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“I’m sorry Marinette, I… I’m in love with someone else.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut. She froze, her breath stuck in her chest, her heart silent, as if her stillness could stop time.
“You’re a really good friend, and such a special person…”
She obviously didn’t stop time, because he was still talking, still speaking, though why was the question, because his first words said it all. The same words crashed over her, again and again, filling her lungs with water and blurring her eyes with tears. Everything was muffled, in slow motion, yet happening way too fast, her senses overwhelmed. She jolted as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“I value our friendship too much to…”
The platitudes made Marinette sick to her stomach, so sick, in fact, she felt she might vomit on Adrien’s stupid orange converse. She stumbled back, tripping over her feet, saying something, probably it’s okay, I didn’t mean it, I’m needed at the bakery, my hamster is sick, anything, anything, to get him to stop looking at her like she was the saddest thing he’d ever seen. She stumbled all the way back into Alya, who threw an arm around her middle, glared at Adrien, and walked her home.
****
It took a couple days, but as time went on, Marinette felt better and better about the situation. While the idea that Adrien was in love with a cooler, smarter, prettier girl was heart wrenching, the expulsion of her feelings for him was freeing. No more hiding how she felt, no more terrible lying, no more trying desperately to get his attention. No more wondering if he liked her hair up or down, her face with or without makeup, if he liked girls who played sports or girls who were on the debate team. She decided that starting Monday, she would be completely herself, Adrien be damned.
But Adrien was indeed damning, because every time she looked at him, he held so much sympathy in his gaze. Pure, unadulterated, endless pity. He thwarted her efforts to be normal from the very start, responding to her good morning with a soft, gentle, “Hey, Marinette.” It immediately put a damper on her mood, reminding her of exactly what had happened on Friday. Why couldn’t he just forget about it, like she was trying to?
He held the door open on her way out from class, giving her a sad smile, as if she was helpless. He offered to carry her books home from school, as if she was weak. He touched her arm lightly just to ask if she was doing okay, as if she was on the verge of breakdown. And yeah, maybe she was about to breakdown, but he didn’t have to be so damn patronizing about it. He offered up his pen when she signed up for debate team, and she took it, gritting her teeth against his fragile touch, as if she was an easily startled animal. Like a baby deer. She was not a baby deer, damn it. She was a ladybug.
She knew, on a conscious level, that he was trying to be kind and compassionate. He probably felt guilty about breaking her heart to smithereens, and was trying to mend it. But all it did was succeed in making Marinette feel even more pathetic.
Madam Bustier was a sadistic little angel, because she partnered them together for a presentation. Adrien’s soft “I’m glad we’re paired together, Marinette,” was like nails on a chalkboard. He sat beside her in a corner of the library, agreeing with every point she made, encouraging her a million times, telling her she was smart and creative when she clearly did not ask his opinion. Every time she asked what he wanted, he just went “Whatever you think is best, Marinette,” and dear god, she was going to lose it.
“How about you do the first part of the presentation, and I do the second?” asked Marinette, ignoring the eternally wounded look in his eyes.
Adrien considered for a moment, before gently covering her hand with his. “Are you sure you want to present in front of the class? I could do the whole thing myself, if you needed. I know you’ve been going through a tough time --”
“THAT’S IT!” Marinette slammed her hands on the table in front of them, standing up. “I CAN’T DO THIS.”
“Marinette, I know it’s hard, and I’m sorry -- “
“NO!” Marinette clapped her hand over his mouth. Adrien’s eyes widened, and she felt the stares of the rest of the library on them. She dropped her hand quickly and lowered her voice, leaning over the table at him.
“You listen here,” she said, almost threateningly. Adrien blinked. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to see it, or feel it, or THINK about it. I don’t want to see your big, sad, kitten eyes looking at me, or your sympathetic little smile. I don’t need your pity, or your help, and I don’t need you to walk on eggshells around me! You’re treating me like I’m going to shatter, and I will not, because I am MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG, and nothing can break me. Not even you, Adrien Agreste. So STOP treating me like a charity case and START being a normal friend. Understood?”
During Marinette’s rant, Adrien’s expression shifted from startled, to hurt, to confused, to slightly smiling by the end. He opened his mouth, but Marinette beat him to it.
“DON’T apologize Adrien, I swear to god if you apologize one more time I’ll knock your perfect, straight teeth in.”
