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It was going to happen this time. Marinette was going to tell Adrien how she really felt about him. Alya had been supportive and was going crazy that it still hadn’t happened. No, there weren’t going to be any obstacles this time. No matter what, it was going to happen. She walked around the corner and practically ran into him. The golden blond hair seemed to sparkle, almost blinding her. She felt her resolve fading when she saw the smile aimed right at her.
“Adrien! Uh, hi.”
“Hi, Marinette. Wow, you look really nice today.”
She wanted to melt. She balled up her fists. No, she wasn’t going to back out. “Adrien, I have something to tell you,” she blurted out.
“Oh, okay. This sounds serious. Should I sit down?”
“Yeah, sit down, good idea.” She looked into those green eyes looking back at her, wanting to drown in those emerald pools and run away at the same time.
The seconds seemed to stretch into years as he patiently waited for her to say something. Why wouldn’t her mouth work? She summoned all of her nerve into one deep breath. “I’minlovewithyouandalwayshavebeen.” There, it was out.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’m sorry, Marinette, but I don’t really know what you just said.”
Run away! Run away! No, she was going to see this through. She took a deep breath. “I am in love with you and always have been.” He just sat there, staring at her. Was he repulsed? Was he going to laugh at her? Why wasn’t he saying anything. Marinette felt like she had to explain more. “When we first met, the day you gave me your umbrella, I fell in love at that moment.”
His face suddenly broke into a wide smile. “Marinette, I can't believe that you felt this way. I love you, too.”
Her heart started to do flip flops. Could it be? He had feelings for her? “You do?”
“Yes. I have been in love with you for a long time.” He stood up, reached for her hand and pulled her up and held her body against his chest. He placed one hand on the small of her back and cradled her chin with the other. His lips came closer to hers. She was screaming inside, but tried to remain calm as their lips brushed up against each other. Not intense, not crude, just soft enough to make her tingle from head to toe. She collapsed into his arms, partly out of exhaustion, partly out of surrender. “If I hadn’t been so oblivious I would have realized my feelings so much earlier.” He paused and gave a sheepish grin. “You see, I was infatuated with Ladybug and it kept me from seeing what was right in front of me.”
Wait, he had been infatuated with Ladybug? Marinette made a decision that she had been fighting against ever since she got her miraculous. “Adrien?” Could she really keep going? Was she really going to open herself up like this? He had just confessed his love and she was risking shattering everything, but she had to get it out. “I’m Ladybug.” It came out softly, but she knew he heard it. The room was so quiet. She could see him thinking. “Please, say something.”
There was a look of decision and he opened his mouth. “I’m Chat Noir.” It hit her like a ton of bricks, but it just made sense. She didn’t question it for a moment.
“You mean, it’s both sides of you that I’ve been in love with?”
“And, I guess it’s both sides of you that I’ve been in love with, too.”
Tears of relief and happiness flowed down her face. This time, she grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him to her. This kiss was deeper, filled with passion, longing, hunger. She didn’t want it to end, but then she felt him pushing her away.
“Uh, Marinette. I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta go.”
What was he saying? How could he leave after what she had just revealed, what they had both said? There was so much they would need to discuss. “How can you leave now?” She felt that everything she had built was suddenly falling apart.
He fidgeted with one hand on hers and the other on the back of his neck, trying to avoid eye contact. “We can talk about this more at dinner tonight. But I have to drop the boys off at your parents’ before I go to work. Don’t forget, it’s career day today. You need to be at Emma’s class to talk about fashion design at 10:00.”
She realized he was right as she pulled her hand away. “Okay. Can you get some more hamster food on your way home?”
“I will.” His smile popped back onto his face. “I love you, Marinette.” And then he was gone.