Adriens driver pulled up outside a Botanical Garden, and Adrien was quick to hop out and run around to her door and open it before she could.

With a small blush, she accepted his outstretched hand and allowed him to help her out of the car.

"I won't need you for the rest of the day," He informed his driver. "I'll call you if I need you."

Giving a curt nod, his driver drove off as soon as they were clear of the car.

"Sorry about him. My father insisted," he admitted, slightly embarrassed.

Giving a light laugh, Marinette couldn't help but think how adorable he looked when he was embarrassed. Taking his hand and twinning Thier fingers, Marinette pulled him along beside her and started along the path to the entrance of the gardens.

"It's no big deal. Saved us some walking, right?"

He chuckled, relieved, and she felt his fingers squeeze hers slightly. "Right."

Never in her life had Marinette thought she would be holding hands with Adrien, embarking on Thier first date. Nothing against Adrien, but she would be lying if she didn't admit she had wondered what had changed for him. They had gone so long without him even noticing her crush on him.

Not that it would have changed anything. She still would have said yes. She would just like to know what she did different, so she could keep doing it! No matter how it happened, she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth!

"So," she began, "am I allowed to ask what the plan is for today??"

"We are going to peruse this beautiful garden, that's what," Adrien gave her a small smirk. "After that, is my secret." he finished with a wink.

Entering the garden under a beautiful lattice archway covered in gorgeous flowers in bloom, Marinette didn't care anymore about what else they would do today. She was too busy simply enjoying the beauty of the garden they were strolling through.

They walked for what seemed like hours. Through more pretty archway, past numerous statues and pretty little fountains. The whole way, Adrien never let go of her hand, and Marinette wasn't about to complain!

They were nearing a beautiful lattice gazebo covered in flowers when Adrien gently pulled her to a stop and turned to face her.

"So, I know it's only 11:30, but would you care for some lunch?"

Really? It had only been just over an hour? It had felt like so much longer.

"Sure," she agreed with a smile, "Lunch sounds good. Where are we headed to?"

With a smirk and flourish of his hands, he gestured towards the gazebo. "Right here, my Princess."

Marinette couldn't help it, she paused, startled by the nickname. It's not like she's the only person to ever have been called that. And Chat Noir isn't the only man who uses it. Looking into Adrien eyes, she saw nothing but amusement reflecting out, so she brushed it aside and played along.

"Why thank you, my generous Knight!" And with as much grace and poise as she could muster, she glided towards the gazebo, with Adrien following behind.

As she reached an entrance to the gazebo, she suddenly stoped and let out a gasp. Nestled underneath was a small iron bistro table with matching chairs, and a silver tea cart topped with plating for two, a silver carafe, and various plates topped with sandwiches and pastries.

Turning to Adrien, Marinette couldn't help the sparkle of tears threatening to fall.

"It's beautiful, Adrien." she whispered. And before she can second guess her actions, she gently cups one side of his face in her palm, and lightly kissed his other cheek.

A blush quickly bloomed on his cheeks. Marinette did not pull back immediately, but remained close, still cupping his cheek, and they gazed at each other for a few seconds.

Breaking the silence, Adrien whispered, "Anything for you."

Giving him one last gentle smile, she slowly slid her hand down his face, and he slightly turned into it, almost like he didn't want to lose the contact. But Marinette heart was fluttering so fast, her breathing shallow, she needed to regain some semblance of normal if she was to make it through the rest of this date!

Why had nobody warned her of how powerful this pull was?! Adrien needed to come with a warning label: Caution, Dating Adrien can cause heart palpitations and light headedness.

"So," she breaks the spell, "shouldn't my Knight pull out my chair for me?" she teased.

"As my Princess wishes!" he smirked and pulled out her chair with a flourish, and wipeed off pretend dust from the seat, before reaching a hand out to her.

As she placed her hand on his, he pulled her gently, and as she sat, he let go of her hand and gently push her chair in.

Then he walked to the tea cart, and started placing plates, cutlery and tea cups on the table.

"Tea?" he asked, holding up the carafe.

"Please."

He preceded to pour both of them tea, and pulled the cart closer so they could take from it without getting up, and they ate lunch in peaceful silence.

