Marinette
She stacked the dishes into the dishwasher, her heart racing. When she sent the all clear, Chat would be on his way over.
"Mari, honey, you should invite him over more often."
She jumped, panic leaping into her throat. How did she know that she had invited Chat Noir over?
"Wha... what?"
"Adrien. He's so sweet. He'd make a pretty good addition to the family."
Her mother moved next to her, leaning against the counter. When Marinette looked up, she noticed a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Maman, no. We're just friends. Besides, he's in love with someone else."
Her mom seemed disappointed, and Marinette focused on putting the last of the dishes into the washer. Her mother wrapped her arm around her shoulders, giving them a squeeze.
"Never say never."
Marinette forced a smile, closing the dishwasher. She had already settled on never. Whoever he loved, she had kept his heart for years. And she knew from experience. There was no coming back from that. She had doomed herself to the same fate the day he had given her his umbrella. That one simple act of kindness was the root for years of pain. She shook the thought away, turning to her mom.
"Can I head to bed? This week has been exhausting."
She kissed her forehead, motioning for her to go with a wave of her hand.
"Goodnight Mari."
"Night mom, night dad!"
She called from the hall, before climbing up into her room. She sent him an okay text as soon as her door shut, not giving herself a chance to back out.
"Thirty minutes and I'll be on my way."
Her heart was back to pounding, and she looked in the mirror. She didn't know if she should change or not, what did one even wear for something like this? The light in her room flickered, and she froze. Was the power going to go out? She could handle darkness normally, but not in her room. It was a safe haven.
"Tiki?"
The red kwami flew out from Marinette's bed, looking rather tired.
"Everything okay Marinette?"
"No. I'm nervous. I don't know what to wear, or how to act. What if I do something wrong? What if I embarrass myself?"
Tiki sighed loudly, sitting down on her desk.
"You've kissed Chat Noir before. You look fine, and you won't do anything wrong."
"I've kissed him as lady bug, and none of those were planned. They just happened."
She plopped down into the desk chair, fidgeting with her hair.
"It will be alright Marinette. Just go with what feels natural."
A tapping on one of the windows made Tiki dive through the desk, and Marinette rushed over to open it. Chat Noir tumbled in, dripping water all over her floor.
"You said I had thirty minutes."
She snapped as she closed the window, and he grinned at her.
"Thirty minutes is a long time. I didn't want you to get anymore nervous."
"I'll go get you a towel."
She left, sneaking into the bathroom for a towel, then sneaking back. Her parents were up downstairs, and she needed to be quiet. She got back into her room, where Chat was now shivering.
"Why is it so cold in here?"
She wrapped the towel around him, and he clutched it tightly.
"What's the matter kitty? Don't like the rain?"
She teased, grabbing a spare blanket for him to warm up with. He quickly dried off as much of the water as he could, before looking at her.
"As a matter of fact, cats hate water. So no princess. Chat Noir does not like rain."
She handed him the blanket, and he wrapped himself up in it.
"You didn't have to come tonight. We could have rescheduled."
He chuckled, wiping his face with the edge of the blanket. His hair was still dripping.
"I don't mind braving a little rain for you princess."
She blushed, and he sat down in front of her on the floor.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm still damp. I wouldn't dare ruin the upholstery."
She giggled at how proper that sounded, sitting down in front of him.
"How was your day kitty?"
"Long, but good. Yours?"
She smiled softly, it had been one of her better days.
"Pretty good. Though, I was a little shocked when you agreed to tonight."
"Anythings worth a shot, right?"
She nodded in agreement, thinking back to how Adrien had made her feel earlier. She was nervous, excited, embarrassed. As much as she wanted to pretend that she wasn't that love sick kid anymore, she couldn't. If he looked at her the right way, her brain still turned to mush.
"Thinking about him?"
"Yeah... as usual."
"I know the feeling."
She wanted to flinch, but she didn't. She was basically trying to help him get over herself, but hey, whatever works right? He had told her just the other day that it was okay to be selfish. This would be the one and only time she ever chose that.
