"Alya, help, I don't know how to do this."

"Adrien, hunny, calm down and take a breath," Alya said over the phone. "What do you need help with?"

"I just asked Marinette on a date."

He'd just asked Marinette on a date. He'd just asked Marinette on a date.

He grabbed a handful of hair because he did not know how to process this and he felt like he just might explode any second.

"Say what?" Alya screeched in the phone.

"I just asked Marinette on a date." No matter how many times he said it, it was not getting any easier to absorb.

"And she said yes?"

"YES!" he cried. He was two steps from flying over the moon at this point. "She said yes. She said one date. Just one because she doesn't know if she's ready or­-"

"Adrien," she interrupted, halting his rant. "Calm down. Speak slower."

Adrien took a handful of deep breaths but they didn't feel like they helped. "She said yes, but she also doesn't know if she's ready."

Alya snorted. "Oh, hunny, she's ready. She just doesn't know it yet."

Adrien's brow furrowed. "What? That doesn't make­ any sense."

"Of course, it does," Alya argued. "You have to understand Marinette was unwaveringly loyal to Nathaniel. She's been his best friend, his girlfriend, and then his wife. That's been her life for the past eleven-odd years. I think she just needs a little time to fully close that book, and a little more to realize that it's okay to open a new one."

Adrien paused as he absorbed her words. "So, you're saying that... she'll really be okay with this?"

"Just take it one date at a time, and I think you'll be fine."

Adrien took comfort in that. "Okay."

"Okay. Are you going to be okay?"

"No," he whined. "Because if the second date relies on the first date going well, then the first date has to be perfect and I don't know how to do this."

He could hear Alya sigh over the phone. "You are hopeless."

Marinette zipped up her dress, one she wore far too little. She rarely attended any events fancy enough to justify taking it out of her closet, which was why she'd only worn it three times since its creation. Yet, she always liked this dress. Bright red sweetheart neckline underneath a layer of black lace that extended up to a high neck and down into long sleeves. It hugged her shape down her legs to end at her knee. While hardly a fancy evening gown, she always felt beautiful in this dress.

She bit her lip as she examined herself in her mirror. It was scary to think that she was going on a date. But she was going out with Adrien, and she always had a good time with him.

But she was still really nervous. Because for the first time in her life she was going on a date with someone who wasn't Nathaniel.

A knock on her door nearly sent her leaping through the ceiling. "Come in."

Her door opened to reveal her maman. Sabine smiled at her daughter through the mirror, then came up behind her to place comforting hands on Marinette's arms. "You look beautiful."

Marinette gave her a shaky grin. "Thank you, Maman."

Her maman gave her arms a squeeze. "And Adrien's going to think so, too."

Marinette's grin faltered.

"What's wrong?"

She wrung her hands together and chewed her lower lip. She opened her mouth, only for a strangled sob to escape. Within seconds, she was crying into her mother's shoulder.

"Oh, sweetheart," her mother cooed, holding Marinette tight. "It's okay."

They stayed like that for a moment until Marinette was able to calm down. Her maman guided her over to her chaise lounge to sit down. "Now, what is it?"

"Nathaniel."

Her mother cooed, pulling Marinette closer to rest her head on her shoulder. "It's okay to miss him."

"I... I know he's gone, Maman," Marinette said. "And... that it's not okay, but it's okay, you know?"

"You've accepted the fact, yes."

"So... so it should be okay to go out with Adrien."

"Yes," her maman said. "It is perfectly okay to start a new relationship."

"And I know that," she sputtered, whipping her eyes. "I don't know why I'm crying."

"You're overwhelmed," her mother said.

Marinette nodded.

Her maman stroked her hair. "I understand. You're starting something new even though you still love Nathaniel. And I don't think you'll ever stop loving him."

"That's what Adrien said," she whispered.

Her maman grinned. "You see? He knows what you're going through. So if you wanted to cancel the date-"

"No," she said, raising her head to look at her mother. Though quiet, her voice held a surprising amount of force.

With a wide smile, Sabine took her daughter's cheeks in her hands. "You are ready to this. Just take it one date at a time." With that, she pulled her daughter forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "Now, would you like to do your hair, or would you like me to?"

Marinette bit her lip in thought. "Would you?"

Her maman nodded. "Come on."

Marinette sat down at her vanity and allowed her mother to style her hair into a half-updo. After her maman finished, Marinette reached for her necklace.

