Chapter 24: making up

Thankfully Adrien's room was still empty. He had forgotten to lock the doors, but a quick look around the room confirmed they were alone. Once he was confident in their privacy he grabbed one of his smaller shirts that he was probably too big for now and brought it over to Marinette. The stain of her shirt was a lot worse than he had originally thought. Dark red wine was obvious against the nice baby blue top, and he felt incredibly guilty for it. His own shirt had gotten away with only a couple spots, but it was hard to see since it was a dark navy blue sweater.

"I think this is the smallest one I own. Hopefully it fits a little," he said as she took the shirt. She smiled.

"Thanks. Um…"

"I-I'll turn around while you…do that," he told her. She nodded.

"I'll turn around too," she replied. It felt so awkward being in here alone with him, but she still wanted to be around him. He seemed a little different. A lot more thoughtful and considerate, in an almost annoying yet endearing way, and also nervous. Then again, she was incredibly nervous too. Adrien nodded and they both turned around.

"So uh…how have you been? We haven't talked in a while," he spoke.

"I'm fine…" she lied. "You?"

Adrien chuckled.

"I could definitely be better," he muttered. The sound of fabric hitting the floor caught his attention, and he glanced over his shoulder. He was only checking to see if she was done, but there was something that caught his eye.

"Still haven't gotten over me, or is it Ladybug you're still hung up on?" She asked. Her voice was neutral, but he could tell she was still upset. He tore away his eyes for a split second, but he instantly looked back. He was perplexed as to why the view of her back was so familiar.

"Uh…you," he answered simply and turned around to get a proper look.

She was untangling the teeshirt and pulling it down over her smooth skin. Before she could turn around she felt a hand on the back of her hip. She froze and tensed up as he lifted the back of her shirt and further looked at her back. The dimples and curves all looked so familiar and distinct. He couldn't ever recall seeing Marinette's back in this much detail.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" She asked. Instead of an answer she felt his finger trace down her spine and squeaked in surprise.

"T-that tickles!" She told him and tried to look at him over her shoulder. He crouched down on his knees and experimentally ran his hands over her hips and up her waist. She drew a shaker breath as his hands roamed over her body and eventually up to her chest. It was the exact way he touched her that night she was with him as Ladybug. The feeling drew a slight whimper from her lips.

"Adrien…" she sighed. He removed his hands from her body and stood up. She didn't want to, but eventually she had to turn around to face him. The moment her eyes connected with his she knew that he figured it out. He didn't look mad. He just looked…disappointed. They were silent for a moment before he sighed.

"I knew it," he said. She blinked.

"W-what?"

"I knew you were Ladybug. I just couldn't be sure," he reiterated. She looked away.

"That's impossible," she muttered. He lifted her chin to look at him.

"Why were you so upset?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I wanna know why you were so upset in the first place. I know that you're upset because you found out I'm Chat Noir in a rather unpleasant way, but I want to know why you were originally upset."

"It's stupid…I-I was sleep deprived and a mess."

"I don't care, Marinette. It's not stupid to me, and even if you were sleep deprived something upset you. So tell me what happened," he demanded. She sighed.

"It just…it felt like no matter how much you liked me you'd chose Ladybug. In the beginning you didn't even like me, a-and then all of the sudden you're crazy about me? I couldn't tell what you were feeling and thinking, a-and when you tried to explain it to me it didn't make any sense," she told him.

"It didn't make sense to me either. I liked both you and Ladybug and it was so confusing, but now it makes sense," he took her hand and held it.

"I fell for you twice without realizing it," he said with a smile. She shook her head.

"I-it felt like…I thought you were settling for Marinette because Ladybug wouldn't reveal her true identity," she confessed. Adrien furrowed his brows and shook his head.

"No way. That's not even close. I…I'm gonna be honest I didn't mean to call you my girlfriend," he said and chuckled a little. She laughed a bit herself.

"You told me," she reminded him.

"Right. It just kinda happened, but I still don't regret it. Marinette…I liked you a lot more than Ladybug actually. Which doesn't make sense because you are Ladybug, but before I even suspected that you were I fell so hard for you. I don't wanna say it was pathetic, but it honestly was so pathetic how quickly I fell in love with you," he spoke soft enough to make her heart swell. Pink flooded her cheeks as she stared up at him. He was in love with her still. After all of this? After that awful tantrum?

"How…how did it happen?" She asked shyly. He grinned.

"It was like dipping my toes in to test the water and then jumping in for a canon ball," he replied.

"How so?"

"I got curious about you. Why you ran away and why you were always stuttering. And then after you left one night as Ladybug I just got thinking about you and decided to visit you as Chat. That night…just having a normal conversation with you, and talking to you felt nice. Then I was trying to make you feel better and…I just wanted to kiss you," he murmured. They had subconsciously gotten closer, so close that Adrien could see every last freckle on her face, and Marinette could see every shift of his eyes.

"I'm guessing that had something to do with that time you accidentally made out with me," she teased with a smile. He laughed.

"Most definitely. If you kissed back I would've gone further," he admitted.

"Well it's a good thing I didn't because quite a few people were watching," she reminded him.

"All the more reason too," he hummed.

"Tell me more about how you fell in love with me," she urged and held both of his hands. He chuckled.

"Well, you know about the second time I visited you as Chat. I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I even told you as Ladybug about it. It was confusing at first as you know, but believe me when I say I had no intentions of eating you out that day," he told her. She giggled.

"Did you mean to feel me up that one time we should've been studying?" She questioned and tilted her head. He blushed, but his grin only widened.

"Not exactly…"

"Wait, did you?" She asked more seriously.

"I may have had thoughts about the fact that we would be alone in my room," he replied vaguely.

"No…you couldn't have planned that. You might be Chat Noir, but you're not that cunning."

"Are you so sure about that, Princess?" He purred.

"Yes. Positive."

"What makes you say so?"

"You were surprised when I told you about Chat eating me out," she said.

"All apart of the act," he lied. She rolled her eyes.

"I missed you," she sighed and wrapped her arms around him. He embraced her and leaned his head against hers.

"I missed you too," he murmured.

"I'm sorry I took so long to talk to you," she muffled against his sweater.

"Don't be. You needed time, and I would wait an eternity for you," he assured her and kissed the top of her head.

"Alya was trying to force me to talk you before you and Nino came over to invite us to the party. I didn't want to listen to her…but she was right," she mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"I was nervous to come tonight…but I'm glad I did," she confessed. He pulled back to look down at her.

"I am too. I never would've tried that nasty cake without you," he replied.

They both laughed and looked at each other. The silence between them was now comfortable compared to when Marinette first arrived. He delicately cupped her cheek and affectionately rubbed his thumb against her soft skin. It was a relief for him to see her beautiful blue eyes calm again and to feel her close to him once more. She bit her lip briefly and reached up to hold his face. Her fingers dipped in to his hair like it was liquid gold as she raised up on her tip-toes and simultaneously pulled him down for a kiss. The contact sent shivers down his spine, and he could feel the fireworks between them again. He smiled in to the kiss and tilted his head to continue it. She accepted his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss was slow, but their bodies quickly found each other. His lips were sweet yet heated, and that only made her want him more.

"I missed you so much," She sighed against hid bottom lip before returning to kiss him again.

He didn't need to speak to tell her that he missed her too. The tightness of his arms around her waist and the feeling on his body pressed so close to hers told her everything she needed to know. They barely noticed when Alya and Nino stumbled in to the room. The two reluctantly tore apart to look over at there drunk friends. Alya wore a big tipsy grin while Nino was probably one drink away from passing out. Marinette sighed.

"Yes! I knew it!"