As she put her cellphone back in her pocket, her lips formed the outline of a sad smile. Adrien had unfortunately missed all of her calls, which in turn caused Marinette's emotional state to crash.

She would try again later, but right now she needed to try and focus on her homework.

The blue-eyed girl took in a deep breath before opening the front door of the Dupain Cheng bakery. She quickly wiped the final remnants of her tears away before anyone could see.

She didn't want to bother her parents with all of her unnecessary problems, because they already had enough to worry about as it is.

She quickly faked a smile and kissed her father's cheek before reaching for a freshly baked cinnamon roll.

"Marinette, dear... How was your day?" Her father kindly greeted his daughter while placing a tray of chocolate chip cookies into the oven.

Without looking at him, she slightly nodded her head before slowly pacing towards the staircase.

"Hi Papa... It was... fine..."

Tom frowned at her response, "Are you sure?"

The teenager turned around slightly before giving him a reassuring smile, "It was fine, honest. I just have a lot of homework to do..."

Her father knew something was bothering her, but before he even got the chance to reply, she was already gone.

Once at the top of the staircase, the disheartened teen took a bite of the snack as she forcefully opened her trapdoor. Once inside, she slowly walked over to her desk, took her bag off of her back before placing it on the floor.

When the weight was lifted, Marinette felt a little relieved. She was alone, meaning that she was finally free to express her emotions without having to feel judged.

As time passed, Marinette's emotional state only seemed to worsen. A trail of transparent tears streamed down her pale cheeks as she tried to not think about Adrien too much.

It felt like forever, but her meltdown eventually subsided. As she wiped the tears away, the bluenette raised her head before subconsciously glancing at some of the pictures that where hanging on the wall.

She half smiled, half frowned when her sad eyes fell on a picture of Adrien. Her heart skipped a beat when vivid memories of that particular day instantly flooded her mind.

They had both gone with Alya and Nino to get some of André's sweethearts ice-cream. Marinette had only agreed to join them because Adrien didn't want to be the third wheel. She was a little reluctant at first, but after contemplating her options, she felt obliged to accept the invitation.

"Oh, Adrien..." She frowned while placing a hand on the image, "When are you-"

A strange, squeaky sound suddenly caught her off guard. She swallowed hard as her eyes instantly widened as fear began to consume her entire body.

Without turning her back, her hand nervously reached for the maths textbook that was laying on the table. With her heart still beating fast and her mind racing with all sorts of uncertainty, she quickly pulled the book towards her chest before cautiously turning around.

The blue-eyed girl examined every corner of her bedroom, but to her surprise, everything appeared to be normal. She frowned in confusion, but nevertheless seemed to relax a little. But just before she was about to let it go, she heard the noise again.

Marinette was immediately hit by a wave of unrelenting distress. She didn't know what to do, and it felt as if her feet were completely cemented to the floor. Her face was pale and her body was tense.

The baker girl used the book as a shield, in hopes that it would protect her from the unknown danger.

Her entire body was trembling, but despite how scared she was, Marinette decided to investigate the strange noises that appeared to be coming from behind her chaise.

She took in a deep breath as she began to very carefully pace towards it.

As she got closer, she cautiously glanced behind the chaise, but still kept a relatively safe distance. And to her surprise, there was nothing there...

"I must be going crazy..." She pinched the bridge of her nose and put the book down.

The bluenette was about to walk away when the noise suddenly filled the room for the third time. She instantly froze, and clenched her jaw.

She couldn't take it anymore; it felt as if she was loosing her mind. Without wasting a single second more, she bent down and peaked under the piece of furniture.

Right in the far corner was a box with a piece of paper taped to its side. Marinette raised an eyebrow. The black box didn't look familiar and she certainly didn't remember putting it there...

A moment of silence seemed to pass by before the girl decided to reach over and grab it.

The box's density was surprisingly low, which made the teenager question if there was even anything inside. But the tiny holes that were scattered across the lid, made her believe that there might be some type of animal inside.

Before opening the lid, she pulled off the paper and began to read the handwritten note.

'I'm sorry xoxo Please forgive me?'

Marinette silently read the note. There was no name, but she had to assume that it was either from Adrien, Luka or maybe Chloé..? Even though she wished it could have come from Adrien, she just didn't think he would have left this box here because he was in Spain right now...

