Disiclaimer: I do not own and am not affliated with Miraculous or its producers/makers.

Through the Window

The first time a stranger knocks on her window, Marinette screams. She is at her desk, trying desperately to block out the music that the new residents upstairs are blasting as she burns the midnight oil on a marketing report. Needless to say, catching sight of a man on her fire escape, knocking to be let in, nearly gives her a heart attack. But after being assured he'll pull no funny business, a promise that makes him flush, she allows him inside. Only after the stranger crawls through the window and into her flat does Marinette blush, too. Her mystery visitor sports grass-green eyes, golden blond hair, a lithe frame, and a sheepish wince on his angular face. He apologizes and tries to explain how his roommate was practicing his set for his show the next day, and when the stranger threatened to leave if things didn't quiet down and eventually went out onto the landing to escape the noise, he accidentally locked himself out. Marinette listens to the stranger say all this without really hearing him- she's a bit distracted by his face, his embarressed smile, and, well, all of him. It isn't until she lets him out her front door with a stuttering goodbye that she realizes that he's one of the new residents she's been plotting to murder all evening. She thinks of this with butterflies in her stomach. Maybe she'll hold off on revenge for a bit.

The second time the man knocks on her window, Marinette is in much better spirits and doesn't scream when she sees him. It's a sunny day and Marinette is enjoying her day off by sketching some new clothing designs in her living room. As she turns to a fresh page and begins a new drawing, she hears a tap on the window, where the man crouches on the metal landing like before. Marinette's stomach flutters as she makes her way across the room and, when she slides the glass away and their eyes meet, any words she has die away. Marinette's visitor grins up at her and explains that his roommate is trying to bake something- "trying" being the key word here- and they're short a cup or flour. Marinette stutters out a response and invites him inside. As she moves to the kitchen and rummages through her cupboards haphazardly, she hears gentle footsteps follow her and her visitor ask how long she's lived in the city. She tells him that she's been here a year or so, twittering away nervously as she sifts flour into a bowl. When she finishes and hands him the requested flour, her visitor takes it with a smile and a thank-you, his green eyes bright, and the two of them walk to the window together. As the visitor climbs out onto the escape deftly, he turns to Marinette and asks her name, seeming embarrassed that he hadn't done so before. Marinette flushes and replies, asking for his name in return. He offers his- Adrien- and retreats up the iron stairs to his landing, waving as he steps through his own window and disappears. Marinette watches the empty landing for a moment, a dreamy smile on her face, before retreating back inside.

The third time Adrien comes to Marinette's window, he's not there because of mistakes made. The sun has long fallen, the air cold and the sky dark. Marinette sits at her kitchen table, going over paperwork from her job and sipping cocoa. A plate of cookies sit at the table's center, freshly baked- the skills she learned as a child in her parents' bakery come in handy often and she bakes whenever she needs a reminder of home. As she works, she hears the faint rattle of the fire escape from the street outside. She turns her head to the window and waits for a familiar blond head to appear, but her landing remains empty. Curious, Marinette walks to the window and, opening it with a creak, peers out into the night. On the landing of the apartment above, Adrien leans on the railing, silently looking down on the street. Marinette can see only part of his face, but the look he has makes her wonder what is going on inside his head and why he is outside on a cold night. The sleep in her veins tampering with her nerves, Marinette calls Adrien's name softly. Adrien turns to look down at her in surprise. When Marinette asks if he is okay, Adrien nods slowly, a somber smile on his face that doesn't convince Marinette. Marinette says nothing but, when she ducks back inside, she leaves her window open wide. Barely a moment after she fills another mug with cocoa and settles back into her chair, Adrien cautiously climbs through the window. Marinette nods, a quiet smile on her face, and motions to the second mug. Adrien takes it with a grateful smile and settles in beside her. For the next hour or two, they sit in warm silence as Marinette finishes her paperwork. Sometimes they'll ask each other a question or share a laugh, but for the most part, the quiet company is all the two tired souls need.

After that night, window visits become the norm. Every now and then, Adrien will come down the landing and tap on Marinette's window like before. Sometimes, he has a story to tell or something to show her, but usually, he comes to just to sit and talk. And on nights when Marinette's light is on into the morning hours, it becomes habit for her to set out a second cup and to listen for the creak of footsteps on her neighbours' escape. Marinette comes to look forward to Adrien's visits, her nervousness around him slowly subsiding as a friendship forms between them. One day, when Adrien comes through the window while Marinette's back is turned, Marinette jumps at the sound and it sends them both laughing. When Marinette teasingly accuses Adrien of coming around all the time like a stray cat, Adrien's eyes fall on the red spotted blouse Marinette wears and he tells her that she's as flighty as a ladybug. The names stick.

