Adrien Agreste was a smart man. Adrien Agreste was a grown man. He had graduated with firsts and was about to start a doctorate, he had brains, and he thought he was mature. So why was Adrien Agreste acting like a teenage boy on a first date?

He couldn't seem to control his blushing or his comments as he spent more and more time with Marinette. Whatever filter he thought he had, had suddenly disappeared and things he'd never dream of saying to a woman were free flowing out of his mouth. Okay, tell a lie, he had flirted like this before. He used to do it all the time, but not as Adrien Agreste, as Chat Noir. The only other person to see him this way was Ladybug.

He drank some of the warm liquid of his hot chocolate as he waited for Marinette to meet him at the entrance to the Christmas Tree Maze. He turned to look at her, noticing she was glaring intensely at her phone. If she was staring any deeper he was quite sure she would make the phone explode from the lasers shooting out of her eyes. Even when she was intense she was cute, the thought rocking Adrien to the core. He wasn't getting involved with women, he had committed to helping Kagami and Chloè. They deserved it. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about Marinette falling into his arms. It felt good to hold her, she was warm and fit into his body perfectly. If only he'd met her a month ago, maybe, just maybe, things would be different.

"Are you okay?" She'd almost walked into him as her focus stayed on her screen. Her head shot up as she heard his voice and he noticed a red tint on her cheeks; one not from the harsh bitterness of the weather but something else.

"Um - yeah - sure, I'm fine." Her smile said anything but.

"Yeah, I don't believe that, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, hand it over." Adrien placed his hand palm up in between them, waiting for Marinette to place the phone in it.

"What? No! It's my phone!"

"Marinette?" He asked again.

"No. You have nothing to do with being my boyfriend - I mean - you're not my boyfriend." The blush on her face increased, trailing all the way up to her brow line and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Fine," he said, a plan formulating in his mind, "if you wont show me, I'll look for myself."

Reaching out he snatched her phone and began to run into the maze, laughing with a manic tone foreign to his body. That teenage mood came back, as a wave of immaturity hit him. He began to twist and turn through the maze, running at only half speed so he didn't spill his hot chocolate.

"Hey!"

He could hear Marinette shouting while laughing behind him as he continued his run with her phone. He knew he shouldn't have done it, he knew it was way past the point of familiarity, but he had no intent on looking at the phone, he just wanted to stir her up. See where her break point was. Maybe he even wanted to tease her, and enjoy getting her all riled up.

One thing he hadn't planned for when stealing her phone was that when she wanted to, the girl could run fast. Like super fast. Considering the 'foot muppets' she was wearing and her lack of usual stability, she was surprisingly nippy with her movements, catching him quickly and jumping on his back.

She had jumped on his back!

Marinette wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, leaning over his shoulder to try and grab her phone from his grasp as the weight tipped him off balance and plummeted towards the floor. A quick move with his hands unhooked her legs from around him, making sure he was the point of impact as they cascaded towards the floor.

"Ouch!" They both cried, as Adrien hit the snow covered ground and Marinette landed on his back.

Lifting his head, his eyes came face to face with her phone screen. There it was brightly in front of him, himself and Marinette being labelled a couple with the hashtag #whosthatgirl?

"We look good," Adrien said as Marinette snatched the phone out of his hand and stood up. He noticed she'd shied away, her usual upbeat attitude being replaced by something that looked like embarrassment? "Marinette?" Standing up, he dusted the snow from his now wet jeans and walked towards the girl in front of him.

"I'm so sorry," she wouldn't look at his face, choosing instead to keep her eyes firmly placed on the floor.

"It's ok, I'll dry off eventually." He said with a shrug.

"No, not about that?"

He looked at her curiously, about what then? "What's wrong?"

"The press thinking that we're a couple. I'm so sorry."

Adrien shook his head, taking himself out of a trance. "Why? I'm flattered they'd think I'd be able to pull a girl like you."