But she paused.

That was Nathaniel's ring. Nathaniel's charm. But it wasn't Nathaniel she was going on a date with. Slowly, she pulled her hand back. Out of respect to Adrien and their date, she wouldn't wear it. No matter how hard it was.

Marinette opened her drawer. The ladybug earrings stayed in her ears all the time, nowadays. She couldn't bear to take them off, but tonight, the ladybug necklace would come out to join them. She'd worn it a few times, but never alone.

Her maman took it out of the box for her and draped it over Marinette's neck. The weight settled right on her collarbone, and she tried hard to swallow the emotions that bubbled up. It was okay. There was nothing wrong with wearing the ladybug necklace instead of Nathaniel's. This was okay. This was good.

It meant moving on.

It scared her a little more than she thought it would have.

"I'm so happy for you," her maman said once she was finished. "I know you are going to go out and have a good time with someone I know you care about."

Tears warbled in Marinette's eyes. "Thank you, Maman."

"Anything for you, my dear." She pressed a kiss to Marinette's hair, then took her leave.

Marinette sat and stared at herself in the mirror for what felt like the longest time. After taking a deep breath, she forced herself to head downstairs to where her parents were.

When she caught her papa's eye, she smiled. He looked at her with sweet pride. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you dressed up and happy like this."

"I was dressed up for the Christmas party," she pointed out.

"Yes, but this... this you're doing for you. You organized the party for Emma and everyone had a great time, but going out on a date is something for you. I like having my daughter back."

Marinette grinned then dabbed at her eyes before the rapidly forming tears could run down and ruin her make-up.

"Oh, sweetheart." Her papa stepped forward and wrapped her in a bear hug, and Marinette happily leaned into his embrace. "We're really happy for you. We just want you to be happy, and you are."

"I know you do," Marinette said with a sniffle. "I know. Thank you for everything."

"I'm your papa," he said, pulling away and lifting her chin up so she'd meet his eyes. "That's my job."

At this rate, she was going to burst into tears no matter how much she willed them away.

"And mine," her maman cut in, coming up to snag a hug from Marinette as well. "I'm glad to see you finding happiness again."

Marinette squeezed her maman tightly because she was going to choke if she tried to say 'thank you'.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment.

"I'm going to bet that's Adrien," her maman said with a wink. "Go answer the door."

With a grin, Marinette dabbed her eyes one last time before answering the door to reveal Adrien, standing in all his suited, smiling glory complete with a halo of perfectly tamed golden hair.

"Wow," he breathed, looking her up and down. "You look spectacular."

Heat flooded her cheeks, but she grinned. "You look rather handsome yourself."

His grin brightened, and he extended his hand for her to take. "Shall we?"

She placed her hand within his, taking comfort when he tightened his grasp. He gently pulled her over to his side, hooking her hand around his elbow before guiding her down to his awaiting car.

For the first time in a long time, she felt special. He treated her reverently, politely, like a classic gentleman would treat his lady. How he could make her feel like this just by opening a few doors or giving her a sweet smile, she didn't know. But she loved it.

They ended up going to the same restaurant that they had spent their awkward friend-date in. It made her somewhat nostalgic to look back and realize how far they'd come.

And it was only their first date.

She was pretty sure they had the same waiter, too. The one who spent the night referring to them as a lovely couple and such. This time, she didn't mind. She's fairly certain she blushed every time, only for Adrien to make it worse when he encouraged the man with "I'm the luckiest man alive" and "isn't she the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Towards the end, she managed to throw in a "I'm the lucky one," and grinned when Adrien's cheeks tinted pink.

They finally did get to try the dessert that night. Marinette had admit that the cheesecake was phenomenal, even though her father's would always come first.

When the night came to an end, Marinette found herself reluctant to go through her door. No matter how nervous she had been before the night began, she didn't want to leave it now.

"You wore the ladybug necklace," he noticed.

She reached up to touch it out of habit. "I did."

"I was worried that you wouldn't like wearing it because you always wore your other one."

"I love it," she assured. "Really, I do. It's just..."

"I get it," he said, giving her hands a squeeze. "That's your ring."

"Was my ring," she said softly. "It was my ring."

His eyes widened in surprise, then brightened when he smiled.

"One step at a time," she whispered, hoping the emotion she felt bubbling inside her would stay down until she could get inside.

