those who may have been confused.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and I make no profit from this story. No copyright infringement is intended I'm just enjoying some time with a few of my favorite television characters. The story is mine, except where directly quoting or referencing episodes.

After a lot of laughing, some more teasing, and the most fun she'd had with her friends in years, Adrien drove Marinette home and walked her inside.

The soft security lights in the bakery cast a glow across their path as she closed the door behind them.

"Well, that wasn't what I expected, but I don't regret the way it happened, not at all."

"Me, either, Milady. It was an eye-opening evening, for all of us. Tell me, was I completely clueless or just blind?"

Marinette laughed. "Come on, Kitty. We've been over this already. You weren't looking for your friends behind the masks. I knew who they were since I gave them the miraculous, but you had no part of that. They were stunned about our identities—if we fooled our best friends for so long, and kept the owner of the Ladyblog in the dark, why should you be exempt from a surprise or two?"

"Hmmm. I suppose."

She kissed his cheek, then moved toward the stairs, assuming he'd follow. Instead, he stopped her by catching her hand and pulling her back toward him. She looked at him expectantly.

"Marinette, about what you said at Alya's—did you really not understand what I was saying with that rose, or was that part of the cover story we were telling? I was trying to be clear with you, and I thought you recognized that we were getting closer, moving toward something."

She sighed and dropped her gaze. "Adrien, I—I—"

He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "Tell me," he said gently.

Her arms moved to circle his waist. She felt safe and loved in his embrace, and not having to look at his face while she admitted how confused she had been would make it a little easier to share how she had been feeling at the time.

"I had fallen for you, Kitty. But I didn't have much hope that you'd return those feelings. You have to admit my track record with guys was never very impressive."

"I don't know about that, Marinette. I can think of a couple hearts you broke through the years. Nathan? Luka? That guy in college that Nino and I had to warn off? How about the sculptor who had a crush on Ladybug and wanted to replace me? And we can't forget your superhero partner, hmm?" He kissed her forehead.

"The only one that had mattered was the one I loved but who never loved me back. The real me." She looked up at his face. "Adrien, giving you up wasn't easy after high school. I was afraid I was headed for the same ending with Chat, so I tried to talk myself out of what I hoped might be happening." She buried her face in his chest again, soothed by his nearness and his arms still holding her close while she spoke.

"At first I chalked the visits up to you enjoying time with someone who didn't care about your celebrity status, or someone who knew about your unrequited love for Ladybug and had felt the same sting of rejection. I convinced myself the hugs were friendly greetings or shared comfort after a bad day, or even your notoriously flirty personality. After all, Chat had gotten over Ladybug eventually—what would stop him from moving on from a normal girl like Marinette?"

"I'd like to remind you that I didn't get over Ladybug at all, but finally understood I had a deeper connection to someone else, that I'd fallen in love, with you, Marinette."

She looked up at him. "At the time, all I knew was that Chat Noir had suddenly quit being interested in the super-version of me. In my terrified mind, it was just a matter of time until everyday me faded from his thoughts, too."

He caressed her cheek gently, his hand resting at her jawline. "Yes, I was first attracted to Ladybug. I admired your strength, your willingness to protect the people of Paris, your courage in the face of insurmountable odds. I appreciated the way we worked together as a team and counted it as evidence in my teenage mind that we belonged together. Then I realized how shallow it was in comparison to how I was feeling about a not-so-everyday girl I had been getting to know better."

Adrien paused, making sure he had her full attention, pulling her back from the painful memories that had surfaced as she remembered her uncertainty. He needed her to hear his heart, to know it was fully hers. He moved his hand lower on her cheek and lifted her face a bit, silently pleading with her to look up.

Once her eyes met his again, she saw an intensity there she had never seen before, powerful emotions barely contained beneath the surface. Her breath caught in her throat.

"I chose you. Marinette is the one I revealed myself to, the one I needed to know all of me. Marinette is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. It's always been you, so much more than normal, extraordinary, selfless, kind, beautiful Marinette. You're the one I love."

He held eye contact as he moved his hand behind her neck, and gently tugged her closer to him, until she was a mere breath away. Then he closed his eyes as she did and kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that left her mind muddled and her knees weak, but certain of how he felt.

Leaning his forehead against hers, he moved his hands gently up and down her back several times, then pulled her into a tight hug. Leaning down slightly, he spoke quietly into her ear. "I was only ever impressed by you, Milady. My love for you has deepened by knowing both sides, but Marinette has always been the treasure behind the mask. Never doubt that. I don't."