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Chapter Text

Warm Hugs: Game Night- UNO

One of the side effects of sleeping most of the day was that when the lodge was warm and cozy with their classmates around, Marinette and Adrien woke up full of energy and excitement. While Alya was initially sad to see the cuddling end, she soon realized she would regret ever letting anyone wake them up.

Something no one had truly understood about the duo before: They were competitive. Possibly worse than Kim and Alix level of competitive.

Despite the various games, and the multitude of different opponent combinations, when Marinette and Adrien teamed up (as Adrien adamantly insisted on), no one could defeat them. After playing the Beans Card Game, Exploding Kittens, and even a few games that weren’t meant to be team games, Alya was ready to tranquilize Marinette and Adrien just to get some peace.

As Alya felt her frustration peaking, Max blandly suggested the class play UNO. Despite Nino’s frantic head shaking, and arms blatantly moving into an ‘X’ shape, the class decided UNO was a great idea. Even Lila, sulking in a corner and newly returned to a wary class, joined the game. Alya joined with a heavy heart, just knowing this was going to go sideways somehow and watched Nino flat out refuse to sit anywhere near Marinette.

In all honesty, Alya had never played card or board games with Marinette before, as games were discouraged in Paris. One too many game-based akuma that ‘deleted’ unnecessary characters (civilians) had created a unanimous yet unspoken rule: No rage-inducing games in Paris. Alya was incredibly curious to know why Nino was so wary of Marinette, but Chloe’s equally odd refusal to sit anywhere near Adrien took her attention instead, and she sat down next to Marinette without thinking.

BUZZ.

Alya checked her phone. Nino had sent her a very short message: ALYA, GET AWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!! She raised an eyebrow at her unofficial boyfriend, unimpressed with his attempt to spook her. Nino was shaking his head, and even Chloe looked at Marinette and Alya pityingly. To Alya’s surprise, the pity even looked genuine.

Alya was shocked at the evil excitement in Adrien’s voice when he finished shuffling the double deck. “ Alrightie! Leeeet’s get ready to ruuuuuuumble!” Adrien passed out the cards like a Las Vegas showman. Flashy, worryingly accurate, and with far too many teeth on display. Marinette sent him an unimpressed look.

Alya found herself amused at the flat tone Marinette used to answer the exuberant model. “Really? Wrestling? AMERICAN Wrestling?” Adrien grinned sheepishly and sent an oddly sweet smile in Marinette’s direction, complete with a cest la vie shoulder raise. Alya watched Marinette briefly sway like she’d been shot, before she tenderly picked up her UNO cards, and visibly transformed.

A shit eating grin spread across Marinette’s face as she looked around the circle challengingly. Her shoulders straightened, her chest confidently puffed out, and her chin tilted high. “Everyone knows the rules. UNO twitter doesn’t know shit. Stack ‘ em high, stack ‘ em tall, we’re gonna play ‘til somebody falls. Person on dealer’s left starts.” Marinette leaned forward to see Lila sitting on Adrien’s other side. Lila’s eyes visibly widened in fear at Marinette’s sharp grin. “Your turn, Lie-la!”

Lila looked around at her wary classmates, and silently played an innocuous yellow 2. The person to her left, Juleka, sighed and drew three cards until she could lay another yellow down. It continued in this manner until it got to Kim. Kim smugly thrust his chest out as he laid down a ‘+2 Draw’ card, and smirked at Max.

Max, without a single change in expression laid down two more ‘+2 Draw’ cards, one red and one green, and glanced at Alix sitting on his left. Alix was visibly fuming as she picked up 6 cards, and Nathaniel took his turn while she organized her bounty. To Chloe’s irritation, Nathaniel laid down another ‘+2 Draw’ card, this time in blue. Chloe huffed out a breath but obediently took her cards and leaned back, while Sabrina laid down a blue ‘Reverse’ card.

“Wow, Sabrina. Way to have my back!” Chloe cackled as she chose a card. Staring deeply into Nathaniel’s eyes, savoring the moment, Chloe laid down a ‘Draw 4’ card. Only Rose was surprised when Nathaniel let loose a curse and picked up his new cards. Chloe declared the new color as though announcing a new Royal Decree. “The color is now yellow!” Chloe smirked to herself, fooling no one. She’d obviously chosen the color because she had been Queen Bee.

Max maintained his stoic façade as Alix began snickering to herself, adding several cards on top of each other before staring at Max with glee. She chanted her cards as she laid them down, one by one. “Draw 2, Draw 2, Draw 2, you brainiac! Ahahahaha! Six cards, just like me! That’s what you get for passing on Kim’s dirty cards!” Alix’s laughter choked off when Max calmly added another Draw 2 card to the pile and looked at Kim impassively.

Kim gaped down at the four ‘Draw 2’ cards as though someone had offered him a snake. Alix let out a frantic “Oh that’s even BETTER!” and began chortling. Kim frantically checked his deck, but he’d already used his only Draw 2 card. With a dejected sigh, he picked up eight cards, and allowed Ivan to take his turn.

Ivan silently laid down a new blue card, then smiled at Mylene as she added the exact same card on top of his. “Samesies!” She squealed to him quietly. They smiled at each other lovingly, lost in their own world. The innocuous cards continued until it got to Juleka.

Juleka, sitting next to Lila glanced at her cards before laying down a simple color change card. “Yellow.” She whispered. Lila jolted slightly and glanced at her cards before smirking. Shooting a very quick glance at Adrien and Marinette, she made a big deal about deciding her cards, leaning around and not at all subtly glancing at Adrien’s cards.

Even as Adrien scowled at her, Lila fluttered her lashes and gave a sweet giggle. “So sorry, Adrien, but it’s the only yellow I have!” Lila announced in such a falsely apologetic tone that the entire class bristled, aware now that she had ulterior motives. She gently laid down a Draw 2 card, glanced at Adrien, and laid down a new, green one on top. “Draw 4, Adrien!” Lila giggled.

Adrien stared at the cards for a moment, glanced at his deck, then glanced at Marinette before staring at Lila. Without breaking eye contact, he silently reached for the deck and drew four cards. As though he had slapped her, the smile slid right off of Lila’s face. Astonishment covered Marinette’s face as she got a glimpse of Adrien’s hand. “What?!” Lila hissed. “Why would you-!”

“Your turn, Marinette!” Adrien cut Lila off, turning to Marinette with a smile. Marinette stared at him for a minute with her mouth hanging open before glancing at her cards, Adrien’s cards, and then the deck. With a frown, she laid down five cards in quick succession. Somehow Marinette had five 8s, one in every color and two in blue, but she ended her turn with a red on top. Marinette was already down to 2 cards when half the class hadn’t even had their turn yet.

Alya glanced at her cards and scratched at her head. She shrugged as she laid down another ‘Reverser’ card. Marinette gaped at Alya for a moment before snorting. “It’s the only red card I have,” Alya explained to the class.

With a wink and an overly apologetic look to Adrien, Marinette held out her cards. With a solemn voice hiding the glee behind it, she announced her move. “Draw 2, UNO, Draw 2. I win! ”

The class broke out in outrage at Marinette’s be trayal of her cuddle partner. She’d just handed him four more cards in order to win! Adrien however, looked far too admiring to have just been handed his ass in UNO. Marinette giggled and stared back at Adrien, who didn’t move. Lila was squawking in outrage. “That can’t be legal! You cheated! Take it back! Take it back RIGHT NOW!”

The class quieted down at Lila’s venomous words, staring at the trio with concern. Adrien slowly, painstakingly pulled his eyes away from Marinette before glancing down at his hand. He covered his mouth as though to cough, but everyone could see the grin peeking out of the corners. With a loud snort disguised as a cough, Adrien finally reached into his cards. Without ever looking at Lila, Adrien pulled out four cards, and laid them down slowly, tauntingly, and silently.

The class watched in silence as Adrien laid down 4 more Draw 2s. Lila screamed and threw her cards, stomping out of the room as Adrien and Marinette burst into cackles and high-fived. Alya gaped at their merciless destruction, while Chloe silently crossed herself, and Nino covered his face with his hands and started rocking. Alya could faintly hear Nino’s broken whisper.

“Oh god. Now t here’s two of them.”

Chapter Text

The next day found some interesting changes in the class. In the first place, while everyone saw Adrien and Marinette wander down to eat breakfast in a half-awake drowse, no one saw hide nor hair of them afterward until lunch time. By then, new changes had already taken root.

To the class ’s surprise, Ms. Bustie r required Lila to stay by her side for the entire day. At first, there were conflicting feelings about Lila’s recent behavior, but everyone felt inexplicably lighter for her absence. The class felt as though something were missing, but not in a bad way.

When they trickled in for lunch, stomachs growling and faces grinning exuberantly, it was to a rather unique sight. Marinette and Adrien were huddled close together, sharing a seat and blanket at the table and even sharing one plate. Alya’s jaw dropped as she saw Marinette fight Adrien’s spoon for the last bite of soup. Nino began chuckling when Marinette gave a victorious crow of delight as she spooned it into her mouth and wiggled around in triumph.

Adrien grumbled good-naturedly and ignored Marinette’s hip bumping his repeatedly as she wiggled around. Nino silently pushed Alya into the seat across from the terrible duo, and went to get food for both of them.

Ignoring Alya for the moment, Adrien picked up their shared sandwich and offered the first bite to Marinette. Marinette smiled at Alya in greeting before giving a grin to Adrien as she took the largest bite she could.

“Hey!” Adrien laughed as he tugged the rest of the sandwich back towards himself. He leaned away as Ma rinette made playful grabb ing motions at the sandwich, taking a large bite himself and almost choking when Marinette ‘ Hmphed ’ at him.

