okay I'm resorting to inspiration from Taylor Swift somebody get the macaroni or nachos or whatever because i got the cheese

Adrien was the definition of the boy next door.

Kind, caring, funny, energetic, overall a good guy. Oh, and he was unfairly handsome. 

Too bad she was just a nerd who lived next door to him. Too bad he was taken by the Mayor's daughter, Chloe. Too bad they'd never really had a conversation without the cards or his girlfriend interrupting them. 

And so, here Marinette was. Doing her homework quietly, fixing her bulky glasses every time they slipped down her nose, listening to the mainstream music flowing out of the radio. Her curtain was open, she let the beautiful night sky inspire her to draw.. once her homework was actually finished.  She happened to glance up, watching him pace around his room, obviously agitated and looking like he was trying to reason with whoever he was talking to on the phone. Probably Chloe.

She looked away hurriedly when he took the phone away from his ear, but after a thought decided to ask.

Taking out her notepad and her red marker, she uncapped it with her mouth and wrote a note. You okay?

He looked over, green eyes weary and dull. They were like that these days. She missed when they'd sparkle with life. He half-smiled at her message, taking out his own notepad and marker.

Tired of drama. In his signature forest green writing, he lifted a shoulder. 

He looked so drained. Her heart twisted painfully as she wrote back Sorry.

He just shrugged again, as if to say what can you do? 

She bit her lip, before sucking in a breath and deciding to write one last message, hopefully one that would change both their lives.

Marinette held up her note, the red I love you bright and wistful in the moonlight, only to see his curtain closed. A sigh escaped her lips. She finally worked up the courage... and he wasn't there to see her be brave.

"You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset..."

Seriously?! Did her life have to be a Taylor Swift music video cliche?! (yes Mar. yes it does.)

...maybe she could indulge herself. Nobody was looking, after all. Alya wouldn't shame her other secret love. She'd never know.

Grabbing a hairbrush, she started dancing (dorkily) and singing (terribly) to the song, You Belong With Me, that was strangely similar to her current situation. She jumped around her room, spinning, flipping her hair and generally dancing like someone who's never danced in their life, or seen someone else dance probably.

She forgot about her open curtain.

~*~

That morning, she sat on a bench, waiting for the bus to come with her bag and an open book. Books were great. The feel of the paper between your fingers, the smell of the pages and the ink, sometimes just smelling like paper and sometimes strangely like vanilla. (IDK WHY BUT SOME BOOKS JUST SMELL LIKE VANILLA) Hard back books were her favourite, the covers never bent from over reading. In fact, this particular book was an extremely exciting and aggravating tale about two superheroes, wherein one was in love with her civilian friend who was actually her partner who was in love with his superhero partner who was actually his friend who was in love with him and they were both annOYINGLY OBLIVIOUS-

Hey, look, Adrien's walking over.

"Hey, Marinette. Whatcha reading?" His smile was warm as he sat next to her, not knowing how her heart sped up and her eyes grew brighter.

"Oh! It's called Miraculous - it's really good, very dynamic and intriguing." (let's just pretend it's a lot more intense than what it actually is) She returned his smile, perhaps a little too brightly. 

"Oh yeah? Is it a romance?" He teased her lightly, knowing her general distaste for romance. She huffed, pouting a little.

"No! Not... really, I mean, the romance is a subplot but it's still just as interesting to watch as the main story line. I don't like books that focus completely on romance, at least have a little excitement in them." Marinette rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't disappear. "It's cheesy, but... it's hope."

Adrien's brow furrowed, lifting a hand to tuck a strand of blue-black hair that fell in her face behind her ear. "Hope for what?"

"H-hope...hope for..." She stuttered and hesitated a little, cheeks growing red as she was distracted by his action, before a car pulled up in front of them. 

"ADRIKINS!"

Adrien sighed, recognising the screechy tone of his girlfriend. "Guess I'll be going. See you later Marinette." He got up, got in Chloe's car, only to be kissed aggressively. (AGRESTIVELY) Chloe's icy eyes slyly met Marinette's warmer blue ones, as if to say He's mine. You have no chance.

Marinette sighed at her lost chance yet again, listening to the rev of the engine as they drove off. "Hope for my own love story." (LMAO DID U SEE WHAT I DID THERE)

~*~

A week later was the game. 

Adrien was in the basketball team, and they were facing off against their rival school. Chloe was cheer captain, Marinette was in the band, playing her clarinet. She only had eyes for Adrien though, and when he threw the ball in the last 5 seconds into the net, nobody cheered louder than she did. They won the season. 

He was laughing, lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates. That laugh, that laugh lit up his whole face, the whole court, the whole town. His bright green eyes shone like Christmas lights, his fist in the air in a triumphant cheer. He was set down, given many slaps on the back from his teammates...

...only to see... Chloe flirting obviously with a boy from their rival team, Kim.

Marinette gasped as he confronted her, and got up to chase after him when she scoffed and flipped him off.

