Marinette was sleeping in her bed, dreaming happily about Cat Noir, when someone kept shaking her. She groaned sleepily and rolled over.

"Marinette, wake up!"

Marinette opened her eyes and was greeted by her best friend, Alya.

"Alya, what are you doing here so early?" Marinette asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Early? Girl, it's 1 o'clock in the afternoon!" Alya told her, laughing.

"Huh? What?" Marinette said incredulously. Did she really sleep in that long?

"You must have been up pretty late last night. Maybe... you got a secret visitor?" Alya said, leaning in towards Marinette with a teasing grin.

"W-what? Who would even v-visit me when it's date night - I mean, late at night," Marinette said, climbing out of bed quickly.

"I don't know, your secret soulmate perhaps?" Alya said, smiling.

"N-no!" Marinette said in a panic.

Alya started laughing. "I'm just joking with you, girl," she said.

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. It would be hard for her to explain that someone was in her house last night, and it wasn't just anybody - it was a superhero.

"Well anyway, come on, let's go do something. We haven't hung out in a while!" Alya exclaimed.

Marinette nodded happily. Everything was just perfect. Well, almost. She was dying to tell Alya that her soulmate wasn't just any boy - he was Cat Noir.

"Why don't we bake something?" Marinette asked eagerly.

"Yeah, girl, I've been craving cupcakes!" Alya responded. Marinette laughed as her best friend pulled her downstairs to the kitchen.

Later, after a day with Alya full of baking, watching television, chatting, and eating cupcakes, Marinette lay back on her bed, exhausted yet happy. Things were good with her best friend, things were good with her... boyfriend? Marinette didn't know what her and Chat were, exactly.

There was a knock on the window. Marinette smiled. Speaking of...

She crossed the room and saw Chat's face, grinning at her. He pointed at the balcony, clearly wanting her to come up onto it with him. She giggled and climbed up the ladder.

Stepping outside, Marinette felt the cold night air hit her skin. Chat Noir started to greet her, pulling her towards him.

"Mari-"

"What are we?" she said, interrupting him. He looked startled. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I was just wondering, are we dating? Am I your girlfriend?"

Chat Noir's eyes lost their confusion. "Of course, Marinette. Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?"

"I-I don't know. I just wasn't sure."

Chat smiled. "Dating you is the only thing I want."

Marinette realized it all at once, and she felt the urge to say it, just blurt it all at once. So she did. "Chat?"

"Yes?"

"I love you," she said nervously, staring up into his green eyes, which lit up. She didn't think he'd ever been more handsome.

"I love you too," he said, and even though he'd confessed that already she still felt her heart clench in happiness and butterflies fill her stomach. She stood on tiptoes to meet his lips and they shared a long kiss.

Marinette felt something weird. Sparks. Of course, she'd felt figurative sparks before with Chat, but as they broke apart, she saw actual sparks in the air and felt a sensation travel up the top of her arm.

"Chat? Did you feel that?" she asked. He nodded, puzzled. "Sparks felt like they were traveling to my shoulderblade."

"For me, it was my bicep," Marinette responded. Then she realized something. "Wait. Isn't that where your soulmate mark is?" She'd never seen it, as the suit was stuck to his skin, but he'd told her before.

He nodded. "And yours is on your... shoulderblade."

Marinette started to panic. "Do you think something changed? Maybe the marks-"

"Marinette. It's probably fine," Chat Noir said, his hand brushing her face.

She nodded, calming down with his touch.

"Why don't you look at your bicep and see?" he suggested.

That was a good idea. She took off her jacket, shivering a little, and twisted her head to look down at her arm.

There, printed in a square font, were the letters A.A. They were blue.

Marinette really started to panic. "What's going on? Who is that?" She twisted her head again and pushed her shirt aside a little. C.N. was still there.

Chat Noir looked at her arm. She couldn't read his expression.

"I don't understand. A.A? Do I have a... a second soulmate or something?" she asked, hoping it wasn't true.

He raised his head again and looked at her. "No, you don't have a second soulmate. That's just me."

"I don't understand."

"That's just me... Adrien." Marinette felt shock run through her body.

He spoke the words softly. "Plagg, claws in."

He detransformed, and there stood her soulmate... Adrien Agreste. A.A. His kwami flitted around him.

She couldn't believe it. Marinette just could not believe that all this time, they were the same person. She had gone through so much heartbreak! So much pain! She'd been so dense. If only she'd known all along, she could have saved herself a lot of hurt.

"Adrien," she breathed. Looking at him, she finally saw all the similarities between him and Chat. Yet, she also saw all the differences. Adrien seemed so much more free, not under such pressure, when he was in his superhero form.