Even Alya found Marinette’s stuffed chipmunk cheeks to be adorable, and as she started to reach forward, Adrien beat her to the punch . “You have a little…” Adrien smiled, chewing his food on one side of his mouth as he firmly removed a bit of sauce from Marinette’s cheek. Adrien winked at Marinette as he licked his dirtied finger.

Marinette flushed and looked away for a moment, while Alya sat there paralyzed. Nino set their plates down, took his own seat, and simply stared. Alya looked ridiculous with one arm extended and her face a study in shock. Marinette met Alya’s eyes and smiled cherubically at her. Despite herself , Nino watched Alya smile back, relaxing and finally looking down at her plate. “Aw, Babe, you know exactly what to get me!”

Nino rolled his eyes. “It isn’t hard when you’ve been talking about the menu here for the last three weeks. Is that enough food for you?” He asked solicitously. Alya grabbed her fork and dug into her pasta with gusto, nodding silently. Nino laughed. “I take it you’re hungry after the slopes?” Alya gave a confirming grunt, obviously occupied with filling her stomach so she could interrogate her friends quicker.

Marinette and Adrien laughed companionably. They were taking turns eating a bite of the sandwich one at a time, and Nino blinked at them in confusion . “Why are you two sharing a sandwich?” Marinette’s face froze for a moment before she glanced at Adrien, who had immediately looked to her for direction. A lya and Nino both stared as the duo held a silent conversation. Finally Marinette swallowed her bite and smiled innocently.

“What do you mean, Nino? Why wouldn’t good friends share food?” Adrien groaned at her, gently nudging her with his elbow as he offered her the last bite. M arinette took the bite without looking at him, smiling smugly as she chewed. Nino scratched his head, sure that he’d missed something important, but unsure what. Adrien cleaned up their tray and went to stand before Marinette tugged him back down. “Let me get it, you got the last tray.”

Marinette stood and wrapped Adrien snuggly in the blanket they had apparently been sharing before grabbing the tray and traipsing off to get another entrée. As she was leaving, she paused and glanced back. “How do you feel about shrimp?” Marinette smiled at Adrien.

“I love it!” Adrien enthusiastically replied, his face lighting up and making Nino feel vaguely as though he’d intruded on something private. Nino glanced at Alya to find her staring after Marinette blankly. Alya appeared to be in shock. Nino gave her a discreet nudge and started digging into his own food. He quietly noted that Adrien watched Marinette the whole time she was away.

“Alright Dude, why are you two sharing a plate?” Nino asked bluntly. Adrien flushed a bit, but never looked away from Marinette’s form, even as his smile turned mischievous. Alya cough ed and started gulping her water, never having seen such an expression on the Sunshine Child before. Nino simply stared, well aware his friend could be a little shit. Last night’s games had proven that.

“Well,” Adrien contemplatively began. “It turns out that by napping together yesterday, the lodge staff are all convinced we’re dating.” Alya choked on her water, and Nino absently patted her on the back as he stared hard at his friend. That sounded like an explanation, but it didn’t make sense. “That basically means,” Adrien’s smile turned into a smirk. “That as long as we play along, they squeal, coo and treat us to more food, more blankets, and more fireside time. We decided to play along as long as we could get away with it.” Adrien gave a blissful sigh. “That fire is so warm and she’s so cuddly and soft. I’d do anything to keep that.”

Nino felt his utensil slip from his fingers, but paid no mind to it . He was entranced by the adoring expression on Adrien’s face as he continued to protectively watch Marinette. Alya finally found her voice, scratchy though it was from all the coughing and choking. “Is that face part of the act?!” Adrien blinked and glanced at her before immediately returning his gaze to Marinette.

“What face?” Adrien asked, apparently puzzled. Nino covered Alya’s mouth, well aware she was one more surprise away from blowing her top. Adrien smiled welcomingly at Marinette, eagerly hopping up to take the tray and wrap her in the blanket as she sat down with him. Nino and Alya watched the interaction, impressed with Marinette’s composure, even as Nino struggled to keep Alya from interrogating them mercilessly. Nino gave Alya an unimpressed look when she resorted to licking his palm, calmly keeping his hand over her face as she shrugged at him unapologetically .

“ So the adoring stares and sharing food are a tactic to get more food from the staff?” Nino asked quietly. Alya paused in her struggles, eager to hear every detail. Marinette glanced up at them, a surprised flush covering her cheeks as she picked up a fork. Without missing a beat, she stabbed some shrimp and pasta and offered it over her shoulder to Adrien. He happily swooped down and took the offering, chewing with a delighted expression.

Marinette gazed at Adrien fondly before looked at Nino and Alya . “How many plates do you think we’ve eaten?” Marinette asked in a low tone, so quietly that Nino and Alya leaned forward to hear. Adrien started chuckling. Nino blinked at Marinette in confusion. That didn’t seem to be relevant to the conversation, but Marinette usually had a point to her rambling.

“Two, right?” Marinette smirked at him and he felt a shiver of apprehension. That was the mischievous look she used to wear right before she conned the adults into something, back in grade school. Nino glanced between the two ‘Sweetest’ people in their class, noting they wore matching smirks now. He thought back to his despairing realization last night. There really were two of them now.

“Try six.” Alya let out an outraged squeak. Nino let out an impressed whistle, glancing at their waists in consideration. Nino knew they’d been given meal tickets for their stay, but he supposed they could always pay for more food if they were really that hungry. Marinette smirked at Nino, clearly reading his mind. “For free.” Nino lost his hold on Alya , absently smearing his hand across her face in retaliation even as he gaped at his friends.

Alya let out a shriek of affront and shoved her boyfriend, even as she leaned forward to whisper to Marinette. “How did you get free food?!” Marinette shrugg ed and took a bite of the pasta while Adrien leaned forward to answer Alya . Adrien gave a sly smirk even as he nudged Marinette to feed him more. Intent on chewing, she ignored him.

“Turns out some of the staff are our ‘fans’ and they think we’re keeping our relationship secret in order to protect each other. Like Romeo and Juliet?” Adrien shrugged as he stole the fork from Marinette’s hand and fixed a bite for himself. Marinette easily gave up the utensil, wiping her mouth with a napkin and taking a drink of water. “So they’re supporting us by telling us great places to snuggle, and giving us extra food ‘to keep our strength up’ and extra blankets ‘to keep the heat of our love burning hot’ whatever that means.” Adrien bit down on an empty fork.

Adrien let out an indignant yelp as his teeth hit metal . Nino snorted as Marinette cackled. Adrien started crafting a new mouthful, hoarding it carefully from Marinette’s greedy mouth. Alya cooed and took a photo, never even noticing she’d taken the phone out of her pocket. This was pure gold as far as Nino and Alya were concerned.

“Dude, do you understand what they think you two are doing while you’re cuddling up all the time?” Nino hinted as casually as he could. Calmly, he ate another bite of his food. Marinette flushed and suddenly occupied herself with her phone, attempting to ignore him. Alya’s eyes widened as she caught on, while Adrien shrugged negligently, picking up a piece of shrimp and pasta before easily offering it to Marinette.

“Oh, I could make some guesses.” Adrien answered nonchalantly, watching Marinette carefully. As she leaned sideways to catch the bite without looking away from her phone, Nino caught the smirk on Adrien’s face right before he attacked. Adrien swooped down, moving the fork away as he kissed Marinette’s forehead. Before Nino could say anything, he heard incredibly loud squealing coming from the kitchens.

“As long as we entertain them though, they keep the treats coming.” Adrien continued, obviously enjoying the way Marinette had colored up in embarrassment. Marinette slowly covered her face with her hands while Adrien gazed at her so warmly and with such soft eyes that Nino felt second hand embarrassment. Nino glanced at Alya , noting that the quiet tea kettle noise he’d been hearing wasn’t Marinette after all. Alya had apparently pressed record and was watching her phone in fascination.

“Marinette, are you seriously okay with this?” Alya whispered at her. Marinette grimaced at Alya , and Adrien occupied himself with preparing new bites for both of them. Adrien took his bite and offered Marinette hers, but she leaned forward to answer Alya i nstead. Shrugging, Adrien took the second mouthful.

“Alya, I was starving. I burn way too many calories normally for the amount of food they gave us to be enough.” Marinette looked oddly serious, and Nino was incredibly concerned at her confession. What was she doing that took so many calories every day? Wait, was Adrien having the same problem? Nino glanced between them, noticing they both looked serious though they wore masks of detachment.

Alya literally bounced up and down in her seat. “When did you decide this?!” She hissed in excitement. Marinette glanced at Adrien and took the proffered mouthful, letting him answer. Adrien briefly made a face before sighing.

“Last night after dinner, we were both hungry. We ended up combining our snacks for the trip and it still wasn’t enough. And we hadn’t even gone out on the slopes yesterday. So after the games last night….” Adrien trailed off, smiling fondly as he recalled the game night before he shrugged. “T he staff gave us treats for being so cute, and we realized we make excellent partners.” Adrien proffered his fist to Marinette, who gently bopped it as they both mouthed ‘good work’ silently. Nino made a mental note that they were both way more used to doing that than he would have expected.

Marinette let out a giggle. “You should have heard his stomach growl. I felt so bad for him!” Adrien squawked, dropping the fork and reaching over to poke her belly in retaliation. Marinette gave a shriek of laughter as he tickled her, and they squirmed in their seats as they tried to one-up the other briefly. Nino cleared his throat and they both straightened up guiltily, with flushed cheeks and childlike grins irrepressibly stamped across their faces.

Nino ignored the squeals he could hear starting up again in the kitchen. “So that means you two are finally getting out on the slopes today, then?” Alya jolted in surprise. “I notice you two weren’t there yesterday or today.” Nino raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the two guilty teenagers.

