Okay. This is the last chapter. For real this time! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Just some quick notes to all the guests who have commented since my last post that I couldn't respond to individually:

Demi clayton- You're so kind. Thank you so much.

mikrolurker- yeahhhh. It was done and then I had an idea for follow up and was to lazy to change it back to unfinished. This really is the last one this time though...

Guest- Yeah, she just might have encouraged him and it may or may not come back to bite her in this chapter... 3:)

A sleep deprived Marinette stumbled into class the next day, only slightly calmer than she had been last night. Tikki had dragged her out of bed and made sure she wasn't late. Since she was used to rushing out the door several minutes behind, she'd actually managed to arrive a few minutes early. She could have cried tears of joy when she saw Alya sitting at their shared desk with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"You are a saint," Marinette said, accepting the cup from her and immediately taking a gulp.

"Oh, don't thank me," Alya said with a smirk. "I'm not the one who brought it to you."

"Then who-" then she saw the note and choked.

Love you a latte!

Alya grinned. "Girl, you will never guess who brought that for you!"

"Adrien!" she hissed.

The blond sitting in front of her turned his stupid, angelic face to stare up at her innocently. "Can I help you?"

Before she could answer his question, Alya grabbed her arm and hissed in her ear. "How did you know it was Adrien?"

Adrien grinned and answered for her. "I had an interesting conversation with Marinette last night."

The grip on Marinette's arm tightened. She was in so much trouble. "And just when and where did you talk?"

"Oh, it was a text. I meant to text Nino about something, but accidentally hit Marinette's number instead," Adrien said. Marinette was impressed with his ability to lie through his teeth. She was still going to kick his butt from here to the Eiffel tower the next time Ladybug got her hands on him.

Nino spoke up then. "Dude, how did you get my name mixed up with Marinette's?"

Adrien looked at him sheepishly and opened his phone for Nino to see. "She's right next to you in my contact list."

Nino took his phone. "Dude, you have like no one in your phone. What's up with that?"

Adrien scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion. "I told you I didn't have many friends before I came here, so I never really had anyone besides Nathalie and my chauffer in my phone until now."

An awkward silence filled the group, spreading to the rest of the classroom of students who were doing a poor job of hiding their eavesdropping.

"Anyway," Adrien said, breaking the awkward silence, "I sent the text to Marinette instead of Nino and we got to talking. She said some interesting things."

Alya looked like she was about to explode from trying to contain herself. "And just what did my girl say to you?"

"Don't!" Marinette said, not sure who she was saying it to, but sure that if the conversation continued she would die of embarrassment.

"Make me, Princess," Adrien said, with his best Chat Noir grin.

The whole class gasped. Nino and Alya looked between their two friends with their mouths hanging open, but before anyone could fully register what had happened the bell rang, and Madame B. walked in bringing the class to order. There was a tension in the air the whole day. Marinette felt eyes on her from all around the room. Two pairs of eyes stared with greater intensity than any others. The first was Chloe, her gaze bore into her with an intensity that made Marinette want to touch her side, just to make sure the blond hadn't glared a hole into her. Alya was the other one, staring daggers at Marinette as she kept trying to pass notes to her throughout class. Marinette studiously slipped into her backpack without a second look, pretending to be focused on the lesson.

Then there was Adrien. He wasn't looking at her, which was a mercy, but his every action seemed to be trying to draw her attention. Like when he yawned and gave a stretch that looked suspiciously like a muscle flex, or when he would run his hands through his hair and give it a distinctly more Chat-like appearance. Marinette dreaded lunch and wondered if she could excuse herself early and slip out the bathroom window as Ladybug. That would save her from Alya, but the Cat would still find her.

She didn't get the chance. Before she could make up her mind, the bell rang. Adrien popped up out of his seat and turned to face her, "Well, Princess, would you join me to go eat? I've got a lunch that we have a lot to talk about."