"I'm nervous Chat."
"Don't be. If it doesn't work, we can pretend it nev-fur happened."
She cringed at the pun, and he leaned back on his arms.
"Are you sure you want to do this princess?"
"I don't know."
He looked at her, and she looked away, a blush creeping into her skin.
"How about we leave it up to fate?"
He asked, standing up. She followed suit, frowning a little.
"Fate?"
"Mhm. You have a coin?"
She stared at him for a moment, slowly realizing what he had meant.
"You want to decide this, with a coin toss?"
"Trust me. There's a trick to flipping a coin. When it lands, if you're disappointed, you wanted the other option. This way we'll know which one you want."
She moved over to her desk, reaching into her purse, pulling out a coin.
"Heads we do this. Tails we don't."
He murmered as she moved back in front of him. She nodded, taking a deep breath. She flipped the coin into the air, holding her hand out to catch it. It landed in her palm, and before she could look at it, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward.
"Hey, that's-"
He cut her off, crushing his lips against hers. It was sudden, and she was caught off guard, but her body immediately responded, as if it had been waiting for him. Her lips moved with his, her hands made their way to his hair, and her body leaned into his. The coin fell to the ground, but she could barely hear the plink sound it made. Her thoughts, that had been like screams in her ears, were now nothing more than hushed whispers, like memories being forgotten. He pulled her closer, releasing her wrist. His arms wrapped around her waist, and she realized she wanted this feeling to last forever. This empty, quiet bliss. This had to be what it felt like to be carefree. Nothing to think about, except for his mouth against hers, his hands on her skin. Suddenly the room was bathed in silence, no soft hum of electronics, no sounds of the air conditioner. The power must have gone out. They both pulled away, gasping for breath.
"Sorry... couldn't take the chance of it being tails."
She laughed, finally getting some air to her deprived lungs.
"Good call."
She reached for him again, almost desperate for that feeling he had given her, but a sound stopped her in her tracks. It was a familiar creak, one she had grown up with. Someone was on the steps leading to her door. She grabbed his arm, hauling him to the space behind the trap door. As long as they didn't come into the room, they wouldn't see him.
"Be quiet."
She whispered, before jumping over the door, landing and spinning around just as the door opened.
"Marinette?"
Her mother shined a flashlight at her, and Marinette winced at the sudden brightness.
"Oh sorry honey. I was just checking on you. The entire block lost power."
"I'm fine mom."
She said quickly, glancing up. She could barely see Chat's silhouette in the dark.
"Are you feeling okay? You're all red."
Marinette looked back down at her mother, her face burning even more.
"Yes Maman. I was just under a really thick blanket."
"Okay. I'll bring you up some candles in a minute."
Marinette nodded, and her mom stepped down, letting the door shut. She let out a sigh of relief, and Chat stepped around the door.
"That was a close one."
He murmered, and she smiled softly.
"Way too close. You should probably go, she's going to come into my room with candles."
He sighed, and she followed his footsteps to the window.
"It's a shame that the power went out. I would have loved to see just how red you were."
She scoffed, opening the window for him.
"Don't act like you weren't blushing too. Goodnight kitty."
He touched her cheek, leaning down and giving her a gentle peck on the lips.
"Goodnight princess."
He slid out of the window and into the rain, and she closed her eyes, leaning out. The mist on the wind stung her fiery cheeks, and she couldn't help but grin. Their plan had actually worked. It meant a fresh start. A clean slate. And no matter what, she wasn't going to be that love sick girl. Not anymore.
Adrien
He woke up to Natalie knocking on his door, calling him down for breakfast. He got dressed and headed down, already preparing himself for his morning meeting with his father. He was already at the table, reading something on his tablet.
"Morning Adrien."
"Morning father."
He sat down, picking up his fork and stabbing one of the eggs.
"I understand you had dinner at the dupenchang's bakery."