After taking in a deep breath, she placed the note down and opened the lid.

The moment the light struck the box's interior, the young designer's face seemed to beam with happiness. Staring back at her were two tiny balls of fluff; one had a shiny black coat, while the other one's fur was ginger in colour.

Marinette couldn't contain her joy. She let out a slight squeal as she reached down to pick up the hamsters.

They were so cute and so adorable! As she continued to stroke the tiny creatures, her eyes fell upon a pink piece of paper that was concealed in the inside of the lid.

She immediately frowned as she reached for it. Very gently, the baker girl put the hamsters back into their box before pulling the paper off of the lid.

'Meet Plagg and Tikki :) They're cute aren't they? Ps: there's another surprise waiting for you on your balcony ;)'

It took a moment for Marinette to process everything. She was feeling a little conflicted and didn't know what to think. But after a few seconds, her curiosity had unfortunately taken over.

She quickly put the note back, closed the lid before picking up the box. She was feeling a little unsure and just hoped that her assumptions were correct.

When she eventually made it to the top of the staircase, she deeply exhaled before cautiously opening the trapdoor.

Bluebell eyes grew wide in shock, and her heart began to aggressively pound in her chest. She could hardly even believe her eyes. It was Adrien, and he was right there!

Marinette had to rub her eyes in order to prove to herself that it wasn't a dream.

"A... Adrien..?"

Looking straight back at her, the blond gave her a sickly sweet smile, "Hello, Marinette."

The bluenette was frozen to the core. She couldn't move or even speak. She wanted to say something, anything at all, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to find any words.

Seeing how anxious she was, Adrien quickly grabbed the box and gently placed it on the table before reaching for her hand. Without saying anything, he locked his hand in hers before pulling her up onto the balcony.

When she was finally standing on her balcony, the model gave her a small smile as he anxiously scratched his neck.

"I'm sorry for not answering your calls..." He gave her a sad smile before looking away, "But if I did, I wouldn't have been able to surprise you-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Marinette raced up to him and wrapped her arms around his body. Adrien was surprised by the unexpected gesture, but nevertheless hugged her back.

As he pulled her close, he felt at home. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. As he buried his face into the nape of her neck, a few strands of her raven hair tickled the tip of his nose. He scrunched up his nose in hopes to minimize the slight irritation, but he didn't mind too much, because he was just so happy to be hugging her that nothing else seemed to matter.

They remained like that for a moment before he felt Marinette's body shift underneath his own. Adrien was a little sad when he felt her pull away, but despite everything, he let her go.

She glanced up at him with tears in her ocean blue eyes, "How d... did y... you get back? I thought you were in Spain..."

The blond could feel his heart breaking. He hated seeing her cry, and to think he was the reason for her suffering, only made him feel worse.

He gently placed his hand on her shoulders and glanced deep into her bluebell eyes,"I'm so sorry for everything..." He sadly sighed as he wiped her tears away, "It's kinda a long story, but Chloé was kind enough to let me crash at her place. I... Uh... would have asked you, but I doubt your parents would have agreed..."

Adrien's face was a little red, but he quickly shook those embarrassing thoughts away.

Taking in a deep breath, she looked at the boy with concern in her eyes, "What about your father? I thought he-"

"You're my top priority. What my father says is no longer my concern."

A slight blush covered Marinette's cheeks, "But-"

"Don't worry about me, okay?" His voice was soft, yet assertive. He half smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before brushing a few fingers along her jaw line.

Marinette could feel the butterflies in her stomach begin to devour her insides, as his hand soon found its way down her neck. She swallowed hard and stared at him with wide eyes.

Seeing how tense she had become, Adrien hesitantly let go before brushing a hand through his blond hair.

"I-" He was about to say something to hopefully diffuse the awkwardness that felt never-ending, but stopped himself when she suddenly spoke up.

"How can I not worry about you?" Her eyes began to water, but she quickly looked away in order to prevent him from seeing her in such a vulnerable state.

Marinette backed away a little and hugged herself for comfort.

Adrien instantly felt guilty. He was just trying reassure her that he was okay, but apparently he wasn't doing a very good job at it...

