Hello, all! I wanted to say thank you so so much for all of your lovely reviews, as well as for favoriting/following my story! Your support makes me so happy. Also, to let you know, tomorrow I will be uploading the last chapter that I have up on tumblr and AO3 right now, so after that I will update here at the same rate as everywhere else, which has been about once a week unless work and school get really hectic. I hope you guys will keep reading and keep letting me know what you think! Enjoy :)

As Adrien pulled himself up over the edge of the pool to get out, Marinette took a moment to sneakily admire his assets. She enjoyed watching the muscles in his back flex as he moved, and practically drooled when he twisted and revealed his visible—but not scarily defined—abs. She was still staring at his physique when he turned towards her with that angelic smile, holding out a hand to help her get out of the pool. Blushing, she accepted the assistance, using her other hand to push against the deck and bring herself over the side.

As he helped her to stand, Marinette opened her mouth to thank her crush. Before she could get the words out, she somehow managed to catch one foot on the other, effectively tripping herself. She squealed as she catapulted forward, her hand slipping from Adrien's in an attempt to catch herself, or at least brace for the inevitable impact.

She slammed face-first into something hard and warm, Adrien's voice rumbling out of it to say, "I've got you."

I am touching Adrien Agreste's bare chest. Marinette almost couldn't comprehend the idea. My face is touching his bare chest holy crap. Be cool, Mari.

Lick it, Libido suggested.

Yeah, good idea. Marinette's tongue was poking out from between her lips by the time she realized, Wait, BAD IDEA! Libido, are you trying to make him hate me?

Hey, I just call it like I see it.

From above came the sound of a throat clearing. Cheek brushing against Adrien's soft skin, Marinette slowly craned her neck to look up at the boy whose chest she was currently considering molesting. He wore a slight blush and a bemused grin, eyes scanning her face and lingering on her still visible tongue.

Marinette pulled the offending tip back inside her mouth as she slowly pushed away from the boy. Okay, just act natural. He has no idea what you were thinking, just play it cool.

"I, uh, boy am I thirsty!" Marinette said as casually as possible in a desperate attempt to change the subject and distract everyone from her blush.

Lucky for her, Adrien cared very much about being a good host for his friends, so her obvious distraction worked. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't think to offer you guys anything. This is really my first time having people over, so I forgot. Sorry, you must be really thirsty, Marinette."

You have no idea, the girl thought to herself. Aloud, she reassured Adrien. "It's okay, don't worry about it."

"I'll go ask someone to bring us some snacks. Be right back." Adrien walked over to the changing rooms and began speaking into an intercom on the wall.

While he was distracted, Alya decided it was time for a quick pep talk. She leaned over and smacked Marinette on the butt. "Thirstier than a man lost in a desert. Go get 'im, tiger."

Marinette squealed in surprise, jumping away and rubbing her assaulted behind. "Alya!"

The bespectacled girl didn't get a chance to respond because Adrien returned just then. "I asked them to bring us some fruit and juice since we don't really keep sweets around. I hope that's okay." After everyone voiced their assent, Adrien smiled. "Great. Why don't we head to the hot tub, like Nino suggested?"

The group strolled casually across the deck, all stopping to gather around the in ground hot tub. Though smaller than the lap pool, it looked to be able to fit the four teens as well as a few more of their classmates.

Alya was the first to slip in, testing the temperature with her foot before quickly descending the stairs and sliding down into the water with a purr. She took a seat on the bench across from the stairs and Nino was quick to follow suit, taking a spot right next to his girlfriend.

"Here, let me turn the jets on." Adrien headed to a nearby panel on the wall and pressed a button, causing the water to begin to bubble and churn around the two bodies already in the pool.

The boy returned to the stairs, where Marinette was still standing. He gestured towards the water. "After you."

Hesitantly, Marinette tip toed onto the first step. As the heat of the water seeped through her to her very core, she sighed, hurriedly stumbling down the remaining steps and collapsing into the water with a low moan. She sunk down on the bench adjacent to Alya until only the top half of her face was visible, enjoying the soothing jets that were massaging her back.

"Comfortable, huh?" Adrien asked as he sank down beside her, his knee gently brushing hers under the water.

Marinette jolted slightly at the contact, wondering why Adrien had chosen to sit so close to her when the tub clearly had enough room for everyone to spread out. Then again, she supposed, I guess it's the only way that we'll all be close enough to talk. That's probably all it is. She batted Irrational Hope out of her mind, zoning back into the continuing conversation.

"Extremely comfortable." Alya rested her head on Nino's shoulder with a sigh. "I'm never moving again."