“Ah, you noticed, huh?” Marinette muttered, slouching as she picked up the utensil and poked at their food. She silently offered a bite to Adrien, taking it away and stuffing it into her mouth when he leaned down. As he pouted at her, she smirked and turned away to hide the flush creeping across her face. Alya scoffed and stared hard at Marinette.

“Of course we noticed!” Alya replied angrily. “You’re lucky Ms. Bustier has been preoccupied with Lila today, or she’d have noticed for sure.” Marinette blinked before glancing at the sulky Lila and the exhausted Ms. Bustier.

“Huh. So that’s what happened.” Marinette murmured. She mindlessly fed Adrien a bite and glanced at her classmates. Most of them were glancing at her table every few seconds, but a few were wrapped up in their own conversations. Marinette smiled at the genuine lovey-dovey aura around Mylene and Ivan. At Kim’s leer, she glanced away and shrunk down a bit. Nino noticed Adrien bristle and glare back at Kim, who lifted his hands in surrender before turning away. Adrien rested his arm protectively around Marinette, who snuggled into the warmth easily as she finished their pasta.

“Don’t worry, we’ll join everyone today.” Adrien gave a toothy grin that promised trouble. Marinette looked up and straightened confidently. Nino glanced between them, unwilling to voice his concerns. He was fairly certain neither had ever been skiing, let alone snowboarding. If they were so confident though, far be it for him to stop them.

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Nino regretted not stopping them. Contrary to his concerns, they took to the activity as though they were Olympic champions, easily mimicking the more experienced athletes. They were constantly going on the same slopes together, often turning in sync despite not being able to see each other. Nino was incredibly impressed even as suspicions were eating him up inside.

Alya hadn’t known either of them long enough to know this was their first trip to a ski resort, but Nino knew. Nino also knew several other classmates were aware that Marinette at least had never been on a ski slope before today. It was a good thing they’d only come out this afternoon, and likely wouldn’t be out again before they left tomorrow.

As the class tumbled inside, laughing and ribbing each other, Nino noticed Adrien drape a casual arm around Marinette. Marinette flushed but didn’t protest, burrowing deeper into his side. Nino sighed and nonchalantly moved to block Chloe, Sabrina, and Lila from seeing the couple. He wrapped his own arm around Alya to provide a larger barrier, and Alya smiled in surprised delight at him. Thoughtfully, he found himself reconsidering the ‘casual’ relationship they’d agreed on.

In the chaos of changing clothes and showering after being out on the slopes all day, Nino found no time to pull Adrien aside. At dinner, Adrien and Marinette were once more stuck together, feeding each other and giggling. Nino glanced around as calmly as he could, and silently thanked his lucky stars they weren’t in Paris right now. Chloe and Lila would likely have combined into one akuma if they were. The glares they were shooting at the ‘ happy couple’ were blistering enough that even Nino was wincing.

Eventually though, dinner ended and the ‘free time’ of the evening loomed once more. Nino found himself trying to run interference between his classmates and his friends, and out of desperation he suggested a game. The class immediately (barring Max, Adrien, and Marinette) vetoed Uno, and he scanned the games lying around. “What about Jenga ?” Nino offered.

Glancing at each other, a few classmates shook their heads and settled close to the fire to draw, read, and browse the internet, but a few classmates took the bait. Juleka , Alix , Kim, Rose, and Max readily moved to play, while Chloe and Lila shot venomous looks at the group before settling into separate seats. Nino huffed a breath of relief before he heard Adrien open his mouth.

“ Jenga ? I’ve never played with other people before! Bet I can beat you, Marinette!” Adrien’s gleeful voice simultaneously made Nino ache with sympathy and burn with anger. Jenga was a group game, and Adrien had never played with anyone else? Nino shared a grim look with Alya , Marinette, and Chloe. Chloe looked vaguely guilty, and turned away to file her nails while Alya nodded back at Nino and Marinette focused on Adrien.

“That’s not exactly how it works, Adrien.” Marinette smiled gently. “But I’m sure I won’t be losing!” She finished with confidence. With that, the class set up two sets of Jenga . Nino found that Marinette’s confidence wasn’t misplaced. Each move Marinette made seemed to better stabilize the tower, while every move Adrien made threatened to send the tower to the ground. Max was soon muttering about probabilities and impossibilities after the tower briefly leant over before Marinette’s turn somehow fixed it.

Max easily dropped out of the game, taking notes instead and making Nino and Marinette rather nervous. Kim and Alix soon started arguing about who was worse before moving to their own game of Jenga , so it wouldn ’t be e ffected by anyone else. That left Juleka , Rose, Marinette, Alya , Nino, and Adrien playing. After a few rounds with almost impossible physics, Juleka started muttering and carted Rose off, refusing to make a move after Adrien. “It’s just not possible to fix that…!” Nino heard her mutter. Nino felt a nervous sweat lining his hat as he laughed, trying to play it off.

Nino winced when Adrien started drooping, apparently having heard the quiet comment and blaming himself. Marinette gave Juleka an indignant stare before loudly responding. “It’s easy enough to fix! Just move this… one… heeeere !” Magically, the tower was standing straight again. Adrien perked up, staring adoringly down at Marinette who blushed as she tried to ignore him.

Alya made a follow up move that nearly sent the tower crashing down again, and Nino played it safe. Adrien enthusiastically leaned forward to make his move and the tower collapsed with a resounding crash. The entire class jumped out of their skin briefly, and Nino noticed the nearly heartbroken look on Adrien’s face. Immediately, Nino felt like a complete jerk for suggesting this game. Before Nino could apologize, Marinette started giggling.

Adrien’s eyes whipped to her in betrayal, only to widen in amazement at the pure enthusiasm Marinette embodied. “That was so awesome, Adrien!” Marinette smiled at him so warmly Nino felt a flush build on his own neck. Marinette’s giggles increased in volume as she danced around. “Now we can build a new one! You’re amazing! ” Adrien automatically opened his arms to let Marinette hug him and move him around in her excitement.

Nino wisely didn’t comment on the pure adulation that was rapidly taking over Adrien’s face. Nino also covered Alya’s mouth before she could ruin the moment, sensing she was about to make some inn uendo that would cause everyone nearb y embarrassment . Giving her a quick kiss in apology, Nino smiled at his friends as he basked  in the warmth of Marinette’s joy and Adrien’s happiness. He might have some suspicions, but if he was right, he didn’t need to know. Seeing them playing together so happily was all he needed right now.

As his friends set up the tower again, Marinette laughing and making Adrien nearly send it crashing again, Nino found himself laughing along. This time with his friends was what he’d wanted out of this trip in the first place. It was time to enjoy it.

Chapter Text

Warm Hugs: Gaming 3.0 Guess Who?

After the third game of monopoly ended with someone screaming and others crying, Ms. Bustier sent the class to their rooms for the night. Rose finally stopped screaming in fury, and Nathaniel’s crying began to peter off. Adrien shrugged. He’d run out of money by the second round of the first game and chosen to sit close to Marinette as she destroyed everyone repeatedly. There was something about the vicious gleam in her eyes that sent delicious shivers along his spine.

Nino and Adrien caught up to Nathaniel and they headed to their room together. Adrien was glad to see that Nathaniel had calmed down. “I’ve never played monopoly before. Does it always end with someone screaming and flipping the board?” Adrien asked brightly.

Nino stared at him with the eyes of a warrior desensitized to warzones. “It does when Marinette plays. Her mom always says it’s not a good game if someone isn’t screaming by the end.” Nino grimaced. “Of course, they usually end up owning the board between the two of them, so I guess they don’t care that the game never actually ends.”

Nathaniel sniffled and wiped his eyes for the last time as Adrien gazed at Marinette walking a distance behind them with Alya. “I knew she was good at games, but I didn’t expect her to be so merciless.” Nathaniel admitted. “If she weren’t so scary, it’d be pretty hot.” He added in a shy murmur.

“She’s pretty hot regardless, don’t you think?” Adrien answered thoughtlessly, still watching Marinette and walking forward blindly. Nino sighed and grabbed his hand to guide him while Nathaniel stared at Adrien with a complicated face.

“You two are really cute together.” Nathaniel finally settled on. His face looked slightly upset, but mostly content. Nino stared in surprise, actually coming to a stop and pulling Adrien with him. Adrien’s head swiveled to stare at Nathaniel as a flush spread across his cheeks. Unseen, the girls passed them with curious looks.

“Oh, we’re not! It’s not! She doesn’t! Uh….” Adrien grimaced and trailed off, unsure if he should admit what they were doing for more food. He certainly liked Marinette and admired her, but he doubted she’d want to date him. Besides, he was still holding out for Ladybug to change her mind one day. Though every month that passed had eroded that hope little by little, while Adrien was finding his pigtailed classmate increasingly fascinating. His belief that Ladybug would one day choose him had whittled down to a very quiet, despairing hope in the back of his mind over the years.

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “Its fine, Adrien. You can admit you’re dating. Yeah, I still like her a bit, but she was really sweet when she turned me down. I know she’s not interested in me.” Nino grimaced and started shuffling his roommates back towards their room. By this point Marinette and Alya were in front of them and Adrien was able to watch where he was going without looking away from his ‘girlfriend’ so Nino let go of his hand.

“You confessed to her?!” Adrien exclaimed in a harsh whisper. He couldn’t help feeling a little bitter and betrayed. “When?!” Nathaniel and Nino both blinked at Adrien in surprise.

“Uh, years ago, dude. Marinette’s just so…” Nino made gestures in the air, ending with a dissatisfied grunt. “You can’t expect boys to not notice her, you know?” Nathaniel nodded strongly in agreement. Adrien felt the color leaving his face.

