Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’m telling you, Sugarcube. We gotta do something.”

Tikki watched as her fellow kwami floated back and forth across her holder’s balcony. She hadn’t seen Plagg pace like this since Adrien’s dietician had put the boy on a dairy-free diet for two weeks last spring prior to a swimsuit runway show.

He rubbed his black velvet head with his paws like he was trying to soothe a headache. Not that kwamis ever got actual headaches, of course. She forced back a smile as he reminded her of one of Marinette’s freaking out sessions.

“First, it was getting out of that school of theirs—“

“They graduated, Plagg. It’s what human teenagers do in this country.”

“—so they couldn’t see each other there. Then that jerkwad of a dad of his starts working my kid fourteen hours a day over the summer.”

“Adrien knew what he was getting into,” Tikki reasoned.

“Then, your bug starts even more school; and just as my kid’s modeling schedule lightens up, office hours are added to his plate. And then, the New Year rolls around and Chat Noir and Ladybug decide to scale back patrols to every other week? What is wrong with them?!”

“Sometimes it’s every week.”

Plagg turned to face the red kwami, and threw out his stubby arms in a wide gesture. “They’re supposed to be getting closer together, not drifting further apart!” 

“I know, but they are just starting their adult lives and need to figure things out on their own. Make their own choices.”

“Oh, believe me, no one needs to learn how to make their own choices more than my boy, but he is making bad choices when it comes to his Lady Pigtails.”

“You know she doesn’t wear her hair like that anymore.”

“And what about you? ” Plagg pointed an accusing paw at Tikki, ignoring her comments. 

“Me?!”

“What exactly are you doing to try to help the situation, huh?”

“Nothing, Plagg. I’m not going to manipulate my holder’s love life.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you should,” Plagg grumped.

“We can’t. It isn’t right.”

Plagg swooped closer and took Tikki’s paws in his own, looking into her deep blue eyes with his acid green ones. Tikki almost gasped. She hadn’t seen Plagg this serious since before the fall of the Roman Empire.

“Tikki, you know those kids are meant to be together. You’re the kwami of creation. You know when two people are made for each other. The longer they're apart, the longer it will take and harder it will be for them to find each other again. You know what could happen if they don’t. I don’t want to see that again.”

Tikki did know. She’d seen their holders drift apart before. She knew the consequences. It wasn’t pretty. She didn’t want that for Marinette and Adrien. They were the best Ladybug and Chat Noir they’d ever had.

“So what are you suggesting?” she asked cautiously. “That we tell them the truth about their identities and what will happen if they remain separated? You know we can’t do that.”

Plagg shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. I think all they need is a little nudge—put them in the right places at the right times. A push of luck, you could say.” 

He winked and a sly grin stretched across his feline features. That rarely led to anything good.

“What kind of push?” She was still feeling skeptical (I mean, this was Plagg we were talking about after all—the imp of destruction, chaos and misfortune), but she was willing to listen. She knew how much he genuinely cared for his latest kitten.

“Oh, you know. A well-timed suggestion here. A deleted item from a calendar there. They just need opportunities to spend time together. Their stupid, human, teenage hormones should take care of the rest.”

Tikki rolled her eyes. Plagg could be so tactless, but he wasn’t necessarily wrong….

She hummed, taking a moment to weigh the pros and cons. Finally, she snapped her eyes back up to her counterpart, her decision made. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Plagg’s ears perked up and his tail curled happily.

“Let’s do it. They deserve some happiness.”

“Yes! See? I told you agreeing with me wouldn’t make the universe collapse.”

“The jury’s still out on that, but if we’re going to do this, I have some ground rules.”

“Of course you do.”

“One, we can't tell them each other’s identities.”

“Naturally.”

“Two, nothing too overt, so no locking them in a closet or anything.”

“Aww, you’re no fun.”

Tikki ignored that. “So how long do you figure this will take? A month?”

Plagg scoffed. “I give them seven days. After that, I bet you ten wheels of my precious camembert that my kid won’t be able to keep his paws off her.”

Tikki groaned and ran her paws down her face. “Why did I let you talk me into this?” she asked, exasperated. She looked at her partner seriously and placed her stubby paws on her hips. “So, what’s the plan?”

“How does your girl feel about rock concerts?”

Chapter Text

Saturday, 8 February

Marinette bounced on the balls of her feet, she was so excited. She had listened to the demos Jagged Stone had sent her so that she could design the cover art for his newest album, but hearing them performed live with thousands of fans was going to be so amazing! 

She had gotten there early and was listening to the warmup band do their sound check when someone bumped into her.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” the offender apologized. “I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s okay. I’m not very… tall…” The last word almost died on her tongue when she saw just who had bumped into her.

Her eyes widened and mouth fell open when she took in the tall young man with messy blond hair standing next to her.

He gaped back at her. “Marinette?” 

“A-Adrien.” She felt a touch of heat on her cheeks when she heard herself stutter. She hadn’t stuttered around him in years. 

“It’s so good to see you!” he enthused.

Before she knew what was happening, he had wrapped his arms around her middle and lifted her off her feet in a tight hug. 

He’d always been strong, but the ease with which he lifted her made her feel like a featherweight. She noticed he’d gotten taller since the last time she’d seen him, too.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the hug—strictly to keep herself from slipping out of his embrace, of course. Falling on her butt in front of her former crush would be so embarrassing.

Her cheek was pressed against the side of his face. He had recently shaved and his skin felt like velvet against hers. 

She would have been fine if not for the deep breath she took just then. The scents of his cologne and hair products filled her nose and conspired to draw a satisfied hum out of her. So much for not embarrassing herself. She desperately hoped he didn’t hear it.

He lowered her back to her feet and tucked his hands in the pockets of his designer jeans.

“Wow. How long has it been?” 

Two hundred seventeen days. 

Yes, she knew the exact answer to his question, but she wasn’t going to admit it to him. She didn’t mean to count the days since the last time she saw him. She was over her obsessive crush, but the habit was so ingrained from years of pining for him that her brain involuntarily updated the tally every morning when she woke.

“Not since graduation,” Marinette answered instead.

His bright smile dimmed. “Has it really been seven months?” He ran one of his hands over his hair, making it even messier than before. He really needed to stop doing that. “I guess I’ve been so busy with work, I didn’t notice. I’ll have to do something about that.” He met her eyes again and managed a small smile.

Wait…. Was he…? “Are you wearing guyliner?" she blurted out without thinking.

Adrien laughed. It was the full-body laugh with his eyes closed that made his shoulders shake and sounded like pure sunshine. She’d only heard it on rare occasions. It made her feel warm all over every time.

“Yeah, I am.” He shrugged, still wearing his happy smile. “I was in the mood and it seemed appropriate for the occasion.”

Marinette managed to smile back. “It’s working for you.” It really was. The subtle outline drew even more attention to his eyes, not that he needed to draw more attention to them. They were already his most striking feature.

Adrien ran his fingers through his hair again, this time combing it back away from his face. He puffed out his (rather well muscled) chest and struck a pose. “Why thank you, mademoiselle,” he teased. “An artist is always gratified to hear their work is appreciated.”

It was clear that he was trying to mock his craft, but Adrien couldn’t fight against years of training and muscle memory. His attempt at looking ridiculous failed. He was gorgeous.

Marinette forced herself to laugh and lightly shoved her friend in the shoulder. “Dork.”

Adrien ruffled his hair to mess it up again while laughing with her. Seriously, he needed to stop doing that. Every time he touched his hair, Marinette felt her fingers ache with the old impulse to run her hands through his golden locks.

“So who are you here with?” Adrien asked. He had casually returned his hands to his pockets.

“I’m actually on my own tonight. My ticket was a gift from Jagged. That’s how I ended up in the VIP section. I guess he really liked my album cover design. He really is a sweetheart.”

“Wow. What is this, the third one you’ve designed for him?”

“Uh-huh.” Marinette was trying to downplay it, but she really was quite proud of her work.

“That’s so amazing, Marinette.” The girl held her ground and merely smiled at the praise, successfully rebuffing the blush that threatened to bloom on her cheeks. “Wait, he goes through the effort of getting you a concert ticket but only gives you one?”

“Oh, it wasn’t just the ticket. He also gave me a signed advance copy of the finished album and this limited edition concert tour shirt.” She gestured to the shirt she was wearing.

“Hey! We match!” Adrien pointed out delightedly, gesturing to his own shirt. 

How had Marinette not noticed before? She was a fashion student. Granted she was only in her second semester, but she was usually pretty observant of what people around her were wearing. 

Not to mention that it was her album art that graced the fronts of their white shirts.

“I should get you to sign mine,” he said offhandedly.

Marinette blinked. Twice. “I’m sorry, sign your what?”

“My copy of Jagged’s new album. It seems only right. You signed the first two you designed. I’d like to keep my collection complete.” He winked.

Marinette laughed and thanked her lucky stars that it wasn’t the nervous titter of a fourteen-year-old anymore.

Get your head out of the gutter, girl.

“Sure, Adrien. I’d be happy to.” She looked past him. She didn’t recognize the middle-aged man standing on his other side. “Who are you here with?”

“No one. Nino was busy and none of my work friends are fans of Jagged Stone’s music.”

She mock-gasped. “Heretics.”

Adrien nodded sagely. “That they are. So I decided to come by myself. But it looks like I got lucky and get to be here with a friend anyway.” He gave her a fond smile. It was the same smile he had given her all through lycée. It used to make her blush, just like everything else he ever did, but Marinette had grown accustomed to it as they developed a warm friendship their last few years of school together. 

The house lights flashed and the arena buzzed with anticipation.

“Oh! It’s starting!” Marinette was bouncing on her toes again as the opening band started playing. She focused all her attention on the stage. They were pretty good.

After their set, all the lights were dimmed and a bass beat started pounding out a steady rhythm. The crowd caught on and started clapping along to the steady beat. The tempo increased and the excitement grew. Marinette was practically trembling in reaction to the energy in the air. 

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

When the excitement reached a fever pitch, their patience was rewarded with a spotlight on a lone figure rising on a platform from a hole in the middle of the stage. 

Jagged Stone had made his entrance.

The crowd exploded in a wave of cheering and screaming.

Marinette was jumping and screaming right along with them. She was dimly aware of Adrien whooping at her side.

She looked at him and he turned his gaze down to meet hers. She saw her exhilaration mirrored in his face. They grinned at each other before returning their attention to the main event.

This was going to be great. She just knew it.

“That was awesome!” Adrien crowed at the end of the night. They were slowly filing out with the rest of the concert goers.

“I know, right?” Marinette agreed enthusiastically.

They were both slightly damp with sweat after dancing and jumping so much in a packed arena while singing along to every familiar lyric. Adrien didn’t care. He was still riding the endorphin and adrenaline high from attending a great show.

“I’m really glad you were here tonight, Marinette. It was so much more fun with you than it would have been if I was by myself.” 

When was the last time he’d smiled so much—really smiled because he felt like it, not because he was at an event or being directed to by a photographer?

“I’m glad we ran into each other too, Adrien.” Her cheeks were still flushed and her eyes were even brighter than usual, and that was saying something. She had the brightest blue eyes out of anyone he’d ever seen—except for Ladybug, of course.

“Oh! Before I forget, let’s get that album signed.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward merchandise tables.

Marinette laughed as she let him pull her along. 

He suddenly dropped her hand. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have just grabbed your hand like that. That was presumptuous of me.” He rubbed his neck and tried to laugh it off, embarrassed.

“Adrien,” Marinette laughed again, “it’s fine. There are a lot of people and I don’t want to get lost in the crowd.” She slipped her hand into his and stepped into line.

Okay. Okay, good. This was good. Marinette wasn’t one of those girls who read way too much into his actions whenever he was simply being friendly. She was one of his oldest and dearest friends. He let himself relax.

“Unless of course you have a girlfriend,” Marinette continued, “then it wouldn’t be fine and we’d have to come up with something else.” She looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow.

“Nope. No girlfriend,” he assured her. “You? Any jealous boyfriends I should be on the lookout for?”

“Nope.” The way she popped the ‘p’ was adorable. “Just me.”

“I think we’re safe then.” He gave her palm a brief squeeze.

They made it to the head of the line a few minutes later. 

He told the curly-redhead behind the table that he would like a copy of Jagged’s newest album, and dropped Marinette’s hand to retrieve his credit card from his wallet. Adrien handed it to the girl and waited. She ran his card then checked the name against his ID. 

Here it comes.

Her eyes went wide. She snapped her eyes up to his face and made a muffled screeching sound. 

“Monsieur Agreste!” she whisper-shouted. Her eyes were shining with glee. Adrien plastered on the smile that he used when handling his fans. So far she was doing her best to not draw attention to him. He appreciated that. “Here’s your CD and your card back.”

“Thank you.” Marinette took the album while he put his card away and tucked his wallet back in his pocket.

“Did you enjoy the concert?” the girl asked.

“I did. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a marker, would you? My friend here is the genius behind the cover art, and I would like her to sign it.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t.” She spared Marinette a glance. “Friend? Not girlfriend?”

“Well, I am a girl and his friend,” Marinette spoke up, slipping her hand back into his.

Adrien missed the flustered look on the cashier’s face as he smiled at Marinette. 

“Have a good night.” Marinette waved the CD at the girl and led Adrien over to the coat check.

Adrien leaned in to whisper in her ear as soon as they were clear. “Thanks for the save.”

The tips of Marinette’s ears went pink. Adrien had always thought it was adorable how she blushed whenever she was paid a compliment. There were not many modest people in the fashion industry.

“You’re welcome.”

“I am disappointed that she didn’t have a marker, though.” If he had been transformed, his cat ears would be drooping.

“Don’t worry about it. I promise I’ll sign it eventually,” Marinette consoled him.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” He took the CD from her. It was their turn at coat check.

He and Marinette fished their claim tickets out of their pockets and handed them to the attendant. Soon after, they muttered their thanks as they were given their coats.

“Are you still living at home?” Adrien asked. 

“Yeah,” Marinette answered, struggling to get her coat on.

“Here, let me help you.” He stepped behind the girl and held her coat for her. She slipped her arms into the sleeves, and he tucked it over her shoulders. 

Her black-blue hair was up in a spiky bun, appropriate for a Jagged Stone concert. Adrien noticed how attractive her exposed neck was from this angle. That was an odd thing to notice. He chalked it up to exhaustion from a late night following a long work week.

“Thank you.” She fumbled with something in her coat pocket and pulled out a long, pink scarf. 

“That’s a really nice scarf,” Adrien commented. “Where did you get it? I’ve only ever seen one other like it.” It was almost identical to his favorite blue scarf. He shrugged on his own coat and tucked his purchase in his pocket.

“This? I, um, made it.” She looped the scarf around her neck.

“I didn’t know you knit.” He took her hand again as they navigated the crowd.

“I don’t do it that often.” Her cheeks were tinting a rosy pink.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s great that you have so many skills.”

The people leaving weren’t pressed so close to them once they made it outside, but the parking lot was a mess. Adrien was glad he left his car at his apartment tonight.

He stepped up to the taxi stand.

“Well, it was great to see you. Good night, Adrien.” She went up on her toes to exchange parting cheek air kisses.

“How are you getting home?” he asked as he bent down to oblige her.

“Metro.” She kissed the air next to his right cheek and was turning to do the same to his left.

Adrien straightened up and narrowed his eyes at her.

Marinette was unprepared for his abrupt movement and tripped over thin air. Adrien caught her elbow with his free hand to steady her out of habit.

“Excuse me? You’re planning on walking home alone after dark—by yourself.”

“I do believe that is what ‘alone’ means.”

“I’d feel a lot better if you took a taxi.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a worrywart. I’ll be fine. Besides, taxis are overpriced anyway.”

“I’ll split it with you.”

A black sedan with a “TAXI” sign bolted to the roof pulled up. Adrien opened the back door and held it open for her to get in.

“Adrien, you're being ridiculous.”

“Marinette, I want to make sure you get home safe.” He could see her starting to put up her defenses. He resorted to using the saddest kitten eyes look he could manage. “Please."

She lasted about four seconds. “Okay, fine! Just stop giving me that look,” she groused.

Adrien assumed a neutral expression until she ducked into the car. He let a satisfied grin overtake his features when she released his hand and slid over to make room for him. He stepped into the car and pulled the door shut.

Marinette gave the driver directions to the bakery. She looked out her window and stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. She was obviously tired. Adrien decided to let her enjoy the silence as their driver dealt with the traffic.

“Nino said that you got your own apartment?” she asked after a few minutes.

“Yeah, I did. It’s really nice being on my own and out of my father’s house.”

“It sounds lonely,” she said quietly.

Adrien shrugged. “I’m used to not having many visitors, but it’s really nice having my own space to just ‘be’ at the end of the day.”

“I thought about moving out, but it’s just so expensive, and I don’t know if I’m ready to have roommates.”

“Perks of being a spoiled rich kid,” he teased. “I thought about getting a hamster when I first moved, but I had a lot of last-minute business trips come up over the summer.”

Marinette snapped her gaze to his. “You like hamsters?”

“I’ve always wanted one.”

Her tired eyes shone with excitement. “Me too! What would you name yours?”

They discussed hamster names until the sedan pulled up in front of the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Pâtisserie.

Adrien got out first and held the door for Marinette, offering his hand as she stepped out. He didn’t notice how his hand was still wrapped around hers as he shut the car door and walked the few steps with her to the family entrance on the side of the bakery.

She unlocked the door and twisted the knob, but paused before pushing the door open. She looked at him, and Adrien was mildly startled by how close together they were standing. He knew he needed a shower to wash away the concert stench. She smelled like sugar cookies.

“Are you okay with waiting a minute?” she asked.

He nodded, swallowing. 

She smiled and pushed the door open, entering and stepping aside for him in invitation.

Why was his mouth watering? It must be all the delicious smells coming from inside.

Adrien stepped into the dimly lit bakery. Marinette closed the door and pulled off her studded black ankle boots. “Wait here just a minute and I’ll get a marker and sign your CD.” She flipped the lights on as she headed to her mom’s office.

Adrien pulled the jewel case from his coat pocket and listened to the sounds of Marinette moving through the kitchen.

There was a clatter and an “oof.”

“You okay?” he called.

“I’m fine,” she called back.

She emerged a moment later with a marker in hand.

Adrien passed her the album, and she signed it with a little heart dotting the ‘i’ just like she always did.

“Thanks, Marinette.” He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. “You’re the best. I’ll see myself out. Have a good night.”

Marinette merely gave him a little wave. 

Adrien shut the door securely behind him. The taxi was still waiting for him. He would have been fine going home as Chat Noir, but at least Marinette had forgotten to pay her share of the ride. Adrien was happy to pay the full fare. 

Adrien entered his apartment shortly after midnight and face planted into his mattress.

“So…” Plagg drawled out. “Did you have fun with your girlfriend?”

Adrien turned his head to glare at his kwami. “Plagg, how many times do I have to tell you? Marinette is not my girlfriend; but, yeah, I had fun.” A lazy smile spread across his face. “It was good to see her again.” He sat up and scratched his hair. “I can’t believe it’s been seven months since we hung out last. Something just always came up whenever she, Nino, Alya and I planned something.”

“Yeah, you should do something about that. You don’t want your dad dictating your schedule for the rest of your life.”

Adrien sighed and stood up. “I know. I’m going to take a shower.”

Plagg waited a minute after he heard the water turn on to swipe his chosen’s phone. He typed in Adrien’s password and opened the messaging app he had buried on the device.

[Stinky Sock] My boy is showing promise. How’s your girl?

[Sugarcube] She finally rebooted after that cheek kiss.

[Sugarcube] She’s doing a little stress sewing before bed.

[Stinky Sock] Are we a go for tomorrow?

[Sugarcube] My girl will be there for sure. Were you able to free up your boy’s schedule?

[Stinky Sock] I’ll do it as soon as he’s asleep. Don’t worry. He’ll be there. *cat wink*

[Sugarcube] Okay. See you tomorrow.

[Sugarcube] Don’t forget to erase this message thread!

[Stinky Sock] Consider it done. Goodnight, Sugarcube.

[Sugarcube] ‘Night.

Plagg double checked that their message thread was empty, locked the phone and returned it to the dresser top.

He figured he had an hour before his kitten would be asleep and he could zip over to the mansion to clear Adrien’s schedule on Pantsuit’s tablet. Then all he had to do was break the thing so that she couldn’t reschedule him in time. It would be as simple as breathing on the contraption. 

Easy as cheese pie.

He settled down with a wheel of camembert to wait. He released it from its packaging and breathed deeply. It smelled divine. He couldn’t understand why his kid turned his nose up every time Plagg generously offered him a bite. Ah, well. More for me.

He was watching cheese tasting videos on Adrien’s computer by the time his human was out of the bathroom. 

“Good night, Plagg. Don’t stay up too late.” Adrien flicked off his lamp and rolled into his blankets.

“G‘night, Kid.”

Chapter Text

Sunday, 9 February

“You look beautiful!” Rose smiled as she carefully adjusted the veil that had belonged to Mylène’s late mother.

Mylène turned to see herself in the mirror. Her dearest friends in the world were all standing behind her. It was her first time getting a glimpse of herself after they all helped her get ready for her big day. Tears slid down her cheeks as she took in all that she was seeing and feeling.

Juleka rushed forward with a handkerchief just as Mylène went to wipe her tears and bent over to dab gently at her cheeks. “Don’t ruin your makeup.” Juleka muttered and smiled at her sweet, petite friend, her own eyes filling with tears. “You look perfect.”

Mylène smiled back at Juleka and twisted side to side as she admired herself in the full-length mirror. The delicate cut-out lace of her off-the-shoulder bodice accentuated her curves and gave way to a full skirt that just barely brushed the floor. Her dreadlocks had grown out past her shoulders, and she’d made some different color choices over the years, but Mylène was still known for her multicolored hair. It stood out beautifully against the stark white of her gown and not only did she feel beautiful, but still very much like herself thanks to help from the people who knew her best.

“I only look this amazing because of all of you. Juleka, you did such an amazing job on my makeup and Marinette… this dress!” She slipped her hands over the curve of her hips and into pockets that Marinette had hidden in the seams. “And look! It has pockets!” She glanced back and forth between her long-time friends with a look of absolute glee on her face.

“Okay. I’ll admit that actually is pretty cool. If you ever convince me to wear a dress, Mari, it better have pockets.” Alix leaned back against the wall and tucked her hands into the pockets of her fitted black blazer. The sleeves were rolled up her forearms to reveal the dark pink lining that matched her high-top sneakers; a signature of her own that stood out against her formal suit.

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Alix. You look better than any of us would in what you’re wearing. It suits you.” Marinette smiled at Mylène and reached out to take both of her hands. “It’s only beautiful because you are, Mylène. Ivan is one lucky guy.”

A knock at the door caught the attention of the room filled with friends, and Alya cracked the door open a smidge to see who it was. “Oh! Come in, Monsieur Haprèle!” She opened the door the rest of the way and gestured for him to enter. “Time’s up, ladies.”

Fred Haprèle walked into the room and smiled at Alya and the other girls. “Thank you so much, girls, for taking care of my…” His eyes found his daughter across the room and he stopped in his tracks. “...my Mylène.” His eyes welled up with tears and he rushed to her side as Marinette and Alya ushered everyone out of the room to give them a moment alone before the ceremony.

Marinette gently closed the door behind her and turned to her friends. “We should all get to our seats. It’s almost time.” The girls chatted about their excitement and how sweet Mylène is with her dad while they walked down the aisle to the front rows, waving at some of their other friends as they passed.

“Alya! Right here!” Nino was waving from the second row and gestured to the seats he had saved next to him. He seemed self-conscious without his hat, but he cleaned up nicely.

Alya turned to Marinette, who was marveling at the beautiful greenery and fairy lights adorning the edges of the main aisle in the dimly-lit chapel. “You coming, girl?”

“Oh.” Marinette looked up at her best friend and shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I might sit with my parents, let me just find them and…” She noticed that Alya was staring oddly at Nino. Turning to look at him, she noticed that he was mouthing something, the end of which looked like ‘any minute’. He stopped as soon as he noticed Marinette looking at him and smiled innocently.

“Umm…” Alya turned back toward Marinette. “I’m sure they’re fine on their own. Ivan and Mylène are the first of our friend group to get married. We should really be enjoying it together!” She looked over to where she saw Tom and Sabine seating themselves near the back of the room. “There they are, and they’re way in the back. You won’t even be able to see much from back there. You need to be up front with us.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow, skeptical of why her friends were so determined to keep her close. It reminded her of the ridiculous things they used to do to get her and Adrien alone together, but that couldn’t be what was happening. Last she had heard from Nino, Adrien wasn’t even going to be able to come to the wedding. As much as she’d loved seeing him the night before, she didn’t expect to see him for a while. It had been one day since she had seen him, and tomorrow it would be two.

