Chapter Text
Prompt: I like the way your hand fits in mine.
Ship: Adrienette
When Nino accidentally told Adrien that Marinette had a crush on him, he didn’t believe it. He even laughed when his best friend begged him to keep it a secret. On multiple occasions, Marinette had told him that she just wanted to be his friend. Up until this point, Adrien believed that her heart belonged to Luka...not him.
Even though he tried to brush it away, the thought of her potential crush kept pushing its way to the forefront of his mind. There were even nights when it kept him awake. After two agonizing weeks, he finally decided that he needed to know the truth. Reluctantly, he asked Alya if there was any credibility to Nino’s claim. While she was not happy to hear that her boyfriend didn’t keep it a secret, she confirmed the legitimacy of Marinette’s feelings for him. Adrien was stunned.
Unfortunately, knowing the truth did not help him sleep...or eat...or function. If anything, things got worse.
Initially, he planned on letting Marinette down gently. He was in love with Ladybug! His heart belonged to his partner, and he couldn’t fathom being with anyone else. However, every time he sat down to plan what he was going to say, the right words never came. The thought of seeing tears in his classmate’s bluebell eyes broke him. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. The day he came to this conclusion was the day Adrien Agreste realized that he cared about Marinette Dupain-Cheng...a lot. He didn’t want to just be friends anymore.
Every day at school he would observe her from afar. She’d always been so jumpy around him. (He now knew that this was a byproduct of her crush.) While her nervous stammer was endearing at times, he wanted to observe her in her element. He always thought she was kind, talented, and selfless, but he slowly began to see that she was so much more. The longer he watched, the more he found himself falling for her.
He discovered that the phrase “everyday Ladybug” didn’t even begin to accurately describe Marinette. She was even more amazing than Ladybug. She was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was a hero without the mask. She was an unstoppable force. Marinette didn’t need magic to make her incredible.
When he looked at Ladybug, sometimes it was like being in the presence of something otherworldly. She was untouchable. While he knew it wasn’t her fault, there had been times he’d felt small and insignificant next to Ladybug. Marinette could make you feel like you were incredible, too. She made people feel like they belonged, and that was a superpower that no Miraculous could give to someone.
The day he fell in love with Ladybug, it had been like watching a supernova. It was fast, bright, and brilliant. Developing feelings for Marinette was different. It was like walking out of the shade and into the sunlight. It took time to feel its effects, but now that he’d embraced it, he never wanted it to stop. No...he wanted to bask in the warmth of her love forever.
Adrien’s mind soon turned into a battleground. He struggled with his lingering feelings for Ladybug as his affection for Marinette grew. It took several months, but over time he was finally able to see Ladybug in a new light. While he still loved her and cherished their friendship, he decided to stop pursuing her. After all, she was in love with someone else, and she only saw him as a friend. As difficult as it was to let Ladybug go, he found contentment in his decision to love Marinette.
While his feelings for Marinette surprised him, they didn’t feel unfamiliar. Instead, they felt like treasures that had been buried deep inside his mind the day he met her. Learning about her crush simply gave him the map to find something that had been there all along.
His feelings for Marinette weren’t a cheap replacement. They were stronger than his feelings for Ladybug. Marinette was someone he could get to know. There was no “secret identity” barrier that he was forbidden to cross. He could ask questions and get real answers. Adrien couldn’t wait to know everything about her. He soon found himself dreaming of a happy and fulfilling relationship with her.
Six months after Nino’s slip-up, he decided to ask out Marinette. He walked into school that morning with a nervous flurry of butterflies swirling around his gut. Even though Adrien was armed with the knowledge of Marinette’s crush, the fear of rejection still pounded against the confidence he’d built up after Plagg’s pep-talk the previous night.
He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Marinette sitting alone on a bench in the courtyard. It was unusual for her to be this early, and he was not expecting to see her until the start of class.
“What are you waiting for, kid?” Plagg whispered, poking his head out of the side of Adrien’s messenger bag.
“Shhhh! Someone might hear you!” he scolded while doing his best not to move his lips.
“She’s right there.”
“I need more time. I’ll talk to her when class starts.”
“No, you don’t. I’ve listened to ramble on and on about this nonsense for months. Go talk to her before I Cataclysm your homework.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Plagg grinned. “Watch me.”
“Fine,” Adrien huffed.
He took a deep breath and began walking towards Marinette. She was hunched over her sketchbook and appeared to be in deep concentration. She didn’t even lift her head when he sat down next to her.
He gripped the strap on his bag. “Good morning, Marinette.”
Her head shot up, and she almost fell off the bench. As a reflex, he leaned over and caught her by the waist. Marinette’s eyes grew wide as he gently propped her back up into a sitting position. His cheeks started to flush when the closeness of their bodies registered in his mind.
Adrien quickly removed his hands and put them in his lap. “I...uh...sorry. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Umm...are you okay?”
“I...Yanks...I MEAN...yes I am. Thanks.” Her face turned bright red.