Her blue eyes shot up to meet his green ones, unanswered questions sparkling in them. Was she really that upset to be linked to him? Or him being linked to her? As far as Adrien could see it was an honour. She was beautiful, funny, creative and a little bit quirky. She was every guy's dream.

"Really?" She answered, placing her phone away into her pocket.

"Sure, I mean look at you." She smiled at him shyly, looking from under her eyelashes. "You're well out of my league."

Marinette burst out laughing. "You really do know how to say the right things don't you, Hercules?" She playfully hit him in the shoulder, and he couldn't help the smile taking over his face.

"Well, I am a God." They both started laughing, when Marinette noticed something on the floor and squealed.

"Let me get you another one," turning his head, Adrien saw what Marinette had been staring at the brown liquid blob spreading out on the floor, oozing away from the white paper cup, a dollop of cream and a couple of marshmallows making their break for freedom. Before Adrien could tell her to not worry about it, she'd disappeared out of the maze and he was guessing back to the kiosk.

A buzz in his pocket gained his attention as he pulled his phone from the confines of his jeans, glancing at the five missed calls and four text messages.

Kagami
She's hot!

The text included a picture of himself and Marinette smiling as they danced in the lodge's lobby. He couldn't deny they looked great together, her dark features a perfect contrast for his light ones. He couldn't get over how playful they looked either, so in the moment, he could see why people were thinking they were more than just friends. Just friends didn't dance like that.

Adrien
She's just a friend!

He smiled as he opened his twitter account and searched for #whosthatgirl? Picture upon picture presented themselves from the fashion show right up until they were sprawled out on the ground mere moments ago. He looked around trying to discover where the paparazzi were, but it seemed it was just normal day to day people snapping pictures and posting them. After all, he was still Adrien Agreste even if he didn't model that much anymore.

Kagami
I hope this won't cause issues with our deal.

One thing he loved about Kagami was how she was always straight to the point but right now all he could do was roll his eyes. Yes, he'd promised Kagami, no he wasn't going to try anything with Marinette, and yes there was a pain in his heart from thinking that way.

He looked up towards the maze entrance catching a glimpse as the girl in question made her way back to him, drink in hand. Was he falling for Marinette? He wasn't sure. There was only ever one person in his life he'd 'fell' for, and that was Ladybug. This felt different to that, but still just as pleasant. He really enjoyed spending time with her, and he liked the fact she had been so open and honest, plus she was incredible at UMS III, that straight away put her in top position for his friends. But did he like her, like her?

"I asked for extra marshmallows as an apology," her smile was as radiant as a thousand suns. Yes, he admitted to himself, he did like her. His heart stuttered in his chest at the recent development, he couldn't do this. Not now. Taking the drink from her hands, a shiver ran through him as skin met skin and he couldn't find it in his heart to look away from her eyes. She sparkled with fun and mischief, and he wondered what it would be like if they sparkled with love too.

"I'll let you off for now then." Placing his phone in his pocket, he bumped her shoulder with his own, before offering out his elbow. "Shall we?"

Marinette slotted her arm into his and his stomach flipped. "We shall," she replied, making their way towards the trees and the main part of the maze.

For the first time in years, out of costume, Adrien felt warm, comfortable and safe. As they walked Marinette began to talk about her friends, her family and her life and Adrien could have listened to her for hours. Her melodic voice, her enthusiasm, her love, it all came through as she spoke about Alya and Nino, her maman and her papa, her old school days, and even Chloè.

He knew there and then he was deep. He'd fallen and unfortunately no one was there to catch him, because at the end of the day he'd made a deal, and Adrien Agreste never went back on his word.

A couple of hours later, they were back at the car and ready to return to the cabin. After getting lost in the maze for twenty minutes and having to follow a couple of ten year olds to find the way out, they perused the different stalls around the town, stopping every now and then to purchase a trinket or taste the wonderful delights. It seemed the toffee apple cider was a truly magnificent find and Marinette purchased a bottle to take home with her for her parents to try, along with some gingerbread reindeers to complement the warm beverage.