“Has she been confessed to by other guys too?” He whispered tentatively. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Nathaniel and Nino snorted, glanced at each other, and immediately broke into laughter together. Adrien’s lips thinned and he crossed his arms as he waited impatiently for the other two boys to stop laughing at him. “Yeah, yeah, chuck it up.” After Nino and Nathaniel started to calm down, only to glance at each other and break into fresh laughter, Adrien stalked the short distance remaining to their room and unlocked it before walking inside without them.

“Duuuude!” Nino called, laughter still prevalent in his voice. Nathaniel and Nino held onto each other as they shuffled inside, both feeling weak after the laughing bout. They studiously avoided each other’s eyes to prevent another fit. Adrien huffed as he plopped inelegantly onto his bed. Nino sat beside him and turned to face his best friend.

“Sorry, dude. But you know how Marinette is late to class after lunch half the time?” Nino’s grin made Adrien want to snarl, but he nodded instead. He had noticed that Marinette was regularly late in the morning and afternoon. Nino chuckled a bit as he continued. “At least half the time, she’s dealing with a confession. She’s always really sweet about turning guys down, so it makes her late, pretty much every time.”

Nathaniel sat on the opposite bed with a fond sigh. “She won’t even tell anyone that’s why she was late. She always makes up the worst excuses to avoid embarrassing the guys that ask her out.” Nathaniel laughed to himself before looking head-on at Adrien. “Remember that time she said she had to wash her cat?” Nathaniel snickered as Adrien nodded hesitantly. He’d always remember the way she flushed scarlet after the girls started snickering that day. Marinette had looked utterly mortified.

“That was the day I confessed to her.” Nathaniel’s fond smile made Adrien feel oddly aggressive. Nathaniel continued his confession as his gaze wandered to a random corner of the room. “She was so sweet. She actually cried for me.” Nathaniel smiled with a melancholy edge. “I’ll never forget it. She said, ‘I’m so sorry, Nath. I love having you as a friend, but I’ve fallen for someone else. I’m so sorry I can’t return your feelings.’ And she cried.”

Nathaniel sighed, and Nino sighed with him, both sporting fond smiles. Adrien couldn’t understand how they could be smiling about being rejected by the girl they loved. “Why are you happy she cried?” Adrien felt as though ants were crawling under his skin. How could they be okay after making such a sweet girl cry?

Nathaniel’s eyes widened in shock and Nino’s mouth popped open. “It’s not because she cried!” Nathaniel was quick to respond. “It’s just, I fell in love with her because she was so sweet! And even when she was breaking my heart, it felt like her heart broke with me, and it just….” Nathaniel trailed off, unsure how to explain it. Nino was nodding along sagely.

Adrien frowned. He couldn’t really understand being happy at upsetting someone he loved. Adrien always avoided upsetting anyone as much as he could. Nino took a stab at explaining why the boys appreciated Marinette’s response so much.

“You see, bro. Marinette is so kind, and so sweet. She really responds to people’s feelings. Being understood and having her take it to heart so much she cries? It’s such a validating feeling, you know? Like, ‘even though she can’t love me the way I want, she cares so much for me already,’ and bro…” Nino paused to gather his thoughts while Adrien looked more and more suspiciously at him. “The feeling of being valued by Marinette is overwhelming.”

Nino and Nathaniel sighed together again. Adrien was close to sulking over the boys obviously communing over an experience Adrien didn’t have. He found himself muttering “I still would hate to make her cry….” Nino and Nathaniel began chuckling.

“Well, considering you’re dating, I don’t think you have to worry about it. You’re a lucky guy. I’m glad her confession went well.” Nathaniel consoled. Adrien looked up at him questioningly, but Nathaniel stood and grabbed his pajamas to get ready for bed. “I’m taking the bathroom first!” He announced. Adrien glanced to Nino for clarification but Nino waved his arms in denial.

“Nope! Sorry dude, friend code says I can’t talk about anything like that. I’m glad you two are getting along though.” Nino offered. Adrien broke into a smile at the reminder of his day.

“Yeah.” Adrien paused and his smile quickly became besotted. “She’s so amazing. I love when she crushes people at games. She’s merciless…. And her dance when she wins.” Adrien sighed. “I would happily lose for the rest of my life to see her adorable little butt wiggle.” Nino remained conspicuously silent, so Adrien continued. “She’s so warm and light. I love the way I can drape her over my lap when we snuggle. She’s the perfect height to tuck under my chin, Nino. When she wraps her arms around my waist and snuggles in…” Adrien gave a lovesick sigh. “It’s the best feeling in the world, dude.”

Adrien looked at Nino for a response, only to see him recording with his phone. Adrien’s eyes widened until the pupils were pinpricks and his face went through a range of colors as he prepared to pounce. Nino silently stopped recording and put his phone inside his underwear to prevent Adrien trying to get to it in record time. Adrien paused mid-lunge, and rolled onto his side to avoid flattening his friend. Nino shrugged at him. “Sorry dude. I’m required to record these things so I can play them at your wedding later.”

Adrien closed his eyes and groaned. “Ninoooo. There’s no way she’d be into dating me, let alone marrying me and having babies with me.” Nino’s scoff had Adrien opening his eyes. Nino stared down at him sternly.

“Technically, you’re already dating. You just have to make it official.” Adrien found he didn’t have a response to that. Nino raised an eyebrow challengingly and Adrien’s eyes dropped. Nathaniel came out of the bathroom and Nino got up to brush his teeth. “Think about it, bro. You’ve got a great opportunity here.”

Adrien found himself thinking about it all night, and never coming to a decision. His dreams were wracked with scenes of Marinette. In some, she cuddled close and whispered words of love. In others, she cried while she ran from him. Adrien woke up feeling drowsy, irritable, and desperate to see Marinette.

******************************************************

When Adrien followed Nino into the dining room, sporting his glasses and a loose sweater, his eyes immediately zeroed in on his ‘girlfriend.’ He found his feet stumbling to get to Marinette as fast as he could without being too obvious about it. Adrien ignored the food line to sit as close to Marinette as he could get, and she leaned against him without ever opening her eyes.

“Morning, beauty.” He murmured to her as he wrapped an arm around her waist in support. Marinette gave a dreamy smile and her face flushed a bit, but her eyes remained closed. When Adrien glanced back, Nino scratched his head by the door before sighing and getting into line for food. Adrien’s eyes followed him before they refocused on Alya sitting in front of them.

“Good morning my prince.” Marinette murmured back, ending in a soft giggle. Adrien’s face flushed as Alya’s mouth opened and oatmeal dramatically dripped out. Adrien cringed a bit at the disgusting sight before Alya realized what she’d done. Cursing, Alya scrambled for a napkin to clean up with before casting a scandalized look at the sickly sweet couple in front of her.

Marinette’s eyes stubbornly remained closed, but her nose scrunched up adorably and Adrien was happy to focus on her. He’d be happy to look at anyone besides Alya in that moment. Adrien happily kept his attention on Marinette’s adorable face during Alya’s ranting about ‘TPO’ and ‘Disgusting Nicknames’ and ‘Taking things too far’. Adrien was content to let her rant and tune her out, studying the way Marinette’s eyelashes fell, and the furrow between her eyebrows. He ignored the voice telling him to kiss the furrow away. He wasn’t sure she’d give him permission, and he didn’t want to wake her from her doze.

Adrien glanced at Marinette’s food and noticed with an amused smile that she’d avoided croissants today. Yesterday they both found them subpar when compared to the ones Marinette usually brought to class. Instead, Marinette had chosen some muffins and fruits. With a happy hum, Adrien reached for a piece of passionfruit, popping it into his mouth before offering a piece of melon to Marinette with an inquiring hum.

Marinette opened her mouth wordlessly and Adrien fed her, both ignoring Alya’s indignant gasp and continued tirade. Even while being fed, Marinette kept her eyes closed, and Adrien carefully ignored the tight squeezing inside his chest at how much she trusted him.

When they finished the fruit together, Adrien reached for the muffin and split it in half before humming at Marinette. Without looking, Marinette crinkled her nose in consideration before sighing and opening her mouth again. Adrien ignored the part of his brain that was squealing about how endearing she was and placed a small bite in her mouth before popping a larger bite into his own.

In sync, they both made dissatisfied faces as they chewed and swallowed. Alya stopped ranting in surprise at their joint response. Adrien and Marinette silently sat still for a minute and Alya stared as they made identical considering faces before reaching for Marinette’s orange juice. Nino joined them and set his plate down as Adrien and Marinette’s hands bumped into each other.

To everyone’s surprise, Adrien wrapped his hand around Marinette’s. Adrien warred with himself for a moment before squeezing her hand. He removed the arm he’d kept around her, and moved her hand into that one, and picked up the juice with his other. Adrien offered the juice to Marinette first, and she took a large sip, sighing in relief at removing the taste. Adrien smiled at her indulgently before finally taking a sip of orange juice for himself. He never let go of her hand, and they settled together like that for a minute before Adrien sighed.

Alya and Nino, Adrien noticed, were trying to have a silent screaming match. Adrien raised his eyebrows at them, but they were too focused on each other so he browsed the plate in hopes of a new option presenting itself. Seeing no other option than the muffins, Adrien finally gave up and nudged Marinette gently.

“Mmmmph!” Marinette grumbled. Adried cooed to himself at her disgruntled face, but they were out of food again, so he really needed to get up and see what else was on offer. As Adrien slowly leaned away and let go of Marinette’s hand, she grasped at his hand fiercely with her own, and her body followed his, determined to stay in contact.

Adrien found himself chuckling. “Silly. We’re out of food, unless you want to eat that muffin.” Marinette’s emphatic head shake settled that idea. “See? I have to get some food, sweetie. Let me up?” Marinette’s face turned considering before she frowned at him with her eyes still determinedly closed.