“Okay, let me just…” She smiled over at her parents, who waved back. Sabine made a small shooing motion with her hand. They seemed to want Marinette to enjoy herself without worrying about them. “I guess they’re fine.” Sitting next to Alya, an empty chair on her left, she turned around in her chair to look toward the back of the chapel, wondering when the ceremony would start. She spotted Luka sitting with Rose and Juleka and made a mental note to catch up with him later that evening.

“Hey, Marinette! Is it okay if I sit here?”

She turned to find Adrien standing in the aisle, looking at her with a warm but uncertain smile on his face.

“Adrien!” She jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him. “Of course it’s okay! I didn’t think you were coming.”

He willingly returned the hug and smiled wide at her as she pulled back. “Neither did I. I thought my schedule was packed. I checked it again this morning and unexpectedly had the evening free.” Delight was written all over his face.

They took their seats and Adrien said a quick hello to Nino and Alya before returning his attention to Marinette. He leaned into her space and spoke quietly. “I’m glad I made it in time.”

“So am I. I had such a fun time with you last night. Maybe we can get a repeat.”

Adrien moved a bit closer, an air of playfulness surrounding him. “I’ll definitely do my best, but last night will be hard to beat. Maybe if Jagged was playing here too.” He winked and bumped his shoulder against hers, causing a slight blush to cover her cheeks. 

A moment later, a wedding march began to play. Marinette stood along with the rest of the guests, turning once more toward the back of the chapel. 

Ivan stood with his mother, dressed in a standard, but well tailored suit that he looked confident in. Everyone watched as they made their way slowly to the front. Ivan’s mother dabbed gently at her eyes with a handkerchief the whole way.

Ivan stood in place and turned to face the doors where his beloved fiancée would soon appear. 

Fred and Mylène soon came into view. Father and daughter walked arm in arm up the aisle, matching looks of pride and admiration on their faces as they gazed lovingly at one another.

Marinette turned just in time to see Ivan’s reaction to seeing his bride make her way toward him, and toward their life together. His stoic facade crumbled, tears spilling over his cheeks. He struggled to keep his hands clasped in front of himself, having to keep reaching up to wipe away more tears.

Marinette heard a sniffle next to her and turned to see Adrien getting similarly choked up. He was staring wide-eyed at Ivan and Mylène as Fred tearfully passed her off to the man she would spend the rest of her life with. A single tear slid down his face. 

Marinette reached up and brushed the moisture from Adrien’s cheek. She smiled up at him, her own eyes wet with tears. He reached over and took her hand, lacing their fingers together.

She leaned lightly against his shoulder as they watched the sweet display in front of them. 

Ivan and Mylène’s vows were beautiful expressions of love and thankfulness that they had found one another so early in life. They exchanged rings and their sweet, soft kiss ensured that there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. 

Slowly at first, the room erupted in a chorus of applause, cheers, and whistles. The happiness felt for this devoted couple finally coming together as one was manifested audibly, filling the chapel, and all of their hearts, with joy.

Adrien observed with disdain how frequently Luka was looking at Marinette. He had always liked Luka, but Nino had told him about the musician and designer’s amicable split when Luka left on tour with his band. It made no sense to try to make a relationship work when Luka would inevitably leave again.

Marinette was attending the design school of her dreams, in Paris. All her friends were in Paris. Her family was in Paris.

Marinette’s entire life was there, in Paris, with him, Adrien thought to himself. Well… not with him, with him, just near him. In Paris, much the way his life was also... in Paris. If Luka was going to try to seduce her into leaving it all behind for him, he was just being selfish.

“Adrien! Who would have thought the model would be the only one not ready for the picture.” The photographer, a friend of Fred’s who had done a bit of work for Gabriel in the past, grinned at him.

Snapping out of his daydreaming, Adrien apologized for his rookie mistake and readied himself for a series of group photos. They stood in the garden outside of the banquet hall, trying to utilize the last bit of daylight before the sun finished setting.

After they got several photos of all of the friends together, Adrien pulled Nino aside while the newlyweds and their families continued posing.

“Hey dude, having a good time? I’m glad you could make it.” Nino snatched a glass of something bubbly from a passing tray and downed it in one go.

Adrien chuckled at his best friend’s antics and threw an arm over his shoulder. “Yeah, I‘ve really missed everyone, even though it hasn’t really been that long since school.”

Adrien scanned the area before his gaze settled on Marinette, who was laughing while talking to Alya and Nathaniel. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his best friend watching him.

Nino smirked and set down his glass before wrapping his arm around Adrien. “Yeah, man. Uh… everyone…” He pointed over to his girlfriend and her best friend, clearing his throat. “...missed you too.”

“What, Alya? We saw each other last week.”

Nino reached up to adjust his hat before he realized it wasn’t there, and instead shook his head. “Bro, you are so dense.”

“Are you talking about Mari? I just saw her last night.”

Nino dropped his arm and took a step back, looking Adrien in the eye. “You did?” He grabbed another glass from a waiter and sipped at it.

“Yeah, we ran into each other at the Jagged Stone concert. We hung out all night and then I took her home.”

Nino nearly choked on his drink. “Sorry, what? Mind saying that again, bro?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, Nino. You know how I feel about Marinette.”

“Nah, man, I’m not sure I do.”

They were interrupted by a large group of wedding guests pushing past them to enter the banquet hall where hors d’oeuvres and plenty more drinks were being served. 

Adrien took advantage of the diversion and approached a table that held a bevy of different finger foods. He grabbed a plate and started filling it blindly as he looked around the room. From his vantage point he could see the majority of his friends; the happy couple chatting with some family members, Juleka and Rose admiring each other’s outfits, and Marinette… throwing her arms around Luka’s neck and kissing him on the cheek.

“Wow, Adrien. You must really love spinach puffs.” Alya sidled up next to him, putting an end to his jealous observation.

Looking down at the plate he had been loading up mindlessly, Adrien realized he had transferred nearly the entire platter of spinach puffs to his plate. It was impressive, really. “Oh, uh…”

“Or were you just distracted by a certain old friend who you’ve recently… reconnected with?” Alya leaned closer, a suggestive smirk stretching across her face.

Adrien quickly returned the majority of his spinach puffs to the serving platter and huffed. “I see you’ve been talking to Nino. Him and his conspiracy theor—“

“My dude, you know I share everything with my woman.” Nino came up behind Adrien holding his own plate of food, causing him to startle and drop a few puffs.

Adrien popped a spinach puff in his mouth and gave each of his meddling friends a pointed look while he chewed. “You’re imagining things, both of you.”

Nino and Alya shared a knowing look.

“Oh, they’re totally hiding something.”

“No doubt, babe.” Nino took a bite of his mini quiche as he watched Adrien stare at Marinette. “Wow, he’s really threatened by Luka, huh?”

Alya laughed as she began serving herself. “Clearly. He has no reason to be though. Luka has a g—”

Adrien held up a hand in a halting motion. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

Alya looked up at where her best friend stood smiling up at Luka, and then back to Adrien, who couldn’t seem to stop looking over at them. “I got this, Sunshine. Luka and I need to catch up.” She turned toward Nino “Care to join me, my love?”

Nino quickly grabbed a few more things for his plate and turned to face her. “You know I’d follow you anywhere. Let’s go make sure my bro has some alone time with his lady.”

Adrien sighed and walked off to talk to Marinette.

Talking to Marinette had become infinitely more relaxed once Luka had gotten embroiled in a discussion about the best equipment for sound quality with Alya and Nino.

Adrien told her a bit more about his business-side work at his father’s company as well as some of the fun photo shoots he’d gotten to be a part of. He listened as she spoke animatedly about how much she was learning at ESMOD and how much she loved her classes and her professors. He loved watching her talk about her passions. It was intoxicating.

For whatever reason, staying together felt like the natural thing to do. Even when they were talking to other people, they were standing next to each other, usually with their arms or backs brushing gently together. 

While Adrien expressed to Juleka how excited he was to hear Kitty Section play together, after splitting two years previous, Marinette chatted with Nathaniel about the comic he and Marc had recently published. A brief loss of contact distracted them from their respective conversations. They turned toward one another, hooking their arms together with shy smiles on their faces, neither saying a word.

“Come on you two, dinner is being served.” Alya passed close by them, a look of amusement on her face. “We’re all at the same table, so follow me.” She led them toward the table where Nino was already sitting with Alix, Alix’s plus-one, and another couple neither of them recognized.

Adrien was thankful that he didn't need to justify his sudden inability to be apart from Marinette for long. They both sat at the beautifully decorated table, the candles casting flickering light on their faces in the dimly-lit room.

In an attempt to talk to someone other than Marinette that night, Adrien turned to introduce himself to the couple on his left. He spoke four languages and was learning a fifth, and it was still not enough to be able to strike up a conversation with Ivan’s German extended family.

Marinette wasn’t faring any better in her attempt to talk to Alya.

“Sorry, girl. Nino wants me to help him go over his setlist one more time during dinner. I don’t want to do it during the speeches, so I need to focus.” Alya smiled apologetically at her best friend and turned back to Nino.

Adrien and Marinette both looked over at Alix, but she was busy chatting with the friend she invited. The two turned back toward one another, smiled, and happily resigned themselves to giving the other their full attention.

Dinner was served and they gratefully indulged in the delicious meal, reminiscing about their time as classmates and other fond memories of their friend group. Adrien was impressed by Marinette’s incredible memory for details surrounding the various akuma attacks Paris had been plagued with over the years.

At some point Marinette dropped her napkin, bent to pick it up, and sat back up. Her hair had fallen into her face and Adrien didn’t even hesitate to brush it back behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her neck for a moment before he pulled his hand away to take another bite of his meal.

“I think that counts as two,” he overheard Alya whisper to Nino. “We officially skipped into double digits.” She scribbled something in her ever-present notebook and nudged Nino with her elbow.

“What counts as two?” Marinette asked curiously as she leaned over to see what Alya was writing.

Alya quickly covered the page with her arm and smiled innocently at Marinette, pointing at the earbud in one of her ears to indicate that it had something to do with Nino’s music. Shrugging it off, Marinette turned back to Adrien and touched his arm while she told him a story about how many cakes her dad had to make for her birthday one year.

Nino grinned while Alya suppressed a squeal and made another mark in her notebook.

A distinct tapping on the side of a wine glass signaled the beginning of speeches given in congratulations of Ivan and Mylène’s union. Fred Haprèle stood from his seat next to his daughter and took the microphone, his shaking hands betraying him in his attempt to keep his emotions under control. He cleared his throat and turned toward the happy couple.

“Ivan. Mylène is the single most important part of my life. I never thought there would be someone who I could fully entrust with her happiness, but getting to know you over the years has changed that for me. I came to realize that you, and you alone, are capable of giving my daughter the love, companionship, safety, and joy that she deserves to have every single day of her life. The two of you are in possession of a love that most people can only aspire to.” He smiled at Mylène. “Patient, kind, and communicative… you work through your differences and disagreements as a team. You are already modeling what a healthy marriage looks like, and I am so happy that you found each other.”

Fred’s speech continued, eliciting tears, laughter, and sighs of adoration from those in attendance. Several more speeches and toasts were given as everyone finished their dinner. When an old man who turned out to be Ivan’s grandfather stood to speak, Nino leaned over toward his friends. “This should be the last one. I’m up next.”

“Knock ‘em dead, Babe.” Alya kissed him and he left the table.

Adrien reached over and squeezed Marinette’s hand to get her attention. “I’m gonna go use the restroom. Save me a dance?”

“So when’s the wedding?” Plagg flew up by Adrien’s face with a smug look on his face.

Adrien snatched the kwami out of the air with his soapy hands and checked around the bathroom before letting Plagg go again. “You’re lucky no one else is in here. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He finished rinsing his hands and began drying them. “What are you talking about, anyway? The wedding already happened.”

His kwami rolled his eyes. “I’m talking about you and Pigtails.”

The pink hue came to Adrien’s cheeks almost instantaneously once the suggestion was made. “What?” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked away, embarrassed. “Marinette doesn’t feel that way about me. You know that. And… she doesn’t even wear her hair in pigtails anymore, so stop calling her that.”

Plagg stared blankly at him and sighed, shaking his head. “There’s so much wrong here,” he muttered. “Okay, first of all, you can’t just assume you know how she feels when you haven’t asked her out or anything. Second, I hate human emotion and even I can see that you’ve got it bad, kid. Third, what I know is that the only thing that has ever held the two of you back all these years is yourselves.”

Adrien let out a long sigh, unwilling to acknowledge the truth of Plagg’s words, and unable to force himself to deny it.

“Whatever, Loverboy, just get back to Marinette and figure it out for yourself. When it turns out I’m right, you can pay me back with gooey camembert.”

Walking out of the bathroom without another look at the obnoxiously observant kwami, Adrien made his way back to the table while Mylène and Ivan were sharing their first dance. 

Seeing Marinette at the table, chatting quietly with Alya, Adrien determined to not rush her in any way. They had been having fun together over the weekend; there was no reason to assume that she wanted it to be more. He could take it slow, just be a close friend, and let things progress naturally over the course of the next few months if she wanted them to.

“—might go finish catching up with Luka before he performs.” Adrien heard Marinette speak as he came within earshot.

...or, Adrien’s rampant imagination supplied, instead of things progressing nice and slowly over the next few months, she could take his inaction as disinterest and run off with her fickle ex-boyfriend who chose a band tour over her.

In a moment entirely lacking thought, Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and pulled her toward the dance floor just as a few other couples joined the newlyweds.

Marinette pulled back on his hand before they arrived. “Hey, are you okay?”

Adrien turned around and stepped closer to her, rubbing the back of her fingers with his thumb. “I am. Sorry. I shouldn’t have just pulled you away like that. I really am sorry.” He raised his free hand to the back of his head. “If you don’t want to dance, we can go back and sit.”

Marinette closed the short distance between them. She bit her lip and looked up at him hopefully. “No, it’s okay, I want to dance with you.” She let out a breath when he nodded and smiled, pulling her to his side and leading her more slowly out onto the dance floor.

As he held her close and placed his hands gently on her hips, Adrien had to resist the urge to caress her. The delicate fabric of her emerald green cocktail dress felt soft and buttery, and Adrien just wanted to run his fingers along her it. The urge only increased when Marinette’s hands slid slowly up his chest, fingers brushing softly against his neck as she draped her bare, toned forearms over his shoulders.

She stepped even closer, pressing her body against his and resting her head gently on his chest. Adrien hoped his increased heart rate wasn’t too noticeable as he raised his hands from her hips, feeling the bow at the small of her back before resting on the bare skin above it. The contact sent a thrill down his spine as he tried to wrangle his thoughts to keep them from wandering.

They danced close like that for what felt like a blissful eternity until, much to Adrien’s chagrin, Nino cued up a higher tempo song, and couples started pulling away from one another. He selfishly held her in place for an extra second before changing dance styles.

Watching her laugh and have fun was maybe the most beautiful he’d ever seen her. He spun her around and was entranced by the way her skirt flared out and she managed to stay effortlessly balanced on her strappy, green satin heels. He faltered as she finished her rotation, a giggle escaping her smiling lips as she found his eyes once again and looked like she was having the time of her life. She was completely enchanting.

He. Was. Doomed.

Somehow he managed to get back into the rhythm of the music and continued dancing with the beautiful girl in his arms. He held her close at every opportunity and kept his eyes on her at nearly every other moment as they danced the night away.

After what felt like too little time, the music stopped and Nino addressed the crowd.

“Alright, you guys have been on fire! Another hearty congrats to the newlyweds. Hashtag couple goals, am I right?”

The room filled with applause as Ivan and Mylène waved and clutched at one another. Ivan bent to plant a passionate kiss on her lips, and Mylène didn’t hesitate to grab at his shirt and pull him even closer. After a moment Ivan effortlessly lifted her up, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Nino whistled. “Ow ow! Save it for the honeymoon suite!” 

Ivan and Mylène grinned and kissed once more before Ivan set her down, their hands slipping together effortlessly as they stood side by side.

Nino grinned right back at them and leaned toward the microphone once more. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my absolute pleasure to invite the groom to our stage where he will be showing off the other use for those massive biceps of his! Reuniting for this special occasion, one night only, our favorite band from years past— Kitty Section!!”

The crowd erupted with cheers and applause as Nino came down from the stage, high-fiving Juleka and Ivan as they passed on their way to their instruments, followed closely by Rose and Luka.

The band had started introducing themselves when Adrien felt Marinette’s hand slide up his back and press into him, her fingers digging gently into his shoulder. He turned, only to accidentally knock her over, catching her by her arms as she overcorrected and face planted into his chest.

“Marinette, are you okay?”

Marinette’s hand was still clutching the heel she had removed while using him for balance. After a moment she managed to get her feet back under her and smiled up at him, a soft pink tinge to her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you about what I was doing. I shouldn’t have worn these heels.” She placed her weight on her bare foot and suddenly dropped several centimeters.

“Wow. You are… not tall.”

Rolling her eyes while she leaned on him, Marinette removed her other heel. “Gee, thanks.” She stood on her tiptoes, a playful smirk blooming as she stared him down, her chest pressing gently against him.

Adrien grinned and tapped her on the nose affectionately. “Oh, you’re too precious to stay mad at me, right?”

Marinette smacked at his arm in mock offense. “I’ll have you know that I can hold a mean grudge.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Adrien grinned at her, subconsciously leaning in so their faces were once again parted by mere centimeters.

Glaring at him playfully, Marinette cocked her head to the side, her gaze drifting to his lips. “Oh, you’ll see it. That’s a promise.”

“Hey Lovebirds, they’re about to start.” Alya winked at them. “Either come watch or get a room.”

Adrien was sure that the sudden deep red on Marinette’s cheeks matched his own as they stepped away from one another. Surely it was merely mutual embarrassment over Alya misunderstanding the intentions behind their playful banter. Determined to put it behind them quickly and without awkwardness, Adrien took Marinette’s hand and smiled.

“Come on, let’s have a little more fun before the night is over.”

The majority of guests had already left by the time Adrien and Marinette stepped out into the cold early morning air. They had seen Ivan and Mylène off to spend their honeymoon somewhere much warmer, and had stayed along with some of their other friends to help Tom, Sabine, and Ivan’s parents with gathering up everything that needed to be taken home.

Marinette rubbed at her bare arms and shivered. “I don’t know why I didn’t think to bring a coat.”

Adrien had his suit jacket slung over his arm and quickly wrapped it around Marinette’s shoulders. The combination of his black jacket over her green dress made him pause. Marinette was draped in Chat Noir’s colors. For some reason he really liked it. 

“No problem,” he said, finding his voice again. “Hey, do you need a ride home? I drove, so I’d love to give you one.” He tried not to look too hopeful as she smiled sweetly at him.

“That’s so nice of you, Adrien, but since my parents are heading there anyway, I’ll probably go with them.” She glanced over to where Tom was carrying a final few items out to be taken back to the bakery. “I had…” She looked back up at him, making very intentional eye contact. “I had a really great time though. Thank you for making the evening so wonderful. We should really make it more of a habit.”

Adrien nodded slowly, trying to temper the enthusiasm he felt at her suggestion. “I would love that.”

They gave each other a lingering hug, neither of them having any desire to let go. When they finally did, Marinette started to shrug his jacket off her shoulders.

Reaching out to tug the jacket back around her, he gazed longingly into her eyes. “Keep it. You can give it back next time we see each other.”

He bent forward and kissed her gently on the cheek. “You have a good night, Marinette.” He turned to leave, wanting nothing more than to turn back around.

As he reached his car and got inside, Plagg popped up next to his shoulder, whining. “Adrien! You almost left me behind. I was in your jacket pocket, you know. You’re lucky I’m stealthy.”

Adrien turned on the engine, not making eye contact with the black cat kwami. “Sorry Plagg, I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Yeah, and every single one of those things has to do with your girlfriend, I bet.”

“I told you, she’s not—“ Adrien turned to look at the empty seat next to him. He had briefly thought that he would ask her out on a date while he drove her home, and now that she wasn’t by his side, he missed her. “Okay, maybe you’re not entirely wrong.”

Plagg yawned and stretched. “Funny how easily you moved on from your feelings for Ladybug once Pigtails stopped acting so jittery around you.”

Sighing and pulling out of his parking spot to head home, Adrien shook his head. “It’s just… Ladybug has never...“ He sighed. “I don’t really know. I’m seeing her on patrol in a couple days. I have a lot to figure out before then, I guess.”

[Sugarcube] That went better than expected.

[Stinky Sock] I told you. He’s hopeless.

[Stinky Sock] How’s yours?

[Sugarcube] Not there yet, but she’s coming around. She still doesn’t believe they can ever be more than friends.

[Stinky Sock] Is it time for a more direct approach?

[Sugarcube] No, let’s stick to the plan. Where’s the photo shoot tomorrow?

[Stinky Sock] La Roseraie du Jardin des Plantes.

Tikki almost squealed in delight. She loved all the flower gardens around Paris, but the rose garden was particularly romantic. She couldn’t have picked a better location.

[Sugarcube] She’ll be there. See you tomorrow.

[Stinky Sock] Good night, Sugarcube.

[Sugarcube] Good night, cheese face.

[Sugarcube] (Don’t forget to delete your thread!)

[Stinky Sock] Always so paranoid. *eyeroll* 

[Stinky Sock] You’ll have to learn to trust me eventually, Sugarcube.

[Sugarcube] Sure. Right after I forgive you for what happened with the unicorns. -_-

Chapter Text

Monday, 10 February

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

A groan escaped from under Marinette’s pillow. 

Stupid alarm clocks. Stupid mornings! 

If she had been transformed at the moment, she probably would have struck the blaring device with her yo-yo, just to get it to shut up.

Groaning some more, Marinette’s head emerged from under her pillow. She reached up to the shelf above her bed and silenced the annoying contraption. 

She fell face-first into her pillow and resolved to never move again for as long as she drew breath.

“Marinette! Good morning! Time to rise and shine!”

“Ugh. Leave me alone, Tikki.”

“Marinette, you have class. You don’t want to be late again, do you?”

“Ten more minutes.”

The little red kwami clucked her tongue at her chosen. “Tsk, tsk, Marinette. Maybe I should recruit someone to come pull your cute little butt out of bed. Someone like Adrien, perhaps?”

One, Marinette’s brain unhelpfully supplied at the mention of Adrien’s name. She could feel her face start to burn. 

“Tikki!” she whined.

“It’s ringing~” her companion singsonged teasingly.

“Ack!” Marinette threw off her covers and slid down the stair railing from her bed loft to the main floor of her bedroom. She fumbled the landing, but finally managed to trip over to Tikki and rip the phone from her tiny grasp. She put it to her ear just as she heard the telltale sound of someone picking up the line.

Marinette froze. Oh, no. No, no! This was a disaster!  

What was she going to say to Adrien? Last night they’d held hands and danced... It was like a fairytale. 

This morning Marinette felt like a pumpkin with day old hair, wearing ratty pajamas.

“Hey, Girl. What’s up?”

“Alya.” Marinette sagged in relief. Her kwami friend hadn’t betrayed her and called Adrien at stupid-o’clock in the morning.

…And now she had to come up with a cover story! Fast!

“H-hey! So… um, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me tomorrow.”

That was a decent cover, right?

“Sure. What time?”

“Tuesdays are my long days. I take a break at two.”

“I can make that work. There’s this place near your campus I’ve been wanting to try. I’ll text you the deets.”

“Sounds great. I’ll see you then. Have a good day!”

“Later, Girl.”

Marinette hung up and glared at her kwami. “Seriously, Tikki?”

“It worked, didn’t it? Now get ready for class before you’re late!”

Marinette made it to her morning lectures early for once. It felt pretty good not being in a rush. 

She was having lunch at home with Tikki when she received an email from her last professor of the day. Lecture was canceled. Class would resume on Wednesday.

“I hope she’s okay,” Marinette commented after reading the email. 

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Tikki said. If Marinette had been looking at her, she would have seen the twinkle in her tiny companion’s eyes.

“Well, it looks like my afternoon just opened up. I suppose I should go see if there’s an open space in the studio and get working on that muslin for Monsieur Brodeur.”

“Don’t forget, you also need to do those sketches for Madame Pelletier.”

“Oh, you’re right! I can’t believe I almost forgot. Thank you, Tikki. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She rubbed her little head with an index finger. Tikki hummed appreciatively. 

“Since the theme for the assignment is spring, why don’t you sketch outside?” Tikki suggested. 

Marinette looked out the window at the pale sky outside and bit her lip uncertainly. “I don’t know, Tikki. It looks like it might rain.”

“It’s only a little overcast,” her kwami assured her. “Come on! It will be good to get some fresh air.”

Marinette tried not to giggle at her friend’s excited expression. Tikki loved being outdoors. She especially loved flowers. “Okay. How about if we go to Jardin des Plantes?” Tikki had hinted last night that the rose garden was one of her favorites in the city.

The little sprite’s eyes shone with excitement. “What are we waiting for!”

Marinette smiled brightly. Her kwami’s enthusiasm was infectious. She packed her sketchbook and pencils into her bag and slung it across her body over her pink swing coat. 

“Do you mind if we take the express route?”

“Just say the words.”

“Tikki, spots on!”