Adrien put his hands up in surrender, a smirk playing at his lips. “I was just going to say you can take the first part of the presentation then. I hate introductions.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, somewhat deflated. She plopped back down in her seat. “Okay then.”
Adrien’s eyes were lit up with a new interest when she looked over at him again. “So,” he said slowly. “I have kitten eyes?”
“Yeah,” Marinette replied flatly. “They’re annoying.”
“Touche,” Adrien said with a smile.
***
“I never knew Marinette was so good at public speaking,” Adrien said in awe. “She always seemed so… shy.”
“Marinette’s always been that way,” Nino said, picking up a cupcake. “Confident, argumentative, bossy. She was just nervous around you.”
Adrien and Nino had just gone to see the debate tournament after school, since they heard Marinette was in it. Her eyes were blazing as she made point after point, destroying the competition with her passion and logic. She came at subjects from every angle, every perspective, amazing Adrien with how she navigated the conversation with deft and grace. Adrien whooped loudly when Marinette was crowned MVP of her team, his heart clenching as she waved out over the crowd with shining eyes. They made their way to the cafeteria afterwards, where refreshments and pastries were being served courtesy of the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
“Nervous around me?” Adrien looked at him disbelievingly. “Why?”
“Because of her crush, dude!” Nino said. “She had it bad. She could hardly get a word out.”
Really? She’d liked him that much? Adrien’s attention was caught by the subject of their conversation walking into the cafeteria. Marinette’s hair half-up in a small bun at the back of her head. She had changed from her debate uniform to black skinny jeans and a red sleeveless blouse. She looked so good, it was almost unfair. Except, it was fair, because her electric blue eyes settled on him, and she smiled, heading over to them.
“Hi Adrien, hi Nino!” Marinette said brightly, walking up to them. “How did you like the debate?”
“It was awesome!” Nino said.
“You were amazing, Marinette,” Adrien praised. “Congratulations on MVP.”
“Thank you!” Marinette said, grinning as she held up her medal. “I’m really surprised, I thought for sure Zoe would take it.”
“Yeah, she did super well too,” Nino commented. Adrien nodded along, but he knew Marinette was the real star. Everyone knew who watched her.
“She really helped me learn the rules of debate,” Marinette said, picking up a macaron. “I never knew it was so complicated.”
“Yeah, I was a little lost on the point system. Oh, Adrien,” Nino said suddenly, checking his watch. “We should go soon.”
“Nino and I are going to see the newest Detective Desjardins movie tonight,” Adrien told a confused Marinette. “My dad is actually letting me go for once, and Alya’s joining us when she’s done babysitting. You wanna come?”
Marinette made a face. “I don’t think so. I didn’t really like the first movie.”
“What?” said Adrien, shocked. “It’s one of my favourite movies! It won so many awards!”
“Yeah, the director is a genius,” Nino chimed in.
“Clearly not that much of a genius,” Marinette scoffed. “There were huge plot holes! Like, remember when the detective said he’d be transferring jobs after the case? Then they never brought it up again! What kind of a storyline is that?”
“Well, he fell in love,” said Adrien defensively. “He didn’t want to move away from Jennifer.”
“But they never explained that,” Marinette reminded him. “It just all worked out perfectly in the end. And don’t get me started on Jennifer.”
“I thought she was a fine character,” said Adrien, slightly affronted.
“Um, she barely spoke, barely had any personality, and just showed up to capture the criminal,” Marinette listed on her fingers. “She was just a hot girl. No character development, no backstory. It’s the same thing that happened when...”
Adrien struggled to keep up with Marinette’s description of the Bechdel Test, but his mind had a very hard time focusing. Her smooth hair was lightly brushing her shoulders, shifting like a waterfall as she moved. She had a furrow of concentration between her brows and a determined, fiery look in her eye, as if she could take on the world. Her bright blue eyes were closer than he’d ever seen them, staring straight into his. She was illuminating, invigorating, radiant. He’d never seen her open up this much with him.
“So, no, I don’t want to see a movie that not only lacks strong female characters, but can’t even get the plot right,” she finished.
She looked at him, expectantly. He was supposed to reply. Adrien’s brain short-circuited as he stared into her eyes. Nothing was responding. His face felt hot, his mouth dry. What should he say? Something witty, something funny. “Well we could, uh… see a different movie?” he suggested.
Nino turned to look at him, mouth agape. “Adrien,” he hissed. “We’ve been waiting to see this movie for weeks -- “ Adrien elbowed him in the ribs, cutting him off.
