It was beautiful.
Ever since she had heard she was going to Fashion Week, Marinette had been dreaming of what the place would look like. She pictured the lights just bright enough to see the sheen on the band around a hat. She could almost see the neutral flooring and walls, not to distract from the masterpieces the models wore. She could feel the leather seat her rump would be set in weeks before it happened. She had picked out her outfits for each day before the month had even started.
It was better than she could ever have imagined.
She felt her hand slip into Adrien's palm next to her thigh. He squeezed her reassuringly, and her heart swelled.
The stage was elevated this year, chairs lining the sides neatly and orderly. The stage was black and even, making sure no model would fall from tripping. Sharp lights aimed above the stage for the model's walk. Certain lights had a purple filter before them to give the full room a bit of color. The chairs were nicer than normal, with a white linen cover over the seats. Marinette could feel the energy in the air, charged and ready for the first models to come out.
The first day's schedule included Gerald Kebler, Marius Girard, Albert Carpentier, Jade Figuier, Estelle Montiel and Harmonie Castex, the native, yet minor, French Designers. Marinette kept running her eyes over the schedule, feeling floaty and dazed. There was no way this was real.
Adrien squeezed her hand again. It was real. Because of him.
She glanced around. Seats were starting to fill up, famous people from across the world beginning to find a place to sit. Marinette had already met a few actors and artists when they came over to greet famous ex-model Adrien Agreste. Many of them were more impressed with Marinette, however, which only added to the floaty feeling she was experiencing.
A glance to her left, a glance to her right, and the floaty feeling started to subside.
"Oh god, we picked awful seats," Marinette whispered fearfully. Adrien raised an eyebrow.
"Are you kidding me? These are some of the best seats in the house!"
"No, Adrien, you don't understand! I'm way too close to the stage! If I take one wrong step…" She mimicked an explosion with her hands, mouth making sound effects to match. Adrien rolled his eyes.
"Then don't take any wrong steps, okay?" He winked at her, and the floaty feeling returned.
"Okay," she said, her head feeling light and airy. Adrien turned back to the stage, and felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
He frowned. He had told everyone he knew not to contact him while he was at the Palais-Royal unless it was an emergency. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and checked it quickly, hoping it was just Nino trying to find the shoes he left at Adrien's apartment.
It wasn't Nino.
It was his father, and apparently he needed Adrien's help with something.
Adrien knew his father would be appearing on the last day, along with the other big names in fashion, including Chloe's mother, Audrey Bourgeois.
He asked his father where he was and why it was so important he interrupt Adrien and Marinette's experience.
His answer was in the form of a phone call.
He sighed, tapping Marinette's knee twice. She turned to him, frowning when she saw the name on his phone.
"Let me talk to him," Marinette demanded. He smiled, remembering the last time she answered the phone when Gabriel called. The lack of restraint she had shown was oddly endearing.
"No, I'll take it. He probably wants me to introduce myself to another big name. I'll be back in a second." He swiped his phone, and put it to his ear, walking into a side hallway glumly.
"What is so important that you're ruining my date?"
"Adrien," it was Natalie, "I wish I didn't have to bother you, but your father is in a bit of a frenzy—"
As if on cue, Adrien heard a loud crash from the other end of the phone, followed by frantic yelling.
Natalie sighed. "I'm afraid he's going to pull his hair out. You must come at once,"
Adrien rolled his eyes. "I'm not coming to help him fire another intern, Natalie. You'll have to deal with him yourself. I have a show to attend, and a date to return to." He clicked End Call and walked back into the room, turning his phone off and sliding it back into his pocket.
"What did he want?" Marinette asked, a bitter taste in her mouth. Adrien smiled lightly.
"Natalie wanted me to help with his tantrum. But I have more important things to attend to." He sat down and went to give her a kiss, but a finger came up to block him.
"In a room full of paparazzi? I don't think that's a wise idea," Marinette noted, nodding her chin toward the other side of the room. This year, Fashion Week divided the room in half; guests sat on the right side of the stage, paparazzi and reporters on the left. Marinette had asked Alya if she was attending, but she had sighed.
"No can do, bugaboo," she said, referencing Adrien's dumb nickname for Marinette, "I've got a large amount of paperwork to fill out from that beaver incident. My boss is sending someone else."