Ladybug landed in an alleyway a block from the gardens and dropped her transformation. She strolled along until they reached La Roseraie. 

It was beautiful. The gardeners doing their jobs well, combined with a mild season, were coaxing early spring buds into bloom. Purples, pinks, whites, reds and yellows were intermixed with fresh greens everywhere she looked.

Marinette hummed happily and settled on a bench with her sketchbook and soon became lost in her work. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard a familiar voice speaking in a thick Italian accent. 

“See mama’s spaghetti. You love the spaghetti. You are longing to eat the spaghetti.”

Was that Giuseppe? It had to be. No one talked about mama’s spaghetti like Giuseppe.

She closed her book and hugged it to her chest as she followed the sound of the photographer’s voice. Soon she could hear other people milling around and working. Then she saw the peak of a large white tent poking above some tall hedges. 

This part of the garden had a walkway lined with vine covered arches. One arch was festooned with more mature roses than the rest. Marinette was sure they were placed there by a set crew. Each blossom was perfect and harmonized with the others in the palest shades of white, pink and lavender.

Posing by the arch was Adrien. Heaven help her, he was magnificent. His hair was gelled into a neat halo that had her fingers aching again. Whatever the makeup artist had done made his eyes sparkle even more than usual. 

Marinette leaned against the arch she had stopped under and watched Adrien work. She needed support from the sturdy trellis. She didn’t trust her legs to keep her upright at the moment.

“Enjoying the view, Gorgeous?” a male voice spoke near her ear. 

Marinette started and looked over her shoulder to see who had sneaked up on her. 

A tall, well-groomed man who looked to be about thirty was standing close behind her. His short, dark brown hair was styled to perfection in a casually sexy kind of way. Black eyelashes accented his dark hazel eyes. He managed just the right amount of stubble on his face. If Marinette didn’t know better, she would have mistaken him for another model.

“Oh my gosh, Wes!” She threw her arms around the stylist’s neck and jumped to give him a huge hug, kicking her boots in the air behind her. 

Wes laughed and returned the greeting happily, leaning back slightly to support her weight.

Marinette fell back to her feet and dropped her hands to the other’s forearms. “I’m so happy to see you!” she gushed.

Wes’ delighted expression matched her own. “Same, Girl. We’ve missed having you around.”

“Is everyone else here, too?” Marinette asked excitedly, referring to the rest of Adrien’s style team.

“We’re all here. Old Man Agreste hasn’t fired us yet,” Wes said with a twinkle in his eye.

“He’d be a fool if he did.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.” He winked and took her hand. “Come on. Everyone will be thrilled to see you.”

Marinette let him lead her to the tent. Wes held the flap back for her to enter. “Hey, guys. Look who I found.”

Three pairs of eyes were on Marinette as she stepped onto the Persian rug that took up most of the floor space.

“Marinette!” the women inside chorused.

She was immediately engulfed in two sets of arms in warm hugs. 

“Octavia! Cassia!”

“Let me through.” A Japanese woman in her fifties, with wireframe glasses perched on her nose, elbowed her way to Marinette. “Hello, Dear.” She took the young woman’s face in both hands and inspected her eyes. “You look pale. More sleep and some strong tea should fix you up. But if you really wanted to keep looking your best, you wouldn’t stay away so long.”

“My apologies, Madoka. It’s lovely to see you again,” Marinette said warmly. She was one of only a few women Marinette was acquainted with who was shorter than herself.

“What brings you here?” Cassia asked. She was just a few years older than Marinette with big brown eyes and a trim waistline. Her brunette hair twisted in soft curls past her shoulders.

“I came to the garden to sketch for one of my design classes. After a while I heard Giuseppe talking about spaghetti and wandered over. I didn’t know you guys would be here! It’s so good to see all of you!” 

“Sit down and tell us what you’ve been doing with yourself,” directed Octavia in her smooth British accent. “I swear it’s been a year since you last visited a set. It’s so dull without you around.” The woman was tall with dark, luminescent skin and an impressive array of black, curly hair. 

Was it a prerequisite for people who worked with Adrien to be gorgeous? Marinette hoped not. She wouldn’t mind working with him on a project or two one day.

Marinette sat in the salon chair, and Octavia set her fingertips in a watery solution. The woman always gave Marinette a manicure whenever she visited.

“I didn’t come to that many photo shoots,” the ravenette protested.

“It’s true,” Wes pouted, pulling her hair tie out and finger combing through her long locks. “Do you have any idea how bored we’ve been?” 

Cassia and Madoka pulled up folding stools in the small space and watched the two beauticians work.

Marinette told them all about school. They were all suitably impressed when she confessed that she had won a full-tuition scholarship for the fashion design program at ESMOD.

“You should come to one of Gabriel’s workshops this summer,” Octavia told her as she painted Marinette’s nails a sheer pink that matched her lip gloss. “We’ll all be there. It’s a chance for upcoming designers to learn more about working with stylists and models.”

“I’d love to,” Marinette gushed.

“Too bad Adrien won’t be there,” Wes added. “Agreste Senior likes to keep his prize stallion locked away from the common folk.” He rolled his eyes and started sectioning off parts of Marinette’s hair and braiding it. “By the way, please invest in a different conditioner. Your hair is gorgeous and I want to keep it that way.”

Marinette giggled. “I’ll see what I can do on a starving student’s salary.”

“Don’t your parents own a bakery?” Cassia asked. “They won’t let you starve.”

“It’s the principal of the thing,” Marinette quipped back.

The tent flap opened and somebody entered the cramped space. “Marinette?” Adrien asked, sounding dazed. “When did you get here? How...?” 

Marinette couldn’t turn her head to look at him with Wes still working on her hair. “Hi, Adrien.”

“I found this sweet little lamb sitting outside all lonely and sad and brought her back into the fold,” Wes said. “We’re almost done here.”

“Come,” Madoka told him. “Let’s get you changed.” She efficiently grabbed the next outfit off a rolling clothes rack lining the back wall of the tent and pushed Adrien behind a folding screen.

“How long has it been since you two last saw each other?” Cassia asked. Marinette heard her fishing through what sounded like a tray of accessories, selecting the correct pieces for the next look.

“Last night,” Adrien said offhandedly from behind the screen. Marinette could hear the rumple of fabric as Adrien changed. She felt the tips of her ears heat up when she heard the characteristic zip of a fly being undone.

“Oh? And what exactly were you doing last night?” The implications in Wes’ tone were clear. Marinette felt her cheeks start to warm as well.

“Some mutual friends of ours from collège had their wedding yesterday,” Adrien answered unabashed, like he hadn’t heard the subtext in Wes’ question. “Marinette and I attended the ceremony and reception.” There was more rustling of fabric and another telltale zip.

“Like, you were there together?” Octavia asked, giving Marinette a look as she finished her nails.

“Yeah,” Adrien said, stepping from behind the screen.

“No,” Marinette corrected. “We just met up there. We weren’t there as each other’s dates.”

“Is that what you meant?” Adrien asked Octavia with an amused tone.

Octavia raised an eyebrow at Marinette but didn’t say anything.

Wes set down his curling iron and pronounced Marinette’s hair done. He had braided some little pieces on the sides and pulled them up with the hair on her crown into a little bun on the back of her head. The rest of her hair he left long and curled into soft waves. It was a beautiful balance of casual and elegant that went well with her ivory sweater and strawberries and cream plaid skater skirt ensemble.

Marinette hopped to her feet and checked her new hairstyle in the mirror. “I love it. Thank you so much.” She smiled warmly at Wes and gave him a hug.

Wes returned the embrace. When they pulled apart, he brushed her bangs out of her eyes and said, “Think nothing of it, Princess.” He kissed her hair and turned her by her shoulders to face Adrien. “Well? What do you think?”

Adrien’s fingers slipped on the buttons of his shirt when Wes called her ‘Princess.’ 

Not that he was jealous. Wes was perhaps the only man in Paris who Adrien was comfortable watching hug his friend and call her nicknames. 

Just maybe not that name. That was his—Chat Noir’s pet name for Marinette. 

Envy pricked at him. He wanted to be the one she was hugging and allowing to kiss her vanilla scented hair. He wanted to be able to call her his Princess without having to hide behind a mask. 

Then Wes turned Marinette to face him, and Adrien became completely hopeless with his buttons.

“Well? What do you think?” the dark haired man asked.

What did he think? What did he think? He couldn’t think at all. All he could do was gape at her lovely face with her pouty pink lips and adorable flush coloring her cheeks. 

“Wow,” was the only response he could manage. 

He fumbled with the last three buttons on his shirt. Madoka finally lost patience with his incompetence and fixed his buttons for him. She clicked her tongue at him. “Idiot boy,”  she scolded in Japanese. “If you like her so much, do something about it.”  She handed him his shoes and had him sit on her stool. “They say actions speak louder than words. You are failing at both.”

“Thank you, Grandmother,”  Adrien grumbled. His accent was still off, but he was getting better with her native language.

Madoka smacked his cheek affectionately. It hurt a little, to be honest. 

Adrien put the shoes on and somehow managed to tie them correctly. 

He then sat in Marinette’s vacated chair for Wes and Octavia to touch up his hair and makeup before the next round of photos. The seat was still warm from her body heat.

“Well, I suppose I’ll be going then,” Marinette said, picking up her pink coat, bag and sketchbook.

Adrien twisted to face her. “Are you leaving?” 

“I… I don’t want to be in the way.”. 

He caught her hand in a gentle grip and captured her gaze. “I promise you’re not in the way. Please stay,” he implored.

She seemed to mull his request over, then her eyes softened as a sweet smile curled up her lips. Adrien felt himself melting into the faux leather chair. She was too adorable for her own good.

“Well… since you said please, I suppose I could stay a little longer.”

Octavia cleared her throat, breaking the magic of the moment. Adrien dropped Marinette’s hand and flashed her a grateful half smile before facing forward so that Wes and Octavia could do their jobs.

“Come with me, Mari,” Cassia offered. “I bet we can find you a seat on the set.” The two young women exited the tent. Adrien finally felt like he could breathe again, but he didn’t enjoy it. 

He looked in the mirror and found three sets of incredulous eyes staring back at him. He felt like a cornered animal under their gazes.

“What?” 

“I think he might actually be clinically blind,” Octavia said to her fellow stylists.

“Idiot boy,”  Madoka reiterated in Japanese.

“Adrien, Sweetheart,” Wes said seriously, “you don’t meet a girl like that every dynasty.”

“Are you using Mulan against me?”

“The point is, if you don’t make a move, someone else will,” Wes continued. “She’s not going to wait around for you forever. Don’t you think that sweet girl has waited long enough?”

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked carefully. Had he missed something?

“She likes you,” Madoka clarified with a mixture of patience and exasperation in her tone, in French this time.

“She has for a long time,” Octavia verified.

Adrien drifted back onto the set in a daze. 

She liked him? The Marinette Dupain-Cheng liked him?  

His head was still spinning as he took his place in front of the camera.

“Adrien, good, good,” Giuseppe began his directions. “Now, this time you do not just want mama’s spaghetti. You want the spaghetti to want you. Sì?” Adrien understood.

His eyes fixed on the young woman seated to the right of Giuseppe’s vacant chair. Dark hair framed sapphire blue eyes set in a pale, heart-shaped face. Freckles dusted her nose and cheeks, but you could only see them if you were close enough to breathe in her sugar cookie scent. Soft lips were turned up in an encouraging smile, which lifted her cheeks and brought out the faint laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.

Resolve hardened within Adrien. He wanted Marinette to be his lady and queen. He wanted to curl up on her lap like a proper house cat and have her scratch behind his ears. He wanted to wake her with kitten kisses every morning. He wanted to hopelessly chase after any string she saw fit to dangle in front of him. 

He wanted to take her to his bed and make her purr only for him. He wanted her.

He locked his eyes on Marinette’s and complied with Giuseppe’s directions. They wanted smolder? He would give them smolder.

An hour later they were finished.

“Adriano. You were magnifico today!” The photographer grabbed the boy by his shoulders and planted a kiss on each cheek, looking extremely satisfied. “I’m going to get these over to the office right away.” He turned to Marinette who was sitting rigidly in her chair. “And you, la mia fiora, you are welcome back anytime. Ciao!”  Giuseppe flitted off, and the set crew started packing up.

Marinette remained in her chair with her hands clasped in her lap. She was staring at where he had just been standing with unfocused eyes. 

Adrien frowned a little at her blank stare. He crouched in front of her and lightly placed a hand on hers. Marinette jolted at his touch and looked down into his eyes.

“I’m going to get changed. Will you wait for me?” he asked softly. Marinette simply nodded. 

Wes met him at the tent entrance. He had been standing outside watching the end of the shoot. “Dayumn, Son. That’s the best work any of us have ever seen from you.”

Adrien flashed him a cocky grin. “Thanks, Wes. I suppose I was feeling inspired today.”

Wes looked back toward the nearly dismantled set. “I’ll say.”

Adrien ducked into the tent with Wes on his heels. Madoka handed him his dress shirt and slacks. She gave him a nod and an approving look.

Octavia looked gobsmacked. Cassia was sitting on a stool fanning herself. Adrien had no idea what that was about. 

He changed quickly and found Marinette sitting on a bench next to the spruced up rose trellis that had been part of the set. “Thank you for waiting.” Adrien extended his hand to the young woman.

Marinette smiled and took his offered hand. She rose gracefully to her feet and laced their fingers together. “Good job today.”

Adrien’s heart swelled at the praise. He pulled a cut lavender rose in full bloom from the trellis and offered it to her. “Thank you.” 

She blushed a little and accepted it with a smile. 

Adrien watched her open her sketchbook and press the flower between blank pages in the middle of the book.

She was keeping it!

Adrien could barely feel the ground under his shoes as they walked together through the garden to the exit. 

He spied a crepe cart just outside the gate. He bumped Marinette with his arm and pointed to it. “I’m feeling peckish. Would you care to join me?” She nodded. 

A brisk breeze passed through, causing the young woman at his side to shiver and burrow closer to him. 

Adrien released her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist over her coat. “Is this okay?” he asked, looking down at her.

A sly twinkle sparkled in her eye and she ran her hand across his back under his black wool dress coat and rested it on his side just above his belt. She hugged herself with her free arm and stepped closer so that she was pressed against his side, sharing his warmth. “Is this okay?”

It would be crossing the line to kiss her, right? Yes, that would indeed be crossing the line. 

He really wanted to cross the line. 

Adrien smiled and assured her with a nod. He had to keep his mouth shut or he would have said that he was feline purr-fectly fine. Now was not the time for cat puns.

They placed their orders and Marinette reached for her purse. 

“Please, allow me,” Adrien handed the vendor enough euros to cover both of their snacks.

“Adrien, I could have paid for mine.”

Didn’t she understand that it was his privilege to do this for her? He wanted to take care of her, even in this small way. 

“The next round of crepes is on you,” he compromised.

“I’ll hold you to that,” she cooed, looking satisfied. 

They found an unoccupied bench nearby and sat together. Another brisk breeze pushed her closer to him. Adrien could not have been more content to be outside on this fine day.

He bit into his crepe. His dietician would kill him if he knew, but Adrien didn’t care. He was a sucker for sweets. 

“Good?” Marinette asked before taking a bite of her own treat.

“Mm-hm. Yours?”

“Mm-hm. Want a taste?”

Adrien’s lack of impulse control almost got the better of him. He darted forward, bypassing her lips, and nipped at her crepe. 

“Hey!” 

Fresh strawberries, vanilla cream, and chocolate syrup coated his tongue. His Princess had excellent taste. “It’s good.” 

“I said a taste. You took half,” she pouted.

She was exaggerating. He’d only taken a small bite. Still, he offered his remaining crepe to her. “You want a bite of mine then? It’s only fair.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like bananas.”

“You should still try it.” His voice dropped to a low purr. “You might like it.” 

She looked at his crepe and extended a cautious hand. Then she dipped her finger into the chocolate cream drizzled in caramel—avoiding the chunks of banana. She watched his eyes as she placed her finger in her mouth and delicately licked the filling off. 

If she was trying to ruin him, she was doing a fantastic job of it.

Adrien did his best to finish eating without choking. The mischievous glint in her eye wasn’t doing him any favors.

A few minutes later they disposed of their empty food wrappers, and his driver had pulled up to the curb where he was standing with Marinette. It was time to head back to the office. His break was over.

“Would you like a ride home?” he offered. He would take advantage of any excuse to spend a few more minutes with the beautiful girl who had captured his attention so thoroughly.

“Perhaps next time.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, once again slipping her hands beneath his coat. “Thank you for sharing your afternoon with me.”

Her smile could put the City of Lights to shame.

Remembering what happened between her and Wes earlier, Adrien decided to return balance to the universe. Well, his universe, at least.

He placed one arm around her waist and held her just as firmly as she was holding him. He brought his free hand up and tenderly swept her bangs off to the side and out of her eyes. His fingertips lingered on the corner of her jaw. His thumb lightly brushed her cheek. He felt her shiver at his touch, but she didn’t pull away. 

“You are most welcome, Princess.” His fingers slipped into her hair and he tilted her head forward a little. The aroma of warm vanilla overwhelmed his acute sense of smell as he pressed his lips to her hair.

The rumble of the car engine behind him was an unpleasant reminder that this moment couldn’t last.

He released her and put his hands in his coat pockets to keep himself from touching her again. “Hey, Marinette, would it be okay if I called you sometime?”

“Of course. We’re friends, aren’t we?” She was smiling so sweetly at him.

Friends.

He wanted to protest that she was so much more than a friend to him, but maybe not. Perhaps she didn’t feel the same way. 

He concentrated on her sugar cookie scent and how warm and soft she felt every time he touched her, and managed to produce a genuine smile for her. She could always tell when he was using his work smile. 

“I’ll see you around.” He gave her a little wave and ducked into the waiting sedan.

“S-see you.”

Did he imagine it, or did she stutter just then? She really was too cute for words.

Adrien raised the privacy glass between himself and his driver to give Plagg a moment of freedom before he was trapped in his office again.

“Way to go, Romeo.”

“What are you talking about?” Adrien scoffed.

Plagg narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m a cat. I know showing off for a girl when I see it.” He floated closer to his chosen’s face and grinned evilly at him. “You were trying to seduce her.”

“I was not!” Adrien spluttered.

“Mm-hm. Methinks the tomcat doth protest too much.”

Adrien huffed and turned to stare out his window, resting his chin on his fist. “Whatever.”

“And then the way she licked that cream…” the persistent imp purred in his ear.

Adrien jumped and felt his whole face burn. “Plagg!” 

[Stinky Sock] Your girl broke my boy.

[Sugarcube] Your boy deserved it after what he pulled during that photo shoot.

[Stinky Sock] Hey! He was only following directions. It’s his job. 

Plagg couldn’t believe that he was actually defending his idiot kitten. Normally he was content to sit back and watch Rome burn. Again. 

His Sugarcube really did bring out the worst in him. 

[Sugarcube] Uh-huh. Sure he was. And where was making bedroom eyes at my chosen in his job description? 

[Stinky Sock] It’s right after the clause about letting his father sell his looks for money since he could walk. 

It was a solid minute before Tikki responded.

[Sugarcube] I’m sorry.

[Sugarcube] I’m glad he has you to look out for him now.

[Stinky Sock] Thanks.

[Stinky Sock] So what’s the plan for tomorrow? Is your bug still booked solid?

[Sugarcube] Yes. She has a lot she needs to get done and Tuesday is her designated long work day.

[Stinky Sock] It’s going to be a long day of meetings and fittings for my kid too.

[Stinky Sock] Tomorrow is gonna suck.

[Sugarcube] They do have a patrol scheduled in the evening. That should be interesting.

[Stinky Sock] Oh it will be. CN might not flirt with her once.

[Sugarcube] I’ll believe it when I see it.

[Stinky Sock] It’s bad, Sugarcube.

[Stinky Sock] He’s in the shower singing along to sappy love songs. 

[Stinky Sock] On repeat.

[Sugarcube] …

[Sugarcube] I’ll talk to you tomorrow. 

[Sugarcube] Don’t forget to delete your thread. 

[Sugarcube] Good night, Stinky Sock. 

[Stinky Sock] Good night, Sugarcube. <3

Chapter Text

Tuesday, 11 February

“No, Tikki, I’m not going to call him.” Marinette zipped up her jacket and hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder. Looking around, she was glad to see that the remainder of her classmates, as well as her professor, had already left the room. “Today is crazy for me, you know that. I don’t have time to call him between classes, projects, patrol, and spending my only free period with Alya because you decided to mess with me. Who are you? Plagg?”

Tikki scoffed and crossed her arms. “Don’t compare me to that cheese-obsessed layabout! I was just trying to wake you up. You know how impossible that is.”

Marinette sighed, slumping her shoulders and half-smiled at Tikki apologetically. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It was nice to get to class early for once and I’m actually really glad to have lunch with Alya.”

Tikki nodded satisfactorily. “Then you’d better get going, but you should make an effort to see Adrien again soon. I’ve watched a lot of Ladybugs fall in love, and trust me Marinette, you owe it to yourself to find out how you both really feel.”

The heat in her cheeks increased at the mention of falling in love. “It’s not like that, Tikki. It’s been nice to spend time with him the last few days, but it was all a coincidence. We spent time together because we’re friends. If I hadn’t been there, he would have done all the same things with someone else.”

Tikki did her best not to give in to the urge to roll her eyes. “I highly doubt he would have done most of those things with anyone but you. The way he was looking at you during that shoot?” Tikki flew closer to Marinette’s face, trying to get her to see the truth.

Marinette swatted at the air in front of Tikki, trying to shoo her away. “No way. He was doing his job. He just happened to be looking at me at the time.” It was really sexy though. Marinette’s blush ramped up again before she shook her head, banishing the unwelcome thoughts that popped into her head. “It doesn’t matter, we have to go. Come on.”

Running into the québécois restaurant Alya had chosen, Marinette scanned the room for her best friend.

“Hey, girl! You’re late.”

Marinette found Alya sitting in a corner booth. She rushed over and slid into the seat across the table, setting her backpack down next to her. “Sorry. I got caught up chatting about someone’s wild imagination.” She spoke the last three words louder than strictly necessary, causing Alya to raise an eyebrow perplexedly.

“Yeah, okay.” Alya pulled her notebook out of her bag and set it down on the table, resting both hands on top. “I ordered for us. Hope that’s okay.”

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Marinette eyed Alya’s notebook suspiciously. “That’s fine…” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and closing her eyes for a moment to center herself. “You’re about to bombard me with something, aren’t you?”

Alya smirked. “Not if you invited me out today to tell me yourself.”

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

Alya gave her best friend a deadpan look, opening her notebook to a bookmarked page. “I have eyes, Marinette. I’m not stupid. Just spill, already.”

Marinette sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “I’m not hiding anything from you. I invited you to lunch because you’re my best friend and I love you.”

Sighing as she adjusted her glasses, Alya pursed her lips. “Okay, no. You’re not getting out of this one. How long have you and Adrien been sleeping together and,” her voice turned whiny, “why didn’t you tell me!? You know I would have been nothing but supportive!”

Marinette, meanwhile, had been rendered utterly speechless as she stared wide-eyed at Alya, her mouth hanging open slightly.

Alya suddenly leaned forward and grinned wide. “Ooh, unless the secrecy was part of the appeal. Okay, I guess I can understand that.” She nodded thoughtfully. “But still, you should have told me!”

“I… I—“ Marinette attempted to form a sentence.

“Your meal. Enjoy, ladies!” A perky blonde waitress set their food in front of them with a smile.

Alya immediately dug into the poutine and watched Marinette’s brain catch up to the present. She swallowed a mouthful of potato and cheese. “Okay, listen, it’s not like you two were being discreet at the wedding, so you can’t get mad at me for figuring it out. Plus, I overheard you.”

Marinette finally snapped out of it, her arms still crossed as she clutched at her own sides. “What… on earth… could you possibly have seen or heard that made you think—“ Marinette breathed in through her nose as she raised her hands to run her fingers through her hair. “Please tell me you didn’t say anything to Adrien.”

Narrowing her eyes at her best friend in incredulity, Alya cleared her throat and lifted her notebook with one hand. “One. Overheard Marinette telling Adrien that their time together the night before was ‘fun’ and hoped they could ‘get a repeat’.” She used air quotes as she read aloud and could see Marinette opening her mouth wider as though to speak, so she continued.

“Two. Adrien basically told Nino that he had spent the previous night with Mari and insinuated he was in love with her.”

Marinette’s eyes bulged out but she was unable to force her mouth to make a sound.

“Three. Shortly after that, Adrien was very clearly jealous that Marinette was talking to Luka and voiced his concern about L and M’s previous relationship.”

“I was just—“ Marinette tried to protest, but Alya held up a finger and glared at her.

“Four. Adrien and Marinette couldn’t keep their hands off each other. See tally on previous page.” She looked back up at the furiously blushing girl across from her. “For example, you two were holding hands all through the ceremony.”

“Alya!”

“Need I go on?”

Marinette just stared, dumbfounded.

