#Fanfiction #Miraculous

~ Identities ~

"Okay but, if you leave, I won't let you stay over anymore." She'd saved herself somehow. Walking over to the hatch door, she opened it and began to head downstairs. Tikki had followed her, expressing her concern for the way Chat Noir was acting.

As she got ice from the fridge and poured the water into a glass, she had to promise her Kwami that whatever took place tonight, she couldn't let it get out of hand. Easier said than done. Once she made her way back upstairs and closed the door, her eyes fell upon something unexpected.

"A-ADRIEN!?!?!"

The glass of water in her hand fell to the floor, leaving a puddle in its wake. "No, no, no, no!! Y-You weren't supposed to do this! I told you we can't reveal our identities and you totally-" She froze. Well, it looked like the literal cat was out of the bag. There was no way she could cover that one up.

"I MEAN… Uh... I… YOU'RE Chat Noir!? SERIOUSLY!?"

Adrien was shocked at her response, but expected it. And the stupid thing was, he expected her to be like this but he actually missed her words, he was just ready to be yelled at.

He'd remember later, but that was for later Adrien to think about.

"I know you told me I couldn't reveal myself, but... I.. I just had to. I had to know that I would be treated differently." He began, his words acting on the thought she meant "I told you that YOU couldn't reveal YOUR identity, not "Our".

The idiot.

"Yes.. I'm Chat Noir... I..." He looked down. "I was given this power and... well…" He looked down. "I'm jealous of Ladybug dating me, which is silly... and... I told you its complicated. I'm jealous because I hate me... I hate being Adrien. I LOVE being Chat Noir and... I know you have a crush on me... on Adrien." He admitted, flat out admitting it now the cat was, as she had thought, out of the bag.

"Alya and Nino keep trying to get me to admit it, but I didn't want to break your heart by telling you I liked Ladybug... but… she likes Adrien... not me... not the real me." He put his hand on his chest.

"I.. I know how nervous you get around me, I know how you react around me." He stepped forward, so close to her that she could reach out and touch him with ease.

"I... I... talk to me Marinette. Show me that you look past me as Adrien Agreste..."

Her eyes grew wider the closer he got. Her cheeks burned hot for a good while from his outright knowledge of her massive crush on him. This just wasn't fair. Of course she saw him as more than just a beautiful model with famous parents. She didn't even really start to have a crush on him until he showed a clumsy girl like her such kindness.

"Adrien..." Now was not the time to stammer. No. He needed her to do this. "I meant what I said to you as Chat Noir. I don't have a crush on you because of your reputation or what you're presented as. I like you because you're such a good person. Sure, now that I know you're Chat Noir, I know that you can be a little pouty and jealous but, you've never done wrong by anyone you care about on purpose. You care about all of us, when you could just be another rich snob like Chloe. You're different than what they market you as. THAT'S the guy I like."

She seemed a little breathless while speaking but, it was because she had to try extremely hard not to react the way she usually did when she was so close to Adrien. Her words were true and she finished it off with a peck on his cheek.

"Don't let your social status get you down. There are still people that care about the real you. And now I know why I always liked Chat Noir so much."

Adrien stared at her as she spoke, seeing her true words and his heart feeling heavy at his own words, his own moaning.

He felt stupid now that she told him all this.

Someone did like him for him.

Someone did want him for him.

He didn't even feel the kiss until she pulled back, just like she'd left on Heroes day.

He looked her in the eyes.

The distance between them was crossed in no time, with both hands on her cheeks, Adrien kissed Marinette on the lips.

Marinette was thankful that she'd wrapped her arms around him the moment his lips made contact with hers because she felt like she was about to fall over. Did Adrien just kiss her? Was this some kind of dream?

After a moment, she pulled back, a worried look on her face. "Wait, you're dating Ladybug!" Despite this not technically cheating since she WAS Ladybug, his behaviour should still be called into question given that he didn't know that.

"I-I need to know if this is really what you want."

"I..." He pulled back, why had he done that? Of course he was dating Ladybug! He was so stupid." Pulling back and walking away, he was bright red, looking down at the floor.

"I'm sorry.. I... I shouldn't have kissed you.." He bit his lip, looking at the mask.

"What... what if.." he reached over and picked up his mask. "What if..you date... Chat Noir..." He looked at her with an embarrassed look.

"What if you date Chat Noir, not Adrien Agreste..." He repeated himself, trying to get it into his own mind.

"Then its not cheating right? She has Adrien, she has that part of me." He motioned to the mirror, looking right into it as he placed the mask back on.

"And you have the real me.." he spoke softly, staring at his reflection.

She shook her head. That didn't seem right either. "If I have the real you then, that's not fair to Ladybug, is it?" Even if she did reveal herself to him now, she was starting to think that he may need to work on himself a little bit. He was so used to using Chat Noir to escape Adrien's obligations.

"There's something you should know..." With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, knowing she'd get chewed out for this later.

"Adrien... I'm Ladybug. If you didn't have that blindfold on, you'd have known it was me. I thought we had an understanding, that you knew that I liked you for who you are. But even as Ladybug, I wasn't good enough for 'the real you' until I spelled it out for you just now."

Her heart was as broken as the shards of ice that were melting on the floor. "Please tell me you weren't actually going to feel right dating two girls. That's not the Adrien I like. That's.....not you. But I'm glad I know where I stand." Tears welled up in Marinette's eyes, clouding the image of Chat Noir in front of her.

Adrien turned to face her at her words, it wasn't really fair on Ladybug was it? He was being exactly what he didn't want to do.

He was hurting people, he was being a dick.

"Marinette I..." he turned to face her, maybe she was right, maybe he was being...

His heart stopped beating as she revealed herself, revealing that he'd worn the blindfold to him, revealing what had happened...

He.. he..

"Mari... La..." He didn't know what to call her, he extended his hand out but then stopped."I..." He couldn't say anything that would help. He would just make this just even worse.

"I.. I'm sorry.." He finally spoke after what felt like hours, days, months, years... eternity..

“I'm... so sorry." He looked down. "I'm no hero... I'm a terrible person.. no better than some... douche bag in a club... no better than Hawkmoth." He looked at her again, he didn't want to see her crying.

He'd made her cry.

"I'm sorry.." He turned and ran, it was too much for him. He ran and ran. He ended up at the Eiffel Tower, the first place they'd met and fought Hawkmoth.

"I'm such an idiot!" He yelled. "Why did I do that to her!" He yelled again. Throwing his mask down on the floor, he felt like removing his ring... he felt like throwing it... he.. he.

"Ah, Chat Noir..." A new voice spoke in his ear, he turned quickly but there was no one. "You betrayed the one's who love you. You betrayed the one's you love. You are the worst kind of person... even more a villain than I." The voice continued. Adrien's head slowly raised.

"Hawkmoth?" He spoke back to the voice in his head.

"Yes Chat Noir, or shall I say, Adrien Agreste. Do not worry Adrien. I will not do anything against you. Go home. It's time you know the truth."

Turning to look back across Paris, Chat Noir made his way home.