A Miraculous Tale

Chapter 18

Ladybug waited anxiously for Chat Noir's reaction. And, to her relief, a genuine smile spread across his face, and a happy twinkle appeared in his bright green eyes.

"Marinette?" He asked. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, Chat." She whispered. "It's me."

Chat laughed. Not mockingly, but joyfully. He put a hand on his partner's shoulder. "It all seems so obvious, now that I think about it! I couldn't figure it out before, but now that I think back, all signs point to you!" He ran a hand through his hair. "Marinette!" he exclaimed. He hugged Ladybug excitedly, and when he finally let go, he still hadn't stopped smiling. "Was it you who answered my love poem?"
Ladybug smiled a little bit, although she was embarrassed by her answer. "On Valentine's Day? Yeah. That was me. I found your poem and I answered it. And being the human disaster that I am, I forgot to sign the card." She laughed nervously. "Not the first time that's happened, though."

Chat Noir laughed. "Well, it was a wonderful poem. I still have it." Then, he smiled again. "Wow, so that whole time we were talking to your parents at the event, you must have been trying so hard to stay in character. Your parents were talking to you about you, and you just had to pretend you were someone else who is also technically you. Wow. Good job. I applaud you." He stood up.

Ladybug stood up beside him, bowing teasingly.

Chat grinned. "And after all my trying to figure it out, you were really one of my friends from school. You've been right in front of me this entire time." Chat detransformed, and Ladybug followed suit, once again becoming an ordinary girl in a tattered dress.

Adrien Agreste took Marinette's hand. She blushed and met his perfect, sparkling, forest-green eyes. "Marinette, I would just like to say how much I really and truly love you."