"So Adrien, tell me something I don't know about you." Marinette finally broke the silence after they had placed their dishes back onto the tray, and topped up their tea.

He gave a hum, and put a finger against his lips as if thinking.

"I'm not sure what you want to know." he gave a nervous laugh. "I'm kind of an open book, being a public figure and all."

Giving him a pitying look, Marinette scoffed, " please Adrien. You of all people should know not to believe everything you read in magazines."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Adrien gave a nervous laugh." Ya. "

" So? "

" Well, um, I guess the biggest thing would be, I hate modelling." He slowly raised his eyes up from the table to look at her reaction, to be greeted with an indulgent smile.

" Ya, I kind of figured. But it's different to have you say it." She admitted. "So then what do you want to do?"

"Well..." and he gave another nervous laugh, "I actually don't know."

It was adorable how embarrassed he was by just admitting those two things, though he really shouldn't be. There was no shame in not knowing. Especially when your father didn't give you a choice. And she had no qualms about telling him so.

" Don't worry about that part so much. When your not allowed to be yourself, it's not a surprise when you don't really know who you are." Marinette reached a hand across the table and laid it on top of his that was resting on the table. "That is nothing to be ashamed of."

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

He glanced down at her hand resting on top of his, and slowly relaxed the shoulders he hadn't realized had tensed up. Looking back up into her shimmering blue eyes, Adrien thought, not for the first time today, how easy it was to get lost in those blue depths. How was it that she could understand him so well?? How had he not noticed how perceptive she was?

"OK, my turn." he says, trying to shake off the heavy mood. Turning his hand over, he lightly clasped her hand in his. "Tell me one thing you normally would NOT want to tell me."

He noticed her eyes go big for a few seconds, and he couldn't help but give a very 'Chat Noir' smirk. Eventually, her eyes took on a contemplative expression instead. Are there really that many that she has to think which one to tell him?!

"Well," she begins in a low drawl, "I once stole your phone. Out of your locker. During your fencing practice. And slid it back into your bag the next day at school. And I, maybe, let you think that it had been in there the whole time instead of admitting I took it." Marinette had paused between each sentence, almost as if she wasn't sure she should keep going. And in the end, finished in a rush, so that he had to strain to make out when one word ended and the other began.

He couldnt help the startled look on his face. It was certainly NOT what he had been expecting.

After a few seconds on him saying nothing, Marinette tried to slide her hand out of his, embarrassed, but he just tightened his hand around hers, refusing to let go until he processed everything.

When??

How??

"The day the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue was revealed." he finally spoke. "That was you?!"

Coughing nervously, a blush appeared across her cheeks and she squeaked a "Yup."

And then Adrien burst out laughing. He had to let go of her hand as he doubled over with it! God, this woman was going to steal his heart at this rate!

After a few seconds, Marinette chuckled a bit herself.

"Wh- why?" he stammered out between fits of laughter.

"Well, I may have left an embarrassing message on your phone, calling you hot stuff, and I may have been so mortified, that I had to erase it before you heard it!" she admitted.

His laughter finally started to Peter out, and he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye." God Mari!" he exclaimed suddenly." That's some next level spy stuff, if ever I've heard it!! "

He shifted his chair closer to Marinette, so that he wasn't across from her anymore, and he picked her hand back up, cradling it in both of his.

"That is the awesomest thing anyone has ever told me!"

No longer seeming embarrassed by her confession, Marinette laughed a little.

"Please." she scoffed. "With how big my crush was on you back then, I have hundreds of stories just like that!"

Adrien stills for a couple seconds, before asking, "You had a crush on me?"

"Well, duh," Marinette threw a pitting look his way. "Wasn't it obvious? Everyone else in our class knew. I just thought you were being nice by not acknowledging it."

He vehemently shook his head. "No, I wouldn't do that! I really didn't know!"

Gosh, he must have looked like an idiot!

"I'm so sorry Mari!"

"Pfft," she scolded, waving her hand in front of her face, brushing off his apology. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Even if you had known, it wouldn't have been your fault. I was too much of a coward to say anything! You made me so tongue tied, I couldn't even string two words together properly when I was around you!"