The day had given way to night, and the village had lit up in full festive spirit. It was like walking around a magical Christmas wonderland and Adrien already was planning on returning next year. He looked at the girl beside him and wished that return would be with her. Maybe, they'd still be friends, who knew? But one thing was for sure this town now belonged to them, and he was glad to have shared it with her.

"I had a wonderful time," her soft voice sounded through the car, and he turned his head to look at her.

"I'm glad you did, even if you rugby tackled me and spilt my hot chocolate."

"That's the fifth time you've mentioned it in the last hour, Agreste. I think it's time to let it go."

"Why?" Adrien asked, "because you can't hold it back anymore?"

Marinette groaned and he couldn't help but smile at the reaction he'd caused. She really was reminding him of Ladybug, each being annoyed by his hideous jokes and awful puns. Yes, he would definitely admit they were awful, he just wouldn't admit it to them.

"That was terrible, Elsa."

"Oh, come one. If you can't make Frozen jokes in the snow, when can you?" He replied, dropping her a quick wink.

"How about - um, I don't know - never!"

"Rude!" He turned away in a mock huff and she couldn't help but laugh.

"You're cute." It came out of her mouth so quietly, and so gently he was quite sure he wasn't meant to have heard, but that didn't stop him from having to cover his mouth with his hand, the smile threatening to break him apart.

The car pulled up at their cabin and Adrien thanked the driver before following Marinette inside. As arranged with the concierge, a meal tray had been delivered for them so they didn't need to venture down to the main lodge or cook for themselves. Marinette began to remove the cloche from each plate giving Adrien a running commentary about what was there. He didn't have the heart to tell her he knew, after he was the one who had ordered it.

"How about we take a shower then come back and eat?" Adrien suggested, "I'm still damp from our roll on the floor earlier, and think I might be close to frostbite territory."

"You want to shower with me?" She squeaked like a little mouse. A mouse? Something twigged in the back of his mind. Marinette and mouse? It seemed to fit together well.

"No, no, no," he stumbled out, hands up in defence. "I meant in our own rooms ... separately, as not together."

Marinette nodded and he could sense the fear from her after what he'd just said.

"Oh, ok. So shower?"

"Yeah, shower." Adrien's voice had gone three octaves higher than usual and his face was sure to have some sort of pink tinge to it. He knew now the only vision he was going to have was Marinette in the shower and that was not at all gentleman like. They both made a move for their rooms, only to end up squished in the doorway.

"After you," he waved a hand out to her, signalling him to go first.

"No, after you." She said at the same time. They both stepped forward and got squished again, causing another bout of laughter.

"Ladies, first." Adrien stated, "No arguments."

Marinette mumbled a thank you, and made her way to her room, giving Adrien a quick glance before closing the door. Rubbing the back of his neck, he entered his own room and let Plagg out of his coat jacket.

"Pfft," the kwami attempted, but failed miserably at holding in his laughter.

"Don't," Adrien said, heading towards his bag and pulling out his Ladybug sweats.

"I'm not doing anything, but I sure would love a shower."

"Plagg," Adrien said, "I'm warning you."

"Fine," the little cat said, "but I'm quite sure someone has a little crush."

"Nope, not having this conversation." Adrien walked into the bathroom, placing his clothes down and turning on the shower.

"It's obvious you like her, just admit it!"

"It would make no difference if I did, I'm getting engaged to Kagami."

Plagg could have hit his head against a brick wall, and he probably would have if he wasn't sure his head wouldn't just phase through it.

"But if you like pigtails, maybe you could be happy, you could date someone for yourself."

"What? And be unfaithful to Ladybug? I don't think so, Plagg. Do I like Marinette? Sure, but it would be hypocritical of me to date someone else when I've told Ladybug I would wait for her - " Adrien suddenly faded out of the conversation and something came back to him. Something from earlier today.

