Day 6. First Kiss

'I'm not afraid now,' Nino whispered.

Marinette felt his hands closing over her palm. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

As soon as they had entered the zoo she decided she would tell him how she felt. But as they walked around the Ménagerie her courage mysteriously leaked away. She was at the edge of a panic attack when they ended by the hippos. The only thing tethering her to sanity was the pink cotton candy, which served as a useful cover and shield.

Now Marinette lowered that shield. She still wasn't certain if she had read all the little hints and signs just right. If this turned out to be just her imagination, she would go straight to the Seine and drown to spare herself the humiliation.

'You're not afraid?' she repeated after him. She could slap herself for not saying anything else, but the truth was, she was hypnotized by Nino's golden gaze, scared to even breathe louder and disturb the moment that might change her miserable existence of hopeless pining over a childhood friend.

He took a deep breath and chuckled. 'Why do I feel like an awkward teen again?'

'I don't know,' Marinette squeezed his hand. 'But I can tell you you're not the only one feeling this way.'

'Whoookay,' he relaxed a bit. 'Good to know,' he gulped again and followed it with another breath.

At this rate he might hyperventilate before he says anything, Marinette thought.

'Nino, I- ' she started, intent on taking the initiative.

'Please, let me,' he interrupted her. 'I've got this. I just… this is important. You are important and I want to do this right, okay?'

'Okay,' she nodded slowly.

'Marinette, I… I wanted to tell you… that… gah!' he stuttered. 'I-love-a-girl-and-I'm-trying-to-tell-her-but-I-feel-like-a-complete-idiot-now,' he blurted out on one exhale, ending miserably with, 'Sorry, just pretend I'm not here!'

He pulled his hat onto his face and the rest of his mumbling was cut off.

'Nino,' she nudged him, but he only pressed the hat closer to his face. 'Niiinooo,' she drawled. 'Can I say something, please?'

'You can,' came a muffled reply.

'I'm not gonna talk to your hat.'

He reluctantly lowered it a bit and peeked at her from above the rim.

'There you are, going out of your turtle shell,' Marinette cooed and he snorted out a laugh.

'Now I can say it. Here it goes,' she warned. 'I love you, Nino Lahiffe. And before you're going to ruin it by getting the wrong idea, I am in love with you. Have been for a while actually.'

Nino's eyes got almost as big as his glasses and those bits of his face that she could see over the hat got colored in that shade of amber she adored so much.

'Pssst,' she prompted in theatrical whisper. 'Now it's your turn.'

He still wasn't saying anything, just staring at her so intently she started to feel extremely self conscious. Had she read the signs wrong? Had she misinterpreted his behavior? Oh god, she had! He was just being friendly! He probably wanted to confess something about Alya or Adrien, some joke about the good old times, but she had to swoop in with her revelation and ruin their friendship forever. Please, Mother Earth, swallow her now! She was never gonna live this- Humpf!

His hands were cradling her face, their knees bumped and next thing she knew Nino was crashing his quivering lips into hers in a hungry kiss, erasing every rational thought from her circuits. On instinct her eyes closed and hands splayed on his chest, clutching the material of his t-shirt.

At first it was only a desperate pressure with a clear intention of getting as close as possible. When she didn't pull away Nino released a shuddered breath and brushed his lips tenderly over hers. Marinette was quick to respond in kind. She felt his fingers tangled in her hair, playing with loose strands. His warmth so close to her was making her dizzy. The sounds he was making, soft sighs, little breaths disarmed her completely. She was vaguely aware that they were in a public place, but she didn't care anymore. She could stay like this forever, just kissing him, completely losing track of time.

When they finally parted with the last tender brush of nose against nose, Marinette bit her bottom lip, trying to preserve the sensation that was already slipping from her.

'I'm love with you too, Marinette,' Nino whispered barely audibly, his thumb stroking her ear.

She tilted her head nuzzling into his palm. 'Say that again.'

'I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,' he chuckled, his eyes so soft and vibrant, full of emotion. 'I am crazy in love with yo- hmpfffmpfff!'

She cut him of with another kiss almost tackling him to the bench. She decided to ignore the not so subtle "Finally" that came from her purse. It wasn't a difficult task with the way Nino was kissing her back.