He was stunned! THAT was why she had always acted that way?! He never could figure out why she had acted that way. Especially since it slowly disappeared. His best guess, at the time, had been she was intimidated by his celebrity status, but even that hadn't fully sat right with him.

"I never even realized!" he finally admitted.

"Well, it's no big deal now!" she exclaimed. "We're past it! So, moving on, I believe it's my turn!"

"Indeed, Princess," he agreed smoothly, intentionally using his nickname for her so she knew the information didn't change anything for him. He had froze for a split second when he had let it slip earlier, but when she had had no reaction to it, he let it go. Chat Noir wasn't the only one who could use it. And at the time, she really had reminded him of a princess.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but, if you didn't know I had a crush on you before, what made you notice me now?"

He could tell she was a bit apprehensive about having even asked it. But he was going to be completely honest with her.

"When I first started going to school, I had a crush on this totally amazing girl I had met the day before. She was brave and selfless and kind, and jeez, i could talk about her all day!" he gushed. "But she didn't like me that way. I pined for over two years for her. And finally one day, it sank in: what am I doing?? It's counterproductive to like and hope for someone, who has maintained all along, that she doesn't see you that way. So one day, I said, enough is enough, and I made a conscious effort to stop."

He gazed off into the distance, remembering how sad he had been that day.

"When I met her, she literally knocked me to the ground. And later that day, I just knew. So when I decided to stop pining, I thought, if it happened like that once, it would happen again. I wasn't going to go searching, or date a million girls to find Mrs Right."

Pausing, he rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed to admit this next part.

" Then, when I saw you at school the other day, - the day I asked you out- I just got out of the car, saw you, and BAM. There you were. I was struck speechless. It was exactly how I had felt before, and I just knew."

Bashfully, he looked away for a few seconds, then glanced at her from the corner of his eye to guage her reactions thus far. She seemed to be taking it pretty well. So he continued.

" It's not like I hadn't noticed before how pretty you are, or how kind and generous you are. Because I did. It just hit me suddenly in a new way." he finished, and turned to look at her fully. "Does that make sense?"

"Absolutely," she assured him quickly. "I absolutely know the feeling your talking about. I've, uh, ahem, felt it too." And she looked away quickly.

"Really?" He looked at her, trying to see... Anything, really. When had she felt that? With who? Jealousy coursed unbidden through him, and he was shocked by how strong it was. "Can I ask with who?" he hesitantly asked.

She turned back to look at him, and stared straight into his eyes as she said, "When you handed me your umbrella."

And there went his heart.

Yup, he thought, definately a goner.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Marinette wasn't sure where she had found the courage to confess that she had felt that way for Adrien since the beginning, but she was glad she had. No matter how long it had taken them to get here, it was worth it. Because she might have had a crush on the boy he used to be, but she was in love with the man he had become. All those qualities that made him stand out in the beginning, just became more pronounced with time.

It was 2pm before they left the Botanical Garden, and from there the pair walked leisurely along the Siene, Adrien taking ahold of her hand, with a destination in mind that only Adrien knew.

They continued to volley questions back and forth, and Marinette made a point to be as honest as possible, even if it was involving Adrien and super embarrassing! It made her heart stutter every time she admitted something she thought would send him packing, and instead he just laughed and said he was sorry he hadn't noticed!

Gosh how he was making this so easy for her! She didn't ask much about his first crush, and he didn't offer any more information on her, but as far as Marinette was concerned, what came before didn't matter. He liked her NOW, and that was all that mattered. Eventually, she'd muster up the courage to ask what would happen if that mystery girl suddenly wanted him, but for right now, she'd enjoy the moment, since it had been her dream for the last 4 years.

As Marinette started to wonder how much longer they would walk,- not to say it wasn't enjoyable, but she was curious- a small building next to a dock came into view. As they get a little closer, she noticed boats hooked up to the dock.

Conversation between the teens petered out as they drew closer to the dock, and Marinette started to get giddy. She suddenly started bouncing on the balls of her feet, turned to him, and grabbed onto his arm tightly.

"Are we going out on a boat?! Please tell me we are going out on a boat? I've always wanted to go on a boat ride!" she asked excitedly.

