A costume party at school. That's what Alya had told her. Just come for a few hours and then Marinette could leave, work on whatever project she had cooking up next. She had been stressed out recently, and hanging out with her friends would be fun! A small break from the insanity of whatever she had going on. Marinette didn't want to come, of course, she had been way too busy. But as usual, Alya didn't listen to her and, also as usual, Alya was right.

After many hours of pestering, Marinette finally agreed. She would come to the costume party, be social, dance, for two hours. Then it was right back to studying.

She should've known Alya had a few tricks up her sleeve.

The first was made very apparent when Marinette showed up in a cute, but casual Halloween themed outfit, only to be met with everyone in costume. From the waffle and chicken duo of Alix and Kim, to the godly skill Nath and Marc had put into their makeup, costumes of all shapes and sizes were spread throughout the courtyard. Even Chloe had dressed up!

Marinette stuck out like a sore thumb. Her, the fashion designer, the one who had volunteered to make everyone's costume year after year, suddenly showed up in nothing. She could see the surprise and shock on quite a few of her classmates' faces. It wasn't a particular happy feeling, on top of the fact that she didn't really want to be there.

It was a good thing that Alya just so happened to have a spare costume on her. Even better, it was a costume that would fit Marinette. And, oh would you look at that! It matched the costumes Alya, Nino, and Adrien would be in! Marinette just had to wear it now, it would be such a travesty to let such a golden opportunity go to waste. Plus, matching with Adrien would always be an added bonus.

So Marinette, feeling self-conscious and a bit light-headed at the thought of Adrien, grabbed the costume from Alya and rushed to the nearest bathroom. It wasn't until she saw the black costume fabric that she remembered what Alya had dressed up as. Rena Rouge, and Nino went as Carapace. There was only one superhero who ran around Paris dressed in black leather.

Her partner.

And that was how Marinette Dupain-Cheng was stuck going as Chat Noir for Halloween.

Thank goodness Chat Noir wouldn't show up, otherwise she would never hear the end of it. Especially if he knew she was Ladybug. But he didn't know, and there was no reason for him to show up to a random school's Halloween party, so Marinette thought she was in the clear.

Emphasis on thought.

Because that was the thing about her partner, he always shows up when she least expects him to. Sometimes it was at her balcony, sometimes it was helping out a random civilian, sometimes it was sneaking into her school to attend a costume party dressed as Ladybug. Sure, why not?

Marinette first spotted him while taking a sip of punch. She had just excused herself from Rose and Juleka to go get a drink, when a blonde man dressed in dark red approached the snack table. His eyes were human, but she would recognize the green anywhere. Especially when they were surrounded by a domino mask.

His eyes caught hers, and widened. He was obviously not expecting to see her there, which was stupid because she was a student and he wasn't. How'd he even get in? Did he just decide to crash a random party? Did Alya put him up to this?

She should go over there and give him a piece of her mind. Show him that there is no way that she was going to let this fly. He shouldn't be there, and showing up was incredibly irresponsible of him. But, if she went over there he would most likely get to talking and then she would lose her chance. Attention is what he wanted, and there was no way she was going to give into temptation.

But oh, did she want to drag him by the ear and give him a piece of her mind.

Her dilemma was solved for her when he began to walk towards her, nervous and timid. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

They hadn't interacted a ton as Chat Noir and Marinette, but she wasn't gonna let that stop her.

What was going to stop her was the first word out of his mouth.

"Ladybug?" He whispered, catching her off guard.

It made sense if she thought about it. She recognized him even though he wasn't suited up, only logical the same would go for him.

"Chat Noir." She hissed. His eyes widened and his gin turned sheepish.

"You recognized me?"

"Of course I did. What the heck are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, m'lady."

"Well, I, you see... " Her mind scrambled to try and come up with something that wouldn't give her away. "I was invited."

"What a coincidence, so was I." He flashed that grin that drove her insane, but she secretly loved.

"And you decided to go as me?"

"Hey, I'm not the only one who decided to pay a homage to their partner. And let me just say, you work the black well, m'lady or perhaps you're the kitty now?"

Ladybug scoffed, but she had to admit that his costume fit him well.

"I suppose your costume isn't half bad either." She glanced over it. It wasn't your typical Ladybug costume, instead going with a much more regal look. There were smaller black spots dotted all across his costume, the domino red and black mask looked like something out of an old fashioned masquerade ball, a cape was fastened around his neck. But the true star? The dark red velvet the costume featured. "Where in the world did you get it?"

"I actually got it commissioned." He scratched the back of his neck. "My father wasn't going to let me show up in anything less than perfection."

"Is that real velvet?" Ladybug asked, reaching out to touch the cape, before pulling her hand back, embarrassed.

"Sure is! Here." He gave her a broad grin and held out his cape for her.

