Things have been busy but I've been able to get things done sooner because of this long weekend that I currently (as of posting this chapter) have! :D I don't have as much homework now that I finished more than half of it, but don't worry I didn't sacrifice time just to write this, I'm writing this because I have time and I really want to! To be honest, I feel like you readers...excited to see what's going to happen next, but for me it's what am I going to write next? So exciting! :D

So anyways, I was able to make a big turnaround from the previous Chapter, and I don't see an ending to this story anytime soon so don't get worried about that just yet. ;) This story will end eventually but just not right now. I'm planning on wrapping up the other FanFiction I'm working on the moment so I can focus more on this one, but that one will take another few weeks.

Well, enough of me talking...here's Chapter 21 of Revelations! ^^

Miraculous Ladybug (C) Thomas Astruc/ Zagtoon

Chapter 21 – New Adjustments

Neither Adrien nor Ladybug spoke a word until they were both safely landed inside Marinette's room, she untransformed and Adrien watched slightly from the side and saw a little red kwami fly out of her earrings. Tikki could see the conflicted feelings inside both teenagers, she wanted to help, but knew that Marinette had to figure this out herself.

An intense blush crept over Marinette's cheeks when she realised how Adrien knew she liked him. It couldn't have been more obvious, after telling Chat who she really liked and Chat having been in her room before saw the overwhelming evidence printed on her walls, but now only one picture remained, she clanged onto her feelings because she felt like there was still hope between her and Adrien, now she didn't know what to think.

They both turned to face each other, both in silence and with a saddened look on their faces, Marinette's was more shy and embarrassed as she crossed one arm over her chest to tightly grab the other in insecurity. She didn't want Adrien finding out this way, she feared that he would think less of her if Ladybug was typical old Marinette, but knowing that Adrien was Cat Noir should've made things more simplistic between the two.

But then the thoughts of the kiss robbed her mind, she knew Adrien wasn't thinking about it in that very moment as he was staring miserably at his bare hand that contained his miraculous on it. He already missed hearing Plagg's demands for cheese and his witty comments about his love life, but that's when he looked up at Marinette who was staring at her computer screen, which was still open to the kiss they shared from earlier.

It made Adrien's cheeks heat up as he felt the bubbles fizzle inside him, he had kissed Marinette...Marinette had kissed him. It all made the more sense now that Ladybug liked Adrien because she was Ladybug, and Marinette understood much clearly now why Adrien loved Ladybug so much, he was Cat Noir this entire time.

So there they were, two lovers, two heroic partners, a team...staring at each other with an intense blush spread across their cheeks. Marinette's kwami sat on the pillow and waited for Marinette or Adrien to speak, she didn't want to intrude on this situation as she intended Marinette to sort this all out.

Marinette looked up and stared deeply into Adrien's eyes, she could see the mutual feelings trying to escape his lips but his conflicted thoughts about everything that happened today prevented them. She knew she would have to speak first as soon as she looked back at Tikki and saw her nod with a serious expression. Marinette took in a deep breath to relax herself, but when she looked up at Adrien again her nervousness was still at bay, nevertheless, she tried to speak.

"All...t-th-this...t-time..." She muttered, feeling an overwhelming urge to hug him tightly and cry.

Adrien stared into her bluebell eyes; they looked just as heavenly as Ladybug's did, no wonder he was so drawn to Marinette without even realising who she really was. It was his subconscious trying to tell him that Marinette was the one he loved, and who also was Ladybug. But it never fought through until now.

"I know..." Adrien breathed, taking one step closer to Marinette.

The nervous navy haired teen felt her muscles tense as she saw Adrien take a step closer towards her. She didn't know what was going to happen next, this day had been filled with so many unexpected events she lost almost all of her optimism and confidence to have an idea of what was going to happen next.

She tightly closed her eyes, sniffling as she felt the tears develop; she opened them when she felt a touch on her shoulder. Marinette looked up to see a smiling Adrien right in front of her.

"We can work this out, I know we can." He assured her, wiping a tear from her cheek as he caressed it.

Marinette sniffled again; she wiped her nose as she looked away slightly, her mind still trying to grasp all of this overwhelming information, her hands tightly clenched against her chest, before she felt Adrien bury her face into his chest and his arms wrap around her in embrace.

"It's nice to know the love of my life...is also my good friend."

Then, her eyes widened in response, Adrien's words seemed so meaningful, and yet she assumed that with his miraculous taken by none other than his father that turned out to be Hawkmoth, he was still able to remain content. But she knew he must be fighting it all on the inside just to not let it out. Marinette felt her muscles soften and relax as the warmth of Adrien flowed through her skin; a smile crept across her face as she wrapped her arms around Adrien to return the embrace.

"M-me too." Marinette said with a crooked smile, her emotions trying to adjust.

They unlocked their arms from the hug and stared each other in the eyes, Adrien wanted to so badly kiss her right there, but his negative and conflicted thoughts about his miraculous under the possession of Hawkmoth, now revealed as his father, he held one hand tightly against Marinette's while he stared into his right bare hand.