Over time, the pair begins to learn things about each other. Adrien tells Marinette about his jobs as a real estate agent and a model and Marinette listens with interest, poking his belly with a laugh and warning him about eating too many of her cookies. Marinette tells Adrien about the fashion company she works for and shows him her sketches, which Adrien looks at and makes up elaborate collection names for, drawing chuckles out of both of them. Adrien tells Marinette about his father, as statuesque and calculated in magazine spreads as in real life, and Marinette tells Adrien about her parents, as warm and efficient as the bakery they run. When Adrien and Marinette learn that they both grew up in Paris, they swap stories about the city and their favorite places in it. When Adrien's roommate blasts music again one night, Adrien tells Marinette about how him and his roommate, Nino, met in middle school and, together, they critique Nino's song choices. When Marinette's best friend, Alya, sends a care package to Marinette one day, Marinette tells Adrien about how her and Alya would spend afternoons on Marinette's balcony, people-watching. Later, they take some of the baked goods Alya sent out onto the fire escape and enjoy the sunshine, the traffic passing below them on the noisy street.

Time passes and Adrien and Marinette grow closer. When Adrien tells her about the tragic creation Nino's attempt at cooking resulted in the day he'd borrowed flour, Marinette offers to teach them how to bake. The next weekend, she finds herself in Adrien and Nino's apartment, showing them how to knead pie pastry, and Adrien repays her by buying her dinner. That evening, when Adrien pulls out her chair and Marinette notes at what a gentleman he is, Adrien winks at her. Marinette just rolls her eyes like always. Spring turns to winter and, when Christmas rolls around, Marinette finds a present waiting for her at her window. Adrien discovers his gift waiting for him in his usual chair at Marinette's the next night. When New Year's Eve comes, Marinette is at home with Alya, who had come to visit, while the apartment above them is silent, as Adrien and Nino are out at a party. When Alya and Marinette climb out on the landing with their champagne at midnight and count down with the pedestrians passing by, Marinette wonders why something feels wrong. When Adrien comes to her window the next night, she realizes why the night before had seemed strange and her nerves around him return for the first time in months. Later, when Adrien lingers at her window and gives her a final glowing glance before he leaves, Marinette wonders what he is thinking and tries to ignore her own heart.

Then, like all good things do, their routine changes without warning. One night, Adrien notes that he might be busy over the few weeks and, after that night, Marinette doesn't seem him for a full month. Window visits become rare happenings, though the friendship they foster doesn't change. When he visits, Adrien tells Marinette about his travels for work with his father and Marinette fills him in on local events. They always find something to laugh about and Adrien wil tease Marinette like usual. But suddenly, stares seem longer and pauses in conversation become filled with something Marinette can't describe. Still, Marinette says nothing, lest she risk the friendship she has come to treasure. Though she makes this decision readily, she can't ignore how empty her apartment feels. She stops setting out a second mug at night.

One spring afternoon, Adrien and Marinette sit at Marinette's kitchen counter, glasses of iced tea in front of them. As Adrien finishes telling Marinette a story about the crazy photographer he had to work with that week, he checks his watch and says he'd better go pack, as he leaves for a shoot tomorrow. Thanking her for the drink, he walks to the window to leave. But before he steps outside, he pauses, as if hesitating, and turns to face her. For a moment, Adrien and Marinette meet each other's eyes, both unsure of what to say. Then the moment is lost as Adrien steps outside and, with an almost sad smile in Marinette's direction, is gone.

For a few minutes, Marinette putters around her house, trying to ignore her mind that races a mile a minute and her heart that knows what it wants. Her efforts almost work, too. But, mid-tidying and cleaning, she stops. In that instant, the gravity of reality hits her. Dropping what she is doing, Marinette walks to her window, clambers outside, and climbs the steps to her neighbors' apartment window. When she reaches it, she kneels down and sees Adrien in his living room, looking for something. Marinette knocks on his window. At the sound, Adrien turns and, eyes searching, sees her almost immediately. The change in his expression is immediate- gentle confusion floods his features and his eyes light up as he approaches his window and opens it. The air between them seems loaded by things unsaid- things Marinette needs to say and let out and perhaps things Adrien wants to say as well- but when they meet eyes, it's as if they understand each other completely. Adrien moves first and meets Marinette's lips with his own, bringing his hand to back of her neck gently and pulling her close. Marinette responds quickly, wrapping her arms around Adrien's neck. When they break after a moment, they rest their foreheads together, matching smiles on their faces. Adrien steps back, offering Marinette his hand, and Marinette accepts, pulling Adrien in for another kiss. For the first time in months, everything feels right again. As if fate is happy with its work, the window closes shut behind them.

A/N: I binge-watched this show and it's lovely. This ship is lovely. Everything is great. Just, ugggggggghhhh, I had to write something for them, they're too precious. This was inspired by a neighbors-scaring-each-other-by-climbing-through-their-windows- prompt on Tumblr, which I will link here when I figure out how to. Let me know what you think! Merci!