He set his fork down, getting ready to be scolded. His father had always had a problem with Marinette. He just didnt know why.
"Yes sir. Marinette and I were working on the history project and I lost track of time."
He glanced at Natalie as he said it, hoping she had backed his story.
"In the future you will inform Natalie, at the very least, the morning of any unscheduled detours."
"Of course father."
Adrien looked down at the table, disappointed that Gabriel had already gone back to his work. He didn't even care long enough to notice that his son was lying to him.
"Adrien, you have a photo shoot at eleven, a meeting with an ad agency at one, and piano lessons at four."
He looked over at Natalie, who was also staring down at a tablet.
"So I'm free until eleven?"
"Yes."
He turned back to his plate, glancing up at his father as a small smile formed on his face.
"Natalie, since it is of course, the morning of, could you add something to my schedule for me?"
He could feel both of them look at him, and he put on the most relaxed and nonchalant look he could think of.
"Could you put me down from seven to ten thirty for exploring Paris? I'm not sure exactly where I'll be during that time."
Natalie turned to Gabriel, whose steely gaze was on Adrien.
"Fine. You can do whatever you wish in your free time Adrian. I would just like to know the when, where, and why. I understand that you are now an adult, but you are still my son, and you still live under my roof."
Adrien nodded, turning to Natalie who was currently adding that to his schedule.
"Natalie, what time is it?"
"Six forty-three."
He turned back to his plate, eating enough that he could be excused without complaint. He stood, tipping his head in his father's direction.
"Excuse me father, I'll be going now."
"Be careful."
"Yes sir."
He went to his room, retrieving his keys and a very sleepy looking Plagg.
"Cheese?"
"You can eat in the car."
Plagg groaned in response, hiding in Adrien's shirt pocket. He made his way to his car, eagerly pulling out of the gates. He hated being at home.
"Is it weird to go by the bakery? After what happened last night?"
He asked, drumming his fingers on the wheel as Plagg opened a can of camembert in the passenger seat.
"Humans are weird."
Plagg mumbled through a mouthful of cheese, making Adrien roll his eyes.
"I'll just stop by for a muffin or something. Then leave."
Plagg didn't respond, delicately placing the lid back on the tin. Adrien focused on driving, trying not to think about last night. His mind kept wandering though, and by the time he got to the bakery, his heart was pounding again. Plagg dove back into his pocket, and he got out and walked inside. Alya was blocking the counter, entranced by something on her phone. He leaned over, peeking around her at the muffins.
"Hey Alya. Getting breakfast?"
She turned and raised an eyebrow at him, momentarily distracted from her phone.
"No, I'm picking up Mari. Did you want to see her?"
Her tone was almost accusatory, so instead of answering he pointed at the muffins.
"Adrien! Three days in a row? I must be on a lucky streak!"
Sabine chimed, and he felt his face flush. Horrible timing. He turned to her, smiling softly.
"Yes ma'am. Decided to get a muffin for breakfast."
"Mari told me she was busy yesterday."
Alya mumbled, and he could practically see the gears in her head turning. He pointed at the chocolate chip muffins, before turning to Alya.
"I dropped her off yesterday and got held hostage with sweets."
"Oh please. You were eating them faster than I could plate them."
Sabine laughed, putting two muffins into a brown carry out bag. He handed her the money, glancing at Alya, who was starting at him intensely.
"Were sweets the only thing keeping you hostage?"
He opened his mouth to say something, just then Marinette chose to stumble into the bakery. Perfect timing.
"Sorry Alya. It's just so early."
She paused, her gaze meeting Adrien's for a moment, before looking to Alya.
"You invited Adrien?"
"I didn't, but now I'm thinking it would be fun. We could even go by and pick up Nino."
Marinette looked at her, and he couldn't tell what that look was supposed to mean.
"He's probably busy Alya."
Marinette turned to him, as if expecting him to agree.
"Actually, I'm free until eleven."
Alya grinned, clasping her hands in front of her.
"Great! Let's go get Nino and hit the mall!"