"I will gladly wait as many steps as you need," he whispered back, his tone earnest. He took one of her hand in both of his, bowing over it to press a reverent kiss to her knuckles.

All air left her lungs at the action.

"I always enjoy time with you," he said. "Always. But tonight was very special."

She nodded her agreement, unable to do much more than that. "Yeah," she somehow managed. "It was."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Can we do this again, soon?"

She quickly nodded.

His smile brightened. "How about next Wednesday?"

"Okay," she said. "Where to?"

He paused, brow scrunching in thought. "There's new movie coming out."

Her grin widened. "Isn't it that one based on-"

"Ultimate Mecha Strike," he admitted. "Not 'classy' per se, but something I think we'd both enjoy."

Her heart fluttered at the thought. "I'd really like that."

"Yeah, okay," he said, his expression bordering on excitement. It was adorable to see him look something akin to an excited teenager.

But then again, she kinda felt like a teen, too.

"I'll check movie times and we'll work one out?"

She nodded. "That sounds good."

"Okay," he said. "Okay. Good. I'm glad."

Her smile grew. "Okay."

He stood there, looking like he wanted to say something, but didn't. "Umm," he eventually managed. "I guess this is good night."

"I guess it is."

"Good night, Marinette."

"Good night, Adrien," she said. "Text me when you get home."

"I promise."

She didn't know how those two words hit her so hard, but they did. "Good night," she whispered once again before turning and entering her house.

She closed the door, collapsing back against it and letting her eyes close. She took a moment to collect herself and beg her heart to steady its pace.

"Marinette?" her mother shouted. "Are you home?"

"Yeah," she called back.

"How'd it go?" Maman asked, rounding the corner.

"It..." She swallowed, surprised at how suddenly it was hard to talk. "It went really well."

Her mother gave her a smile, one Marinette returned, and suddenly, Marinette's eyes were filled with tears. She sniffed, and those tears fell from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. "I... I don't know why I'm crying," she said. "I'm really happy."

"You're overwhelmed," her mother pointed out, stepping closer and placing comforting hands on her daughter's shoulders. "It's okay."

Marinette sniffed, dabbing her nose with the back of her hand before rubbing away the tears in her eyes.

Her maman smiled. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. Trust me."

Marinette nodded. "That sounds good. Thanks, maman."

"Of course, dear."

It had been a week since Adrien had taken Marinette out for a date, and he was still riding on the high.

Of course, it might have been because he was taking her on another one tonight, but no matter.

Right now, he needed to focus on interviewing potential assistants.

As yet another young woman left the office, he crossed her name off of the list. Nathalie had been amazing at organizing a list of potential assistants for him. Now, he was tasked with interviewing all of them.

Nathalie had offered to do it for him, to screen the potential employees, but Adrien had insisted he take that task over so Nathalie could finally start planning a wedding.

She had grinned and quietly thanked him.

He interviewed the next prospect, only to dismiss her halfway through and cross off her name. He glanced down at the next person on the list and had to do a double take.

He blinked a few times before going out into the main room and looking it over. Sure enough, she was there. He didn't recognize her with the way she grew her hair out, and she wasn't wearing glasses. Yet, that was certainly her.

"Sabrina Raincomprix,"

She looked up, then stood and followed him to his office. He shut the door. "Fancy seeing you here."

She gave him a smile, but it was forced. "I told Nathalie it wouldn't be a good idea," she said. "Not with... well, our whole past. I considered not showing up but... it's so rude."

He smiled. Same old Sabrina. "Have a seat."

She quirked a doubtful brow. "You aren't seriously considering-"

"You're here," Adrien said, taking a seat in his chair. "If anything, it'd be nice to catch up. I haven't heard from you for four years."

Hesitantly, she took the seat and set her purse down.

"Honestly, I want to know what brings you," Adrien began. "What happened to your old job? You had a position working for some multi-millionaire keeping his business in check."

"I did," she shrugged. "But he didn't appear know the difference between a secretary and an escort."

Adrien choked.

Sabrina shrugged. "I told him it wasn't my job nor paygrade when his advances got too obvious. And when he tried to raise my pay, I smacked him over the head with a stapler and marched out of his office."

Adrien bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"That being said," she started sheepishly, "that means I'm out of a job and kind of blacklisted because no one really wants to hire someone who assaulted her boss."

"I'd hire you."

Sabrina stopped in shock.

