Target

Allez

"Marinette?" Adrien asked.

Panic set in as she slowly looked over at him standing by the doorway. She was so focused on wanting to talk with Kagami that she had completely forgotten about him and that he would still be around.

He walked down the steps and up to where she was standing on the sidewalk. "Can I talk with you for a minute?"

Marinette looked around. The last few people were leaving the building to go home. Soon they would be the only two left there.

"Yes," she squeaked out, looking down at the ground.

"I uh..." he started, putting his hand to the back of his neck. "I wanted to thank you for helping me back there."

Alright, he was thanking her. So he definitely wasn't mad about what happened. That was a good sign. "You're welcome," she whispered, avoiding eye contact.

No one said anything for a minute.

"Well, I'm going to go home now," she continued. "I'll see you at school on Monday." She turned and started walking away.

"Did you mean what you said?" Adrien suddenly blurted out after her.

Marinette stopped and turned back. "What I said?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah, about uh... you know... about you loving me?"

Her face blushed furiously. "You... you remember that?"

He nodded and stepped closer to her. "I remember everything. And I was just wondering because... because I was kind of hoping that you did mean it."

Another silence as the moment lingered.

"What?" Marinette finally asked, barely at a whisper.

"It's just that... um, when you kissed me... I kind of realized something. Something that I've been trying to fight for a long time." He paused as he awkwardly shifted his feet. "So I was hoping that you meant what you said so that... maybe we could go out on a date sometime," he said bashfully.

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "But what about Kagami?"

He took another step closer. "Kagami and I aren't dating. I know that she was interested, but I... I wasn't sure."

"You're not dating her?" Marinette asked, afraid that she misheard what he just said.

"We're not dating," he confirmed.

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you were."

"Yeah, it must have seemed like it. I guess I was reluctant to tell Kagami that I wasn't interested in a relationship like that. I mean, she's a great person and all, but it just never felt right."

Adrien stopped talking as he saw his bodyguard pull up to the curb in his town car. He held up his hand to signal that he needed a minute before looking back at Marinette. "Before I came out here just now I talked with Kagami. And I finally told her that I can't return her feelings."

Marinette covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my gosh," she mumbled. "I'm so sorry. I swear, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"No, you don't have to apologize for anything," he insisted. "It was long overdue. It wasn't fair for me to keep dragging her along." He paused before continuing. "She was right, you know," he said sheepishly.

Marinette put her hands down, her face twisting in confusion.

Adrien explained. "When Kagami was akumatized as Riposte, she said that I was kissing you back. She was right... I was kissing you back... because I wanted to," he said, the tips of his ears turning pink. "And I wanted to kiss you again after that."

The girl's cheeks couldn't possibly burn any brighter as she stood there, shocked into silence.

"I always thought that there was a particular reason why it didn't feel right with Kagami. But now I've realized that something else was going on." Another step closer as he continued speaking. "I realize now that I've always felt that there was something special between us. But I was so distracted by..." he trailed off and paused for a moment. "It doesn't matter. The important thing is that I never stopped and thought about us. You see, the thing is..." Another step. "I think that I've been slowly falling in love with you ever since we first met."

Her eyes grew wide as he kept going. "I didn't want to believe it, but now I can't deny it anymore. That kiss you gave me suddenly made everything so clear. I can finally see that I want to be with you." He paused momentarily. "If you'll have me, that is."

Marinette thought that she was going to pass out. There was no way that this was happening. There was no way that Adrien 'the love of her life' Agreste was confessing his love for her.

Adrien took one last step so he was directly in front of her. "So, could you please tell me if you really meant what you said?" he asked gently.

She stared up at him, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I did," she finally got out.

He smiled. "You love me?"

She nodded and smiled back.

"More than a friend?"

She simultaneously felt like laughing and crying. "You've always been my friend Adrien, but I've always loved you more than that."

"Okay, I just had to check," he said, sounding relieved. He leaned in slightly and gazed lovingly into her eyes. "Would it be okay if I kiss you again?"

Stars danced in front of her. That confirmed it, she was definitely dreaming. This whole thing was just a figment of her imagination. But as figments went, this was a pretty good one.

Adrien reached up and cupped her face with his hand as he waited for her answer. Marinette almost melted to the ground at his touch. This was actually happening.

"I think I'll be okay with that," she finally replied, her face blushing again.

He slowly leaned in more and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to kiss her, the sound of a car horn honking caused both of them to jump.

They turned their heads to look at the silver town car. Adrien's bodyguard was glaring at them from the driver's seat. "Are you kidding me right now?" Adrien mumbled.

Marinette laughed. "It seems like you have to leave."

"Yeah, I guess so," he said reluctantly.

They stared at each other for a moment, not wanting to part. "I'll see you on Monday?" Marinette asked.

He nodded. "Monday."

She nodded back and smiled. "Try not to get akumatized again, okay? I won't always be around to kiss you, you know."

"Well that's a shame," he replied, leaning in towards her.

His bodyguard honked the horn again.

"Seriously?" Adrien demanded, straightening back up.

Another laugh from Marinette. "Goodnight Adrien."

He looked at her. "Goodnight," he whispered, rubbing his thumb across her cheek.

This time Marinette stood up on her toes and closed her eyes as she pressed her lips against his. He happily kissed her back.

After a few seconds they separated. "How come he doesn't honk when you try it?" he asked breathlessly.

She smiled up at him. "Just lucky I guess."