“Five! Marinette called me earlier than usual, especially after a late night, and was already completely out of breath.” The bespectacled girl snatched another fry and shoved it into her mouth as she stared down her blushing best friend.

“You... kept a tally?” Marinette’s brain was still slowly taking in all of the information it had been presented with.

Flipping to the previous page and turning her notebook for Marinette to see, Alya pointed at the page. “You bet your cute butt I did. And there are notes underneath with specifics.”

Marinette stared at the page, her eyes slowly focusing on the neat tally marks, in sets of five, filling up a good portion of the page.

“We added a handful of them retroactively, based on what we could remember from the ceremony. You guys seemed to have gotten more and more physically comfortable with one another as the night went on.” Alya grinned, a satisfied glint in her eye. “Oh! And just so we’re clear, this doesn’t include touching that was for the sole purpose of dancing together. I’m pretty sure you touched each other more that night than Nino and I did, and we’re incredibly comfortable touching each other, believe me.” She winked.

“Ugh, Alya… what… What do… Why did… I can’t even…” Marinette stammered, trying to clear her head. She forced herself to focus on the page. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty… She blinked, hardly believing her own eyes. Twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, forty, forty-five, fifty…

“FIFTY-TWO!?”

Alya snapped her notebook shut and chuckled. “Yup. All by the time Nino packed up his gear and we went home. And that’s just what we personally witnessed while we were doing other things and talking to people. I’d estimate closer to eighty, were I a betting man.” She took a long drink of the glass of water in front of her. “So. You finally gonna fess up?”

“Alya! I am not sleeping with Adrien!!”

Someone at another table loudly cleared their throat to express their annoyance at her outburst.

Marinette turned even brighter red, ducking her head down and gritting her teeth. “He told Nino he’s in love with me?”

Alya shrugged. “Well, not in so many words, but… I mean, the writing is on the wall, girl. Here—“ She pulled out her phone and scrolled through until she found what she was looking for. “Look at this.” She handed her phone to Marinette, who began swiping through the photos. “I saved every single one of you and Sunshine. You cannot tell me you don’t see it.”

Picture after picture was of her and Adrien; looking at each other, holding hands, leaning against one another, dancing… They looked like a couple. 

Marinette’s brain was once again on the fritz. She laid the phone down on the table and stared blankly at a photo of her looking to the side, away from Adrien. He was gazing at her with soft eyes and an adoring smile. He looked… like he was in love.

“See what I’m saying? The boy is completely smitten. Are you seriously trying to tell me you don’t feel the same way about him? I know you used to, and I think you still do.”

Marinette swiped to the next picture, one where Adrien had reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and she had unconsciously leaned into the warmth of his hand.

“I just… I didn’t think he… Alya, I thought he was just being… a… friend.” Marinette groaned and slammed her head down on the table, covering the back of her head with her hands. “Oh my gosh, Alya, I’m such an idiot.”

“Yikes, Mari, are you okay?” Alya reached out a hand and tried to soothe her best friend.

“No!” Marinette suddenly popped her head back up and threw her arms in the air, startling Alya. “I thought I was over him! I thought I had moved on and I was finally able to talk to him without sounding like a complete fool! I was finally able to not freak out when he got close. He was even touching me, hugging me, kissing my cheek, and I was okay! I mean, I was still a little nervous and my cheeks still got red and hot, but I was functional around him, Alya!! Do you know how long it took me to get there?!”

“It’s called a blush, and yes, yes I do. I was there for all of it.”

“Then why would you do this to me!?” Marinette clutched at the sides of her head and looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

Alya raised an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to have done to you, exactly?”

“You made me fall in LOVE with him again!”

Adrien stepped into his apartment and set down his bag. Leaning against the door as he shut it, he let out a long, loud sigh.

“Finally! I thought I was going to be cramped in there all day!” Plagg flew out of Adrien’s bag and stretched dramatically. “I’m starving.”

Adrien rolled his eyes and shrugged off his jacket, hanging it on the hook on the wall. “There’s cheese in the fridge. Just go get some, you don’t have to bug me about it every time.” He slipped off his shoes and walked toward his piano, stripping off his tie and undoing his top button as he went.

“I’m holding you to that if you suddenly change your mind!” Plagg zipped over to the kitchen and phased through the door of the refrigerator.

Adrien assumed his kwami would be in there for a while, and sat down to play. He hoped it would help him forget the day he just had.

As his fingers danced across the keys playing a melancholic melody, he found himself thinking once again about the girl who had been consuming his thoughts and much of his time the last few days. He hated that he hadn’t seen her since the previous day. His mind kept replaying all the things that Nino, Alya, and Madoka had said to him. He clenched his jaw, frustrated by his own indecision. 

He loved Ladybug. He knew that would always be true, but he’d also accepted long ago that their relationship would always be as friends and partners as long as Hawk Moth was still out there, no matter how inactive he’d been.

Marinette, on the other hand… She possessed so many of the same traits that made him love Ladybug. She was strong, kind, helpful, compassionate… but he also got to see sides to her that he would likely never see from Ladybug. 

Marinette got to let loose and have fun. He loved watching her as she danced at the wedding. No akumas or threats of danger prevented her from just enjoying herself and her time with him.

That was the big difference. As much as he knew that he and Ladybug loved each other in their own way, as much as they really were one another’s best friends, they could never really let down their guard and just enjoy their time together. 

As long as they couldn’t tell the other who they were, Ladybug would never let him see the woman she is behind the mask, not until they had the butterfly and peacock miraculouses in their hands.

He’d known Marinette for as long as he’d known Ladybug, he realized as he switched to playing a more whimsical, romantic tune. Though he hadn’t ever been as close to Marinette as he was with Ladybug, he knew her character. He knew how wonderful she had always been, and how amazing she still was. With her, he could have something real, something that didn’t end when they had to go back to their lives. She could be the life he went back to.

“Oh for crying out loud, I can hear your pining from here!” Plagg poked his head out of the fridge and groaned. “I get it! You haven’t seen Pigtails all day. Just call her already. Put us all out of our misery.”

Adrien ended on a discordant chord and stood abruptly, beginning to pace. “I don’t even know how to feel right now, Plagg! And even if I accept that I’m falling for Marinette, I have no way of knowing that she feels the same way.”

Plagg mumbled a few expletives to himself and flew over to stop right in front of Adrien’s face, effectively stopping him in his tracks. “Are you freaking kidding me, kid? You spent your whole lunch today staring at pictures of the two of you at the wedding barely managing to keep your hands on appropriate areas of each other’s bodies, and you still don’t know how you feel?” 

“Whoa. There was nothing inappropriate about what we did.” Adrien countered defensively.

Plagg smacked his own forehead with his tiny paw. “You moron. She’s been in love with you since you first met! This has been a long time coming.”

Adrien scratched the back of his head and looked off to the side, not meeting his kwami’s eyes. “She… I don’t know… that was a long time ago.” He couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful.

Plagg moved so that he was once again in Adrien’s line of sight, staring at him seriously. “Tell me something, Adrien. Do you miss her when she's not around? Do you miss her smile… the sound of her voice?”

Forcing himself to make eye contact with Plagg, Adrien nodded.

“Do you like being around her?”

“...yes.”

“Do you find yourself wondering what it’d be like to kiss her and hold her as more than just a friend?”

Feeling indignant, Adrien rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Oh, stop acting like a child. I’m being serious, kid.” Plagg got in Adrien’s face, staring him down. “Do you or do you not want to be intimate with this girl in some way?”

Adrien pushed Plagg further away and threw his arms into the air. “I do, okay?! Yes! I want to be with Marinette.”

“Then do something about it! Ask her out, or whatever gross rituals you humans do to court a mate. I’m not the first one to give you that advice, but hopefully this time you’ll actually listen.”

“Fine! I will!” Adrien clenched his jaw and stalked over to his bag. He pulled out his phone, a scowl on his face.

“Good!” Plagg folded his arms, looking rather satisfied with himself.

Walking over to the couch, Adrien sat and stared at his phone. After a moment, the anger drained out of him. Lost in thought, he leaned back, hugging his legs to his chest. “I just… if I do this, it feels like I’m really giving up on Ladybug.”

Plagg sighed and landed on the coffee table across from Adrien. “I get it. There’s a lot standing in the way of being with Ladybug, and you’ve been holding out hope that someday those obstacles won’t be there anymore.”

Adrien peeked at Plagg from behind his knees and slowly nodded. “It’d be totally unfair to Marinette if I wasn’t wholly over Ladybug.”

“Relationships are about commitment, Adrien. You committed yourself to Ladybug a long time ago and you haven’t ever let someone else in. But she’s never been the same way with you, and you have to accept that she may never be.” He stared deep into his kitten’s eyes, hoping that his words would really sink in. “If you want to see where things are headed with Marinette, you have to give her a chance. You have to commit to seeing if Marinette is who you want to be with.”

Adrien was in awe. “When did you get so wise?”

Plagg laid back and yawned. “Oh puh-lease! I‘ve always been this way. It’s not my fault you never noticed. Just don’t get used to it. I’m not planning to make a habit of showing it.” When he turned to look back at Adrien, he saw that the boy had his phone out again.

“You’re right, Plagg. Tell you what, if you shut up I’ll even put it on speaker so you can listen.”

Plagg bolted upright, his eyes bright with excitement as he nodded enthusiastically.

Adrien tapped the screen a couple of times until the sound of ringing reverberated in their ears. His heart started to race and he briefly considered hanging up before…

“H-hello? Adrien?”

Adrien nearly dropped the phone, placing his feet on the floor as he tried to remember how to speak. “Uh, hi.”

“Is everything okay?”

Adrien shook his head to clear his thoughts and chuckled nervously. “Yeah! Everything’s great. I just, um, missed hearing your voice. I’ve gotten so used to seeing you every day that I really, um, missed you…”

The sound of choking on the other end of the line startled him. “Marinette? Are you alright?”

Marinette coughed a couple more times and cleared her throat before responding. “Yeah, I um… sorry. I…” a long pause, “I missed you too.”

The way the words sounded coming from her lips made his heart soar. He wished he could gather her up in his arms and kiss her right then. 

He knew he was making the right choice.

“Marinette?”

“Mm-hmm?” 

“Do you want to go out tomorrow?”

“Out?”

Adrien realized that the question could be misconstrued to mean just going out as friends, so he cleared his throat and steeled his resolve. “Yeah, um… I’d really like to take you out on a date, if you’re interested.”

It sounded like Marinette had dropped something heavy, and Adrien knit his brow in concern as he heard her whimper quietly. “Are you… are you okay?” 

She didn’t answer right away and Adrien glanced at Plagg, matching looks of worried confusion on their faces. “Marinette?”

“Interested! Yes! I am. Sorry.” Her breathing was erratic for a few seconds before she began chuckling awkwardly. “Do you have a place and time in mind?”

“Umm…” Adrien mentally cataloged his schedule for the next day. “Lunch?”

“Sorry, I can’t. I have classes.” She sounded genuinely disappointed. “But, uh, thanks for—“

“How about dinner?” Adrien interrupted while nearly jumping to his feet, no longer able to sit still. He was determined to make something work and the tension building in his stomach wasn’t going to let up until he made a plan to take Marinette Dupain-Cheng on a date.

Several long seconds passed as he listened for her response. “Yeah. Dinner would be amazing…” she trailed off dreamily. “I mean, I would love to, Adrien!”

“Great,” Adrien sighed with relief, sitting back down on the sofa. “Does seven work for you? We could go to Loulou. Have you been there before? I can pick you up.” 

The grin spreading on his cheeks was matched only by Plagg’s as the pit in his stomach gave way to a feeling of pure elation.

“No, I haven’t, but I think I’ll meet you there, if you don’t mind.”

Adrien stood again, the giddiness he was feeling making him restless. “If you’re sure. I don’t mind giving you a ride.”

“Yeah, um…” Adrien could practically hear her smiling.“That’s really sweet of you, but I’ll be fine. It’s not that far.” He could hear a shuffling sound on the other end of the line, like she was… pacing? “I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Absolutely. See you tomorrow.”

“Have a good evening, Adrien.”

He heard the call disconnect and for a moment he stood frozen in place.

Plagg flew up to look at him. Adrien suddenly snapped out of his daze and jumped into the air. “She said yes!”

“See, kid? I told you.”

Adrien threw his phone onto the couch and ran his fingers through his hair, a dazed look on his face.

“Plagg… I really think I’m in love with her.”

Chat Noir balanced on the railing of the Pont des Arts, his baton held out in front of him like a balancing stick, despite the fact that he didn’t need it.

“Hey, Kitty.”

Chat lost his balance and barely managed to not fall into the Seine. “Ma—“ He turned to see Ladybug standing nearby, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter. “M’lady.” 

He had heard Marinette’s voice clearly, he’d been sure of it. He figured it must just have been because he couldn’t stop thinking about the girl he was… dating? He liked the sound of that. It was a decent starting point, at least.

“Sorry, Chat, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Ladybug walked closer to him as he flipped off the railing, landing near her with gymnastic precision.

“Not to worry, Bug, cats always land on their feet.” He didn’t make eye contact with her, instead he fell into place beside her as he returned his baton to his lower back.

They walked slowly along the bridge, both busying themselves with the sights and smells of Paris after dark.

Ladybug broke the silence with a sigh. “So, it’s been a couple of weeks. How have you been?”

Chat unzipped the pockets on his suit and shoved his fingers into them, hoping that would help him not feel quite so awkward about what to do with his hands. “I’ve been good. Just busy. Especially these last few days.”

Staring at the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug nodded. “Yeah, me too. I got to catch up with some friends though, so that was good.”

“Yeah? Same. It’s been nice to reconnect with people I love.” Chat seemed to realize what he’d said and his eyes blew open wide. “I mean… I…”

Ladybug giggled. “It’s alright, Chat. You don’t have to explain. Sounds like we had pretty similar experiences since the last time we spoke.” She bumped her shoulder into his playfully. “Trust me when I say that if you found someone, I could not be happier for you.”

Chat scratched idly at the back of his head. “Thanks, LB.” He glanced over at her, feeling slightly awkward. “It’s weird not seeing you every day. I don’t want to say I miss akumas, but…”

Stopping in her tracks, Ladybug reached out a hand and rested it on Chat’s shoulder. “I get it.” She smiled softly at him. “I miss seeing you more too.”

They smiled at one another as Ladybug walked backward away from him, a playful look in her eye. “I’ll say this once and then deny it for the rest of eternity… but I’ve even missed your puns.”

Chat gasped, a wide grin on his face. “I’d say you made my day but someone else already did that.”

Ladybug smiled happily at him. “I can relate.” She pulled her yo-yo off her hip and slung it out to a nearby lamppost. “Let’s get this patrol over with so we can get back to our amazing lives, partner.”

“Sounds good to me, Bug.”

Chat watched Ladybug swing off after their patrol and surprisingly felt good even though it was likely he wouldn’t see her for a couple more weeks. He felt like he was really starting to make some strides in seeing Ladybug in a new light. She would always hold a sacred place in his heart, but more and more room was being made for someone he couldn’t seem to keep his mind off of.

He made a split-second decision and turned in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Bounding across rooftops, he went in search of a familiar balcony. Plagg wouldn’t be happy, and he couldn’t kiss her like he really wanted to while he was transformed, but he had to see her.

Chat landed softly, almost silently, on her railing, hopping down and crossing the short distance to the hatch leading down to her bed. He reached out to knock when he heard her voice and stopped short.

“—never in a million years would have thought he felt the same way! I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited and nervous about anything in my life. What do you think I should wear? What does one wear to a date with someone they’ve had feelings for for the better part of a decade?”

Chat figured she was talking to Alya and his heart swelled as he realized she must be talking about him. He bent down and tapped on the hatch lightly with one claw.

He heard a gasp and a scuffle, something being knocked over, then Marinette came into view as she hurried up the steps leading to her bed.

“Chat Noir!” She pushed open the hatch and gestured for him to come inside. “What are you doing here?”

He dropped down next to her, suddenly very close to her face. He could smell her hair and had to leap down to the lower level of her bedroom to avoid leaning in uncomfortably close. “Oh, you know.” He flopped onto the chaise, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Just haven’t seen you in a while. Thought I’d check in, see how my favorite princess was doing.”

“Your favorite, huh? Does that mean you have others?” Marinette stepped down onto the floor and slowly sauntered toward him, a smirk on her face.

Chat sat up abruptly, scooting to the back of the chaise, hoping that she would join him. The way she was walking toward him was incredibly enticing. 

“No!” He cleared his throat and schooled his features into something more flirtatious than panicked. “No others. You’re the only one for me.”

Marinette grinned, sitting next to his crossed legs as she flicked his bell. “I bet you say that to all the princesses.”

Chat swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry as he observed the playful glint in Marinette’s eyes. This was it. The day he died. This girl was about to be the death of him.

“I’m afraid though, that you are not the only one for me.” Marinette tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced over at him, looking almost nervous.

Grinning, Chat leaned closer to her. “Oh yeah? And who, pray tell, is this mythical beast who has stolen the heart of the fairest maiden I know?”

Marinette rolled her eyes dramatically. “Really, Chat?”

He scoffed and crossed his arms in mock offense. “I will have you know that I value your friendship immensely and I’ll be sharpening my claws if this boy isn’t up to my very lofty standards.”

Leaning back on her arms and letting out a dreamy sigh, Marinette stared off into the distance. “You don’t have to worry about that. He’s amazing. I can see it all with him, Kitty. The house, the kids, growing old together… all of it.”

He couldn’t respond for several moments. This amazing girl really wanted all of that with him? She knew what his childhood was like. Tom and his other friends’ fathers had been better role models of the kind of husband and father he wanted to be than his own father ever had. 

He was damaged, and she still wanted to be with him.

Emotion welled up within him. He felt his eyes filling with unshed tears and brought a gloved hand to his mouth.

Marinette noticed the movement and placed a comforting hand on his knee, looking concerned. “Oh, Chat. Are you okay?”

Chat shook his head, wiping the tears out of his eyes quickly. “Oh yeah, I’m fine. It was just… beautiful.” He stifled a sob. “You two are going to be so happy together.” 

He hopped to his feet and started making his way toward her loft. He had to leave now before he did something stupid, like dropping his transformation and proposing on the spot.

“Chat, wait.” Marinette stood and reached out to grab his arm. “Are you upset?”

He turned around and smiled at her. “Not at all. I’m… really excited for you, if I’m being honest. I just want you to be happy. I promise.”

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Chat kissed her gently on the top of her head as he pulled away. “Have a good night, Princess.”

He hopped up to her bed and opened the hatch, leaping out in one swift movement. He turned and popped his head back in and smiled sincerely at her. 

“Good luck on your date tomorrow!” With that, he dismissed himself and launched himself out into the night.

[Sugarcube] I can’t believe this actually worked!

[Stinky Sock] Of course it did. You never should have doubted me.

[Sugarcube] The Tower of Pisa, Atlantis, dinosaurs…

[Sugarcube] Any of that ring a bell?

[Stinky Sock] Whatever.

Tikki chewed on a macaron pensively.

[Sugarcube] You don’t think your boy was being a bit reckless, do you? He wasn’t being especially careful with his identity tonight. And what was he thinking coming over here in the first place?

[Stinky Sock] He’s in love, Sugarcube. (*gag*) He’s not exactly thinking rationally.

[Stinky Sock] Not saying it doesn’t have its advantages.

[Stinky Sock] Do you have any idea how much camembert I can convince him to buy right now?

[Sugarcube] Plagg!!

[Stinky Sock] Nuh uh, Sugarcube. No names, remember? Your rules.

Tikki fumed for a moment, then let it go. Unfortunately her fellow kwami was right. That was one of the rules she had insisted on when they started this whole messaging thing.

[Sugarcube] He was still being careless. She might realize who he is once her head is out of the clouds.

[Stinky Sock] Would that really be such a bad thing?

No, no it wouldn’t. Not now, anyway. They were still young but they were adults. And if they were going to start a life together soon—which was more than likely given what she’d seen of Chat Noir’s reaction to hearing Marinette’s dream of their future together—they would need to know. They couldn’t build a relationship on secrets.

[Sugarcube] Let’s see how things play out for now.

[Stinky Sock] Alright. Goodnight, Sugarcube.

[Sugarcube] Goodnight.

She was typing out her reminder to delete their conversation when another message came through.

[Stinky Sock] I know, I know. Delete everything. This never happened.

She hid a smile. Maybe that old cat could be taught a new trick or two.

[Sugarcube] I’ll see you tomorrow.

[Stinky Sock] See you then.

Tikki took another bite and was about to delete the text thread when one last message came through that made her spit crumbs all over her chosen’s desk.

[Stinky Sock] I have a good feeling about tomorrow.

Plagg had a good feeling about tomorrow?

Oh, no.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, 12 February

Marinette was having the worst day. 

It all started with Chat Noir. Her partner had been acting so weird last night. First, he didn’t flirt with Ladybug at all while on patrol. Not a single hand kiss or even a ‘Bugaboo’. Not that she minded, but it was so out of character that it was sending up red flags in her mind. 

Then he came to visit Marinette directly after patrol. That itself wasn’t completely out of the ordinary, but he had gotten so emotional when she confessed her dream of a future with Adrien.

She had been so worried about Chat Noir, and so excited about her date with Adrien, that it was well into the early hours of the morning before she was able to sleep—which of course led to her sleeping through her alarm and being in a rush that morning.

And to top it all, her ‘days since I’ve seen Adrien counter’ was up to two. It was petty, but she had been spoiled with his company recently.

Her bad luck hadn’t ended with being late for class.

A guy in her classes named Simon had been pestering her for a date since last semester. She finally had resorted to fabricating a boyfriend when the spring semester started and Simon was still bothering her. A few weeks ago she had even purchased a flashy cubic zirconia and sterling silver ring that she wore on campus to deter him. It had worked for a while, but he had started hanging around her again today. Couldn’t that guy just take a hint?

The muslin she was sewing for Monsieur Brodeur was not working out at all. She finally had to walk away from it for the day because it just wasn’t coming together.

She hoped things would be better after lunch. They weren’t.

She was planning on finishing a report for her fashion management class that she had started writing the day before. Of course the file had been corrupted, and she had to start the assignment over from scratch. She couldn’t even find her handwritten outline. She had been planning to go home and change before her date with Adrien, but the report was due that evening and she didn’t have time. At least the black blouse and black skinny trousers she had worn to school today were versatile enough for dinner as well. She would just have to make do.

“Marinette…” Tikki whispered some time later. 

“What?” Marinette whispered back.

She was still working furiously, trying to finish her report in time to make it to their seven o’clock dinner reservation. It was already six. She really didn’t have time for whatever Tikki needed.

“Your button,” Tikki whispered urgently.

“My what?” Distracted, Marinette looked down to where her kwami was pointing as discreetly as possible from her bag. The button that held her top closed over her bust line was missing. She had no idea how long it had been like that. Her blouse was gaping open in the most embarrassing way imaginable.

Marinette slumped forward and groaned. “I don’t have time for this!” she whisper-shouted.

There was nothing her kwami could do. Marinette found a safety pin in her bag, pinned the gap closed, and went back to working on her paper.

Forty minutes later, she had just finished proofreading her report as quickly as she could and submitted it to her professor. That was one crisis averted, now on to the next. 

She retreated to an empty classroom and pulled thread, a needle and a pair of thread snips from her sewing kit in her school bag. Sometimes being a fashion student had its advantages.

She had Tikki send Adrien a text explaining that she would be a little late while she worked on her blouse. She hated herself for making him wait, but she didn’t have much choice. Going home to change would take even longer—even if she did transform.

Her one bit of luck today was that she had sewn a spare button to the bottom edge of the button placket when she made this blouse, just in case. She nipped it off the hem and sewed it in place of the missing one.

Her wardrobe malfunction was resolved. Now she just had to get down to the metro station and meet up with Adrien at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. 

She packed away her sewing kit as quickly as she could and made her way out of the building. The sun had set and dark clouds threatened rain. Hopefully, the downpour would wait until after her date.

Did she think her run of bad luck was over? Well, it wasn’t. 

“Marinette!” a weaselly voice called.

Oh, no. Not again.  

Wasn’t being subjected to this creep’s presence this morning enough for one day?

“Hey there, Simon,” she said unenthusiastically.

“You’re here awfully late.”

“Yeah, had a lot to get done before I could head home today. See you.” She tried to leave with as much grace as possible.

“Where’s your ring?”

“What?”

“Your ring from that so-called boyfriend of yours. Where is it?”

Marinette fished her faux diamond ring out of her pocket. “He’s my fiancé, and it’s right here.” Her smile was falsely bright as she slipped it onto her finger. She turned her back on her annoying classmate and headed off in the direction of the nearest metro station.

“Why was it in your pocket?”

Was he seriously following her?

“I took it off when I washed my hands last. I didn’t want anything to happen to it.”

“So are you headed home now? I’ll walk you.”

“Actually, I’m going to meet my fiancé for dinner.”

