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Adrien was about 90% sure that Marinette was Ladybug.
All the little things added up, he thought. The times she vanished, her excuses, Ladybug knowing all of their classmates by name, her freckles, her voice… He was slightly ashamed to admit how long it took him to realize that their hairstyles were identical.
But, because he wasn’t ABSOLUTELY sure, he hadn’t acted on it at all. Mostly. Talking to (at?) her more was normal because they were classmates. Winks? Winks were completely innocent. That one time they nearly kissed? It was for the movie! Nino had no right to keep giving him those looks whenever he caught him staring at her.
He couldn’t help but think about it all again while he was leaping across the rooftops near her home. He couldn’t help his heightened hearing either. How was he supposed to know she was on her balcony, talking with a small red blob?
(Her name was Tikki, Plagg supplied from somewhere in the back of his mind.)
His mind was spinning too quickly to parse exactly what was being said. Something about homework and being Ladybug, while Tikki tried to cheer her up. It continued to spin even after she dropped back down into her house.
He’d thought up multiple ways to confront her, multiple ways he could subtly drop hints to her about how he knew. In the middle of a particularly romantic confession filled with roses and sparkling lights, he realized that he had just knocked on her window.
This was not even close to anything resembling a good idea.
She had already seen him, and was on her way over to open the window. He couldn’t just leave now. He had no plan.
“Oh no, Chat Noir! What’s wrong?” She asked, rolling her eyes. She wasn’t trying very hard to mask her annoyance today. It was kind of cute. Very cute.
“Nothing much, Princess. Just in the neighbourhood. Can I come in?”
He didn’t even wait for her to respond before he hopped through the window into what looked like her bedroom. He was fairly sure his heart was about to shoot out of his throat.
“Sure! Come in! I don’t mind at all,” Marinette glowered at him before flopping back into her chair. The desk in front of her was covered in papers and textbooks, and he recognized at least 3 separate assignments that were due in the next few days.
“Homework? If you’d like I could stay and hel…”
Adrien saw it.
Her computer background was him. A collage of him, with hearts.
He stopped breathing, turning away quickly in an attempt to calm down. Unfortunately for him, he had turned to face a wall COVERED in posters and photos and magazine clippings, all of him. Adrien Agreste.
It took every bit of self-control he had not to start screaming as he sunk to the floor, shaking.
“Chat?” the Goddess in front of him sounded worried, “Are you okay?”
He was more than okay. He was so happy he thought he might cry. Would she be okay with him taking her name? Would her parents bake their wedding cake? Where should they go for their honeymoon? Did she want to live in a castle? Because he would have a castle built for her if she did. Maybe 3.
I’m fine, Princess. “Will you marry me?”
She pushed him back out the window.