Adrien panicked.

Not just because Ladybug was unconscious, but also because she began to detransform in his arms. First her black boots, then her black leggings, and when he started to see the beginnings of red fabric from a sweater dress, he forced himself to stare up at the sky. As much as he desperately wanted to know Ladybug's identity, he knew that it went against her wishes. To the very end, he had to respect what she wanted and this wasn't it.

So he gently picked up Ladybug's exhausted kwami and then slung Ladybug carefully over his shoulder, making it so all he could see were her legs and her shoes as he darted unseen through the darkness. There appeared to be no sign of butterflies or Alyssa, but even then, he couldn't be too careful.

"Hang in there, Ladybug," Adrien said under his breath before he finally leaped to the balcony of Master Fu's shop. To his surprise, it was unlocked, almost as if Master Fu expected his arrival.

Sure enough, Master Fu waited just downstairs, leaning heavily on his cane while wearing a grave expression.

"How is she?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"Not good," Adrien replied. "Can you help her? When this happened to me, it was Ladybug who healed me, but I can't do it."

Master Fu nodded. "I vowed to never use it again, but it looks as if I must. Set her on the cushions and I'll get to work."

Adrien hesitated, afraid to move should he accidentally find out her true identity. "I haven't seen her face," Adrien said quietly. "I know she wouldn't want it."

Thankfully, Master Fu helped set Ladybug down on the cushions while Adrien closed his eyes. It was torturous to have Ladybug right in front of him but not be able to see who she was. He could if he wanted to, but just imagining Ladybug's tear-streaked face when she found out he knew only firmed his resolve to look away.

"Tend to Tikki while I tend to Ladybug," Master Fu ordered and Adrien nodded, grateful for the chance to be able to help. He cupped the small black and red kwami in his hands and took her into the other room where Master Fu had laid out a variety of sweets. If this wasn't for the kwami, then Adrien had to wonder how Master Fu could survive off such an unhealthy diet.

He picked up a wafer and held it to Tikki's lips, and the poor thing ate it right out of his hand. Immediately, she regained some energy, but otherwise, it looked as if a good night's rest might do her some good.

Guilt pricked at him as he remembered Nooroo and how he couldn't do anything to keep the kwami away from Alyssa. Next time, he'd make sure to steal Alyssa's Miraculous instead.

"Thank you, Chat," Tikki said weakly. "Is Ladybug going to be alright?"

"I don't know," Adrien whispered. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Tikki nodded and when Adrien laid her against a small array of cushions set up on the table, she began, "Hawk Moth used the moths to suck out our energy, similar to what they did to you except slower. We couldn't leave—we couldn't even stand. Ladybug used her last energy reserves to capture all the akumas and de-evilize them so she could escape. You came just in time."

Adrien rested his chin on his arms, deep in thought as he fed Tikki another cookie. Focusing on the small kwami helped take his worried and frantic mind away from Ladybug. If she didn't survive, he didn't know what he'd do. He loved her so much. Nothing could ever change that.

"Why doesn't Ladybug want me to know who she really is?" Adrien asked quietly, thinking again how he could have seen the woman under the mask but chose not to. "Am I untrustworthy?"

"That's not why, Chat," Tikki said, lifting a weak red hand to touch Adrien's cheek. "She wanted to tell you, but I told her not to. It was too dangerous for both of you, especially with Hawk Moth's new power posing a threat. Unfortunately, I think I was wrong. You would have been able to protect her better if you knew her true identity. Please forgive me."

Adrien gave the kwami a sincere smile. "Nothing's your fault. If anything, it's my fault. I felt complacent to give up, but I shouldn't have. I had a chance to take Alyssa's Miraculous and I didn't. I only hope that Master Fu can heal her."

As if on cue, Master Fu appeared at the doorway and Adrien instantly stood at attention.

"Ladybug is fortunate that I was able to recreate the antidote that she gave you in the first place. With my own ancient Egyptian artifact, I was able to enhance the healing effects. She's barely conscious if you wished to speak with her."