He gave her a sad smile before gently resting a hand upon her shoulder. The sudden sensation caused the bluenette to immediately look up into his emerald green eyes that seemed to conceal pain and dispear.

"I know. And I'm sowwy, Purrincess." He pouted and gave her the cutest puppydog eyes she had ever seen.

Marinette quickly covered her eyes when she felt the heat rise to her pale cheeks. How could she say no to such a cute, innocent face?

"Agg... This isn't the time to be joking around, Agreste!" She playfully pushed his face away, and tried not to smile. But no matter what she did, she just couldn't help but grin and blush.

Adrien immediately smirked. He held out his hands in surrender and winked, "Fine. I'll stop..." He quickly cleared his throat before pointing to the black box, "So, do you like the present I got for you?"

The violist's lips formed a straight line as she raised her head to look at him, "Wh... What?"

Adrien blankly stared at her as he reached for the box, "This? Do you like it?"

He took off the lid and picked up the black hamster as he waited for a response. He kindly looked at Marinette while gently brushing two fingers along the animal's fluffy back.

She quickly shook her head before giving him a reassuring smile, "Yes, of course I love the hamsters. They are just so adorable! How... How did you know?"

The blond handed Plagg to her before picking up Tikki, "I remember you mentioned that you loved hamsters when we joined Alya and Nino for ice-cream that one time..."

As she continued to stroke the tiny creature, the bluenette bit her lip and swallowed hard.

"I can't believe you remembered that..." She shyly looked away as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well it's kinda impossible to forget..."

The young baker nervously giggled, remembering how enthusiastic she was about the hamsters in the pet shop.

"Yeah... It's super embarrassing," she hid her face with her hand when she felt herself cringe.

"Don't worry... It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Adrien quietly chuckled while placing Tikki back into her box.

The bluenette's face was red, and her legs felt like jelly. She refused to look at him, in fear that he would see the blush that covered most of her face.

Marinette stole a single glance at Adrien before putting Plagg back into the box. As she was about to retrieve her hand, another hand suddenly found its way on top of hers.

"Marinette..." The blond pianist whispered as he slowly locked his hand in hers.

The girl was instantly paralyzed by his very touch. When her bright, bluebell eyes found his mysterious emerald green ones, her lips slightly parted and her fingers began to tremble.

"Ye... Yeah..?" She stammered as her eyes remained fixed on him.

Adrien seemed a little hesitant because he shut his eyes for a moment before clenching his jaw in frustration.

Sensing his sudden change in behavior, Marinette looked at him with worry in her eyes.

"Is... is everything okay?"

He immediately opened his eyes and nodded his head, "Yep. Sorry... It's just-"

"What?"

The model gave the girl a small smile before deeply inhaling. His heart was beating extremely fast and he could feel the sweat begin to drip off of his forehead.

"I'm so sorry! I just feel absolutely terrible about the rumors... If only-"

Marinette couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. She gave his hand a slight squeeze before gazing deep into his gorgeous green eyes.

"It's okay, Adrien. This isn't your fault!" Her voice was sincere and her eyes were kind.

He was about to protest, but remained silent when he felt her hand upon his cheek. His lips parted ever so slightly as he remained hypnotized by her very touch. He couldn't help but just stare as he took in every detail of her delicate face.

Her eyes seemed to glisten in the sunlight as she continued to look at him. And her smile was just so beautiful...

Adrien could feel his cheeks heat up as his heart rate began to accelerate. He took in a deep breath as he waited for her to continue.

"It doesn't even matter... What's past is past! I don't care about what they say or think, because I love you-"

As soon as she said that, she immediately regretted it. Her eyes grew wide in terror and her once pale cheeks instantly glowed bright red.

She gave him a very unsure look and covered her mouth with her hand; completely embarrassed by her unexpected confession.

"I... Uh-" She tried.

Seeing how nervous she had become, Adrien quickly grabbed onto her wrist and softly brushed his thumb along her skin.

She slightly flinched, but quickly regained her composure and gave him a very small smile.

He looked at her with love and admiration in his eyes, as he brought the hand up to his mouth before gently creasing his lips upon her knuckles.