Marinette could see the unhappiness in his eyes as the blonde teen sighed, closing his eyes slowly before looking back up at Marinette.

"Now I'm useless without my ring, you're the only one who can defeat him." Adrien admitted, knowing without his ring he couldn't do much to help Ladybug defeat Hawkmoth.

Marinette felt her lips part in sudden shock of how much confidence Adrien had in her and how much negativity he was putting on himself because of the lack of his miraculous. Marinette was always confident in being Ladybug; it was only up until recently that Tikki convinced her how hiding behind a mask doesn't make a difference to who you truly are.

This made her realise that his kwami didn't give Adrien any boost of confidence whatsoever, but remembered how Chat would always be outgoing ad confident around her. He already had the confidence he needed, but now he lost it, he didn't understand the importance of not differentiating who he really was compared to who he was with a mask on.

"That's not true. We're a team." Marinette said with confidence, folding her hands over and under his ring-less hand. "You're still the same person with or without the mask." She assured him, looking into his saddened emerald eyes, before she turned slightly to look at her kwami. "Just like someone told me." She ended with a smile.

Tikki nodded with a smile, seeing that Marinette had now fully come to terms with accepting herself as one person and not two different people. Sure she looked different and acted different, but that didn't make her a different person, she was still the same person on the inside.

Adrien looked up, a smile formed as he felt his emotions lighten up from Marinette's kind and reassuring words. She truly was Ladybug, with or without the mask. "Thanks Marinette."

He embraced her again, he felt his heart race and the warmth of their chests collide into one, it was a warming and touching moment, but Marinette let go shortly after, showing a concerned expression as she held Adrien's right hand in hers.

"We have to get your miraculous back as soon as possible." She informed, before Adrien's fingers intertwined with hers, making Marinette's cheeks blush a bright pink while her whole body tensed up.

Adrien sighed as his thoughts went back to his father being Hawkmoth, now he had nowhere to live; there was no way he could live under his father's own roof now after finding out who Hawkmoth really was. His miraculous was gone and the only person he could look up to for help was Marinette, he wasn't sure what happened to his mother after Ladybug cleansed the town of akumas but he was sure she was around his father somewhere.

"I have nowhere to go...how are we going to get my ring and Plagg back?" He asked, feeling so helpless in that moment, he had no idea what to do without his miraculous. The only thing he could think of was Ladybug getting the miraculous for him and defeating Hawkmoth all on her own, but her words of assurance made him realise how much they needed each other in battle, even though Ladybug was the one that can cleanse the akuma, Cat Noir was always there by her side helping her when she needed it.

Marinette looked down; she knew he wouldn't have anywhere else to go. He couldn't stay with Nino's without a truthful explanation, but too many revelations have happened already today. She didn't want everyone else knowing who they really were; she was still trying to grasp the concept of them knowing who they both really were. Tikki flew by Marinette's side and looked at Adrien with concern, before looking at Marinette assuming she knew exactly what to do.

It was then Marinette realised that Adrien had only one place where he could stay and be safe and have someone to talk to about everything, and that was here with Marinette in her room. It was a very high risk knowing that her parents could come in and see Adrien in her bedroom without even seeing him enter the bakery, but it was a risk Marinette was willing to take.

Although her thoughts still speechless over the fact that her crush and partner were two in one, she couldn't imagine Adrien staying anywhere else but here with her, she knew it was going to be an uncomfortable time having two people who just realised who they both secretly were sleeping underneath the same roof together. She sighed before she answered to Adrien.

"You can stay here."

Adrien lifted his head, a small gasp emitted from his mouth when she said that, his eyes widened as his heart beat quickened with excitement but full of nervousness. "Are you sure..? For how long?" He asked, worried for himself being caught by Marinette's parents, getting them both into trouble.

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest tightly and firmly gripped her forearms as she looked down, feeling unsure about how to answer that question. "I don't know..." she sighed, not knowing exactly when Adrien could go back home, but at the moment it almost seemed impossible.

Adrien lowered his eyes, seeing how saddened and serious Marinette was about not knowing how long he'd be staying with her. He couldn't think of a good time to go home any time soon, his father would definitely be on the lookout for him, and as far as he knew, his father had no clue as to who Marinette was so he didn't know where she lived.

He looked up at Marinette with a sigh, he didn't want to find out this way about who Ladybug really was and vice versa, but knowing that Ladybug was also a close friend made him happier. He smiled as he rested a hand on one of Marinette's shoulders.

"It's okay." He assured her. "We'll work this out together."

Marinette gulped in slight nervousness at how far away Adrien was to her, only inches. In a panic she moved away and sat on her bed, still wrapping her arms around herself in insecurity. "I know but...how do we defeat Hawkmoth and get your miraculous back?" she asked, lifting her head, her eyes following the blonde teen before he sat on the bed next to her.