"Not even for some snacks?" Adrien grinned as he hopped back out of the tub to go meet the man who had just entered the pool area with a tray of food. He accepted the tray, thanking the man before carrying it carefully to his friends. Standing on the deck, he stooped to pass out the drinks, which his friends gratefully accepted. He handed out small bowls of fruit before setting the tray on a nearby table and making his way back into his seat.

It was quiet for a moment as everyone began munching on their snacks. Nino, having practically inhaled his portion, was the first to break the silence. "Okay, kids, it's time for everyone's favorite game!"

Marinette replied dryly, "Nino, we can't play Ultimate Mecha Strike in the water, it's too dangerous. We could get electrocuted."

Nino reached across Alya to playfully smack Marinette on an exposed shoulder. "Of course, that wasn't what I meant. I was suggesting we play FMK."

Adrien broke into the conversation. "Uh, what's FMK?"

"Innocent child," Alya murmured with a shake of her head.

"It's okay, bro, we'll teach you how to be a real teen." Adrien stayed silent, finding he couldn't argue with Nino's assessment that he wasn't a real teenager, which encouraged the bespectacled boy to continue his lesson. "So FMK stands for Fuck, Marry, Kill. Basically, someone lists three people and you have to tell who you would fuck, who you'd marry, and who you'd kill."

"Exactly." Alya gestured to the girl next to her with a nod. "Marinette will go first, to demonstrate."

Shaken out of her warm bubble-induced stupor by the sound of her name, Marinette cocked a brow. "I will?"

"Yup." Alya wore a face that told Marinette she had no choice. "Now, let's see. What would you do with Mayor Bourgeois, Mylene's father, and Ladybug?"

"Fuck Ladybug, marry Mr. Haprèle, and kill the Mayor."

"Why, Marinette, I had no idea you swung that way." Nino sent a suggestive wink to the group.

Adrien didn't notice his best friend's actions because there was a bigger distraction lurking just beneath the surface for him. He had to acknowledge that he was slightly turned on by Marinette's admission, a fact that was not lessened by Libido's gentle whisperings about what a nice picture tangled pink and red clad legs would make. He took a swig of his cold juice, hoping it would distract him from his heated thoughts.

Meanwhile, Marinette was having an internal crisis of her own. I mean, it's not like I can come out and say, "Well, I do something very similar on a fairly regular basis," she reasoned. In response to Nino's question, she began, "Okay, but let's be honest-"

"Don't you mean 'lesbi-honest'?" Alya replied with a waggle of her brows.

Marinette struggled to continue her sentence as though she hadn't heard the comment or Nino's subsequent laughter. "Ladybug is the hottest option, no contest. Mr. Haprèle is a nice guy; I know he'd take good care of me so I'd marry him. The mayor should be self explanatory."

"Very good. Nothing to be ashamed of, everyone here wants to bed Ladybug anyways." Alya winked at Marinette who attempted to keep a straight face as the double implication of Adrien wanting after her alter-ego and Alya wanting her the same way hit her in the gut. She decided to put it out of her mind for the moment and continue the game.

"Alright, Nino," Marinette challenged. "How about Lady Wifi, Nathaniel, and Max?"

The boy hardly paused. "Fuck Lady Wifi, marry Nath, kill Max."

"Really?" Adrien was slightly surprised at his choices. "Of the three options, you'd go to bed with the only evil one?"

"Dude, Lady Wifi was smokin'." Nino squeezed Alya's shoulder with a grin. "Besides, Nath is really nice, he'd make a good husband. I like Max, but he's not my type so he has to go."

As the other teens murmured in agreement, Nino squeezed his girlfriend's shoulder again. "Your turn, babe."

"Hit me."

"Let's go with a toughie. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and myself."

Alya didn't hesitate at all. "Fuck them all, marry Nino." She pressed a kiss to his cheek as he burst out in laughter.

"Isn't that against the rules?" Marinette objected.

The boy considered the question for a moment, before announcing, "Judge Nino will allow it," and receiving another kiss from his girlfriend.

After breaking away from the kiss, Alya turned to the blonde on the adjacent bench. "Okay, time to go Adrien. What would you do with me, Nino, and Mari?"

As Marinette slowly sank into the water, the boy appeared to consider the question very seriously. "Well, obviously, I'd marry Nino." He paused to accept a brofist from his friend before announcing the rest of his choices, looking just the slightest bit nervous. "I, uh, I'd f- have sex with Marinette and kill Alya."

"I want a divorce," Nino declared. "You killed my side ho!"

"It's okay, babe, I'm fine with it." Alya placed a soothing hand on her boyfriend's arm, glancing sideways to shoot a wink at Marinette.

Boy, am I glad that my face is already red from the hot tub, Marinette reflected, though she was unable to hide a small grin at Adrien's decision.

