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“You’re like an everyday Ladybug,” Adrien had told Marinette. And he meant it. Marinette may not have had time to do something specifically for Heroes Day, but since she helped people every day, by just being kind and thoughtful and- well, by being herself, she didn’t need to do something one day to be a hero.
He could see her blush a little as he praised her. Honestly, he was so happy to be able to do something to show how thankful he was that she was one of his close friends. Whether it was sneaking out to the movies or asking a cute girl to the ice rink, he knew Marinette had his back and would do anything to help him. Not that that behavior was unusual to her, but that kindness was special to him.
He finished by saying his goodbyes and starting to walk to his limo. As much as he had wished that he could have spent more time with his friends, after Hawkmoth’s crazy battle, some time to process his day before having to be ‘Gabriel Agreste’s son, Adrien’, was probably for the best.
However, when he heard Marinette call after him, he turned back to her. She stumbled into him. Her clumsy nature, like her word struggling, was something that was often more endearing than inconvenient. It was nice to know that someone like her didn’t completely have her life together.
“I just wanted to…” she trailed off, glancing off to the side. He smiled at her, hoping to relax her nerves. But, what did she have to be nervous about? Was it because he went overboard with his recount of her accomplishments?
When her eyes met him, he recognized determination in their hues. Before he could wonder its reason for being there, he felt Marinette’s lips on his cheek, just above his jawline. He let out a soft gasp as they lingered just too long to be purely platonic before she pulled away.
“Thank you,” she told him, looking up at him through shy lashes.
Unsure how else to respond to her, he smiled at her.
“You’re welcome, Marinette,” he told her before taking his leave, his heart pounding in his chest as he wrapped his head around what had just happened. Forefinger lightly touching his cheek, a smile crept across his face. He was just silly. That was just a friendly kiss; it had to be.
Marinette didn’t like him.
And yet…
He couldn’t help the flutter of hope that someone could.