"You did not actually buy that thing. Please tell me you bought it as a gag gift to Marinette or something." Plagg said as he lounged on a pillow in the hotel room the next day.

In Adrien's hand he held a yo-yo that looked just like Ladybug's, and when it opened her signature 'bye-bye little butterfly' could be heard.

Adrien rolled his eyes at his small partners' words. No, he hadn't bought this for Marinette, this was for him, to add to his collection of Ladybug themed merch, this was one that was only sold in certain places and he hadn't been on time to get the one in Paris.

He had though gotten Marinette a gift. He had been very careful about what to get her, and he was hesitant to get her something, because for a moment it had struck him odd to want to give her a gift. But, friends give friends gifts, right? So it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

He gripped at the neatly wrapped box in his pocket and felt his resolve weaken. She wasn't in the room when he'd come back, but today Alya had told him she was going out with some friends that were here too, so he didn't worry too much.

Or at least, he tried not to.

One boring hour later he was still in the room, flipping through channels and wishing that Marinette would step through that door at any second.

I should text her, he thought and then stopped himself from grabbing his phone. No, she's fine I'm sure! Stop being so paranoid Agreste. He sat back, but the itch in his fingers grew with every moment, he wanted to make sure she was okay, and it was okay for friends to check on friends. He drew his hands back to his sides and flopped back onto the bed, careful not to harm the gift. He closed his eyes and waited as the minutes ticked by.

He was so drawn into his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open, or the almost too quiet call of his name. He opened his eyes, feeling his paranoia get the best of him, and he grabbed his phone. He clicked on Marinette's contact and stared at her photo for just a moment, tracing her features with his eyes.

"Adrien!" He heard just outside the door, and in his panic, he dropped his phone and ran into the living room, blood jumping from the sudden intrusion and heart racing because of the voice. Marinette sat on the couch, and she was covered in mud, sticks were in her hair, and she looked positively miserable. Containing the urge to laugh Adrien stepped forward and waited until she wanted to speak, because he really didn't trust his voice right now.

"Don't look at me like that!" Marinette wailed and put her head in her hands. Adrien sat on the floor by her feet and clenched his fists so he wouldn't laugh.

"A duck attacked me on the way back..." She said quietly and Adrien couldn't help it anymore. He laughed so hard he couldn't breathe and tears came out of his eyes. A DUCK! Oh god!

"It's not funny! There was a small petting zoo and it just started chasing me!" Marinette wailed and Adrien slammed his hands into the floor, out of all the things she would say that was probably the last one he would've thought of.

"I-I'm sorry M-Mari," He took a moment to breathe before he continued, he could wait to give her his gift, after she took a shower. "Go clean up, I'll tell Alya and Nino that we'll meet them at London Eye." He said nonchalantly and he stood up, but Marinette had yet to move. He looked over at her and saw the confusion in her eyes, before it dawned on his that Alay probably hadn't told her about their plans yet.

"Oh, yeah I guess that's right," he gave a chuckle and stood in front of her again, helping her get up from the couch. "Alya and Nino wanted to go on a date to London Eye before we left, and I figured you might want to see it before we leave." He felt the back of his neck heat up, what he just told her was a lie. Alya and Nino did want to go sure, but he wanted to go with Marinette, he couldn't tell you why even if you asked because he wasn't sure himself. He just, wanted to spend some time with her, and he didn't know how to tell her that outright without making it awkward.

"Oh wow! Yes! You sound amazing! I mean! That sounds amazing!" Marinette flailed her arms and Adrien smiled, happy to know that she like the idea, and that perhaps tonight wouldn't be bad.

"Ooooo a date!" Plagg chimed as Adrien pulled his shirt over his head. The Miraculous holder rolled his eyes and grabbed a different black shirt with a white over jacket and slipped them on, it was almost time to leave. He dug through his bag for a moment before texting Nino, his best friend knew all about stuff like this, so he was sure Nino could help.

Adrien

Hey, are you guys almost ready to go?

Nino

Yeah Alya is just finishing her hair, how about Marinette?

Adrien

I think she's almost done, thanks for letting us come with you guys

Nino

No prob bro, plus I'm pretty sure that it'll make Marinette's night

Adrien didn't get to dwell on Nino's words for long, because he heard the familiar 'click' of the bathroom open, and he grabbed a black hoodie quickly from his suitcase and stepped out of their shared bedroom. He rubbed at his eyes as he stepped into the fluorescent lighting of the common room, and never did he ever think that red would look so good on someone who wasn't Ladybug.

Rippling waves of red silk, cascading down to pale and feminine feet, painted to a blood-red shimmer. Hair tied back in an elegant bun, lightly glossed lips and a beauty that rivaled his Lady any given day. He lost his breath as he stared at Marinette, wishing he could step closer, to look, to touch to really see, that this was Marinette. But his legs refused to work and he stood there, staring like a love-struck idiot.

She looked riveting and his hands shook with the urge to fix her hair for her, it looked way better down in his opinion, and she smiled softly at him as pink dusted her cheeks. Stepping forward she lightly scratched her cheek, she looked away from him.

"Is it too much? Alya said that I had too, she's wearing an orange one of these. Should I change? I think I may be overdoing it big time, I'll just go change into my regular clothes, it's not like anyone really cares about what I wear anyway! Just give me a minute okay I'll be right out and then we can go and-WAH!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the bathroom door where she intended to change back, which he definitely did not want.

"Hey, hey! It's okay!" He laughed as her face turned an even deeper shade of pink, and he slid his hands to her upper-arms easily, pulling her closer, to smell that subtle waft of perfume that she was wearing.

