Once they were done with their meal, they exited the restaurant together, Marinette casually accepting her cavalier's offered arm. As they were waiting for the car, Adrien eyed hey carefully:
"Do you want me to bring you home just yet? We could always go somewhere for a coffee, or take a stroll in the park if you want."
Looking up at him, Marinette read nothing but a quiet longing in his expression. Obviously, he too was a little reluctant to head back to an empty apartment and apparently was enjoying her company enough to seek it actively.
"A walk would be nice," she answered softly, instantly rewarded by a grin akin to that of a child on Christmas morning. The valet took this as his cue to open Adrien's passenger door for her, and she slid on the leather seat gracefully, trying uselessly to keep her feelings in check as her friend made his way to the driver seat.

Minutes after, he parked the car in front of the Trocadero place.
"Fancy a walk by the illuminated Eiffel tower?"
He seemed so pleased with himself that Marinette only could nod in agreement, lost in his green irises. A moment later, they were walking side by side in the warmth of the mid-June evening.
"I've always liked this place." Marinette breathed softly. She felt Adrien chuckled softly at her side:
"I can see why. It's magnificent, especially at night."
Feigning to be oblivious to their intertwined fingers (when did that even happen? ), the young woman let him led her through the park at a ridiculously slow pace, letting the warm summer breeze caress her skin. After a few minutes of a comfortable silence, she found herself whispering:
"I used to come here all the time with Mama when I was a little girl."
"I wonder what kind of kid you were back then." he eyed her curiously. At that, Marinette laughed heartily.
"Papa always says I had too much imagination for my well-being. Had a certain talent to put myself in… situations."
The young man by her side quirked an eyebrow at her:
"What kind of situations?"
"Well, there was that time where I desperately wanted to build a snowman… in August. Mama and Papa were busy with customers, so I snuck in the kitchen and tried to make one out of flour. Needless to say, I made a HUGE mess and Papa found me covered in flour from head to toe crying because I still had no snowman. I must have been four or five at that time."

There was a glimpse of tenderness in the look Adrien gave her.
"This is precious. Did you do things like that often?"
Marinette sighed in defeat:
"Way too much for me to admit it out loud."
Slender fingers squeezed hers sympathetically:
"When I was about three years old, I got bored while my father was supervising some photoshoot. Apparently, I found it fit to bury myself into a stack of discarded fabrics. Policemen ultimately found me blissfully sound asleep in there three hours later and handed me back to a hysteric father and a sobbing mother. They hired a nanny to keep track of my whereabouts after that."
The young lady smiled at him tenderly before resuming staring intently at the ground, avoiding his piercing gaze:
"Back when I was two, I was utterly convinced I was born to be a superhero. My first flight was cut short by Papa grabbing my foot in extremis, making sure I wouldn't end up splashed up on the concrete three stories below."
A flash of amusement crossed Adrien's grassy gaze:
"A superhero, huh? Suits you well."
Marinette chuckled softly:
"I honestly think Papa aged ten years all at once that day. I scared him for dear life."
"You seem to be really close to your parents."
His words brought back a long repressed regret at the first plan, filling her gaze with sadness:
"I used to. I always talked openly about everything with them, never keeping any secrets from them. But what happened with Nate put some sort of wall between us. They love me as much as they did before, I know that, but there's a taboo between us that doesn't belong there. Does that make sense?"
"I understand. My relationship with my mom was pretty much the same. I could wake her up in the dead of the night for the silliest nightmare and she wouldn't mind at all. When she left, my father became even colder and busier than he had been before. So I just mostly kept things to myself, until I met Nino."

Noticing the shiver in his voice as he spoke about his mother, Marinette softly asked:
"What was she like?"
"Loving. And full of kindness."
The young lady glanced back at her partner, startled to find a smile dancing on his lips despite the sorrow in his voice.
"You miss her a lot, don't you?"
Adrien squeezed her fingers once again.
"Time makes it easier. The pain of her disappearing has gotten somewhat dulled by now, but what still stings a lot even years later is that I never got any answers. Why did she leave? Is she okay? If she's still alive, why did she left me behind?"
Marinette frowned, whispering:
"I'm sorry Adrien, I didn't mean to pry…"
"Things were different when mom was around. We would prank each other all the time. She would read me fairy tales before bed, always telling me that one day I'd find my very own princess. Father was happier, more relaxed, and much more present in my life. Those memories are happy ones, Mari. I don't mind at all sharing them with you because they're part of who I am. And if I recall correctly, you want to get to know me, right?"
The blackette nodded, smiling softly:
"I do. I really do."

