Wow, we're really doing a 180 aren't we? Oh well, not everything can be rainbows and sunshine! Be sure to vote and comment!                                                                                                                                  -Colorado

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"Today is the day, Plagg!" Adrien said as he styled his hair. "I'm finally going to ask out Marinette!"

"Good." Plagg said, munching on a piece of cheese. "It's about time. I thought you were going to stay in denial about your feelings forever."

Adrien glared at his kwami.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"'Oh but Plagg, I could never see Marinette that way! She's just funny and charming and kind and cute, but she's just a friend.'" Plagg tried to do an imitation of his voice.

"You can be quiet or else you're eating cheddar for a month."

"No!" Plagg cried. "You can't take my love away from me."

"Then you'll stop teasing me about mine." Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Fine. You're so cruel to me."

"Now, come on Plagg! I want today to go perfectly."

"What's the plan Romeo?" He asked as he phased into his jacket.

"Well, I've learned from experience that big grand declarations of love can sometimes scare people away."

"And?"

"I'll be taking a more subtle approach today. You can't go wrong with just telling someone your honest feelings. It's straightforward and there's little room for mistakes."

"Yeah-huh. Now if it was anyone but you, I'd believe you, but you're you. There's gotta be something more to it."

"Okay so I may be giving her some roses, but that's it I swear." Adrien gave Plagg a big grin.

"How many roses?" Plagg asked skeptically. 

"Only three, Plagg. Yellow, pink, and red. I want to show her how my feelings have progressed over time."

"That doesn't seem too bad. I wish you luck. Just don't expect me to stick around while you two are smooching."

"Plagg!" Adrien's face flushed. "I don't even know if she'll accept me."

"Oh come on, Adrien, this is Marinette we're talking about! Of course she'll accept you."

"You really think so?" He asked, hope growing in his heart.

"I know so. You're an amazing person Adrien, she'd be crazy to reject you."

"Heh. Thanks, Plagg."

"You're welcome."

"Adrien, are you ready? Your bodyguard is ready to take you to school." Nathalie asked from his room.

Adrien sucked in a breath and grabbed the roses on the counter.

"Yeah, Nathalie, I'm ready."

"Remember, you have fencing after school."

"Okay, Nathalie."

"And you're expected to have lunch here at the house today."

"Okay, Nathalie."

Hopefully that won't be a problem if Marinette wanted to do something with him.

"Have a good day, Adrien." She said when he stepped into his room.

"Thanks, Nathalie. If everything goes to plan, today is going to be great." 

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As always, Gorilla wasn't very talkative on his way to school, so Adrien was left with his thoughts.

With all of his declarations to Ladybug, you would assume that he had gotten used to this feeling. Spoiler alert: he hadn't. It was even more nerve-wracking because Adrien had no idea what Marinette was going to say. He hadn't told Nino or Alya or anyone except Plagg about his plans.

He hoped that it would go well, but he honestly had no clue.

And this time he couldn't just drop a mask to hide from the rejection. There would be no hiding. Everyday that he was in school, he would have to face Marinette. He hoped that after today, that would be an amazing thing! But he knew that if things went poorly that it would be torture. Especially because they were so close.

What if she not only rejected him, but wanted to stop being his friend? 

That was, without a doubt, his worst nightmare. He could handle a rejection. Yes, it would sting and yes, it would hurt to see her date other guys, but he would still be in her life. Maybe not as her boyfriend, but he'd still play a part in her memories. But if she cut him off? That would hurt more than anything. He had been friends with Marinette for so long, he didn't want to think about a life that she wasn't in.

No, he couldn't think like that. If he did, then he would lose all his nerve and months of planning would go down the drain. He wasn't going to back out of confessing, even if it meant that things got awkward between them for a little bit.

Because, if he didn't get rejected and if Marinette actually agreed to go out with him, then this would be one of the best days of his life. 

He could see it now. All of the dates he would take her on, all of the gifts he'd shower her with, all of the affection he'd give. The little pet names he'd been saving for when they would finally be dating. It was too good to not try to get.

Their first date would be to the Eiffel Tower of course. Stereotypical and cheesy? Maybe, but something told Adrien that Marinette would love it. They would have lunch there at one of the cafes, maybe even get Andre's ice cream if he was there that day! Then, as he dropped her off, they would share a kiss and the next day walk into the classroom as boyfriend and girlfriend.

It would be perfect!

They would date until the end of lychee, then they would move in together as they started to go to university. Then, once Marinette had her bachelor's degree, Adrien would purpose at her graduation party. They would've been dating for around seven years by then, so she would obviously be expecting it. 

They would get married in the springtime the year following. Marinette would look absolutely gorgeous in her white dress, the flowers around them blooming. It would be a night of dancing, laughter, and shared stories as he and her floated on a happy fog.

Then, they would honeymoon in Hawaii, or maybe on that island his dad owned! Somewhere tropical seemed to suit Marinette well. She would be stunning in the summer dresses she would design. The two of them could just relax and be a happy couple.

They would have three kids and a hamster named-.

"Ahem." Gorilla broke him out of his daydreams.