Adrien nodded. "It'd be nice to have someone I know I can trust to be my assistant."

Her entire expression faded. "Even though I assisted Chloe in hiding her pregnancy from you?"

Adrien's expression warbled.

"I still feel terrible about it," she said. "Emma was your baby, too. It wasn't fair for me to side with Chloe and leave you out in the cold like that."

"I understand why you did it," Adrien said. "You sided with Chloe just like Alya sided with me. When things got sour, you were concerned with your loyalty to her."

"That's still no excuse. You should have been told immediately." Sabrina's gaze hit the ground for a while before she raised her head with a new strength. "Chloe denied she was pregnant for weeks," Sabrina said. "I knew; she missed her period and some of her favorite foods began not sitting well with her. I forced her to take the test, and when those two little lines appeared... Adrien, she panicked."

Adrien sat in rapt attention, hanging on to the words he'd never heard before.

"I set up her first appointment. I sat in the room and held her hand while she cried over the fact there was a baby inside her. It was already hard on her to leave you, and now she was carrying your child and... Chloe was not dealing well."

Adrien scoffed. "She left before I woke up."

"That doesn't mean it didn't wreck her," Sabrina said. "Chloe still loved you, Adrien. She almost went back. But she didn't because she realized she gave you up and was really embarrassed by it. That's why she wanted to take Emma out of the country. When she told me that, that was when I told you she was pregnant."

"I always was glad you slipped up."

"It wasn't a slip," Sabrina admitted. "It was just phrased that way so that Chloe couldn't blame me for telling you."

Adrien would have dropped anything he was holding at that point. "W...what?"

"She wasn't going to tell you," she said. "And I just couldn't keep hiding it from you any longer. Not when I was worried that she was going to do something so rash and seemingly on her own."

It felt like time had stopped. A trance that was only broken when Sabrina stood from her seat. "I should go," she said, grabbing her purse from the ground. "It was nice to see you, Adrien."

"Wait."

She stopped before she could reach the door.

"Can you start tomorrow?"

Her eyes widened as she turned to face him. "You're not seriously going to hire me, are you? After all I did?'

"Yeah," he said. "I want to. If you want the job."

She was frozen, her hand hovering over the doorknob for the longest time. Eventually, she clasped her hands together in front of her. "I'd like to make it up to you. To prove I'm worthy of your respect and friendship again."

"I'm willing to give you that chance," Adrien said. "Come here at nine tomorrow. Training starts then."

She nodded. "Nine o'clock. I'll be here."

Adrien smiled. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"B...before I go," she hesitantly said. "Can I ask how Emma is doing? I haven't seen her since..."

Without pause, Adrien took out his phone and pulled up a picture of Emma holding the fabric of the latest quilt she and Marinette were starting. "She's doing really well."

Sabrina took the phone to look at the picture, and a smile grew across her face. "She's got your smile, but Chloe's eyes."

"Her stubbornness, too."

Sabrina smirked. "And if Alya's her role model, heaven help you."

"Actually, she's taken up following her nanny to a tee."

"Hopefully her nanny is good," Sabrina said, handing the phone back.

"Do you remember a Marinette Kurtzburg? Or Dupain-Cheng was her maiden name?"

Sabrina froze, wide-eyed.

Adrien nodded, shuffling through pictures on his phone to find one of Emma dressed in red and pigtails just like Marinette. "Emma adores her."

"Of course, she would," Sabrina said taking the phone back. "Everyone loved Marinette. She was the kind of girl everyone adored. Even Chloe was jealous of her."

There was a silence while Sabrina stared at the picture. She handed it back with a smile. "I'm glad Emma has such a great role model. You couldn't have found anyone better."

Adrien grinned. "I'm glad you think so. Marinette is a special lady."

Sabrina quirked her head before giving Adrien a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

For the date, he may not have been completely decked out, but Adrien thought he looked good in his button down, one he rolled up to his elbows, and his slightly ruffled hair.

His heart gradually increased its pace as he drove over to Marinette's to pick her up. He was excited. So excited. He got to take her on a date and they were going to go see a movie and it was going to be great.

Because it was with Marinette.

When he got to the door, he ran his hands through his hair and adjusted his shirt one last time before knocking. But it wasn't Marinette who answered the door.

"Come in, son," Tom said. "The girls will be down in a moment."

Adrien nodded, stepping inside. "Sorry, I must have showed up a little early."