“ God, she’s adorable ,” he thought, “ It’s now or never...just ask her out. You can do it .”
Adrien scratched the back of his neck. “So, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Me?” She looked shocked.
“Yes, you.”
“O...okay. I’m listening.”
“Well, we’ve been friends for a while, right? I admire you a lot, and I think you’re really awesome. Umm...recently, I’ve been rethinking some things, and I realized that I kind of like you. No, not kind of...that’s stupid. I...uh...like you a lot. I think I’ve liked you since I met you, but I didn’t know what those feelings were at the time.”
“What?”
“I know...it sounds crazy, but...Marinette, I think I’m falling in love with you.”
She stared at the floor. “I...I...I thought you l-liked someone else. Last year you said something about a girl who you loved.”
He bit his lip. “No...I was wrong about my feelings for her.”
“Really?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re the only one I want to be with. So, if you’ll have me, I would love to take you out on a date.”
A dazzling smile spread across her face. “I would love to. I...I...IREALLYLIKEYOUTOO!”
He laughed as relief washed over him. “I know. I kind of found out about your crush, but it’s okay. I’m happy that I did because it helped me realize how much I admire you. I’ve always thought that you were amazing and sweet and kind.”
“But I’m a complete spaz around you.”
“You are more than your anxieties, Marinette. I’ve seen how you take charge during a crisis or how you selflessly help others. You have a beautiful heart, and no amount of stammering can take that away.”
Before she could answer, the warning bell rang. Marinette quickly put away her belongings, and before she was able to pick up her bag, Adrien grabbed it and slung it over his shoulder.
“Oh,” she began, “you don’t have to.”
Adrien smiled. “I know, but I want to.”
“Okay. Well, t-thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I also kind of want to....well, it would be nice...ummm…would it be okay if we held hands?”
She reached out and took his hand, and he responded by lacing his fingers between hers. Feeling the warmth of her hand in his made him feel safe and loved. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It felt right...no...it felt complete. Her hand was the missing piece of a puzzle he didn’t know needed to be solved.
It was at this moment that Adrien knew that he made the right choice. Marinette was his other half. How could he have been so blind for so long? He mentally kicked himself for not taking the time to see her sooner. Now that he had her, he was never going to give her up. Adrien knew that a relationship with Marinette was something he needed to cherish and protect.
When they walked into the classroom hand-in-hand, several audible gasps sounded throughout the room. Chloe huffed as the pair walked past. Adrien decided to ignore the blonde heiress for the time being. Even though she was still his friend, he was not going to let her negativity ruin the joy he felt from Marinette’s closeness.
“Okay,” Alya said as they approached their seats, “what happened?”
“I finally asked out Marinette,” Adrien responded with a toothy grin.
“Thank GOD, dude,” Nino exclaimed, “I don’t think you know how much I’ve been wigging out the past few months. Alya was pretty mad when she found out that I told you.”
Marinette looked at Adrien. “Told you what? Wait, that’s how you found out about my crush!”
He squeezed her hand. “And like I said before...I’m so happy that he did. It helped me realize that something wonderful was right in front of me all along. You make me happy, Marinette. Please don’t be mad at Nino. I know it wasn’t the coolest of him to tell me, but it really was an accident. He started freaking out after he said something. He felt really bad, but honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me...because it led me to you.”
Nino hung his head. “Yeah, my bro is right. I’m real sorry, dudette. I’m not the best with my words sometimes.”
Marinette sighed and offered him a small smile. “It’s okay, Nino. I forgive you. Besides, Alya’s wrath is punishment enough. There’s no need for you to keep feeling bad about it.”
“That’s really cool of you. My bro is really lucky to have you in his life.”
Adrien looked at Marinette. “You got that right. I’m the luckiest person in the whole world right now.”
The final bell rang, and Marinette tried to leave his side and take her seat. However, Adrien found himself unable to release her hand.
Marinette turned to him. “Class is about to start. I’m going to need that had to write.”
He pouted. “I like the way your hand fits in mine. I want to keep holding it forever.”
She stood on her tip-toes and gently kissed his cheek. Without thinking, he let go of her hand and touched the side of his face where her lips had been only moments before.
“What was that for?” he asked, still in shock.
She giggled. “I wanted to give you something to tide you over until we could hold hands again.”
“How about lunchtime today?”
“I think I can squeeze you in.”
“OH. MY. GOD. That was brilliant. Girl...that was so smooth,” Alya said next to them while holding up her phone.
“Did you record that?” Marinette exclaimed.
Adrien looked at Alya and grinned. “Could you send me a copy?”
She gave him a thumbs-up. “You got it, Sunshine.”
Marinette groaned and banged her head on the table. “My boyfriend and my best friend are conspiring against me!”
His heart skipped a beat when Marinette called him her boyfriend. The word resonated throughout his mind and flooded his brain with pure bliss.
He leaned over and placed a feathery kiss on the top of her head. She looked up and smiled. Adrien knew that this was the start of something wonderful.