AN: Hi everyone! I'm dipping my toes back into FanFiction. Constructive criticism welcome!

Prologue

"Oh Marinette, it's our first day at university!"

Tikki's overly-enthusiastic squeal made Marinette's insides churn. She longed for the familiar expectations of her high school. The brown desks, the white walls, and even that horrible Chloe Bougeois in the front row. At least you knew what you were getting from her.

Her fingers itched to text Alya. She missed her spunky friend already, and she'd only just left their dorm room. But no. Marinette felt determination flood her spine, and her extremities tingled. She would stand and face her first day of fashion design classes on her own.

So, with the resolve only a teenager who had spent the last two years flying high above the streets of Paris fighting crime could muster, Marinette entered her first building.

Chapter 1

"Oh, Tikki, I don't know what I'm going to do!" Marinette wailed, flinging herself on her extra-long twin bed. "How am I supposed to match patterns when the fabric texture is all wrong and it smells weird?"

The tiny red kwami fluttered around her head. "Marinette, you can do it! Just plug your nose," she offered helpfully.

Marinette peeked at her from under her arm. "I don't think my nose is the problem."

"Come on, get up! Your project is due at the end of the week. Professor DiVincenzo wasn't kidding when he said there weren't going to be any extensions!"

"Ugh. You know what, Tikki? Screw Professor DiVincenzo! I want to have fun. Aren't you supposed to have fun in college?" Marinette glared at the pile of textbooks and spiral notebooks and stray papers on her desk. She imagined the entire thing going up in flames.

The kwami giggled. "You can't ignite your classwork. Maybe you should take a night off this weekend," she suggested, and at Marinette's perked up grin, she added, " After you finish your project, of course."

Marinette sighed. "Of course." She noticed the corner of a small photo poking out of a folder. Pulling it out, she sighed again. "I wonder what Adrien is doing right now," she wondered, tracing the fair features she'd memorized long ago.

At that moment, the heavy wooden door to her dorm room flung open with a loud bang as it hit the door stopper on the floor. Alya came barreling in, waving her phone. Tikki dove into Marinette's backpack just in time.

"Marinette! Can you believe it? My communications professor found the Ladyblog! She said I did great work and I should consider journalism!" The squealing that followed rivaled the audience at a Jagged Stone concert.

"That's great! Do you think you'll switch?" Marinette asked, hopping up off of her bed.

"I think I might! You know, we're still in our first semester here and I really thought I wanted to be in communications. I thought I'd never be a real journalist. But she said she could get me an interview with the director of the journalism program and maybe even put in a good word for me!"

"Alya, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you," Marinette said genuinely.

"We should celebrate tonight! Tell me you don't have anything big for school due."

"Well, I do have this big project, but it's not due until Friday." Marinette could hear Tikki protesting from her bag, but she nudged it under her bed with her foot.

"Excellent! Let's go to Chez Georges! We can try some fancy wine and cheeses and then head down to the real party!" Alya suggested, but it was more of a statement than a suggestion. Luckily, Marinette wasn't one to go to the mat over nightclub choices. She hadn't even the slightest clue regarding Paris's night life."

With an agreeable smile from Marinette, Alya flounced out of the room with her shower basket, guaranteeing Tikki at least twenty minutes to scold Marinette.

"What are you thinking?!" the spotted kwami shrieked as she rocketed out from under the bed. "Your project-"

"Can wait," Marinette calmly finished. "I'll go out tonight with Alya, and I'll complete my work tomorrow. It's no big deal, Tikki. Friday is two whole days away!"