"Did you hear all our conversations today?" Adrien asked, wanting to ask Plagg about one specific event.

"I try not to listen to you at all to be honest, but sometimes your whining is unavoidable."

Adrien glared at his kwami and contemplated the conversation. He was shaken when Marinette fell into him as she got out of the car, the words embedding in his skull. What was it she had said? She was 'madly clumsy'? A flashback shot through his mind of the first day he met Ladybug. She'd said the exact same thing as she fell on him, and he wasn't too sure if it was a coincidence or if his mind was projecting, but could it be possible he'd found his bug? They were so similar but so different at the same time. A certain unease ran through his body and he couldn't shake it. Had he finally figured something out? Before Adrien could dig more into the thought, Plagg started speaking again.

"Just, listen kid. You always do things for other people, you're always the fall man. How about just this once you take a starring role. Ask her out on a date date?"

"I'm not asking her out on a date. We're not dating. I'm not dating!" Adrien jumped in the shower only for Plagg to join him.

"Adrien, come on. At least bring up the idea of a relationship and see what she says? Just know where you'd stand."

Adrien washed his hair under the warm water thinking about what Plagg had mentioned. He wouldn't oppose a relationship with Marinette, but he knew he wouldn't be able to give his whole heart. Not yet anyway. Inside there was still a burning desire to be with his Ladybug, and while that was there he couldn't do that to someone else, especially not Marinette. Marrying Kagami was the right thing to do. Maybe one day they'd get divorced and Adrien would be able to pursue a relationship then, even if he was forty. He let out a sigh and looked into the green eyes of his friend.

"How about I bring up relationships and see what she says? Will you get off my back then?"

"I suppose," Plagg said nonchalantly, before phasing out the shower and flying off to God knows where. He just prayed to God that the kwami stayed out of Marinette's room.

The evening meal had been a big success and now the two young adults were sprawled out on the fur rug in front of the fire. It had taken multiple attempts and a lot of colourful language, but finally the fire was blazing, heating up the room. Marinette was decked out in her own sweats which happened to be his altar ego. The possessiveness in him increased as he eyed her over. If he didn't already think she was cute then this outfit right here would tip him over the edge.

They sat next to each other nursing the leftover wine and some chocolate strawberries. Adrien couldn't help but think this was the most romantic thing he'd ever done and then cursed himself because he didn't even regret that it wasn't with Ladybug. To be honest, she'd been pushed to the back of his mind all day.

"I want to apologise for my reaction earlier," Adrien looked up to watch Marinette as she spoke to him. "I don't want you to think that I would have an issue with dating you, it was just a little bit of a shock. I'm not used to being sprayed over social media."

"You'd have no issue dating me?" Adrien was surprised she'd said that, did she mean that she wanted to. That she would date him. His heart began to beat fast in his chest. Would there be a possibility?

"If I was dating then, sure." His heart deflated.

"So, you're not dating?" He asked, unsure what his brain was thinking and his heart was doing.

"No, there's ... complications in my life, and unfortunately it doesn't leave room for a relationship."

"Complications?"

"Yeah, it's ... well ... complicated."

"Amen to that." He toasted her with his wine glass letting out a huffed laugh. "Did you know Chloé was in a relationship?"

"No?" Marinette screwed her eyebrows up in curiosity and he could tell she wanted him to continue.

"The girl who she's with - well - let's just say her mother isn't as into the relationship as the girls are."

"That's really sad," Marinette exclaimed.

"Yeah," Adrien scratched the back of his neck, "people say love is natural and one of the easiest things to do, but it seems love comes with obstacles these days. Complications and criticisms. I can see why people stay single."

"I'm a bonafide spinster if there ever was one. I'm getting my cat next week."

Adrien laughed alongside Marinette with two thoughts overpowering the others. Firstly it seemed a relationship with Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a complete no go zone and secondly how would she feel about a cat in a black super suit.