“No.” She declared. “Want you more.” Marinette pulled Adrien back to her with a firm grip and he bonelessly allowed it. Adrien could feel his face burning, and as he gaped down at himself, he saw the backs of his hands turning red from embarrassment. Marinette snuggled under his chin and wrapped an arm around his waist. Adrien heard a faint snicker.

Looking up, he met Alya’s gleeful stare. He also met the wrong side of a camera once more. Adrien glanced between Alya’s phone and Nino’s snickering face before dramatically groaning as he wrapped his arms around Marinette and buried his face in her hair. “Oh, light of my life, gorgeous beauty of mine, you can’t just say those things!” His voice was muffled by her hair, but still clear enough to be heard. Adrien purposely ignored the sound of choked coughing and laughter to take in Marinette’s natural sweet scent. The smell around the nape of her neck was particularly enticing, and his eyes slowly closed as he inhaled.

Adrien and Marinette stayed cuddled together until Adrien heard people beginning to clean up and leave. Glancing up from where he’d been content to snuggle his face into Marinette’s fragrant hair, he noticed everyone else was dressed to go skiing once more. Nino caught his eye and suggestively raised his brows at Marinette softly snoring away in his arms.

Adrien frowned. “Are you guys skiing again today?” He asked in a low voice. Marinette’s soft snuffles stuttered for a moment and Adrien held his breath until her breathing evened out again. Nino nodded at him wordlessly. Together, Nino and Alya stood and cleared their plates. Adrien drowsily nodded in thanks when they took Marinette’s tray with them.

“See you at lunch dude!” Nino whispered as he passed him. Alya gave him an excited thumbs up and pointed silently at the free chair in front of the fire place. Adrien freed one hand to wave at all his classmates as they left for the slopes one last time. Even Ms. Bustier just raised her eyebrows for a moment before nodding and leaving the two students to their own devices, pulling Lila along with her as she headed outside.

With everyone gone, and the dining room mostly cleared, Adrien gently reached for Marinette and picked her up carefully. When she groaned indignantly at him, he had to strongly resist squeezing her as tightly as he could. She would squeak and wake up, and he didn’t want her to get embarrassed. Marinette, Adrien decided, was too adorable to be left on her own. Adrien gently shuffled them to the large reclining chair, and settled in with her laid across his lap once more.

As Adrien felt his eyelids growing heavy once more, he warily watched one of the hotel staff approach with a blanket. Giving the tittering woman a warm smile, he allowed her to wrap them in a blanket and tucked Marinette more firmly under his chin as he pulled her close and drifted off to sleep.

****************************************************************

Adrien woke to someone squirming on his lap. He frowned as he realized it felt a little too good, but remained distracted by the scent that told him he was home. At a feminine gasp, he jolted awake, realizing his body had enjoyed the cuddling a bit too much. His eyes popped open and stared down into Marinette’s paralyzed eyes, both equally frozen at the new situation.

““Sorry!”” They gasped.

““It’s not your fault!”” They rushed to assure.

They both blinked for a moment before trying one last time. ““It’s totally okay!””

With a mutual sigh, they both closed their eyes and slumped against each other. Now quiet, they could hear muffled laughter from several people. Adrien and Marinette looked around to find several staff members covering their mouths as they laughed at them. In unison, their faces burned hot with blushes, only making the laughter worse.

Adrien recognized the lady that covered them earlier walking forward before leaning down to speak softly. The grin never left her face. “Sorry. We were going to wake you so you could finish packing and get first choice of lunch. We noticed neither of you ate much at breakfast. You’re such an adorable couple, choosing cuddles over food!” Her mirthful voice took any sting out of the teasing words.

“Uuummm” Adrien spoke, unsure of what to say. Marinette turned to face the lady better, once more grinding down on his lap and leaving him breathless. Adrien bit his lip and tried to ignore the pleasant heat and weight resettling across his lap. He focused as much as he could on memorizing the nape of her neck, finding the hairline surprisingly familiar.

“Thank you!” Marinette sweetly replied. “We really appreciate everyone’s help during this trip. It’s turned into one of the best vacations of my life, and it’s all thanks to your help.” Marinette’s eyes turned to encompass the entire staff nearby. Adrien forgot to engage his self-control, and found himself grumbling as he squeezed her tightly to his chest.

“Gosh, you’re too cute,” Adrien harshly whispered into her hair while the staff cooed over the sweet couple once more. It was taking all his self-control to keep from peppering her head with kisses, an urge he had been unfamiliar with prior to this trip. Unfortunately, due to prolonged exposure to Marinette, he was growing increasingly accustomed to this warmth in his soul provoking it. It seemed like everything Marinette did lately made him want to wrap her in blankets and fuss over her.

“A-a-a-a-AD-DRIEN!” Marinette squealed. Adrien immediately loosened his hold and opened eyes he hadn’t realized he’d closed. To his amusement, her neck and ears were cherry red. Adrien sighed in contentment as he realized he’d already fallen over the edge into love with this adorable creature. He allowed his head to drop forward in defeat as he fought to not kiss the nape of her neck. He didn’t have permission to do that. Yet.

Marinette shyly scooted forward until she could stand, still wrapped in the blanket. Adrien felt all the warmth and coziness leave with her, and he stared forlornly up at the loveable goddess of sweetness, greater than any pastry her family could offer, above him. He noticed with fascination that her face was red, her eyes were a little glossy with embarrassed tears, and she was shyly covering her mouth as she peeped down at him. Despite his desires, he shivered and held himself still to keep from pulling her back down onto his lap.

Marinette blinked at him and immediately moved to cover him with the blanket. Adrien was wrapped in her scent and warmth once more, but now it lacked the warm core that had made it so satisfying and enticing before. Adrien felt his lower lip sticking out as he involuntarily pouted up at her. He beseechingly opened his arms to her. “No cuddles from the reason for my existence?” He softly asked.

Marinette ‘meeped’ at him as she covered her mouth and wobbled on her feet. For a moment, it looked as though her legs were going to throw the rest of her body back onto him and he gleefully braced for an armful of gorgeous goddess, but she held herself back. With a flustered smile, Marinette berated him. “Adrien! We can’t! They were so kind to wake us, we really have to get ready to leave.” Adrien let his arms drop, but couldn’t will away the pout.

In response, Adrien tucked the blanket around himself more snuggly and pouted up at her with his arms crossed under the blanket. He knew he must appear silly, wrapped in a blanket up to his neck with a flushed face and mussed hair, let alone what his glasses must look like laying crookedly across his nose. But to his delight, he saw Marinette cooing at him and leaning forward despite her words. As his eyes brightened and he began to hope she’d fall back into his arms, Marinette caught herself.

To his shock, Marinette smacked her cheeks and stood up straight once more. Then sent a reprimanding glare down at him. “Your cuteness is not going to change my mind, you beautiful disaster!” Marinette declared firmly, pointing an accusing finger at him. Adrien absently found himself laughing at being called a disaster. She had no idea…. Her finger was so close, if he leaned forward just a bit, he could….

“ADRIEN!” Marinette’s scandalized voice made him jolt. Adrien sent pleading green eyes up at her as he gently kissed her finger once more. Marinette drew her hand to her bosom so quickly, Adrien could feel the displacement in the air. Adrien watched as she thoughtlessly brought the same finger he’d kissed to her lips, slightly bereft at the loss. Adrien licked his lips, wishing he’d savored the taste of her soft skin.

With lidded eyes, he watched as she kissed the same spot while holding his gaze, and felt a fire ignite in his stomach. To both of their shock, squeals and titters broke out around them. Adrien felt mortification settle into his bones when he looked around to see the staff he’d forgotten about. The ladies and gentlemen were gossiping among themselves, some looking at their phones where he was sure they’d been caught on camera.

Suddenly fully awake, Adrien jolted up and forward as he stood, almost accidently wrapping Marinette in his arms again, but she side-stepped him without hesitation. “Thanks!” Adrien squeaked at the lady that woke them. While Marinette buried her face in her hands and hunched over, he frantically battled with the blanket they’d used and offered it back to her, sloppily folded. “Thanks so much!” Adrien ignored the heat radiating from his face, as he grabbed Marinette’s hand and started towards their rooms.

The two teens kept their heads lowered in embarrassment as they walked down the hall, silently clinging to each other’s hand. When Adrien reached his room, he almost forgot to let go of Marinette and dragged her to the threshold before her gasp made him realize. Letting go of her as though his hand was on fire, he swung back to her. “Sorry!”

They stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally Marinette took charge. “It’s okay!” She smiled at him, cheeks flushed, but eyes bright. “I’m gonna go pack! Meet you outside the dining room for lunch?” She offered, as she reached to wrap her arms around herself.

Adrien found himself oddly jealous of Marinette’s arms, and blinked at her silently for a minute. As soon as her smile began to falter, he rushed to reassure her. “Yes! Definitely! See you! Then!” Marinette’s smile was stiff, but it was still there. Adrien watched her walk down the hall until she waved at him and entered her own room. With a sigh, he finally shut his own door before turning and sliding down with a groan.

“Ohhhhhh, no. I love her. How can she be so… so adorable!?” Adrien groaned to himself. Plagg flew out of his pocket with a laugh. As Plagg zoomed away to snag a piece of cheese for himself, Adrien heard him cackling. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Plagg. Make fun of the hopeless romantic over here.” Adrien let his head fall back and hit the door, closing his eyes and replaying the scene in the foyer.

Plagg returned with a slice of camembert, stinking up the area, but Adrien was too depressed to care. “What’s wrong with being in love with Bakery girl?” Plagg asked innocently. Plagg nibbled along the edges of the wedge of cheese while he waited for his holder to respond.