Adrien laughed, and patted one of her hands that was currently squeezing his arm.

"I have a boat rented for this afternoon, I hope you don't mind." he says cheekily.

"Eeeeee..." She squeels excitedly, lightly shaking his arm and continued to bounce up and down.

"Gee Mari, I can't tell if your excited or not," he teased.

She slapped his arm playfully, "Oh, shut up, you dork! I can't believe we're still standing here! Let's go!!"

And she preceded to pull/drag Adrien, who couldn't stop laughing, all the way to the boat rental building.

Entering the building, Adrien spoke to the clerk. "I had a rental for Agreste."

The older gentleman behind the desk clicked a few buttons on his keyboard and squinted at the screen for a minute, before looking at the teens with a smile. "Yes, everything is ready for you Mr. Agreste. Mike will meet you at the dock with your boat."

We both thanked the man and headed back out the door and towards the dock, where another older man was rowing a larger, fancier boat than normal, towards the dock.

It was certainly not your standard row boat. Mike, the guy manning the boat, sat in a seat towards the back, and the whole front was open and lined with some kind of carpet. Instead of a bench, there were throw pillows along the edge to make a little nest, and a small basket covered with a red cloth.

Marinette stared in stunned glee, and let out a little eep of joy!

"Mr. Agrest," Mike greeted them, "I'm Mike, and I'll be manning your boat ride today." he spoke jovially.

"It's great to meet you, and thank you." Adrien responded.

Mike held out a hand and helped each of them into the boat, and waited as we both got ourselves situated against the throw pillows. Adrien looked over at Mike and nodded that they were ready, and the boat slowly started gliding through the water.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just sitting side by side, before Adrien reached over to take my hand in his again. Oh, how she loved just holding his hand! She looked into his eyes, her own shimmering with excitement.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly. It had always been a dream date of hers to take a boat ride on the Siene with Adrien. Admittedly, in her dream date, it was just the two of them, but this was better. Even though she felt the need to keep quiet, mindful of Mike.

He smiled gently at her. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted everything to be purrfect for you."

Wide eyed, Marinette just stared at him. Did he really just... And then she burst out laughing.

"You did not just pun at me." she said between her giggles.

"I'll tell you a secret," he leans over to whisper into her ear, "I can't resissst puns."

Marinette pulled back to see the smile on his face and scoffed. "So why cat puns, of all things?"

The smile dimmed on his face just a bit.

"Well, I've always wanted one. But father won't allow it. So I take my pleasure where I can get it." he admitted sheepishly.

Hearing his confession, Marinettes heart melted for him. She knew how it was to not be allowed a pet, but that was because they lived above a bakery, not because her parents simply refused.

"I'm so sorry, " she began, only for him to cut her off.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm used to it. I didn't. Mean to drag the mood down." he spoke quickly.

Not wanting to upset him, Marinette decided to let it go. For now. And instead scooted a little closer and leaned her head against his shoulder. She felt him tense up for a second before finally relaxing and resting his head on hers. She hoped it was just from surprise, not that he didn't want her to act this way.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxxoxxoxoxoxoxoxo

Adrien felt like he had died and gone to heaven. It was everything he had ever wanted to happen with Ladybug. He felt a small twinge, thinking about her at a time like this, but it wasn't like he was wishing it was Ladybug instead of Marinette. He could take a moment to mourn the missed opportunity.

And done.

He refused to mourn too long for something that had never even taken off. And it had been his fault. Ladybug had said from the get-go that she didn't like him like that. He was the one who had pined for her.

Marinette reminded him alot of his Lady, actually. Everyone had a type.

"So, I shared my pet cat story. I believe it's your turn." he prodded gently.

Marinette hummed quietly and tapped her lower lip gently. "Well," she began, "there was this one time, the girls from class and I planned Operation Secret Garden."

He gave her a quizzical look, and then lifted a brow. "With how cryptic your being, I'm almost afraid to ask what that means." he admitted.

Clearing her throat, she sheepishly looked away.

