Marinette ducked her head after staring at Adrien for far too long. Or was it not long enough? She didn't know why she was still a little surprised to see him. Of course he was going to be here today as the event was being held on the grounds of his home, hosted by his own father, but Marinette reflected that he was rapidly becoming a large part of her life.

She glanced up in shock as Adrien appeared in front of her and her face flushed.

"He-hello, Adrien," she stammered out, cursing herself for losing her composure. She'd been this close to him before, even in this very garden, right? There butterflies in her stomach, and not because she was nervous for her collection to be presented. Adrien always had a way of making her feel awkward, mostly because of the way he looked at her. His gaze was so intense and she felt like it saw a little too deeply into her. Every time she looked into his eyes, it reminded her of something else she couldn't quite place.

He smiled back at her. "Enjoying the day so far?"

"Now I am," Marinette joked, missing how Adrien's eyes widened at the statement. "To be honest, I felt very out of place. I mean, I feel like we might be the only ones here under 40."

An aging woman wearing just a little too much makeup glared at the pair, and Marinette hurried away with Adrien in tow. She purposefully avoided the willow tree and went into the rose garden. After all, she didn't want to ruin the surprise.

After they had wandered into the dense bushes, they sat down on a ornate stone bench.

Adrien took a moment before asking a question that had been on his mind.

"Not to be rude, Marinette, but what brings you here today?"

She looked at him, confused. She guessed she had only imagined telling him?

"Oh, actually, um…"

Adrien nodded encouragingly.

"I entered my own collection in the design contest!" she practically shouted before clapping her hands over her mouth. A silence stretched between the two of them. Unsure of how else to react, Marinette returned to an old classic: run away from the situation.

Adrien sat quietly on the bench, every inch of him wanting to follow her, to apologize, to make things right again. But he knew that he should give her space. Why else would she run from him? And what did he keep doing wrong?

Marinette retreated underneath the willow tree again, carefully examining her clothing to at least give herself something to do. The crowd was still a few collections away, but she didn't have much time. Soon she would have to present her work. Deep breaths, deep breaths…

The feelings washing over her reminded Marinette of when she was Ladybug. Adrenaline, yet a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was scared, yes, but there wasn't anything she could do about it except for face her fears. As Ladybug it was her duty, but as herself, it was her choice. Feeling especially bold, Marinette darted back to the garden. Adrien was still sitting on the bench, twirling a flower in his hands.

"Marinette," he began, rising to meet her, but she held up her hand, interrupting him. She didn't have much time right now. But instead of talking to him, she did something else entirely.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of the shyest girls in the school, walked straight up to Adrien Agreste and planted a kiss straight on his lips.

Well, mused Adrien, that's one way to shut a guy up. He soon returned his attention to Marinette, a strange sense of need taking over. They finally pulled away, gasping for breath.

Marinette's confidence began to fade away, but just when she began to back away, unsure of how Adrien would react, his hand shot out to pull her closer.

Gazing into her eyes, he remarked, "I, for one, have been wanting to do that for a long time," before drawing close her again. Marinette let out a little squeak of surprise before relaxing into his embrace. God, being like this with her felt so right.

They pulled apart and just stood like that, close, with her head resting on his shoulder. Adrien would have been content to remain there for the rest of the afternoon, but Marinette shot back, panicked. "I might miss my presentation!"

And with that, Marinette was running from the garden, almost forgetting to let go of his hand. She arrived just in time for the crowd to be migrating over to her work, and she pushed the pleasant memories away as she tried to clear her head to focus on her fashion. She cautiously accepted the offered microphone.

"Hello! My name is Marinette, and I'd like to share my collection with you, which I've worked very hard on it over the past few months. It's inspired by my...um.. a modern-day Prince Charming. An elegant guy, a real gentleman, but young. The fairytale influence is pretty obvious in the suit, but I thought that I might point out to you how these details are present even in the casual wear. Now, if you look at the seams on this shirt…"

Once she had started, all of her nerves melted away. She felt confident and assured, and, as the audience chuckled at one of her jokes, she felt a little… Ladybug. Once it was finally time to hand the microphone back, she was able to focus on the crowd. She'd been so focused on her collection but she couldn't help but stare at Adrien now, his mouth wide open.

The crowd swiftly moved on to see the next collection, potentially the next new thing, but he immediately rushed up to her.

"Marinette! This is incredible!" he exclaimed, gesturing to her work. "I knew you liked to design, but this is something else."

She smiled at his praise, slightly embarrassed. Unsure quite where they stood, she decided to take another risk.

"Actually, Adrien, you inspired me."