So, this chapter completely ran away from me, but I'm pretty okay with that. There's a smidge of drama at the beginning, but then we quickly return to our regularly scheduled fluff.

Anyway, once again, thank you so so so much for all of the comments. You are all lovely.

I'm still cross-posting this on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog)

AO3: clslovegood47
_

I own nothing but the plot.

Marinette scrolled through her phone as she patiently waited for Adrien to return. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun doing something so simple. Granted, bring on a date with Adrien may have something to do with it.

Ever since they'd discovered each other's identities, hanging out with him had become her favorite thing. It didn't matter what they were doing. Just being in the same room as Adrien made her happy. He made her so blissfully happy, and she wanted nothing more than to bring him happiness, as well. As a result, she racked her brain for perfect second date ideas. He deserved nothing less.

She thought about the things her boyfriend liked to do. Marinette then remembered all the times Chat had asked Ladybug to go to the movies with him. The last movie outing they had didn't exactly work out...especially when Adrien's akumatized bodyguard punched a hole through the cinema's roof. Perhaps they could finally have the movie date he'd always wanted.

Marinette opened the movie app on her phone and began looking at the reviews and ratings of everything that was currently being shown in theatres. She became so engrossed in her research that she barely registered the shadowy presence pulling out the chair across from her and quietly taking a seat.

"Hey," she said not looking up from her phone, "so I was thinking that next time we could go to the movies. Maybe we'll be able to relax and have fun!" She finished her statement with a laugh.

"Oh, I would love to go to the movies with you," an unfamiliar voice answered.

Marinette froze.

That was not Adrien's voice.

Marinette looked up.

That was not Adrien.

Looking back at her was a foreign pair of dark brown eyes, a shock of black hair, and a devious smile. A blast of nervousness momentarily settled in her gut before turning into seething anger.

"Excuse me," she said with a saccharine voice dripping with annoyance, "but that seat is taken."

"I'm sorry, but when I saw you sitting by yourself all I could think was how someone as beautiful as you should be spending time with someone who can fully appreciate you," the boy responded with a smirk.

Marinette frowned. "As I said, this seat is taken. Besides, I already have someone who appreciates me. He is outside on the phone, and he's coming right back."

"Sorry, Princess," he chuckled, "but there is no one outside on the phone. It looks like whoever you were here with left you all alone."

Her anger grew. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in an attempt to restrain herself from punching the intruder. Only Chat was allowed to call her Princess, and this person was NOT her Chaton.

"Go away," she seethed.

The boy laughed, reached his hand across the table, and grabbed her wrist. "Come on. Let's have a little bit of fun."

Before Marinette was able to slam the boy's hand into the table, a familiar voice growled behind her, "I believe the lady asked you to go away."

Adrien removed other boy's hand from Marinette's wrist. He tenderly brought it close to him, bringing Marinette to her feet in the process.

He held her close and whispered in her ear, "Did he hurt you?"

"No," she spoke quietly, "but I wouldn't have been able to say the same for him if you hadn't shown up when you did."

Adrien's laugh came out as a relieved sigh. "Careful, Princess. Your Ladybug is showing."

She smiled at his nickname for her. Hearing it come from the right source made her heart skip a beat.

"Ugh," the boy grumbled, "really? This is who you're choosing? What could he possibly have that I don't?"

"Common sense. Manners. Human decency. I don't know…pick one because I'm sure as heck not picking you!" Marinette exclaimed with fire in her eyes.

Adrien wrapped a protective arm around her, and she leaned into his muscular form. He felt warm and safe. She wanted nothing more than to wrap herself up in his arms and stay there forever.

"Come on, Marinette. This piece of trash isn't worth our time. Let's go," Adrien declared loudly while guiding his date towards the cafe doors.

If either teen had cared to look back as they walked through the exit, they would have seen the boy angrily reaching for one of the forks on the table.

Once the pair was safely inside the car, Adrien scanned her body from head to toe. He lightly ran his hands over the wrist that had been in the other boy's grasp.

Marinette smiled. "What are you doing, silly kitty?"

"I'm making sure he didn't hurt you. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, Adrien. I'm fine. It's okay. Calm down," she reassured.

"No," he stated, "it's not okay when guys think they can just do what they want with girls, but I'm glad you're safe. I shouldn't have left you for so long. I'm sorry."