Stifling a yawn, Marinette met Adrien's amused gaze.
"You're exhausted, Mari. As much as I enjoy this conversation, I should take you home."
She shook her head stubbornly:
"Nah I'm fine."
"Should I bring you an espresso tomorrow morning to ensure your brain is in functioning order then?" the young man laughed gently.
Sticking her tongue out at him in a childish grimace, Marinette nevertheless had to admit she truly was tired. No matter how much she was enjoying their evening, she'd have to snap back to reality eventually. Reluctantly, the designer nodded.
"You're right, we should go back."

They returned to the car in silence, Adrien still holding her hand like it was a treasure of some sort. As she slid easily in the passenger seat, Marinette looked at the man she loved in silence:
"I still owe you that pizza and rematch in Ultimate Mecha Strike. Last time we played I pulverized you, remember?"
Alya would probably tease her endlessly for spending so much time with Adrien while she was away, but it was worth it. Her issues pushed aside, the young woman truly enjoyed his company a lot, and she wanted to uphold the promise she had made to him to learn to trust him entirely.
"I was fifteen, Adrien chuckled, but yes, you do. Would Saturday work for you? We could meet at my place for lunch, and I'd get my long overdue revenge in the afternoon?"
"Saturday it is, then."
Beaming, the blond squeezed her fingers yet another time before igniting the car.
"Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No need, I'll walk or take a cab."
"Alright then, I'll text you my address later."
Marinette was way too tired and wrapped up in her pent up emotions to pick up on the fact they had yet to exchange numbers, so she simply nodded and looked away.

For a moment, she rested her forehead against the cold window as Adrien drove and allowed herself to wish things were different. In another world, another destiny where her life would've unfolded differently, maybe she would have a shot at happiness with the wonderful and attractive man she was learning to know better and better every day these days. It did help a lot that they virtually spent every free minute they had together working on either the collection or their relationship, but their sudden closeness was beginning to scare Marinette. In barely even ten little days, he had managed to snatch himself a comfortable spot in her heart and in her life, undeniably becoming as important to her as were Alya, Nino or Chat Noir. The intensity of her affections toward him terrified her beyond what words could describe. True, the young designer had been pining for her dreamy blond model ever since she was fifteen, but in retrospect that had been sweet nothings compared to what she was feeling right now. He wasn't only a kind and caring boy gifted with a pretty face to her anymore. Adrien was a complicated and beautiful human being, with his flaws and a history of his own, and she loved him so much more than she thought she ever could because of that.

He seemed to enjoy her company a lot as of lately, making unwelcome hopes blossom in her fragile heart. Hopes she'd imperatively have to stifle for both their sake. They couldn't be anything more than friends, she wouldn't allow it. If only Nathanael hadn't gone and broke her carelessly like he did, soiling her body and her mind permanently for his successors. If only she wasn't a total wreck unable to love anyone properly and way too prompt at avoiding any form of confrontation. If only she had gotten to know the real wonderful, dorky and not-so-perfect Adrien five years earlier. Then maybe, hopefully, her life may have taken another path.

As the young lady was feeling right then, she had nothing to offer him but an emotional mess barely able to keep her mind away from constant panic attacks and a broken body she considered filthy. Marinette knew she was far from being any wedding or family material, still struggling badly with various aftermaths of her plaguing past. Adrien deserved way better than the boiling and unpredictable mess that she was. She loved him enough to keep their relationship platonic, keep him blissfully away from her shattered soul.
"We're here."
His deep voice stirred her out of her grim thoughts. She took in her surroundings, noticing her partner had stopped his car in front of her building. He exited the car without waiting for her to react, rounding it quickly to open the passenger door for her. Smiling gratefully at him, she accepted the hand helping her outside of the vehicle with some dignity. Like the gentleman she knew him to be, his escorted her to her front door, awkwardness suddenly seeming to pool between them without any real cause to. Unlocking her door, she smiled faintly at him:
"Thank you for the lovely evening, Adrien. I really enjoyed myself."

The man by her side didn't answer. Startled by his sudden and unusual silence, Marinette couldn't help but notice Adrien was staring intently at her lips, unconsciously barely licking his as he ever so subtly leaned in. When she picked up on her partner's now very clear intentions, the blackette instantly felt all the tell-tale signs of an incoming breakdown showing up all at once - sweaty palms, maddening fast heartbeat, short breath, blurry mind. In a desperate attempt to preserve her already wavering sanity, she lunged forward instinctively, planting a firm and quick peck on his cheek, effectively deflecting him from his original goal.
"See you tomorrow?" Marinette managed to utter in intelligible words despite the poor state of mind she was in.
"Tomorrow, Mari. Sleep tight." Adrien replied in a deep and almost sultry tone before planting a kiss on her knuckles and going back down the stairs with long and elegant strides.

Left on her own, Marinette somehow managed to let herself into her apartment, focusing intently on her breathing and steadying the crazy beating of her heart, and slumped against the inside of her front door, greeting an upset and hungry kitten:
"Your mama is a hopeless wreck, Tikki."