Of all the possible outcomes for this conversation, this was one that Chat Noir had not seen coming. If someone had asked him the likelihood of Ladybug willingly dropping her mask at any time prior to it actually happening, he'd have said zero. Nil. Nada. No way, Jose.

He would have bet heavily against anyone who suggested otherwise.

And he would have been wrong.

"Tikki, spots off," she'd said, her voice flat.

He watched in utter shock, and if he were honest with himself, fascination, as a pink light ran up her body, taking the spotted suit as it went. The young woman left in its wake wore pink ballet flats, black leggings, and a soft, drapey top the same color as her shoes.

His heart was thumping heavily in his chest; he wanted to laugh, to crow that his lady had finally decided to reveal herself.

But he could not.

This…was wrong. This was not what he'd wanted, what he'd imagined it would be. She continued to stare at his boots, her head bowed and shoulders slumped as her kwami nuzzled her cheek.

The nascent laugh died in his chest.

What had happened? How had she gone from vehemently insisting that they could never reveal themselves, to so cavalierly dropping her transformation? What the hell had he missed?

"Ladybug?" He crouched low, dropping one knee to the rooftop as he tried to peer beneath her fringe. She flinched, shying away from his gaze; then she sighed resignedly and looked up, directly into his eyes.

"Hello, Adrien."

He felt shock jolt through him again, more intense and more complex than before.

Marinette.

"Oh God." He shot to his feet, staring at her as a confusing jumble of conflicting emotions surged through him. Disbelief. Joy. Anger. Love. Betrayal. Hope. "Oh my fucking God."

She laughed humorlessly. "Yeah."

"All this time…" He shook his head, as if to clear it. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I don't know." She lowered her eyes. "Maybe, if we… I mean, if we were to…" She sighed, and leaned her head back against the chimney stack, her eyes closed. "I really don't know, Adrien."

Her words fell like blows, and he scoffed. "So not only does Ladybug not trust Chat Noir, but Marinette doesn't trust Adrien."

Her eyes flew open, her expression horrified. "NO!"

"Then what the hell is it?" He yelled, both hurt and baffled by her reticence.

"I was afraid!" She yelled back, the gathered tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "I am afraid! Ladybug is clever and proud and strong and graceful and all of the things that I will never be on my own." She swiped angrily at her tears, and pushed herself to her feet. "How could I ever let my incredible partner see that the real me is just a clumsy, pathetic mess? How could I ever tell my wonderful boyfriend that the girl he's settled for is sometimes the beloved savior of Paris, but only when enhanced by a magical pair of earrings and the ancient embodiment of creation? How could he ever be satisfied with just me?" A broken sob tore from her, and she spun from him, hiding.

Chat gaped at her, utterly poleaxed for the third time that night. Was that really how she saw herself? "Marinette—"

"And now that I know that you're both Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir, the two most incredible people I've ever known, all wrapped up in one package…" She scoffed, shaking her head.

"Fuck. Claws in, Plagg." He felt his transformation leave him, and after an uncharacteristically compassionate pat to the cheek, Plagg drifted off to join the little red kwami.

He stepped closer to her, and raised a hand to turn her back towards him, but stopped just shy of her shoulder. "Marinette, I can't—You don't—I have no idea what to say. Is that really how you see yourself? Do you really believe all that?"

Her shoulders hunched, but she didn't answer.

"Oh my god, you do." He ran his hands through his hair, feeling completely at a loss. "Marinette, do you think that I am stupid?"

She spun back to face him, her tear-stained expression indignant. "No, of course not!"

"Do you think that I'm incapable of making sound judgements for myself, or that I'm blind to the faults of those around me?"

"No!"

"Then why do you think that I would love you so much, if you were so undeserving of it?" Her eyes widened, and he pressed on. "Why would I 'settle' for anything less than what I truly want?"

"I—I don't—you don't—"

"And what about Tikki? Do you think that she would have chosen you, if you were so unworthy? You are Ladybug. You are clever and strong and everything that Ladybug is. The suit enhances your strength and agility and coordination, just as mine does for me. But the rest is all you."

"N-no. You don't understand. You think that I'm some perfect paragon—"

He couldn't help it, he snorted at that. "I really don't." Her brow furrowed, and he laughed outright. "Not blind to faults, remember? You're stubborn, and obsessive, and you have a temper. You get tunnel vision when you're in the middle of a project. You're clumsy. You're surprisingly impetuous, and it's only by virtue of your insane luck that it hasn't gotten you into trouble yet. You snore when you're overtired, and you're always a blanket hog." He closed the distance between them, and cupped her face in his hands. "You're far from perfect, Bug, and I know it. But you're also kind, creative, generous, and fiercely loyal. Your baking is even better than your parents', and you give the best hugs. You are brave and clever and strong."

"Adrien—"

"I love everything about you, Marinette."

Her eyes closed, and another tear fell from her lashes. "I'm broken."

He snorted again, and he let his hands fall to her shoulders. "You've met my father. You think I'm not broken?"

She laughed, in spite of herself, and he pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly. "So what happens next?"

He drew in a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. "I don't know. I guess we have some things to work through."

She nodded against his chest. "I guess we do."

"It'll be alright though, right? I love you, Marinette. That hasn't changed."

She tightened her arms at his waist. "I love you too, kitty."