yells

tikki:

Perception of romance love varies from person to person and I may be coming from a place of rose coloured glasses and personal preferences but hear me out. Adrien has always had a good impression of Marinette. He acknowledges her abilities with praises and compliments.

From her fencing skills in Repost 

to her artistic talents in fashion design in Mr. Pigeon

Adrien knows how great of a person Marinette is but considering he is in love with Ladybug, I don’t believe he really allowed himself to feel or look at other people, specifically Marinette, the same way. Until now that is. 

I really feel that after he confided in Marinette on her rooftop and then brought her over to the date spot he set up for Ladybug, it really changed his perception of her. 

He confessed his feelings to Ladybug, probably for the first time seriously to someone other than Plagg in Glaciator, which is a big deal considering that Adrien is most like himself when he’s Chat Noir. We’ve seen his Chat Noir characteristics slip while he’s not in his suit.

It’s not unreasonable to start to feel more comfortable or more compelled to open up more to a person who has given you a positive response from being vulnerable and yourself. But when it happens for a second time, a psychological response might occur that will make Adrien associate Marinette with safety (operant conditioning). 

This then creates a positive perception of someone, regardless of that persons intent, and evidently it can lead to growing affections. Which bring us to the most recent episode: 

Here she is being walked to school under the protection of Federal Marshals because angry white people were ready to harm or kill her. 

Here she is in 2010, eight years ago. 

The generation that enforced segregation is not dead, fucko. They were our fuckin grandparents, and it was not that goddamn long ago.