Adrien detoured slightly on his way to the bakery, stopping to watch the people in the park. In the distance he saw Alix skating next to a running Kim. "Come on, my grandma can run faster than you." She yelled out at him. Kim knuckled down as he continued running towards where his girlfriend Ondine was standing with Max who had Markov keeping time.

"You did it Kim, you broke your PB!" Ondine yelled, running over to him and throwing her arms around Kim and Alix, the three of them jumping around, Max joining in as Markov buzzed overhead.

Not far from them, Ivan and Mylene were eating a picnic hamper on a rug with Juleka and Rose, enjoying the afternoon sun and chatting animatedly. Closer to the river, Nathaniel had an easel set up and his paints, Marc sitting beside him writing in his notebook. Adrien knew Alya and Nino were having a date night at the movies and even Chloé and Sabrina were going to the theatre. It was Friday night after all, and people were enjoying the warmer weather and longer days before the final run of exams hit. Spring was the season of love after all, as Rose had pointed out the other day in class. He laughed to himself as he headed back towards the bakery. It was the first time in a while he had been out after school without it being something his father had scheduled for him. It made him happy that he would be getting to spend it with Marinette, even if it was to help her with Chemistry revision. He wondered if perhaps he should have brought Marinette a flower, but then he remembered this wasn't a date, despite what Kagami might have thought, just a friend helping out another. So why was he feeling...he didn't know what he was feeling.

Adrien pushed open the door of the bakery, the little bell overhead announcing his arrival. It was nearing closing time and Marinette's parents had begun their clean up of the shopfront.

"Hi Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng, how are you?" Adrien asked, feeling much better just being there. It was an odd sensation that ran over him at that moment, almost like he had arrived home. He felt instantly relaxed and happier. He supposed because the Dupain-Cheng house felt more like a home than his own was.

"Hello dear, how was fencing? Marinette said you had practice this afternoon." Sabine pulled out a tray, placing a few baked items on it as she spoke. Adrien faulted for a moment. He wasn't used to being asked much about his day except sometimes from Nathalie. His father never really cared to ask.

"It was good." He replied. "Kagami and I have a tournament coming up soon, so it was great to get some more practice in." Tom came over and threw an arm over his shoulder.

"You know I really admire fencers." He said, taking Adrien by surprise.

"Really?" Adrien queried, turning his head towards the baker. Tom gave him a solemn nod.

"Yep, they always get to the point." A broad smile broke across Tom's face as Adrien cracked up with laughter. "You walked right into that one son." Tom teased patting him on the back before walking off towards the counter.

"Tom, leave the poor boy alone, I'm sure he's tired from his busy day." Sabine smiled, handing Adrien the tray. "Here's a few snacks for you and Marinette. She's in her room waiting for you. I'll call when dinner is ready." Adrien thanked her and Tom before turning to head up the stairs.

"Adrien." Sabine called him back. Adrien stopped on the stairs and the older woman placed a hand on his arm with a kind, motherly expression on her face. "I know you're supposed to be studying, but I'm sure you've had just as busy a week as Marientte has. Don't forget to relax and have some fun too." The young model smiled and nodded before walking up the stairs.

"He's such a nice boy." Sabine commented to her husband as she walked towards the kitchen. Tom nodded his head and hummed in agreement.

"He's certainly grown into a fine young man." He added, following his wife before picking her up from behind and planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'm sure he will soon realise what I did." Sabine turned her head slightly with a knowing grin.

"Oh, and what is that dear?" She asked. Tom turned her around, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"That the Cheng women are completely irresistible."

***********

Marinette was sitting on the floor, pinning a hem onto the dress that hung from her mannequin. She'd had a quick call from Kagami letting her know that Adrien was now one of their co-conspirators in "Operation Carrier Pigeon". Marinette still laughed at the name Alya had come up with. She was pulled from her musings by a soft knock on her door. "Come in, it's open." She called. She had meant to get this done before Adrien arrived, but as usual had lost track of time.

Adrien came in and stopped dead in his tracks. He could just see Marinette's foot sticking out from behind the billowing dress hanging in front of her. It was a simple design. The bodice of the dress had a sweetheart neckline with criss cross ruching coming in at the waist. From the waist the dress dropped into a free flowing skirt. It was soft and wistful, and - romantic even, but the most striking part was the colours. The dress started with the palest of pinks before darkening slightly and blending into a yellow at the waist before progressing down the skirt into a fiery orange around the base.

