Once Marinette had made it into his lounge he closed the door behind them and rested himself against it. Adrien had never felt nerves like this before. His stomach churned and he had no idea if he could maintain a cool whilst she was in his apartment. For a guy who had to take to the line for an Olympic Gold, his nerves at the moment were off the Richter scale. Perhaps he should just tell her he's tired and that it's been a long day? That way she would go home completely unscathed from what he was about to attempt to do.

"You've kept it clean! Well done, you deserve a gold medal."

She turned around with her smile widely spread on her face. God, when she teased him he just couldn't hold himself together. She truly was perfect, and he was screwed.

"Do I get a kiss with it?" He responded without thinking. Her face paled and he knew he'd pushed it too far too fast. "Sorry, I didn't mean ... I know we need to -"

His uncoordinated ramble was broken by soft lips touching his. It took him precisely two seconds to respond, but it was two seconds too late. She'd pulled away and began to play with her hands.

"I am so sorry, I just ... you and ... then I couldn't-"

Adrien stepped forward to her and placed both his hands on her upper arms. She was shaking, and Adrien was terrified he'd blew it, again.

"Mari, we need to talk this through. We can't keep walking on egg shells. I want to know where I stand with you. I want you to want me as much as I do you."

She'd been looking at the floor as he'd began to speak to her. The gentle movement of this thumb rubbing against her bicep caused her to look up. Her blue sky meeting his green grass. His light and her light radiating off each other, showing exactly how love should be. The only problem being neither knew what to do to take it to the next level.

"I don't want to get hurt." Her voice was small. She was a shell of herself and he hated that he was one of the reasons this was happening.

"I would never hurt you. I have no intention of hurting you. But I do want to be the one who stops anyone from hurting you ever again. Marinette, I love you. I always have and I always will."

Tears began to form along her lower lid as she tried to accept his words, but it was too much. She couldn't believe it. This was fake. They'd made a deal and her school girl crush had just got into her head again. Adrien was her first love, he'd taken her virginity and he'd been her knight in shining armour. It wasn't real. It was all part of the act, it wasn't real.

"No you don't." A stray tear poured down her cheek as she spoke. She couldn't let herself believe this. This would only lean towards a lot more pain and heartache. When he realised her imperfections were just that, he would be off. He would find someone better, someone more experienced and someone more attractive.

"You don't believe me?" He stepped back as though she had just scalded him. She missed his touch as soon as his hands released her, and mentally kicked herself for being the catalyst. She studied his expression whilst wrapping her arms around her chest. She needed to defend herself. This is not what she thought tonight would entail. Marinette had completely written the evening as coming back to his, making out like teenagers, having sex and then agreeing to something, she never expected him to say he loved her. It just couldn't be true.

His eyebrows creased together, his arms mirroring hers. She could tell he was considering how to prove to her everything he was saying. It felt like forever, she felt like she'd been standing and looking at him for a lifetime. As she noticed the frown lines deepen on his head she took her chance to look him over, to truly look him over. Marinette noticed every scare, every dot of stubble starting to align on his jaw. The way his amazing jawline and cheek bones could cut through glass at the sharpness of them. How his hair glows in the sunlight, how his eyes can change colour to reflect his mood. He was perfect in the most un-perfect way.

"Come with me!" He stretched a hand out and offered it towards Marinette. Hesitantly, she grabbed on and followed his lead into his bedroom.

"Kitty, you can't just expect me to have sex with you and everything will be ok?"

For the first time since they'd reached his apartment a smirk appeared on his beautiful face, and she felt like she wanted to smack it straight off.

"As amazing as that would be, that is not the reason for you coming into here."

Pushing the door open he commanded her to close her eyes. She looks into his eyes and nods in agreement. His big hands wrap around the waist of her small frame and she can feel herself being guided towards the centre of the room and where she's guessing is his bed. Without a moments though a snort escapes her nose.

"You ok there, Princess?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about the last time I was in your bedroom." A deep hearty laugh escaped Adrien's throat and she felt herself melt.

"It's kind of hard to forget, but as I've told you before it could happen a thousand times and I would still be happy with the end result, well hopefully, maybe - it depends how this goes."

Marinette's hand reaches up and pokes around on his face before finally landing on his lips.

"Sorry, but you need to chill. You're beginning to sound like teenage me."

They laughed together as he sat her down on the bed, crawling on and positioning himself behind her.

