Work Text:
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a perfectly reasonable person.
She was responsible.
She was mature.
She was capable of making sensible decisions.
And, most importantly, she was not the kind of person who got completely carried away by romantic relationships.
At least, that was what she had told Adrien.
Several months ago.
Before they started dating.
Before she discovered that Adrien Agreste smiled differently when he looked at her.
Before she discovered that he remembered exactly how she liked her hot chocolate.
Before he started leaving tiny notes in her sketchbook whenever he had to leave for an appointment.
Before she discovered that being Adrien's girlfriend was apparently the easiest way in the world to make her imagination run approximately twelve thousand miles ahead of reality.
Which was why, at two o'clock in the morning, Marinette was sitting cross-legged on her bed with her laptop open.
She stared at the screen.
Then at the notebook beside her.
Then back at the screen.
The Pinterest board was titled:
"Totally Normal Ideas :)"
Marinette narrowed her eyes.
"This is ridiculous."
Tikki floated beside her.
"You've been saying that for twenty minutes."
"I know."
"You could close the laptop."
"I could."
"You could go to sleep."
"I could."
"You could stop adding things to the board."
Marinette slowly moved her mouse toward another picture.
Tikki sighed.
"Marinette."
"It's just inspiration!"
"For what?"
Marinette froze.
"…Nothing."
Tikki gave her a look.
Marinette closed the laptop.
"There. Done."
Three seconds passed.
She opened it again.
Tikki covered her face.
The next morning, Adrien found Marinette sitting at their usual table at school.
She looked exhausted.
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning."
He leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Marinette immediately smiled.
The exhaustion vanished.
Adrien smiled back.
"Better?"
"Much."
He sat beside her.
"You didn't sleep much, did you?"
"I slept!"
"How much?"
Marinette hesitated.
"…Enough."
"Marinette."
"Five hours."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Four and a half."
"Marinette."
"Okay, three."
Adrien laughed.
"What were you doing?"
"Homework."
That was technically true.
She had been doing research.
Just not school research.
Adrien reached for her hand underneath the table.
Marinette's brain immediately supplied a completely unnecessary mental image of the two of them years from now.
A little apartment.
Maybe a house.
Adrien cooking breakfast.
Her designing clothes at the kitchen table.
A ridiculous number of plants.
Possibly a dog.
Maybe two.
She blinked.
Adrien squeezed her hand.
"You disappeared."
"Huh?"
"You were staring into space."
"Oh."
She looked at their joined hands.
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing."
Adrien smiled.
"You always say 'nothing' when it's definitely something."
Marinette gave him her most innocent expression.
"I am a woman of mystery."
"You're terrible at being mysterious."
"I am excellent at it."
"You once tried to hide a birthday present behind your back while asking me if I wanted to know what was behind your back."
"That was strategic misdirection."
"That was adorable."
Marinette's face went pink.
Adrien laughed.
By lunch, Alya had figured it out.
She dropped into the seat beside Marinette.
"Okay."
Marinette looked up.
"Okay what?"
"You're doing the thing."
"What thing?"
"The thing where you look like your brain is writing an entire romance novel while you're sitting here eating fries."
Marinette nearly choked.
"I am not!"
Alya looked at Adrien.
Adrien shrugged.
"She has been unusually distracted."
"Traitor."
"I didn't say anything bad."
"You didn't have to."
Alya grinned.
"So what's going on?"
"Nothing."
Alya stared at her.
Marinette stared back.
Alya slowly reached for a fry.
"You're thinking about your future with him."
Marinette's face became approximately the color of a tomato.
Adrien's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Nothing!" Marinette squeaked.
Alya pointed at her.
"That's the face."
"What face?"
"The face you make when you've already planned something six months before it happens."
Marinette crossed her arms.
"I don't do that."
Alya raised an eyebrow.
"You once planned a surprise party for me three months before my birthday."
"That was different."
"You also designed twelve possible outfits."
"You deserved options!"
"And made a spreadsheet."
Marinette looked away.
"…Spreadsheets are useful."
Adrien was trying very hard not to laugh.
"What's the spreadsheet for this time?"
Marinette's eyes widened.
"There isn't one!"
Alya gasped dramatically.
"There is a spreadsheet."
"There is NOT!"
Adrien leaned closer.
"Now I'm curious."
Marinette covered her face.
"I hate both of you."
Alya laughed.
That evening, Marinette was on her balcony when Adrien climbed up.
She smiled immediately.
"Hi."
"Hi."