Marinette realised the room was still quiet and popped her head around the dress to see. She was met with a look of total awe. "Marinette." He said, barely above a whisper. "Did you make this?" Marinette was taken off guard by the wonder in his face.

"Oh...yeah...I made it...ah...for my cousin. Well to wear for my cousin, as in her wedding. Or not wedding now." She groaned internally, closing her eyes, but when she reopened them, he was still staring at the dress. He didn't even take any notice of the fact she had been babbling.

"The colours are amazing." He said, stepping closer to it for a better look. There was something about the look in his face that Marinette couldn't quite figure out.

"The theme was spring." She said, getting up off the ground and walking closer to him. "Mei wanted us to wear something that we loved most about spring so I made mine of..."

"The sunset." Adrien finished, turning now to look at her.

"Yeah." She said softly, becoming lost in those warm emerald eyes. "The sunset." Marinette was surprised Adrien saw that in the dress. He smiled softly at her.

"It's my favourite part of spring too." He said looking deep into her eyes. We're they always that blue? Adrien could feel a flutter in his chest begin to rise again as a soft pink blush began to spread across Marinette's cheeks. He noticed a small dotting of freckles across her nose and the small dimples on her cheeks when she smiled. He then realised too late that she had been speaking to him.

"Sorry." He said, snapping his brain back into gear. Marinette held out her hand and looked down at the tray still in his grasp. "Oh, right. Your mum sent these up for us." He passed the tray to her, their fingers slightly brushing his as she took the tray into her hands. Adrien started nervously rubbing his neck. Why was he suddenly so nervous? This is Marientte, he's known her for years, it's not like they haven't been in contact before. He watched Marinette place the tray down before heading back over to the dress.

"Take a seat and have a snack. I meant to have this packed up before you got here, but I'll only be a few minutes." She opened her sewing box and started putting her pins away. Taking a deep breath as she gathered her threads and needles, she was pleased to be sounding at least somewhat more coherent now, although Adrien's fidgeting hadn't gone unnoticed. Had he changed his mind about helping her and didn't know how to get out of it? No, Adrien wasn't like that. He was sweet and caring and always ready to help his friends. She sighed to herself. Friends. She looked over to where Tikki was hiding, seeing two blue eyes giving her encouragement.

"It's ok, take your time." Adrien took off his satchel bag, placing it beside him as he sat down. Two green eyes peeked out of the top of his bag looking intently at him before looking over at the two gooey cheese balls on the tray. Marinette had her back turned, so Adrien grabbed the two treats, shoving them into his bag. Picking himself up and apple danish, he almost died in horror as he heard a low rumbling purr coming from his bag. He looked towards Marinette who had suddenly stopped and turned around. Thinking quick, Adrien gave her a sheepish grin, rubbing his belly. "Sorry, must have been hungrier than I thought." He said, taking a bite of the danish. Marinette smiled sweetly before picking up her sewing box and taking it over to her sewing table. Adrien felt his mouth go dry and his heart doing flips again at her smile. What was wrong with him today? He took another bite out of his danish, carefully trying not to make crumbs as he bit into its flakey goodness. Oh, he could definitely get used to eating these everyday.

"I kind of feel the dress is missing something though you know." Marinette wondered out loud looking over at her creation. "I'm not sure what yet, but I'm sure it will come to me."

"Well, I think it's perfect." Adrien smiled at her as he took another bite. It was that genuine smile that reached to his eyes. Gosh that smile still made her heart melt, even if he did have flakey pastry stuck to those perfect lips.

Sabine knocked and came in with a jug of water and two glasses, smiling at the pair before heading back down stairs. Marinette sat on the floor opposite the coffee table and poured the drinks, taking a pastry and biting into it. Unlike Adrien though, she managed to get crumbs everywhere from the coffee table, to the top of her shirt. Slightly embarrassed she picked up the pieces, putting them into her mouth with a shy smile up at him through her lashes. Oh, there goes his racing pulse again. She was so cute and adorable and he really needed to stop staring at her...

"So, I guess Kagami told you I was going to help with the secret messages?" He said, trying not to keep staring at her lips as she took another bite of her danish. Was it hot in here, because he was definitely starting to feel warm. Marinette nodded.

