Marinette Dupain-Cheng is in a bit of a bind: her parents are going out to dinner with some friends of theirs, and they've arranged for her to have a dinner and movie date with their son.
She's open to the idea... Until she learns that the boy in question happens to be Adrien Agreste, the biggest prankster in school! Uh-oh!
Marinette's not exactly fond of him due to his mischief, so she's dreading the evening, all but expecting him to pull some sort of prank on her, so she tries to be as aloof as possible with him and hopefully get the date to end early.
No Miraculous AU.
Marinette was watching some of her favorite fashion programs on the TV in the living room of her house. She was a young girl of 16 years of age, with raven-blue hair and blue eyes with fair skin.
"Marinette!" Her mother, a smaller, Chinese woman with silver eyes and raven hair said as she came in from below.
"Hi, mom." Marinette said as she turned to her mother.
"Listen, honey, your father and I are going to be having dinner with some friends of ours tonight." Sabine told her.
"Okay, mom," Marinette said with a nod. "So, I'm on my own for dinner?"
"Not exactly," Sabine said. "Our friends have a very handsome son."
Marinette looked at her mother in surprise and parroted, "Handsome son, you say?"
She wasn't really in the market for a boyfriend, but any son of any of her parents' friends had to be a good person, right?
"Why, yes. He's a very dapper blonde," Sabine reported. "So, while your father and I are out tonight, we were thinking that you and him could go on a dinner and movie date."
"I can do that." Marinette said as she stood up and paused the TV.
"Good. He should be here soon," Sabine said. "Why don't you go upstairs and pick out one of your homemade outfits?"
"Okay!" Marinette said as she went up to her room and rummaged through her closet. "Hm... Well, pink always works, so maybe one of my pink cocktail dresses?"
Marinette always wondered how dates and marriages were arranged in China. She knew her mother was more liberal. In fact, when she went to visit her Great Uncle Cheng Shifu in Shanghai for his birthday, she learned that her mother had left a lot of her culture behind. For example, Marinette learned that her mother's birth name was actually Xia Ping - she changed it to Sabine when she moved to France. She also learned that people in China didn't celebrate their birthdays until they turned 60, amongst other facets.
She also looked through all her handmade jewelry to try to find something that would work with her outfit. She had plenty of rose quartz pieces. There was also pink rhodonite, watermelon tourmaline, etc.
She decided on a simple, knee-length pink cocktail dress with an illusion neckline, she was wearing transparent pink cardigan with it, a rose quartz jewelry ensemble (necklace, stud earrings, and a bracelet), she let her hair down, and she went easy on the makeup. Pale pink lipstick and nude eyeshadow to go with dark mascara. Looking at herself in the mirror, she took out black flats and put them on her feet. She took out some cherry blossom perfume and spritzed it on her neck and wrists.
"I think this will work just fine." Marinette said as she went to go downstairs.
As she made her way to the living room, she posed in front of her mom.
"Oh, you look so beautiful, honey!" Sabine said.
"Thanks, mom." Marinette laughed as she did a little spin on the ball of her feet.
*DING-DONG!*
"That must be him right now." Sabine said.
Marinette walked to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by swept-up blonde hair (which she knew he had), green eyes, sun-kissed skin, and wearing business casual attire in mostly black, including black dress shoes, a white button-down under a black sport coat, and black khakis.
Adrien Agreste - her classmate, one of the models from the Gabriel fashion brand, and the school's resident prankster. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers for her.
"Hi, Marinette." He said with a big, model smile.
Marinette looked at him like she'd walked into the men's bathroom by mistake.
"Adrien?!" Marinette squeaked.
"Yep," Adrien confirmed with a nod before swiftly looking her over with his eyes. "You look very beautiful in that."
Marinette's eyes darted around before saying, "Oh, um... Thanks, Adrien. Just give me one second, I-I... Forgot my perfume!"
She slammed the door. Adrien shrugged, took out a cologne bottle with a suave smile and said, "Better reapply."
Inside, Marinette looked utterly terrified. Of all people to be going on a date with, Adrien Agreste?! Was the universe out to get her or something?! Her blood was turning to water at the thought of being subjected to a bunch of childish pranks, like fake frogs on her head and the like.
Outside of the occasional photoshoot Gabriel Agreste invited her to, or any Gabriel brand fashion design contests she'd participate in, Marinette hardly interacted with Adrien outside of school. Often times her in-school encounters with him included her breaking up any conflicts that he'd created via his pranks, or being paired up with him for projects. She was always anxious around him, never knowing when or if he would pull a prank on her.