The teens played a few more rounds of the game before Adrien begged mercy. "I'm a little overheated, I think I'm going to get out. Do you guys want to keep swimming, or should we change and go to my room?"

As a collective, the rest of the group decided that they were done with the pool for the day and began to climb out of the hot tub. Adrien produced towels from a nearby cabinet, and the teens wrapped themselves in the luxurious sheets. Marinette giggled at how red she and Adrien were compared to their darker skinned friends as she waddled over to the changing room door. Holding it open for Alya, she followed her friend inside and headed for the locker she had stowed her stuff in.

It was quiet for a moment as the girls began disrobing, but, with an inquisitive reporter in the room, quiet never lasts.

"So," Alya began, drawing out the word much longer than necessary. "What the hell happened to the old Marinette?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well—and this isn't a bad thing—you've been so much more outgoing around Adrien today. I mean, you've totally been flirting with him all day, and I'm so proud of you, but what changed? It's like you smacked the old Marinette with a shovel and wore a spicy little black number to her funeral, not even bothering to fake tears."

Marinette shrugged as she took out her hair ties and ran her fingers through the soft waves that fell down to kiss her neck. She stalled for time, grabbing a towel to dry her hair a bit more as she tried to figure out how to explain it.

"I guess it's because being around him so much is different than I'd thought it would be." The look on Alya's face told her she needed to elaborate, so she continued to think aloud. "He's really nice, which I already knew, but he doesn't seem to be bothered that I act a little weird sometimes, and he's actually kind of dorky, which makes him less intimidating."

"Honey, I could've told you that," Alya interjected. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I have."

Marinette, who was standing on one leg to put her leggings back on, almost lost her balance as she laughed. "Probably, but it helps more to see it for myself I think. I don't know, I guess the biggest thing is that I feel like he's almost…flirting back at me?" She rushed, "But I don't know, maybe I'm imagining it because I like him so much."

Alya was silent for a moment, considering what her friend had said. As she tugged the brush from Marinette's bag and began taming her mane with it, she proposed her views. "Now, obviously I can't read minds, so don't take my opinion to be absolute, but I do think he's been more friendly with you than normal. I mean, comparatively, Adrien probably knows me better because I wasn't always a spaz around him," she joked, poking Marinette in the side with the hairbrush. "But even so, he's been acting much more familiar with you than me since the party-favor incident. So in my completely inexpert opinion, I would say that he is flirting back at you, he just might not realize it yet."

Marinette tried to control the flutter in her stomach at Alya's words. She knew her friend was right and that only Adrien could really know what he was feeling, but she couldn't squash her hope now that she knew her best friend—who, despite what she said, was actually pretty good at reading boys—shared her opinion.

Alya's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Now that we've covered that, we need to do something about your hair. You've got those weird bumps and waves from the buns, and I'm sure you want to look your best in front of your beau." She dragged a chair over from the corner of the room. "Sit."

"Alya, it's not so urgent that you can't put your shirt on, you know."

"Shush, girl, ain't nothing you haven't seen before."

Marinette couldn't argue with that, so she sat in silence as Alya tugged at her hair for the next few minutes. Just as she was handing her friend a second hair tie, there was a knock on the changing room door.

Nino's voice rang out from the other side. "You girls almost ready?"

With a snap of elastic and a satisfied grunt, Alya shouted back, "Geez, lemme put a shirt on!" Tittering, she patted Marinette on the shoulder before heading back towards her bag to do just that.

Marinette reached up to gently feel her hair, noting that Alya had chosen to go with pigtailed French braids in an interesting twist on her usual style that would surely hide her hair's odd lumps and bumps. Satisfied, she grabbed the plastic bag that had been provided in her borrowed locker and shoved her bathing suit inside of it. As she zipped it inside of her overnight bag, she saw that Alya had finished and was waiting by the door. She walked over to meet her and they stepped out into the pool area once again.

The group migrated to Adrien's room with no real plan for entertainment in mind, all simply unwilling to let such a fun day end so early. When they arrived, Adrien dashed ahead of the rest to discretely brush a small, black cat off of his desk and into a nearby trash can. Following him in, everyone clustered together on Adrien's large couch, debating how they should spend their time. After a few moments of deliberation, Marinette and Adrien managed to convince their friends to finally play a few rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike III.

The next hour passed in a flash as the four teens battled it out against each other. As Marinette was once again named reigning champion, Alya tossed down her controller and stretched her arms up, popping her back satisfyingly.

"Well, kids, I think it's time for Nino and I to depart." She stood up from the couch, grabbing her boyfriend's hand and tugging him up as a devious glint appeared in her eyes. "Adrien, you should walk Marinette home. I'm worried she'll slip on the ice, you know how she is."

