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Revolution

They both stayed frozen in place, with Marinette staring at the beret, and with Adrien staring at Marinette. He watched as her face paled and tears came to her eyes.

After what felt like an eternity of nothing, she finally reacted by stuffing the beret into the bag.

"Please," he begged softly. "Please be careful with that. That's the most precious thing I own."

Hearing his request, she finally moved her gaze up to look at him. "It's just a beret," she whispered, trying her best to pretend that there was nothing wrong.

"No, it's not. It's so much more than that." He reached over and clasped her hand in his. "You asked me yesterday what I was looking for at that fabric shop. And I'm not afraid to tell you the answer anymore. The truth is that I was looking for the girl that made this beret for me. I was looking for Ladybug."

Silence for a moment before Marinette tearfully asked a question. "And why were you looking for Ladybug?"

"Because," Adrien whispered, leaning in closer. "I'm in love with her."

At his explanation, Marinette had to look away. "How... how can you be in love with someone you don't even know?"

"I know enough. I already know that she has the most beautiful heart of anyone I've ever met. And over the last few weeks I've learned even more about her. I know that she's an only child who lives with her two parents. I know that she knows how to make clothes. And I know that she has dark hair."

She shook her head, still avoiding eye contact. "How could you possibly know all of that?"

"I know because I'm the one who spends the most time with her." With his free hand he hooked one finger under her chin and lifted her head up to look at him. "Every clue she let slip brought me closer and closer to finding out who she is."

"You spend the most time with her?"

"Yes. We talk almost every day. Usually we're sitting back to back..."

One tear escaped down Marinette's face as she listened to him continue.

"But sometimes we sit face to face. And now that I've finally found her, I'd like us to sit face to face every time we talk from now on. Whether we're still transformed, or not, I want nothing more than to look into her beautiful blue eyes." When he was done speaking, he hesitantly waited for her response.

It took a minute before she was able to whisper the first word. "Kitty?"

"Yes, M'lady?" Adrien replied.

"This isn't possible."

"I used to think the same thing. But it's true. I swear on all nine of my lives."

Silence passed between them. Then another tear started falling as a faint smile crossed Marinette's lips. "It is you."

"Yes," he said, smiling back. "It's me. We're together. We've always been together."

Her smile brightened slightly while she nodded. "We've been together the whole time. It's been you and me..."

"Against the world."

And Marinette let out the tiniest bit of a laugh. "Yeah, against the world. Just like always." She stopped to tilt her head. "You were looking for me."

"I was looking for you," he whispered in confirmation. Moving his hand from under her chin, Adrien wiped some tears away. Then he cupped her cheek and pulled her toward him.

But he wasn't going for a kiss. Instead, he pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

Marinette closed hers too.