Marinette, frantic, ran over to her mom, saying, "MOM! Please! Not him! Not ADRIEN AGRESTE!"
"Honey, his parents are close friends of ours. At least try to be nice to their little boy." Sabine admonished.
"He's not a little boy! He's a mischief-making tomcat!" Marinette hissed, scared. "Mom, he's bad news! He's the worst prankster in school!"
"Is that so?" Sabine asked, crossing her arms. "Marinette, he's the son of your fashion idol! I'd think the two of you would have a lot to talk about."
"Mom, I-" Marinette began to complain, but Sabine looked at her with a firm, motherly look.
"Go with him. Otherwise, you're grounded," Sabine said. "That being said, if he does try something inappropriate, let us know and we'll address the issue with his folks."
Marinette face-palmed in annoyance before taking a deep breath and saying, "Fine, I'll do it..."
She turned around and began walking back to the door. Outside, Adrien was messing around with something in his pocket and he looked a bit nervous.
Marinette came out and she said, "Um..."
Adrien snapped up, his posture straight, and he turned to Marinette with a big smile.
"I'm so excited for tonight. I've been looking forward to this all day." Adrien said to her.
"You have?" Marinette asked, her tone neutral.
"Yes," Adrien admitted before snapping his fingers in remembrance. "That reminds me: I have something for you."
Marinette felt chills go down her spine as she forced a smile and said, "Oh, um, you do?"
"Yeah!" He said with a big smile. "Close your eyes."
Marinette, not willing to trust him, and yet forced to, closed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable water dump or whatever gross thing he had in mind to come.
She did feel her hair get messed with, and after a few seconds, the movement stopped.
"Yes! This is perfect!" Adrien said. "You can open your eyes now. Take a look."
Marinette, still wary, opened her eyes slowly and saw Adrien was holding out a smaller hand mirror. In the glass, Marinette saw that Adrien had put a rose gold, rose-shaped hair pin in her bangs. It had some rose quartz in the leaf decorations, too. She gave a quiet gasp in surprise as she examined it.
"Well, what do you think?" He asked, eager for an answer.
"It's... It's beautiful..." Marinette said honestly as she looked over the pin.
"That's great," He said, relieved. "I saw this in the store and I thought, "Pink is her favorite color, and she has flowers in a lot of her designs. This would look great on her!" Looks like I was right!"
"R-Really?" Marinette asked while thinking, 'How'd he know pink was my favorite?'
Adrien nodded and began to say, "Marinette, I-"
"Ah, Adrien! Welcome." Sabine said, cutting in.
"Hi, Mme. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien greeted as he showed her the flowers. Lilies, peonies, roses, and baby's breath. "I brought these flowers for Marinette."
'Huh? Peonies, roses, lilies - all of my favorite flowers! How'd he...?' Marinette thought, surprised as she gave the bouquet a closer look.
"They're beautiful! I'll put them in some water," Sabine praised as she took the bouquet before gently pushing Marinette into Adrien's arms. "You two have a good evening."
She shut the door behind the "couple", and Marinette looked up at Adrien with wide eyes, red cheeks, and the placement of his hands was setting her skin on fire.
He gave her lidded eyes with a smile and he jokingly asked, "Eager, aren't we?"
Marinette's face got even redder as she realized she was in his embrace. Her heart pounded as a musky, yet smokey and refined scent wafted over her nose. She paused and felt her heart slow down a little, like she was relaxing.
"Like my cologne?" He chuckled, leaning in closer while keeping his hands where they were. "It's definitely more masculine than that stupid "Adrien" fragrance my father came up with. This one's more... Mature. Sexy. Wild, so to speak."
"I-um, I-er-" Marinette stammered before trying to pull away.
Adrien let go and merely hooked one arm around hers, before telling her, "Shall we go?"
"Um... Er, yes." Marinette agreed while thinking, 'Let's just get this over with...'
He brought Marinette out to the car, and she was anticipating something disgusting to happen. Adrien opened the door and with a dramatic bow, he said, "Mademoiselle."
Marinette swallowed a lump in her throat and she got a look in the back seat of the car. She didn't see anything like gum or roaches, so she breathed a sigh of relief and she sat down. Adrien shut the door, ran to the other side, and quickly slipped in.