Marinette hadn't had time to stammer out a protest—not that anything Alya had said was particularly false or unwanted, it was the principle of the thing—when the ever-chivalrous Adrien replied. "Of course, I'll make sure she gets home safe, don't worry about it."

With that reassurance, Alya and Nino departed suspiciously quickly. They dashed out of the room with hardly a wave, whispering and winking at each other the whole way. Adrien and Marinette watched them go in bemused silence.

"Well…" Adrien began, not quite sure what to say in the sudden quiet.

Marinette sighed. "I suppose it's probably about time I head home anyways, but you really don't have to walk with me. I don't want to be a bother."

"You're never a bother, Marinette. Besides, I like spending time with you."

The teens blushed themselves into silence again at Adrien's admission. A minute dragged by before Marinette could think of something to say. "Uh, me too." Another beat of silence passed before an idea sparked in the girl's mind. "Oh! If you want, you can come inside and I can take your measurements for the Ladybug onesie I promised you. And maybe you could stay for dinner?" she finished hesitantly.

The blonde positively lit up at the idea of escaping another lonely meal. "Absolutely, I'd love that!"

"O-okay, cool!" Marinette took a quick peek at her phone and saw it was already past two o'clock. "Well, I'll need to drop by the fabric store, so we should probably head out now so we have enough time."

Adrien agreed and busied himself with gathering the necessities for an outing in the surprisingly harsh winter. Once he and Marinette were all bundled up, pertinent belongings and a grumpy kwami in tow, he lead her out of his room and down the stairs towards the main entrance of the house. As he was about to turn the handle on the front door, he suddenly remembered Marinette's missing scarf. Once again, he whipped his favorite scarf off and wrapped it snugly around the girl's neck, smiling at the blush that dusted her cheeks as he did so. Motioning for her to wait there, he trotted back up the stairs, returning a moment later with a green scarf in hand. He quickly put it on before snapping up Marinette's duffel bag—despite her protests—and heading out the door into the biting cold.

He'd hardly made it two steps before slipping on an icy patch, only regaining his balance with his companion's help. Honestly, I'm supposed to be stopping Marinette from falling, not the other way around, he chided himself in embarrassment.

Scorned though he was, he was not about to miss an opportunity like this. "Marinette, maybe if we hold hands we can help balance each other." He cautiously stuck a gloved hand out, nervous despite his flawless execution of the line.

With a growing blush, Marinette accepted his hand, pink mitten standing out starkly against a black background. As they began to walk, now hand-in-hand, she scooted closer to him than was probably strictly necessary, prepared to cite the whipping wind as an excuse to seek his warmth.

She needn't have worried about Adrien's reaction, as the boy also found himself drifting towards her unconsciously. They walked in comfortable silence, bent slightly into the wind as snowflakes began to drift down.

"Really, this has been the weirdest winter," Marinette remarked, holding up her free hand to catch the sparkling crystals. "It's already March; we never get snow this late."

"Yeah, and the clouds look like they've got plenty more to give."

"Hopefully we don't get caught in it." Marinette shivered at the thought, unwittingly latching onto his arm with her unoccupied hand in an attempt at feeling the smallest bit of extra warmth.

Sirens went off in Adrien's head. Marinette's coat was thick, but it wasn't thick enough to stop Adrien from registering the two soft lumps pressing against his arm. He looked down at her, biting his lip as a fire ignited in his belly, a flame that only grew as he met her blue eyes gazing up at him.

Their walk slowed to a halt as the world disappeared around them until they were completely lost in each other. Marinette marveled at her crush's angelic appearance. Green really is his color, she mused, admiring how his new scarf brought out the darkest flecks of emerald in his eyes.

Adrien was thinking much the same thing about her, especially about how adorable she looked in her latest hairstyle, until Desire distracted him by poking him gently.

Hey, his mind whispered, I think now would be a good time for that kiss.

Adrien found he agreed completely, totally enraptured as he was by his companion. He hesitantly leaned in a little—not wanting to overstep any lines Marinette was unwilling to cross, but hoping to indicate to her his intentions so she had time to stop him if need be.

He prayed she wouldn't.

Marinette's heartbeat sped up as Adrien leaned ever so slightly towards her, his breath warm on her face. Suspending her disbelief that this was actually happening, she tilted her chin up towards him, holding her breath as she waited for him to make a move.

Taking Marinette's reaction as a positive sign, Adrien started to lean in slowly. As his eyes began to flutter shut, he wondered to himself, Am I really doing this? What about Ladybug?

Who cares? Desire whispered, nudging Adrien's head closer to Marinette's. Ladybug isn't here right now, Marinette is. Think about her.

With that, Adrien let himself go. He no longer cared that he hadn't defined his feelings for Marinette or if he was betraying his love for Ladybug with these actions. Desire was right, Marinette was here right now, looking devastatingly cute and indicating that she wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted it. He was beyond worrying about anything but the feeling of her lips over his.