"Huh? Oh." They were at the school already? "Thank you. I have fencing after school today, so you'll have to pick me up a bit later."

The Gorilla nodded and Adrien stepped out of the car.

"Okay." He breathed. "Time to confess." 

He felt Plagg squeezed him as encouragement. He could do this! He would do this! Watch out, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, because you're about to get a love confession of a lifetime.

After checking that the roses were okay, Adrien entered the school, keeping an eye out for the bluenette. He spotted Mylene and Ivan listening to music, Rose and Juleka chatting as they shared a pastry, Marc journaling something down as Nathaniel looked over his shoulder, but no Marinette.

Was she late again?

He probably should've expected it. Marinette did have a habit to oversleep. It was a bit concerning to him. What could she possibly be doing that kept her so busy?

"Hey, have you seen Marinette?" Adrien asked as he walked up to Alya and Nino.

"Hello to you too, sunshine." Alya said, raising her eyebrow. 

"Sorry, hello Alya, hello Nino, have you two seen Marinette?"

"Nah, sorry man. Why do you ask?" Nino asked.

"Oh, um." Adrien scratched the back of his neck. "There's something that I need to talk to her about." He said, hoping his blush didn't give him away.

"Hmm, well, I tried texting her, but it seems like she's going to be late again. Seriously, what is she doing these days? She's so busy, all of us are worried about her." Alya frowned.

Adrien sighed, sitting down in his seat.

"I know, but at least it's gotten a bit better since last summer?" He said.

They all remembered how Marinette had been after New York. She had started to date Luka, but that didn't last long. He didn't know the details, but Marinette had ditched him on most of their dates. She had canceled plans with all of her friends, too.

Adrien shuddered. There seemed to be way too many akumas that summer that centered about exposing secrets. Something that you definitely wanted to stay away from when you were a superhero. 

At least things had gotten a bit better since the new school year started. Whatever had kept her so busy, she had apparently gotten under control.

"Yeah, you're right. What did you need to talk to her about?" Alya asked. Adrien froze.

"Oh, um, it's not that important." He said, waving it off. "Really, I can just talk to her about it at lunch."

"Alright, suit yourself."

As expected, Marinette came in late.

"Sorry, Mme. Bustier! I didn't mean to but-."

"Just take your seat, Marinette." Mme. Bustier shook her head.

"Y-yes, of course."

Adrien felt his heart skip a beat as she caught eyes with him and gave him a little wave. He happily returned it, of course. It was so strange, feeling this way. Just that simple wave that she probably didn't even need to think about kept his spirit's high until lunch.

"Okay, students, remember that your essays are due at the end of the week! I have complete faith in you to turn in amazing work." Mme. Bustier said as she dismissed class. 

"Hey Marinette? Could I talk to you?" Adrien asked immediately.

"Oh! Yeah, sure thing, Adrien." She gave him a nervous smile that was just so cute!

"Privately, please?" He clarified, glancing towards Alya and Nino.

"Alright, alright, we're leaving." Alya grabbed her boyfriend's arm and dragged him out of the classroom.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" She asked.

"W-well, can we go to the library?"

"Um, sure thing."

Adrien nodded, beginning to feel the nerves root in his stomach. Oh God, they hadn't been this bad this morning! Why now were they attacking him so mercilessly?

"So?" Marinette asked once Adrien was sure that they were alone.

'Here goes nothing.' He thought as he took a deep breath in.

"Okay, so, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for a few months now." He started.

"Really?"

"Yeah, remember that New York trip we went on together towards the end of school last year?"

"It's a bit hard to forget." 

"W-well, I think that's when I realized everything." Adrien said, opening up his bag and pulling out the yellow rose. "I've always admired you, Marinette. I've always wanted to be someone who you liked. Someone who you could call a... friend." He sighed the word.

He had been so oblivious.

"And well, at first this craving of your presence was something that I convinced myself was platonic. But... it wasn't."

She gasped.

"I know what you're going to say." Adrien said quickly. "I wasn't raised very socially. I spent most of my time in the mansion with my mother and Chloe as my only company. So, I'm not good with feelings, especially when I'm in denial about them. It was so easy to pass you off as 'just a friend' because I didn't understand the difference between platonic and romantic attraction yet." He took a deep breath, not daring to meet her eyes.

"But in New York, I started to realize that wasn't the case. While it did take me a bit longer to realize how deep my feelings for you ran, that's when I started to think 'maybe my feelings weren't as platonic as I thought.'" Adrien pulled out the pink rose. 

"I started to notice all these little things about you. From your smile, to your laughter, to the people you were hanging out with. I got jealous when you announced that you and Luka were dating and the happiness that I felt when I heard you two had broken up did me in." He pulled out the final rose, the red one. "I realized that my feelings for you weren't platonic at all. Probably hadn't ever been. I just didn't want to admit it to myself because I didn't know where you stood on your feelings and I was blinded by other circumstances." He didn't need to explain his crush on Ladybug, right? That could probably be saved for another time.

"So, to sum up. I like you, Marinette. I like you, a lot. Like, a lot, a lot, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go on a date with me and see where this leads us?" He asked nervously, holding the roses out to her and meeting her eyes for the first time since his confession.