"To the restaurant!" Adrien said to the driver, who looked like a giant gorilla. She'd heard Adrien refer to his driver/bodyguard as "the Gorilla" a few times, and now she understood where the name came from.
Adrien himself was looking over Marinette, and he looked the picture of smitten. He was certain the dress she was wearing was handmade, and the same could be said for the jewelry. He'd never seen her with her hair down before, though. In the lighting of the car, it looked absolutely stunning.
When his parents told him he would be taking the Dupain-Chengs' daughter out on a dinner/movie date that night, he was ecstatic. He called up Nino Lahiffe, his best friend, and the boyfriend of Marinette's best friend, Alya Césaire.
He remembered the conversation clearly.
~Flashback - Earlier That Day~
Adrien had called Nino up via video chat.
"Hey dude," Nino greeted. He was working on some mix tapes in his bedroom. "You ready for our game night tonight?"
"About that, Nino," Adrien began. "I won't be able to make it tonight."
"What?" Nino asked, rolling his eyes to the sky in annoyance. "What did your parents put you up to THIS time?!"
"I've got a date." Adrien said with a knowing, eager smile.
"A date?!" Nino balked. "Who the hell wi..."
When Nino saw the smile on Adrien's face, Nino reciprocated the expression and said, "No... Dude, your parents set you up on a date with Marinette?!"
"Yep." Adrien replied.
"Awesome!" Nino said, fist-pumping. "Now you've got a chance to tell her how you feel!"
"Yeah, and I know just what to do!" Adrien said with a big smile.
Nino pulled a grimace and asked, "Dude, you're not gonna pull any pranks on her, are you? That's the ONE thing that'll turn a girl off, believe me."
"Of course not," Adrien laughed before blushing. "She's a Princess. She deserves to be treated like one."
~End of Flashback~
Adrien kept looking at an examining Marinette like the lovesick young man he was. Ever since he'd laid eyes on her in the classroom, he'd been taken with her. She was more than just a pretty face and he knew it. She was fierce when fighting for her friends, a great class president who got the job done, an amazing organizer who planned a lot of fun group activities for the entire class, and she was a creative, top-notch designer. Even his father and Audrey Bourgeois, Chloé's mother, sang their praises for her talent.
Not only that, but she showed kindness to people by making them homemade birthday presents (including a blue scarf for him that he cherished), offering advice to people who needed it (helping Ivan confess his love for Myléne or helping Juleka get over her school photo issues), etc.
Marinette wasn't looking at him, instead looking out the window and watching the city go by. Wanting her attention, he scooted closer. The air conditioning in the back of the car wafted her perfume over to him, and he blushed at the sweet, floral scent that mixed with the bakery scents that she naturally had on her.
'It's too quiet. I gotta say something.' Adrien thought as balled a fist and cleared his throat.
"So..." Adrien began, trying to make conversation.
"So... Um, where are we going?" Marinette asked, not sure what to expect with him.
Adrien smiled and he said, "Oh, you'll see. You'll be surprised."
'THAT'S what I'm worried about.' Marinette thought, her hand on her cheek and not looking at Adrien.
She was anticipating him dragging her to somewhere cheap like McDonalds as a prank, and then they'd have to eat gross, low-quality food while everyone gawked at their nice clothes and questioned their presence there.
When the car parked, Marinette looked at the restaurant in question and her eyes bulged out. She looked at Adrien and said, "Hang on, don't tell me..."
"That's right," Adrien said. "Le Jules Verne."
"Are you serious?!" Marinette asked. "This is one of the most expensive places in Paris!"
"Hey, it's no object for my family," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, my parents were the ones who made the reservations for us tonight."
Marinette looked at the awning of the restaurant, then back to Adrien before saying, "Wow, I was scared for a second."
"Huh?" Adrien asked, lifting a brow.
Marinette said, "Never mind. Shall we go in?"
Adrien smiled with a nod and he got out of the car before going over to Marinette's side and letting her out. His arm wrapped around hers, he led her into the restaurant, and they got a window seat in one corner of the room. She saw that there was a curtain ready for some reason.
The table was for two, and the chairs were positioned on opposite sides of the table.
Adrien walked to the table and pulled one chair out, saying, "Mademoiselle."
Marinette once again swallowed a lump in her throat as she approached the chair. She looked at it and saw that it was clear, so she sat down. Adrien pushed her chair back in before rushing to the other side and sitting down.