Adrien gently slid his free hand up to cup Marinette's cheek, tilting his head toward hers as he snuck a peek through his lashes at the girl. She had her eyes closed and her chin raised, lips slightly parted and cheeks dusted pink as she waited for contact. He let his eyes close again, inching ever closer, anticipating the warmth he would feel when he placed his lips gently over hers and ki-

The searing cold of snow stung his cheek as a force caused his head to whip to the side. Adrien yelped, stepping back from Marinette as he furiously brushed the slush off of his cheek. Taking a defensive position in front of his friend, he searched for his attacker as a growl fought to break out of his throat.

From his right, he heard a small voice. "I'm sorry! We were having a snowball fight."

He turned to look for the speaker, finding it to be a young girl who was maybe nine years old. Scanning the area, he realized that they were surrounded by kids with white ammo in their gloved hands. Once he realized it was just children having fun and there was no real danger, he smiled sweetly at her. "It's okay, don't worry abo-"

He was cut off yet again, this time by a snowball hitting his back. Shocked, he turned, just in time to see Marinette stoop towards the ground and scoop up more white powder, carefully forming it into a ball.

"Traitor!" he hissed, pointing an accusing finger at his so-called friend, the almost-kiss now the furthest thing from his mind. He dashed away before she had the chance to fire off her shot, hurrying to hide with some kids behind their snow-wall barricade. Marinette ran behind the opposing blockade with the girl who had previously hit Adrien.

The children watched Adrien as he attempted to make a snowball, and their awe from being near the model quickly changed to amusement as it became clear that the great Adrien Agreste had no idea what he was doing. With a blush, he accepted the advice of a small boy on his side and was able to create his first successful snowball.

With a crow of triumph, Adrien shot up from the ground, ready to fire on Marinette's team, only to be greeted by a face full of white powder. Sputtering and pawing at his face, he launched his own attack while half-blind and was pleasantly surprised to hear Marinette yelp from afar.

Back and forth it went, neither team really gaining an advantage. Finally, when everyone was completely breathless and soaked, they called a truce. As the kids ran off to play elsewhere, Marinette and Adrien collapsed next to each other on the snow, laughing and gasping for air. Slowly, their breathing returned to normal and their giggles died out, leaving them in a comfortable silence.

It didn't last long.

"Shoot!" Marinette bolted upright suddenly, startling the boy next to her. "We were supposed to be getting fabric right now."

The teens stood up hurriedly, brushing the snow off of themselves and picking up Marinette's bag, which had been tossed aside during the battle. Marinette began rushing down the sidewalk, not looking where she was going as she pulled her phone out of her coat pocket to check the time. To be honest, she should've known she'd slip on the ice from being so careless, particularly since Alya had previously foretold it with such certainty. She sighed as she began to fall backwards, internally rolling her eyes at how predictably klutzy she was.

Thankfully, she had an equally predictable gentleman friend to gently catch her before she could complete her descent to the cold, hard ground. She smiled up at him gratefully. "Thanks, Adrien."

They didn't need to exchange words or ask for permission—their hands mutually found each other once again as they continued down the sidewalk, Marinette skillfully leading the way to her favorite fabric shop. As she stepped through the door minutes later, she inhaled the light scent of cotton that permeated the room, sighing in happiness as the warmth of one of her favorite places sank into her bones.

Adrien looked around in amazement, having never been in such a place before. He walked slowly down the aisles, pulling his gloves off so he could run his fingers gently over the bolts of fabric that occupied every inch of free space. He decided to take his time roaming and feeling all of the fabrics as Marinette found what she was looking for. He didn't want to get in her way.

Well, really he just wanted to rub his face on all of the soft things he could find without any witnesses who could use that information to embarrass him later.

That's how he was found ten minutes later when Marinette happened to wander into the same aisle as him. She let out a quiet giggle at the sight of him nuzzling a bolt of purple fleece, noting his half-lidded eyes and the rumble coming from his chest that sounded suspiciously like purring. Suppressing her laughter, Marinette slid her phone out of her pocket and took a photo of the boy, immediately setting it as her background.

Her mission accomplished, Marinette let her snickers fly full-force, startling Adrien out of his reverie with the sudden noise. She smiled teasingly as she watched him turn red. "Were you purring just now?"

"No, definitely not. Only cats do that."

"Then you must be a cat, because I definitely heard some happy rumbles coming out of you."

Adrien sniffed. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Whatever you say, Kitty."

Adrien's heart skipped a beat at the familiar nickname, especially since Marinette's voice as she said it had sounded strikingly similar to his lady's. He struggled to think of a proper retort. "So does that make me Chat Noir? Then you must be Ladybug, because you sure are bugging me."