His heart sped up a little faster as he registered the hope in her eyes and the smile on her face.

"Oh, Adrien I-." She started to say as she reached for the roses.

'Yes, yes, yes!' Adrien cheered inwardly. He would save the external cheers when she officially became his.

She frowned and the hope burnt out in her eyes, instead filling with regret.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, holding her hand back.

Everything turned cold suddenly. His smile was replaced with a furrowed brow and a half-open mouth.

"I-I can't." She shook her head. "I-I'm so sorry, but I just- can't."

"Why?" He whispered.

He had been so sure. So sure! Had he just imagined her happiness when he first confessed? Had he just imagined the sparks? The small looks that they gave each other when the other one wasn't looking? The dances, the banter, the affectionate moments? Had that all been a delusion of his mind?

"Because you're," Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. "You're just a friend." She forced out.

"What?" He heard himself ask. His stomach became a whirlpool of negative emotions as 'stupid' rang through his head. Had he really thought that Marinette Dupain-Cheng would ever see him as more than a friend?

"I'm sorry. I don't want," She shook her head. "I don't want a relationship with you."

His heart shattered.

"Oh. I see."

"I'm so, so, sorry, Adrien." She choked out. Oh God, he had made her cry! He never wanted that!

"Hey, hey, it's okay! Really! I promise. Can we still be friends?" He asked, holding his breath.

"Of course. Of course we can stay friends. I'm sorry we can't be..." She looked down and Adrien tried to ignore the tears starting to run down her face.

"It's okay. Never blame yourself for your feelings, or lack thereof. Someone once told me to never apologize for my feelings, so now I'm telling you. It's okay, really. I'll be just fine, promise." He gave her his patented smile.

She nodded, not looking at him.

"Thank you, for understanding." She whispered.

"Yeah, of course." He nodded, a lump in his throat.

They stood there, silent, until his phone alarm rang.

"Oh, I've got to go, I have fencing." He said, thankful for the distraction. The sooner he got out of the library, the better.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Marinette." He patted her shoulder to show her there were no hard feelings before walking out of the library, calm and composed.

As soon as he was in the hallway he bolted for the boy's bathroom.

Fencing could wait. He probably wouldn't have performed well anyway, so what did it matter?

"Oh Adrien, I'm sorry." Plagg said once Adrien locked himself into a stall.

"I-it's f-." A hiccup interrupted his sentence as he finally let go of the emotions he had been trying to hold in.

"It's not fine. It sucks getting rejected, you're allowed to cry and be mad about it."

"Y-you're not going to say something about sticking to cheese?" He sniffled.

"Nah. I don't think that would stick anyway." Plagg said, smiling.

Even though everything felt so wrong, Adrien choked out a laugh.

"Probably not." He started to cry. "It hurts, Plagg. More than a rejection from Ladybug ever did and I don't know why, but," He swallowed down a sob. "I really thought that she would- that we would-."

"I know kid, I know." Plagg said, curling up in his neck and starting to purr. "It'll be okay. You got over Ladybug, you can get over Marinette, too." 

"B-but, I just realized that I love her! I don't want to let these feelings go just yet!"

"You love her?" Plagg asked, his eyes wide.

"Of course I do Plagg! I didn't tell her that because I didn't want to spook her, but-." He wiped his nose. "I really do love her."

Plagg bit his lip, obviously wanting to say something.

"I-." Whatever he was going to say, he stopped and just sighed. "I'm sorry, Adrien."

"Me too, Plagg. Me too." He put his head on the cold metal door. It helped ground him a bit. "I can't believe I was so sure that things would turn out differently. I have no idea why." He sighed. "I guess my rose colored glasses really screwed things up this time."

"There's nothing wrong with hoping that your crush likes you back, okay?" 

"I know but-." Adrien shook his head. "Am I fated to never find love, Plagg? Ladybug and Marinette have both rejected me, my father looks at me like I'm an object, my mother left, does anyone love me?" His voice cracked.

'Pathetic.'

"Oh Adrien, of course people love you. It may be a different way than you wanted but both Ladybug and Marinette care about you greatly. Alya and Nino, too. And... also me. Okay? I love you, Adrien. Don't forget that."

"Haha, thanks Plagg." Adrien smiled, tears on his face. "I love you too."

Plagg flew over to hug his cheek, and Adrien scratched the top of his head, a small smile on his face.

Maybe his confession hadn't gone as planned, but things would be okay. His heart would heal and in time, he would get over Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He took a breath in and out, feeling better already.

"So, what do you think about a romance anime binge night?" Adrien asked, standing up.

"Ugh, I suppose that if it'll make you feel better, I'll suffer through it." Plagg scoffed, going back to his normal place in Adrien's coat.

Adrien let out a chuckle.

Yeah, he'd be just fine. 

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You know I though for one split second to not make this angsty, but then I went "Nah, the readers can take it!" Fun fact: this was the fastest I've ever written and I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. I'm also curious, why do you think Marinette rejected him? Remember to leave a vote and comment! I love to hear feedback!                                                                                 -Colorado