Marinette looked out the window and saw the view of the city from a different angle. She smiled at the sight.
"Wow, what a view." Marinette said.
"No kidding." Adrien absently chuckled, his hand propping his lovesick face up as he looked at Marinette adoringly.
"They have a tasting menu here, right?" Marinette asked as she looked back at Adrien.
"Yep. The five or the seven course?" Adrien questioned.
"I'll do-" Marinette began, only for her stomach to growl. "Um, the seven course, then."
Adrien laughed a little before saying, "Yeah. The seven course sounds great."
"Aw, those two look so cute." "Isn't that Adrien Agreste?" "That's gotta be his girlfriend or crush! He's alluded to one in some of his interviews!"
Adrien had a look of panic on his face and he asked the server, "Um, can we please have the curtain pulled?"
The server nodded and pulled the curtain around them, blocking them off from the rest of the dining room.
Marinette looked around a bit before asking, "What's...?"
"I asked them for a privacy curtain for us," Adrien explained before his face tinted pink. "I... Wanted to be alone with you. Like, truly alone with you."
Marinette looked at him in surprise before saying, "W-What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said," Adrien confessed before rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "With me being a public figure, I wanted to be able to be out alone with you without any looky-loos bothering us. Like I said earlier, I've been looking forward to this all day. I don't want any fans or gossip-mongers watching."
Marinette looked at him in surprise. She thought him nothing more than a model and a jokester, but for him to be so considerate and conscientious about the evening... She had to give him credit.
After they placed their orders, there was a bit of an awkward silence between the two of them.
'So far, so good...' Marinette thought, refusing to look Adrien in the eyes, still a little untrusting.
Marinette was trying not to bring up anything fashion-related because that would be too obvious. Adrien, on the other hand, was trying to find a topic that he knew Marinette would like, but he was blanking on what.
'Come on, Adrien, think of something! You can't be a wet blanket on a date with the girl of your dreams!' Adrien thought, his face still bright red.
"Um..." Adrien began, only to hear guitar music coming from somewhere in his head. He got an idea. "So... Has Jagged Stone asked you for any commissions lately?"
Marinette looked up and said, "Oh, yeah, he has. Him and Luka, too."
"Luka, huh?" Adrien began with a neutral tone, his smile fading a bit as jealousy started to bud a bit. "...I still can't believe that Jagged Stone is his father."
"Yeah, that was a real shocker," Marinette agreed. "It's sad he left them behind, but Jagged did have a point. Especially about Fang. I definitely wouldn't trust a man that has a giant pet crocodile with a baby."
"No kidding. That's not even the tiniest bit safe," Adrien added, before going back to fashion (he didn't want to hear Marinette go on and on about Luka). "Anyway, what did Jagged ask you to do?"
"Oh, other than a few other album covers, he wants another pair of sunglasses," Marinette stated. "This time he wants something just as crazy as those Eiffel Tower ones I did for him when we first met."
"Like what? Crocodiles?" Adrien joked.
"Actually, yes." Marinette giggled.
Their server came with the first course, crab that was spiced with curry and had a grapefruit zéphyr to go along with it.
"This looks delicious!" Adrien said as he took a fork and started to eat.
"Sure does," Marinette said, following suit. "Mmmm! This curry is absolutely tantalizing on the crab!"
"It is." Adrien agreed as he ate more.
With the awkwardness broken between them, Marinette and Adrien continued talking about their shared interests that weren't related to fashion. She practically forgot about the potential pranks that Adrien had up his sleeve.
When the langoustine course was served, Adrien took a chance and asked, "So, what do you think of the food?"
"This is some of the best food I've ever tasted!" Marinette said as she ate more of her langoustine ravioli with thorough enjoyment.
"Glad you're enjoying it." Adrien said as he also ate a bite.
"This place is so expensive, which is why I've never been here before," Marinette said before looking back up at Adrien. "I'm surprised your parents didn't chose the Grand Paris Hotel restaurant."
"I didn't want to risk running into Chloé," Adrien explained. "I know how she treats you and I didn't want to see you upset. It would've likely ruined the whole evening."
"Really?" Marinette asked, a little surprised, but she smiled.
Adrien, returning her smile with a mischievous one, said, "That, and I didn't want her reaming me over the whoopee cushions."
