I like your face!

The confession

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Adrien broke the silence again. "You could come and watch my photoshoots." As she turned her head to look at him, he smiled sheepishly.

"If you want, that is! No forcing. Since you like fashion and all, hehe." He quickly added.

Marinette beamed at him and nodded. "Of course."

They stayed in a comfortable silence this time while eating their ice-creams, with their free hands still touching. She was staring at forward again admiring the beauty of colors in the sky. But unknowingly to her, he was still looking at her.

"You have something on your face."

She swiftly shifted her weight. "Where?"

"There." He simply said without showing.

"Adrien!"

He laughed and, without thinking, wiped her lower lip with his thumb. All she could do was stare in awe. "There. All done."

Okay, THIS was the right time.

"Adrien."

"Yes?"

"I..gotta tell you something."

"Yes?"

He waited patiently while she gathered her courage.

" I um.. You see.." She closed her eyes as she inhaled and exhaled. She then opened her eyes and looked at him with determination. "Look, I like being around you. I like when you're happy. I...I like your face."

Adrien's eyes widened and then burst out laughing.

Wait! No! What the heck was this wording! Marinette sighed and hid her face behind her palms, her face flushed out of embarrassment. "Why am I like this?" She muttered.

"So sorry Marinette!" He said between laughs. " I didn't mean to laugh, sorry." He attempted to hold himself but failed miserably.

"You know what? I will just go-" Marinette rose to her feet, but his hand dragged her back down, earning a squeak from her.

"I like your face too."

"What?"

"I also like being around you, and when you're ha –"

" ILikeyouasmorethanjustafriend." She spoke rapidly, catching both herself and Adrien off guard as she covered her mouth.

He stared at her, jaw agape, wide-eyed.

He was at a loss for words. It's not like he doesn't like Marinette, not at all. He had always had feelings for her, but he had always pushed them aside. He was terrified of scaring her away and losing her and their friendship if he made any move.

After such a long time, she had finally warmed up to him, allowing him to see her true self, the real Marinette, and he didn't want to ruin that. Even if he still loves Ladybug, he would be a fool to reject her because she is an outstanding girl. He's open to falling in love with Marinette as well, if he hasn't already. He was certain he looked like a tomato right now, and he felt compelled to speak up before she assumed the worst.

But Marinette already did as she sighed and looked sadly at her lap.

"Forget that-"

"I like you too."

Marinette gasped and turned to face him with a gaping mouth.

"Y-you do? As more than..." She trailed off.

"...than a friend. Yes, Marinette, I do. Very much." He grinned and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Wow..." She snorted. " I thought you...I never thought..." She was out of words. Was she dreaming? Did Adrien Agreste just say that he likes her back? As more than a friend?? What??

"Look," He began as he placed his hands on her shoulders and stared at her down. She returned his stare with a strained expression, fearful of rejection based on his severity. "There's this girl I still like, I have to be honest."

Ah, there it is. He's probably too hung up on her to give plain old Marinette a chance.

"But I also like you a lot, Marinette. Very much. You're the last thought I have before I go to bed." He said while stroking her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat. When did his hand go to her face? She couldn't tell because she was entirely absorbed by his gaze. "You're amazing. And I would be such a fool to not want to give us a chance. What do you say?" He asked with hope.

Us...He said give us a chance. He's...asking her to be his girlfriend?! She should say something! But she was too speechless to say anything. She was trying to process all this. Not how she thought it would go, as she was not expecting a confession from Adrien Agreste himself! He likes her back!!!

Marinette cleared her throat.

"Since when...do you have these feelings for me?"

"To be honest, they were always there." He admitted, mostly to himself. He could feel Plagg laughing at him. "Since the very beginning. It just took me some time to accept it because you seemed uncomfortable around me and I didn't want to make you feel more uncomfortable. Instead, I decided to stick to your friendship. Which was still very enough for me, as long as I have you in my life Marinette."

They stared at each other in the eyes, silence filling up between them once again. Marinette's eyes were close to tears, but she was holding them back. His words were touching. She felt like he was way too good for her. A tear had fallen from her eye, and she felt his thumb wipe it away. She bit her lower lip and wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He hugged her fiercely with his eyes closed.

"Adrien..."

He hummed in response.

"The first time I saw you, I misjudged you. I thought you were conceited and superficial. But then, I got to know you. I saw who you really were deep down—someone sweet, sincere, and generous." His eyes shot open. This declaration sounded familiar. Wasn't it the one she said in front of his alter ego some long ago? It doesn't matter how he still remembers it but...HE was THE buttercup?? All this time? The realization took his breath away. All this time...she liked him. And he was completely oblivious to it. He stayed in place and squeezed her with all his might. "Since then...I've been trying to confess to you. But always failed miserably...until now. " She pulled back to look at him, her hands now placed on his chest. "I can't believe that I finally succeeded and that you do...return those feelings. "

His face softened. "How could I not?"

Her heartbeat quickened as she felt him shift closer, barely leaving any space in between them.

"Adrien..." She whispered as she stared at his lips.

He took it as a cue to close the little space between them and crashed his lips to hers. Their lips moved in synq perfectly slowly. It was just them, kissing while the sun set, the ice creams half-eaten, long forgotten melting on the pavement beside them. Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien's neck, now their chests touching as they continued kissing. It was sweet, and his lips were so soft and addicting.

She felt as if she were in a dream that she didn't want to wake up from. They broke apart to catch their breath, their foreheads were now touching. This was perfect. Everything was perfect. The bluenette gazed longingly into the blonde's eyes, letting out a pleased sigh. He brushed her hair behind her ears before capturing her lips again.

What they didn't realize was that their best friends were looking at them from afar. The two cheered and fist bumped each other, while catching the scene in front of them all on camera.

It was about time.