Tonight was the night. Marinette had spent all week sewing her dress, pouring her heart and soul into her work. She was ecstatic about the idea of the masquerade ball. Adrien had asked if she would attend… if she would be his date. She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly at first, had asked him to elaborate with an apprehensive expression on her face. Adrien wanted to take her as his date? She had been surprised; he wanted to take her and not Chloe. This, of course, made Chloe furious, but Marinette didn't care. She didn't care about anything except for Adrien, and the ball. She had even stopped thinking about that stupid cat, who had stopped showing up most of the time. When he did show up, he was silent and refused to look at her… but she didn't care. She had Adrien.

Tonight was the night, and she only had a few hours to get ready. Her heart raced with excitement; she had always wanted to go to a masked ball. She had gained inspiration for her dress after seeing what other girls were wearing and watching movies like A Cinderella Story. Her dress was a long, strapless ball gown; the top of it was covered in intricate designs meant to look like peacock feathers. It trailed down one side of her dress, ending about mid-thigh. The rest of the dress was long, flowy and black. The back of it was laced like a corset. It had taken her a week of constant sewing, but she finally made the dress. She had made a golden mask to go with it, swirling patterns of green and blue drifting across it.

She was excited; there would be dancing, fashion, Adrien… It was everything she ever wanted and more. She, however, couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Her kitty wouldn't be there. She wouldn't get to dance with him. She wanted her best friend back. She wanted the boy she loved back. It wasn't as if she was settling for Adrien; she did like Adrien… but Chat Noir was the boy she wanted to be with. And why him? It was a good question. Why him, over the boy with good grades, warm smile and flawless manners? Why did she fall in love with him, the boy with the dangerous atmosphere, mysterious smirks, flirtatious winks and charming puns? Perhaps it was because Chat challenged her. She didn't think when she was around him, she just felt. He infuriated her to no end, but at the end of the day no one could make her laugh like he did.

Although Mari missed him with every fiber in her being, she knew she had to move on and have fun with Adrien. Adrien was there, he wanted to be with her… and a few weeks ago, it would've been the best thing that had ever happened to her. Marinette realized that she was more infatuated with the idea of him, rather than the actual him. The truth was, she didn't really know him. She wanted to; she wanted some sense of normalcy in her crazy life… and if it turned out to be Adrien, well then she'd take it.

Tikki helped her dress, pulling the strings of her corset tighter. She was going on about how much fun Marinette would have at the ball tonight. Mari did want to have fun, she really did… things just weren't the same since Chat Noir had to go away. She was a bit confused, however, about why he had also stopped talking to Ladybug. He had said that he wouldn't be able to talk to Marinette, but why not Ladybug? Why not his partner, his most trusted friend? She just didn't know. It hurt her, it really did… but the best thing she could do was to move on. To have fun at the ball… to continue saving the world on her own.

Marinette applied some mascara, quietly chatting with Tikki. She put on some pink lipstick and had curled her hair earlier that night. Half of it was pinned back, but it was still down. She put on the mask, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked different. It wasn't how she looked when she put on her Ladybug mask; she was still just Marinette.

Adrien had stood outside and had greeted the guests for quite some time. None of them were Marinette… he knew she was coming; she was his date, they were supposed to spend this night together. He was anxious, excited, and a bit sad. He was sure that Marinette would come, but there were still doubts in the very back of his mind. He was excited to dance with her, to hold her close, to be near her. He was sad… he was sad for leaving her. Every time he was Chat Noir, he did what he had to do without a word. He had a reason, of course, and that reason was Chloe. She had connections; she could ruin Mari if she wanted to. All he was doing was trying to convince her to move on from both of his identities, and to leave Marinette alone.

Adrien was outside, leaning against the wall. Everyone was inside, dancing. It had been that way for ten minutes. The last of the guests had trickled inside, leaving him to wait outside for his Lady and any stragglers. If anyone passed by, he gave them a kind smile and then continued to watch. If she didn't show up, then he would know that tonight… tonight he couldn't.

And then she was there, rushing down the sidewalk and to the ball. His own personal princess. Her beauty astonished him; she looked stunning. Her dress was exquisite, along with everything about her. Adrien stood up straight, preparing to welcome her to his ball. She stopped in front of him, a bit out of breath.

"My lady," he smiled, ignoring the small look of confusion.

"Adrien," she gave him a small smile. "I'm so sorry for being late. I lost track of time…"

"It's fine," he waved her apology away. "The ball started only a few moments ago. I was waiting for you… I would've waited all night."