"Oh, yeah. That was hilarious." Marinette laughed when she recalled the whoopee cushion prank Adrien pulled on Chloé and Sabrina earlier that week.
Chloé and Sabrina were running late to class that day, and Adrien, being the prankster he was, put whoopee cushions in their seats. When the girls sat down on them, the noises were so loud that everyone in the room could hear them. The entire class absolutely cracked up at the joke, with Adrien being the ringleader of the laughs. Chloé wasn't amused in the slightest.
"Yeah, the looks on their faces - priceless." Adrien said as he ate another bite of the pomegranate gelée that accompanied the ravioli.
"...Speaking of whoopee cushions, I was sort of expecting you to use one on me tonight." Marinette admitted as her face fell a bit.
"What?" Adrien asked, affronted at the statement. "Why would I do that?"
"Come on, Adrien, you never waste an opportunity to play a prank on people, especially in our class," Marinette said as she swirled her fork in the bowl. "That chewing gum bug prank on Kim yesterday? The rubber snake in Ivan's locker on Monday? The dribble glass for Rose last Wednesday?"
Adrien grimaced and said, "Marinette, I just do those things to make people laugh, including myself. I never mean any harm - what's the point of a prank if I'm the only one laughing? Yes, I'm a prankster, but I'm a harmless prankster. Trust me when I say that I'm not gonna try anything on you tonight."
Marinette gave him a pointed look and with a suspicious tone, she asked, "Is that a promise?"
Adrien took her free hand into his own two hands, kissed it (causing her to blush and her heart to thump) and he looked her in the eyes before saying, "I promise."
Marinette gave him a nod in an almost robotic manner, her eyes askance.
The rest of the meal went by quietly, and once they finished the last course (a warm chocolate soufflé with cocoa nib sorbet and a crispy gavotte), Marinette excused herself to the bathroom with the excuse of fixing her makeup.
When she got into the bathroom, she called up Alya...
"Girl, you've just had dinner at Le Jules Verne with Adrien Agreste of all people?!" Alya said over the phone.
"Yeah, I did," Marinette said with a sigh. "I can't believe that I'm enjoying this so far..."
"What's the matter, girl? You're on a dinner date with the son of your fashion idol!" Alya spoke.
"Alya, you and I both know that Adrien's more than that," Marinette said. "He's the class prankster. He's played tricks on everyone in class! How do I know he isn't going to try playing a prank on me?"
"One: he promised you right to your face while holding your hand - which, need I remind you, he kissed. Two: he's Nino's best friend. Anyone who's on good, friendly terms with Nino has to be on the up and up. Third and most importantly: do you remember him playing any pranks on YOU, specifically? Can you name even one incident?" Alya questioned.
Marinette fell quiet at that. She thought about all the pranks that Adrien pulled, and who the pranks were on. The ones she and Adrien discussed earlier notwithstanding, she remembered a few other ones.
A fake mouse on Juleka's foot; a glitter bomb in Max's book bag; fake vomit in Lila's seat; secretly slipping new pencils in Nathaniel's spot every time he put one away.
But for all of those jokes, Adrien didn't do anything directed at her. She was the only one in class who was spared from Adrien's mischief for whatever reason.
"Well? Can you think of any times he's pranked you in particular?" Alya asked.
"A... I... No. No, I can't." Marinette admitted.
"See? I think he leaves you off his pranking radar because he likes you." Alya said in a teasing sing-song voice.
"There's no way he feels that way about me! And besides, Alya, what if he's just biding his time before trying something really bad later on?" Marinette suggested, fighting off the blush on her face.
"Well, I guess that's a possibility, but I doubt it. He's never done anything to you before, so why start now?" Alya gently argued back.
"Point well taken." Marinette admitted.
"Just keep an open mind about it for now and let me know if he DOES try anything." Alya advised.
"Okay." Marinette said before hanging up. She walked out of the bathroom.
Outside, Adrien was waiting for her with a smile. He offered his arm and said, "Ready for the movie?"
"Yes." Marinette said as she wrapped her arm around his own.
He escorted her back to the car, and like the gentleman he was, opened the car door for her and let her in. Once Adrien was in, he buckled in and the driver began driving them to the movie theater.
"So... Um, what movie are we seeing?" Marinette asked, anxious.
"Oh, I haven't decided yet." Adrien admitted.
Marinette looked at him like he'd grown a third eye and asked, "You didn't pick the movie?"