Adrien started toward the door but then hesitated, glancing back at Tikki who watched with wide, nervous eyes. In the end, he shook his head.

"If she wants to show me who she is, she'll do it when she's ready. But I'd like to stay here just in case she needs me."

"Very well, Chat Noir. I have several spare bedrooms upstairs. If her condition changes, I'll let you know."

Reluctantly, he transformed back into Adrien and gave Tikki one last cookie before heading upstairs. After all, it had to be at least two in the morning and he felt exhausted. Dealing with Alyssa and then worrying over Ladybug took so much out of him. But now that Ladybug seemed to be on the mend, he could finally relax.

Adrien climbed into the first bed he could find and fell right asleep. However, a few hours passed before he bolted upright, breathing heavily as his nightmares took control. In his nightmare, he saw Alyssa stab Ladybug through the heart and Adrien had watched in horror as Ladybug fell and fell and fell until she smashed into the ground, all while he stood frozen to the spot. Watching Ladybug die was one of the worst things that could ever happen.

But then he let out a breath of relief as he found himself back in Master Fu's house, lying in bed, and nothing around him falling or dying. He was safe here. Ladybug was safe here.

A sound from down below made his ears prick up in surprise, but then he scowled as he realized that Plagg was nowhere to be seen. What was that mischievous kwami getting into this time?

Adrien slid out of bed and walked barefoot through down the hallway, down the stairs, until he located the source of the sound in the kitchen. Even the light had been turned on. Plagg didn't need lights... He worked much better in the dark and it proved to be much harder to catch him that way too. Were he and Tikki causing trouble? Trouble for Master Fu was the last thing he wanted.

He turned the corner abruptly but his scowl turned into a look of surprise as he found a woman standing with her back to him, on her tiptoes as she rummaged through the fridge, her long dark hair loose down her back.

"Sorry!" Adrien gasped as he quickly covered his eyes with his hands. He even heard Ladybug gasp and could only imagine the scowl on her face as she spun around to face him. "I didn't see anything, Ladybug, I swear. I thought you were Plagg causing mischief. I didn't even realize you were well enough to walk yet. I swear I didn't see anything."

Ladybug didn't say anything for the longest time, and for a moment, he thought she might have left so he started edging toward the door. Unfortunately, he ran smack into the door frame with his eyes closed. It was these times that he wished he had whiskers...

A light, feminine laugh filled the kitchen and Adrien sighed in relief. She didn't sound mad.

"Always the same clumsy Chat Noir," she said and despite not being able to see her, he smiled. "Thank you for bringing me here. But why didn't you look? I didn't look away when I first found out you were Adrien Agreste."

"Because, Purrincess, I couldn't stand the thought of you being upset with me. How are you feeling? I'm sure you're feline like you got ran over by a dump truck."

She laughed again. "Something like that. I'm just glad Master Fu could work a miracle."

Silence fell between them for a few moments and Adrien got an incredible urge to peek, so he decided it was time to leave. "I'll see you in the morning, then. Well, later in the morning. Enjoy your early morning snack."

He grinned while starting to back away, but to his surprise, Ladybug called after him. "Adrien, wait. I want you to know who I am."

Adrien froze, pouring over her words again and again in his mind. Did she just say what he thought she said? His heart beat excitedly at the prospect. "M'lady? I've only dreamed of you saying that to me for years. But you're not obligated to me for anything. If you want to remain a secret, I'll be okay with it."

"No," she whispered. "I want you to know who I am, Adrien. I need you to know. I can't live this lie any longer. Please, kitty. Open your eyes."

This moment felt so surreal, as if he were floating inside a dream. Never in his life had he ever thought this would happen. He almost felt as if this was a trick, so he tried to keep his hopes down just in case.

Very slowly, Adrien lowered his hand from his eyes and instantaneously, his jaw dropped as he stared back at an all-too-familiar face. Right now, she looked more beautiful than ever with her hair around her shoulders and her big blue eyes even bigger and bluer than he remembered, even though they stared back at him fearfully as if she felt afraid of what he thought.