Marinette chuckled awkwardly, feeling unnaturally flushed suddenly. She tried to act natural. "At least Ladybug is cool."

"Me-owch, that stings." Adrien could feel sweat beginning to bead on his face as he kept the friendly banter going. Did I go too far with that one? he wondered in a slight panic at Marinette's serious face. She did meet me as Chat before. What if she recognizes me because of my clawsome puns?!

Meanwhile, Marinette was busy rethinking her love life. She couldn't believe she was hearing these puns from Adrien and not her cat-eared partner. He's lucky he's so cute, she grumbled to herself.

"Cat got your tongue, Mari?"

"Alright, one more pun out of you and no Ladybug onesie!"

Adrien's flirtatious smirk quickly transformed into an adorable pout. "No, no, I'm sorry."

Marinette giggled. "Good. I'm going to go pay, so if you could tear yourself away from your lover that would be great."

Like a scolded puppy, Adrien trailed behind her to the counter. Marinette was certain that if he'd had ears and a tail, they would've been drooping with sadness. She patted his arm gently. "I was just kidding, Adrien, I'll make you the onesie regardless of your horrible sense of humor."

"You monster, my jokes are hilarious."

The girl snorted as she placed her items on the counter. "Whatever."

The cashier rang her up quickly, and Marinette had just reached into her purse for her wallet when a black card was slapped down on the counter. Adrien smiled at her, insisting, "I've got it. You are making it for me, after all. I'll pay you for that too, by the way."

Marinette frowned. "No, it's a gift, you don't have to pay for any of it."

"You're very sweet, but I insist. At least let me pay for this, and maybe buy you some ice cream sometime?"

Both teens paused, thinking the exact same thing. Is that a date?

"Sure!" Marinette blurted, forcing herself to get the words out before she became too excited to speak. Adrien wants to go out with me! she trilled. Even if it's just to pay me back, that's still progress.

"Cool." Adrien smiled calmly, ignoring the inner turmoil he was experiencing tried to determine if he wanted it to be a date or not.

The cashier handing his card back to him was what broke him out of his thoughts. He accepted it, tucking it back into his wallet as Marinette scooped her bags off the counter. They thanked the cashier and left the store, Adrien holding the door for his friend before following her out.

As they started walking down the street, the boy attempted to sneakily grab the bags from Marinette's hands to carry them.

"Hey, mister, I know what you're trying to do."

Adrien put on the most innocent face he could muster. "Who, me? I'm just being a proper gentleman, trying to carry a young lady's bags."

"Nuh uh, I appreciate the thought, but you're already carrying my duffel bag. I'll feel bad if I let you carry these too."

"But…" Adrien wanted to carry her bags, not because he didn't think she could—Marinette was actually freakishly strong, he had found out—but because it was the polite thing to do. Humorously, he remarked, "For our own safety, at least let me hold one so we can hold hands. I don't want you to fall again."

Marinette blushed before pseudo-reluctantly holding out a bag and allowing Adrien to reach across and grab it. He slipped his still empty right hand into her now free left hand, gently squeezing her mittened fingers with a smile. She smiled back as they continued to wind their way through the streets of Paris towards the Dupain-Cheng home.

Fifteen minutes later, the teens hurried through the door of the warm, empty bakery, eager to escape the quickly strengthening snowfall outside. In unison, they breathed a sigh of relief as heat started to seep back into their chilled bodies.

Sabine appeared from the back of the room, welcoming the kids with a pleasant smile. "Hello, dear," she said, kissing the top of her daughter's head. "And hello again, Adrien, I'm happy to see you again so soon. Thank you for walking Marinette home."

"It's no problem, ma'am." Adrien smiled back at the petite woman.

"Maman, I was going to take Adrien's measurements for a project, and I was hoping he could stay for dinner afterwards."

"Of course, you are always welcome, Adrien." Sabine sent Marinette a knowing look, which the girl responded to with a threatening glare. Chuckling quietly to herself, Sabine told the teens, "Why don't you head upstairs and get warm? Tom just took some croissants out of the oven, I'm sure you can convince him to share."

The kids thanked her, then Marinette lead Adrien through the back of the bakery towards the stairs, shooting another look at her mom that said, "If you embarrass me in front of him, I will never speak to you again." They began their ascent to the main living space, silent except for the tinkle of Sabine's laughter trailing from behind them.

The teens entered the living room, promptly dropping their bags and removing their winter gear. Once they were clad in only their normal clothes, Marinette led the way to the kitchen, taking a deep whiff of the chocolatey air as she walked.

"Papa, are you making hot chocolate?" she asked as she greeted the burly man with a hug.