"I didn't want to pick something you didn't like by mistake," Adrien explained. "I was thinking that... You should pick the movie. I'm the one who picked the restaurant, after all."
Marinette blushed and said, "Really?"
Adrien nodded in response, and the car pulled up to the movie theater. Again, Adrien played the gentleman and brought Marinette inside.
Marinette looked at all the signs and all the movies that were playing. She grimaced at the sight of some of the horror movie posters and turned away.
Noticing, Adrien asked, "Not a horror movie fan?"
Marinette shook her head and said, "No."
"Like I said, I'm going to let you pick the movie." Adrien said, though Marinette noticed he was looking at a romance movie poster out of his peripheral.
It was a new release. The plot of the film, from what Marinette could gather, was that a lovely young florist makes and befriends a man her age whom she mistakes to be homeless, unaware he's really the runaway son of a corporate loan shark.
"How about... This one?" Marinette said, pointing to that poster.
Adrien looked at it and smiled before saying, "Perfect."
He immediately went to get the tickets, leaving Marinette alone. Marinette looked at some of the other posters, but her brain kept going back to the one she chose. Her thoughts were plagued with the unexpectedness of Adrien's chivalry combined with the absence of his pranks. She looked back at him and saw he was paying for the tickets for the movie.
'I don't get it. Why doesn't he just prank me and have his laughs?' Marinette thought, though Alya's voice was echoing in the back of her mind.
"I think he leaves you off his pranking radar because he likes you." Alya's voice rang out in her brain.
Marinette shook her head before muttering to herself, "Arranged date or not, there's no way he likes me."
"I'm back," Adrien said as he jogged over with the tickets. "Ready?"
"Yes." Marinette said absently as Adrien took her free hand and started leading her to the theater room.
Inside, Adrien found some of the best seats, and he swiftly took out a wet wipe and paper towel before cleaning the seats he chose.
"Here you go." Adrien said as he patted the cleaner seat next to him. Marinette, instead of looking at the seat to check for pranks, decided to trust him and sat down without question.
She put her hands in her lap, meanwhile Adrien had one hand on their shared armrest. Adrien kept glancing back to Marinette. In the dim lighting of the room, he saw her hair's blue sheen get brighter and her blue eyes look even more radiant than they used to. Like blue diamonds and stars had combined before inserting themselves in her face.
Up on the screen, the movie was at the scene where the male lead was in the flower shop with the heroine, learning how to arrange flowers into bouquets for the store. Adrien looked at the male protagonist and saw the look on his face - a goofy smile, lidded eyes, and red cheeks. Adrien himself would get all of that whenever he looked at Marinette.
As Marinette quietly gasped at the sight of the protagonists getting close enough for a kiss, she started gripping the arm rest in anticipation. Adrien took the opportunity to take her hand into his own.
Marinette looked at him, only to see he was giving her the most loving, affectionate look ever, like there was no one else he cared about more in the whole world. He squeezed her hand, and Marinette felt her heart skip a beat. She was half-expecting him to joy-buzz her, but all she felt was the palm of his hand, which was a bit warm.
Deciding to keep trusting him, Marinette returned his smile before they turned back to the screen to continue watching the movie. Adrien moved his hand to intertwine their fingers before squeezing her hand again.
'Her hand fits in mine perfectly.' He thought with a minor swoon before looking back up to the movie, his face still red.
Marinette didn't protest to the touch, instead choosing to watch the movie. They were on the scene where the protagonist confessed to his beloved about his loan shark father. And the young lady was devastated at the truth, getting the idea that he was trying to harm her financially, causing a rift in their love.
When the movie was over, Adrien brought Marinette back into the car and the driver started bringing them back to Marinette's home.
"That was a great movie," Marinette said. "My favorite part was how he arranged a bouquet for her, communicating his feelings."
"Yeah, and the fact that she's a florist, she got the message right away," Adrien agreed. "She looked so happy at the flowers."
"She did, didn't she?" Marinette agreed.
"So..." Adrien began, scooting his hand over to Marinette and taking it. "I... Marinette, I wanted to say..."
"Yes?" Marinette asked, only for the car to stop. She looked out the window. "Oh, we're here."
Adrien turned around and saw that they were in front of the bakery.
"Merde!" Adrien cursed under his breath before getting out of the car and going around to let Marinette out. Knowing time was running short, Adrien put his hand in his pocket while using his other arm to escort Marinette inside.