Adrien stared at him, utterly drained. “Besides my previous declarations that Ladybug was the only girl for me? And besides the fact that she’s utterly out of my league, even more than Ladybug is?” Adrien asked Plagg. Plagg shrugged and tossed the cheese into the air before swallowing it whole. Adrien’s nose wrinkled at the sight, before he chuckled as Plagg’s body took a distinctively wedge-like shape.

“She’s amazing, Plagg. She doesn’t need a mask to do what’s right. She’s like this beacon of happiness I want to hoard. She’s so sweet, her family’s bakery treats are tasteless in comparison. She’s so kind boys actually enjoy getting rejected by her. Who does that? What can *I* offer her?” Adrien frowned down at himself. “I’m some bland model, hired only because of nepotism, I don’t even know what I want to do with my life, and she’s got hers all mapped out. I can’t even confront people without having panic attacks during, if not after.” Adrien’s head drooped. “She’s utterly amazing, Plagg, and I’m just… me.”

Plagg scoffed and flew down so Adrien could see him. “Oh please. Out of everyone in Paris, you were specially chosen to be my holder. You’re famous, you’re pretty, and you’re smart. What she lacks, you make up for, and what you lack, she provides. That’s how the best relationships work, kid.” Plagg groaned at Adrien’s shy smile. Adrien felt warm deep inside at Plagg’s kind words.

“Really?” Adrien asked. Plagg wobbled around for a moment in indecision.

“I’m not cut out for this sappy stuff, that’s Sweettooth’s shtick. Yes, Adrien, you’re just as special. You are two different people. You have your own strengths and if she’s as smart as you say, she’ll think you’re as amazing as you think she is.” Adrien flushed in pleased surprise. Plagg rarely offered compliments, let alone reassurance.

Plagg rolled around in the air. “Now come on, before your roommates come back. Get packed up and go meet your Bakery girl. Woo her!” Adrien stood, newly determined.

He may have only just realized he loved her, but he could feel in his bones. This was a relationship he was willing to fight to have. Marinette was someone he could have a real future with. Like Nino said, he just needed to convince Marinette to make things official. He already had a leg up over the competition. He could convince her he was boyfriend material. He could definitely do that.

********************************************************

He couldn’t do it. Marinette greeted him outside the dining room with a sweet smile and flushed cheeks. Her bluebell eyes reminded him of starlight coming out during the day, the rarest of the rare pearls. As she tilted her head and her eyes almost closed with the force of her smile, Adrien felt his heartbeat burst into erratic rhythm. Adrien clutched his hand close to his heart, trying to keep it from bursting out of his chest at the incredible beauty he was attempting to woo.

Adrien silently reached forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug as she squeaked at him once more. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he groaned softly. Marinette left him breathless, speechless, and utterly enthralled. What could he say that would convince the adorable monster in his arms to give him a real chance?

Adrien jolted when he felt Alya smack him on the back, shocking him into leaning away from his adorable ‘girlfriend’. “Alright you lovebirds, break it up! After lunch we’re heading back to Paris, so calm down! Honeymoon’s over!” Alya sounded exasperated. Adrien reluctantly released Marinette, amused to see the sweet girl glaring at her best friend.

“Alya!” Marinette hissed. She absentmindedly grabbed Adrien’s hand and led him inside, still glaring daggers at her best friend. They were one of the first groups to get to lunch, so they got in line together. Marinette and Adrien silently fought over the meals, giggling and moving things from one tray to the other, and sometimes just putting foods that were obviously gross on the other’s tray. Adrien felt breathless with happiness. Even picking out meals with her made him so happy he couldn’t stop grinning.

Alya groaned at them before skipping ahead, letting them giggle and fight over the food until they settled on their meals. When they checked out, the staff member gave them a wink and only took one meal ticket, shooing them away when they offered the other. “You’ll be back, I’m sure.” He gently reminded them.

With guilty smiles, they thanked him together before finding Alya at the same table they’d used this morning. As Adrien sat in front of Alya, Marinette sat and scooted her food and her bottom as close to him as she could get. Adrien flushed as he blatantly wrapped an arm around her waist, noticing the flush grow on her face as he placed his hand tentatively against her soft hip. The warmth radiating from his side was enough to take his breath away.

“That okay?” He murmured quietly. Marinette wordlessly nodded, and he nodded back before turning to their food. It was always fascinating eating with Marinette. Anything he picked out of his food, she would eat, and anything she offered him, he loved. Their tastes were opposite, but surprisingly complimentary.

Alya groaned at them. “Do I really have to see this while I’m eating? You’re gonna give the cafeteria indigestion!” Alya pouted. Marinette straightened in her seat and fixed Alya with a pointed look. Adrien carefully ignored the feeling of muscles shifting under his hand, and took deep breaths to avoid any problems that might arise.

“At least we aren’t making out in front of someone while they’re eating.” Marinette’s nose wrinkled and Alya flushed guiltily. Adrien looked between the two girls, amused. Apparently Nino and Alya had been up to some ‘things’ when he wasn’t around. Alya silently looked down and moved things around aimlessly on her plate while Marinette smugly stared her down.

As though summoned by Adrien’s thoughts, Nino’s plate hit the table with more force than necessary. “We said we were sorry, Nette.” Nino sat down with a wince, and Adrien frowned in concern. Nino was pale and moving carefully.

“You okay, Nino?” Adrien asked. Nino waved him off as Alya sympathetically rubbed the shoulder closest to her.

“It turns out skiing three days in a row is kind of exhausting. And I still have to pack.” Nino supplied with a groan. “I should have stayed inside like you two today.” Alya nodded her head in agreement.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the entire bus is gonna be sleeping on the way home. What about you two? Gonna nap the whole time again?” Alya asked with suggestive eyebrow wiggling.

Marinette shifted against him uncomfortably. “Actually, I slept all morning, and now I feel wide awake.” Marinette replied with a frown. Adrien nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling awkward at the idea of being the only two awake on a bus for several hours.

“That’s not good.” Alya frowned at them. “I’m telling you now, you two are sitting together again. No one is gonna want to sit next to you if you’re going to stay awake the whole time. And especially not if you’re just gonna make moon eyes at each other the whole ride. Maybe you can play a game?” Alya looked around and waved at Max. “Hey Max! C’mere!”

Max obligingly wandered over after setting his tray next to Kim. “What can I do for you, Alya?” He asked politely. Max stood straight and formal, adjusting his glasses absentmindedly. Adrien found it somewhat comical when combined with the ski suit he wore.

Alya smiled at Max. “Actually, these two slept all morning and are probably going to be awake the whole ride home.” Max sent a disgruntled look at the couple, who blinked in shock. Apparently skiing was really exhausting for everyone. It seemed like the entire class was quiet, many appearing grumpy and moving carefully. “Don’t you have any games they could play to keep them quiet?”

Max hummed to himself for a moment. “Well, I don’t have very many games, but I do have that ‘Guess Who’ game that the art club revamped to match our class and famous Parisians. Would that do? All my other games have dice, and that’s too loud.”

Alya brightened and pointed at him. “You’re a genius! That’d be great, thanks Max!” Max nodded back, pleased to be of help. With a parting smile, he returned to his seat.

Alya turned to Adrien and Marinette with a victorious smile. “There we go! Now you’re set!” Adrien frowned at her. Alya ignored the looks on their faces as she dug into her grilled panini.

“Why can’t we just chat and cuddle the whole time?” Marinette flushed and looked away from Adrien, so she didn’t see the immediate interest on her face at the idea. Adrien would be more than happy to spend the time cuddled up talking. He could do that forever.

Alya sent a mock disgusted look towards Adrien. “You two coo and squeal at each other so much it’s almost sickening. That one,” Alya pointed at Marinette. “Is far too likely to squeal and wake everyone if you two are just talking. And you, Mr. Sunshine,” Alya pointed at Adrien. “Are devious enough to mess around and see how much you can make her squeal. With a game, you two can talk a little, but it’ll keep you from talking too much. Just to be safe, we’ll sit away from you anyway.”

Alya nodded her head and returned her attention to her food. Adrien considered pointing out the innuendo Alya had left, but decided it would be too ‘Chat’ty. Adrien glanced at Marinette who shrugged back at him with her eyes lowered. Together they returned to eating their food, exchanging bites and switching food items.

**********************************************************

When the class loaded themselves on the bus, it seemed like Alya had already convinced everyone else. With Lila still forced to stay next to Ms. Bustier, the entire class crowded in the front of the bus, while anyone that had a blanket immediately cuddled up to their seat mates and settled in for naps.

When Marinette tried to sit directly behind Alya, she was shocked to have Alya literally hiss at her and point four seats behind everyone else, in the last row of the bus. Marinette walked to the seat like a zombie, obviously in shock. Adrien scowled at Alya, aware that she might have hurt the mother of his future children’s feelings.

Alya gave an apologetic shrug before sending a text and snuggling in with Nino. As Adrien scooted in next to Marinette, she was smiling down at her phone. He noticed the text was from Alya, and he nodded in satisfaction. As Adrien glanced around, he noticed Chloe sitting in the very front, across from Lila and Ms. Bustier.

“How in the world did she convince Chloe to sit so far away?” He whispered in disbelief. Marinette looked at him, then around the bus. He was amused to see the shock spread across her face. Marinette turned to him and stared deeply into his eyes. He absently banged on his chest to stop his heart from malfunctioning again.

Marinette leaned forward as though imparting a national secret, or, his besotted brain supplied, leaning in for a kiss, and he leaned towards her reflexively. “Witchcraft.” Marinette stated, sounding absolutely certain. Adrien froze, not expecting that answer. “It has to be. There’s no other explanation that makes sense.” Despite himself, Adrien snorted, before laughing aloud.