"Yep." She said between bites. "You are now officially a member of Operation Carrier Pigeon." He must have had a weird look on his face, because Marinette started laughing, like a musical note. Oh stop it Agreste, get a grip. "Alya's idea." She offered. "You know, sending messages back and forth."

"Right, of course." Somehow Adrien got this weird mental image of Mr Pigeon running around Paris as some kind of medieval pigeon messenger, delivering the mail while blowing a horn. He'd have to tell Ladybug that one, then he paused. That was the first time he'd thought about Ladybug all afternoon. Every time his heart had done a little dance it had been because of Marinette. He looked at the bluenette and saw the way she talked with her hands, how she tilted her head to the side when she thought, the way her eyes lit up when she was excited...

"...and hopefully if things work out, I might get to wear the dress to their wedding." Adrien realised he'd zoned out again and missed most of what Marinette had said.

"Wedding?" He asked. Marinette looked at him with some concern.

"Luka and Kagami." She reiterated. "I was just saying that if things work out for them I might get to wear that dress to their wedding. It would be a shame to let it go to waste." Adrien looked from her towards the dress. He could picture her in it, with her hair in an elegant updo...or maybe down. Yeah, down flowing over her shoulders. "Are you okay Adrien?" He snapped his head around, Marinette's blue eyes full of concern. She placed her hand on his arm. "If you're not feeling well or something it's okay if you don't want to stay."

"What? No, I'm fine." He said, rubbing the back of his neck again with his other hand. "Just thinking...you know...about the test for Chemistry...yeah." Marinette wasn't sure she fully believed that, but she got up and grabbed her science book from her desk anyway.

"Well, shall we get started then."

Over the next hour and a half, Adrien focused his attention into helping Marinette understand the finer points of Chemical equilibrium within open and closed systems. It helped to keep his wandering thoughts in check despite the alluring distraction of the sweet smell of her hair as he leaned over to check her equations, taking a deliberate whiff like it was an intoxicating drug. He really had to stop doing that. Then there was the cute pout she would get when she didn't understand something. "It's okay Marinette, you just need to focus." He said, but the bluenette covered her face with her hands.

"I'm never going to understand any of this and I'm going to fail the exam which means I will fail the Baccalaureate and never get into design school or have an internship and I will never be a world famous designer and will die all alone and miserable."  Adrien crouched down next to her desk and gently pulled her hands away from her embarrassed face.

"You're not going to fail Marinette." He said softly, holding her hands in his. "I won't let you fail, and you will pass the Baccalaureate and get an internship and become a world famous designer." He brushed a stray hair away from her eyes with the back of his fingers. "And you're not going to die alone and miserable, I promise I will always be here."

Marinette just blinked at him, unable to speak. The sincerity in his eyes, the intensity of his words, it reminded her of Chat. Adrien then turned back to their science book and patiently found ways to rephrase things so that she would understand better. she shook her head of those thoughts. Here she is, spending time with Adrien and she's thinking about her flirty partner.

Adrien felt a huge sense of pride when he finally saw the penny drop in her eyes and she got the answer right. Eventually she was answering all questions on her own.

"I can't believe this." She said, looking at the completed revision worksheet in front of her. "I've struggled with this for weeks and in just this short time I'm looking at all this completely differently." She looked up at him with what Adrien could only determine was a kind of affection. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without you." She added softly. He realised then that he may have been seeing things differently too.

"Marinette, Adrien, come have dinner now." Sabine called through the door. The two teens packed away their books and descended the stairs to where the table was set. The air was filled with spices and reminded Adrien a little of a Chinese restaurant he went to once with his mother.

"Mama, you should have called me to set the table." Sabine just waved off her daughter's concerns with a laugh.

"It's alright dear, I came up before and heard you two talking about molecules and acid reactions and I thought it best just to leave you both to it." Sitting down next to Marinette, Adrien let Sabine serve him a generous plate of food.

"Adrien is an amazing teacher." Marinette gushed. Said blonde could feel his face flushing at the praise.

"Oh, would you consider teaching as a profession?" Sabine asked. Adrien's eyes dropped slightly.

"Well, I might have but my father always expected me to take over the company. I don't think he would be too happy if I told him I wanted to be a teacher." He looked away when he felt Marinette place her hand on top of his on the table.

