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"Incoming! Adrien at 2 o'clock!"

"Ahhhhh! Alya, I'm not prepared!"Marinette attempted to hide behind the red-haired girl, but Alya pulled her back into view as Nino and Adrien walked up to them, smiling.

"Hey, Marinette. Hey, Alya."

"H-hi, Adrien. You're cute. I-I mean, aren't puppies cute?"

Alya stifled a laugh. "Speaking of animals, let's go to the zoo this week! I really want to see the new swans! Won't it be interesting?"

Marinette looked horrified.

Nino grinned, taking the hint. "Sure, Alya, swans sound great! I hear they're really romantic!"

From behind Adrien, Marinette shook her head vigorously, gesturing to Alya that it was a bad idea, especially if Adrien was coming.

"The zoo sounds great! I would love to go there! Are you coming, Marinette?" Adrien asked, his green eyes sparkling.

"I, uh-"

"She's totally coming." Alya said, placing her hands on Marinette's shoulders.

"Great! What day and what time?" Adrien asked.

"Wednesday at 4:30 sound good?" Alya asked, grinning.

Nino nodded, and Adrien said, "Perfect!"

Marinette was screaming internally. Yes, she wanted to spend time with Adrien, but she couldn't form a complete sentence with him around, and if she could, it was completely ridiculous statement that made no sense whatsoever.

This was a train wreck just waiting to happen.

• • •

"Those panthers are so majestic!" Alya exclaimed. It was Wednesday, 4:45 pm, and they were gazing at the different animals displayed throughout the zoo. Alya pulled out her phone and gasped. "Oh no, looks like I have to babysit. Sorry, guys, but bye!"

Of course, it was all fake. Alya didn't really have to babysit her twin sisters. It was a cover-up, designed to leave Marinette alone with Adrien.

Nino grinned, recognizing the signal to leave. Changing his smile to a fake frown, he too pulled out his phone and sighed. "Ugh, dudes, my mom wants me to come home because….you know, stuff."

Adrien nodded, being extremely oblivious. "Maybe another time we can all hang out together. Anyways, bye!"

"At least you and Adrien have each other, Marinette!" Alya called over her shoulder, running to hide the smirk she had on her face. Operation Adrienette was finally happening!

Nino ran to catch up to his girlfriend, laughing.

Adrien smiled and waved, while Marinette wanted to scream. How could her friends do this to her!? Her hair probably looked horrible, her clothes were too plain…

"I, uh restroom need to go! I mean, go to need restroom! I-ugh. I need to go to the restroom! Be right back!"

"Ok." Adrien smiled at her, and her heart just about melted. His lemon-colored hair glinted in the sunlight, his smile seemed to invite her to take his hand, and god, those sparkling green eyes of his were gorgeous….

"Are you okay? You're just staring at me."

"Oh, I, uh, gotta get to the restroom!" Shaking herself out of her daze, she mentally facepalmed and ran to the restroom, thinking, Welp, I'm a wreck.

After making sure all the stalls were closed, she ducked into one herself as Tikki flew out of her bag.

"Ahh! Tikki, I was talking about the restroom to him! And then I just started staring at him, and now I'm here! What am I going to do!?"

"Calm down, Marinette. Everything will be fine." Tikki assured her. "Just be yourself, and he'll finally see how amazing you are!"

"Thanks, Tikki. You always know what to say." They hugged, and Marinette walked out of the stall, taking deep breaths. "Okay. I can do this. I can do this." She walked out of the restroom and spotted Adrien looking at the gorillas. Rushing back into the restroom, she cried, "I can't do this! I can't do this!"

"Marinette, it will all be okay. Try thinking of him as a friend."

"Ok. I can do this."

• • •

Marinette stepped out of the restroom, muttering, "I can do this. I can do this." One foot, then another. Slowly, she inched herself forward until she was next to Adrien. "H-hi."

He smiled down at her. "Hey. Don't these swans look beautiful?"

"Not as much as you," Marinette sighed, gazing at him.

"What was that?"

"I, uh- They sure do look pretty!" She amended. Really, they were. The graceful animals were purely white, other than an area of black around their beaks. The necks of the swans curved gently, resembling half of a heart. In fact, Marinette spotted two swans forming a full heart with their necks.

They admired the birds, sitting in silence, but not in an awkward way. It was a gentle silence, allowing more words to be said than if either of them had spoken.

For a moment, Marinette could almost forget she was spending this quiet time with her crush. It just felt natural, right, that she could be around Adrien without stuttering and making a complete fool of herself.

After a few minutes, Adrien glanced at his watch and sighed. "I'm sorry, but it's getting late, and my father wants me to be home for dinner. Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"N-no, I'm fine, thank you, though." Marinette responded.

Adrien smiled at her, and she was lost in his eyes for a few moments again.

They walked to the exit together, where Adrien's bodyguard was waiting with his car to take him home.

"Bye." He waved at her and she waved back, smiling. After the car drove away, she walked home with a satisfied smile on her face.

Just to clarify, I've only seen a few episodes of season 3, so I probably won't write any spoilers without further notice. This whole story will probably just take place after season 2, but before season 3.

Please review! I need criticisms so that this fanfic doesn't end up in disaster. Give me your wholehearted, completely honest opinion!