"Marinette?!" he squealed, and he just couldn't help himself as he launched himself forward and wrapped her in a tight embrace, spinning around and around the room with her in his arms. "I'm so happy it's you! You have absolutely no idea."

He stopped suddenly and gasped. "You are one tricky Ladybug! I made a list of everyone you could be and Marinette was the first name I crossed off the list. I saw Marinette and Ladybug side by side!"

"It was an akuma!" Marinette laughed, looking more at ease in his presence. "I rollerbladed back in time to stop something bad from happening, and then there were two of me."

Adrien slapped his forehead, feeling completely dumbfounded. He had so many questions for her. There were so many things he wanted to say to her.

He gasped again as he gazed down into her eyes, realizing something right then, but then a sly grin spread across his face as he pulled her closer so their foreheads touched and they stared into each other's eyes.

"You said you were in love with someone else, Marinette. You didn't have feelings for Chat Noir. But then who did you have feelings for?"

A bright, rosy blush filled Marinette's cheeks as she tried to pull away from him, but he held her tight. "Kitty..."

"Say it," he beamed, really enjoying teasing her like this. It was completely different for the both of them, but perhaps it was something they could get used to. "Say it, bugaboo. Otherwise, you'll never escape!"

Her cheeks flushed even redder as he grinned triumphantly.

"I didn't know Adrien and Chat Noir were the same person," she finally said bashfully. "I've been in love with Adrien for about as long as you've been in love with Ladybug."

Adrien laughed gleefully and spun Marinette around some more. He couldn't think of a time when he had ever been happier in his life. His heart felt so buoyant and his feet felt as if they were dancing on a cloud. Not giving it hardly a thought, Adrien showered Marinette's face with kisses but before he could kiss her lips, he pulled away uncertainly.

"And do you still love Adrien?" he asked, hardly daring to hope.

Marinette nodded and whispered, "Yes."

"And what about Chat Noir?"

She smirked, giving him a teasing look. "Chat Noir is definitely an acquired taste. But yes."

At that moment, Adrien's heart felt as if it could explode with happiness. The woman he loved with all his heart loved him back. Even better, that woman was Marinette. How did he get to be so lucky?

He lowered his mouth to hers and she met him halfway, their lips touching with the most beautiful, long-awaited kiss. Her kiss warmed him from his fingers all the way down to his toes, and in that moment, he knew he was exactly where he wanted to be. Even though he felt as if he could kneel down and ask her to marry him right then and there, he held himself back. There would be plenty of time to be with each other. After all, Ladybug and Marinette was his past, his present, and most definitely his future.

When they broke apart, they were both smiling from ear to ear, at least until Marinette's knees collapsed on her and he had to catch her to keep her from falling to the ground.

"The kiss was that good?" Adrien teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You are so full of yourself, kitty," Marinette said, rolling her eyes as she swatted him playfully in the shoulder. "Those akumas really zapped my strength."

Adrien picked her up and carried her to the couch before bustling around the kitchen to get her everything she needed, including a steaming cup of hot chocolate and several cookies to snack on. In fact, he brought a whole plate of them—he had an appetite the size of a horse, after all.

"I love you, Mari," Adrien sighed as he snuggled up to her under a blanket, both of them enjoying steaming mugs of hot chocolate. "I wish you would've told me forever ago. Maybe you wouldn't have left Paris."

Marinette frowned as she absently stirred her drink with a spoon. "I left because my heart was broken. You never noticed me in high school, and then that girl kissed you during graduation..."

"You and I were friends in high school," Adrien said. "Besides, I was pining for Miss Heartbreaker herself. Do I even have to count how many times you snubbed me?"

The two of them broke into laughter and then snuggled even closer to one another. "Fair enough. I got pretty good at snubbing, don't you think?"

"I'd say..."

Another happy sigh escaped him. If only Marinette knew how much she meant to him.

After talking and snuggling for about another hour, they started drifting off to sleep in each other's arms and before Adrien fell completely asleep, he mumbled, "I'm glad it was you, Mari."

She smiled against his shoulder. "Me too, kitty. Me too."