"Open your eyes."

Marinette did exactly as Adrien wished and opened her eyes to see the newly painted bedroom of Adrien Agreste. She remembered he was doing it the week of the bachelor weekend, but with the way things went she never saw the finished article.

"I love the blue. It's such a stunning colour."

"It's my most favourite colour in the world."

Marinette noticed that Adrien had opened one of the wardrobe doors. A full length mirror looked back at her and she could see their reflection. She turned her eyes to the ground. It was too much to look at them together, knowing they looked like the perfect couple. The opposites of their looks created something stunning, something other people longed to have had.

"Mari, look in the mirror. Please Princess." He ran his hands down either side of arms, edging her to take the leap and look up. To look at them both in the mirror. There was something important he needed to show her. Something important that she needed to know. She wasn't moving so he decided to take the leap and talk. This was going to go one way or the other.

"You know, that first day at school you were the first friend I ever made by myself. You looked so adorable when the umbrella closed on your head, it was my happy moment for quite a while. The one memory that kept me going. You were a ray of sunshine Marinette and I was afraid to lose you. Afraid to lose you as I have done so many other important people in my life. You were such a special friend, you're the only one who never expected anything from me and I was too late to notice it."

She didn't respond. Her head still hung on her chest. He continued to speak.

"You know, no one ever saw me Marinette. Apart from you. You've always seen the whole of me. From what I am to what I could be. You're everything I never thought I'd have, everything I felt I didn't deserve yet here we are being thrown together again and again. It's us against the world remember. Ladybug and Chat Noir - super hero crime fighters."

He felt the vibrations roll through her back into his chest. She may not have been laughing out loud but Marinette was most certainly laughing. The shuddering of her body was heaven to him. A whole tidal wave of realise. Slowly she lifted her head and gazed into the mirror.

"You've chosen my favourite blue." Her words were unsure and quiet. She was equivalent to a timid mouse. Not wanting to make herself to known to the cat behind her. No good came from a cat and mouse chase. Perhaps it was time to stop with the games.

"It's my favourite blue too. Look closer."

Adrien indicated to the mirror and Marinette couldn't help look at the reflection. She looked from their blushing, loved up faces, to the wall situated behind them. The blue was stunning. Marinette wanted nothing more then to steal the colour and make herself a whole array of designs using this blue.

"The blue is the greatest colour existed, and I hope that I get to see it everyday for the rest of my life."

Marinette let out a snort at Adrien.

"You going to live here forever?"

"You're not looking closely enough again, Princess. Look deeper."

Rolling her eyes she looked forward and into the mirror again. It took her another couple of minutes before the gasp left her mouth. Her right hand shot up to cover over it. There was so much to say, so much he had spoken and so much he'd silently done - love. That's the only word she could think about they loved each other and now he showed that he loved her true - the Adrien Agreste was in love, and with her. He wasn't holding back either, he was letting her completely in.

"My eyes."

Time stood still as she looked between her own eyes, Adrien's walls and his face.

"The best colour I have ever seen. Marinette blue." Stroking down one of her arms he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips. Placing a kiss on the crevice of her fingers.

"I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and, if you'll have me, I want to be yours for the rest of my life."

A tear began to roll down her cheek as she looked at him in the mirror. One of his hands began to rummage in his pocket as he continued to speak.

"You put up with my shit, and never give up on me. Your so talented yet so humble. You're beautiful, calming, a complete firecracker and you've stuck with me through thick and thin. You've stood up to my father a ridiculous amount of times and stuck by me when my life got tough. I'll just be forever sorry I couldn't do the same for you, but I'm hoping that maybe you'll let me try to make it up to you for the rest of our lives."

Keeping his eyes firmly on the mirror, he pulled out a white golden two carat diamond ring and held it in front of their bodies. Another bout of tears escaped her eyes as she looked straight for the glow of Adrien's eyes. He looked so hopeful, but so anxious. Never had she seen Adrien so nervous. He took a gulp and closed his eyes briefly.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my lady, my Princess - please could you do me the honours of calling you my own? Will you be my wife?"

Without a moments hesitation Marinette turned and jumped against Adrien's body placing her lips firmly against his.

"Yes, yes, a million times, yes."

—————————————————

[AdrienAgreste_Official] has tagged Maribug🐞 in a post.

My life is complete ... M'lady said yes!