But... he had a way of running from his problems, from his feelings, and nobody could catch up to him. Not even the one person who might be able to help him.

~*~

Ugh.

Yes, Marinette might be a nerd. Yes, she might rather stay inside and do her homework, wear loose clothes and she might actually kind of love her glasses. These facts didn't change another fact - she hated maths. She hated doing maths, she hated doing it on the one night that she might've wanted to go out, so what if she was good at it?! It's amazing what paying attention can do!

That night was prom. 

And she could see Adrien in his black and white tux, looking so very handsome, but he would look so much more handsome if he smiled. A real smile, not his fake one. The one that made his eyes sparkle, the one that made her heart melt. 

He pulled out the notepad. You going tonight?

Marinette felt her lips tug down, staring distastefully at her homework before replying. No. Studying.

He seemed to... deflate, a little. Wish you were.

She stared, shocked as he picked up his jacket, slung it over his shoulder and left his room. 

Wish you were?

She moved her maths pages over, revealing her written I love you that she had accidentally picked up in the pile.

She glanced up again, staring into his empty room.

He'd told her all he ever really wanted was to belong, right?

"I think I know where you belong, love." She whispered, a wry smile replacing her shock as she took off her glasses and rummaged through her closet for that dress she designed and sewed from the fabric of her great Aunt Maria's first wedding gown...

~*~

Swallow the nerves. Ease the shaking. Bid adieu to the butterflies.

"Bye bye, little butterfly." Marinette whispered into the night before stepping into the school courtyard.

Anxious, she fiddled a little with her dress as she walked through the crowd, most of whom parted in awe. This was not the nerd they knew. She was wearing her contact lenses, she had brushed her hair out of her usual pigtails and into cute curls, she even had light makeup on. And damn, that dress, Chloe would be jealous.

Shit. Chloe. DUH! 'Course she's here! Oh no, what if Adrien forgave her and came with her?!

Before she had time to panic, Adrien's green eyes found hers. A shaky smile found its way onto her lips, exhaling a breathy laugh as he nearly walked into someone while trying to get to her through the crowd.

...and then he was pulled aside by Chloe. "Wow! Adrien, all dressed up for me? You shouldn't have!" With a seductive smirk that wasn't all that seductive, she tried to kiss him.

"Uh, no, Chloe, I have to go." Adrien... not-so-gently pushed her aside and moved to greet a now giggling girl. "Marinette..." He whispered, blatantly ignoring Chloe's indignant 'What?!' "You came."

Marinette lifted a shoulder, her shaky smile steadying. "You wanted me to."

He chuckled under his breath. "You didn't have to do that for me."

"I wanted to." She grinned as he appeared playfully frustrated at her simple answer.

"Why?"

Her grin softened into a shy smile as she slipped a hand into her hidden pockets of her dress (because dresses with pockets are always better) and pulled out her note. The one with the red ink in three specific words. Taking a deep breath, she unfolded it to show him. 

I love you.

He blinked.

Her hands trembled.

He blinked again.

She bit her lip.

He pulled out a note from his suit jacket. There, in the forest green marker that she'd come to memorise, were three words.

I love you.

She let out a breath of relief. "Oh. Good. That could've gone horribly wrong."

Adrien laughed. "I don't even know why I kept that in there. I guess... hope?"

Marinette smiled as he pulled her towards him. "Hope for a happy ending."

Their first kiss was one they had been waiting for for the past, oh, three years? And it definitely wasn't their last. Because, after such a long time, Adrien and Marinette had found who they belonged with.

~*~

"And that is the story of how your father and I first got together." Marinette closed the hand-made book, smiling at her children, Hugo and Emma. 

"It's really cheesy." Hugo commented, crawling into his mother's arms.

"I like it! You and Papa are like soulmates!" Emma, 4 years old and a romantic like her father already, giggled. 

"Yes, Emma. We are." Adrien set Marinette a dashing smile as he swept in the room with two mugs of hot chocolate. "Here's your hot chocolate, kids."

Hugo hummed as he took a sip. "Soulmates wouldn't be set in stone, though. They'd change if your feelings changed, right Mama?"

"Correct, my smart little munchkin. But, if your feelings don't change, a soulmate is who you belong with." Marinette kissed first Hugo's head and then Emma's. "Finish your hot chocolate then off to bed. You have school in the morning and Emma wants to see Killian." She teased her daughter, who whined and pouted.

Once the two had said their good night's and had been tucked into bed, Marinette curled up against Adrien.

He had been strangely quiet, but he finally spoke. "Were you serious about the soulmates thing earlier?" She glanced up to see his green eyes sad and worried. "Have your feelings changed?"

She shook her head with a chuckle, smiling as she pushed herself up to look him in the eye. "No, silly. I still belong with you. And you belong with me."

hecking heck this is what i've resorted to

one of the lamest swear words ever is a combination of hell and fuck

and teachers are okay with it

bye imma get tea