Adrien woke up with a start. He remembered. He knew that Marinette's blush looked familiar. She looked just like Ladybug when she blushed. He smiled at the memory of Marinette's cheeks blushing ladybug red and her bright eyes growing large. When Ladybug looked at him last night in that perfect lighting, she looked just like Marinette. It had to be just a coincidence. Maybe his subconscious was messing with him. He had to admit it, he had some sort of feelings for Marinette, and he knew how he felt about Ladybug.
He checked his phone to see if Marinette had texted back, and she hadn't yet. He didn't want to get discouraged, but he hoped that she would text soon. As if on cue, his phone buzzed. It was from Marinette: Yes, I would love to hang out with you, Adrien! Can we meet at my dad's bakery after school? ~Marinette.
Adrien's heart fluttered. She had replied. For the first time, he was excited about going to school. He packed his bag and hurried to school. He tried to tell himself that his feelings for Marinette weren't as real as those for Ladybug, but he wasn't very convincing.
When he arrived at school, he saw Alya and Marinette walking together. Marinette had her hair in her signature pigtails and her mouth fluttered quickly as she was talking to Alya. Then, Alya spotted Adrien and stopped Marinette. Alya motioned towards Adrien and then Marinette saw him. Adrien felt his cheeks blush and he waved at her. Her cheeks turned that beautiful color of red as she gave a slight smile. He motioned her over and Alya pushed her in Adrien's direction. Marinette walked up to Adrien and he smiled at her.
"Hey, Marinette, I got your text. We can walk to your dad's bakery after school together. Does that work?"
Marinette's mouth opened and she attempted to say something. Adrien cocked his head and tried to figure out what was wrong. Finally, Marinette blurted, "Yes, yes I would like that."
Adrien smiled and Marinette's whole face flushed red. Adrien chuckled and led her to the school. They sat in their assigned seats and the whole class period, Adrien was thinking of how Marinette's eyes glistened when she smiled, and how the color red looked perfect on her.
Marinette was thinking the same things. She was thinking of how Adrien's blonde hair fell perfectly around his head and neck, and how his green eyes sparkled when he smiled. She thought of the dimples around his chin when he laughed and how he had seemed so comfortable around her. She noticed Alya staring at her and when Marinette returned the glances, Alya just smirked and gave two thumbs up.
After class, Adrien met Marinette and walked together to the bakery. During the walk there, Marinette said nothing. Adrien tried to start a conversation but was unsuccessful. Finally, he blurted out something he wished he hadn't.
"So, what do you think of Ladybug and Cat Noir?" he asked.
Marinette stopped for a brief moment as she struggled to come up with a response. She couldn't give too much away, but she could say something.
"Uh, I really like Ladybug, and Cat Noir is pretty cool, too."
Adrien nodded, a little disappointed. He had wanted her to say that Cat Noir was amazing and perfect in every way, but that wasn't going to happen. He cleared his throat.
"Uh, I like them, too. Personally, I think Cat Noir is really cool."
Marinette stifled a chuckle. "He's alright, I guess. I mean, he can be really cool."
Adrien glanced at her. "You act like you know him."
Marinette stiffened. "No, no, I don't. That's just what I've heard."
Adrien looked away as they reached the bakery. Adrien opened the door for Marinette and they sat at a table for two. Marinette pushed a hair behind her ear and tried not to completely focus on how green Adrien's eyes were.
Adrien glanced at Marinette sitting across from him and wanted to say something. He started to say something when Marinette blushed again. Her cheeks turned red and Adrien couldn't shake the image of Ladybug out of his head. He needed to be rational. He was here with Marinette, not Ladybug. But Ladybug wouldn't leave his head, and he suddenly needed to leave.
"I, uh, will be right back," he stuttered, and briskly walked out of the bakery.
Marinette felt awful, like her heart had been ripped out. He didn't want to be here, she knew it. Why else would he just leave like that? She saw Adrien pacing outside of the bakery and wanted to check on him. She walked outside and he froze when he saw her.
"Hey, Marinette, sorry I just needed some air."
She looked down and said softly, "If you don't want to be here, you can leave."
Adrien's eyes widened as he took in her statement. "No, Marinette, it's not that at all. I do want to be here."
Marinette looked up at him and smiled, her eyes sparkling. Adrien grinned as he finally saw how beautiful she was. He wanted to lean down and kiss her so badly at the moment, and he could feel she wanted to as well. He wasn't sure what to do, so he slowly leaned down as she rose up on her toes. His lips brushed hers ever so gently, and he felt that she was pushing to be closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she reached up to feel his neck. His lips moved with hers as he pulled her closer. He could feel her smile and he smiled as well. Adrien didn't want to let go, but he knew he would have to eventually.
As he slowly released her soft lips, his eyes drifted to her earrings. They were small, black circles, hardly noticeable. But, he remembered what happened when Ladybug was about to return to normal. The spots on her earrings started to disappear on her red earrings. But what would her miraculous look like without a kwami in it?
Suddenly, everything made sense to him. He knew Marinette was Ladybug, he was sure of it. From the way she blushed, to the earrings, to the…kiss. The kiss was magical, and he knew only a magical person could produce that many sparks.
As he pulled away from Marinette, he noticed how her eyes were still closed and her lips were still slightly open in a kissing position. She slowly opened her eyes and she smiled with such happiness, it made Adrien's heart skip a beat. Adrien reached down and entwined his hand in hers. She jumped at the touch, but didn't reject it. Adrien led her back into the bakery and they sat back down at the table. Adrien didn't regret making the decision to kiss her; it was the best decision of his life. Now, he just had to prove that she was, indeed, his lady.