Chapter Text
He sat down on the steps of the Trocadero next to her, holding her ice cream for the moment while her hand flew across the page. He peeked over, marveling at the beginnings of the new design. He’d only been gone for ten minutes, but she was already lost within a world only she knew.
He knocked her arm lightly and she startled, blinking up at him confused before he held out the ice cream. She beamed, “Oh, thank you. When did you get back?”
He chuckled, “Just now. I don’t know how you do that.” He used his spoon to point at her sketchbook before taking another bite.
“I’m just doodling, it’s not like its anything amazing.” She said casually, putting the sketchbook down in favor of her ice cream.
He huffed around a mouth full of blueberry ice cream, “If that’s doodling, then what I do is more reminiscent of cave paintings.”
Marinette laughed, telling him as she nearly lost her hold of it, “Don’t make me laugh, I almost dropped my ice cream!”
They laughed anyways, enjoying the nice afternoon before going back to school. Adrien told her as they sat in companionable silence, his voice tender, “Even if you dropped your ice cream, I’d just give you mine, you know?”
She nudged his arm, “Like I wouldn’t take is as compensation anyways.”
He smiled, “I’m sure you would, but you’d still share with me, right?”
“Of course, just like sharing that magical hot dog in New York.” She said without thinking, her heart doing a flip as she thought back on what had been a magical moment. At least, for her it had been.
Adrien hummed, “Like New York, huh.” He stared out at the fountains, watching its geysers steady flow. The water was always in a state of movement, never stagnant, never still, never questioning the force around it. It moved naturally forward, without ever looking back.
Maybe it was time that… he did too.
His heart kicked in his chest at the thought, knowing that if he did this, there would be no going back.
“The New York trip was fun, all things considered.” He laughed, feeling her eyes on him, “Remember our glorious fight against the dreaded doors ?”
“Ugh, those stupid doors. They had it in for us Adrien, no one can tell me otherwise!” She said seriously, waving her spoon in the air.
He smiled, seeing the annoyance on her face as she remembered, “It was fun seeing new heroes too, even if we only saw them because there were villains around.”
His heart clenched, the choking from that moment returning as he tried not to dwell on what could have been. He remembered it so vividly, every sensation, every sound, even how he had become so acutely aware of his own heartbeat. His entire body pulsing in its rhythm, thump-thump-thump, how he had frozen, thump-thump-thump, following her gaze to the source of the resounding crack. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. His head reminded him that he was the only one who could save her, while his heart screamed it in horror that jolted him into action, ‘NOT HER!’
“I’m just glad you were okay,” he whispered, trying to sound normal and not full of guilt, “that Ladybug managed to get to you before you were hurt.”
“Adrien,” she whispered shocked, seeing the way his gaze became far away. She put her hand on his arm, trying to anchor him back to the present, “I was absolutely fine. Honestly,”
She hesitated slightly, and he turned to look at her, seeing her staring at her ice cream, “I’ve always wanted to apologize to you, for New York.”
His eyes widened, “Apologize? For what, you didn’t do anything wrong. If anything I should be the one apologizing. I was there with you when the roof started collapsing, I should have done more to get you out, to make sure you were safe and,”
“Adrien there was nothing you could have done.” She said reassuringly, “TechnoPirate wasn’t someone you could have taken on. The most important thing was that we were both safe after it all, right?”
Adrien frowned, but nodded, “Yeah, no you are right. I just, I felt so useless.”
Marinette looked down in shame, “Feeling useless is better than actually being useless.”
“Marinette you are not,”
“But I was.” She said sternly, turning to face him head on, “I should have stopped you from leaving.”
He stared at her in shock, feeling like he was missing something, “But you couldn’t have… Marinette you couldn’t have stopped that. My father,”
“I could have stood up for you,” she interrupted, as though a dam had burst and her words began to flow unfiltered, “I could have said something to change his mind, I could have pulled you away from the car, something, anything, and instead I just…” she wilted into herself, her voice breaking, “I didn’t do anything. I tried to let you go, and I regretted it from the moment it happened.”
He sat stunned, confused by her choice of words. Something didn’t make sense, but before he could make heads or tails of it, she told him heavily, “Do you know that, I chased after your stupid car for a LONG time?”
“You chased,” he could barely catch his breath, “But, but why? You said you tried to let me go, if you hadn’t wanted me to be there anymore,”
“I did, I wanted you to be there with everyone,”
“Then why,”
“BECAUSE I WANTED YOU TO BE THERE WITH ME!”
The ice cream fell from his hand, only noticing her tear up in the second before he threw his arms around her to pull her close. He heard her ice cream hit the ground near his, but didn’t care in the slightest.
“Damn it Marinette,” he whispered, overwhelmed with so many emotions he didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or just scream out loud. He stopped thinking so hard, letting go and allowing the moment to propel him forward without regret.
He cupped her face, letting his forehead rest against hers with his eyes closed, “Please tell me you mean what I think you do.”
“I… you’re my friend.” She said, sounding as though it was taking every last vestige of effort she had left to get the accursed word out, “I just want you to be happy.”
He smiled, feeling the warmth blooming in his chest, “ You make me happy, happier than anything or anyone else ever has.” He stared into her eyes, brushing his thumb across her cheek as a familiar song surrounded them.
Marinette let out a half sob, half laugh, turning to look in the direction of the melody playing. He stood without question, taking her hand and helping her stand. “This song followed us to New York too.” She whispered.
He nodded, pulling her closer and saying it without holding back, “When we danced to this song in New York, just floating there as though the rest of the world had faded away... I knew then, it was a whisper, but it was there.”
Her eyes glistened as hope laced the tender words that spilled past his lips, “I love you.”
She nearly crumbled as her legs gave out, his arms the only thing holding her up as she buried her face in his chest, clinging onto him for dear life. He almost said something, hoping he hadn’t crossed a line that would take her from him forever. But when she suddenly moved, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down, he was glad he stayed quiet when she whispered it against his lips, “I love you too.”
Her arms tightened around his neck at the same time he pulled her closer. Their lips met, soft and tender, filled with a love that could only come from the one person who truly knew them. From the person who had seen them sick, and who could see their flaws. From the one who could celebrate the good, and be their strength when they had none left. It was from their best friend, from the one who had their heart in a way no one else ever could, or ever would.
She was the warm home he craved, the comfort and safe haven he needed to push back the cold. He was her strength, the laughter and light she needed to brighten her darkest nights. This love that had strengthened as they grew closer, those moments that had all been building, leading up to the moment that would change them forever. It was all leading to this, to him and her, and the last of their walls finally crumbling down.
Eyes meeting, they smiled and laughed, full of the silent promise that this kiss was only the beginning.