Marinette shrugged. “There’s actually this comedy I want to see, I think tonight’s the last showing.”
“Sounds perfect,” Adrien said loudly, over Nino’s protests.
She smiled at him. “Okay,” she said flippantly. “I have to help Maman and Papa pack up, but then I’ll be ready!” She gave them a little wave as she went over to where the Dupain-Chengs were serving hot chocolate.
Nino gaped at him “Dude,” he said, stunned. “What the hell was that?”
“What?” Adrien said, defensively.
“You totally sucked up to Marinette!”
“She made some good points,” Adrien replied, watching her chat animatedly with her parents.
“Close your mouth, you’re drooling,” Nino said dryly.
I’m not, Adrien thought, even as his eyes followed her out of the room. He wasn’t drooling over Marinette. She was just a friend.
***
Now that Marinette was able to talk to him, they became closer friends than ever before. She initiated conversations with him, asked him questions and helped him with homework. She smiled and looked him in the eye when she said good morning to him. She corrected his grammar, argued with him, and even teased him sometimes. It seemed like she had thrown off what had been weighing her down and let herself be completely, unapologetically, Marinette.
He saw her one day after school, waving goodbye to her friends from art class. She had been changing her looks recently, wearing more of her fashion creations to school and exploring different styles. Today she was wearing a long sleeve dark green shirt, a black skirt and lace-up boots. She shifted her bag on her shoulder, looking towards the bakery, obviously about to head home. An irrational fear gripped his heart, that she would leave without getting to say goodbye.
“Marinette!” he yelled. She turned around, smiling as she spotted him, and walked back up the steps to meet him.
“Hey Adrien! What’s up?”
What’s up? Oh, no, there was no answer to that question.
“I, uh… I wanted to know what you thought of the Physics quiz,” Adrien said, his face heating up at the lie.
“Oh!” Marinette said, surprised. “I thought it was good, but the last question caught me off guard.”
“Yeah, me too,” Adrien said, laughing awkwardly.
“Yeah,” Marinette said. “Well, I’d better go--”
“I’m much better at Chemistry, it makes much more sense,” Adrien added quickly, before she could turn away again.
“You think so?” Marinette said, flicking her bangs out of her eyes as she looked up at him.
“Well, yeah. They give you rules, and you follow them, and you can’t go wrong.” Adrien shrugged. “Seems pretty straightforward.”
“See, I’d actually say the opposite,” Marinette said thoughtfully. “Physics is usually something you can see. It’s a problem you can solve using logic and the tools given. It’s like a little puzzle, and cracking it is the best part.”
“Yeah, but they expect you to read between the lines, catch the tiniest hints,” Adrien said. “And there’s only so many problems where a ball gets thrown at a wall that I can take.”
Marinette laughed. “I guess so. I’ll have to get your help for the next chemistry quiz then.”
Warmth lit up Adrien’s heart. Yes yes yes. “I’d like that,” he said, grinning down at her. Her cheeks were slightly tinged with pink when she waved goodbye, which felt like victory to him. But he couldn’t analyze that feeling too closely. She was just a friend, he thought as he walked up to his car, and caught his own reflection smiling like an idiot.
***
After a few weeks of having Marinette as a normal friend, Adrien realized that arguing with her was the best way to get her attention. It didn’t matter what the subject was; books, movies, school, fashion -- a good argument would get Marinette to look at him and talk to him at least for a couple minutes. He knew it was a desperate ploy for her attention; he might as well have been pulling her pigtails on the playground. But he just couldn’t help himself; she was intoxicating, her little chin tilted up in a challenge, her eyes lit with a fire and determination as they gazed right back into his, the bright blue closer than ever before. It was like a game, and he was always winning.
Adrien jogged to catch up with Marinette, who had left school without saying goodbye to him. He could be a few minutes late for fencing. Some things were more important. Like this argument they were having, about the best way to eat croissants. No butter, she said adamantly. He did his best to represent his side, but she wasn’t having it, listing off all the reasons croissants should be bare, almost with ferocity. She shone like the sun, and he had to prevent himself from shielding his eyes when looking at her.
“Do you want to get ice cream with me?” Adrien asked, interrupting her.
Her jaw dropped slightly, spluttering as she lost her train of thought. “What?” she asked.