"A sweet drink for my sweet daughter." He squeezed her gently, turning to the boy hovering a few feet away. "And of course, there's some for you, Adrien. Good to see you again, son."

"Thank you, sir, it's good to see you as well."

Tom released his daughter and swept the blonde boy up into a hug. "No need to be so formal, my boy! Relax, make yourself at home." He set the boy back on the floor before turning to pour drinks for everyone.

Adrien was slightly embarrassed by such a warm welcome, but at the same time his heart felt a little bit lighter. He never got such affection at home, and though he didn't know Tom and Sabine too well, they truly seemed to want to make him feel welcomed and cared for. With such kind parents, it's no wonder Marinette is such a nice girl, he thought as he accepted a warm mug of cocoa from Tom.

"So what are two planning on doing?" Tom inquired as he took a sip of his drink, the whipped cream topping turning his mustache a milky white.

Marinette giggled, handing her father a napkin. "I'm taking Adrien's measurements for something I'm making. Maman said he can stay for dinner, too."

"Excellent!" The man clapped Adrien on the shoulder. "What would you like to eat tonight, Adrien? Sabine makes a wonderful pot-au-feu, but if you'd prefer something else just name it."

Adrien's mouth started to water as Tom mentioned the popular winter stew. "No, no, that's fine! That's actually one of my favorite dishes, and I'd love to try Sabine's."

"I'll let her know then. You two should go get busy, I expect." He turned, sliding some croissants onto a plate, before handing them to his daughter. "Take these, they're fresh out of the oven. We'll call you down when it's time to eat."

Marinette kissed her father on the cheek. "Thank you, Papa. We'll be in my room." As the man nodded in response, Marinette turned back towards Adrien and gestured that he should follow her.

The teens headed up the stairs to Marinette's room, Adrien trailing a few steps below his friend. When they reached the trap door, Marinette turned and handed Adrien the plate she was holding so that she could open the hatch. She poked her head in, blanching when she made eye contact with several Adriens already in her room.

Letting the hatch slam back down, she whipped around to face the boy below her. "Actually, Adrien, it's a bit messy right now. Would you mind waiting in the living room as I tidy up?"

Startled by the sudden question, he nodded wordlessly, turning to head back down the stairs. Marinette watched him perch on the edge of the couch, seeming slightly uncomfortable despite Tom's earlier instructions to make himself at home, but she didn't have time to worry about that. Carefully, so as not to spill her hot drink, Marinette hurried through the door and into her room, setting the mug on her desk and getting to work removing any and all incriminating evidence from sight. She muttered in frustration as she zoomed around the room, wishing she had never put back all of the pictures of the boy on the assumption that he would never return to her room after the gaming tournament.

Several minutes of listening to muffled bumping and stomping later, Adrien heard the door to Marinette's room open and tiny feet pad down the stairs. He looked up from his phone as she came towards him, cheeks slightly pinked and breathing just a bit faster than normal.

"Sorry for the wait." Marinette cursed herself for sounding so breathless, hoping Adrien wouldn't assume that she was a total slob because she had to clean up so quickly.

"Not a problem," he responded with a smile, picking up the plate in his lap and rising to stand next to her.

"Let me just grab the bags real quick, then we can head up and get started." Marinette headed towards the entryway where they had previously left her purchases, scooping them up along with her duffle bag, before heading towards the stairs. Adrien once again trailed behind her as they climbed.

The first thought that entered Adrien's head as he stepped into Marinette's room was I still can't believe how pink it is.

Marinette blushed slightly. "Yeah, it's always been one of my favorite colors. I guess it's kind of childish."

Shoot. Adrien hadn't realized he'd said that as he thought it. Time to backtrack. "Sorry, I didn't mean it in a bad way, it's just that it makes my room seem clinical in comparison. It's not childish at all to like a particular color that much. Besides, you look great in it." He stopped his nervous rambling by shoving a croissant in his mouth.

Marinette smiled kindly at him, appreciating his words. "Thanks." She took a seat in her rolling desk chair and started unloading her bags, simultaneously motioning for Adrien to take a seat on her chaise. Still chewing, he did as instructed, watching in interest as she pulled out large amounts of a soft-looking red fabric that was dotted with small black circles. She reached back in to retrieve a long black zipper, followed by several spools of red and black thread and something that appeared to be elastic. Gently folding the paper bags, she set them aside beneath her desk to make room for spreading out her new materials.

"Okay, Adrien," she announced over her shoulder, rummaging around for her tape measure, "I'm going to get started with the measurements, if that's alright."

Finally locating the tape measure a few seconds later, she swiveled in her chair to face the boy, only to come face-to-face with a set of very attractive abs. The only sound in the room was her quiet gasp, accompanied by the soft plop of Adrien's shirt as it fell to the ground.