"Oh, minou. It's not your fault. Remember, I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but you shouldn't have to. We're partners. The idea of something happening to you makes me feel sick."

Then it struck her like a sixteen wheeler with brake failure barreling down the highway. She had become so accustomed to standing up for herself when she was Marinette that she didn't always let others help her when she needed it...especially when she was Ladybug. Sure, she let Adrien help her as Chat on more than one occasion, but not as much as she could. She always believed that she had to be the one to come up with the plan to save the city.

All day she had been telling him to stop putting himself in harm's way; however, she, too, put herself in dangerous situations sometimes. Of course, there were times when danger came to her (like today in the cafe), but she had to admit that it was easier when she had help.

Had she relied on Chat's help in the past? Yes, but not enough. She was too busy calling him out on his recklessness. He loved her, and he trusted her. He believed she would always bring him back. Perhaps it was time for her to show him the same level of trust in return.

Marinette groaned and put her head in her hands.

"Wait," Adrien looked panicked, "what's wrong? You told me you weren't hurt."

"No, kitty," Marinette's hands left her face and she looked up into his eyes, "I'm okay, but I'm thinking that I may have been a little unfair to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as scary as it is for me to see you jump in front of danger, I realized that it probably scares you just as much when you see me in trouble."

Adrien sighed, "Yes, it does."

"And sometimes I don't tell you what I'm going to do before I do it. I know that usually we can figure out what the other person is going to do, but not always," Marinette said with a saddened expression.

"I think I lost ten years off my life that one time you jumped into that dinosaur's mouth."

"Yes, I realize that now. I'm so used to doing things on my own that sometimes I forget to ask for help or to tell you exactly what my plan is. I know you trust me with your life."

"I do...one hundred percent."

"I've always trusted you to be there for me, but I think I need to start trusting more in the decisions you make during battle. We aren't always going to be able to tell each other what the other person is doing when we're fighting an Akuma, but I know that there are times when hard decisions need to be made in the heat of the moment."

"Thank you, my lady. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that."

"BUT...that still doesn't mean that you can throw yourself in harm's way...AND that doesn't mean that I will ever stop worrying about you."

"I hear you loud and clear," he took both her hands in his, "and just know that I won't stop worrying about you either."

He pulled her close and nuzzled his cheek on her hair. She melted into his touch. Sure Chat had always been there for Ladybug, but now she had Adrien by her side. Knowing that her kitty would fight beside her in and out of the mask filled her with unbridled joy. Adrien was the sunshine that lit up her world on the darkest days.

She knew that letting go and trusting him more would be an ongoing journey, but this was the perfect start. Soon, Hawkmoth and his Akumas wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Wait.

"Uh, oh," Marinette mumbled.

Adrien pulled away from her. "What?"

"How much do you want to bet that slimeball from the cafe is going to get Akumatized?" she asked with a grimace.

Adrien laughed. "Whatever. Even if he does, we could take him. Besides, I would not mind getting the chance to smack him in the face with my baton."

Marinette snorted, "Down, kitty."

"My lady, let's not get caught up in what could happen. I would like to get back to this date."

"There's more than just the cafe?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could go find Andre's ice cream cart."

"You sure you want to go on an ice cream adventure with me?" she teased.

Adrien pulled her back into his embrace. "Marinette, I want you and me to experience the world together. Today is only the beginning of our journey. So, it only makes sense that you and I should go run around Paris trying to find an ice cream cart."

After reviewing Andre's clues, the pair deduced that the ice cream cart was somewhere near the Trocadero. Adrien's car parked, and both teens bounded excitedly out of the vehicle.

They ran up a set of steps to get a better vantage point and spotted the cart in the distance. Adrien and Marinette laughed and ran all the way to Andre's.

Upon arriving, Adrien scooped her up into a hug that lifted her off the ground. He twirled her around, set her down, and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

He pulled away and whispered, "You're my everything."

Marinette squealed. "Seriously, you have to stop saying cute stuff like that in public!"

Adrien grinned, "And my answer will always be no."

She blushed as he moved his hand to her face. He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"Well, well, well," a happy, booming voice exclaimed behind them, "it looks like young Marinette and Adrien have finally found each other!"

"Yes, we have," Adrien beamed.

