Seven Seconds

A Common Sweet Tooth

School the next day was almost a repeat of Monday, as most of the class was angry with Adrien again. Apparently they were less than pleased with the most recent Ladybug kiss.

But there was one key differentiation. This time Marinette fiercely defended him, insisting that he was being forced into it by his father.

And Adrien never felt more grateful for her. Even after all the heartache he caused her, she was still a loyal friend.

But 'friend' was definitely the key word there. She was his friend, and she was acting like it. There was absolutely nothing more.

They were talking to each other between classes, but she moved away every time he would attempt to get closer to her. The one time he tried to grab her hand, she pulled it out of his reach.

"Sorry," he muttered when that happened.

"It's okay," she replied before changing the subject.

Then during class the teacher wanted everyone to split up into pairs. Adrien quickly spun around and asked Marinette to work with him, but she declined his offer and paired up with Alya instead.

"Tough break, dude," Nino whispered to him after that.

And things only got more frustrating as the day went on.

This 'friend' thing just wasn't cutting it for Adrien anymore. It was pure torture to see her there and know exactly what he was missing. And there were a lot of things to miss.

He was missing the way she used to look at him, with those beautiful blue eyes that would pierce into his.

He was missing the way she used to talk to him, with that feathery voice that would whisper sweet words in his ear.

He was missing the way she used to touch him, with that soft skin that caressed his.

No, being friends wasn't enough. He desperately yearned for more than just a superficial relationship with her.

But he had to be patient. Pushing Marinette too much too quickly would only make her more uncomfortable about the whole situation.

So as painful as it was, Adrien would bide his time.

************************************

At least he would have the chance to spend time with her as Chat Noir.

His heart started racing when he approached her house to find her waiting for him on her balcony.

"I was hoping that you'd show up tonight," Marinette said sweetly after he landed.

"You were?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we had some extra food from the bakery that didn't sell. So I brought them up here for you to try." Grabbing the tray from beside her, she held it out toward him.

It was covered with a rainbow assortment of different macarons. That tray was the second best thing Chat Noir had seen all day. "May I?" he asked.

A giggle. "Of course. They're all for you!"

"Wow, thanks Princess," he said before grabbing a white macaron.

The huge smile on her face faltered slightly. "That one is passion fruit."

"Yeah, I know. It's my favorite," he replied before he could stop himself. Then he froze for a split second before pretending like everything was normal again. Hopefully she wouldn't think too much about it.

Marinette nodded. "Seems like it's a lot of people's favorite."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, playing dumb. "Is it your favorite too?"