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Marinette and Adrien pulled away from their kiss. They didn't move away though, foreheads still touching.

Marinette was flabbergasted by the kiss. She wasn't expecting it but didn't complain about it happening. She was surprised her heart wasn't hammering out of her chest.

She never understood why kissing lip-to-lip was so special. She had learned about cheek kisses a few years ago. That it was a form of showing affection or greeting. She found it very endearing.

It was embarrassing when she started returning the cheek kisses to her parents. But found that it made her happy to see them happy. So, she did it more often and it soon was forged into her. It became a normal thing.

Yet, Marinette never traveled deeper into investigating the types of kisses exchanged by romantic partners. She could get by the cheek kisses but the lip kisses were beyond her knowledge. What was so thrilling about kissing lovers like that?

She didn't know or understand. It wasn't like she had a test subject to try it on. Would the magic of a kiss even work if she didn't have any feelings for her partner?

At some point, she decided to give up on it and move past such trivial wonders. One day, she might learn what it meant and why it was so enjoyable.

Today was that day.

It had happened.

Adrien kissed her.

If anyone told Marinette seven months ago that her first kiss would be with Adrien Agreste, she would've said that person was mentally ill in the head.

Now...

Marinette was mystified. The feeling of his lips was so soft and warm. It was strange at first but she came around to it. She decided she actually enjoyed the gentle touch a lot, especially from Adrien. It was starting to make sense to her why lovers performed such lip contact. It was somewhat addicting.

Marinette stared into emerald eyes as they went from dazed to frazzled.

"Uh..." Adrien began, stepping back to give Marinette space, "Sorry! I-I should've ask-asked first!"

Marinette's cheeks were rosy, flustered as she continued to gaze at the blonde in astonishment. Her mouth opened but no words were able to form.

The poor guy stood there looking like he just accidentally committed arson.

Marinette wanted to reassure him that it was okay! That she...that she...

The female teen shyly stepped towards Adrien, earning a stupefied look from him. The ravenette twiddled with her fingers and couldn't help focusing her attention on them. She felt embarrassed for what she was about to ask.

"C-can...can..." Marinette tried to say but was still having trouble with talking. This might be the first time she's ever been a wreck. She lost both her sense of composure and her ability of speech.

"C-Can what?" Adrien asked, praying he didn't just ruin everything with Marinette. He hoped there was a light at the end of the tunnel. He was too busy freaking out that he couldn't focus on what Marinette could be thinking about right now.

What if he misread the room? What if she was going to reject him?

He didn't think he'd be able to handle the heartbreak. The heartbreak of Marinette rejecting him and leaving him in Paris, unable to fix his mistake.

Adrien nervously shifted in his spot, preparing for the worst.

Marinette said something but she was way too quiet for Adrien to hear.

"H-Huh?" he asked. Marinette flinched before mustering herself to repeat her sentence. Yet, her voice was still the volume of a mouse.

"Princess, I can't h-hear you," Adrien said, wondering if he even should use her nickname at a time like this. He still couldn't see her face to read it.

Marinette was getting frustrated with herself. She hid her face in her hands and let out a nervous groan.

"Are-Are you alright?" Adrien asked, worried. The kids couldn't have been that bad...could it? He was really not sure anymore.

Taking in a deep breath, Marinette steeled her nerves. She whipped her gaze to meet Adrien's once again, startling the blonde. The two teens were pink in the face.

Emptying her mind, Marinette decided to take the route of action rather than words. She only hoped she wouldn't mess up anything.

Marinette grabbed Adrien's collar and brought him lower. She raised herself onto her toes so she could meet Adrien's lips to hers in the middle. The raven-haired girl closed her eyes tightly, too afraid to see Adrien's reaction.

Adrien was taken aback, not expecting Marinette to kiss him.

She was kissing him!

It took a second later for him to return the favor. Marinette glided her arms around the blonde's neck, bringing them in closer. She really wasn't sure what else to do but decided she didn't need to do anything else. To her, this was perfect.

Adrien wrapped his arms around the small of Marinette's back, not daring to explore any further. He didn't need their last moment together having a slap in the face involved. Not that he would know what else to do.