As they walked up the stairs through the bakery to get up to the living quarters, Adrien was trying to keep his breath slow and even, since his heartbeat was completely out of control.
Once he brought her to the door, he reluctantly let go of her arm and allowed her to walk to the door. She put her hand to the doorknob before turning to Adrien.
"I... Can't believe I'm saying this, but..." Marinette said before taking a deep breath. "I had fun tonight, Adrien. I... I'm glad I trusted you."
Adrien, red in the face and his hand still in his pocket, said, "Thank you. I enjoyed myself, too..."
Working up the nerve to put himself out there, he also took a deep breath before telling her, "And the best part is next."
"Um, what do you mean?" Marinette asked, a little nervous.
"A goodnight kiss." He said simply, his eyes partially lidded with desire.
Marinette's heart stopped, and her eyes went to his pocketed hand. She swallowed a lump in her throat and said, "Ah-oh... Okay."
Marinette closed her eyes, trying to will away the freaked-out beating of her heart, while thinking, 'Here it comes! He's gonna play one of his jokes as the finale! I should've known this was going to be his angle!'
She didn't notice that what Adrien pulled out of his pocket was actually a canister of peppermint breath spray. He spritzed a few times in his mouth before pocketing it and taking a deep breath.
He stepped forward and gently put his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks. Marinette's heart kicked into overdrive and was praying for Adrien to play his prank and get it over with.
Instead, Adrien slammed his lips against hers with a passionate moan, causing her eyes to shoot open in shock. He moved his hands from her cheeks to one arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand was tangled in her hair. He even made to dip her a little bit. His kiss got a little more passionate, and Marinette tried to resist, but to no avail. His fervor was infectious, and at the same time relaxing. She felt herself pop a foot in response as she tangled her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer and kissed and hugged her even harder. One could swear there was cliché romantic violin music in the background.
Adrien came up for air, and he saw that Marinette's lips were a bit swollen from his kiss, and they were both breathing heavily. Marinette was staring at him with a shocked, albeit blank expression, her face as red as a ladybug shell. Smiling in satisfaction, he used his hand to smooth down her hair, which had gotten messed up from before, he adjusted the hair pin he'd given her, and used his hand to stroke her cheek with his thumb. He gifted her one last kiss on her cheek before stepping away.
He began to leave to head downstairs and go home, but he paused in his step before turning back to Marinette with lidded eyes and a dopey smile, telling her, "Bonne nuit."
Once he was out of sight, Marinette put two fingers on her lips, feeling the heat from the kiss. She looked at her fingertips in complete shock. She walked into the house, shut the door, and leaned back on it, thinking, 'What just happened?!'
Adrien, from down below, heard the door click. He quietly whooped and pumped his fist in celebration, thinking aloud, "Nailed it!"
With a pep in his step, he ran back out to the car. He got in the back seat and he sprawled over it, his smile smitten and his face absolutely goofy. He chuckled before saying, "I got a kiss! Hopefully there will be more in the future."
As the car drove off, he sighed in content.
Back in the living room, Marinette slid down onto the floor and held her burning pink cheeks in shock. Marinette's heart was pounding as she touched the hair pin, too. She thought over the entire night. Not a single prank. Nothing. He treated her like a queen, and he looked at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered to him.
Remembering the passion from that kiss, she couldn't hold back a smile. She looked at the moon through the window, and as the black clouds started to surround it and make it look like a heart, she said, "I... I guess he's not so bad."
Okay, that's the end of this one-shot. Hope you liked it!
Trivia:
I modeled this after the plotline of "My Dinner With Elmyra" from "The Love Disconnection" episode of "Tiny Toon Adventures".
Fun fact: Le Jules Verne is a real restaurant, and yes, I did look at their dinner tasting menu for this story (the 7-course tasting dinner menu costs €230 per person, which means in Adrien spent about $541.09 in USD - yikes, that's a lot!). Unfortunately, as with most restaurants these days, its (temporarily) shut down due to COVID-19.
So, as a PSA to everyone out there: visit or order takeout from your favorite local restaurant(s) in your hometown to help them survive this pandemic. So far, it's been said that about 17%+ of USA restaurants have shut down permanently in 2020. That's over 110,000 local restaurants, and thus the millions of jobs and incomes of all of these people GONE FOR GOOD. For the restaurants still trying to stay afloat (not chain restaurants, please!), please help the out by ordering from them!
