Standard disclaimers apply

Marinette walked into her family's bakery, hoping against hope that they wouldn't make a big deal about the role she'd received with Adrien. The young woman felt her heart speed up at the thought of the blonde model she was in love with since middle school. When they'd met, Adrien had been a cute boy; now, Adrien was a drop-dead gorgeous young man. Puberty had indeed been kind to the young man with his dimples, sun-kissed blonde hair and green-as-the-grass eyes. Marinette couldn't help internally swooning at the thought of the Agreste boy. Even after all this time, she thought, he still reduces me to a puddle of Marinette goo.

As Marinette climbed the steps to her home, she internally laughed at how she'd overblown everything about Adrien Agreste in her younger years. By some miracle, Marinette had the same classmates in her senior year she'd had in middle school. Whether it was her Ladybug luck or just some glitch in the system, Marinette was glad to have grown up surrounded by such good friends. No class was closer nor more tight-knit than hers. It felt nice to be able to have such reliable friends. Plus, it had helped her mature in how she interacted with Adrien among other things.

As Marinette entered the apartment above her family's bakery, she noticed it was unnaturally dark. This kicked her Ladybug instincts into high gear. Although it had been a little under a year since she and Cat Noir, whom she'd discovered was Adrien, had returned Nooroo to the Great Guardian, some experiences and skills cannot be unlearned. Vigilance had become so ingrained into their lives that they were never truly relaxed, even in places where danger was low. This had put both Adrien and Marinette in more than one situation where they'd over-reacted due to being surprised.

Marinette scanned the room, trying to pick up cues despite the curtains shutting out the light. She strained all her sense except her eyes, knowing from experience that her eyes would only hinder her. By pricking up her ears, she caught the slight creaking of the floorboards and attempts to stifle breathing. She also noticed the immaculate state of the apartment thanks to her familiarity with the room. The young woman internally groaned. Why did her parents do these things to her? They knew how jumpy their daughter could be!

"Maman, Papa; come out right now. You know I hate surprise parties!" Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng came out of hiding from behind the coach as their daughter turned on the lights, sheepish grins on their faces. Why could they never catch her by surprise!?

"Oh dear; we only wanted to celebrate your role in your friend's play. You're going to be that nice Agreste boy's co-star! Aren't you excited?" Marinette internally groaned; of course everyone was scheming to pair her up with Adrien. Their parents and classmates all thought Adrien and Marinette were unbelievably shy. Ha! If any of them had known about their dual lives, they'd think twice. They were just private people; is that a crime?

When Marinette and Adrien had defeated Hawkmoth, Master Fu, the Great Guardian, had explained a natural consequence of being the miraculous holders of the kwami of destruction and creation. As the only kwamis that were a balance for one another, it naturally affected the relationship of their holders. If the holders were mildly compatible, they would become life-long friends that would balance each other in a non-romantic way. On the other side of the spectrum, if they were highly compatible they would become a couple. According to Master Fu, this happened in three stages.

The first stage was called the compatibility test. This stage was judged by both Plagg and Tikki, in and out of costume. They were to judge how well they fought together, interacted with one another and supported one another. This time lasted till they were old enough to be betrothed, or engaged in modern terms. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the miraculous, they were considered old enough when both of them were sixteen. Marinette had never been so glad Adrien was five months younger than her.

This initiated the second stage called the waiting stage. This stage was another test, mainly a test of commitment. Due to their age, this phase was the hardest. For one year, they were to remain 'single' and as virgins. The only exceptions, according to Master Fu, were in cases of sexual violence or if they agreed to give themselves to each other. If these things happened, they would automatically go into the third stage.

The third stage was known as the betrothal stage. If they managed to last the entire year of the second stage, they would become engaged, fiancé and fiancée. For them, the second stage had started on February 14th of the last year, the day they revealed themselves to each other after defeating Hawkmoth. Marinette and Adrien were a few months away from the final stage.

In two months, Adrien would turn seventeen. One month later would be the anniversary of the defeat of Hawkmoth and the start of their waiting period. Tikki and Plagg had informed their holders that by February, they would be engaged and as such, would have to tell their parents the truth about their superhero alter-egos. This part was scarier to them than any of the akumitized victims they'd dealt with in their younger years, especially after they found out who Hawkmoth truly was behind his mask. As Marinette put on a show of being happy about the part for Tom and Sabine, Adrien was having his own troubles with Gabriel and Natalia Agreste, whom had turned out to be hiding as his father's assistant the whole time.

"Adrien," began Mr. Agreste as the family sat down to dine together, "Your mother and I received a call from your school about you playing the lead role in a student-written play. Is this true?" Internally cringing, Adrien nodded to confirm that it was true.

"Is it also true that Miss Dupain-Cheng is your opposite?" asked Natalia with an eager gleam in her eye. Adrien groaned loudly as his parents snickered at their obviously embarrassed son. While Adrien would freely admit that his parents embarrassed him, he was grateful that they were more involved in his life. It reminded him of his younger years when his whole world had revolved around his parents. It felt . . . nice. So, despite the bruising to his ego, Adrien rolled with the punches.

"Why does everyone want to force me and Marinette together?! Shouldn't something that critical be our choice!?" Gabriel and Natalia's giggles turned into full-blown laughter at their son's questions.

"Surely you see it son?" answered his father, "How similar you and Miss Dupain-Cheng are to your mother and I?" Adrien was about to argue how it was not true when he stopped himself and realized his Father was right.

Adrien, like his mother, was a famous Parisian model. They were both sought after for their fair appearance and angelic features. Every day, Adrien was hounded by modeling agencies begging him to represent them instead of Agreste Fashions. If it weren't for his exclusive contract with Agreste Fashions, modeling would have overtaken his life years ago, despite him being a minor.

Marinette, like his father in his younger days, had aspirations to become a fashion designer. Both were incredibly talented and both enjoyed creating the looks by hand. In addition, they were clever and willing to make bold statements, both in fashion and in other areas of their lives. Adrien, thinking of all the evidence, could see why his parents, and Marinette's, were so . . . eager to see their children together. However, just because he could get where they were coming from didn't make it any less annoying; especially since they had to hide they were already together!

"I see your point. Father, Mother; May I leave the table?" Gabriel and Natalia nodded as Adrien bolted from the table. The Agreste parents sighed, hoping their son would know the happiness of finding love someday.