"No, you're on time," Tom assured. "Marinette just lost track of time."

Adrien chuckled. "I can see that. I accounted for it by saying I would pick her up early."

Tom grinned. "Have a seat, Adrien. We can talk until she come down."

Adrien took a seat on the couch, Tom sitting across from him on the chair. "Just so you know," Tom began, "Just because she's twenty-six doesn't mean she's not still my little girl."

Adrien grinned. "Oh, is this the father/daughter's-date talk?"

Tom smirked. "You'll understand one day."

"I have no doubt. How long do I have until I become the 'don't even look at my daughter' dad?"

"With Emma, my guess is only about nine years."

"Crap," Adrien grumbled. "Teach me your ways?"

Tom outright laughed.

After a short talk that made Adrien want to take up karate again, Sabine finally appeared. "She'll be down in a moment," she said. "She's reapplying her make-up."

"She okay?" Tom asked, which immediately got Adrien to worry.

"Is something wrong?"

With a smile, Sabine shook her head. "Marinette just need a little more time to accept the fact it's okay to date you," she explained. "Each step is hard."

"I know the feeling," Adrien said. "It sounds like she loved him very much. Losing my mom was hard enough; I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her to lose him."

A heavy hand came down to grab his shoulder, and Adrien looked over to Tom. "Then you understand that she needs time?"

"She can have all the time in the world if she needs it."

Tom grinned.

"I want to take care of your daughter, sir," Adrien admitted. "She's very precious. I know she needs time, and I'm more than willing to give it to her. But to be honest, I am pursuing her for keeps, and I'm not going to stop until she tells me I need to."

Tom's grin widened. "I knew I liked you."

A door opened somewhere, followed by the sound of someone descending a set of stairs. Adrien immediately stood in wait for her. When she appeared, his heart nearly stopped.

Good. Gracious. She. Was. Adorable.

Her hair was up in pigtails that she curled at the ends and tied up with red ribbons. Her shirt was black and form-fitting, and he tried not to admire it too much, especially with how much of her shoulders the wide neckline revealed. And then her knee-length polka-dotted skirt that had to have more than just one petticoat underneath it.

But one look at her face, and it was clear by her red eyes she'd been crying.

His first instinct was to engulf her in a hug and wait until whatever pain was haunting her disappeared. But he stopped short and grabbed her hands instead. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

She forced a smile then shook her head. "No," she said, her voice weak enough to prove her lie. "It's nothing."

He frowned. "Are you sure? We can wait if you need to."

She paused, biting her lip, and he was sincerely concerned she might take him up on his offer. Somewhere in the very back of his mind, it occurred to him that it was very selfish of him. In the end, he was relieved when she shook her head. "No," she said. "I was looking forward to this. Let's go."

"Okay," he said, squeezing her hands reassuringly before taking one of her hands to wrap around his elbow. "But do you promise that you'll say something if something's wrong?"

With another faked smile, she nodded. "Promise."

She was silent as he led her out to his car. He treated her like the lady she was, opening the car door and shutting it behind her. He then got into the driver's seat and started up the engine.

"How was your day?" she asked. "Did you have fun interviewing people?"

He scoffed. "Sure, let's say it was fun."

She smiled her first real smile of the night, and it lifted the weight that had settled on his heart.

"I did hire someone, though."

"Really?" she asked. "Will they be a good fit?"

"Do you remember Sabrina Raincomprix?"

She froze a second. "Yeah. I remember her."

"I hired her."

Marinette nodded. "I... I can see that. She was really good about keeping everything in line for Chloe."

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"Whatever you're holding back."

She grimaced. He knew her too well. "Can you trust her?"

It was a really good question. A very legitimate one. "I think I can," he answered. "We had a talk instead of an interview. She was honest with me to the point where she admitted she didn't believe I would hire her and she almost didn't show up."

"So you two talked it out."

He nodded. "Even though we're still on shaky ground, I still feel like I would be able to trust her far more than someone I didn't know."

"Then that's all that matters," Marinette said. "I'm happy for you. Maybe this will help with your hectic work schedule."

"It will," he admitted, "but it's mostly to help Nathalie and my father."

She looked at him, waiting for him to explain.

"My father is slowly handing more and more responsibilities to me so that he has more time to spend on his designs. And then Nathalie has always functioned as my assistant as well as my father's. It's time I hired someone of my own to take care of that, especially since they're engaged. They've been workaholics for so long, it's best that I stop encouraging that habit."