"Well, this one time, you were having a photo shoot, and we made this plan to get buttercup away from the nanny so I could ask him out. It was a very elaborate plan. Everyone had flower code names. Juleka was to flag down Officer Roger with a fake sign that the nanny was illegally parked. Then, as buttercup was heading to his car, I'd be there with a carriage and offer him a ride home with me on it." she laughed a little, remembering.

"It didn't go as planned. The fake sign got stuck. Rose deployed the carriage too early. The nanny came back too early. And then there was an akuma. And then, when I decided to scrap the whole plan and just ask buttercup out, I fudged and said I'd take a coleslaw home instead of riding home in his car with him." she tilted her head up to the sky, a slightly peeved expression on her face.

" That seems like... Quite the plan. " he stated cautiously. It seemed like alot of work just to ask a guy out. When in the end, apparently, she hadn't succeeded.

Wait, why did some of that sound so familiar?!

"Coleslaw?" he wondered aloud.

"Yup," she confirmed with a nod and a blush. "You were buttercup."

Adrien burst out laughing. Gosh this girl! Perhaps he should have been feeling different, but all he could feel was flatterened and auxhilerated that someone had liked him enough to go through all that planning. And another part wanted to slap himself silly for not noticing.

"Oh my God Marinette! That's what that was all about?! I'm so sorry i didn't notice!"

"No no," she quickly assured him, " you weren't meant to notice the plan itself!" she chuckled a but. "I've mostly gotten over how embarrassing I was back then." she glanced at him, and was startled by his intent stare.

"I really admire how you can talk about it so calmly." he spoke, somewhat seriously. He really hoped he didn't say the wrong thing here. He didn't want her to think he thought it was Wierd or anything.

He lifted a hand and gently caressed her one cheek. His gaze kept gravitating towards her lips, and he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Would it be too soon? Would she be upset if he did?

Without thinking, he slowly started leaning towards her. She must have noticed, because a small blush bloomed on her cheeks, and her gorgeous eyes widened ever so slightly.

Making up his mind, he slid his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, and pulled her towards him, and connected his lips gently with hers.

She remained stiff for a couple seconds, before slowly closing her eyes and allowing his lips to keep moving over hers, moving hers to match.

After a few more seconds, he slowly pulled back, and rested his forehead against hers. He noticed how they were both slightly out of breath. Not because it had been a long kiss, but more from how the person next to them made thier heart flutter madly.

Adrien couldn't believe how mind-blowing kissing Marinette was. Who knew that seemingly shy Marinette had such suple lips. He couldn't wait to kiss them again.

And so he did.

Once. Twice. A third time.

Every time, keeping his lips connected with hers for longer and longer. He couldnt seem to get enough of her.

Xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Marinette was in heaven.

She had always dreamt how amazing it would be to kiss Adrien, but it was nothing compared to reality. She never wanted to stop!

Of course, she knew she had to. They had an audience, for one. And next, there was a time limit on their boat ride!

Four. Five. Six.

Before she could give in and kiss him a seventh time, and before he could swoop in, she gently placed a finger over his lips.

She was slightly breathless, as was he, and it was comforting to know he was as affected as her.

"If we don't stop now, I fear i won't ever want to," she admitted breathily.

He closed his eyes and let out a groan. "Your right, of course, purrincess."

Opening his eyes again, he slid his hand from the back of her head to around her shoulders, and pulled her into him. She rested her head on his shoulder and accepted the embrace. Releasing a sigh, she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment.

" I brought snacks," he finally broke the silence. "I almost forgot about them."

Laughing lightly, Marinette reached behind her and grabbed the handle of the basket and set it between them, all without moving away from Adrien.

"So what did you pack for us?" she asked.

With a flourish, he lifted the cloth to reveal a couple bottles of water, some macaroons and cookies.

"I stopped by your parents bakery earlier," he answered her unspoken question.

From then on, they chatted more and ate the snacks Adrien had packed. And as their boat rental time was about to run out, Mike announced they were pulling up to the dock.

They both thanked him, and set off walking back the way they had come down the Siene.

They kept chatting, and laughing as they walked.

It was wonderful how easy they were together. Maybe it was how honest Marinette had been about her crush on him right from the get go. Or just that they had been friends for 4 years before this.