An embarrassing amount of time passed before Marinette was able to snap out of her frozen state and act appropriately scandalized. With a blush, she bleated, "Y-y-you don't need to strip for this!"

Internally, Libido was reminding her of all of the carefully crafted daydreams she'd had about Adrien stripping in her room. Not helping! the girl scolded her mind.

Adrien, shame-faced, apologized immediately as he bent to grab his long sleeve shirt off the floor and put it back on. "I'm sorry, whenever I get measured for shoots they ask me to undress. I guess it's just a force of habit, I didn't really think about it." Smoothing his shirt back down, he shyly made eye contact with the girl sitting before him. "I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable, and I'm really sorry."

Of course, Marinette wasn't upset at him, not least because she had gotten to see his yummy tummy again. She smiled at him reassuringly. "Sorry, you didn't make me uncomfortable or anything, it just surprised me because I wasn't expecting it." She laughed, adding, "But it's probably for the best if you leave your clothes on. Wouldn't want my parents poking their heads in to snoop and getting the wrong idea."

Adrien blushed at the implication. "Good point."

"Anyways, I'll get started now. Can you stand and stick your arms out for me?"

For the next few minutes, Marinette fluttered around the boy, alternating between taking measurements and jotting notes down on a small pad of paper. Adrien followed all of her instructions silently, fascinated by watching her flit around him. Finishing up, she crossed the room to grab her extra chair and pull it up next to her workspace, beckoning Adrien to sit next to her before beginning to work on sketching a pattern.

Pencil had hardly touched paper before Marinette's phone went off loudly. Adrien passed it to her, looking over in interest as she swiped across the screen to unlock it and read Alya's message.

"She wants me to check my email," Marinette informed her companion, sliding over to her computer and pulling up a webpage. Logging in, she clicked on the newest email to see what her friend had sent her. There was a zipped file attached with no indication of what it contained, as the only message that was included was a winking face.

That alone was enough to make Marinette nervous.

The girl downloaded the file, going through the process to extract the contents and finally pulling up a window that showed her thumbnails of the files inside. She stared for a second, not comprehending what she was seeing.

Adrien burst out laughing, nearly falling out of his chair as he tried to contain himself. "Are those what I think they are?"

Marinette pulled up the pictures in a slideshow and began flipping through them one by one. The first image was of her and Adrien sleeping on Alya's couch, followed immediately by a shot of a sleepy Adrien squinting up at the camera as she remained dozing on his chest. The third picture was cute, capturing Adrien rubbing Marinette's back and trying to calm her down after she realized what was going on.

The fourth picture was where things got interesting. It showed Marinette once again reclining on Adrien's chest, both giving large smiles to the camera. The next several pictures were a sequence capturing the moment Adrien started tickling the girl, as well as her reaction through the point of her beating against his chest in frustration.

Adrien roared with laughter. "Oh my gosh, Mari, your face! I'm setting that as my background, send it to me."

"Are you insane? Why would I do that?"

"Fine, I'll just go to the source." Adrien began typing out a text to Alya, scooting away from Marinette as she made a grab for his phone.

"Noooooo!" Marinette glided forward, leaning as far as she could in her seat to snatch the phone, but Adrien's arms were long enough that he was able to evade her. "Give it!"

"Never!"

"Adrien!" Marinette climbed out of her chair and put her knee on the edge of Adrien's seat for balance as she reached as high as possible. Adrien just leaned farther back, cackling.

"Make me." The boy stuck his tongue out at her, grinning devilishly.

With something that was near a growl, Marinette decided to do just that. To hell with personal space, she was going to win this battle. She crawled almost completely on top of Adrien, grabbing his arm to forcefully bring the phone towards her. Still attempting to keep it out of reach, Adrien leaned farther back in his chair, struggling to stay balanced.

Sometimes being Chat Noir meant getting caught in the rain without an umbrella or getting hit by an akuma that shoots sticky goo everywhere. Other times it meant losing your center of balance and tipping a chair just slightly too far, sending yourself and the girl on top of you crashing to the ground in an ungraceful pile.

Today was one of those days.

Marinette and Adrien groaned in unison, rubbing the various spots that got bumped during the fall. Disoriented, Adrien looked up to ask if his friend was okay, only to get a mouthful of sweater.

"Eep!" Marinette shot upright, still straddling the boy. Her hands flew to her chest as a blush began to form on her cheeks.

Adrien began stuttering out apologies. "I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I- Marinette, really, I swear I didn't mean to do that! Please believe me."

A new voice piped up from the trapdoor. "Oh, I didn't realize I was interrupting," Sabine mused with a sly grin. As Marinette hurriedly rolled off of Adrien, her mother raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to let you know that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."