"I think for the rest of the day, we just get used to knowing who we both really are. I know getting my miraculous back and defeating Hawkmoth is our top priority. But if we want to defeat him together, we need to get used to this." He explained, Marinette's hands now on the side of the bed, Adrien rested his hand over hers to show how he felt about her.

It was all that Marinette wanted and more, she just didn't expect the love of her life to also be her heroic flirty partner Cat Noir. She was filled with mixed feelings of happiness, relief, shock and confusion. Her expression remained emotionless as her mind fought over which emotion she should display.

"Okay..." She whispered, a sniffle from her nose before she felt Adrien's fingers intertwine with hers, she looked up with flushed cheeks, her heart beating out of her chest as she saw the look on Adrien's face that she only dreamed of him giving her.

"Marinette...?"

Marinette felt her eyes look nowhere else but into his shining green eyes, she could feel him edging closer to her lips, but then he stopped and smiled assumingly at her.

"I'm glad that all this time it was you." He said with a caring smile.

Biting her lips then smiling in shyness, she looked up with a thankful expression, her cheeks the same colours as his, a pink stain on both their cheeks as they smiled at each other. Marinette in some way was really happy that the love her life was with her more than she realised, and that he cared for her too, but what was a real shock to her was how Adrien acted as Cat Noir. She could never see Adrien act like that, even when they both knew he still didn't act like Chat, but it must have been due to the severity of the situation.

"T-thanks...I'm glad it's always been you too. But there's one thing I don't understand..." She started to explain, looking at Adrien with a slightly confused expression.

Adrien's eyes widened slightly as he raised one of his eyebrows in confusion and worry as to what Marinette didn't understand. "What?" He asked, his smile gone as he waited for Marinette to respond.

A sigh escaped her mouth as she looked down temporarily before looking back up at him, still with a confused look. "You never act like Cat Noir when you're Adrien. I can't picture you two as the same person because you both act so different..." She admitted, before realising the reason why he acted that way when he was Chat.

It was the same reason when she was Ladybug. It was so they could embrace their hidden traits and become more brave, confident and outgoing with others around them, to explore the unexplored traits that they possessed.

"I know I don't, but in some ways I do act like Cat Noir when I'm not behind the mask. It's the same with you. I've noticed how braver and more confident in maintaining a situation you are. It's all because you're also Ladybug protecting all of Paris." He acknowledge, waving his hand out to exaggerate how big Paris really was.

Marinette felt the blush on her cheeks heat up her entire face; she could see now how much Adrien and Cat Noir were truly alike. He always complimented her and picked her up when she was down, and she would do the same. There was no way Chat was anyone else but Adrien Agreste.

"Thanks." She replied with a soft giggle. "I can really see you as Cat Noir now; he always complimented me and made me feel better about myself, much like Tikki..." She stated, turning her head to a proud Tikki sitting on her pillow. "But even more special to me." She admitted, before her lips parted in a quick gasp of sudden realisation.

Despite the two of them knowing who they truly were, it didn't stop their feelings from showing through. The evidence was already obvious when Adrien continuously held her hand while they spoke, and they both continued to blush and look into each other's eyes.

They were truly meant for each other.

The two approached each other's lips, ready to seal their lips with a true romantic kiss. But then a knock was heard from below.

"Marinette?" A voice called, sounding a lot like her mother before the door to downstairs started to open.

Adrien and Marinette clenched their teeth in sudden nervousness and panic, Marinette didn't know how to explain Adrien in her room without them ever seeing him come in. So Adrien made a dash for the covers while Tikki hid behind the pillow as her mother entered to see Marinette sitting very tensely on the edge of her bed.

"Dinner's ready dear, come down when you're ready." She said, before going back downstairs and closing the trap door behind her.

Marinette sighed in relief as Adrien came out of hiding and so did Tikki, then Adrien smelt the covers without realising what he was doing. He smiled as the lovely and familiar scent was all over the covers, he smiled dreamily as his muscles relaxed before Marinette called out his name.

"Adrien? What...are you doing..?" She asked, looking slightly disgusted.

He looked up slightly dazed before he realised what he was doing. He scrambled amongst the sheets in a panic then sat cross-legged on the bed guiltily scratching the back of his head as he shone a sheepish grin with a red blush against his cheeks. "Uh...sorry. I guess it's cat instincts?" He assumed, shrugging at the thought.

Marinette giggled at Adrien's humour, he seemed cute when he was like that. There was no way she could picture Chat anyone else except him. They were way too alike the more she was with Adrien, and Adrien could see the same with her.

These two were made for each other.

Aha I know what you guys are probably thinking, and I won't say it because I know I'll be right when you guys review on this Chapter. Some of you must be so frustrated right now, but no need to worry. There will be more lovey-dovey stuff happening because of the revelation. It doesn't stop here! ^^ I think this chapter was the most I have written on these two in just one chapter, but a fair bit of angst on Adrien's side.

What will happen next? Find out around Wednesday/Thursday! ;)