"Well I for one thing you would make a wonderful teacher." She said. He turned his eyes back to her. Green met blue as she gave his hand a light squeeze. "And you were so patient with me when I started having a meltdown too."

"Indeed." Tom mused. "It's a brave man that can withstand a Marinette meltdown." Marinette took her hand away, crossing her arms. Adrien instantly missed the warmth.

"Papa, it wasn't that bad." Marinette scolded, her pouting only eliciting a laugh from her father, he leaned over towards Adrien.

"She thinks I'm over protective and nosy you know, at least that's what she writes in her diary."

"Papa!" Marinette screeched wide eyed. "How dare you read my diary. It's a sacred space you know?"

'I never said I had read your diary, I just said that's what you write in it." He chuckled at Marinette's red face, yep, she fell for that one. "So what was it you said about Adrien in there again?" He pointed his thumb at the boy next to him. Adrien looked over and saw Marinette's face turn a shade of red he had never seen before. He had to admit, he was a little curious what she must have said about him, but he'd never ask.

The conversation bubbled along and eventually turned to the topic of the cancelled wedding of Marinette's cousin. "Yes it did come as quite a surprise when Mei made the announcement." Sabine recounted. "See she and her fiancé, Fai, had known each other since they were children. It had always been assumed by the families that after university they would get married. One day Mei said she realised that she was really in love with her best friend Keung. To go through with the wedding would have been to betray her own heart. It was hard because she cared for Fai very much, but it would not have been fair on him to only give half her heart."

Sabine sighed and Tom picked up his wife's hand, kissing the back of it affectionately. Adrien had seen many times over dinner how Marinette's parents showed affection to each other. A smile, a kiss, a touch. It had been very clear to him how much Marinette's parents loved each other. As the conversation moved on, he tried to remember when his mother was around if he'd ever seen his father do that. His father wasn't one for public displays of affection, unless there was some kind of publicity angle behind it. There was no agenda here though, just love. The love Tom and Sabine had for each other, the love they had for Marinette and the way he felt them sharing that love with him, like he was part of the family. In so many ways, he started to wish he was.

After dinner, Adrien helped Marinette clear the table and stack the dishwasher. "You don't have to you know." She said, taking the plates from him. "I can take care of it. You are my guest after all."

"I know I don't." He replied happily. "But I don't want to be treated like a guest." She looked at him surprised for a moment before giving him a smile and turning back to the dishwasher, unsure if she had understood him right. No, she told herself. Adrien only thinks of you as a friend, this was just his way of letting you know he felt welcome. Yes, that's what that was.

After everything was clean, they made their way back up stairs to her room. Adrien stood and stared at the dress again.

"I think I know what the dress is missing." Adrien suddenly said, looking at Marinette excitedly. "Bling."

"Bling?" Marinette queried, raising an eyebrow at the blonde boy next to her.

"I know, but I heard father and Nathalie on a conference call with one of his designers the other day. They said the trend for summer in evening wear this year was bling. Not too much, just an understated elegance." Marinette bent her finger around her chin in thought, looking the dress up and down.

"Huh." She eventually said. "That's...probably not a bad idea. I'll have to think what to add and where." Adrien was pleased with himself. For some reason he really liked the idea that something he suggested would become part of her dress...if only she had the chance to wear it somewhere.

"Well, I think it would bring out the shine in your eyes." Adrien's eyes widened as he realised he'd said that out loud. Marinette tucked a hair behind her ear and blushed shyly. "You know, I have a photoshoot in the park tomorrow, if you're not busy you could come along." Marinette reached up and started playing with one of her pigtails.

"Oh, I would love to, but I'm helping my parents at a catering event tomorrow. You'll probably be done before I get back." She thought she saw a hint of sadness before Adrien covered it with a smile.

"That's okay, maybe next time then."

"Do you...maybe want to watch a movie? Have you time?" Adrien looked at his watch, it was just after 8pm.

"If it's not too long. Maybe something animated." He sat back down on her chaise as she looked through her movies on her laptop.

"Have you ever seen The Last Unicorn? It was one of my mama's favourites and I loved it when I first watched it, I must have been about 7 or 8 then." Adrien shook his head.

"No I haven't, but I'd love to see something different, especially if it's something you like." Marinette felt like she was going to melt if he kept complimenting like this. He was starting to sound almost as flirty as that other blonde boy she knew. Oh no, stop thinking about Chat.