"When I first met you, I thought my heart belonged to ladybug, but I was wrong. It only belongs to you," Adrien spoke, seeming nervous.

Marinette looked at him and took his hand in hers. "It's okay if part of it still belongs to Ladybug." He looked confused. She squeezed his hand tighter. "Adrien, I am Ladybug."

He didn't have time to say anything, a look of shock on his face, before she murmured the words, "Tikki, spots on."

She transformed. There they stood, Adrien and Ladybug.

"You're Lady-"

"Finally," a sarcastic voice interrupted. It was Adrien's kwami. "That took ages. You two sure are dense."

Adrien started to laugh, Ladybug joining in. "Marinette, or Ladybug, meet Plagg."

He cleared his throat. "I just - I can't believe you're her."

"I can't believe you're him!" she responded. Happiness was flooding her body.

He faced her, and took her other hand in hers. "This whole time, I've been fighting my heart to make it belong to you, Marinette, but it turns out my heart was right all along."

"It always was," she said.

This time they moved at the same time to kiss each other. It felt so familiar, yet so much better now that they'd revealed themselves.

Later, they were sitting on her bed, discussing everything and nothing, still holding each others' hands. Marinette had detransformed so they were both in their civilian forms. Adrien kept kissing her and she kept kissing him, delirious with happiness.

"Oh yeah, I should tell you, Alya knows I'm Chat Noir. She helped me with the poem and everything."

"She-she does?" Marinette asked in shock.

"Yeah. She was smarter than us," Adrien laughed. Marinette joined in.

"I wish we could stay here forever," she said suddenly. He smiled at her. "Me too."

The next day, Marinette woke up and felt someone breathing on her. She bolted upright, but instantly relaxed when she realized it was Adrien. They had accidentally fallen asleep together last night! She went closer to him and gently woke him up. His eyes fluttered open.

"Adrien, wake up, we have school," she said.

"Mari?" he asked, still dazed. He looked at his surroundings and realized he was in her room.

"I must have fallen asleep last night, I have to get going. With luck, Nathalie won't notice I disappeared for the night. I'll see you in a few hours at school," he said. He kissed her on the cheek briefly.

"I can't wait," she said.

"Plagg, claws out!" he said, then left, going out the window.

Marinette was left staring dreamily at her window, anxious for the next time she would see him again.

"Marinette, you have to get ready for school, or else you'll be late and won't see him until even later," Tikki said.

Realizing her kwami was right, Marinette jumped out of bed and ran into the shower.

When she was ready and had eaten breakfast, she ran to school and met up with Alya. Today was a big day, and in more than one way.

"Hey, girl!" Alya said.

"Hey Alya," she responded, practically skipping to a stop beside her best friend.

"You seem like you're in a good mood today," Alya noted.

"Well, spending time with your soulmate can do that," she said.

"Well, if this mystery soulmate can make you this happy, I'm happy for you girl. just wish I knew who he was..."

"Well," Marinette lifted her jacket and revealed the blue AA.

Alya looked at it and then smiled.

"I knew it! I knew your soulmate was Adrien!" Alya said.

"What?! There's no way that Adrien is Mari-trash's soulmate! He's my soulmate!" a voice said. Marinette sighed. Chloe.

Just as she had said that, Adrien arrived at school. Chloe ran up and hugged him.

"Adrikins! Mari-trash thinks that you're her soulmate! Can you please set the record straight?" Chloe asked.

"I can't do that Chloe, because she is my soulmate," he said, then lifted his shirt, revealing the cursive pink M.

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe said, storming off.

Marinette smiled at Adrien. He was perfect. "I'll see you in class." He nodded and set off, joining Nino near the doors.

"Alya, I need to talk to you, somewhere private," Marinette said.

Alya nodded and led them to a spot where they were alone. After checking to make sure no one was around, Marinette took a deep breath.

"Alya, you are my best friend, and I think it's time you know. I'm Ladybug," she said nervously.

There was a moment of silence, before Alya spoke up.

"I know, girl," she said, stifling a laugh.

"What? What do you mean you know?" Marinette asked in a confused voice.

"Well, after I put the pieces together of Chat Noir being Adrien, I realized the obvious and found out that you are Ladybug. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Alya said with a wink.

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette said.

"I better get an exclusive interview though, 'Ladynoir confirmed'!" Alya said, putting her arm around Marinette.

"Don't worry, you'll be the first person we go to," Marinette said.

"C'mon, let's get back to class. I'm sure there is a certain kitty cat that is dying for your attention," Alya said.

Marinette laughed. "I'm sure you're right," she said.

The two friends made their way back to class, Marinette's heart light and happy. She was no longer burdened with the heavy chains of the secrets she kept. After all the drama, she was finally free.