“I -- just -- I have fencing, but I can skip it, if you wanted to like, go to the park or something,” Adrien stuttered, not sure why he said anything in the first place. He hadn’t meant to say it, it just came out, somehow, when he looked into her eyes.
“Okay, that’s it.” Marinette stopped in her tracks, rounding on him. “What is going on with you?”
“What?” Adrien asked defensively.
“You do remember you rejected me, right? Now you’re following me and starting conversations with me? Now you want to go on a date?” Marinette asked indignantly, crossing her arms.
“I never said a date,” Adrien said, uncertainly.
“So you’re just stringing me along then! You just want me to keep having a crush on you,” Marinette accused. “I’m just getting over you and you’re trying to suck me back in?”
“What? No!” Adrien said, offended. “I was just trying to be a friend.”
“A friend? Sharing ice cream does not sound like a friend thing.” He could see the anger in her glare, but also the pain underneath as she stalked up to him. “You can’t reject me then start flirting with me, Agreste! Either you like me, or you don’t! Pick one!”
“You never gave me the chance to get to know you!” Adrien countered, getting worked up. “I had to decide everything in a split second, and I clearly didn’t have the full picture!”
“The full picture? You weren’t looking for the full picture! You’re in love with someone else!” she yelled, hurling the words at him like insults.
“You weren’t letting me see the real you!” Adrien shot back, stepping forward to meet her stance.
“Well, what is it then?” Marinette demanded, her angry eyes shining up at him beneath her dark lashes. “What do you see in me now that you didn’t then? What’s changed your mind?”
“Everything!” Adrien said, throwing his hands in the air. “Everything, Marinette! Can’t you see? You didn’t talk to me before! You giggled and stuttered and told me I was amazing. You didn’t argue with me, or look me in the eyes, or tease me or disagree with me. You didn’t tell me when I was being stupid, or arrogant, or naive. You treated me like some kind of deity. And now that I see the real you, it’s pretty annoying that you treated me that way!”
Marinette’s mouth opened, then closed. Her face was flushed, her eyes widened in surprise. Somehow, in his speech, they had come chest to chest, Adrien staring down at her with a ferocity he had never felt before. All the frustration he’s felt over the past few weeks, at her and at himself, had come boiling to the surface. They were almost nose to nose; a couple more inches and he could kiss her. He could feel his eyes drop to her lips as that thought consumed him. They were pinker than before, slightly wet, and releasing small panting breaths. She seemed to notice too, her breath catching as he stared down at her. He swayed forward, only a few inches away…
Marinette cleared her throat, glancing down. “Okay,” she said finally. “I guess that’s fair.”
“Good,” Adrien said, the fire fading from his voice and being replaced with an edge of desperation. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you please go on a date with me?”
“I --” Marinette took a deep breath. She looked up at him, determined, but he could see a layer of fear and vulnerability in her expression. “Yes. I’ll go out with you.”
Adrien let out a breath of relief. Finally. A date. He grinned down at her, his heart soaring as she smiled tentatively back up at him.
****
“You can’t tell me who she is.”
“No.”
“You asked me to be your girlfriend and you can’t tell me who the girl you were in love with is?”
They were outside the school, waiting for Adrien’s bodyguard, going over the same argument they’ve had ten times before. Adrien brushed a lock of hair that had escaped from Marinette’s braids away from her eyes.
“I told you, she never loved me, and I’m moving on. You’re a million times what she is, Marinette.”
“That may be so,” Marinette said, getting that look in her eye when she was going to win an argument. It made Adrien crazy. “But you’ve told me she still plays a big role in your life, and you will continue to see her on a regular basis. Normally, this would be fine, because I trust you. But you won’t tell me who it is, which makes it suspicious. Right?”
Adrien racked his brain, trying to figure out what he can say. But Marinette was on a roll.
“Perhaps she is someone very close to you? Perhaps it’s someone very close to me. Perhaps it’s a star crossed lovers scenario. But why would you hide her from me? Or them,” Marinette added hastily. “Don’t feel like you need to come out to me, but I would understand if it wasn’t a girl.”
“She’s a girl,” Adrien said automatically. “She’s just… a very private person.”
“So private that she can’t be perceived?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Adrien said, getting a little annoyed at the interrogation. “Look, I’ll talk to her next time I see her. I can’t promise anything, but I think I can talk some sense into her.”
“You better,” Marinette said, pouting slightly. Adrien leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, trying to soften the blow.
“I’ll see you tonight?” he asked softly.