Adrien just wanted to hold Marinette close. Tell her how much she meant to him and express his love for her. If this was the way to do it...well, he couldn't think of any better way than this.

They broke away again but kept close. The two felt a little lightheaded from the kiss and needed air. Adrien lovingly smiled at his princess, nuzzling her nose with his. Marinette chuckled slightly at the affection.

She brushed a few strands of hair away from Adrien's face, never wanting to leave this position.

"I do not think I have ever told you this but I always adored the color of your eyes, Adrien. They are a beautiful shade of green," Marinette complimented.

Even back in the old days, she always adored the color of his eyes and wondered why such an abomination could ever deserve such an amazing gaze.

"Nah, I think you beat me. Your eyes are the most extravagant," Adrien flirted, "I could be a man lost in a sea of bluebells and wouldn't mind it a bit."

Marinette was so much more flustered, she felt like she was being baked in one of the bakery's ovens. Her heart soared blissfully through the sky and didn't want to stop flying on cloud nine.

She wrapped her arms around Adrien's abdomen and retired her face into his chest. She could smell his cologne which unfortunately smelled nothing like him. When had she become so in-tuned to Adrien that she knew how he smelled? She found that very strange about herself. Honestly, she missed his usual scent of leather.

But it was one of many things she was going to miss.

Marinette was going to miss Adrien in general.

She was going to miss her mama and papa. She was going to miss her best friend and all her other friends. She was going to miss the bakery and the arcade. She was going to miss crafting and designing. She was going to miss Paris.

She was going to miss everything that she cared for.

Marinette had learned and experienced so many things in this city. She found herself more and more the longer she lived here. She was not meant for a proper life. She was meant for so much more than she ever thought she would when first arriving. So much changed in the six years she lived in Paris. Now, she couldn't see herself without this life.

Marinette was growing emotional again. Her grip tightened on the back of Adrien's coat.

"I d-do not want to leave," Marinette whimpered, "I-I want to stay."

Adrien didn't say anything. He just buried his face in Marinette's hair, soaking in just her for however long he could.

"WHERE ARE THOSE LITTLE BRATS?!"

Marinette winced at the sound of her grandmother's voice piercing the air from downstairs. She hid her face in Adrien's chest as if it would actually help her go unseen. The blonde tightened his arms around Marinette, letting out a protective growl.

"COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT, CHILD, OR ELSE! YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEYING ME!" her grandmother shrieked, seething out every syllable.

Marinette stiffened before letting out a sigh of defeat. She loosened up on Adrien, patting his back as a sign to let go. The blonde didn't seem like he was going to (really not wanting to at all) but eventually gave in to the request.

Marinette looked at Adrien once more, forcing a small smile on her face. She pecked his lips before making her way to the trapdoor. She paused before the door and let out a shaky breath.

It was time.

She was surprised when she felt a hand clasp her shoulder and turned to see a determined Adrien.

"We're in this together, Princess," Adrien stated, presenting her with a fist. Marinette felt her heart flutter as she collided her own fist with his.

"Pound it," they said in unison.

With that, they clasped each other's hands and made their way downstairs.

Mrs. Cheng was as outraged as a furious dragon. Imaginary fumes were leaving her ears due to her boiling, wrinkled face. Her lips were pulled into a sneer and tightened more at the sight of the two teens.

"You scum!" Mrs. Cheng hissed, pointing at Adrien, "Unhand her this instant! I will not have you tarnish this brat anymore than you already have!"

"You will not talk to my son like that!" Gabriel growled, glaring along with Nathalie at the old bat.

Mrs. Cheng scoffed, "You think you are any better than your spawn? I cannot believe I am talking to such filth! Do you know who I am? I can ruin your whole career with a mere snap of my fingers."

"I'd be honored to snap those fingers in half one by one," Adrien thought, darkly. If looks could kill, Mrs. Cheng would be six feet under within a second.

"THAT'S IT!" Sabine yelled, "You have messed with my family for long enough! You took my only child away from me for the first nine years of her life. I will not have you ruining another family's life just to get what you want!"

"Mother...please. It is okay," Marinette assured but felt so defeated, "I can go with grandmother and-"

"No!" Sabine snapped at her daughter before calming down, "This is far from okay, Marinette. You shouldn't have to atone for my mistakes. I will not let my mother take you away from us again."