"Well, some of the music is a bit, you know, 80's. But the story is lovely. I think you'd like it."

Marinette set up the Laptop on her coffee table and the two settled in on her chaise. Adrien became quite wrapped up in the story of the unicorn who was seeking the truth of what happened to the other unicorns and the story behind King Haggard and the Red Bull. Prince Lir had just begun to declare his love for the unicorn (now disguised as the Lady Amalthea) despite knowing who she truly was when Marinette's head gently fell onto his shoulder, a small snoring sound emitting from her slightly parted lips. She had fallen sound asleep.

Adrien adjusted himself around so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder and she could rest her head more comfortably on him. He couldn't help but be drawn into her warmth, holding his arm around her just a little bit closer. He grazed his lips across the top of her hair and breathed her in, cinnamon and vanilla. The smell had always reminded him of Christmas morning, and he felt that same tingling joy in his heart now and it was all because of Marinette.

He thought back to what Kagami had said to him that afternoon, the more time she had spent with Luka, the more she had started to see in him. Adrien had gotten to spend more time with Marinette lately, just the two of them, and he couldn't totally deny that something had begun to change within him.

He said he would always love Ladybug, from the first day he saw her he believed he was in love with her. She was his Lady, his partner - the bond they had was unbreakable. So why was his heart starting to betray him like this. A heart that had only ever beat for one girl had begun to beat for another, and much more stronger than before. Of course he missed seeing Ladybug as often, but it was like when he missed Nino during the Christmas holidays when he went away with his family. Adrien closed his eyes as the closing music ended on the movie, his mind firmly on the girl snuggled into his embrace, like a puzzle piece that fit perfectly against him. The thought of not seeing her after school finished terrified him, like he would be losing a part of himself. That seemed crazy though. Ladybug was the love of his life and Marinette...well she was something special wasn't she. Something he started to feel he couldn't live without.

"Adrien." A whisper came from the door as Sabine popped her head in. "Your driver is here to collect you." She walked over to where Marinette was softly snoring against Adrien's chest. "I had a feeling she would doze off. She does it to Alya all the time. Just lay her on the chaise and pop her throw over her." Sabine closed the laptop and placed the throw on the edge of the chaise. "She'll make her way to bed later. I'll tell your driver you're on your way."

Once Sabine left the room Adrien gently lifted his arm back around. Holding her carefully, he slid out from under her and softly lowered her head onto the pillow. Grabbing her throw, he placed it over her sleeping form. Adrien crouched down beside her and brushed her hair away from her face, careful not to wake her. She looked so peaceful and content as she laid there. "Sleep well Princess." He whispered, placing a chase kiss on her forehead. Getting up, he grabbed his bag and took a quick picture of the dress on the mannequin before turning out the light on his way out.

When he walked back into his own house, it had never felt more cold and empty as it did that night. After the warmth and happiness of the bakery, of Marinette, the starkness was even more overwhelming. Shutting the door of his bedroom behind him, he flopped onto his bed with a groan. Plagg retrieved himself a piece of Camembert before plopping himself down on Adrien's pillow. The blonde turned his head to his Kwami, and Plagg could see the question in his mind.

"Plagg, I think I might be falling for Marinette." Adrien said quietly.

Plagg had to resist the urge to say it's about time. "So what are you going to do about it?" He asked instead.

"I don't know yet." He replied honestly, sitting up and hugging his pillow. This was very new to him and he really wasn't sure what to do about it. Marinette had always been sweet and kind to him, but he was never sure where he stood with her. They were friends, he knew that, but would she be interested in being more than that? There had been a time when he thought she didn't like him at all. Then he had thought she liked Luka, but clearly that wasn't the case now. Luka was very much in love with Kagami. But then there was the way she smiled at him and the way her eyes sparkled, it was so...so like Ladybug. Ahhh, no he can't go making comparisons like that! Besides, he also didn't want another rejection like he'd had from Ladybug, he wasn't sure his heart could take it. It was one thing for Chat to get rejected by Ladybug behind a mask, but he felt a lot more vulnerable about being rejected by Marinette as Adrien. Maybe he should talk to Ladybug about it, she always knew what to do. "I need to be sure first." He resolved. Plagg had a feeling he needed to talk to Tikki about this.