“Yeah, I can’t wait,” said Marinette, smiling up at him. He grinned back, enjoying the happiness of her expression. How did he get so lucky?
****
Ladybug swung up on the rooftop behind Chat Noir. He was leaning on his staff, staring out at the Eiffel Tower, bathing in the light of the sunset. She took a second to admire him, his lazy stance, his tall, lean frame shadowing the sun. His ears looked softer than normal, and she itched to give them a scratch.
“Here, kitty kitty,” she called, her voice floating over the rooftops. He looked behind him and smiled when he spotted her, springing up to meet her on her higher ledge.
“My lady,” he said, landing gracefully. “Any cause for concern?”
“Nope! Another quiet night,” she replied, shielding her eyes to look up at him. “Which is good, cause I have plans tonight.”
“Special plans?” he teased. Ladybug just hummed in return, looking back at the red horizon. Chat Noir took a deep breath.
“I kind of have special plans too,” Chat said. His attempt at nonchalance was foiled by the nerves bleeding into his voice. Ladybug turned to him, surprised.
“With a special someone?” she asked, her voice light. Her stomach bottomed out; she never imagined Chat with a girlfriend.
“Yeah,” he said. “Very special.”
“Oh,” said Ladybug. She had no idea how to process this. Chat Noir has a girlfriend? “Well that’s… nice.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound too robotic.
“Yeah,” he said, still nervous. “Very nice. She was actually one of my good friends.”
He kept talking about his girlfriend, about this amazing girl he had asked out, who was now his girlfriend. Chat’s girlfriend. Huh. Chat having a crush on a girl. That was not something she had ever considered, unless it was herself. Did that sound selfish? That she couldn’t imagine him loving anyone but her? She was happy for him, of course she was. Was she?
“… she knew I was in love with someone, but I can’t tell her that the person is you, because -- ”
Ladybug hummed, her mind far, far away. What was Chat Noir like as a boyfriend? Probably super caring, sweet and thoughtful. The type to remember a month-aversary and bring flowers for your mom. Probably already planning their wedding. He’s a very sensitive boy; not a lot of people know that. She hopes this girl, whoever she is, is very careful with his heart. He’s too good, too pure to be loved by just anyone.
“... so, I think I just have to tell her. I’ll say that my civilian self knows you well. Is that okay with you?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” said Ladybug, snapping back to reality. She had completely missed the conversation. “Oh, sure, no problem.”
“Great,” Chat said, beaming, and Ladybug couldn’t help but smile back. His joy was so contagious, she could almost forget the weight that had settled in her heart.
****
“I just don’t get it. Vanilla hot chocolate. It’s an oxymoron. If I wanted hot chocolate, the last thing I want is vanilla in it. Then I’d just get hot vanilla. Y’know?”
Adrien was staring at his beautiful girlfriend, her eyes reflecting the fairy lights strung around them. It was the winter festival in Paris, and they were surrounded by blues, whites and shades of grey. The stars in the twilight sky twinkled down at them as they walked past the booths, sipping on their mugs. Light holiday melodies floated through the air, notes falling like snowflakes all around them. Marinette’s pink mittens cupped her hot chocolate close to her face, trying to warm her flushed cheeks.
“I thought you might appreciate a blend of flavours, as a baker’s daughter,” Adrien commented, swirling his own vanilla hot chocolate.
Marinette shook her head, her ponytail swinging behind her earmuffs. “I appreciate the purity of a flavour, y’know? The essence. And I can appreciate complimentary flavours. But shoving vanilla into a purely chocolate drink is blasphemy. I won’t stand for it,” she declared.
Adrien laughed. “Then I won’t offer you a sip,” he said teasingly, bumping her shoulder slightly.
They walked a little longer, waving at Andre, stopping to talk to Rose and Juleka. They found a bench next to the ice rink and sat, enjoying their warm drinks and watching the couples and families glide across the ice. Adrien put his arm around Marinette, his heart skipping a beat when she snuggled in. This was the time. He had to tell her.
“Marinette,” he started. She looked up at him, confused at the serious tone of his voice.
“Yes?” she asked.
“I, uh,” he scratched the back of his neck. “This is kind of embarrassing.”
Marinette sat up a little, so she could look him in the eye. She covered his hand with hers, giving him a little squeeze of reassurance.
“I talked to the girl I was in love with tonight. She said it was okay if I told you who she was.”
Marinette nodded, her blue eyes wide. He could see how she itched to know who it was, but she schooled her expression into one of calm.