“Right. Monsieur Perfect who no one has ever met before,” Simon sneered. “You can do better than that, Marinette. You don’t need to invent some boyfriend just to keep me on the hook.”

Seriously?! How delusional could this guy be?

“I'm leaving now. I would appreciate it if you stopped following me.”

Simon shrugged. “Your loss. I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘Nette.” He finally veered off and left her to finish her walk by herself. 

Marinette shuddered. She hated him hanging around her, loathed him talking to her, and absolutely despised him calling her ‘’Nette’. 

She tried to forget him as she quickly walked to the platform she needed… just in time to watch the train pull away. Her shoulders were starting to ache with all of her pent up stress. 

She sat on a bench to wait for the next train. It wouldn’t be much longer. She checked her phone to see what Tikki had told Adrien while she had been sewing on her button.

[Marinette] I’m going to be a little late. I’m so sorry. 

She noticed a response below the message.

[Adrien] Are you all right?

He had sent it only a few minutes ago. She typed out a response.

[Marinette] I will be once I’m with you.

She hesitated with her thumb hovering over the ‘send’ button. Was she really willing to say something so forward? She stared at the blinking cursor. It would be so easy to tap the backspace button and type something else.

But what about everything he said last night?  the voice in her head (that sounded a lot like her kwami) asked. He missed seeing her. He even missed hearing her voice. 

Alya had all those pictures of them together at the wedding. It had certainly looked like something was there. Her skin tingled with memories of how she burned when he touched her bare back while they were dancing, and again when he stroked her face before kissing her hair after the photo shoot. Adrien was a physically affectionate person by nature, but he had never held her so tightly as he had over the past few days.

Even Chat Noir—

Marinette stopped that train of thought in its tracks. She refused to think about how her partner had held her and kissed her hair in a similar way the night before. She was on her way to an honest to goodness dinner date with Adrien.

She held her breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and pressed ‘send’.

She cracked an eye open and started letting air into her lungs once more. 

Staring back at her from her phone screen was a text message marked ‘delivered’.

A response popped up a fraction of a heartbeat later.

[Adrien] I’ll be here. <3

A heart. He sent her a red heart emoji!

Marinette stared at his response until Tikki jabbed her side. She looked up and saw the next train pulling up to the platform. She rose to her feet and resituated her crossbody purse strap on her shoulder.

Perhaps today wasn’t the worst day ever after all.

Rain was coming down in heavy sheets by the time she exited the metro ten minutes later at the Louvre stop.

Of course she didn’t have her umbrella today of all days.

She turned up the collar of her coat, determined to make the best of it. By the time she walked the short distance to the museum where the restaurant was housed, she was completely soaked. Her dark blue hair clung limply to her face in chunks. The surface of her coat was sopping wet. The damp had found its way under her collar and onto her blouse. The hems of her trousers were dripping into her kitten heel pumps. Her toes were freezing and she was starting to shiver.

The front of the decorative arts museum came into view, and she stopped in her tracks. 

Adrien was standing on the front steps of the museum under a black umbrella; dressed in his charcoal grey suit, bluebell color silk tie, and black wool dress coat. He looked like he had come straight from his office. He was watching the street, waiting for someone.

He saw her and his expression became a mixture of relief and concern. “Marinette!” He rushed forward to where she stood frozen in the elements.

She unfroze enough to take a few steps before he pulled her into an embrace under the shelter of his umbrella. She wrapped her arms around his neck and burst into tears. 

“I-I’m so s-sorry I’m so-o l-late,” she choked out between sobs.

“Shh. You have nothing to apologize for. I’ve got you. Everything will be okay. I promise.” He kissed her temple and rested the side of his face against her damp hair.

After a minute of standing like that, Marinette had vented enough of her pent-up stress to stop weeping and speak normally again.

“Adrien?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m getting you wet.”

He held her closer. “Don’t care.”

She lifted her head from where it had come to rest on his chest and looked into his emerald eyes. How had she gotten so lucky as to be this close to this man and see him looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world? “I’m sorry I ruined our date.”

His mouth turned up in a grin, and the reflection of the city lights danced in his eyes. “Who said anything about it being ruined?” He kept his arm around her waist and held her tight to his side as he guided her toward the entrance to the museum. 

Marinette was about to protest being seen in public in her current state, when Adrien stepped up to the valet station. 

“Bring my car around, please.”

“Yes, Monsieur Agreste.” The uniformed man grabbed a key fob from his stand and dashed off.

Marinette rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I suppose I should have let you pick me up from campus after all.”

Adrien made a noncommittal hum. His left hand moved from her waist to her hand, threading their fingers together while keeping his arm around her. His fingers brushed against the ring on her fourth finger. Curious, he turned her hand to inspect the piece of inexpensive jewelry with a slight frown. “What’s this?”

Marinette flushed slightly. She had forgotten that she was still wearing it. “There’s this guy at school who doesn’t understand what ‘no’ means. I finally told him I had a boyfriend to get him to back off. It worked for a while. Before Christmas he started saying that I made my boyfriend up since no one has ever met him and I won’t talk about him. So I bought this and started wearing it on campus.”

Adrien’s frown turned thoughtful. “Your fiancé has poor taste. This ring doesn’t suit you at all.”

Marinette laughed. “You’re not wrong. It’s not what I would choose for myself, but it was the flashiest one I could find, so it serves its purpose. Though, after today I might need to get a wedding band.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “He started accusing me of lying again today. He even went so far as to say that he thinks I made my fiancé up just to make him jealous to encourage him! If he doesn’t stop soon, I’m either going to have to get campus security involved or break his nose.”

Adrien laughed at that. “I’m sorry he’s been harassing you, but can I be there when he finally gets what’s coming to him? I’d love to see it.” 

Marinette smiled and slid her hand out of his light grip, and Adrien moved his empty hand to her upper arm comfortably. She removed the ring and dropped it in her purse, then leaned her head on Adrien’s shoulder. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. I don’t need an assault charge on my record when I start applying for internships.”

Adrien shrugged. “Self defense.”

A sleek, black coupe purred to a stop in front of the couple. The valet stepped out and handed the fob to Adrien. “Here you are, Monsieur.”

Adrien accepted the device with his thanks and passed the man a tip.

Marinette stood rooted to her spot. “What... is that?”

Adrien looked at her in confusion. “My car.” He ushered her forward, transferred the umbrella to his left hand, and opened the passenger door for Marinette. 

Stupid rich model boys.

She slid into the black leather interior and almost moaned in pleasure when she realized the seats were heated. It felt wonderful against her chilled body.

Adrien got in on the driver’s side and pulled into Parisian traffic. Fifteen minutes later he was parking in front of her home. 

He hurried to open her door and escort her inside under the shelter of his umbrella.

Marinette unlocked the side door to the bakery and looked at him regretfully. “I’m sorry I ruined your evening.”

Adrien smiled at her. “You didn’t ruin anything. I only wanted to spend time with you, Mari.”

The young woman could feel her heart hammering against her ribs. It really was unfair how pretty he was. His generosity and kindness made him all the more attractive. 

“Do you want to come in?” She had no idea what prompted her to say it, but she bit her tongue to stop any word vomit from rescinding the invitation.

Adrien’s smile broadened to reach his eyes and he stepped up next to her in acceptance.

Marinette fought back her blush as she opened the door and stepped inside with her date so close behind her.

“We have to keep quiet,” she warned in a whisper. “My parents are already in bed and need to be up early to do the morning baking.” 

Adrien stowed his umbrella in the stand by the door. Both young adults removed their shoes on the rug and hung their coats before padding up the stairs to the family apartment. 

Marinette crossed to the kitchen and turned on the pendant lights. She opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a large bowl that she set on the counter. “Do you mind leftover soup for dinner?” she asked quietly. “It’s Maman’s recipe. I promise it tastes amazing.”

Adrien lifted her hand from the bowl’s lid and rubbed soothing circles into the back of her hand. “Let me take care of this,” he said just as quietly. “You go get warmed up before you catch a cold.”

She could hardly breathe. The way he looked at her and handled her was so tender. She forced herself to nod and retreated up the stairs to her room for a dry change of clothes before ducking into the bathroom for a hot shower.

Adrien removed his suit jacket and tie and draped them on the back of the sectional in the living room. He undid the top button on his light blue shirt and rolled up his sleeves before finding a pair of bowls in a cupboard and ladling two large servings of soup. He set the kettle on the stove to make tea while the soup was reheating in the microwave.

He found some pillar candles while hunting for napkins and grinned. He set two on the dining peninsula and three more on the coffee table. He lit them and admired the soft glow they gave the room when he turned off the overhead lighting. If only he had some rose petals. Maybe next time. 

He finished setting the table and noticed Plagg’s glowing green eyes watching him from the top of the refrigerator. Adrien handed him a piece of camembert and motioned for him to keep quiet. Plagg took the offering and floated up the stairs to Marinette’s room. 

Adrien started moving to stop his kwami when he heard the bathroom door open. He forgot all about the cheese glutton when Marinette stepped out. 

She was wearing an oversized pink sweater and black leggings with “meow!” written down the side of the right leg in white cursive lettering. She was rubbing her still-damp hair with a towel. It took all of his self-control to keep from purring.

“Feeling better?” he asked. His voice sounded deeper and throatier than usual. He swallowed. There were so many things he wanted to do right now, but his princess’ comfort was his priority. 

The way she was smiling at him wasn’t helping. 

“Much better, thank you.”

The kettle started whistling softly. Marinette dashed over to take it off the heat before the whistling became louder and roused her parents.

Adrien was grateful for her distraction. It gave him a moment to grip the edge of the counter and regain control of himself. 

He could see the same vision she shared with his alter ego last night. The house, the kids, waking up next to her every morning. He didn’t want to jeopardize it with rash actions or careless words.

He finally regained enough composure to sit at the peninsula as Marinette placed a cup of tea next to each of their bowls. She sat next to him and they began their meal together.

She wasn’t exaggerating earlier. Sabine’s cooking really was amazing.

“Tell me about your day,” Adrien prompted before taking a sip of tea.

“You don’t want to hear about my day,” Marinette lightly grumbled.

“Sure I do.”

Marinette sighed. “It was… rough.”

Adrien listened as she told him about being late for class, her trouble with a sewing assignment, having to rewrite a report from scratch.

“And then a friend pointed out that—“ She suddenly stopped talking. A blush spread across her cheeks and over her nose.

“What?”

“Nothing”

He nudged her with his shoulder. “What?” he prompted again with a reassuring smile.

“I, um, lost a button and had to sew on a replacement.”

Adrien didn’t understand why that was embarrassing her so much. He’d seen plenty of wardrobe malfunctions over the years at runway shows and photo shoots. Having to sew on a button didn’t sound so bad. 

“And then I finally started to leave,” she hurried on, “and Simon came around to pester me for the second time today.” She sounded disgusted. 

Adrien kept his frown from deepening into a scowl. “Simon is the guy with Mister Collins syndrome?” he asked. He was actually very impressed with how calm he sounded.

Marinette gave him a look. “Mister Collins syndrome?”

Adrien set his spoon in his empty bowl. “Yeah. Obnoxious little guy in Pride and Prejudice who doesn’t have the common sense to move along when Elizabeth turns him down.”

Marinette was staring at him blankly.

“Haven’t you read Pride and Prejudice? Or seen one of the movie adaptations?” he pressed.

Marinette shook her head.

“Well that won’t do.” He stood and collected their bowls and cups. “As soon as I’m done with these dishes, we are watching one of the movie versions. The miniseries are better, of course,” he set the dishes in the sink and turned on the water, “but we don’t have time tonight.”

Marinette grabbed a clean dish towel. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks, Princess.”

Marinette froze. “Princess?”

Shoot.

“Oh, um, Wes called you that the other day—and it seemed fitting—so I guess it, kind of, stuck?” 

She unfroze and stepped to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking up at him with wide, blue eyes.

He looked down at her and his hands stilled on the soapy bowl he was washing. “Is it okay if I call you that?”

Marinette considered him for a long moment. Finally, she nodded.

Adrien gave her a small grin and pecked her on the cheek before returning his attention to the small pile of dirty dishes.

Marinette trailed her fingers down his arm before disengaging and taking the now clean bowl he was holding out to her. She dried it and put it away with the others.

“So how was your day?” she asked.

“Boring.” He handed her another bowl. “Meetings. Fittings. A lot of standing around with pompous people who think they know everything and aren’t willing to listen to anyone else’s opinion.”

“What made you decide to take a gap year?” She accepted a teacup and began drying it.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, so my father convinced me to work with him for a year to get a feel for the business side of the company.” He handed her the second cup.

“And now?”

Adrien shrugged and made quick work of washing the spoons. “I really don’t mind the work. I just wish I had more interesting people to work with, you know?” He turned off the water and wrung out the dishcloth, setting it on the edge of the sink to dry. He leaned against the counter and watched Marinette open the silverware drawer. A grin crawled up his face. “Maybe I’ll come work for you when you launch your own line. I bet you’d be fun to work with.”

Marinette started and dropped the spoons into the drawer with a clatter. She recovered and hung the checkered dish towel on the handle of the oven.

She faced him with a smile, but Adrien could see her light blush even in the dim candlelight. “Ready to start that movie?”

He nodded. “I’ll cue it up.”

“I’ll get the blankets.”

Blankets? He didn’t know what her plan was, but he liked where it was going.

He snuffed out the candles and found the version of the movie he wanted on a streaming service. Marinette joined him a minute later with two full-size blankets in her arms and a hairbrush in her hand.

She handed him a gray blanket and sat next to him. She then draped the pink blanket over her legs and pronounced herself ready. 

Adrien tucked his folded blanket beside him and pressed ‘Play’. The opening music started playing very quietly and Marinette turned on the captions.

She started running the brush through her hair and Adrien felt himself relax. They were having a nearly perfect first date in his opinion.

“Ow.” Marinette jerked slightly.

Adrien raised his head from where he’d been leaning it on his propped-up hand and looked at the young woman beside him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s this hair.” She huffed in frustration. “It dried wrong and now it’s a tangled mess. I should just cut it off,” she grumbled.

Oh, don’t do that, Adrien thought to himself. It was the perfect length for toying with the ends. Not that he’d gotten the chance to play with her hair, but he was hoping to, one day. 

A lightbulb flicked on in his mind as inspiration struck.

“Allow me.” He nudged her into sitting on the floor in front of him. She obliged and sat with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. He sat forward and placed his legs on either side of her. She handed him the hairbrush and faced the TV as Mister Darcy and the Bingleys arrived at the Meryton ball.

Adrien started brushing the ends. He took his time and carefully worked his way up in sections to ensure he didn’t pull too hard on any knots and harm his princess. 

Eventually, the brush was running smoothly through her soft strands of inky blue hair. It was such a unique color. Adrien had always been fascinated by it.

Marinette pushed herself back onto the couch beside him and huddled under her blanket. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and Adrien’s heart rate hitched. This was nice, but they could do better. 

He slouched against the corner of the sectional and stretched his legs out on the couch cushions. Marinette watched him rearrange himself curiously. Once he was comfortable, Adrien opened his arms in invitation. 

Marinette willingly lay against him, settling her weight on the sofa between his legs and using his chest as a pillow. Adrien helped her drape her blanket over them and wrapped an arm around her middle. Her sweater was cozy and ridiculously soft. He turned half of his attention to the movie and started carding his fingers through her hair. Marinette snuggled into him and sighed in contentment. 

This. This was perfect.

All too soon the credits were rolling and Adrien knew it was time for him to go home.

“Marinette,” he whispered. “Mari?” He gave her shoulder a little shake. She didn’t react. Her breathing was deep and even. She’d fallen asleep.

Adrien smiled widely as he carefully worked his way out from under the young woman. He went up the stairs to Marinette’s room and pushed the trap door open. “Plagg. Plagg.”

“Wudda want?” he heard his kwami’s groggy reply from somewhere in the darkness. 

“It’s time to go. I’m going to tuck Marinette in bed, and then we’re leaving.”

“Fine,” the kwami grumped. Glowing green eyes appeared near Marinette’s desk and floated down the open hatchway.

Adrien left the door open and returned to the living room. He considered the sleeping girl, then picked her up in a bridal carry hold.

She hummed and snuggled against his chest. 

Could every day be like this?

He carried her up the stairs, carefully maneuvered her through the hatchway, crossed her room in a few strides, and climbed up the ladder to her loft. He laid her gently down on her bed and pulled her duvet up to her neck.

Marinette sighed. “Adrien.”  She mumbled quietly in her sleep and rolled onto her side, wrapping her arms around her cat pillow.

Adrien’s heart swelled when she said his name. He brushed her bangs out of her eyes and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Princess,” he whispered.

She hummed lightly. “Love you.”

He knew she was sleep talking and wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning, so it really didn’t count. He gasped softly anyway and a tear threatened to roll down his cheek.

“I love you too, Marinette. I always will.”  

He brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek one last time and forced himself down the ladder and out of her room, closing her door behind him.

He collected his things and felt Plagg settle into his shirt pocket. 

He poked his kwami and promised him an extra piece of camembert in the morning if he would lock the side door behind them once they were outside. Plagg complied without comment, then settled in his pocket again and dropped back to sleep.

It had stopped raining at some point. Adrien drove home under a clear sky and parked in the ground level garage under his apartment building.

Once in his apartment, Plagg resettled on his pillow, and Adrien silently got ready for bed.

He lay down and stared at his dark ceiling, not really seeing it. “I’m going to marry her.”

Plagg cracked open one eye in his chosen’s direction. “Told you so. Goodnight, Kid.”

“Goodnight, Plagg.”

Adrien fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully for the first time since his mother disappeared.

He dreamed of a modest home on the seashore. Three small children played in the surf. His wife was sitting in the sunshine on a beach towel. 

Adrien sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her to his chest. She placed her delicate hands around his forearms and turned her head just far enough to peck a kiss on the corner of his mouth when he leaned forward.

“I love you.” She turned her attention back to their children.

He placed his chin on her shoulder and followed her gaze. “I love you too, Princess.”

[Stinky Sock] ‘Morning, Sugarcube.

[Sugarcube] Good morning.

[Stinky Sock] Is your girl still out cold?

[Sugarcube] She’s actually awake. She didn’t hit snooze once and is already in the shower.

[Stinky Sock] I keep telling you that cats make the best pillows.

[Stinky Sock] Take last night for instance.

[Sugarcube] Oh, yes. He really was very sweet to her.

Plagg sighed. All these millennia together and Tikki still wouldn’t flirt back at him.

[Sugarcube] She needed it after the day she had.

Plagg snorted.

[Stinky Sock] *He* needed it after the life he’s had.

[Sugarcube] Are you ever going to tell him how much you care?

[Stinky Sock] I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. Even if I did, I would deny any knowledge of the sort.

[Sugarcube] You really are what you eat. Tough, stinky rind on the outside, ooey-gooey on the inside.

[Stinky Sock] Are you calling me delicious, Sugarcube? >;)

[Sugarcube] Ew. No.

[Stinky Sock] Your loss.

[Sugarcube] *eye roll*

[Sugarcube] My girl is planning on bringing your boy a thank you gift to his office before classes this morning.

[Stinky Sock] Oooo. Is it camembert?

[Sugarcube] What do you think?

[Stinky Sock] Eh, a cat can dream. 

[Stinky Sock] What time?

[Sugarcube] About 7.30.

[Stinky Sock] He’ll be there.

“Plagg? Have you seen my phone?” Adrien called from the other room.

Uh-oh.

[Stinky Sock] Gotta run.

[Stinky Sock] Later, Sugarcube.

Plagg quickly deleted their messages, closed the texting app, and locked Adrien’s phone. He lay on it on his belly and proceeded to lick his paws. They tasted like his morning camembert. Delicious.

“Plagg! Get off my phone!”

Plagg looked at his chosen lazily. “Well good morning to you too, Loverboy.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, 13  February

Marinette groaned as she rolled over in her bed, reaching for her alarm clock to silence the obnoxious beeping.

“Ahh!” She suddenly sat up, eyes wide as memories of the previous day came flooding back to her. “Tikki!” She looked around her, taking in her surroundings. “What happened last night?!”

Tikki flew up to her chosen and smiled wide, a dreamy look in her eyes. “Adrien was such a gentleman, Marinette! He carried you to bed and made sure you were tucked in and comfortable.”

Marinette laid back again and covered her reddening face with her hands. “I can’t believe I was laying on him. I fell asleep on him!”

“Are you embarrassed?” Tikki landed softly on the pillow next to Marinette’s head.

“No, I’m… I don’t know what I am! It was amazing and he was so perfect and sweet to bring me home and spend time with me here. I was so worried I’d ruined everything when I showed up late and… soaked.” She turned to look at her kwami, a look of pure joy on her face. “He somehow made an awful day into one of the best I’ve ever had and—”

She popped up again, startling Tikki. “I have to make it up to him. He was so amazing yesterday, I need to show him how much I appreciate it.”

Tikki grinned. “I’m sure he’s not worried about you balancing the scales, Marinette, but whatever you’re planning, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you.”

Marinette paused as she moved to get down from the loft. She stared at Tikki with a mixture of concern and hope. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

Marinette squealed excitedly and rushed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

“How do I look?” Marinette glanced down at Tikki, who was peeking her head out of the purse she hid in.

“You look adorable, like I told you several times while you were getting ready.” Tikki was obviously trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice as she gave Marinette another encouraging smile. “Just remember that he asked you out. He’s not just being polite, he really is interested. Now say it back to me one more time.”

Marinette tucked a box of fresh pastries from her parents’ bakery under her arm and smoothed out her dress. It was navy blue with a white micro polka dot print that flowed beautifully and flattered her figure.

“He asked me out.” She adjusted the rolled-up sleeves of her peach cardigan. “He’s not just being polite.” She stood in her hero pose to give herself confidence, the bracelets on her wrist made a jingling sound as they clinked together. “He really is interested in me.”

“Excuse me.” An older man in a business suit stood awkwardly by her, waiting to be able to get through the door.

Marinette jumped out of the way, suddenly red with embarrassment. “Agh! Sorry!”

She stood in front of the building where the Gabriel office took up the top two floors. Once the man was inside the building, Marinette looked back down at Tikki, feeling uncertain. “What if—“

“No.” Tikki stared her chosen down, determined not to let her back out.

“But—“

“No, Marinette! Stop telling yourself all the reasons why not and trust me. Trust him. He wouldn’t have done all he did last night if he didn’t want to, now go!”

Marinette’s expression changed to one of determination. She nodded, clutched at the strap of her purse and the box of pastries, and pushed her way through the front door to the building.

After finding her way to the waiting area outside Adrien’s office, she was greeted by a cheerful looking middle-aged woman sitting behind a desk.

“Good morning! How can I help you?”

“Hi, I came to bring Adrien— I-I mean, Monsieur Agreste some…” she trailed off as she caught a glimpse of a tall brunette standing in Adrien’s office. She had him nearly backed into a corner and she kept moving closer to him. Neither had noticed Marinette, and for the briefest moment she wondered if Adrien wasn’t serious about her after all.

Then Adrien turned slightly and Marinette could read his extreme displeasure at the woman’s proximity. He skirted around her and headed for his desk, but she followed. Marinette could see her face now. Her fists clenched as she recognized her. It was Lila Rossi.

Marinette looked at Adrien’s assistant, feeling fury flare up inside her. 

His assistant smiled knowingly. “Go on in. Looks like he needs rescuing.”

Marinette nodded in thanks before hurrying to his office door. She reached out to open it but paused as a thought occurred to her. She dug in her purse and pulled out the fake engagement ring, slipping it on her finger just before she pushed her way into Adrien’s office. 

She pretended to not notice Lila as she made her way toward Adrien with a sultry smirk on her face.

“Hello, Darling.” She leaned against him and cupped her left hand around his neck, making sure that Lila could see the ring. She rose up onto the balls of her feet as she pulled him down into a kiss.

She felt Adrien stiffen for a split second, and was not prepared for him to place his hands on her hips and hold the kiss a second or two longer than she had initially intended. Her burning anger at Lila was tempered by the feeling of Adrien’s lips on hers. Kissing him shot sparks of energy running down her spine. It was wonderful. All-consuming and dangerous. She could lose herself in him so easily.

She reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and lowered herself back onto her heels. She looked up and could see different emotions battling for dominance in his green eyes. 

I’m sorry, she tried to tell him without words.

His expression softened. The conflict in his eyes resolved into a message that she somehow understood. Thank you for saving me.

Composing herself, she returned to her mental script. “You forgot breakfast again, so I brought you a little something.” She offered him the pastry box.

Adrien relaxed against his desk and took the box, setting it on the glass surface next to a stack of paperwork. “You’re so good to me. Thank you, Princess.” His right hand migrated to the middle of her back, and Marinette realized she was standing between his legs.

She kept the ruse going, turning and acting as though she’d only just noticed Lila. “Oh, Lila! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Were you just visiting my Adrien?” Marinette asked with doe-eyed innocence.

Adrien looked over Marinette’s head at the angry girl hyperventilating near the door. “Mademoiselle Rossi was just leaving.” His voice had taken on a hard edge and the words came across like an order. Marinette was grateful she had never been on the receiving end of that tone.

