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Marinette glanced at Adrien and caught him staring at her for what felt like the millionth time. And he’d only arrived at her house twenty minutes ago.
“Hey,” Alya whispered, pulling her friend aside. “What’s up with you?”
Marinette frowned. “Nothing.”
“You and Adrien have been on opposite sides of the room but haven’t taken your eyes off of each other all night. I feel like I missed something.”
“That’s an overstatement,” Marinette said. “We don’t have to be on top of each other all night, if that’s what you’re suggesting. It’s not like he’s my date.”
The brunette shrugged. “Just sayin’. Something’s definitely changed.”
Yeah. She could say that.
Truthfully, Marinette didn’t know what was going on. During an akuma battle the night prior, she’d gotten horribly injured. It ended up damaging her even through the protection of her suit, leaving her in a heap of her civilian self. Adrien, or rather, Chat Noir, had been able to shield her from everyone's view, but she would never forget the look on his face as their eyes met.
“Marinette?” he had gasped, and then impulsively added, “it-it’s me. Adrien. I can’t believe-” The villain caused an explosion nearby, and with one last look, he was gone to fight it off. He came shortly after only to retrieve her earrings and put them on. He ended up capturing the akuma and saving the day, but Marinette had fled before he could return.
And now, they were going to prom together.
Nino and Alya insisted on taking photos together, and even went as far as to force Marinette and Adrien to take couple photos. She could fear his racing heartbeat as they took their pictures--one with her hand on his chest, one with his chest touching her back and his arms wrapped around her.
As their friends gushed over the photos, Adrien bent down and whispered, “Sorry, I’m usually not this nervous.” He carefully placed her earrings in her hand.
Marinette smiled shakily. “I know, Chaton.”
;;;
The prom was held in a large venue, and since they had arrived late, there were already couples dancing. Alya dragged Nino to dance immediately, and Marinette was suddenly grateful that Adrien was an attention-magnet.
About twelve employees swarmed him, all whipping out their cell phones and begging for photos. Marinette was able to step away into the bathroom hallway. The sound of toilets flushing drained out any thoughts she could have about her situation.
Tikki sat still in her purse.
“It’s so awkward,” Marinette said. “Like, what happens now? Should I confess my love? Am I supposed to keep things professional?” She threw her head back against the wall. “Ugh!”
It was times like these when she wished she wasn’t the Guardian as well as Ladybug. Surely if Master Fu were still around, he would’ve taken both of their miraculouses, right? But what was she supposed to do? Take away her own miraculous and betray Chat Noir? Let Hawkmoth win just so she wouldn’t have to deal with a little tension? Of course not.
“You know, my mother used to say that if you think too hard, your brain will explode.” Adrien walked over to Marinette, a smile on his face. His voice didn’t even startle her. How could it? He was her partner, after all.
“Yeah, I definitely feel like my brain is about to explode,” she admitted, glancing at him. His green eyes were trained on hers. “How’d you get rid of the fan mob?”
“Told them I had to pee,” he shrugged. “Then I ran.”
She laughed. “Original.”
They stood in silence for a few moments before he said, “you know, I never thought I’d regret telling you how I felt. At least, not until I saw the look on your face when I told you who I am.”
She didn’t respond.
“I...I get it,” he continued. “We’re friends. As much as we’re superhero partners, and ying-yang or whatever, we’re friends in this life. And if you feel uncomfortable, I’ll give up my miraculous. You have every right to take it.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Marinette didn’t look at him. “I’d rather die than have another partner. You know that.”
She wished she could be as open about her feelings as he was. She wanted to tell the world that she loved him, she wanted to yell it in Hawkmoth’s face, she wanted to bring Adrien home to her parents.
“So,” he said, “are we just going to be awkward forever?”
She laughed. “I hope not. I’m just not sure who I should be.”
Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
Marinette shrugged. “I mean, do I act like we’re Ladybug and Chat Noir, or do I continue to be a stuttering mess like I always am around Adrien? It’s confusing.”
“Don’t think about it. How do you want us to interact?”
Marinette stared at him. “I think...I want you to keep catching me when I fall as Marinette. I want to talk to you under the stars as Ladybug. I just want us to be normal.”
He nodded. “Okay. Normal’s good.”
For a moment, the Universe was on their side, because the song they had danced to at Chloe’s party began to play in the venue. The music was muffled because the two were in the hallway, but the familiarity was clear as day.
Adrien offered his hand. “May I have this dance, Buginette?”
She smiled at the new nickname. Maybe some things could change. She took his hand.
They sprinted to the dance floor, passing a lot of confused classmates and angry teenage girls.
This time, they didn’t need Alya to force them closer together. Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette’s waist and laid his head on her shoulder.
Alya eyed the couple from afar but didn’t approach them, which Marinette was grateful for.
“I’m sorry today has been so awkward,” she apologized.
“Don’t mention it, M-“ he paused, and she silently wondered if he was about to call her M’Lady or Marinette . Adrien cleared his throat. “I’m just glad we can be normal. I missed you.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. Because of their lack of distance, she could feel his heart racing against his chest. She’d felt this several times—especially when she and Chat Noir had hugged. It usually made her smile, but this time, it gave her courage.
“You know…” she said, “the guy I said I was in love with...it was actually you.”
He froze for a second in shock before resuming their dance. He pulled away from her but didn’t release her hands so they could keep dancing. With his eyes suddenly focused on her, it was a lot harder to be brave.
“What? But you said-“
“I had the biggest crush on Adrien.”
He blinked. “ Oh.”
Marinette looked away. “Yeah.”
He chuckled. “Well, I guess we were both pretty stupid, then.”
“Definitely.” She glanced at him and found him already staring at her. “Would it be weird if I told you I’m still in love with you?”
His eyes widened. “No. It would be extremely wonderful. Can we tell Alya and Nino? Look, there’s a reporter over there. We can announce it-“
Marinette laughed, “ Adrien ! Slow down, we haven’t even decided if we can be public.”
He frowned. “Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe we can just tell our close friends and family and make sure no one knows about Ladybug and Chat Noir? I can’t bear to keep this secret from Nino.”
She grinned. “Okay. What lie should we come up with?”
Adrien squeezed her hands. “That a certain young lady asked Mr. Handsome to dance and it turns out that he’s liked her— loved her—in fact, all along and just had to seize the moment and kiss her.”
Marinette made a face. “You’re so conceited.”
“It’s the model in me.” He leaned down, slowly enough for her to push her away, and then kissed her. When he pulled back, his hand was on her cheek and his heart was nearly beating out of his chest. “Do you think they bought it?”
Marinette looked around. They were in the corner of the venue, with only Nino and Alya and a few stragglers close enough to see them. It seemed as though only their friends were paying attention.
“I think we better try again,” she said.