The first time he noticed Marinette was on the first day of school. She had been the first person to hate him. The whole experience seems somewhat surreal now that he looks back on it. (Which he does a lot when he is bored.)

Everyone had immediately shunned him as a consequence of knowing his friendly ties to Chloe, Mayor Bourgeois's only daughter. Of course, no one had huffed at him indignantly or given him the stink eye either, that had been Marinette when she caught him kneeling over her seat with Chloe and Sabrina letting our twin giggles.

He still remembered how he realized he'd never seen anyone with eyes so blue. Back then, he hadn't known her name, so for a few moments she was just his new super-cute classmate who would absolutely hate his guts in just a few seconds. What a great start.

A look of understanding had settled on her porcelain face. "Oh, I get it," she said shooting daggers at them with her eyes. "Good job you three." Adrien would have-should have-straightened things out there and then, but his mind immediately flashed to Chloe. She was still his only friend. Given how the rest of the class had already decided what they thought of him, if he threw her under the bus, he would have no one. He'd be alone. So instead, he kept his mouth shut and took a seat by his present-day best friend, Nino. (Not that he knew that back then.)

"Why didn't you tell her it wasn't you?" Nino had whispered. Very good question.

"Chloe is my only friend," he'd explained. "I couldn't just throw her under the bus like that."

The dark skinned boy offered him a friendly smile. "I think you need to make new friends. I'm Nino." Nino's sudden friendliness had resurrected the hope that had died only minutes earlier.

"I'm Adrien." They shared a smile.

Later that same day, it had started to rain. He was surprised at how well his first experience in school was going so far, especially with the new addition of being a superhero, the new villain called Hawk Moth, and the tiny (somewhat irritating) gluttonous floating cat that was his Kwami. There had been no forecast of it (none that he remembered anyway). It hadn't been a problem anyway, he would be leaving by car as per his father's conditions. He got out his umbrella and continued to walk out toward the front of the school. As he got closer, he was able to make out a petite figure more and more clearly.

It was Marinette.

He had stopped a few steps behind her, mapping out his next move as carefully as humanly possible. He took a deep breath and went up to her. She eyed him warily. "I just wanted you to know that I didn't put that gum on your seat. I was just trying to remove it. I've never really been to school before or had any friends, so it's all still pretty new to me. I hope we can be friends." He chose that moment to hand her his already open umbrella (when had he done that?). Their fingers brushed briefly in the exchange, sending a jolt of electricity through him. A light pink sheen covered her freckled cheeks. They stood there, watching one another for several beats.

How cute, he'd noted absently. I like her freckles.

SNAP!

The umbrella closed around her, snapping them out of their little bubble long enough for him to forget the warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest and belly and let out a roar of laughter. She had peeked out at him from under the umbrella, blinking rapidly. Then she giggled along with him. And as if by magic, the fuzzy feeling came back.

BEEP BEEP!

His driver was becoming impatient. "I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette."

She nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Adrien."

He turned and took the steps two at a time, not wanting to get drenched and irritate his father. Plagg poked out from his over-shirt. "Hey! It's only been your first day and you already got a girlfriend," he teased. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend Plagg." Yet, a part of him whispered. His face erupted in an unwelcome shade of red, sending Plagg into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, then what is she?"

"Mari's a friend," He gasped and then smiled. "A friend…" He stepped into the car and looked back at the inky-haired girl. The warm, fuzzy feeling continued.

And it would only grow.

The golden haired boy sighed dreamily as he reminisced in his earliest memories of the ethereal being known as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It had only been approximately five months since that fateful day, but it felt as if it had been so much longer. Was it possible for a person to be so deliriously in love after only five months? How could he ask something so silly, of course it was possible! He was living proof after all. But then, Mari was an easy person to love.

Which was why he was currently watching her through the cameras he had installed in her home while everyone slept. He had left some blind spots of course, he respected her privacy. Or at least as much privacy as he could give his true love while also protecting her. (He was her knight in shining leather not some common pervert.)

Besides, the feed was always on live-unless he decided to record for future reference purposes-so it didn't matter to much anyway. At that very moment, he watched her while she rested on her pink chaise, sketching a new design. Her brow was furrowed and she'd stuck out her tongue in concentration. She was so utterly adorable.

He traced her face on the screen on with his finger, counting her freckles and discovering every constellation they could possibly make. He heard her mother call her down to dinner and chuckled. He would have such wonderful in laws. That didn't mean he still didn't need to observe them. If he didn't get along with them it would make future familial gatherings extremely tense and awkward. He didn't want to put that sort of burden on his Princess. Adrien wanted to make sure she was happy. And that her heart belonged only to him.

Because if she dared love anyone else he would destroy her.