"Right," Tom firmly stated, standing next to his wife.

"But if I do not go, the bakery will be closed. Please, do not do this for my sake. I thought the bakery was your happiness?" Marinette questioned.

As much as Marinette didn't want to leave, she couldn't let her parents sell the bakery. Her parents love the bakery. It's their home and way of life. She couldn't let her grandparents take that away from them.

Sabine's face softened, pulling her daughter into an embrace. The Chinese woman combed her fingers through raven locks.

"Marinette, you are our happiness. We can always get a new bakery or other business but we can't get another you. I love you too much. You are my precious little baby and I'll never let you go again," Sabine said, voice wobbling with emotion.

Marinette could feel hot tears running down her face and leaned into her mother's warmth.

"Really?" Marinette questioned.

"I mean every word," Sabine confirmed, pulling away to look at the beautiful face of her daughter. Sabine cupped Marinette's face, fondly brushing her thumb across her cheek. Marinette leaned into the touch as the two smiled at each other.

Sabine then turned to her parents with determination and narrowed eyes.

"Especially these words too," she stated, defiantly to her parents, "I want the both of you to stop harassing my family and go back to China."

Mrs. Cheng let out an amused scoff, "You think you have power in this situation? Are you that daft? I can ruin your life so that you or your baker boy can't get a job or have a place to live."

"Yes, but you can't do that if we're in a place you were banned from," Sabine shot back. Mrs. Cheng was baffled and went stiff.

"You think I didn't have a plan when I ran away?" Sabine said.

"I found a map of places you were banned from and was planning to go to Spain. Yet, fate had other plans. My plane landed in Paris because of a bad storm. The longer I stayed in Paris, the more I grew to love the city and was starting to find who I wanted to be."

"I fell in love with a wonderful man with a passion for baking," Sabine continued. She placed a hand on her husband's arm and softly smiled at her beloved, who returned it.

Then, she turned to Marinette and gave her a side hug, "...and had a beautiful baby girl."

Marinette happily leaned her head on her mama's shoulder. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. She was so proud that her mother was standing up to Grandma Cheng.

"I remember a few other places you were banned from. So..." Sabine concluded, "you have an important choice to make right now. Either, you close the bakery and never hear from us again or return to China."

"And why would it be a bad thing to close the bakery and not hear from you disgraces ever again?" Mrs. Cheng snarled out the question.

"Why waste your precious money on something that won't work? I know how much you care about money but I don't. Tom and I have saved up just enough money to make a new living. We can start from scratch again and open up a new bakery. We've done it before, we can do it again but with Marinette this time."

Mrs. Cheng's eye twitched in irritation.

For the first time in many years, Mr. Cheng's expression had morphed from its neutral state. A proud smile adorned his face and gave a nod of approval to his daughter.

"What's your choice, mother?" Sabine asked.

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"After that, they packed their belongings and left without a word," Marinette finished the story.

"Wow...now I just have more questions about your grandmother," Alya said, the reporter side of her bursting out, "What other places were your grandparents banned from aside from Spain? Why were they banned in the first place?"

Marinette shrugged, "I do not know. Honestly, I do not really want to either. I just want to keep them in the past and move on with my life."

"Dang, dude. I bet your mom wears the pants between your parents," Nino commented, slurping on a slushy. Alya raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend and nudged him in the side.

Marinette raised an eyebrow, not understanding what this conversation had to do with her mother wearing pants. Both of her parents clearly wear pants but it was probably some phrase she just didn't know.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat and everyone turned to Adrien. He was currently approaching them with a slushy in one hand and an annoyed look.

"How come you're not working?" Adrien asked Alya and gave Marinette the slushy she asked for.

"Because I wanted to know what happened at dinner disaster," Alya simply answered.

"You could've asked Marinette some other time," Adrien huffed.

"I also could tell the boss man that you ruined an expensive game controller," Alya slyly teased, "Should I tell your girlfriend over here how that happened?"

Adrien felt his face burn, "I...u-um..."

He decided it would be better to walk away.

Marinette's face went as red as her slushy and took a long slip to cool herself off. If there was one thing she left out of the story, it was her and Adrien's interaction in her room. The most she described it was Adrien cheering her up.

