Chapter Text
The first thing Adrien did when Marinette ran away from him for the second, no, third, time that day was roll his eyes.
As he took off into the night after her, he laughed lightly to himself over his reaction – apparently he had picked up one of her habits.
Adrien’s eyes stayed locked on the flashes of red that cut through the darkness, pursuing Marinette relatively easily. She wasn’t running as fast as she had been earlier despite the pretense of a “race”, something Adrien was grateful for. Her speed earlier had frightened him – not in and of itself, as awe was an emotion Adrien familiarly associated with Ladybug, but because Adrien worried he would lose her in the maze of dark rooftops. He would’ve missed his chance to ask her about her identity when he had just built up the courage. Luckily, he had caught up to her.
Marinette. It was such a simple solution, in the end: the girl who sat behind him in class had been the girl he had been longing for all along. Joining the images of Marinette and Ladybug Adrien had in his head was relatively easy, perhaps because Adrien had only been aware of Marinette in a cursory sense. In Adrien’s observations of her, too, the main traits that shone through matched with his perception of Ladybug. The strong, commanding presence Ladybug had existed in Marinette, as did bravery, intelligence, and drive. Adrien had just been too focused on Ladybug to see the truth.
But now he was focused on Marinette. The girl who occasionally saved Paris as Ladybug. The girl he was currently chasing across rooftops, giddy smile on his face. Teasing her earlier had been so entertaining, though Adrien figured he may’ve overdone it a bit. Flustered Marinette was adorable, but Adrien still didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. At least Marinette seemed to be running with the purpose of leading him somewhere as opposed to escaping from him, a sign she wasn’t upset.
Adrien watched Marinette cross another divide easily, nearly reaching the rooftop that faced the Eiffel Tower. His home was near here, and the location reminded him of all his nights spent with Ladybug, Marinette, kissing and talking and just being together. With another burst of happiness and adrenaline through his veins at the memories, Adrien increased his speed. As Marinette leapt across the final gap Adrien used his staff as a vault, flying up, a dark silhouette against the bright moon, before he was crashing down on Marinette. They rolled to a dusty stop on the rooftop, Adrien sprawled across her. With a groan he pushed himself up, bracing his hands on either side of Marinette’s head.
“Gotcha,” Adrien said, grinning down at Marinette. Lips pursed in mock-annoyance, Marinette snorted, apparently feeling more like herself after their escapade. “You should stop running so much.”
“I’m just keeping you fit,” Marinette said, smirking slightly. With a gasp Adrien dropped himself fully on Marinette.
“Was that an insult about my weight? Are you trying to tell me something?” Adrien asked, humor coloring his words. “Do you only want me for my body?”
“Oof, let me up, kitty,” Marinette said, laughing lightly against Adrien’s shoulder. Adrien didn’t move, partially to be annoying, partially because he was enjoying the warmth of Marinette’s body pressed close to his. She smacked lightly against his shoulders, laughter reverberating against Adrien’s chest. He really didn’t want to get up. He really wanted to—
“Only if I get to kiss you,” Adrien whispered, lips lightly brushing Marinette’s ear. He heard her breath hitch, felt her heartbeat speeding.
“That sounds like an unfair trade,” Marinette whispered back after a moment, a trace of hesitancy in her voice.
Disappointment flickered in Adrien, but he pushed the feeling down. Patience. If the lifestyle his father had imposed upon him had taught him anything, it had been that. Marinette liked him, probably, but she just needed time. As Adrien moved to get up, he tried to keep the mood calm, keep the hint of sadness in his voice hidden under a teasing tone.
“Alright. If you don’t want a kiss…”
“Wait!” Marinette yelped, hand reaching to grasp Adrien’s neck and pull him down. She brought up her other hand and cupped his face with both, staring into his eyes. Adrien felt his breath catch in his throat, lost in the familiar bright blue of Marinette’s eyes and surprised at her action.
“Marinette—“
And then Marinette’s lips were on his, pressing incessantly. Adrien’s eyes closed in pleasure as he leaned down into the kiss, sighing as Marinette’s hands wound their way into his hair and tugged gently. They kissed deeply for a moment, eventually breaking apart breathing heavily. Adrien could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Marinette looked up at him with eyes practically sparkling and full of elated realization.
“I want a kiss, of course I want a kiss you stupid cat. I want a million kisses, when you’re Chat, when you’re Adrien, I like you and—“
Adrien couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and kissed Marinette again, hungrily, loving the way she melted quickly into the kiss. The second time they broke apart, he said between deep breaths,
“I like you so much. Have I ever said that properly?”
Marinette merely stared up at him, face alight with happiness.
“I should’ve. I’ll make up for it now, my lady, and give you as many kisses as you want.”
“Adrien—“ Marinette began, but Adrien interrupted her with a kiss pressed onto her cheek, her nose, her forehead, her jaw, everywhere he could reach, with little “I like you”s whispered in between. When Marinette was making breathy little giggles below him Adrien pulled back to look into her eyes. She smiled widely up at him, reaching a hand up to gently brush his bangs back.
“That wasn’t a million,” Marinette said softly. Adrien smiled, leaning down to press a kiss onto her lips.
“I guess I’ll be kissing you for a long time, then.”