“Wh-what is this?” Lila demanded. “What is she doing here? Your father said you didn’t have a girlfriend!” 

Marinette could feel Lila’s fierce hatred emanating from across the room.

Adrien stood straight, and Marinette leaned into him as she gave the pathological liar a disdainful look that would make Chloé Bourgeois proud.

“That’s because she’s my fiancée.” Adrien corrected her. “Didn’t you hear, Lila? Now I am kindly going to have to ask you to leave so that I can have a moment alone with this beauty. You can see yourself out.” Adrien turned his full attention to the young woman pressed against him.

Lila huffed and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Marinette counted to ten to make sure Lila was really gone, then backed several centimeters away from Adrien and gave him a bashful look.

Adrien’s face was split in a Cheshire grin. “Care to join me for breakfast, my love?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Unbelievable. See if I ever do any more favors for you after this.” She smiled teasingly and nervously tugged at the end of the loose side braid draped over her shoulder.

Taking a step closer to her and brushing her cheek with his knuckles, Adrien smiled. “I mean it. Let me take you out to breakfast as thanks.”

Marinette sighed. “I came here to thank you for taking care of me last night. You don’t owe me anything.” A light blush covered her cheeks as she gazed into his eyes. There was an intensity she hadn’t expected to see and she noticed he kept looking down at her lips. “Either way though, I can’t. I have to be on campus until two.”

Adrien’s fingers lingered on the side of her face and he seemed to be leaning in closer. “Do you have any plans after that?”

It was like magnetism. Marinette found herself being drawn in closer still. “No. No plans.”

His hand moved to cup her jawline, his thumb rubbing gently against her cheek. “Does that mean I can have you all to myself?”

Marinette wasn’t entirely sure when she had pressed herself up against him once again, but the contact was welcomed. “Yes. All yours.”

They stared longingly at one another until Adrien noticed something behind her. Marinette turned to see what he was looking at and saw his assistant watching them. She cleared her throat, taking a step back away from him.

“So yeah, uh… I can call you or… or text when I’m out of class and we can find a time to get together.” Her eyes darted all over the room in her nervousness, occasionally finding his. “I should… I should go.”

Adrien folded his arms and nodded a little too vigorously. “Yeah, of course. You don’t want to be late.” He smiled at her before deciding to move in close and give her a quick peck on the cheek.

Marinette’s cheeks darkened and she adjusted the strap of her bag. “Enjoy the pastries, Adrien. I’ll see you later.”

She walked out of his office, smiling shyly as she passed by Adrien’s assistant. She took deep, calming breaths as she rushed to the elevator.

Adrien was standing in the doorway to his office, lost in a daydream. After a moment he noticed that someone had spoken. “Sorry, Suzette, what was that?”

“I take it that’s the famous Marinette you mentioned?” His assistant smirked at him, a teasing lilt in her voice.

He sighed happily. “Yeah… That’s her.”

“I didn’t realize congratulations were in order. Should I get started on wedding invitations?”

For a brief moment, Adrien looked like he would protest. “We’re not—” A wide smile broke out across his face as he thought once again about their kiss. “We, uh…” He tried to fight his grin but it seemed to be fighting back. “Not yet, at least.”

Suzette cocked an eyebrow at him. “Mm-hmm…” She swiveled in her desk chair back towards her computer.

“Hey, uh,” Adrien approached her desk and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Can you clear my schedule for this afternoon? I need to be out of here a little before two.”

She looked at her computer and pulled up his agenda. “I can do better than that. Nathalie won’t be happy, but she’ll survive.” She clicked a few times with the mouse and typed out a quick message. “There. You’re free for the rest of today and tomorrow.”

Adrien’s head popped up. “Tomorrow? I don’t need—“

“Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, Adrien.”

He looked confused and shook his head. “So? We’re not—“

Suzette leaned back in her chair and regarded him incredulously. “I saw the way you two were looking at each other. Now you have time for whatever it is you want to do with her… or to—“

“Suzette!” Adrien turned red and his eyes went wide. “Just… no. You know, everyone thinks you’re this polished professional, but I know better.” He walked away, turning back just as he was entering his office. “Thank you, by the way. You’re the best.”

“Oh, I know.” She winked at him, a wide grin on her face. “You’re welcome, Loverboy.”

Once Adrien had closed the door to his office, Plagg popped his head out of his hiding spot. “I knew I liked her.”

Adrien sighed. “Not you, too.”

Adrien finally found Marinette in a crowd of students when he heard her voice. He narrowed his eyes and felt fire in his veins when he saw Simon gripping Marinette’s bicep firmly. He tried to move closer, but several students blocked his way.

“I already told you, Simon, I’m engaged. Please let go of my arm.”

“Not until you stop lying to me about why you won’t go out with me.”

Getting an idea, Adrien started pulling his miraculous ring off his right ring finger.

“What do you think you’re doing, Adrien!?” Plagg stared up at his chosen from his hiding place inside his shirt.

Adrien grinned, a determined look on his face. “Just returning a favor, Plagg. Relax.” He slipped the ring onto his left ring finger instead and pushed past a couple more students to make his way toward Marinette.

“I’m not lying to you, I just can’t tell you who he is. In fact, I need to call him, so please let me go.”

“Hello, Angel.” Adrien stepped up to Marinette’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, placing a soft kiss on her temple. “Who’s this?”

Marinette glanced up at him, the fear and frustration in her eyes making way for relief when she realized who was at her side.

Simon snatched his hand back and went pale. “You… you’re—“

Adrien extended a hand to the creep. “Adrien Agreste, and you are?”

Backing away from the couple a step, Simon swallowed. “‘Net— I mean, M-Marinette’s… classmate. Simon.”

“Ah.” Adrien dropped his hand and the cordial look on his face turned more serious. “My beautiful fiancée has, in fact, mentioned you. From what I understand, you can’t take a hint.”

For a split second, Simon’s eyes darted to Marinette before he looked down at the ground. “Uh, yeah… it’s just that… she never told anyone your name and it seemed—“

“Well, now you understand why. We’ve gone to great lengths to keep our engagement under the media’s radar. I don’t want her receiving any unwanted attention, you understand?” Adrien’s voice was firm and matter-of-fact. 

The arm slung around Marinette’s shoulders moved to wrap gently around her midsection as Adrien pulled her close. Simon hadn’t responded and was still avoiding eye contact, so Adrien continued. “And Simon? For future reference, when a woman tells you no… that’s the answer. You don’t get to keep pestering her, hoping to get a different one.”

Simon nodded slowly, barely daring to glance up into Adrien’s eyes. “Right. You’re right. I’m sorry. I won’t say anything, I promise.”

“I certainly hope not. My father would be furious if word got out, and that could be rather damaging for the future of whoever leaked the story. Especially if they happened to be in the fashion industry.” Adrien smiled down at Marinette, a much softer look in his eyes. “And I think she’s the one you should be apologizing to, don’t you?”

Simon took another step back away from them, his eyes slowly scanning over toward Marinette. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you. Please forgive me. I won’t say anything to anyone.” He nearly tripped over a bench as he continued backing away from them.

Marinette nodded at Simon and he took that as permission to leave, turning around and scurrying off.

Adrien chuckled and turned to look at Marinette, who was already gazing up at him in awe.

“Everything okay, Princess?”

She blinked and nodded. “Yeah, you just… you didn’t have to do that.”

Bending down and kissing her softly on the cheek, Adrien smiled. “You literally just did the same thing for me this morning. Now Lila’s off my back, and hopefully Simon’s off yours.”

Marinette grinned. “I don’t think he’ll even look at me for weeks.”

Adrien took her hand and squeezed gently. “Then you’re welcome.”

Squeezing his hand back and falling into step next to him as they made their way closer to the edge of the campus, Marinette sighed. “I guess I’ll have to remember to keep my ring on more consistently.”

“If you’re going to be wearing an engagement ring that’s supposedly from me, I’m buying you one that’s better suited to you. Now come on, there’s a cafe nearby that I want to take you to.”

He didn’t seem to notice the way his suggestion rendered Marinette speechless as they continued walking hand-in-hand.

“I hope you’re enjoying your tea. I brought you dessert, on the house for you adorable newlyweds.” Their waitress winked as she set down their order.

Marinette looked up at the woman. “Oh, we’re—“

Adrien reached across the table and took Marinette’s hand in his own. “We’re very happy, thank you. What a kind gesture.”

The woman smiled sweetly. “Well, enjoy, you two. Let me know if there’s anything else I can get for you.” She walked away, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone.

“I—“ Marinette looked down at the plate with a slice of Fraisier cake and two forks resting on top. “Why didn’t you correct her?”

“It only would have made the situation more uncomfortable. Plus,” he intertwined his fingers with her own, “it’s not an unwelcome idea. You’re exactly the kind of person I can see myself building a life with.”

Marinette didn’t say anything for a while, simply staring at Adrien with her mouth hanging open slightly. Suddenly she pulled her hand away, picking up one of the forks and taking a bite of the cake.

Adrien wondered if he overstepped, picking up his own fork and digging in as well. He stared down at the table while he savored the flavor of the strawberries and cream.

“I feel the same way.” Marinette’s voice was barely audible, but she had looked back up at him, her cheeks dusted with pink. She popped another bite of cake into her mouth, licking her lips when some cream was left on them.

No longer able to restrain himself, Adrien moved over to the chair next to Marinette and leaned close to her. He stared into her eyes, silently asking permission before kissing her softly on the lips.

He’d been waiting for this for days. Sure, it wasn’t their first kiss, but it was the first that wasn’t just for show. He reveled in the softness of her lips and his heart felt as though it would burst. He couldn’t believe his luck in having such an amazing girl want him as much as he wanted her.

Before the kiss could become anything more than chaste, their waitress approached the table and refilled their tea. “Don’t mind me. It warms my heart to see a young couple so obviously in love.” She walked off again and Adrien and Marinette smiled shyly at one another. Adrien had never been so thankful for a misunderstanding in his life.

They held hands on and off over the next hour while they talked, laughed, and enjoyed one another’s company. They had been in the middle of a discussion about some of the things Marinette was learning in school when Adrien had an idea.

“Would you like to see something in the industry that hardly anyone gets to see?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“It’s— well… I have a friend who owns an incredibly exclusive boutique. Everything is done in-house and her team is made up of some of the most talented artisans in fashion. You have to know someone to get in, and most people have to make an appointment.”

Marinette’s eyes lit up. “I’ve heard of things like that! Would you be able to get an appointment on such short notice, though?”

Adrien smiled. “I’m… not most people, Marinette.” He pulled out his phone and sent off a text. “She’s great, you’ll love her. She used to work for my father, but she’s much happier designing her own clothing line.”

“That sounds amazing. I would love to go.” Marinette looked so excited, Adrien couldn’t help but be excited too.

Their waitress brought the check and wished them a happy life together. They both thanked her with a warm smile. Adrien glanced at the beautiful girl next to him and hoped that the waitress’ wish would come true.

After a short drive, they pulled up in front of a nondescript building and got out of the car. Marinette started walking toward the front door, but Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her gently toward the alleyway instead.

“Sorry, it’s a little more discreet than that. This way.”

Marinette followed, clutching tight to Adrien’s hand as she took in her surroundings. About halfway down the lengthy alleyway they came to a plain white door with ‘bienvenue’ written in cursive blue lettering. Adrien lifted a hand and knocked twice, waited a moment, and then knocked once more.

A small, balding man in a black button up shirt and white slacks looked up at the young couple through the small slit that the security chain allowed. “Monsieur Agreste! Wonderful to see you.” His eyes darted over to Marinette. “I’m sorry, she’s not expecting your guest here. She’ll have to make an appointment.”

Marinette’s face fell but Adrien squeezed her hand. “This is my wife, Henri, surely she’ll make an exception.”

Henri looked Marinette up and down, his eyes lingering on their joined hands. “I wasn’t aware you were married, Adrien.”

“Most people aren’t. We’re keeping it very hush hush for now. You understand.” Adrien winked.

“Ah, oui , say no more.” He shut the door, the sound of the chain sliding on its track. A moment later he opened the door once again and stepped to the side to let them by. “No one will hear it from me.”

Adrien turned to look at a blushing Marinette as he pulled her through the doorway with him. The entryway was dark and simply decorated, but as they made their way down a hallway, it got brighter in both lighting and design choices.

Marinette leaned against Adrien’s arm. “You’re not worried about someone leaking that we’re supposedly married?”

Reaching out to grab the handle of a door at the end of the hall, Adrien smiled down at her. “Nope. Not at all.” He turned the handle and pushed his way into a room that could only be described as an explosion of color. The only contrast being that every piece of clothing on each of the five people in the room was either black, white, or grey.

The cacophony of color was rivaled only by the abrupt chorus of shrieks and shouts of Adrien’s name. Marinette let go of his hand as he was suddenly enveloped in hugs and cheek kisses from four very enthusiastic models. The last person to walk over to him was a tall, gaunt woman all in black, her grey hair in a high bun.

“Adrien, darling. Tell me you’ve finally decided to leave your horrid father and come model for me.” She took both of his hands and gave him a serious look.

Adrien grinned. “I wish. Maybe one day.” He kissed her cheek and turned them both toward Marinette. “For now, Annika, I want you to meet someone.”

Marinette smiled awkwardly and waved. “Hi… I’m Marinette. Adrien’s…” She hesitated for a moment until Henri walked into the room. “Adrien’s wife.”

Annika dramatically shoved Adrien to the side and gathered Marinette into a tight hug. “Oh, Solnyshka , why didn’t you tell me?” She pulled back and held Marinette’s shoulders, taking in the details of her face. “You are beautiful, my darling one. Why has Adrien kept you away from me?”

Adrien moved to stand next to Marinette, who seemed temporarily immobilized. He was absolutely beaming. “My father doesn’t even know yet.”

Annika practically screamed in excitement. “Yes! I know about your sweet love before that boorish dictator!” She bent down and kissed Marinette on the cheek before turning to Adrien and doing the same. “As far as I’m concerned, he never needs to know. He will only detract from the happiness I see in you both.”

“He’ll probably wonder when they start having babies.” One of the models chimed in.

Tapping her chin and nodding, Annika looked Marinette up and down. “I suppose, yes. But promise me you will wait until I have had a chance to dress this adorable figure.” She took one of Marinette’s hands and spun her around in a circle. “Oh yes, we must get your measurements.”

Adrien winked at Marinette, who looked somewhat flustered. “Don’t worry, no babies for at least a year.” 

Marinette gave him an incredulous look. He returned it with a cheshire grin, then returned his attention to the industry veterans. “You know, my Marinette is a wonderful fashion designer in her own right.”

Annika, Henri, and the four models were so excited then that Marinette got swept up into a whirlwind of measuring, pinning, and talking shop.

Sitting in a chair in the corner, Adrien watched in awe as Marinette slowly opened up and showed her knowledge and skill in their craft. He was completely content to watch the obvious glee on her face as she fell into a comfortable pattern with the others.

It was one of the things he loved about her. Her passion, her drive. Her excitement over the smallest details.

“Did you have fun?” Adrien asked as he and Marinette walked hand in hand back toward his car.

“It was amazing, Adrien! Thank you so much for taking me.” Marinette tucked herself into his side and smiled.

“You’re welcome.” Adrien kissed her hair. “So, what do you want to do next?” He held open the car door as she climbed in.

“Dinner?” Marinette sat in the passenger seat, leaning toward him as he got in. “This was so thoughtful of you. I can’t get over the juxtaposition of Annika’s aesthetic. It’s brilliant! She has such a colorful personality and… her decor too!” She began gesticulating wildly as she spoke. “But when you’re focusing on her designs, what stands out is the intricate stitching and… and the pleating! Oh, Adrien, I could have stayed there another week and not have learned half of what she could teach me.”

Adrien grinned. He’d been there for all of it, but he wasn’t bothered by her play-by-play. Her excitement made him feel warm and filled with purpose. He reached over to take her hand, pulling it toward him to kiss her fingers. “I’m so glad you liked it.” He started his car and pulled into the street.

Marinette leaned into his side and sighed. “I loved it. Thank you, thank you. Really, it was perfect. You’re perfect.”

He’d wanted to respond, but his voice caught when he opened his mouth, emotion silencing him. He leaned his head against hers for a moment then focused on getting to their destination quickly. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and he couldn’t do it as long as he was driving.

The next ten minutes passed excruciatingly slowly, the evening traffic in Paris being what it was. They sat in silence, holding hands and enjoying each other’s presence. When they finally reached their destination, Adrien quickly parked and had rounded the car to help Marinette out before she had even unbuckled.

After opening her door, Adrien held out his hand and smiled down at his lovely date for the evening. “My lady.”

Marinette took his hand and stepped unsteadily out of the car. Adrien caught her forearms when she nearly stumbled. He could feel her shaking as he helped her stand up straight.

Adrien knit his brow in concern. “Hey, are you okay?”

Instead of answering, she grabbed the front of Adrien’s jacket and tugged him down to her level, planting a kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, leaving him breathless, she looked back and forth between both of his eyes, seemingly searching for something.

She hadn’t let go of his jacket and the intensity in her eyes had not died down.

Adrien blinked slowly, his lips still puckered slightly from the kiss as he processed what had just happened. 

“You hungry?” Marinette inquired breathlessly.

Finally his eyes focused on her properly and he nodded. “Very.”

Smirking, Marinette let go of his jacket and skirted around him. “Alright then. Let’s get something to eat, shall we?”

Slowly shutting the door and turning toward the girl who would be his end, Adrien smiled, still feeling somewhat unstable. “Absolutely. One of my favorite Thai restaurants is around the corner.” He hurried to her side, taking her hand in his own.

Adrien took a small bite of his shrimp, looking up at his frustrated dinner companion. He was incredibly confused as to why she was becoming increasingly agitated over the course of their meal.

“Are you not enjoying your food?”

Marinette looked startled as she refocused her attention on him, a strained smile on her face. “I’m fine. Sorry, I’m just a bit… distracted.”

Their waitress stopped at their table and refilled their glasses. Adrien noticed Marinette glaring at the young woman as the server’s gaze lingered on him.

“So, you’re a model, right?” The brunette leaned in close to Adrien and touched his arm. “You’re on a billboard right outside my bedroom window.”

Adrien smiled politely as he shifted further away from the girl. The way she emphasized the words ‘right outside’ made him incredibly uncomfortable. He was used to the attention, but had hoped that Marinette’s presence would spare him this time.

“Seriously? Are you blind? He has a ring on his finger, sweetheart. He’s taken.” Marinette was fuming.

Witnessing her outburst, Adrien finally understood the reason for her frame of mind during dinner.

When the girl took more than a millisecond to leave, Marinette stood, physically shooed her away, and invited herself to sit on his side of the booth. She pushed Adrien’s plate closer to him and slid her own across the table, taking another bite. After a moment she looked up and saw Adrien staring at her.

“What?”

He wanted to declare his love for her. He wanted to marry her right then and there. He had other things in mind that he wanted to do that were… less pure. Instead of any of those, though, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek. “Thank you, Marinette.”

She beamed, swallowing her food and smiling at him. “If I’m your wife for the day, I’m going to act like it. You’ve met my mother, she doesn’t take anyone’s nonsense lying down.”

“Oh, I know. It’s one of the things I admire most about her.” Adrien nodded solemnly.

Smirking, Marinette picked up another piece of chicken with her chopsticks. “Glad to hear it. Now finish your panang so we can go dancing.”

The corner of Adrien’s mouth twitched up in a devious grin he usually reserved for his superhero persona. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Sorry, I’ll need to see an ID, little girl.” The bouncer put his hand on Marinette’s shoulder and Adrien nearly growled at him.

“Hey! Please keep your hands off my wife. She’s eighteen, alright?” Adrien grit his teeth as the bouncer gave him a hard look.

Marinette reached over to squeeze Adrien’s fingers in a calming gesture and quickly pulled out her ID. She showed it to the bouncer, who, after huffing at Adrien once more, relented and let them pass.

Once they were in the building, Adrien looked at Marinette apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I just… Him putting his hand on you made me think of Simon, and I guess I overreacted.”

Closing the distance between them, Marinette cupped his face in her hands and pulled him into a brief kiss. “Adrien, it’s okay. I’m not mad.” She rested her forehead against his. “Just trust me, okay? I can take care of myself. I really appreciate what you did for me with Simon, but you should know that if he hadn’t let go of me or had taken it too far, I would have decked him.”

Adrien laced his fingers with Marinette’s, marveling at how she always managed to cheer him up.

They made their way to the dance floor and spent the next few hours reliving the fun of the previous weekend. After a particularly energetic dance, Marinette dismissed herself to the restroom and Adrien got some glasses of water at the bar to help them cool down.

As he turned, he bumped into a young woman and accidentally spilled water all down her front. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!” He set down the glasses and asked the bartender for a towel, which he handed to the woman.

She took it and dried off her cleavage, giving him a sultry look. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you did that on purpose, sexy.”

Adrien immediately recoiled. The woman was clearly drunk, and he was not the least bit interested. “No, it was an accident. Sorry, I’ll just—“ He made to walk away when she stepped forward and pressed her wet clothes against him.

“Hey, don’t run off. We could have some fun together tonight. My hotel is real close.” She laughed and leaned closer to his face, the stench of alcohol on her breath. “Come on, live a little, pretty boy.” She was suddenly yanked away from Adrien by the small but fierce lady Adrien was hoping to see.

The drunk girl whipped around, nearly hitting Marinette. “Hey, whaddya think you’re doin’?” She sized up Marinette’s petite frame and scoffed. “Beat it, shrimp.” She tried to turn back to Adrien, but Marinette snarled and pulled on the drunk girl’s shoulder. 

“Excuse me!? Keep your hands off my husband!”

“You? His wife? Ha! You must be joking. Back off shorty, and watch a real woman work.”

The girl turned back toward Adrien, only to be shoved to the side by Marinette who grabbed Adrien’s hand and pulled him in for a sensual kiss, her hands quickly moving to his hair.

Adrien, though stunned, returned the kiss with vigor. He wasn’t entirely sure what had gotten into her, but he liked it.

An indeterminate amount of time later, they pulled away from one another. With matching pink cheeks, they stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment.

Adrien vaguely noticed that the drunk girl had moved on when Marinette tugged on his hand, leading him out into the night air. He looked around to see where he’d parked, figuring it was time to take her home anyway, when he noticed that she had turned the wrong way.

“Uh, Mari? My car is back that way.” He gestured over his shoulder.

“It’ll still be there in the morning.” She grumbled something else under her breath. Adrien picked out the word ‘shorty’, but otherwise couldn’t make it out.

He followed quietly, not sure what to say. After a short walk down the street, Adrien was more than a little surprised when Marinette pushed open the door to a hotel and strode up to the desk.

“We’d like a room for the night.” She looked determined and spoke with authority. Adrien found it incredibly sexy, but his head was also spinning after what she had just said. This was not what he was expecting. He shared a look with the concierge and saw the questioning look on his face.

Adrien smiled congenially. “I would just do what she says if I were you.”

The concierge sized her up and found an inexpensive room that was available. “I trust a queen will do?”

Marinette nodded forcefully. “That’s fine. We’ll take it.”

Adrien pulled out a black credit card and slid it across the counter toward the concierge. Once the man had taken the card and seen the name on it, he straightened up, suddenly much more attentive. “The penthouse suite is also available,” he offered.

Smiling politely, Adrien reached out and caressed Marinette’s cheek. She met his gaze, then blushed and looked away shyly. “The first room is fine. My Princess has simple tastes.”

The elevator dinged when they reached their floor. Marinette hadn’t spoken a word since they’d been handed their key cards, and Adrien was beginning to worry. 

When she didn’t move, he scooped her up in a bridal hold, carrying her out of the elevator toward their room. She tucked her head into his chest where he couldn’t see her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he still couldn’t tell if she was okay.

After a bit of maneuvering, Adrien was able to unlock and open the door with Marinette still in his arms. He walked in, shutting the door softly behind him.

When she still hadn’t said anything, Adrien was sure that they were moving too quickly for her. If he was honest with himself, it was too fast for him, too.

He set her down on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of her, reaching to tilt her chin up so she wasn’t staring down at her lap. “Hey. Marinette. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with just because we have a room for the night. You know that, right?”

Marinette finally made eye contact with him, relief in her eyes.

Adrien smiled softly at her. “Do you want me to take you home? I’m happy to, if that’s what you want.”

She shook her head. “No. I feel safe with you. I’d like to stay if you… if you’re comfortable.”

“Yeah.” He caressed her cheek once more and was relieved when she nestled into his hand. “I’m comfortable. How about I see if the front desk can bring us some games to play, and we can see if I’ve improved enough to finally beat you?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Fat chance, Agreste. You’re cute, though.” She grinned at him as he stood and walked to the phone on the nightstand.

“Hi, yes, do you happen to have a game console and any Ultimate Mecha Strike games?” Adrien listened as he gazed over at Marinette, who seemed much more at ease. “That’s perfect. Also, a charcuterie platter with camembert— yes, camembert. Some chocolate…” He gave Marinette a questioning look.