"Get over here you two!" Andre beckoned them with his hand, "Ahhh, it warms my heart to see young love."

Marinette slipped her arm into Adrien's, and they walked up to the cart. It was here that she realized that she fit perfectly into his hold.

"We are made for each other," she thought with a smile.

"Alright you two," Andre said thoughtfully, "Your eyes are the bearers of your souls, and yours are intertwined. I see the way you look at each other, and I can tell that your's is a rare form of love-it is everlasting. So, in honor of the beautiful love that I have seen today, I give you mint for his eyes and blueberry for hers."

Marinette and Adrien thanked Andre and took the ice cream together. They walked to a bench and sat so their shoulders were touching.

"Hey, we should take a selfie and put it on my Instagram page," Adrien remarked.

"Another one?" Marinette questioned.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I just thought…" he cut himself off before completing his statement.

"No, no!" Marinette waved her hands, "It's not that I don't, it's just that I didn't think you liked social media all that much. You once told me that you didn't like all of the attention."

"Well," he mumbled, "the attention isn't all on me anymore. If I can't keep you all to myself, I might as well show you off to the world. You're so beautiful and incredible, and I want everyone to know it."

Marinette could feel hot tears prickling the corners of her eyes. Adrien must have heard her sniffle because she found his arms wrapped around her within seconds of her reaction.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he said reassuringly, "Please don't cry. We don't have to take the picture. I thought it might be fun, but we can forget about it."

"No, it's just that…that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. You're going to make me cry," she said playfully swatting at his arm.

He squeezed her tighter. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too...so, so much. Let's take this picture!"

Adrien took out his phone. The couple pressed their faces together and held up the ice cream. He took the picture and opened his Instagram app.

"Wow," he said quietly.

"What is it?" Marinette questioned.

"I don't have notifications turned on for Instagram because if I did my phone would never stop buzzing, but our first picture has gotten a lot of feedback."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it already has a few thousand likes and there's a ton of comments."

"Like what?"

"I'll read a few of them to you."

Adrien scrolled through his phone while they ate their ice cream.

"Here's a cute one," he remarked, "It says, 'You two look perfect together #goals'."

"Well, they're not wrong. We do look pretty cute together," Marinette hummed while resting her chin on his shoulder.

"This one says, 'I think this is the happiest I've ever seen Adrien in a picture'."

"Awww…"

"It's true though. Being with you brings makes the darkness in my life disappear. This is the happiest I've felt in a long time. You complete me."

Marinette's heart soared. He was happy.

She kissed his cheek. "Oh, Adrien. Being with you is all I've wanted for so long. It's so wonderful, and I still can't believe it's not all a dream. You are my other half. Andre was right...this love is forever. I can't imagine loving anyone else but you."

He sighed and kissed the top of her head before continuing to scroll through the comments.

He grinned. "Most of these are pretty positive. People seem to like it. Oh, wow. Here's a really long thread."

"What does the top comment say?" she asked.

"It says, 'I just checked out the girl's Instagram profile, and it looks like she designs her own clothes. Wow, talk about a power couple!'. Marinette, there's like 500 replies on this comment."

"Hold on. Let me look at this on my phone."

Marinette opened the app on her device and immediately felt overwhelmed. She had hundreds of notifications.

She was in disbelief. "I have about 300 more followers than I did this morning. How did that happen?"

Adrien cringed. "Sorry, you're associated with me now. People are going to know who you are."

"It's fine. I'm used to it as Ladybug, but it's weird for regular me to have this kind of attention. It's kind of cool. People are commenting on the designs that I've posted on my page, and they seem to like them."

"Why wouldn't they like them? You're amazing, and as I said earlier, your designs are super creative."

"Thank you, Adrien."

"It's true," he stated plainly, "Anyway, let's get this posted."

The caption on the selfie read "The ice cream is not the sweetest thing in this picture. #shesthebest". Once again, he tagged Marinette before posting.

They put away their phones and peacefully finished their ice cream while enjoying the beauty of the Trocadero gardens. A soft summer breeze gently blew the foliage around them, and the leaves on the trees seemed to dance to the tune of their love. It was the perfect moment...until a loud crash and several screams sounded in the distance.

"Ugh," Marinette groaned, "See! I told you this would happen?"

"And we will take care of it together," Adrien said hugging her close, "Come on, my lady. Duty calls!"