Marinette started laughing with him before they both stopped suddenly. There was a strong pressure coming from the front of the bus. Adrien and Marinette peeked over the seat in front of them to see several classmates crankily glaring back at them. As one, they grimaced and slowly slid down out of sight before looking at each other and chuckling.

Max stood and made his way to them, brandishing the game as though it were a weapon. “Here you are. Just keep it down, please. We’re all tired, and I need a nap.” Without waiting for a reply, as soon as Adrien took the game, Max stalked off to sit next to Kim again. Adrien shrugged at Marinette, and they shared a smile. Adrien absently noticed the bus beginning to move.

“Shall we play?” Marinette asked, looking excited. Adrien nodded and they turned to face each other, knees brushing before they rested comfortably against each other. Between them, they opened the game and admired the pictures the art club had drawn on the card deck.

“Oh!” Marinette let out a soft gasp. “Look on the back!” Adrien flipped the card he was admiring featuring his best friend over, to find a surprisingly sweet description of Nino on the back.

“Aspiring DJ and amazing best friend, Nino is a cool dude, through and through.” Adrien felt tears prick his eyes and he squeezed them shut as hard as he could. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Adrien finished softly.

Marinette reached forward and squeezed his hand sympathetically. “Yeah, Nino’s great. Do you wanna read yours?” She asked quietly. Adrien shook his head.

“I’m kind of scared to.” He replied honestly. Marinette looked at him in surprise before a kind smile spread across her face as she thoughtfully nodded.

“I know what you mean. Let’s just shuffle our decks and set up, shall we?” Marinette and Adrien admired the red and black layouts, giggling in secret irony as Marinette chose the black and Adrien chose the red. Grabbing the corresponding decks, they both shuffled their cards before flipping one over to start and setting it in the small slot that hid the description from their opponent.

Adrien felt his smile falter as he realized his person was Ladybug. With a tug in his heart, he realized he would probably always have a small part of him that loved her, but as he glanced up at Marinette, he felt warmth suffuse his heart and body. His Lady may be the woman he admired the most, his perfect partner in fighting evil, but Marinette gave him a warmth and happiness that he wanted to hold onto for the rest of his life.

Adrien watched as Marinette frowned down at her card. Her expression seemed a little complicated, and she glanced up at him. He gave her a smile, and she turned a little red as she mindlessly placed her card in the slot and shuffled her remaining cards again. With a timid smile back, she set her cards aside.

“Ready?” Marinette asked. Adrien nodded silently. “Okay! You can start, Adrien!” Marinette gave him a challenging smile.

“If you’re sure?” Adrien gave her the opportunity to back out. Marinette nodded encouragingly at him and he took her at her word. “Alright, is your person male, female, or nonbinary?” Marinette gave him a surprised look that melted quickly into a soft smile of approval.

“My person is male.” Marinette let him flip his people down before asking him. “Is your person blond?”

Adrien blinked at her in surprise. “Nope.” Marinette quickly knocked down a good third of her people. “Is your person blond?” Adrien asked curiously.

Marinette blinked up at him in surprise before she crinkled her nose in embarrassment. “Yes, my person is blond.” She sighed in defeat. Adrien felt his lips twitch as he knocked down all but five people. He blinked as he realized he was actually on the board twice, once as Adrien, and once as Chat Noir.

“Is your person male, female, or nonbinary?” Marinette smiled at him, unashamedly copying his question. Adrien’s eyes crinkled as he beamed down at her.

“My person is female.” Adrien answered. Marinette flipped down two thirds of her remaining people, and Adrien felt nerves creeping in. She was narrowing things down pretty quickly. He studied his people to see if he could find something to knock out the majority quickly.

“Is your person,” Adrien hesitated. “Is your person near your age?” Adrien noticed he and Chat Noir were the only ones near Marinette’s age still on his board, blonde, and male. Marinette stared at him for a moment.

“Yes.” She answered simply. Adrien hesitantly moved to knock down everyone else. He was her person. But which him? And why had she looked so strange when her card was revealed?

“Is your person your age?” Marinette asked. Adrien looked at Ladybug. He was pretty sure they were close in age, but did the public know that? He frowned and decided to assume they did.

“I think so.” He replied. Marinette knocked down several people, but she still had at least seven possibilities. Adrien took a breath. This would decide which him she was holding.

“Does your person wear a mask?” Adrien hesitantly asked. Marinette stared at him for a moment, then down to his board. Glancing back up at him with wide eyes, she silently shook her head no. Adrien reached down and slowly let Chat Noir fall.

“Me.” Adrien softly spoke. “You have me.” Marinette bit her lip before nodding.

The air between them felt charged, rife with some unspoken emotion. Marinette blindly reached down and picked up his drawing, offering it to him while still biting her lip.

Adrien glanced down, flattered to see the drawing was well done. As he gently grasped it, and turned it over slowly, he could see Marinette resetting her board out of his periphery vision. He read his description out loud, very softly.

“The Sunshine child of Ms. Bustier’s class. Popular with everyone, Adrien is someone everyone is better for knowing. Approach with caution, as he has a childhood dragon to defend him.” He snorted at the unsubtle reference to Chloe. He was so touched to be regarded as someone worth knowing, and there was no mention of his modeling or fencing. Somehow, that felt like a relief. They didn’t identify him based on the choices his father made for him.

Adrien looked back at Marinette, who was smiling softly at him, heart in her eyes. Feeling himself bolstered by her sweet smile and the kind description from his class, he reached forward and grasped Marinette’s hand with his free one. He had confessed to Ladybug. He could at least attempt to confess to Marinette.

“Marinette.” Marinette’s smile dropped off of her face and she stared up at him in surprise. “We’ve been dating these last couple days, and I know it was for the food.” Adrien glanced away, choosing not to mention how his goal had been the cuddles. He looked back to see her biting her lip as a blush gently covered her cheeks. “But would you consider dating me for just me?” Adrien was surprised at how softly his question came out. All the insecurities in the back of his head seemed to buzz as he waited for Marinette’s reply.

Marinette’s eyes were wide, and her mouth had dropped open. As she continued to remain frozen, the doubts began to overtake him, and he loosened his hold. As he started to remove his hand and frantically think of a way to make it less awkward, Marinette leaned forward and gripped his hand frantically. “Yes!” She choked out.

“Yes, I-!” Marinette cleared her throat. Adrien felt the voices in his head go silent, breathlessly waiting to hear what the holder of his heart had to say. He had hoped she would say yes, but he’d still been fairly convinced she was too good for him. “I’ve been love in with you years for!” Adrien blinked and parsed what she’d meant to say as she grimaced and very obviously wished something would swallow her whole. As she loosened her grip, he flipped his hand to lace his fingers with hers gently.

Adrien felt a grin stretching across his face without permission. “You’ve been in love with me for years?” Adrien parroted, half disbelieving and half smug. Marinette nodded quietly, closing her eyes in embarrassment. Adrien felt a purr trying to escape and quickly cleared his throat. “Really? Me?” He leaned down, as close as he could get so she would have to look at him if she opened her eyes.

Marinette opened her eyes and reared back, not expecting him. Her face turned cherry red as she hit her head on the window and winced. Adrien reached for her head with the hand still holding his card. Rubbing gently at her sore spot, he was surprised to hear a quiet reply. “Ever since you gave me your umbrella.”

“My umbrella?” Adrien asked. “That was years ago!” Marinette looked down, obviously embarrassed. “No, no! That’s adorable, Mari!” Marinette blinked up at him, gaping. “You’re adorable. I love it. I really like you, Mari.” Adrien smiled down at her.

To his surprise, Marinette’s face lost a bit of the redness and turned amused. “Should I be calling you ‘Femme’ then?” Adrien blinked and thought about what he’d said. Ah, ‘Mari’ meant husband, and ‘Femme’ was wife. Even as he felt his cheeks reddening further, he found he didn’t mind the idea. Marinette was the type of girl you wanted to marry, and he was already considering her as the mother of his future children.

“Well,” Adrien thoughtfully drawled. “I already know you’re gonna be a successful and famous designer when we grow up.” Marinette pinkened right back up, and meeped adorably. “I personally would be happy to be your trophy wife if you want me to.” He slyly smirked down at her. “But I’m not sure I’ll stay pretty enough for Paris’ future most renowned designer. What do you think? Will you still love me when I’m old and ugly?” He batted his eyelashes coyly, teasing, but with a small thread of tension underlying his words.

Marinette let out a cute strangled sound. Then her eyes blazed and he sat back to watch his goddess rise in fiery defense of himself. “You’re beautiful! You’re so pretty, you’ll never have to worry about that! Your soul makes you beautiful, not your face! You’ll always be gorgeous! Your babies are going to be just as adorable! Anyone would be lucky to have you as a wife!” Marinette stumbled to a halt. “But…is that what you want for yourself?”

Adrien found himself taken aback yet again by this amazing girl. “No one’s ever asked what I want to be before.” He blinked down at her, amazed anew. “I think that I’m not sure right now. But being a house spouse would probably be pretty amazing, if I’m yours. I know you need someone to take care of you when you get absorbed in something, or when you get too sleepy.” Adrien gazed down at her lovingly. “You’re so adorable, Mari. Call me Femme if you want to, as long as I can call you Mari now.”

Adrien laced the fingers of their other hands together, and Marinette was nearly knocked out from the pure sweetness Adrien radiated. Stuttering, Marinette shook her head with wide eyes. Adrien ignored the small part that was disappointed at her refusal. “Can I still call you Mari, though?” Adrien deployed his best kitten eyes.

Marinette stuttered before nodding, giving in to the inevitable. “Do you want to play another round?” She shyly asked. Adrien glanced between her and the discarded boards across their laps.

