It's Miraculous, Really

i. Advance: ⑴ to go or move something forward ⑵ to develop or improve something. (Given by a tumblr anon.)

If she had half as much confidence as Marinette as she does when she's Ladybug, she would have asked Adrien out by now. Actually, she probably would have asked Adrien out way, way before now.

But, as it stands, it's a struggle to even remember to breathe whenever she tries to approach him, let alone when their eyes meet after she manages to call out his name while he's leaving school.

Come on, Marinette! she thinks to herself, heart racing in her chest, cheeks warm and red. Say something!

"Um." That's it. That's all that manages to tumble out from behind her garbled tongue.

She groans internally.

Adrien Agreste waits patiently for her to continue, and she swears she has every intention of doing so, but she forgets what she is trying to say when he tilts his head a little to the right, his hair shifting gently from the small movement and glowing in the afternoon sunshine.

Her fingers brush lightly against her purse (an instinctual move on her part), and she does her best to speak.

"I-I was... wondering..." Her throat is suddenly dry, so Marinette gulps. "W-Wondering if you wanted... t-to, uh..."

She's screaming inside her mind right now, but when she slips her hand inside her purse and her fingertips brush gently against Tikki's hidden form inside, Marinette takes a deep breath and plows ahead into uncertain territory. "I was - d-do you want to grab coffee?"

She belatedly taps on a "Together?" when a small silence ensues her question. All the next possible scenarios play out in her mind in just a fraction of a moment: Adrien rejecting her, Adrien telling her he only wants to be friends, Adrien reciprocating her feelings-

Adrien smiles, and it stops her thoughts in their tracks, because her mind's imaginary Adrien can't possibly compete with the real thing.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"Great!" she says a little too enthusiastically. She realizes it's a little too enthusiastically, and says in a more tame voice, "Great."

Adrien's smile widens, and she can't contain the giggles that sneak their way out of her throat, bubbly and giddy and releasing all the tension and worry she's been holding on to until now.

She asked him out. Not on a date, technically, but still. And he agreed!

She is one lucky bug.

Adrien strikes up a mostly one-sided conversation (though she contributes when she's not absolutely floored by his face and voice and character) and leads the way. She's reminded that this is an improvement from yesterday, because yesterday, she didn't have the courage to talk to him like this. This is a small advancement in her relationship with the love of her life. This is progress. This is growth.

As they walk to a nearby cafe, Marinette prays that this is one small step forward of many for her and Adrien.

Thanks for reading! Leave a review, or something. Have a lucky day!

xoxoPigTails