He glanced over at her and caught the smile she was shooting him. She reached over the console to place a hand on his leg. "I'm proud of you."

Thank goodness they were at a stoplight, because Adrien was sure he would have crashed otherwise.

They made it to the movie theater in one piece, thankfully. They got in line for tickets which Adrien paid for then argued over who was going to pay for popcorn.

Adrien 'accidentally' knocked the credit card from Marinette's hand.

"You," she chided, taking a piece of popcorn and tossing it at his nose. "Are a brat."

"And you," he said, returning the favor, "are stubborn."

"You paid for tickets."

"I'm paying for the date. In its entirety. That's already decided."

"By who."

"By me."

"Which is only fifty percent of who's on the date."

"Well, this fifty percent love spoiling the other fifty percent. So will you let me or not?"

They paused in front of the door to their theater, Marinette leaning back against it.

"Okay," she relented. "Just this once."

"Not going to happen," Adrien countered.

A smile spread across her face, causing a matching one to grow on his. And in that moment, he realized her smile was bright and her eyes were shining and clear. His heart fluttered.

"You're really beautiful, you know that?" he hushedly asked.

Her cheeks turned bright red, but she was still smiling. "Um..." She tapped on the door. "I don't want to miss the movie."

He grinned widely. "Okay."

They found good seats in the theater, then chatted through the previews while occasionally tossing popcorn at each other. They fell silent when the movie began, the popcorn being passed between them until it found a permanent spot on the ground. By the end of the film, Marinette had her arms wrapped around one of his and her head on his shoulder. He allowed his head to rest on top of hers and relished the feeling of her hand in his. And he didn't let go of her hand until they got to the car.

But then she kept her hand on his knee all the way home.

"It's really hard to drive like that," he commented.

"Really?"

"It's very distracting."

"This?" she patted his knee.

He placed a hand over hers to stop her. "Yes, that."

She grinned. "Never would have guessed."

"Well," he said, teasingly. "You see, when a beautiful woman has her hand on a man's knee, it's a very dangerous thing, because it's a constant reminder that he has a very beautiful woman beside him that he can't look at."

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of her looking away. He wondered if it was because her cheeks were pink. "You're such a flatterer."

He pulled up in front of her house and put the car in park. "You don't think you're beautiful."

"No, it's not that. It's just..." she turned back to him. "You say it so reverently."

With a grin, he picked her hand from his knee. "Trust me, my lady," he said, kissing the back of her fingers. "You're beautiful." He kissed her knuckles. "Stunningly so." The back of her hand. "Trust me." Her wrist.

He looked back up to meet her eyes and swore she had never looked as beautiful as she did now.

Her smile was warbly, but it didn't look strained. "Thank you for being patient with me at the beginning of the date," she said on a whisper, seemingly not being able to speak any louder. "I know better than to doubt my time with you, but..." her gaze fell. "It's... how can I say this without being mean?"

"Say it," he said. "And I'll understand."

She chewed her lip. "It's overwhelming," she finally said. "To have someone other than my husband take me out on a date."

Dread made a home for itself in his gut as his expression fell. "Do you need more time?" he asked, though the thought of her saying yes killed him.

She flashed him a smile that likely meant to be reassuring. "No," she whispered. "I don't want to cancel Wednesdays. I look forward to them. It's not wearing his necklace that still gets me."

"Then wear it," Adrien told her, tightening his hold on her hand. "I'll understand."

"That's not fair to you, Adrien," she said.

"If you're not ready to let go, then I'm not going to force you to let go."

"I am," she countered. "I have to take steps forward to do so."

"Only if you're sure."

"It's the only way."

"Then I'll be here for you," he said. "Supporting you or helping you through. I am here."

Marinette's smile was sweet, but Adrien could see the tears start in her eyes. Before he could react, she hopped out of the car.

He was quick to follow, fully prepared to run after her. Only to have her engulf him in a hug and bury her head in his neck. "Thank you," she said before she started to cry.

So Adrien just held her. Tight. He wasn't going to let her go, and more than anything, he wanted her to know that. He wanted to be her support, her safe place.

Figures he was ready for so much more when she was barely ready for a relationship.

But she was worth it. That was clearer than day. She was worth the wait.

He hoped that one day, she'd know it.