“Well, I’d rather keep teas-talking with you, but I don’t want to overwhelm you, so sure. Let’s keep playing.” One-handed, they clumsily set up their boards and randomly picked a new card from their decks, setting up and staring shyly at each other. With one set of hands still clasped, they started the game.

“Is your person male, female, or nonbinary?” Adrien started. Marinette blinked down at her own card in surprise, finally noticing who she had.

“Uh, female.” Marinette glanced up at him. Adrien knocked down his people awkwardly, picking a few people back up when he knocked over the wrong ones. With a soft giggle, she felt Adrien squeeze her hand to start her question. “Is your person male, female, or nonbinary?”

“Mine is female too.” He replied. Marinette adroitly hit each person that didn’t identify as ‘female’ on her board, impressing Adrien with her accuracy despite using her off hand. “Is your person black haired?” Adrien asked with a wink towards her hair.

Marinette’s face briefly shone with panic, before she sighed and replied. “Yes, she has black hair.” Adrien blinked, surprised his flirting actually worked out for the game. He was down to four girls surprisingly quickly.

“My turn.” Marinette’s face shown in determination, and Adrien felt a stirring of familiar challenge. “Is your person blond?” Adrien smiled down at her, impressed.

“Yeah, she’s blond.” Marinette wiggled in victory and Adrien mourned that he couldn’t see the full wiggle. Marinette was down to seven people, but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to care if he won or lost this game.

“Is your person our age?” Adrien asked. Marinette nodded, almost resigned to losing again. To her surprise, he only knocked down one person. He shrugged at her. “Your turn.”

Marinette smiled. “Is your person in our class?” She asked playfully. Adrien blinked and nodded, looking impressed. Marinette bounced in her seat briefly before settling down and knocking all but two people down. She looked so adorable when she was fired up and ready to kick butt. “Your turn, my Femme.” Marinette winked.

Adrien felt woozy, the blood rushing to his head surprising him. He hadn’t expected Marinette to flirt back so soon. “Is your person… an only child?” He asked. He was pretty sure Ladybug was an only child, but Juleka had an older brother, and Marinette was an only child as well. Marinette bit her lip, before nodding. Adrien put Juleka down and then thoughtfully stared at the two remaining people.

Marinette smiled and leaned forward. “Does your person have long or short hair?” Adrien found himself too distracted to answer. Marinette and Ladybug, if you took away the mask, they looked exactly the same. “Adrien?” He could barely hear Marinette’s question, focused on the impossible coincidence staring back at him from the board. “Adrien!?” Marinette squeezed his hand, and he jolted up.

“Sorry, what?” Adrien felt his pulse pounding in his ears, on the precipice of something he wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but feeling like it was too late to close his eyes now.

Marinette frowned at him in concern, glancing at the two remaining spaces on his board before looking back up at him. “Long or short hair?” Marinette asked. Her voice was quiet, and surprisingly worried for a game.

Adrien glanced down at his card, and easily answered, “Short hair.” He ignored Marinette knocking down the last block to her victory, still obsessed with what he might have accidentally realized.

“Adrien, do you have Rose?” Marinette whispered excitedly. Adrien nodded. He offered her Rose’s card without looking up, letting go of her hand so he could raise his board closer to his eyes. Adrien studied the pictures of Marinette and Ladybug closely. Pigtails, hair color, age, eye color, eye shape, bang shape, even their ears were in the same places.

Paling, Adrien slowly looked up at his girlfriend of less than twenty minutes. Adrien glanced at the inconspicuous earrings she wore. “My Lady?” Adrien softly questioned. Marinette dropped her board, letting it land in her lap as the deck fell to the floor. Marinette’s skin had never before gone so chalky white in his presence, he was certain.

“What did you…?” Marinette trailed off, fear and suspicion rising behind her eyes. Adrien studied her face, leaning forward and reaching a hand to gently trace where her mask would normally lay. Marinette gasped and leaned back.

Adrien panicked at the rejection. “I’m sorry!” He felt his mouth getting away from him, but kept enough presence of mind to make his voice as quiet as he could. “I didn’t mean to! But the boards, you looked just alike! And looking at you, you’re matching up and,” He brushed her hair away from her ears and caught a short glimpse of her earrings before she protectively clamped a hand over them. “You are. It wouldn’t have meant anything to you if you weren’t.” He breathed.

Marinette’s chest was moving as though she’d run a mile in the last minute, and she was staring up at him as though he were a ghost. Suddenly she broke their staring contest to grab his hand. Adrien fought the urge to flinch away and protect his miraculous, allowing his Lady access to the single possession he valued above all others. “Oh god.” He heard her whisper. “Mon minou.”

Her stricken eyes met his once more as she released his hand. With ill-concealed relief, he protectively cradled his hand to his chest as he matched her stare for stare. In sync once more, they almost breathed the words, so fearful of being overheard.

““You really are….””

There was a short silence before they both answered.

““Yeah/Yes.””

After a moment, a thought occurred to Adrien. “Does this mean you won’t marry me?” Marinette gaped at her kitten in absolute befuddlement. Adrien’s kitten eyes and dejected stance was projecting his fear clearly.

“What?” She gasped.

“Because! You’ve always told me no. Does this… change your mind?” Adrien asked timidly. Marinette’s face visibly warred between emotions, too fast for Adrien to read. He could feel the fear creeping up his spine. As the silence continued, he was certain she was going to reject him, and began sinking into himself.

His first real relationship was going to last less than a day, Adrien lamented in mingled shame and disappointment until she replied. “No, it doesn’t change my feelings.” Marinette’s voice was soft but firm.

Adrien blinked down at her, shocked out of his depressed thoughts. Marinette continued. “You’ve always been my best friend, even more than Alya. You just also happened to be the boy I’ve been in love with for the last couple of years.” A smile spread across her face. “It actually makes it so much better. I’ve always felt that if it weren’t for Adrien you, I would have fallen for Chat you. Now I get both, in a pretty, pretty package.”

Adrien flushed, flattered she still thought him pretty. “Really?” He needed to be sure.

“Really.” Marinette confirmed without hesitation. “Does it… change anything for you?” Adrien frowned at her, utterly perplexed. “I mean, I’m just Marinette. Outside the mask, I’m so ordinary. I don’t understand why you even asked me out, when you’ve always been in love with Ladybug.” Marinette frowned back at him.

“Well first of all, you’re NOT ordinary.” Adrien spoke in a no-nonsense tone. “Marinette you’re so far beyond me, even more than Ladybug was to Chat.” Marinette’s brows furrowed and he spoke over whatever nonsense she was about to spout. “Second of all, that’s my girlfriend you’re speaking badly about. I’ll have you know she’s the cutest, sweetest, kindest girl in my life, and I’d be utterly lost without her by my side.” Marinette’s entire face flushed, and her eyes became teary as she looked up at him.

“Do you mean it?” She whispered. Adrien let his forehead rest against hers, close enough to kiss, but not brave enough yet.

“Of course. I don’t see what you see in me, but trust me when I say you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met, Marinette. I knew I was falling in love with you before this, but now I know you’re going to be the one I’m loving for the rest of my life. I’m in it for the long haul, my beloved.” Adrien watched tears build up in his girlfriend’s eyes, and he gently leaned forward to kiss her tears away.

“I love you so much, you silly, handsome catboy of mine.” Marinette whispered, eyes closing, as she leaned upward for a kiss. Adrien licked the salty tears away, before leaning down to meet her halfway.

“I love you too, you amazing, smart, adorable Queen of mine.” Adrien whispered back, gently pressing his lips to hers before closing his eyes to enjoy it.

As Adrien and Marinette gently and quietly explored, they let the cards fall to the floor, destroying the game that could reveal them to anyone else.

OMAKE:

Curled together in Marinette’s purse, Plagg’s ears twitched before standing up straight. Plagg woke up and nudged Tikki. “Tikki.” Tikki groaned quietly in reply. “Listen. My boy figured it out first!” Tikki jolted up.

“No way. That’s impossible!” Tikkie hissed. Plagg smugly smirked at her.

“Not only did he figure it out, he’s steadily romancing your bug, Tik.” Plagg snickered and twirled in place, losing his form briefly from the elation.

“No! Marinette was so close though!” Tikki whispered, utterly horrified. She briefly left the purse to look at their humans. “Oh no!”

Plagg quietly cackled. “Oh yes!” Before Tikki’s eyes, Plagg grew a little more catlike, and his powers appeared to increase.

“I lost?!” Tikki clutched her head between her paws. “How did this happen?”

As though answering her question, Marinette’s deck of cards fell to the floor. Tikki looked at them and realized the answer.

“This game.” Tikki’s voice went deep and darker by at least an octave. “This game did it.”

Plagg grabbed Chat Noir’s card, and danced in place with it. “Yesssss!” He hissed victoriously. “For the first time in over 25 pairings my kitten realized it first!”

Tikki sizzled with power, her ire taking visible form as pink lightning danced across her body. “It’s because of this game!!”

Plagg sighed sappily and smiled at the card of Chat Noir. “I love this kid. I owe him. So much. This is amazing! Maybe I can eat cream now! Cream, Tikki!”

Tikki’s voice lowered further, and as she exclaimed, lightning struck the cards, reducing them to ash. “THIS GAME COST ME CINNAMON!!”

Plagg yelped as the card in his paws turned to ash. “Hey! I liked that card!” He turned to Tikki, who was still sizzling. Confronted with her glowing pink eyes, he backtracked immediately. “Uh, actually, I didn’t like it that much. Never mind!”

Tikki zoomed through the floorboards, silently destroying each piece of the game she found, while remaining unseen by the preoccupied humans. Plagg sighed and settled back into his warm spot in the purse. “Geez, who’d have thought the Goddess of Creation would be such a sore loser?” Plagg preened and admired his new features. He couldn’t wait to taste something besides cheese again.