Marinette is thrilled. She's spending her afternoon at the museum with Adrien, and even Manon's unexpectedly tagging along with them can't tarnish her happiness.
After all, what can go wrong for two seventeen-year-olds watching over a seven-year...
All things considered, she was quite proud of herself: she hadn't squealed, fallen off the café bench, or ran away flailing. Yup, so far, the "Be normal around Adrien" mission was a huge success.
Well, maybe not so much seeing how the young man was now looking at her expectantly, obviously waiting for some answer she couldn't give him, having missed the last few minutes of the discussion.
"I'm sorry Adrien, I didn't get that, I got lost in thought." she shamefully admitted, hoping with all her might that wouldn't ruin her chances with the handsome green-eyed young man.
He smiled, that sweet and kind smile of his that only the sun could rival in Marinette's enamored heart. When he spoke, his voice was soft, caring, "No worries, you seemed to pretty far away just now. I asked if you wanted to go this afternoon, I'm actually free for once."
The young woman did her best to ignore the elbow painfully nudged in her ribs, and the less-than-subtle snicker Nino lamely tried to hide as he took a sip of his Coca-Cola. Focusing on forming a coherent sentence, the blue-eyed girl smiled softly and answered in a low-key voice, "That would be perfect. Thanks, Adrien."
This is how Marinette Dupain-Cheng found herself at the Louvre's steps on a sunny Saturday afternoon, looking at her crush without knowing what to do with herself. Adrien, in his infinite kindness, gently nudged her, still smiling (did this soft and subdued smile ever leave his face?), "This is nice, some friendly time without Alya and Nino playing tonsil hockey every single second they think we're not looking."
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Marinette giggled despite herself, the awkwardness somehow still lingering between them but much less stifling all of a sudden, "They sure do that a lot, and to think they're convinced they're subtle!" They both chuckled, shaking their heads as they thought about their friends' uncomfortable public display habits. "So, were you looking forward to that exhibit?"
Adrien smiled again, effectively deflecting all logical thinking from his shy but still eager friend. "Actually a lot. I think it's a really awesome exhibit, looking back on our past heroes is something that—"
"Marinette!" a familiar voice interrupted him. "Oh thank God! Do you think you could keep an eye on Manon for me while I do this reporting gig? I'll happily pay you double the wage I usually do. That sneaky little imp won't stay in place for even a split second, I swear," exclaimed an obviously relieved Nadja Chamack, barrelling down on the startled pair.
Marinette warily eyed Adrien, trying to gauge his reaction. Knowing his selfless personality, his endless kindness, she should've predicted what followed, "No problem, Ms. Chamack, Mari and I are going to keep tabs on this lovely little lady."
"Oh! You're Adrien Agreste, right? It's a pleasure to meet you, young man. Well, I guess that if you're one of Marinette's friends, I can trust you as much as I trust her with my little monster. Please just try to keep Manon out of trouble, okay? She has an unsettling habit of getting herself involved in... situations."
