Adrien sat on a bench in the park and watched Marinette chase Alya around, trying to get her phone to erase a picture Alya had taken. Nino, sitting beside him, let out a chuckle.

"That is just too dang cute," Nino commented as Alya was just standing there holding her phone really high in her hand while Marinette jumped trying to reach it. Both boys chuckled.

Adrien felt happy right then. Here he was, sitting with people that he knows care about him. The 4 of them had grown close over the past 3 years.

Nino was the best bud he could ever ask for. Alya was brash and pulled him into her escapades whether he wanted to go along or not. Marinette would always at least try to keep Alya on track and make sure everyone was having fun.

Alya caught his interest again as she squealed when Marinette got close to grabbing the phone, almost toppling them both over.

"Oops, just missed," Alya yelled as she pulled away from Marinette and let the poor girl stumble, getting close to falling on the ground. Marinette saved herself at the last moment and righted herself as Alya started to run over to the playground. Marinette gave chase, both yelling and squealing as they ran around.

Alya suddenly darted away from Marinette and started running around the boys on the bench.

"Alya, please erase it! I look horrible!" Marinette pleaded while running after Alya.

"Only if you get it girl," Alya taunted back.

As Marinette rounded the bench in front of Nino she tripped on his slightly stuck out foot. She fell forward and landed across Adrien. Both of them were shocked for a moment. "Mari, are you alright?" Nino asked.

Marinette started to babble, "Yes, yes, it's ok, Adrien's ok, I'm ok!" she blurted out as she tried to push herself off Adrien. All she succeeded to do though was push against Adrien's shoulder too hard and topple them both from the bench. They lay on the ground, arms and legs tangled. Adrien felt a small blush creep across his cheeks while he noted that Marinette went a bright pink.

Alya and Nino burst out laughing.

"Oh, I gotta get this," Alya said as she quickly took a picture. Nino was about to take one himself when his phone rang.

He stepped away from them to take the call. Alya helped a blushing Marinette up, then a grinning Adrien up.

Nino turned back to them. "That was my dad, Chris's group is getting let out early and he needs me to go get him and take him home. Alya, want to come with me?" he asked.

"If Mari doesn't mind?" She glanced over and Marinette shook her head. "Sure, we can play some video games too. Chris likes that dancing one we do, right?"

Nino nodded. Alya grabbed Nino's arm and waved bye to Marinette and Adrien. Saying she'd text Marinette later.

"W-well," Marinette stammered. "I guess we should go too?"

"Sure," Adrien said. "I actually managed to convince my father that I needed an afternoon off and that's how I have the whole of today free. Told him that I was feeling a little tired and I need a mental break as we had just finished up some big projects at school. I was a little surprised that he let me take the whole day off."

Marinette was glad. She knew it was her's and the others influence that Adrien was finally standing up to the ridiculous schedule his father imposed on him.

Marinette grabbed her purse from under the bench and motioned to Adrien to follow her. "We could go back to my place and play some video games too, if you want to that is, unless you want to go somewhere else. We could go to a movie or window shopping. We could even go to a museum or the zoo..." She was starting to babble again. She trailed off, wishing that she could keep it under control.

Adrien chuckled, "Video games at your place sounds fine. Could we get some treats from your parents while we play?" He asked as his eyes lit up. He guided her out of the park and towards her home above the bakery.

Marinette stuck out her tongue, "Like they wouldn't insist anyway." She rubbed the back of her head with one hand. They walked towards her home, each in comfortable silence.

Adrien liked that over the years Marinette had managed to open up towards him. He had originally thought that the gum incident all those years ago might have ruined any chance they had at becoming friends. It turned out that it really wasn't a problem and after years of hanging out together the stammering and panicked movements that she always used to do started to disappear.

They had managed to spend lots of time together on their own or with Alya and Nino. He felt close to her. She had told him in detail about her dreams of being a designer, showed him lots of outfits she drew. He even got to help her with a jacket she wanted to create. When he saw how good it had come out he had encouraged her to enter it into a fashion competition. It wasn't one of his fathers, but he encouraged her to enter those too. She won many of them and he was glad that he was there to help her celebrate every win, and offer support for those she did loose. He wanted to be there for her with whatever life threw her way.

Marinette had been thinking the same types of thoughts as they walked back to her place. That first year she wouldn't have even been able to ask him over, let alone actually think of asking. As they got to know each other she realized that she had put him on a little bit of a celebrity pedestal. She still loved him, but it had mellowed to a steady flame.

He had finally told her about his feelings towards his father a little bit. She didn't think she knew all of it but she could better understand why he tried to please him so much sometimes. Knowing that he was just as human as her is what had dulled the intensity of her love for him. While she still wanted to be more to him, she was happy just being there to support him when his schedule took a lot out of him, mentally or physically.

They got back to the bakery and let her folks know that they were going to play video games in her room. Sabine loaded up a plate of cookies, croissants, that cheese bread Adrien seemed to like, and other pastries and watched them go upstairs.

Tom and Sabine looked wistfully between each other, each wondering when they were going to become more than 'Just Friends.'