“Okay,” Adrien took a deep breath. “The girl that I was in love with… was Ladybug.”
He tensed, closing his eyes, steeling himself for laughter, or ridicule. But he heard nothing but the scratch of skates against the ice. He opened one eye; Marinette was staring off into the distance, her mouth slightly open, her breaths escaping in puffs of steam.
“Uh, Marinette?” he asked.
“Ladybug?” she said, disbelievingly.
“Yeah.”
“The Ladybug?
Adrien winced. “Yeah.”
“You know her?” Marinette asked, distantly.
“Yeah,” said Adrien. “We see each other pretty often. I can’t really tell you why, just that I know her well.”
Marinette’s mind looked like it was running at a million miles an hour. “You saw her tonight?”
“Yes,” Adrien emphasized, surprised that it was taking her so long to understand.
She finally turned to look at him. Her eyes scanned his hair, his eyes, his cheeks, his ears. They travelled slowly down his body, before dragging their way back up. Her hand came up to cup his cheek, to look searchingly into his face.
Finally, Marinette closed her eyes. “I’m dating Chat Noir,” she whispered.
“What?” Adrien yelped, almost spilling his hot chocolate. “What? No!”
“I am, I’m dating Chat Noir.”
“I…” he said, his mouth dry, his stomach plummeting. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to,” said Marinette, a smile slowly overtaking her face. She put a hand over her mouth, laughing in disbelief.
Adrien stared at her, praying that this wasn't really happening. “Oh, no, Ladybug is going to kill me,” Adrien groaned, burying his face in his hands.
Marinette’s laughter got louder, nearly doubling over at his words.
“How did you figure it out so quickly? Oh, my god, Ladybug trusted me, I can’t believe I messed it up so bad -- “
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about Ladybug,” Marinette said, tears forming in her eyes.
“How do you know?” Adrien grumbled, frustrated by how unconcerned she was.
Marinette grabbed his hand. “Kitty,” she said, emphasizing the word. “You don’t have to worry about Ladybug.”
His eyes snapped up to hers. Time was suspended as they stared at each other, their realizations crashing down. Marinette’s eyes were shining, her smile growing bigger by the instant.
Adrien’s breath was frozen in his chest. It was too good to be true. Too perfect. Impossible. And yet, it was the most logical thing in the world, that his lady was his best friend, the girl he fell in love with, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Who else could it possibly be?
The clarity that hit him was breathtaking. He felt like at any moment he would wake up, and it would be a dream. He squeezed Marinette’s hand in reassurance and she squeezed back, staring at him just as intently. His lady was here, right here, right with him, and she always would be. He moved his hand into her hair, bringing her forward gently into a kiss, their warm lips sliding against each other, their cold noses bumping. He tasted chocolate, and he imagined she could taste the vanilla. His hand clenched in her hair as the realization swept over him, that he was kissing her, Ladybug, and Marinette too, and everything was exactly as it should be, exactly as…
Adrien broke apart, and Marinette’s head leaned forward, chasing his lips slightly as he pulled away. He grinned at her, at her tainted red cheeks and her chapped pink lips and her hazy blue eyes.
“You know,” Adrien said, in a teasing edge to his voice. “I was right.”
“Huh?” Marinette said, her eyes clearing slightly.
“I was right. We were meant to be, Bugaboo,” Adrien said, throwing her a Chat-like wink.
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “I -- wait, no, I --”
“This might be the first argument I’ve won,” Adrien interrupted, triumphantly.
“Wait, I never said --”
“I said you wouldn’t be able to resist me underneath the mask,” he said, leaning in close, watching her breath stutter as his face got inches away from hers. “Was I wrong?”
Marinette’s mouth pursed, her eyes narrowing at him in mock-anger. But she couldn’t keep up the charade, the corners of her mouth tilting up as she stared back at him in a standoff.
Finally, she sighed. “You were right, Kitty,” she conceded.
Adrien whooped, gaining attention from the skaters nearby. He pumped his fist, careful not to spill the vanilla hot chocolate in his other hand. “I was right the whole time!”
“Yes, you were right the whole time,” Marinette said, laughing with him. “Are you happy now?”
Adrien put down the hot chocolate, pulling Marinette in closer by her waist. He tucked a hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. “Happier than you will ever know,” he whispered softly. She blushed, her grin wider than he had ever seen it, as he leaned down for a kiss.