Shivers were sent down her spine, which caused the designer to bite her lip in anticipation. Her body was instantly paralyzed to the core when his intoxicating gaze locked her in an unnatural trance.

Timeless moments had passed by before she hesitantly looked away. Adrien was a little disappointed, but his face didn't show it.

Ever so slightly, he rubbed his thumb along her digits as he took a step closer.

"Marinette... I love you too-" he softly whispered in her ear.

Without wasting any more time, he pulled her towards his chest. He stared deep into her longing eyes before placing a hand on her waist, "-and I want to be with you..."

"... I-" Marinette tried to say something, but before she could even react, Adrien's other hand had unknowingly found its way behind her neck.

At that very instant, her heart began to beat with a deep longing and desire for him. She wanted to feel the softness of his pure lips upon hers...

Her eyes began to flutter closed. As the blond brought his face down towards hers, he gently gripped the back of her neck in order to hopefully pull Marinette's face towards his own.

With her cheeks still blood-red and her body still tense, she swallowed hard before completely closing her eyes. A moment of silence had passed before their noses unknowingly brushed together.

The blue-eyed girl couldn't hold back anymore; she needed him now! With their lips just centimeters apart, she reached for his collar and aggressively pulled him towards her.

The second their lips simultaneously met, Adrien made a strange, unexpected noise which made Marinette giggle.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at the sound of her laughter, as he pressed his lips up against hers. And boy were her lips just too desirable for words...

As his passion quickly began to escalate, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders so that he could deepen the kiss.

The taste of raspberries flowed over the tip of his tongue when she slightly opened her mouth; accepting his invitation without even a second thought.

As their lips began to move in perfect sync, Adrien's hand slightly moved up Marinette's stomach, which in turn caused shivers to run down her spine.

But just as he was about to go further, she suddenly backed away. He didn't know what to think, and he looked at her with confusion and disappointment in his eyes.

"... Marinette... Adrien..?"

Adrien's eyes immediately grew wide, finally understanding why Marinette had backed away so unexpectedly.

The blond gave her an apologetic glance as he hesitantly let her go. He cringed and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Pa... Papa.. Hey..!"

Marinette quickly pushed Adrien away and hid her blood-red face. She anxiously rubbed her hands together as she waited for her father's dreaded response of disapproval.

He vacantly stared at his daughter as he began to process everything that he had just seen. He raised an eyebrow before slightly shaking his head.

"Dinner is... Uh... ready..." Tom cleared his throat before quickly disappearing inside.

When he was no longer there, she mumbled something incomprehensible while her gaze was still transfixed on the ground.

"So... Sorry... I hope your father doesn't h... hate me..." The model nervously chuckled.

The girl immediately shook her head and frowned at his reaction, "He could never hate you! He was probably just surprised to see us... Like... you know..?"

"Y... yeah..."

An awkward silence soon filled the atmosphere as neither of them knew what to say.

But despite everything, Marinette bit her lip before standing on her toes and gave him a soft peck on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it... My dad will get over it... So, would you like to stay for diner?"

The model gave her a surprised look as he brushed a hand over her mark, "I... Uh... Yeah. I would love to, but am I even allowed to?"

Marinette gave him a sweet smile, "Of course you may! I'm sure my parents would love to meet my boyfriend," she mischievously grinned as she playfully nudged him in the side.

"B... Boyfriend!?"

"You are, aren't you?" Instantly regretting saying that, her voice became unsteady and her eyelids felt heavy.

It took a while for the male to think of the right words to say. He was so overcome by the unexpected question, that he had almost forgotten to respond.

When the baker's face fell, Adrien immediately reached out and grabbed her hand that was hanging by her side.

"I'm sorry," he stared into her blue eyes before sadly sighing, "You just caught me off guard..." he nervously scratched his neck, "But the truth is... I would absolutely love to be your boyfriend!"

His cheeks seemed to conceal a slight blush, as he attempted to smile.

Marinette's face immediately lit up when he admitted that.

"We should probably go down stairs before your parents start to worry," he slightly cringed, remembering the very embarrassing moment that had happened just seconds before.

Without saying anything more, the bluenette nodded in agreement as she followed him towards the staircase.

"After you, M'lady," Adrien kindly said while gesturing for her to lead the way.

***