Work Text:
“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” her mother asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Marinette looked up from the table, and realized her mother was sincere. “Well… I want to confess to A- my crush on Valentine’s Day… I just don’t know how or what to even do. I don’t even know if he likes me back,” Marinette sighed, laying her head in her arms.
“I don’t think it matters whether he likes you back or not Marinette, I think what matters is whether or not you put yourself out there! You won’t ever date him if you don’t tell him how you feel,” she said, placing a comforting hand on Marinette’s back.
“You’re right… But it’s so difficult! And I always get so nervous… How did you ever do it?” she asked, to which she heard her mother laugh. “Well… I didn’t! But I can still give you advice. Just go tell him. For your sake. If you don’t quit mourning over your losses, Adrien will be gone forever, and then you’ll have a real loss.”
Well… She decided then. She couldn't lose any more time to her nerves. She wouldn’t lose Adrien.
— — —
It was the day. She would do it today so that they could have a romantic date tomorrow! “Adrien! Can I, um, talk to you later?” she asked, fiddling with a loose strand of hair. “Of course! I was about to ask the same thing,” he said, smiling. That beautiful smile… He seemed to shine like a ray of sunlight.
Her heart seemed to melt. She couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to talk to her about… Could he be wanting to talk about the same thing? A love confession? She could already feel the smile forming on her face.
“Marinette, stop. You look like the Grinch,” Alya whispered, poking her friend’s arm. “I do not!” Marinette quickly responded. “Well not the evilness… Your mouth is twisted into a very… weird smile. I know it’s your Adrien smile, but really, you have to calm down a little,” Alya whispered.
Marinette rolled her eyes, but knew she should probably take Alya’s advice. And class was starting soon, so she had to focus on something other than, but not necessarily more important than, the boy of her dreams.
Still… She couldn't calm her mind just like that. Her heart couldn’t be slowed just like that. Her hopes couldn’t be forgotten just like that. She just knew… It was a confession.
— — —
“I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting!” she called out, waving her hand in the air to grab his attention before he left. She had spent a little too much time sprucing herself up and might have gotten lost in her daydreams. She was lucky he hadn’t left already.
“I didn’t want to leave and just text, especially in this rain. Knowing you, you probably didn’t bring an umbrella, and neither did I. Would you like a ride home? We can talk in the car,” he said, loosely pointing at the car parked at the school’s entrance.
Marinette repressed another Adrien smile, and nodded. “I’d love to,” she breathed out, overflowing with happiness. Time alone with Adrien… And he was going to tell her that he loved her too!
He held the door open, and checked to make sure she was comfortable and bucked up… It couldn’t be anything else!
“So, what I wanted to talk about…” he said, looking at the floorboards for a moment, only to look at her. “Yes?” she asked, ready to say yes to what came next.
“Can you help Chloe with her project?”
She pulled away, pulling one hand up to her mouth. Her knuckles pressed hard against her lips, and her lips pressed hard against her teeth.
“Is that… Is that all?” she asked, crestfallen.
“Yeah… I’m a bit busy with Valentine’s Day coming up… I have a gift to make, but I don’t think I can finish it while helping her,” he said, half smiling. Marinette shook her head, holding back tears.
“I’m sorry, I’m too busy. If you absolutely need to, you should just tell her to ask the teacher. I’m too busy, I’m sorry. Anyway, I need to get out here,” she said, glancing out the window to see where she was.
“Why? Your house is-” “I have to mail a package. Thanks for the ride,” she said, unbuckling and waiting for the driver to stop.
“Do you want us to wait here?” Adrien asked, clearly not sensing how Marinette was feeling. “No, that’s fine, I’ll head home on my own,” she said, grabbing her bag and closing the door, trapping herself in the rain.
She was alone. She was always alone. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. She should’ve known. He didn’t like her. ‘And he never will,’ she thought, mentally kicking herself, not just for getting her hopes up, but for leaving the car. She was already soaking, and she had a long way to go. But in a way, it was her own way of punishing herself. She knew better.
Still… she knew that she had the right to be hurt. But why did she let herself get hurt so badly?
“It’s because I’m so stupid and lovesick and dumb,” she muttered, starting on the walk home. She had a long way to go, and a long time to think about what had happened.
— — —
‘You should at least give him the present,’ Alya had said over the phone. She really didn’t want to show up, but she had already asked Adrien to come. She couldn’t just ghost him.
“Adrien… Here, a present for you,” Marinette said, revealing a small box from her bag, holding it out to him.
“Oh, if I realized you were getting me a present, I would’ve finished yours sooner,” he frowned, looking at the box in her hands. “That’s okay!” she smiled, “And, y’know, you don’t have to get me anything. And if you don’t like-” His gaze made her stop mid-sentence. She felt her eyebrows furrow, and her throat tighten. Something was wrong.
“Marinette… Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, taking her hand in his own. She felt her heart pound, even if she didn’t want it to.
“That there was a, uh, present exchange? There isn’t, I just thought-” “No, Marinette,” he said. She locked eyes with him, and she felt herself breathe in, holding it in anticipation. She was getting her hopes up again. She knew she was likely to be disappointed again. But she wanted him to say those three words so, so badly.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that you like me?” he asked.
Her heart was racing. Her face was flushing. Her brain was blanking. She wasn’t sure how to reply. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to.
She wanted to hold this moment forever. The slight smile on Adrien’s lips, the warm and loving tone he asked her in, his hands holding hers snugly. The excitement in her chest, her lack of words, it was the way she had always imagined it.
“Adrien…” she said, so quiet it was almost a whisper. He smiled.
And then…
And then he kissed her.
And the world was colorful and bright.
And they were happy.