"I- uh- Going out Alya with," Marinette floundered, looking at her best friend for help.

"She means she was going to have lunch with me and would love it if you could make it a double date," Alya said, reattaching herself to Marinette's arm as Chloe watched it all unfold, looking ready to breathe fire.

"That sounds mint to be," Adrien said, grinning when he saw Marinette's eye twitch.

"Dude, are you food punning?" Nino said.

"Is there another cat-agory you would rather I use?" Adrien asked.

Marinette thumped her head of the desk, while she hissed, "Stupid cat!"

"What was that? Mew didn't hear you."

"Nothing. Nothing. I – GAH!" She flailed backwards when she raised her head and saw that Adrien had very much invaded her personal.

"Funny, that's not what you said last night, Purrincess."

"And just what did she say last night?" Alya demanded, looking between the two with growing incredulity.

"If I remember right, she said-"

"You bake me crazy," Marinette blurted. Still aware of the room full of curious classmates.

Adrien's grin widened. "Well yes, you did say that, but that's not all you said. In fact, I distinctly remember-"

"Have a macaroon," Marinette said, taking one out of her bag where she kept spares for Tikki and shoving it in his mouth. Her mind was short circuiting and giving her the urge to flick her Kitty on the nose for being such a total dork.

"Thank you," he said once he'd swallowed and then spoke in a much lower voice, making it harder for everyone else eaves dropping. "I'd love to mack on you."

"WHAT?" Alya shrieked, the only one close enough to have heard besides Marinette.

"I said I'd love a macaroon," Adrien told her, his face the picture of angelic innocence.

"That wasn't- I heard-"

"You're un-bee-lievable," Marinette snapped at him, her annoyance finally helping her find her courage.

"Ooo. Was that one on porpoise?" Adrien asked.

"Toucan play at this game," Mairnette shot back.

"Are you fur-real?"

She leaned in and flicked his chest where his bell would be if he was wearing his suit. "Do I look like I'm kitten?"

"I could win with my bear hands," Adrien said, leaning in towards her.

"If you think you can win this you're otter your mind," Marinette said, standing her ground

"You're toad-ally out of your league here." His eyes sparkled with delight and something else that Marinette couldn't quite decipher. Whatever it was, it made her stomach flip with of anticipation the closer he got.

"You're right, my koala-fications put me way above you." She winced a little inside, because she didn't like belittling her Kitty- he did that enough to himself- but he'd started this, and gosh darnit she was going to finish this and come out on top.

"That's the seal-iest thing I've ever heard."

"It's ir-elephant because I'm winning."

"Well this is hawk-ward, I believe you are hiss-taken," Adrien said. It had become a game of chicken as he came closer and closer while she stood her ground.

"Im-paws-ible!"

"You're giraffeing me crazy,"he whispered, close enough now that she could feel his warm breath on her face.

"Cat you just give up?" Marinette said with exasperation. She was hungry and tired and his stupid, perfect face was way too close. Also, she was running out of puns.

"Ewe know what I'm looking for." His eyes drifted down to the lower part of her face.

Her heart was going into overdrive, but she wasn't fainting this time and when she moved the last few centimeters to bridge the gap between them it was a deliberate, conscious action. His arms immediately went around her waist, to keep her from running away. Which was probably a good thing because the moment their lips made contact the room exploded into pandemonium. Oh yeah, there were other people.

They pulled apart and looked around to see that most of the class was celebrating (Chloe aside). Alix had her hand out to Kim. "You lost. Pay up."

He grumbled and shoved a fistful of bills into her hand.

The rest of the class was either doing that or cheering and clapping. Alya was squeezing the life out Nino as she jumped up and down squealing. They turned to look at each other.

"Hey Mari," Adrien said. "Tulips are better than one."

"Shut up, Kitty," she whispered, getting lost in his eyes again.

"Yes, My Lady." And he kissed her again.

Thank you all for reading this. I do have some other works if you'd like to go read those. You've been so kind.