She wasn't going to overthink it too much, which was an everyday thing for her, over analysing everything to death. But she was not going to do that here!

Well, maybe later. At home. When she was alone.

But just a little!

At a lul in the conversation, Marinette took a moment to enjoy the way Adriens arm had moved to around her shoulders instead of just holding her hand. And how thier steps had slowed to be much more leisurely.

Gazing at where they had ended up, Marinette noticed they were coming up to a bridge right across from the Eiffle Tower. It wasn't too far from her house, so she wondered if he was walking her home. While he had a said she would be home by 10, perhaps everything they had done had taken less time than he had thought?

Should she ask him? Was he about to tell her?

Gosh, the suspense was killing her!!

Feeling bold, and unable to resist, as casually as possible, she asked, "So, where are we heading now?"

He pulled away a little and glanced down at her- when had he gotten so tall?! - with a grin.

"It's a surprise."

Marinette gave a playful harumph and pouted.

"I hate surprises."

"No you don't," he argued.

"Fine, I don't. A little mystery is good for the soul. Or however that saying goes." he chuckled at that. "But too much can cause anxiety."

He pursed his lips, as if contemplating her statement. Then, "Ill grant you, it is a possibility," he conceded.

"So, to spare you any possible anxiety, I'll tell you. We are headed to the Eiffle Tower for supper."

She let out a small breathe of relief that he wasn't taking her home. She wasn't ready for this date to end!!

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Adrien heard Marinettes sigh, and puzzled over it. Had she thought thier date was over? Did she want it to be over? He had said around 10, and he meant to use up every last second that he had with her!

He watched her happy glee as they headed towards the Eiffle Tower, and could only assume that meant she was happy it wasn't ending.

He sure hoped so, anyway. He thought it had been going great. He had thought she was having as good a time as he had. He didn't want to be wrong.

Thankfully, every indication was that she was.

Once they reached the restaurant at the Eiffle Tower, they were seated, and enjoyed a wonderful meal. They had no shortage of topics of conversation. Everything from how school was going, to their favorite desserts and foods, to Alya and Nino.

Adrien felt so blissfully happy with Marinette, it was unbelievable. They spent hours at the restaurant, not even noticing the time until Marinettes phone beeped in her purse.

Her mother messaging her that they were heading to bed and wanting to make sure she had remembered her key to get in. And reminding her that, if she was having fun, not to worry about the 10pm time that was first stated.

With a winky face.

Adrien just grinned, while Marinette moaned about being totally embarrassed.

It was a good thing her mother had said not to worry about the time, since she had sent her the message at 9:52.

After receiving that message, they left the restaurant and, with Adriens arm once more wrapped around Marinettes shoulders, started to meander a roundabout path towards the bakery. This path took them to the park right next to the bakery, and they marvelled at the stars in the sky and the fairy lights strung between the trees in the park.

Drawing up alongside the carousel in the park, Adrien gently guided Mari towards the carriage seats, unwilling to let it end.

Marinette smiled gently, and followed her date, sitting next to him. The seat was so narrow, their thighs touched, and Adrien kept his arm around her shoulders. To be comfortable. Or that's what he would tell anyone who called him on it.

Not that there was anyone around. They were completely alone in the park.

Gazing down at the woman under his arm, Adrien watched how the moonlight and the fairy lights made her hair shimmer and her eyes seem to twinkle. Slowly, they started to lean into each other, and in seconds, his lips were on hers.

He marvelled at the lushness of her lips, and how they fit perfectly against his. Running his free hand up her arm, he brought it to cup the back of her head, not wanting the moment to end. Nothing short of an akuma attack could have pulled him away from Mari at that moment.

Which made him, briefly, Thank the God's that there hadn't been one to interrupt their date.

Marinette pulled away from him lips, and they both lightly gasped for breath.

Resting his forehead against hers, he moved his arm down so he was hugging her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Closing his eyes, he whispered, "I don't want to take you home."

Giggling, she responded, "And I don't want to go home yet."

Shifting so as to be more comfortable, Adrien better settled his arms around her, and she moved her head to rest on his chest, and they just sat there, enjoying the night and it's sounds, well past midnight.