Marinette and Adrien hadn't had the time to discuss what they were now. Were they in a relationship? Was Adrien her boyfriend? They had confessed that they liked each other in the romantic sense. She would assume they were...right?

Marinette needed confirmation.

She didn't want to make any rash assumptions before getting clarification from Adrien.

"Girl? You with me?" Alya asked, waving her hand in front of her best friend's face. Marinette snapped out of her train of thought, placing her concentration on a suspicious Alya. Nino wasn't at the table anymore but his slushy still sat in its spot. She assumed he had gone to the bathroom.

Alya raised an eyebrow, spying Marinette's flushed cheeks.

"Is there something you're not telling?" the ombre-haired teen questioned before a knowing smirk slowly creased her face, "Or should I say, is there something you left out and haven't yet told me the whole story of what happened?"

Marinette felt her heartbeat spike and choked on her slushy. While she coughed, her face bloomed a new shade of crimson.

"W-What? N-No! Me?! Leave out story of Adrien?! I mean, i-it has nothing to do w-with Adrien. Wh-why would you ask? Wow, and why did he suddenly get so hot in here—wait! I meant it! It's hot in here! Who's he? I-I don't know. I'm just going to shut up now," Marinette stammered, nervously. She finally cut herself off by drinking her slushy.

Alya blinked at Marinette's sudden rambling, processing all of what was said. Alya has never seen Marinette so flustered before. She was always pretty levelheaded. Right off the bat, Alya knew something had changed with Marinette.

She had a feeling she knew exactly what the change was or she should say who changed her. If there was anything Alya learned, it was to find the context clues and Marinette made it pretty obvious.

"So, what happened between you and Adrien that you're not telling?" Alya asked, wiggling her eyebrows. She was thirsty for details like a dehydrated man who needed water in a desert.

Marinette fiddled with the bottom of her shirt as the memories played out in her head.

"W-Well," Marinette began, telling her best friend the part she left out of what happened. By the end of it, the raven-haired teen peered up to see Alya's reaction.

Alya was absolutely floored, along with her jaw. Marinette was both disturbed and impressed with how long Alya kept her eyes wide open without blinking.

"OH MY LORD! FINALLY!" Alya suddenly squealed, jumping up from her seat. Poor Marinette was startled and almost spilled her slushy.

"I feel like such a proud mother right now," Alya "cried," wiping invisible tears away, "My baby boy finally grew some and became a man."

Marinette confusingly mumbled "grew some" under her breath, not understanding what Alya meant by that. Teens these days had very odd "slang" as Alya had called it.

"Girl! I'm so happy that you two figured it out! I was literally dying from frustration because you both are the densest thing on Earth," Alya exclaimed.

"Well..." Marinette trailed off, causing Alya to deflate.

"Oh no, what's the problem?" Alya asked before being filled with righteous fury, "I swear if sunshine boy did anything to you, I'll kick him where the moon shines!"

"N-No! It is nothing like that!" Marinette reassured, furiously blushing, "I am just...conflicted about what this means for us and what our relationship is now. We have not had a chance to talk yet."

Alya simmered down and let out a breath.

"That's what this is about?" Alya questioned, earning an affirmative nod, "Trust me, I'm pretty sure you guys are a couple."

"Only pretty sure?" Marinette said, not very convinced.

"Fine, I'm positive that you and Adrien are a couple," Alya reworded, rolling her eyes, "Don't overthink about this. He loves you, Mari. But I suppose you two should at least talk it out to clear things up. Don't need any misunderstandings."

"A-And what if it is not what he wants?" Marinette asked, worriedly. Alya nearly snorted.

"Marinette, Adrien owes the arcade a new and very expensive game controller. The reason being that he wasn't paying attention because he was too busy thinking about you," Alya explained, earning a surprised look from Marinette.

"And if you don't believe that, I bet my entire future career as a reporter that he wants to be with you just as much as you want to be with him."

Marinette stared at her best friend for a moment. Alya seemed very sure of herself and was betting with her dreams on the line. Marinette knew to take her friend seriously and decided to relent her fears for now.

"Okay, I believe you. I shall talk to Adrien tomorrow at the dance."

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