"Wow." She whispered, eyes practically popping out of her head.

"I'm sure the designer would be thrilled to know the real Ladybug approves." 

"Just how rich are you?" Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You know what? No, I do not."

"That's what I thought." The grin was back. Ladybug shook her head, but she was smiling. "And what about you?" He asked after a moment.

"What about me?"

"Where'd you get your costume?" He smirked.

"You just want me to inflate your ego."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I can't deny that I'm very curious about why you chose a certain superhero."

"Well, you know what they say about cats and curiosity." Marinette tapped his nose.

"Ah, but I'm not the cat tonight, am I?" He wiggled his eyebrows. Ladybug pursed her lips.

"No, I suppose not."

"So..." He trailed.

"So?"

"Why'd you go as me?"

"Why do you want to know?" Ladybug's arms were crossed, but a smile never left her face.

"I just want to know what was going through my beloved partner's head."

"Insanity." She muttered.

"Hey! I heard that!" Chat Noir pouted.

"Well, it's true, you drive me insane sometimes." She leaned forward and smirked.

"Fine, fine." Chat Noir held his hands out in surrender.

At that moment, the song changed from some sort of techno-pop to her favorite song.

"I'll make you a deal." Chat Noir said.

"What?" Ladybug asked through gritted teeth.

"I'll drop the costume IF you dance with me." He held out his hand.

Ladybug weighed her options for a few seconds. On one hand, Chat would stop pestering her and she couldn't deny he looked good in that costume. Really good. On the other, she would be dancing with Chat to her and Adrien's song.

She let out a long sigh before taking his hand. The expression on his face made up for any downsides.

"You better not let me regret this."

"I purromise you, bugaboo, you won't." He lifted her hand up to his lips, before leading her out.

Her hands found their way to his shoulder as his arms curled around her waist. Being this close, her senses were all too attuned to his presence. He smelled like pine and fresh air and cheese and a bit like Adrien the Fragrance. It was surprising at first, but it fit Chat.

He was graceful too, more than she would've figured. He led her around the dance floor with ease, to the point where Ladybug didn't even notice they were waltzing until they were on the other side of the courtyard. Despite her clumsiness, they hadn't tripped up once. 

"You know, this is the first time I've ever been to a Halloween party." He said suddenly.

"Really?" Ladybug was shocked. "I always pegged you as a party guy."

"Nope." He shook his head. "I don't really get the opportunity, you know? And most parties I have to go to aren't very fun. I have to put on a mask, smile and nod, I can't eat as much as I'd like and have to dance to music I don't like." He sighed.

Ladybug's heart squeezed. Her image of Chat Noir was constantly changing whenever she got the rare moment of seeing who he really was. At first he was just a joking flirt, an annoyance, even if he was growing on her. But the more she talked with him, really talked with him, the more she realized he wasn't at all what she first thought.

"I'm so sorry." She said softly. Chat Noir shrugged.

"It's not all bad, really. But I am grateful to be here tonight." His eyes drifted around the room, taking in the music, the decorations, the costumes, the students. He loved the atmosphere, he always did. "It's all so beautiful." He muttered, his eyes falling back on Ladybug.

Was it the trick of the light, or was she actually blushing?

"Yeah." She was quiet.

"The ambience of it all. Seeing people my age milling around and acting natural, acting like kids. I'm still learning how to, so seeing events like this are just so special. I mean, you'd never see two kids betting on how many cupcakes they can fit in their mouths at the parties I normally go to."

"You're still learning how to be a kid?" Ladybug repeated. Chat Noir nodded shyly.

"Yeah. In fact, I didn't get to go to school until I got Plagg. I was always homeschooled and the one friend I had was not the best, to say the least."

"Oh."

A small part of Ladybug was going into emergency mode, sirens blaring to shut the conversation down before it was too late. The rest of her compelled her to learn more, to help him. He was supposed to be her partner, right? Her very best friend? What type of best friend would not listen to the other who obviously needed help?

"I always imagined you surrounded by a ton of friends." She admitted. 

"Pfft, maybe now that's accurate, but when I first started going to school I only had one. Because of my toxic friend, people were hesitant to get to know me. They all had their groups you know? I couldn't exactly become best friends with people who had gone back to when they were five."

Ladybug nodded.

"And sometimes even then it's not easy." She said off-handedly.

"Oh?" His eyebrows raised. Ladybug sighed.

"Until I met my current best friend, I didn't really have anyone. I was close with my whole class, yes, but like you said, they all had their own groups. It wasn't until the beginning of last year that I got my own."

"Wow."

"Surprising?" She asked, smiling wryly.

"Yes, actually. I always pictured you being a class leader with too many friends to count, you're a natural with people."

"So are you."

Chat Noir laughed.

"LB, I'm like, the most socially awkward person I know." 