“Cookies?”

Adrien nodded. “And some cookies, please. Maybe a carafe of water and a couple glasses?” He paused again. “Yes, that’ll be all. Thank you.” He hung up the phone and plopped himself down on the bed next to Marinette, grinning over at her.

She couldn’t help but grin back. “What is it?”

“You’re just… amazing. I feel lucky to have you by my side.”

Marinette leaned into him, lacing her fingers with his. “I feel the same way.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Adrien maintained eye contact with her while he discreetly reached behind himself, grabbed a pillow, and swung it around to smack her in the chest. “Ha!”

Marinette shoved him off the bed. “Oh no, you did not!” She flipped over onto her knees, grabbing two more pillows off the bed and throwing them at Adrien.

“You’re just supplying me with more ammo!” Adrien pelted her with two pillows and then stood to hit her in the leg with the third.

Marinette fell back on the bed, reaching for the last pillow at the head of the bed when Adrien knelt over the top of her, two pillows in his hands. She just managed to snag the last pillow and blocked his blows with it. “Face it, Adrien, you can’t overpower me!” She managed to flip them over so she was on top and whacked him in the face in a few quick movements.

Adrien caught her wrists and pulled her down so she was pressed against his chest. “It may be true, but I don’t have to admit it!” The smirk on his face faltered ever so slightly as she leaned in closer, rubbing her nose against his.

Their lips met and Marinette pulled his hands around her back in an invitation to hold her. She kissed him more forcefully as he did so, her hands moving to his hair.

Then there was a knock at the door.

They stared at one another, the tension thick in the air. Their heavy breaths were mingling when they snapped out of the moment they were having. Marinette carefully removed herself from her position on top of him and went to answer the door.

Adrien sat up, trying to look less like he was about to make out with someone for the first time in his life. He wondered if he should be ashamed of that at nineteen, but really he was just deeply annoyed with himself for ordering room service.

He tipped the bellboy who had delivered so much to their room at one in the morning, even going so far as to set up the game system for them. “Thank you. Have a good night.” When he turned, he saw Marinette had removed her shoes, cardigan, and jewelry, minus the stud earrings she always wore. She was tucking a couple of cookies into her purse. “You know they’re not going anywhere, right?”

She blushed, smiling awkwardly. “Yeah uh…” She grabbed one of the game controllers. “Prepare for defeat! I am the reigning champ, after all.”

“We’ll see about that, Princess.”

He slipped off his shoes and set aside his suit jacket and tie. He undid his suffocating top button, rolled up his sleeves, and landed on the end of the bed beside Marinette with a bounce. He snatched up his own controller, and Marinette pressed ‘START’.

They played for the next couple hours. Laughing, snacking between matches, teasing one another and occasionally rewarding the other with a soft peck on the cheek.

Shortly after three in the morning, they found themselves laying together on the bed, leaning against the headboard, playing a much less enthusiastic UMS match as they both ran out of energy.

Adrien used a combo move to finally take down Marinette’s character and his mouth split in a victorious grin. “Ha! I finally—“ He looked down at her and noticed she had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder. “Oh. Well that explains it.”

He turned off the TV and set their controllers on the nightstand. He adjusted Marinette into a more comfortable position and pulled the duvet up over her body, marveling that he had been lucky enough to tuck her in two nights in a row.

Adrien removed his stiff dress shirt, belt and socks, and got under the covers in his slacks and white undershirt. He hoped Marinette would be comfortable sleeping in her dress. He wasn’t interested in undressing her without her consent.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams, Princess.” He caressed her soft cheek once more. “I love you.”

Tikki sat on the edge of the counter in the bathroom, holding a bit of dark chocolate her chosen had missed. Plagg plopped down beside her, carrying the entire wheel of camembert.

“Ugh, Plagg! Really? You had to bring that stinky thing in here?”

He glared at Tikki. “Adrien wasn’t thoughtful enough to drop it in his pocket for me, Sugarcube. Stop complaining.” He took a bite out of the foul-smelling round.

Tikki, though annoyed, sighed dreamily. “I can hardly believe they’re finally together. They’re so adorable. Adrien’s so respectful of my Marinette and she’s finally gaining some real confidence around him.” She stuck the piece of chocolate in her mouth and chewed happily.

Plagg made a gagging sound. “Does confidence always have to lead to so much kissing?” He shivered in disgust. “Humans and their grotesque urges.” He took another large bite of cheese to soothe himself.

Tikki was thoroughly nonplussed. “Don’t act like this isn’t exactly what you wanted. We’ve had holders who were married and had children before. You didn’t seem to mind then.”

“Yeah, yeah…” He stuck his tongue out at her and popped the remainder of his cheese in his mouth and swallowed. “Just admit that I was right. My plan worked flawlessly, the universe didn’t implode, and those two idiots are finally together. All of our problems are solved.”

Tikki tackled him in a hug and rubbed her cheek against his. “Oh Plagg. I’m so glad I let you talk me into this. They’re so wonderful together.”

Plagg’s expression softened. “I told you so, Sugarcube.” He nuzzled into her, purring softly.

Chapter Text

Friday, 14 February

Marinette slowly started waking from the most wonderful dream. She had spent practically an entire day with Adrien. He had been so charming and sweet. She had even kissed him, repeatedly! 

Then they had gotten a hotel room together after she had been goaded by a drunk wench who had been trying to steal Adrien away. Her Adrien! No one was going to take her Kitty from her.

Right, that had been another part of the dream. Adrien had called her his Lady, and all of the pieces fell together. Of course the captivating young man was her loyal Chat Noir. There was no one else it could be.

They had stayed up until the early hours of the morning playing video games. She didn’t remember falling asleep in her dream, but she did remember feeling safe and warm as she cuddled into his chest. He had wrapped her in his arms and purred, lulling her into a deeper sleep.

Marinette sighed happily and rolled over. It had been such a nice dream.

Her face pressed into a pillow that smelled just like him. Her dream must be lingering. She hugged the pillow, took a deep breath, and hummed.

She heard her partner’s throaty chuckle behind her. “Good morning, Princess.”

Marinette hummed again. “Good morning, Chaton. I just had the best dream,” she sighed, still half asleep.

There was a long pause, then she felt a weight settle carefully behind her on her bed. “Oh?” Chat asked, prompting her to continue.

“Mm-hm. You were Adrien, and I didn’t have to feel torn between the two of you anymore. I got to be your wife for a day, and we had so much fun together. I never wanted it to end.” She snuggled deeper into the soft bedding and Adrien’s scent. 

Chat started stroking her hair, pulling it back from her face. His bare finger brushed her ear and she frowned. “What happened to your claws, Kitty?”

“M’lady.”

Marinette rolled over to look at her partner. One of her arms was raised over her head, and her dress was twisted around her middle uncomfortably. She blinked a few times and focused on Chat. 

The ends of his wild mane of blond hair were still damp. He looked like he was fresh out of the shower. He was wearing a white undershirt that clung to his chest in an appealing way that made her mouth water. His emerald green eyes were burning with intensity as he focused only on her.

She sat up straight. “Adrien,” she breathed. It wasn’t a dream.

Unhelpfully, her scrambling brain decided to take that moment to update her ‘days since I’ve seen Adrien’ tally.

‘Zero.’

Adrien smirked, but the intense look didn’t leave his eyes. “I hope that isn’t my score. I’ve been told by others that I’m more of an eleven.”

Marinette blushed. Oh, no. Had she said ‘zero’ out loud? 

“It… it isn’t anything like that.” She looked down at a fold in the plain white duvet that was covering her lower half and traced it with a finger. “I, um, got into this habit years ago that I still haven’t been able to kick.”

Her hair had fallen forward and hidden her face. Adrien reached out a hand and brushed it behind her ear. “Tell me,” he implored.

Marinette shook her head. It was too embarrassing. 

“Please?”

Marinette sighed in defeat. She focused on his knee. He was wearing the same navy blue slacks he had been wearing yesterday. The color was deep and rich and shifted in the light just subtly enough to attract attention without the observer knowing why they were looking at it.

“Back when we were in collége,” she began slowly, “I had the most embarrassing crush on you. Every morning I would wake up and count the days since I last saw you.”

Adrien started slowly trailing his fingertips up the exposed skin on her arm. His touch left a trail of tingling sparks in its wake. Marinette stopped running her finger over the duvet and went still, hyper aware of the man sitting next to her. She bit her lip to keep herself from doing or saying anything stupid.

“What’s the highest number it ever got to?”

“Two hundred seventeen,” she said reluctantly. She didn’t want him to know how obsessive she had been, but she had vowed to always be honest with her partner.

“Marinette,” he said her name like a prayer, “what if I never let your count go above zero again?”

He slipped his fingers into her hair and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. She met his gaze and saw a mixture of hope and fear that matched her own feelings. 

“What do you mean?”

“What if,” he leaned closer to her, “I spent every day with you? I love you, Princess.”

She watched his eyes as he slowly closed the distance between them. “You know that’s not really a feasible promise.”

“I’d find a way.”

His words warmed her in a way that intensified when his lips pressed into hers. Her heart thrummed, and she did her best to ignore all the thoughts twisting around her mind to concentrate on the new sensations flooding her senses.

Adrien crawled forward, and she brought her hands to his shoulders to keep from falling backwards. Their lips started moving together experimentally. Marinette had never kissed someone like this before. She started wishing she had brushed her teeth. When Adrien nibbled on her lower lip, all thoughts of her morning routine vanished under a haze of longing.

One of her hands moved to his neck to keep him with her as she relaxed back onto the pillows. He didn’t miss a beat in the rhythm of their mouths pushing against each other as he straddled her hips with his knees. 

He kissed the corner of her mouth and started peppering kisses along her jaw. She tried to stroke his back, but it was awkward with the distance between them from him propping himself up on an arm. She switched tactics and ran her fingers over his shoulders, up the back of his neck, and buried her fingers in his hair. It was just as soft as it had been the night before. She was in heaven.

Mariette started lightly scratching his scalp with her fingernails. Adrien sank deeper into her and nuzzled the sensitive spot on her neck behind her jaw and started leaving open mouthed kisses on her. 

She ran the side of her face against his cheek. Oh, wow. His bare skin was so smooth. He had used the hotel’s products for his shower that morning, so it wasn’t his usual scent, but it was still divine. Tingles flooded her body, causing her toes to curl.

A soft, vibrating rumble started in Adrien’s chest and he froze. Marinette giggled and nuzzled his cheek again. “I like it,” she whispered. Her warm breath caressed his ear. Adrien surrendered to the purr and started working his way down her neck to her collar bone.

Marinette giggled again, and Adrien moved his hand from her hair to her side, gripping her ribs through the thin fabric of her dress. 

He was impeded in his progress across her shoulder by the neckline of her dress. He started licking and sucking her skin on the point where her shoulder met her neck. Marinette squirmed with pleasure. He was going to leave a mark. She didn’t care.

She was deciding what to do with her hands next, when there was a knock on the door.

Adrien paused, then gripped her side tighter and ran his nose up her neck, flicking her earlobe with his tongue.

There was another knock—louder this time.

“A-Adrien,” Marinette rasped, “th-the door.”

Adrien growled and pushed himself off the bed. “I swear, I’m never ordering room service again,” he hissed under his breath. He stalked to the door, leaving Marinette to absorb her new reality.

She stared at the plain ceiling, not really seeing it, and let all of the air in her lungs out in a long exhale. Her arms fell back onto the pillows above her head and she let herself relax into the plush mattress. A lock of her hair brushed her hand. She twirled it around her finger absently as she blinked.

She just made out with Adrien Agreste. That thought was quickly followed by the fact that she also just made out with Chat Noir.

A grin slowly stretched across her face. What would her younger self think if she could see her now?

She heard the door shut and Adrien returned with a breakfast tray piled with breads, fruits, yogurt, and two glasses of orange juice. 

Marinette forced herself up from where she had melted into the mattress, and hastily straightened her dress and the bedding. She knelt primly on the duvet, and tucked her skirt around her legs. Adrien set the tray on the bed as she raked her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame her bed head.

She beamed at him. “Thank you for breakfast.”

Her cheeky partner bowed dramatically with a sweep of his arm. “I hope it meets with your approval, Princess.”

Marinette giggled. “I'm sure it does. Come here.”

Adrien slunk onto the bed and kissed her on the mouth with a loud smack. Then he licked the side of her face. “Ew, Minou, that’s gross.” Her protest was ruined by another fit of giggles as she wiped her cheek with her palm.

She didn’t like that glint in his eye or the way he was playfully growling. It spelled trouble.

Thinking fast, she grabbed a sweet bread from the breakfast tray and shoved it in his mouth. 

“Don’t think this will stop me, Bugaboo,” he said around the small pastry. He snapped it up and started chewing.

He wasn’t the only one that could play games.

As soon as he swallowed, Marinette popped a blueberry in her mouth and climbed into Adrien’s lap.

He barely had time to look surprised before she was kissing him. She coaxed him into parting his lips and granting her access. He opened his mouth and she passed him the blueberry with her tongue. He crushed the berry with his teeth, and moaned as he shared it with her, her tongue slipping against his. 

Marinette didn’t know what she was doing. She felt warm all over and only knew that she wanted to be closer to him. She gripped his shoulders and pushed her chest against his. 

Adrien’s fingers were making a hopeless tangle of her hair and his purring was louder than before.

“Okay, break it up you two,” Plagg drawled. “Hey, Kid, where’s my camembert?”

Marinette yelped and flailed as she jumped away from the boy she had been making out with. 

Right. They weren’t alone. Her cheeks flamed as she saw Plagg and Tikki floating nearby. 

Plagg had his arms crossed and was glaring at his human partner. Tikki was shaking her head with a paw on her forehead.

Adrien snarled and threw the cheese at his kwami. Plagg caught it easily.

“Plagg, you are as subtle as a brick,” Tikki reprimanded.

“Hey, if they don’t want kittens in nine months, he’s going to have to learn some self-control,” Plagg said around a mouthful of cheese. He swallowed and pointed an accusing paw at his chosen. “Three feet on the floor, young man!”

Adrien threw a pillow at the black cat, which he neatly dodged. “We weren’t going to go that far!”

“Keep telling yourself that, Kid.”

Marinette buried her flaming face in her hands.

“It would be wise to take some precautions,” Tikki offered.

Marinette groaned. “Not you too, Tikki.” Her voice was muffled by her hands. She still couldn’t bring herself to risk looking anyone in the eye.

“She’s right, Pigtails. You're fighting against magic and nature here.”

She dared to lower her fingers just enough to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re paired with the kwami of creation. Think about it.” 

Adrien choked and coughed, drawing Marinette’s attention. His face was almost as red as hers. 

“I don’t understand,” she said.

Adrien’s face maintained its flush as he explained. “You know how a holder can be affected by their kwami over time? Like how my senses are slightly heightened and I can purr even without being transformed?”

“Yes…?” She hadn’t known about the senses thing.

“I think what Plagg is implying is that you—um, we—I mean—Tikki, help me out here.” Adrien gave up and looked to the ladybug kwami.

Tikki sighed. “He’s saying that it wouldn’t take much to create a new life.”

Marinette could practically hear the steam coming out of her ears. She grabbed a pillow and smashed it into her face.

No. Oh, no, no, nonononono. She and Adrien were not prepared to have a kitten—baby—whatever! They were barely adults. They weren’t ready to start a family yet.

She felt Adrien rubbing soothing circles on her back. She tensed for a moment, then dropped the pillow and leaned into his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Mari. I’m not ready yet either. But, um, they probably aren’t wrong about being more careful.”

“Yeah, especially with spring coming.”

“Plagg!!” Tikki and Adrien yelled at him.

Marinette had Adrien drop her off at home after they finished their breakfast and checked out of the hotel.

Technically she should be at school, but there was zero percent chance of her being able to concentrate in her remaining classes or get any work done.

She collapsed on the chaise in her room and ran a fingertip over her lips. His parting kiss had been sweet and chaste, and she could still feel his perfect lips on hers.

She retrieved her phone from her bag, knowing what was coming. She dreaded it, but it had to be done.

The phone rang a few times and her best friend picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Alya. Can you come over?”

“Right now?”

“Uh-huh.”

Alya sighed. “Girl, you know I’d love to, but I am up to my eyeballs in homework that I’m trying to get done before tonight so that I can go out with Nino. He’s trying to surprise me with dinner and ice skating for Valentine’s. Can we get together tomorrow? We can go discount valentine chocolate shopping.”

Marinette let a sly smile stretch across her face. “Sure, Alya. I can tell you later all about the hotel room Adrien and I shared last night.” 

She held her phone away from her ear and waited for the penny to drop. It was almost immediate.

“Say WHAT?! MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!! Where are you? I’m coming over right now!”

Marinette tried not to laugh. “I’m at home.”

“I’ll be there in five.” 

Adrien let himself into his apartment on autopilot. He kicked off his shoes and tried to lay his jacket on the back of a chair, but missed. It fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. He didn’t notice.

“Uh, Kid?”

Adrien drifted to his sofa and sat in a daze.

“Adrien?”

Adrien’s face fell into his hand. He’d held it together for as long as he could. A low chuckle turned to nearly hysterical laughter.

“Do I need to call someone?” his kwami persisted.

Adrien’s shoulders shook as his laughter devolved into sobbing, then back to laughter again.

“Okay, you either snap out of it or I’m calling one-one-two,” Plagg warned. 

Adrien sighed and wiped the tears from his face. “I’m sorry, Plagg. There was a lot I needed to get out.” His voice was cracking with intermittent chuckles like he was still laughing and crying at the same time.

“I suppose this morning was a bit of a shock to the system.”

“Plagg!” Adrien shouted in jubilation. “She’s Ladybug! Marinette is Ladybug! Ladybug is Marinette! This is the happiest day of my life!”

He flopped sideways so that he was lying on his back, letting his legs drape over the edge of the cushion. “I kissed Ladybug. Marinette kissed me!”

“You know you’re talking about the same girl, right?”

“I know!” Adrien jolted upright, throwing his arms out. “It’s perfect!” He fell back again, sighing. “She’s perfect. My perfect Marinette.”

Plagg gagged. “Oh, please let this phase end soon.”

Adrien jumped up and sprinted to his computer.

“What are you doing now?”

“Looking up local jewelers.” His cheeks were starting to hurt from how wide he was grinning. “I did promise I’d take her ring shopping.”

“Agh! I need CAMEMBERT!”

Marinette was pacing her attic bedroom.

“So then what happened?” Alya asked. The aspiring journalist was sitting on her chaise, watching her movements.

“Then, I, uh, sort of lost my temper.”

“Again, you mean?”

“I couldn’t help it, alright?! All these women kept throwing themselves at him! And Adrien is too kind to ever say anything.”

“He always has been a little too nice for his own good, but what happened?” Alya snapped her fingers impatiently. “Details!”

“I, uh. Well, you see, ha, ha.” Marinette rubbed the back of her neck. 

Alya slapped her thighs. “Just tell me!”

Marinette stopped her pacing, took a deep breath, and screwed her eyes shut. “I-marched-Adrien-to-a-hotel-and-we-got-a-room-for-the-night!” she said as quickly as she could. 

“Yeah, I got that part. What happened after that?”

“Oh, well, uh… we played video games until we fell asleep.”

Alya cocked an eyebrow. “And by ‘video games’ you mean…?”

“Ultimate Mecha Strike.”

“So, actual video games, then.” She sighed exasperatedly and started massaging her forehead like she was fighting off a headache. “You had the boy in a hotel room. With no chaperones. All night. Do you even know what usually happens in those scenarios?”

“I know, but I don’t think either of us are ready for that. I always kind of imagined I’d wait until I was married, to be honest.”

“Girl, you are too pure for this world. You know I admire that about you, right?”

Marinette’s lips twitched up in a small smile. “Thanks.”

“So what happened next? Let me guess. Sunshine slept on the floor?”

“No, we shared the bed.”

“Really?!” The excitement was shining in her hazel eyes again.

“Yeah. He’s a… bit of a cuddler.” She blushed faintly. She was a deep sleeper, but she had vague memories of his arms wrapped securely around her. Her head resting on his arm. The tip of her nose pressed against his sternum. Their legs tangled together. 

“Aaaawww, that’s so cute! So what about this morning?”

“Oh, um, we had breakfast and he brought me home.”

“Ah-uh. That blush says you’re not telling me everything. Spill, Dupain-Cheng.”

“Alyaaa…” Marinette groaned.

“Oh, come on! Tell me! I told you right away after my first time with Nino.”

“Yeah, and I really didn’t need to know that.”

“Mari!” she whined. “I’m begging here. How am I ever supposed to sleep again knowing that my best friend is holding out on me?!” She stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. 

“Pretty soon my grades will start to suffer, and Nino will break up with me because he doesn’t want to be dating a zombie, and I’ll lose my job and have to move back in with my parents. Do you really want to be responsible for ruining my life just because you wouldn’t tell me what happened between you and a supermodel so fine you could wash clothes on his abs?”

“Not helping.” Marinette ground her teeth, trying to get the image of straddling a shirtless Adrien with a wet, soapy shirt in her hands out of her mind.

After taking several steadying breaths, she finally said, “We made out, but it didn’t go beyond that. Clothes stayed on, nobody groped anybody, and he was the perfect gentleman, alright?”

“Okay. So just some sweet kisses. I can get behind that. It was your first time and you’re both so innocent.”

That may be true of Adrien, but Alya didn’t know about his Chat side. Marinette smirked and pulled aside her collar, exposing the mark on her shoulder. It was faint and would heal quickly, but it was there.

Alya’s eyes went wide and she unfolded herself from the chaise to get a better look. “Is that…?”

“Yep.”

“No…” She breathed in disbelief. She inspected the hickey as Marinette kept talking. 

“It would have been a lot darker if we hadn’t been interrupted by our room service delivery. 

“Gentleman, huh?” The gleam in Alya’s eye turned wicked. “So, how does it feel to be marked?”

“Like I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” Marinette sighed. She released her collar and grabbed Alya’s arms. “He loves me. He told me he loves me!”

“I knew it!” Alya whooped, and they crushed each other in a hug. “I am so happy for you!” Alya pushed her back to arm’s length before asking her next question. “So how did he react when you told him you love him too?”

Marinette’s blood turned to ice. She felt like a living statue. She couldn’t move. Her vision started to swim. She had forgotten to keep breathing. 

“Marinette? Marinette!” Alya shook her by her shoulders. Marinette gasped as sound and color returned to the world.

“Alya!” She wailed. “I forgot to say it back!”

Alya facepalmed. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you?”

Marinette’s catastrophizing was interrupted by a buzz from her cellphone. 

[Adrien] Hello, Princess. Care to join me for some shopping this afternoon? Purr-haps a little dinner afterwards?

“Aww, look at that. He called you ‘Princess’,” Alya cooed as she read over Marinette’s shoulder. “But what’s with the cat pun?”

“I have no idea,” Marinette muttered. How many times had she scolded that alley cat for not being more careful with his identity?!

[Marinette] Sure. What time?

[Adrien] Can I pick you up in 2 hours?

[Marinette] I’ll be ready.

[Adrien] Until then, fair lady. <3

[Marinette] Dork. <3

“So where do you think he wants to take you shopping?”

Marinette froze. He wouldn’t.

He would, responded that pesky voice in her head.

She was willing to bet her miraculous that he was planning on keeping his word to get her a ring.

Adrien pulled up to the curb outside of the Dupain-Cheng bakery and turned off his car’s engine.

His heart was pounding and he felt jittery. Lifting his hands to run his fingers through his hair, he let out a careful exhale.

“Don’t do it, Adrien. I’m telling you, it’s a mistake.” Plagg perched on the top of the gear shift and stared at his chosen.

Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami. “It’s not like I’m proposing today, Plagg. I just want to make sure that when I do, they’re something she actually loves.”

Plagg grumbled and flew into Adrien’s coat pocket. “Don’t scare her off by buying a wedding ring so soon.”

As he got out of the car and walked up to the side door of the building, Adrien sighed. “Plagg we’ve…” He took a deep breath to keep himself calm and avoid laughing uncontrollably again. “We’ve been wanting this for years and we just didn’t know it. Excuse me for thinking that slow is probably not how this is going to go. I just want to be prepared, because there’s not a doubt in my mind that I want to marry Marinette.”

He heard a soft thud on the other side of the door that he hadn’t yet knocked on.

Oh, crap. Adrien hesitated a moment and then reached out a shaky hand to knock gently with his knuckles.

The door flew open almost immediately and Sabine pushed Tom back, making her way toward Adrien. “Oh hello, my dear! Marinette’s expecting you.” She smiled sweetly and wrapped him in a motherly embrace.

Adrien returned the hug and looked up at Tom, who appeared to be in shock. “Good to see you both.”

Tom stepped to the side to allow Adrien to step inside the small entryway, still looking dazed.

As they walked in, Sabine linked her arm with Adrien’s and he noticed her shoot Tom a warning glance. “Marinette should be right down, would you like something from the bakery in the meantime?”