"You look beautiful Marinette, I mean that," She looked like she wanted to run away, flustered and not at all prepared for his words. "If anything I should be the one who changes." He chuckled as she flailed her arms at him, or tried to anyway, he was still firm on his grip. "Let's go okay?" His eyes softened as he guided his hands along the soft and untouched skin of her arms, carefully, gratefully.

She didn't make any move against him and that gave him all the confidence in the world. Skimming along her forearms he heard the muffled yet distinct shiver come from her even as he watched her shining oceanic eyes. He touched her hands with warm fingertips and trailed them slowly to her hips, where he laid them gently over curves that went untainted by the hands of man, since the day she had been brought into this world.

Slowly, he pulled her forward, towards him, as his hands moved behind her back, encircling her, protecting her. As Chat Noir, he didn't have much influence over Marinette, or her life, but as Adrien, he was here, he was real and she knew him without that mask, no matter how much he loved wearing it. He was scared to engage her sometimes as Adrien, because as Adrien he had to step up to his mistakes, own up to the things that he said and did. As Chat Noir, he could look into those blue eyes without feeling like he was committing a huge crime against his heart, or how he could hurt his friend by the things he would do.

KNOCK! KNOCK! The door was being pounded against and it sent Adrien and Marinette flying away from each other, faces red and hearts racing.

"We-um-we should get going..." Marinette said and she didn't meet Adrien's eyes until they made it to London eye, thirty awkward minutes later.

A nudge and he was right next to her ear. "Do you think something happened?" They both glanced over their shoulders, and they saw their friends confused and dazed expressions.

"Oh most definitely, there's no way that something didn't happen!" She said quietly, not wanting to be overheard by their two best friends.

"What should we do? I don't want my bro to be sad all night, he looks like a kicked puppy..." (or kitty MWAHAHAHA)

"I agree, what do you have in mind before I give you my brilliant idea?" She smirked at him and wrapped her arm around his as they continued to wait in line.

"You sly fox, you know what I'm thinking already."

"Of course I do my slow turtle, now, how will we get them in one by themselves?"

"I've got you covered babe."

(I know that typically one capsule holds 25 people at London Eye, but bear with me here, just pretend that the people who manage it are major AdrienEtte Shippers, such as myself, and they want our babies together-alone-*cough* okay you can continue reading now!)

"How many?" Asked a woman in her twenty's who would tell you when you could or couldn't get on the giant Ferris Wheel.

Nino and Alya both leaned over and whispered to the lady and after a moment she looked over their heads and hearts grew in her eyes. "Is that Adrien Agreste!?" She squealed and Nino and Alya shared a concerned look before nodding.

"I can get you one of his shirts if you let those two have their own capsule along with us." He pointed to himself and Alya after gesturing to Marinette and Adrien.

She nodded excitedly and told them to hurry, Nino turned and grabbed Adrien's arm and Alya grabbed Marinette's, they threw them n front of them and the woman quickly pressed the 'Door Close' button, trapping Marinette and Adrien inside.

"That's how it's done." The fist-bumped as they watched their friends go up.

"Oh, those two!" Marinette pressed herself against the glass as she watched Alya and Nino fist-bump. She heard a light sound, one that she would never forget. Adrien was laughing, and hard as they continued to go up, and He sat on the bench that was in the middle of the capsule. She smiled and found herself internally berating about how she could let this awkward situation go on for so long. It didn't have to be that way, she was just confused and her heart ached at her because he kept, he kept teasing her with empty promises that he wasn't saying.

And it hurt so bad because he didn't even know he was doing it.

"Adrien..." Would she really tell him? Did she dare? To really say those words to him?

Green eyes, so beautiful, they were the ones that kept her up late at night, the ones that she dreamt about, fantasized about, the ones she wouldn't mind drowning in.

Breathless already, she didn't dare let her eyes leave his, afraid that if she did, she would lose it, she would tell herself that there was always next time, but no, next time wasn't going to be a thing this time, she was going to tell him, right here and now.

"I-I," Breathe, it's time. "I have something, something that I've wanted to tell you for a very long time," She held her breath as her heart clenched painfully in her chest, seizing movement from her even as he stood, not daring to lose that unspoken connection.

Soft, and undoubtedly uncharacteristically she held her hands in front of her, shoving down her fear of the unknown that she was about to walk into.

"I've been keeping it all to myself, for so long." Her chest hurt, because she knew he didn't feel the same, her stomach lurched because she knew what would happen, she knew what was coming and she shoved forward.

"It's not fair to you, to have to give me an answer," She sniffed and she tried desperately to hold onto her tears, "so I won't ask for one..." Her teeth chattered and her hands hurt from how hard she wrung her fingers.

She was probably droning on yeah, but the sooner those words came out of her mouth, the sooner she'd have to admit that she ruined something extraordinary, and she would never get it back. The sky exploded behind her in reds and oranges as a strange evil presence took over London behind them. It was too late as a large boulder was hurled at London Eye and Marinette lifted her eyes, determined and overflowing with tears.

"I love you." just as her back connected with the glass behind her and she fell, oh so slowly toward the ground, Adrien saw those words leave her lips.

Blood rushing and heart pumping he jumped, the powerful words of "Plagg claws out!" leaving his mouth as he continued to stare into beautiful bluebell eyes.

This akuma would either be the death of them, or the one that brought them together, only fate could tell.

Hi, there loyal readers who for some reason like the trash I write!

This is a huge point in the story, and after this, I can't promise a whole lot of happy for maybe one or two more chapters

Well, she told him, but at what cause? *Dramatic Sigh* Well at least Adrien is being less of a dense idiot, anyone else agree?

And side note who else is unbelievably pissed to know that we have to wait almost a whole year for more Miraculous episodes, I want to cry ngl.

But I am excited for the movie!

Review and Tikki will share her macaroons with you!

Adrienette forever bitches