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Marinette was stuck in an elevator with Adrien Agreste. If that wasn’t enough to make her freak out, and akuma was on the loose and she couldn’t get to it. She’d already texted Alya, but she had to call the kwamis to let them know the plan. When she tried to call them, however, Adrien saw something on the wall, and now he was too close and there was no way could get out of there soon.
What would she do? Reveal her identity? Then that would be another person who knew who she was, meaning another person that she’d have to tell Chat Noir about. She still hadn’t told him about Alya. But if it was the only way to defeat the akuma, then she had to. Hopefully, he’d understand.
She turned to Adrien and said, “I have to tell you something.” The two of them blinked at each other. Why had Adrien said the same thing? The boy glanced to the side, then left out a relieved breath.
“What were you going to tell me?” He asked.
She shook her head, relieved that whatever was on the wall was gone. “Nothing. How about you?”
He shook his head, “I was just wondering what that thing was on the wall.” They both nodded at each other awkwardly. Marinette wanted to break the silence, but she didn’t know how. After a long pause, Adrien sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. Was he...nervous? “Actually, Marinette, there’s something else.”
His green eyes pierced through hers, the intensity of his stare causing her heart to stutter and butterflies to erupt in her stomach. “What is it?” Marinette asked tentatively.
Adrien’s hand gingerly held hers, “I love you.” Marinette blinked. What? That was definitely something she didn’t expect. Hadn’t he said she was just a friend? When did that change? How did she not notice? Maybe he thought her silence was because she wanted him to continue, and he did. “I’ve actually liked you for a while, but I never really allowed myself to think about it. And now...I’m sure about my feelings. It’s ok if you don’t feel the same—“
She cut him off, a finger on his lips. Maybe he blushed or maybe it was the lighting in the elevator. “I love you, too.” He seemed really surprised at that, his eyes wide and eyebrows high on his forehead. “I know, I’ve denied it a lot, but I was panicking! I hadn’t been ready for you to know, and I guess now I am.”
She glanced away when Adrien smiled at her adoringly. He tenderly moved her finger away from his lips, a hand coming to rest at her cheek. “Marinette,” he said, so much emotion in his voice as he said her name, “can I kiss you?”
Her blue eyes snapped up to meet his green gaze. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stepped closer to him, or maybe he’d been the one to step closer to her. Was this really happening? Was she finally going to kiss the boy of her dreams? “Yes,” she whispered.
Adrien leaned in slowly, his eyes slipping shut only seconds before Marinette did the same. She felt his breath on her lips, so close yet so far, and then—
There was the blue light of a portal opening, causing Marinette to spring away from Adrien. The boy blinked in surprise, turning around to find Rena Rouge step through a portal. “Ladybug sent me here to get you guys to safety,” she told them quickly. And for once in her life, Marinette wasn’t grateful for Alya getting her out of a situation where she was alone with Adrien.
It was much later, after the akuma was defeated and everyone was going home, that Marinette found Adrien outside of the TV station. His eyes light up when he saw her, smiling as he waved her over. She smiled back, her mind thinking back to their almost kiss. When would she have a chance like that again?
“Hey,” he said, gently and playfully bumping shoulders with her.
“Hey,” she grinned up at him. “You know, since you’re here, we could walk home.” Her heart sped up in anticipation. Would he walk home with her this time, or would some other activity get in the way again? If they walked home together, would they hold hands? Would she even survive that?
Adrien broke her out her thoughts as his car pulled up, “I think I can this time.” He motioned to his driver to let him know. Marinette raised an eyebrow when the driver smiled knowingly. “I’ll walk you home,” he told her as the car drove away.
Well, that was unexpected. She really didn’t think that he’d be able to walk with her, but now that he was, she wasn’t sure what to say or do. Should she try to hold his hand? It was so close, brushing hers every now and then as they walked. She didn’t have to reach that much. But the way his body heat radiated off of him and the way his cologne wafted through the air made her a little dizzy. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea for her.
“So,” Adrien said, breaking the silence. At the same time, his hand gently held hers. Marinette happily intertwined their fingers as she felt a blush dust her cheeks. When she looked up at Adrien, his cheeks were slightly pink as well.
“So,” Marinette repeated. They were getting closer to her house, and she found herself wishing they had more time together. It was kind of ironic. Earlier that same day she hadn’t wanted to be in the same elevator was him with a bunch of other people, and now all she wanted was to spend more time with him.
“Earlier we, uh, almost kissed,” he said, cheeks a little more pink. “Would you be opposed to trying that again?” His eyes found hers, hopeful and vulnerable.
“I not would—er, I would not be opposed to that,” she stammered. They crossed the street, finding themselves in front of the bakery. He turned to face her once they’d safely crossed the street, taking both of her hands in his.
“Can I kiss you now?” He whispered.
She looked up at him, nodding, not trusting herself to speak. He let go of one of her hands as he leaned in, cupping her face instead. She sighed and leaned into his gentle touch. Her eyes slipped closed, then she felt his lips on hers, gentle, tender, and loving. She kissed him back just as lovingly, smiling against his lips when he smiled too.
When they pulled away, both of them were grinning and giggling like lovesick idiots. She gave him a quick peck goodbye, shocked by her own courage. The dopey smile he gave her in return was worth it. Once she was in her room, her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. She grabbed the nearest pillow and squealed into it. She’d just kissed Adrien Agreste, the boy she loved who loved her too. Nothing could possibly be better than that.