"All night? What if I didn't show up?" She frowned, a guilty look coloring her features.

"Then I'd continue to wait for you." He smiled at her, holding his arm out. She took it, looking up at him with her sapphire eyes.

"Why? Why me? Why not Chloe, or anyone in our class? Why me?" She questioned.

"Because I have feelings for you… feelings I thought you returned…" Adrien paused, stopping them in the hallway in front of the entrance to the grand hall.

"I do return them, I just… I have so much going on right now. I'm so tired, and I don't know about anything anymore…"

"Who hurt you, Marinette? Who makes you doubt everything?" He whispered, pulling her closer to him.

"Someone who is the complete opposite of you. You're such a good guy, Adrien, and I feel so much for you… but I feel something for someone else too."

Adrien nodded gloomily, looking at the door. "For one night, lady, can you pretend that I'm the only one you care for?" After a moment, she nodded. A radiant smile spread across her face as she pulled him to the door.

Adrien knew, of course, that Chat was the one who had hurt her. He had hurt her as both Marinette and Ladybug. But he was completely devoted to her. This girl who was his lucky charm. He was hers, and he didn't want to hide his love for her. Tonight was the night that she would know everything. He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her on the dancefloor. He wanted to be with her, regardless of being heroes, of his father… It made him sad, but how did you tell someone the reason you were sad was because you loved them? He needed her, and he needed her to need him. He could pretend, for one night that it was Adrien that she wanted. Not Chat Noir. He could pretend that she wanted to be here with him, not in someone else's arms. If only she knew about him… if only she knew that she really did want to be with him…

"Do you know how to dance?" He asked, looking at all of the people in front of him.

"Of course," Marinette nodded. She was admiring the fashions, the ball, and the scene in front of her. If this was a fairy tale, Adrien was the prince and she was Cinderella.

"Would you like to dance with me?" He smile at her, taking a small bow. She raised an eyebrow at the familiarity of it all.

"Of course," she repeated, placing her hand in his.

He led her to the dance floor. He placed one hand on her waist and took her hand in his other. They began to sway at first, but then they were swirling around in tune with the music. They were gliding around the dance floor, as if they belonged there. As if they were the only two people in the entire room. Her eyes never left his as she allowed him to guide her around the room. They ignored the gazes of their classmates and focused on each other. They didn't stop when the song ended, or even when the next one did. In the middle of their third song, Adrien stopped dancing altogether. Marinette looked at him, confused.

"What're you doing?" She said, loud enough for just him to hear her.

"Come with me," he said, taking her hand. He pulled her off of the dancefloor and through door after door. Once they were in an empty room, Adrien locked the door behind them.

"Where are we? Why are we here?" Mari asked, searching his face.

"I have to tell you something, princess…" He said softly.

"So tell me…" she said, a bit apprehensive.

"I have a secret. I've been keeping it from you for so long… and for that, I am so, so sorry. You just… You once told me that this should be kept secret, but I can't keep this to myself anymore. Not when you're standing in front of me. Marinette, I'm Chat Noir."

Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "No," she whispered. "I don't believe you." His heart twisted at the sound of her voice.

"It's true. I can prove it, if you'd like."

"No," she shook her head. "Adrien, no."

"What's wrong? I thought… I mean, you just... I thought you'd be happy to know about me. I thought you'd be happy that I trusted you enough to tell you… That I love you…"

She felt like she couldn't breathe. He was both Adrien and Chat Noir. He was polite, humble, charming, and calm and collected as Adrien… but Chat Noir was flirty, boastful, and smug… Was Adrien simple a façade, or was Chat? She didn't know what was real or what wasn't. She didn't know what to do anymore, or what she felt. She looked at the door, eyes wide and frantic. She couldn't tell him about Ladybug. He couldn't know who she really was. He might have been reckless, but she certainly wasn't.

"Liar," She whispered, pushing past him and running out of the room.

Hello my lovelies. I apologize for not having this chapter up sooner, but last weekend I went through a breakup and I've been trying to just relax and not worry about anything. I apologize for any grammar mistakes; I edit everything myself so it's pretty tough. I apologize if all of my chapters are a bit short; sometime in the future I plan to rewrite this and make it longer and more detailed. I deleted my tumblr but I plan to make a new one to communicate with everyone through. If anyone has any name ideas, please let me know. As always, please review and let me know what you think of this story. I love all of my readers very much.