Revealed in Time

Breakfast

Marinette sipped her orange juice, the cold liquid soothing her parched throat. It wasn't as if she hadn't had enough to drink, she was nearly finished with her second cup, but the nervous tension that had been pulsating throughout her body ever since that awkward bedroom incident was keeping her throat feeling dry.

Adrien was already cleaning up the dishes. Marinette knew she should be helping him, but for some odd reason, she just couldn't bring herself to move. It had been hard enough to get dressed and leave her room, taking approximately thirty minutes to pick herself up off the floor and make her way downstairs.

"I can't face him!" She had cried to Tikki some time after he had left. "Not knowing... not knowing..." she threw her entire body flat on the rug. "Tikki! He's seen me! He's touched me! Oh gosh!!! There is no way I can show myself in front of him!"

But finally, after much convincing and a lot of freaking out, Tikki had gotten Marinette to realize that staying locked up in her room was a terrible option. This was a great opportunity to get to know Adrien and Marinette would be an idiot if she gave all that up due to embarrassment about things that hadn't even happened to her yet.

Thankfully Adrien had somehow managed to keep the eggs and bacon warm during her prolonged hiatus, and, to top it all off, he was a much better cook than Marinette could have ever predicted. Who knew simple eggs could taste like that?

"Would you like some more?" Adrien asked, picking up the carton of juice.

"No thank you," she politely responded, grateful to herself for getting the words out correctly.

He turned towards the refrigerator and Marinette hit the palm of her hand against her face. Why am I treating him like a freaking servant? Surely she could do better than this. What kind of impression was she giving her future husband? That she was some sort of lazy, spoiled teenager?

Adrien placed the carton in the fridge, turning back towards Marinette, closing the door behind him.

"What would you like to do today?" He smiled, making Marinette's heart swoon, her cheeks burning as she knew all too well how flushed she must look. Dang it! This was exactly why she had been avoiding all eye contact.

If he had been annoyed at all at her lackadaisical behavior, he clearly didn't show it. No. In fact his face said quite the opposite. Looking at him, Marinette suddenly felt as if she could do no wrong in those eyes. Those extremely beautiful, kind, green eyes. Would she ever be able to get used to Adrien looking at her as if she was the most important person in the world? Probably not.

But now that she thought about it, hadn't she seen that look somewhere else before?

I'm such an idiot. She face palmed herself in her mind, trying to keep her composure in front of Adrien. Of course she had seen it before! Chat had gazed at Ladybug just like that a million times.

Tikki nudged Marinette, reminding her that she had a question to answer.

Thankfully, the little kwami had refused to leave Marinette's side all morning - much to the chagrin of Adrien's kwami, who Marinette now knew was named Plagg and was now currently sulking somewhere far away from the kitchen.

She smiled, "I wouldn't mind waking a talk out in the rose garden."

Crap. Not again.

"Taking a walk! I meant taking a walk!"

Marinette dropped her head to the table, burying it into the nook of her arms. She had been like this all morning; she couldn't take it anymore.

The chair next to her squeaked, an unpleasant sound, as it was scooted across the floor.