"Okay, that has to be an over exaggeration. There's no way."

"I once complimented two of my classmates on how close of a friendship they had. They were dating and had been for a year." He deadpanned.

A snicker escaped Ladybug before she reeled it back in.

"No, it's okay, you can laugh."

"Well I mean, if they weren't that physically affectionate...."

"Ladybug I on my first day of school, I didn't know what to do when they called my name. So after the guy I was sitting next to explained, I yelled 'Present!' and I mean, yelled. Everyone was laughing at me." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"There's no way!" Ladybug laughed.

"Oh, but there is, cuz it happened."

"Well I don't be-."

"Whooo! Go Mari! Get your mans!" A yell interrupted whatever Ladybug was about to say.

"Damn Adrien, I see you!" A similar cheer directed towards them, rose up over the sound of the song.

Because while Chat had tried to focus on staying away from his classmates, he couldn't deny he got a bit caught up in Ladybug. Accidentally leading them right where Alya and Nino had been spending their evening. The same Alya who had given Marinette her costume and the same Nino who had been Adrien's ride.

He felt Ladybug (MARINETTE) tense up, her hands slipping from his neck down to her side. When he looked back over at her, he felt his head split in two. That was Marinette. Those were her eyes, her freckles, her expressions. But he saw Ladybug in the girl just as easily. That was her hair, her laugh, her face.

All of his memories split in half, before mixing into one beautiful cacophony and suddenly so many things began to make sense.

Why was Ladybug at a Halloween party at a random school? Even if she had been invited, she didn't seem like the type. Unless she was a student and wasn't expecting anyone to recognize her as her superhero self.

Why was she dressed like him? That was the theme Alya and Nino had decided on, roping her and him in on it.

Why did he feel an unexplainable pull to the cute classmate that sat behind him? Because she was his crime-fighting who he saw everyday.

Why did calling Marinette feel so wrong? Because he was in love with her, and always had been. 

"Adrien?" Marinette (how he had not seen it earlier?) whispered.

"Hi, Marinette." He whispered back, grinning widely.

"Oh my God." She whispered. "Oh my God. Oh my God!" She got louder every time. "Adrien!" She cried.

"Is that okay?" He asked, suddenly worried. He was ecstatic that Ladybug was Marinette, had hoped for it on multiple occasions, but what if she didn't feel the same way? What if she hated him? What if he was wrong and they weren't friends as civilians? What if she only hung out with him because she was forced to? What if-?

"Yes." She chuckled, and he suddenly realized her eyes were watery. "It's perfect actually."

"Hey, please don't cry." His voice cracked half-way through.

"You're crying too!" She accused, a smile splitting her face.

"Am I really?" He suddenly realized that yes, he was in fact crying. "They're happy tears, I swear."

"I know Adrien, I know." She placed her forehead on his. "I can't believe you're him."

"Can't relate. I've had my suspicions since Kwamibuster."

"Really?" Marinette whispered.

"Really." He said back, all too aware of her lips, so close he could feel her exhale. "No one else could be so amazing to be Ladybug, and no one else could be so amazing to be Marinette."

"Adrien, I..."

"I know, I know, you love someone else, but this changes nothing for me." He said, closing his eyes and preparing for rejection yet again.

"You." Marinette said, so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

"What?" He breathed, eyes snapping open.

"You, you're the one who I... well you know." She grinned sheepishly.

Adrien moved his hands from her waist to her shoulders and gripped them tightly.

"Please Marinette, I need to hear it from you."

"You're the one who I love." She said, all in one breath, face beet-red. Adrien didn't care, he grabbed her and lifted her up, spinning her around. "Adrien! Put me down!" She laughed.

"Never! I just found you and now you think I'm going to let you go? You've got another thing coming, m'lady."

"Set me down or I'm not kissing you." She taunted.

"Really?" Adrien set her down, eyes wide. "You'd really kiss me?"

"W-well I mean, isn't that normally something people in love do?"

"R-right because I'm in love with you, and you're in love with me. So therefore we're in love, right, right." He nodded his head.

"So is that a no for the kiss?"

"Absolutely not." Adrien pulled her in, close enough to feel her breath. "May I?"

"Of course." 

And to think Marinette could've missed out on finding her one true love if she had just stayed home. It seemed as if Alya had gotten what she wanted after all, and played a key role in her two favorite couples becoming official. She would never let Marinette forget it, and would most likely bring it up any time Marinette didn't want to take a break, but Marinette didn't mind. That Halloween was one of the best nights of her life, and if this was the price she had to pay to be with Adrien, so be it. To think she was so close to remaining blind, to going home as soon as the clock hit the two hour mark, to giving up her chance for any of this happening, well, she would forever be grateful for Alya's persuasive skills.

And needless to say, Marinette ended up staying a lot longer than two hours, never leaving Adrien's arms.