Unmasked: The Final Reveal

Revealed

Tide Wave laughed, gripping his akumatized fishing rod as he watched Ladybug and Chat Noir struggle against his indestructible fishing line that tied the pair together at their waists. Ladybug's yoyo and Chat Noir's pole lay in a box guarded by Tide Wave's henchmen, which weren't really men. As if this whole fiasco of getting captured right in front of tourists crowded on the Eiffel Tower's newly installed floor platforms wasn't crazy enough, the guards had fish for heads. Thankfully, that meant they wouldn't hear very well. Fish don't have ears, right?
"I must go!" Tide Wave announced dramatically, standing on the edge of the platform on the Eiffel Tower. "I have to win the fishing competition! That useless mayor's daughter sabotaged it all, just because my son didn't her her a birthday present. She will pay, they all will! Enjoy the view," he waved at the heroes, lassoing the fishing line tied to his rod to a nearby building in a Spiderman-like way. The villain continued his lasso traveling technique, tying himself to building after building as he headed for the local port.
Ladybug tugged at the fishing line with all of the strength she possessed, but it just seemed to tighten around her and Chat the more she tried.
"Boy, we really messed up this time, didn't we?" Chat Noir asked, half joking, half serious, also continuing a fruitless struggle against the fishing line.
"What, giving up already?" Ladybug replied through gritted teeth, but she was getting tired too. It was a good thing they were tied back to back so Chat couldn't see her face. He mustn't know that she was on the verge of giving up as well. Suddenly, she perked up as an idea popped into her head.
"Of course, why didn't I think of it before? Try to use your Cataclysm," she suggested to her partner, flinching as a beep from her earrings signaled that her Miraculous was running out.
"I've never tried doing it when my arms were tied to my sides, so there's no guarantee of a scratch free experience!" he warned her, but clenched his fists as he prepared himself. How badly Chat wanted to turn around and face her... Though he had to admit being pressed up together like that wasn't that bad either.
"It's alright," Ladybug replied, "just please hurry! I used my Lucky Charm too soon, I'm going to transform soon."
"As you wish, My Lady," Chat Noir smirked to himself, knowing his use of his favorite nickname had at least just earned himself an eye roll.
"Cataclysm!" he yelled, his claws emerging from his fingertips as he tried to spread his arms and cut through the fishing line. Not only did the fishing line remain tight as ever, Chat's claws came in contact with the platform that held them up on the Eiffel Tower. It crumbled around Ladybug and Chat, creating a perfect circle around them and dropping the tied heroes down level. The pair yelled in surprise and flinched as their butts collided painfully with another platform, which luckily enough had only been a couple feet below the first one.
"I can't feel my tail," Chat groaned over the sounds of the fish mens' frantic footsteps from the level above as they ran around in confusion.
"I thought all cats were supposed to land on their fe-" Ladybug froze, mid-tease as her earrings gave another beep: the last warning. "I'm going to transform!" she cried out, knowing she only had seconds left.
Going against all his deepest desires, Chat assured her he wouldn't look. "It means so much to you, if you want to keep it a secret, I won't peek," he promised Ladybug. He forced himself to shut his eyes as he felt a woosh behind him that signaled she was transforming into her civilian self.
Ladybug shut her eyes, feeling a dazed Tikki fly out to float beside her as she transformed. Marinette watched her kwami, now sitting on her leg, for a couple minutes as she wondered what to do now. Thankfully, Chat had made a smart decision to keep his puns to himself at the moment.
"Wait," she whispered, an idea forming in her brain. "Tikki, can you try to untie me and Chat?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Hopefully her partner wouldn't be able to hear much of a difference between Ladybug and a shaky, less confident Marinette.
Chat Noir perked up, eyes still squeezed shut. "Excellent thinking! Still brilliant in civilian form, eh?" he joked, though his heart skipped a beat. Maybe if they were untied, he would be able to sneak a peek... But no, he couldn't. He had to respect his promise to Ladybug.
Marinette rolled her eyes, and Tikki nodded sleepily and began to work at the knot tying the pair at their waists.
"We need to get you some food," Marinette glanced at Tikki, concerned as she watched her yawning kwami work.
"There," Tikki announced, untying the knot with one last dramatic pull. The fishing line evaporated, and Marinette and Chat, with his eyes still squeezed shut, jumped up and cheered, waving their arms to finally get blood circulation flowing again. Over their whoops of excitement, neither of them heard Chat's ring beep a warning of transformation.
"I can't see at the moment, but I know something still smells fishy," Chat attempted lamely at a pun, waving his arms around wildly. "We've got an akuma to defeat, I think."
"Woah woah woah, kitty, not so fast," Marinette grabbed Chat Noir's wrists to stop him from smacking her in the face. "You still shouldn't open your eyes, and I need to transform back. You know what? Stay here," she told him, letting go of his wrists and turning to leave. "I'll be back as Ladybug and we can stop Tide Wave together."
And with that, Marinette hurried off the platform back to the ground, blue eyes searching for her parents' bakery.
-
Chat sat criss cross applesauce on the platform, faithfully waiting for his lov- err, Ladybug, to return. He'd always wondered what she looked like in her non-hero form, but he'd never given it too much thought. Did she live near him, go to his school? Or did she live on the other side of Paris, miles away? What was her name? Did he even know her? It looked as though he'd never find out.
Chat was brought back from his reverie at the sound of footsteps, raising his fists defensively as he opened his eyes, expecting to see Fish Men.
"I'm back," Ladybug chided, back in hero form, laughing at Chat's reaction to her unexpected return.
Chat couldn't help but laugh too as he lowered his arms. His green eyes widened in panic as his Miraculous ring beeped its final warning: he only had seconds before he transformed.
"I have to go, I-" he began, turning away and sprinting towards the exit. He was cut off as an exhausted Plagg emerged from his ring, transforming Chat Noir back to Adrien in a dramatic flash of light. The blonde boy cursed silently, glaring at his kwami, turned away from Ladybug.
"You couldn't wait 5 more seconds?"
"But I got tired!"
"Now she knows!" Adrien groaned, face palming himself. His back was still to Ladybug, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around and face her. He knew she'd caught a glimpse of his face.
Plagg floated over Adrien's shoulder, watching Ladybug. "She looks speechless to me."
He wasn't wrong.
It had only been a second, but Ladybug had seen. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. Adrien Agreste is CHAT NOIR?! Her knees wobbled, on the verge of giving out as realization washed over her like a wave. Her mouth dropped open, and she stood there, completely speechless, watching the back of her partner, her friend, and now her crush. Chat Noir and Adrien were so different, were t they? But at the same time, Ladybug and Marinette seemed almost completely different people too. And Chat's hair was so similar to Adrien's, how could she have not put the pieces together?
Adrien took a deep breath and turned around to face Ladybug, waving at her awkwardly. His confidence plummeted when he saw her face, and a blush creeped up his cheeks.
"This is not the kind of speechless I was hoping for," Adrien hissed at Plagg, unsure of what to do next.
Ladybug put her hands to her mouth, watching the boy turn around, confirming Chat Noir's true civilian identity.
"A-Adrien?"