He sat beside her.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
The city glittered below.
It was peaceful.
Simple.
Exactly the kind of moment Marinette loved most.
Adrien nudged her shoulder.
"You've been thinking a lot lately."
Marinette sighed.
"Am I that obvious?"
"To me."
She looked at him.
"That's unfair."
"Why?"
"Because you know me too well."
Adrien smiled.
"I like knowing you."
Her heart did something embarrassing.
She looked down at their hands.
"I've been thinking about the future."
Adrien's expression softened.
"What kind of future?"
Marinette hesitated.
"The normal kind."
"Normal?"
"Yeah."
She smiled shyly.
"Like… having a place together someday."
Adrien's smile grew.
"Okay."
"Maybe a kitchen."
"Definitely."
"You'd probably burn something."
"I would not."
"You absolutely would."
"I can cook."
"You once nearly destroyed scrambled eggs."
"That was one time."
Marinette giggled.
"And maybe a dog."
"One?"
"Maybe two."
"Two sounds good."
"And a garden."
"A garden?"
"You like plants."
"I do."
"And I'd make you breakfast."
"You'd make breakfast?"
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"Fine. Most mornings."
Adrien smiled.
"And what else?"
Marinette's cheeks warmed.
She looked away.
"Maybe…"
"Maybe?"
"Nothing."
Adrien laughed softly.
"Marinette."
"It's embarrassing."
"Tell me."
She took a breath.
"Maybe someday we'd get married."
Adrien went very still.
Marinette immediately panicked.
"I KNOW! That's a lot! Forget I said it! I don't mean right now! Obviously! We're young, and there's no rush, and—"
"Marinette."
She stopped.
Adrien was smiling.
Not laughing.
Not teasing.
Just smiling.
"I've thought about it too."
Her eyes widened.
"You have?"
"Of course."
"When?"
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
He nodded.
"Like when you fall asleep on my shoulder."
Marinette's expression softened.
"Or when you get excited about a new design and talk for twenty minutes without realizing you've been talking for twenty minutes."
She laughed.
"Or when you steal my hoodies."
"I do not steal them."
"You currently have three."
"They're mine now."
Adrien laughed.
"See?"
Marinette smiled.
He reached for her hand.
"I don't know exactly what the future will look like."
"Neither do I."
"But I'd like to find out."
Marinette's eyes softened.
"Me too."
There was a pause.
Then Adrien tilted his head.
"So…"
"So?"
"Should we start thinking about names?"
Marinette stared at him.
"…Names?"
"For the hypothetical dogs."
Her jaw dropped.
"You're making fun of me!"
"No!"
"You absolutely are!"
"I swear!"
He was laughing now.
Marinette grabbed a pillow and lightly smacked him with it.
Adrien laughed harder.
"Okay! Okay!"
"You're terrible!"
"I love you."
She froze.
Adrien smiled.
Marinette's anger disappeared instantly.
"I love you too."
He leaned his forehead against hers.
For once, Marinette didn't let her mind race ahead.
She didn't think about wedding dresses.
Or houses.
Or dogs.
Or children.
Or what their future might look like.
She simply stayed there.
With Adrien.
Right now.
And somehow, that was enough.
Until Adrien whispered:
"Although, for the record, I think your dog-name ideas are terrible."
Marinette gasped.
"They are not!"
"They absolutely are."
"You don't get an opinion anymore."
"I think I do."
"Nope."
"Marinette."
"Adrien."
They both started laughing.
And somewhere inside Marinette's laptop, her very carefully hidden "Totally Normal Ideas :)" board remained untouched.
For now.
Adrien woke up to a message from Marinette.
Marinette: Good morning 💕
Marinette: Random question.
Marinette: If we ever got a dog, what would you name it?
Adrien smiled.
He typed back.
Adrien: I thought you said we weren't planning anything.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then:
Marinette: We're not.
Marinette: This is research.
Adrien laughed.
Adrien: Of course it is.
A second later:
Marinette: Also I have a list.
Adrien stared at the message.
Adrien: How long is the list?
There was a suspiciously long pause.
Marinette: Define "long."
Adrien burst out laughing.
Maybe Marinette wasn't exactly the calmest girlfriend in the world.
Maybe she thought too far ahead.
Maybe she occasionally planned entire hypothetical futures before breakfast.
But Adrien didn't mind.
Because underneath all the plans and lists and daydreams was something beautifully simple.
She loved him.
And he loved her.
Everything else could wait.
Even the dog names.
Probably.