Adrien was feeling a little panicked. He didn’t know what Tom and Sabine had overheard. Who had they thought he was talking to if they did? If they had heard him talking about wanting to marry their daughter, it would explain Tom’s current condition. Adrien just wasn’t sure if the baker was feeling shocked or murderous.

Doing his absolute best to hide his concern regarding the mental state of the man he hoped would one day be his father-in-law, Adrien plastered on his best model smile. “I’m planning to take Marinette to dinner after we go shopping, but thank you so much for the offer.”

Sabine smiled sweetly at the young blond and patted him gently on the arm. “Of course, dear. You’re welcome any time.”

“Maman! Have you seen my—” Marinette appeared on the stairs and looked down at the three of them, a nervous look on her face. “Adrien! You’re early.”

“He’s right on time, actually. You’re just running behind.” Sabine unlinked her arm and moved toward the stairs. “What do you need help finding, sweetheart?”

Marinette was wearing a grey and white striped shirt with a high neck and long sleeves, an adorable red sleeveless dress over the top with a bow tied in front, and black tights. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her wear red before, or especially red and black, but in that moment he couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized she was Ladybug sooner. If her hair was in pigtails, he wasn’t sure there was a Parisian alive who wouldn’t put two and two together.

After staring in awe for a moment, he realized that Marinette had said something to him and then rushed upstairs with her mother in tow. He was alone with the heretofore silent Tom Dupain and he hoped he didn’t have to fear for his life. If Tom had heard what he’d said, he worried that the large man would insist he take a step back from a relationship with Marinette.

Turning slowly as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his wool coat, Adrien made eye contact with the tall baker. “Tom, I—”

He was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug, his arms pinned to his sides awkwardly, and somewhat painfully. His feet lifted off the floor as Tom stood to his full height.

Tom wailed. “Adrien, I just know you’ll make my Marinette so happy. She has barely looked at another boy in almost six years!” He set down the slightly crushed model. “Sorry, son.”

Adrien rubbed one of his arms and laughed nervously. “It’s fine. I… If I can, I’ll see to it that Marinette is happy every day of her life. I love your daughter, Tom.”

Tom placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder and looked as though he may start to cry.

“I hope you’re not intimidating the poor boy, Tom.” Sabine hurried down the stairs and returned to her husband’s side.

Before either of the men could rebut, Marinette came down the stairs wearing black kitten heels and a grey peacoat with her outfit. Adrien was once again mesmerized by her. He was still coming to grips with the new reality of their situation, and kept getting lost in his Lady’s eyes.

“Ready to go?” Marinette smiled at him sweetly, the soft pink of her lips enticing him.

He nodded, unable to speak, then watched as she passed him and hugged her parents.

They let go quickly, ushering their daughter toward Adrien.

Marinette moved to Adrien’s side at their behest but glanced back, unsure. “We might stay out for dinner.”

Tom grinned. “You could stay out forever! Adrien’s your boyfriend, not some stranger. We trust him.”

Adrien and Marinette gazed at one another, said goodbye, and made their way to the car. Once Adrien had helped her into her seat, they sat in silence for several minutes while they drove.

Marinette turned to look at him while they were stopped in traffic. “I’m sorry if my dad calling you my boyfriend was too much for you.”

He wanted to respond that it wasn’t nearly enough for him. He would, against all of Plagg’s advice, absolutely have loved to ask her to marry him that very day.

Instead, he reached over and took her hand, glancing at her with a genuine smile before returning his attention to the road. “I’m not the least bit bothered by it. I just don’t want you to feel rushed into anything. I… I’d love to be your boyfriend, if you wanted me to be.”

They arrived at the mid-level jewelry store that Adrien had decided on and he parked. He would have been more than happy to take her to Cartier or Chaumet, but he knew he would never be able to get her in the door.

Marinette actually laughed. “Silly kitty. Of course I want you to be.” She stroked his hair and kissed his nose. “You didn’t even have to ask.”

Adrien purred quietly at the attention she was giving him. “I will always ask, M’lady.”

The store was quiet, only a few other people browsing the jewelry cases. Marinette seemed to be in somewhat of a daze, but she gravitated toward a case filled with rose gold pieces.

A nearby clerk made eye contact with Adrien, a questioning look on her face. He held up a finger to indicate that they weren’t ready to be helped just yet.

“Do you like rose gold?” Adrien came up next to Marinette, placing a hand delicately on the small of her back.

“I do. I think it’s lovely.” She turned to face him. “But we really don’t have to do this, you know.”

Adrien shook his head. “We both know you can handle yourself, but if something as simple as this gets guys like Simon to back off, it’s one hundred percent worth it. Also, you deserve to never have to wear that sad piece of costume jewelry ever again.” Marinette sighed and looked back at the rings.

He silently got the attention of the clerk, who moved behind the case where Marinette was surveying her options. “Good day. Is there a specific ring you had your eye on?” The clerk unlocked the glass case, pulling out a tray of rings.

Marinette smiled at the woman and stepped closer. “I’m not sure yet. I need something I can wear while I’m working…” She spotted a very simple three-piece set of bands that was inlaid with a series of small gems. “What about the middle one from that set? It’s not too gaudy. Still attractive, though.”

Adrien eyed her suggestion with distaste. “Not on your life. That would almost be a downgrade from the one you have.” Adrien picked up a cushion cut solitaire. A halo of white diamonds surrounded the light pink, two carat center stone. “How about this one? It may barely be worthy of you.”

She rolled her eyes and gave him a look that unmistakably meant ‘no’, then resumed perusing the simpler rings. Adrien replaced the ring in its display and kept looking alongside Marinette.

The sales associate cleared her throat, drawing their attention. She slid a small tray forward on the glass counter. Three rings shone against the black velvet.

Two of the rings were obviously a set. The round cut solitaire had the same pink hue as the last ring Adrien had suggested. It was accented with single white diamond side stones. The matching rose gold wedding band was simple and inlaid with white diamonds along the top half of the ring.

The third ring was a wide, silver color wedding band in a men’s style that was much larger than the women’s rings.

Adrien glanced at Marinette and was stunned by the mesmerized look on her face. Slowly, she extended a hand and plucked up the engagement ring.

“One carat,” the sales associate said. “Light pink champagne color. Round brilliant cut. Nearly flawless.”

Marinette was still looking at it in wonder. Adrien raised her left hand, gently took the ring, and placed it on her finger.

Watching as Marinette admired the ring, Adrien felt whole. The entire situation felt right.

The mid-forties sales clerk smiled at the young couple. “Do you like the wedding bands as well?”

Marinette smiled dreamily at the sight on her hand and then looked back down at the matching wedding band and the third ring laying in the tray. “They’re perfect. We’re only here for an engagement ring, though. Is that a problem?”

Adrien snatched up the wedding band and slipped it on.

“Platinum. Ten millimeters,” the sales associate informed him kindly. She was very good at her job. Adrien didn’t want to take it off.

“We’ll take them.”

“Adrien,” his fiancée softly admonished. “It was only supposed to be the one ring.”

Right. She wasn’t actually his fiancée yet.

Marinette let out a trembling breath, and took off the ring, setting it back on the tray. He slipped his ring off and set it on the black velvet as well.

He had waited five years, five months and twelve days to call her his. He could hold out for another year. ...or maybe a few months.

A buzzing sounded faintly from Marinette’s purse. She pulled out her phone and glanced apologetically at Adrien. “I’m sorry, it’s my dad. I’ll be outside.” Electronic bells chimed as she exited the store.

“It isn’t just any woman that would pass on a larger diamond. She’s a rare one,” the clerk noted.

“She is indeed.”

“Do you need a minute?”

“No. Wrap them up, please. I’ll take all three.”

Two ring boxes were burning a hole in Adrien’s coat pocket when he exited the shop. He found Marinette sitting on a bench nearby holding her phone to her ear.

“—none of your business, Papa.”

She looked up as he approached and mouthed the word ‘sorry’. “No Papa, I’m not going to do that, and I’m not sure when I’ll be home. I have to go though.”

She smiled awkwardly up at Adrien before turning away from him, leaning close to her phone, and whispering something unintelligibly.

She hung up, her annoyance quickly being replaced by a sweet smile as she stood and stepped closer to her boyfriend. “Ready?”

Adrien smiled lopsidedly as he pulled the smaller of the two velvet boxes from his pocket. He wanted to get down on one knee and make it official. Alas, his conversation with Plagg popped into his mind and instead he pulled the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Absolutely. After you, m’lady.”

Staring down at the ring on her finger, Marinette slid into the passenger seat of Adrien’s car once more. As soon as he was sitting next to her she turned to him and placed a hand on his forearm. “Adrien.”

Halting in his progress toward starting the vehicle, Adrien gave Marinette his full attention. “Yes, my love?”

Goodness, he needed to stop doing that. If he kept distracting her with amazement that Adrien Agreste was in love with her, she’d forget what she needed to say.

She smiled softly at him. “Chat. Wow that is still going to take some getting used to.” She shook her head. “I need to say something and I just need you to sit and listen until I’m done, okay? No interrupting.”

Adrien looked worried but nodded slowly.

Marinette shifted so she could look straight at him instead of having to look to the side. “Okay. You’re amazing. You’re kind, you’re sweet, you’re considerate. You have been my partner for years and I know your heart and I know how I feel about you.”

She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands firmly against her thighs. “None of those things have anything to do with your money.”

Adrien raised a hand and opened his mouth as though to respond, but Marinette held up a finger, stopping him.

“I love that you wanted me to have a ring that better suited me to keep the Simons of the world at bay. But please, if you have some elaborate date planned, can we cancel and just… cook dinner together or something?” She laced her fingers with his and smiled. “I want to experience everything with you, I do, but what matters about that isn’t where we are, what we’re doing, or how much we spend. What matters is that we’re together. I just want you, Adrien.”

Marinette wondered if she should tell him that she loved him then, but stopped, deciding that she wanted to do it when they weren’t out and about.

Adrien was staring intently at her, an unreadable expression on his face. After a moment he dove in, kissing her firmly on the lips as he ran his fingers along her jaw and then buried them in her hair. Their position was slightly awkward while in his car, so he pulled away after only a few lingering moments. However, the intensity of the kiss left Marinette breathless.

“Okay,” Adrien let out a sigh as he started the car, “the store then. And after that, my place…?”

Marinette could see a slight blush adorning his cheeks. She thought of everything Plagg and Tikki had told them and it wasn’t long until her cheeks were pink as well.

“Yeah. That sounds great. I haven’t seen your apartment yet.” She peeked into her black handbag where the two kwamis were curled up together, napping. She could really use a tiny interruption, she thought idly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be more intimate with… her boyfriend… but she wanted them to take their time, and she definitely didn’t want to rush into parenthood.

Adrien pulled into traffic and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than seemed necessary. “We should probably get Tikki and Plagg something to eat, anyway.”

Nodding, Marinette was glad, and also nervous, that his mind seemed to be on the same thing.

More and more, Adrien was realizing how much Marinette thrived on having a plan in place. Not only in her role as Ladybug, but in her civilian life as well. She was flitting from aisle to aisle in the grocery store and he was doing his best to keep up, carrying their basket as she went along on her hunt, unencumbered.

Since moving into his own place, Adrien had become used to shopping for himself. Shopping with someone else was a new, and welcomed, experience. Their basket was half-filled with cheese and cookies, and they’d already gotten several of the ingredients for Sabine’s Chinese dumpling recipe.

“So, I’ve been thinking about your counting habit.”

Marinette paused in looking for some decent fresh ginger to glance up at him. “Oh?”

“Yeah… It wasn’t two hundred seventeen days after all. It was more like two weeks, since we would see each other on patrol. We just didn’t know it.” He grinned, pleased with the realization.

“Eighteen days.” Marinette placed some ginger in the basket before walking over toward the green onion.

Adrien grabbed a carton of blueberries and added it to the basket, their breakfast that morning on his mind. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Last August.” She turned and dropped her selection in the basket, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously when she spotted the blueberries. She smirked slightly before continuing. “You went on that trip. I didn’t see you for eighteen days.”

Adrien’s grin was wide enough to show off his perfect, pearly white teeth. “Why, Princess. Did someone have a little crush on Paris’ black cat superhero?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She playfully flicked his sternum where his alterego’s bell would hang.

Adrien caught her hand and ran her knuckles along his cheek and lips. “I very much would like to know.”

Marinette seemed to consider him. Her head cocked to the side and Adrien could have sworn she was staring at his lips.

“Purr-haps,” she whispered, answering his question. She then turned back to the displays of vegetables.

Adrien snaked an arm around her waist from behind, exhaling his hot breath across her neck. “This is a cat-astrophe. I finally learn my lady had the hots for me all along, she actually uses a pun, and I’m stuck in public where I can’t show her how much it means to me?”

He bit down gently on Marinette’s earlobe, eliciting a soft moan from her lips.

“Down, kitty. There are other people here.”

He could feel her increased heart rate as he held her, but did as she asked and released her, stepping away. He would always respect her limits, but taking a step back that time had taken every ounce of his self control.

When she turned around, he could see the flush of her cheeks and the way she seemed to be trying to catch her breath. She looked up at him and the intensity in her eyes matched how he felt.

“Let’s finish shopping, shall we?”

After making their way back to his apartment, Adrien let them in, his hands filled with bags of ingredients. Marinette stepped into his apartment, glancing around as she carried Adrien’s new bamboo steamer basket as well as a bag of other kitchen tools he hadn’t had. His apartment was large, but modestly decorated.

“I’m just saying, I had no idea so much went into making dumplings.” Adrien walked over to the kitchen and set down the bags before turning back toward Marinette.

“And I’m saying,” she set down her items on the kitchen counter, “that these are kitchen essentials, Adrien. It really is not okay that you didn’t already have them.”

They both moved back toward the door, where they removed their coats and shoes. Marinette dropped down to her original height after slipping her feet out of her heels, and she saw the amused look on her boyfriend’s face.

“Don’t you dare make a comment about my height right now, minou.” Marinette smirked to herself when he responded with a scoff and a look of mock offense. “Come on. We have a ton of work to do, and I’d like to eat before midnight.”

They began their tasks, Marinette guiding Adrien through the process of mixing the dough while she chopped the shrimp and green onions.

Mostly quiet other than patient instruction and the occasional question, they fell into a comfortable rhythm.

Marinette had several things on her mind while she dumped the shrimp, green onions, and marinade ingredients into a bowl.

She walked to the fridge and started thinking about how amazing Adrien was and how much she wished other people would stop objectifying him.

Her temper was getting the better of her again by the time she had placed the pork in the bowl. Marinette stabbed violently at the ground meat with a pair of chopsticks while she mumbled unintelligibly.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Adrien stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin lightly on the top of her head.

“I’m just still so annoyed about all these women who are so blinded by your gorgeous face that they forget you’re a human being who deserves respect.”

Adrien chuckled and bent to rub his nose against the side of her neck. “Well… you proved me wrong.”

Marinette turned her head and leaned away just enough to look him in the eye. “About what?”

Grinning, Adrien pulled her into a deep kiss. “You really can hold a mean grudge.”

Rolling her eyes, Marinette smiled and stuck out her tongue. “Hush, Kitty. Just go chop the cabbage, already.”

He kissed her on the cheek once more before taking a step back. “As my lady wishes.”

Adrien got started on his task as Marinette rolled out a couple dozen perfect, circular dumpling wrappers.

“Okay.” Marinette took the chopped cabbage and added it to her marinated meat, mixing it in before carrying the bowl over to where Adrien was poking at the wrappers. “Cut it out, you’ll ruin them! Let me show you how to do one, and then I want you to try.”

Adrien watched closely as Marinette placed a wrapper in one hand, used the chopsticks to scoop some of the filling onto it, and effortlessly fold it into a perfect crescent shape.

“Clawsome job, m’lady.” He picked up a wrapper and tried to replicate her actions, only to end up with a bulging mess. “You made it look easy. It wasn’t.”

Marinette giggled. “It just takes practice.” She reached over and fixed the one he’d messed up, then placed another wrapper in his hand, topping it with the correct amount of filling. “Here. Now, it’s like pleating. Fold and pinch, fold and pinch.”

“Well that explains why you’re so good at it.” Pulling off his dark grey sweater and draping it over a nearby chair, Adrien rolled up the sleeves of his button-up shirt. He tried again and it turned out much better than his first attempt.

“See?” She rose to her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a natural. Now let’s finish so we can steam them and eat.”

They made short work of the remainder of the dumplings and Marinette placed them on a bed of cabbage in the steamer basket while Adrien filled a large pan with water and started it heating on the stove.

“Perfect. Now we just put the steamer in the water and let them sit for about ten minutes.” She placed the lid on the steamer basket and did just that, setting a timer on her phone and lifting herself up onto the counter to sit.

Adrien walked up to her, placing himself between her legs and wrapping his arms around her midsection. “Thank you for teaching me how to do this. It means a lot to me. This was a fantastic suggestion.” He leaned closer and kissed her gently. “I love you.”

Marinette peered up at him, her heart pounding. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and searched his eyes. “I love you, too. So much.”

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Adrien pulled Marinette’s body to the edge of the counter, pressing her against himself as his mouth crashed against hers once more.

She could feel his fingers digging into her hips and it only ramped up the ferocity of her desire for him to be as close as possible. Her legs wrapped around him nearly of their own volition as she bit down gently on his lower lip.

Adrien moved his kisses away from her lips, across her jaw, and down to her neck. She moaned softly as he gently dragged his teeth along the sensitive skin he found there.

As she moved her hands to feel the firm musculature of his chest, Marinette realized somewhere in the haze of passion that if they didn’t stop soon, they probably wouldn’t be able to.

It wasn’t until Adrien’s hands had drifted to her thighs, making their way further and further up, that she gained the courage to put an end to it.

“Adrien.” Her voice was quiet and breathy.

He seemed to take that as permission to proceed, sliding his fingers up the silky fabric of her tights, just under the hem of her hiked-up dress.

Marinette moved her hands and placed them on top of both of his. “We should stop.”

Freezing, his mouth still on her neck, Adrien groaned softly before unlatching his lips and resting his forehead against her shoulder. “You’re right.” He cursed under his breath. “Sorry.” He pulled back, only to be held in place by his girlfriend.

“I’m not sorry. I just…” She trailed off, her gaze falling to the floor.

“I get it. Plagg and Tikki are right.” He nodded with his eyes closed, as though trying to convince himself. “We should wait until we can guarantee that we’re not risking…”

Nodding as she caressed his arms, Marinette sighed. “Yeah. Based on what they said, I’m not sure I trust just one form of protection. I probably need to make an appointment with my doctor.”

Adrien ran his fingers along her elbows, still looking down.

Marinette bit her lip, worried that he might not take what she wanted to say very well. “And… Adrien?”

He looked up, a curious look on his face.

“I’m not sure if I want to… any time soon. Can we just, I don’t know, table it for now? Just get comfortable with… both sides of each other, without that getting in the way?”

To her surprise, Adrien smiled. It was soft and happy and he looked almost relieved. “Of course, Marinette. I… don’t get me wrong, I want… all of you… but I’m still processing the last week, and it’s going to take some time to figure out exactly what all this means for us. You’re my amazing friend who I’ve fallen in love with. You’re my lady who I’ve yearned for for years... and now you’re my girlfriend. All of this is new, and it all happened so quickly, so I think we should take it one thing at a time from here on out.”

Marinette kissed him; chaste and sweet. He was everything that she wanted, and when they were ready, they would have everything together. Moments later, her phone alarm went off, signifying that the dumplings were ready to eat.

“Where were you two?” Adrien was carrying two cups of tea as he walked out of the kitchen on his way to the balcony. Tikki and Plagg sat on the counter eating the cheese and cookies that had been bought for them while they were sleeping.

Tikki looked up at Plagg’s chosen. “Cat’s make the best pillows.” She went back to eating her cookie, a sleepy look on her tiny face.

Adrien shrugged and walked out onto the balcony, sliding the glass door shut behind him.

Rain was coming down steadily, large droplets creating a serene harmony that gave them a sense of comfort. His recessed balcony luckily protected them from the elements. Marinette was already sitting comfortably on his outdoor sofa, a couple of warm blankets spread across her lap. Adrien handed her one of the mugs and set his down on an end table, settling in with her under the covers before picking it up again.

“Thank you, Kit— Adrien.” Marinette winced slightly. “Sorry, I’m still figuring out what to call you, and I don’t want to give you away by getting too much in the habit of calling you by my nicknames for Chat. Or, you know… you.”

Adrien grinned and took a sip of his tea. “I completely understand, Bugaboo. This is going to be a weird adjustment.” He wrapped his arm around her as he continued to drink his tea.

They both sat in silence for a long while, watching the falling rain. Heavy clouds overshadowed the city but they could still make out many of their favorite landmarks shining with city lights from their location.

Marinette leaned her head against Adrien’s shoulder, sighing. “I’ll never live somewhere with a view this amazing.”

Kissing her head, Adrien smiled. “Never say never, Princess.”

Marinette snuggled closer to him, listening to the beating of his heart.

“I’m sorry, Kitty.”

Adrien adjusted so he could look at her face. “What on earth are you sorry for?”

She sat up a little straighter and sipped at her tea, appearing to take her time deciding what to say. She looked at him and smiled ruefully. “I wish I had known. I wouldn’t have pushed you away. I would have just let myself love you.”

Adrien took Marinette’s mug and set it on the side table along with his own. He turned, facing her and taking her hands. “Marinette… you loved me in all the ways that I needed. You showed me what it was to be a good friend. You stood by my side and believed in me while we were figuring out how to navigate our roles as the protectors of Paris. You have saved my life more times than I can count as my partner and my lady. You have comforted this stray cat again and again when I was feeling alone. Marinette, we have loved each other this entire time. Every part of each other. I love you. I always have.”

Marinette closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his in a kiss that was all at once soft and filled with fire.

As she held his face in her hands, Adrien focused on everything he was feeling. It all felt right when he was with her. Everything about her was home to him; from her sugar cookie scent, to the way the curves of her body felt in his hands, to the way her satin lips played against his in a delicate dance. When she pulled away, he found himself lost in her bluebell gaze.

The intensity in Marinette’s eyes made Adrien’s heart skip a beat. She gently caressed his cheeks with her thumbs as she leaned in and pressed her forehead against his.

“Marry me.” She rubbed the tip of their noses together and sighed softly. “I love you. Marry me.”

Forget skipping a beat; Adrien was quite certain his heart had completely stopped. Had he heard wrong? She’d said it twice. Surely he hadn’t misheard twice, right?

“Did I… Am I dreaming?” He sat back slightly and furrowed his brow as he reached out to touch her face.

Marinette bit her bottom lip and looked concerned. “I’m sorry. It’s too soon, isn’t it?”

Adrien pulled her in for another kiss. It was passionate and, in part, a test to make sure that he wasn’t asleep. When he pulled back again, she was smiling.

“I was ready to marry you days ago, before I even knew you were my partner. I’m only sorry I didn’t ask first. Of course I’ll marry you. We can go right now, if you want.”

His new-girlfriend-turned-freshly-minted-fiancée laughed. “No. We can’t. You’re cute though.” She kissed him again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Will you hold me?”

“Always.”

He laid back, pulling her into his arms. She pulled the blanket up over both of them, relaxing into his chest as they watched the rain fall onto their beautiful city.

“You were right. Seven days was all it took.” Tikki snuggled up to Plagg’s side as they both sat on the arm of the couch in Adrien’s living room, watching their chosens out on the balcony.

“I told you, Sugarcube. You should learn to trust me more.” The deep purr in his chest increased with Tikki’s proximity.

Tikki sighed. “I do trust you, Plagg. I went along with this because I know how much you love Adrien, and how much you want to see him happy.”

Plagg turned his head to look her in the eye, a blank expression on his face. “I’m fine with it, I guess. When they get married, I’ll get to cuddle with you as much as I want, and maybe they’ll be so happy that I’ll get extra cheese. Maybe I can trick each of them into believing I haven’t been fed yet so I’ll finally get enough cheese to—”

Tikki covered his mouth and glared at him. “Why can’t you just admit it to me? They’re not in here. Neither of them can hear you. We pulled off a miracle, Plagg. They were drifting apart a week ago. They had been dancing around each other for years. Now they’re getting married. We did that.”

Plagg looked out onto the balcony at the way the young couple held one another. “Fine. He means everything to me, Tikki. He was never going to move on from Ladybug, and he was just going to be miserable forever. I could feel him slipping into that… darkness that some of my kittens have ended up in.”

He looked back at Tikki and smiled softly, an unfamiliar expression in place of his usual smug or lazy looks. “But he’s happy. He’s so happy. His life has been so empty, Sugarcube. He puts up a good front but when he goes home… I’m not enough. I’m always there, but it’s not enough. He needs her, and now he has her. They have each other, and I’m happy.”

Tikki leaned her head against him and smiled. “I’m proud of you. I’m proud of us.”

Plagg raised a paw toward her. “Pound it?”

Tikki bumped her paw against his. “Pound it.”