Author's note: This is a gift I wrote for a friend on tumblr and I wanted to share it here too :) I hope you enjoy it!
"Hngh… That damn sun!" Ladybug mumbles to herself and blinks at the sky, shielding her eyes with the hand that isn't holding her yo-yo.
"You don't like summer?" Chat asks surprised while sprinting over the rooftops of Paris next to her. Even if he doesn't understand her reasoning all the time he always loves to learn something new about His Lady.
"Summer is perfectly fine, I just hold a lifelong hostility against sunlight" she explained while chasing towards the Arc de Triomphe where Hawk Moth's latest victim recently terrorizes the citizens.
"Why is that?" Chat inquires amused about her hateful grimace dedicated to a burning ball of gas millions of miles away. In his eyes anger is the cutest state of her due to it being unreasonable and impulsive most of the time. What he likes most about this is the fact that her temper-driven moments always are her most genuine ones since she forgets to keep up her heroic "I'm above such things"-attitude.
"More sunshine means more freckles" she responses short-spoken.
Abruptly Chat comes to a stop, unbelievingly staring at her. He can't believe it, she can't be serious.
Shortly after Ladybug pauses too and turns around to face him. "What?" "Your freckles are adorable. All of them. Even those that aren't there yet" he explains bloody severe. Crossing her arms Ladybug rolls her eyes at him. "You don't even see most of my freckles because of the mask." Chat, who already had walked up to her, leans forward to place his face right in front of hers. While concentrating to keep a steady breathing to calm down his rapidly beating heart he looks straight into her lovely blue eyes. "The part I can see is already more than enough. These freckles right there for example" he pokes her cheek which sends a pleasant jolt through his entire body "are absolutely loveable. They look like a cute little paw. But if you think it is not up to me to judge, you know" he puts on a flirty smirk and wiggles with his eyebrows to cool down his overwhelming feelings "you can show me your face without the mask anytime." She brushes his head aside with an annoyed groan but can't help the little smile appearing on her lips.
"Let's go stupid kitty, there's an akuma to catch."
"Ok class, listen! I want all of you to find a partner to perform the next challenge with. All I want you to do is sitting vis-à-vis, looking into each other's eyes. You don't talk, you don't gesture, just silently observe your partner. And…" Madame Bustier's tone and smile reveal that she gloats over the next part "I want you to do it with someone you're not too close with. Not with your best friend or the person sitting next to you."
Chloé and Alya leap up at the same second. "If you won't carry this off I will end you" Alya hisses into Marinette's ear as she hurries to Chloé's desk. Confused Marinette watches her separating her target from Nino and… Adrien.
"But I intended to…" Chloé tries to protest but Alya cuts her short with a raised hand. "I know this is an… unusual and maybe risky choice but I guess that's what this exercise is about, isn't it?" Madame Bustier smiles proudly at her and pats her on the back. "Exactly, Alya! The others could take a leaf out of your book!" Bemoaning her fate Chloé pouts while Alya grabs her wrist and drags her towards two empty seats.
Petrified with horror Marinette realizes that Alya sacrificed herself to give her best friend the chance to have this special and private experience with Adrien. And since this may cause the worst few minutes in Alya's whole life Marinette is compelled to take action.
While Nino walks up to a sheepishly waving Rose Marinette gathers up all her courage to lean forward to tip said Adrien on the shoulder. He turns around to her with a bright smile on his face, causing her whole body to tickle. "Shall we?" he offers her his hand, yet again being the gentleman she once fell in love with.
Huh, this has been easier than she thought. "S-sure!" is all Marinette manages to shriek, unsuccessfully trying to fight back the blush on her face. Relieved that at least she was not supposed to talk she stands up on her shaky legs, hurrying to the place Nino left seconds ago.
"You know what? Let's do this outside. It's a beautiful summer's day! That way each pair can have its own, more private space. But I want you to stay quiet from now on already!" Madame Bustier proposes and nearly the whole class stands up immediately, except Marinette, who still tries to get her legs to do what she demands.
When she finally gets up again, more or less steady, the rest of the class already passes her desk. While Chloé glares at her partner's back of the head Alya winks at Marinette but she barely recognizes it since she's fully captured by Adrien who silently suggests that she should go ahead by bowing slightly and pointing at the door with his flat hand. Oppressing a giggle she curtsies and walks past him.
Maybe, just maybe, this is going to be fun.
At first Marinette awkwardly tries to avoid Adrien's gaze but after some time full of enchanting, encouraging smiles of her counterpart she accomplishes to look straight into his eyes. Beautiful, deep green eyes flowing over with emotions and secrets no one knows about, things she urges to find out. She's amazed by how intense just looking into his eyes is. Hopefully it wasn't too easy for him to recognize her feelings towards him she tries to hide back all the time.
They were two minutes into the exercise as Adrien's eyes widen in sheer shock and disbelief as he draws back a little. Frozen he stays like this for an unpleasant amount of time.
Eased by the fact that at least their classmates are sitting too far away to realize the change in his attitude, Marinette helplessly looks around trying to figure out what to do. Should she say something or keep quiet? She considers running away but it doesn't seem to be the best choice.
"Adrien?" she whispers under her breath instead, carefully looking out for Madame Bustier who gladly is preoccupied by the pair of Alix and Ivan who burst out laughing a few seconds ago.
"You are… Marinette you… It's you. Mari you are… You are…" Marinette never saw Adrien that bewildered and distraught ever before. "Adrien you're scaring me, what's the matter?" she asks desperately, trying to think of anything she did that could cause him such terror but except for looking at him she literally hadn't done anything.
"Ladybug" he finally blurts out. Now Marinette's eyes widen in shock too. "What?" she laughs nervously. "Where?" He simply points his finger at her. "Whaaat?" she repeats way too high pitched. "What makes you think something as absurd as that?" His already near finger comes even closer, poking her cheek. "I recognize your freckles." "What?" Horribly failing at trying to laugh it off Marinette tries to think of anything she can say. "But there's only one person… I-I mean how would you…"
Wait.
"You're Chat Noir?!" Marinette squeaked startled, hardly trying to not freak out.
They spent the rest of the task gaping at each other.
"We're done, kids! Now I want you to proceed what you might have learned about the other. If there's no more than the eye color you realized that's fine too. But at best you saw something deep, something you would never have figured out any other way."
Suddenly a radiant beam appears on Adrien's face and the corners of Marinette's lips rise to a bright smile too.
At the exact same moment she throws herself towards him he opens his arms to catch her into the most enjoyable hug both of them have ever experienced. She snuggles into his embrace with tears of joy streaming down her cheeks as he subconsciously runs his fingers through her hair, overwhelmed by the knowledge that, finally, His Lady lay in his arms.
"See?" Madame Bustier gestures to the cuddled up partners. "This practice truly tightens your bonds!"