Marinette glanced around again. She saw Armelle Genin sitting next to Murielle Montgomery, and Roger Berlioz was chatting to Leonard Poulin. She took a deep breath. There were a lot of famous people here, but if she was able to manage her time wisely, one day her creations would be among the designs soon to be admired by said famous people.
The lights dimmed slightly, and Marinette jumped, hand finding Adrien's again. He gripped it tightly, and matched her surprised grin.
It was starting.
Adrien whispered into her ear the first time the model wearing lingerie appeared.
"You'd look great in that," he murmured, lips brushing her ear. She had jumped and squeaked, the sound hidden by the clicking of the camera shutters. She managed to keep her redness to a minimum, but it returned the next time a model with lingerie appeared, and Adrien slid her a knowing glance. She managed to keep her face straight when he whispered into her ear again and again.
"Red's my favorite color on you, but I'd settle for seeing it at your feet."
"Black lace would look nice between my teeth, don't you agree?"
"I might just buy that pink one for you."
Marinette gathered her courage, and whispered back, "I might just let you take it off me, then,"
Adrien coughed out his laughs, trying not to disturb the other attendees, but his eyes danced with a mix of laughter and pride.
That's my girl, he thought, watching her take notes and sketches of the outfits as they sped by.
The first intermission occured, and Adrien made the horrid mistake of turning on his phone while Marinette introduced herself to another celebrity.
Gabriel Agreste
56 Missed Calls
Natalie Sancoeur
28 Missed Calls
Gabriel Agreste
83 Messages
Natalie Sancoeur
149 Messages
Chloe Bourgeois
2 Messages
"Ah, shit," he thought aloud, opening his messages from Chloe. He hoped nothing had happened to her plans on Friday. Her mother was also appearing on Friday, and he knew her schedule was always changing. He just hoped Chloe would still show. Marinette had been wanting to see her for a while, ever since they went out to get coffee with Sabrina.
Tell my dearest Marinette to answer her phone
I need advice on an outfit to impress my mom
He let out a heavy breath, and texted back quickly, assuring her that he would let Marinette know she needed help. He shut his phone back off and slipped it into his pocket.
"Everything okay?" Marinette asked, her and the celebrity who's name he couldn't remember staring worriedly at him. He relaxed his features, smiling and nodded.
"Of course. Hi, I'm Adrien Agreste," he introduced, holding his hand out.
"Lila Rossi. Nice to meet you. Marinette here was telling me that you're separated from your father's company now, correct?" she asked. He nodded, finally placing the name. Lila Rossi was a highly respected actress from Italy.
"Yes, my father and I have parted ways now. Luckily, Marinette here fulfills all my clothing needs."
"I can see that! You're very talented, Marinette." Lila smiled. "I hope to see your designs on this stage someday."
"Trust me, when that happens," Adrien started, "I'll be first in line. Oh, Chloe texted you, something about clothing advice," Adrien tapped her pocket, and she nodded, grabbing it and reading over the text.
"Oh, this is long. I'll be back," Marinette called, running off to a more private area and pressing the phone to her ear. Adrien watched her go, turning back to Lila when Marinette was officially out of his sight.
She smiled patiently, and Adrien relaxed.
"How long have you two been together?" She asked.
"Almost 7 months now," Adrien told her, "we're starting to talk about moving in together, since her roommate is thinking about moving out."
"That's great. It's so nice to see a happy, healthy relationship in the middle of all the chaos that fame brings."
Adrien smiled at that.
"What about you, Lila? Anyone special in your life?" Adrien asked. She smiled sadly, but shook her head.
"No, not at this moment. Eventually, though, I'm hoping to find someone. Once my fame dies down… Probably how it happened for you, right?"
"Sorta, yeah. I don't think Marinette knew who I was at first, which felt really nice. I just wanted to be recognized as a person, you know?"
"I definitely get it," Lila sighed. "Marinette seems so down to earth… I want someone like that, someone who won't treat me like— like someone above others, I just want to be human…"
"You heard it here first, folks. Lila Rossi, famed Italian actress and daughter of Italian Representative, is looking for love!" A voice said behind them. Both celebrities whirled around.
Speaking of being treated above others, Adrien thought glumly as he put a false smile on for the camera. The reporter smiled widely as he shoved a microphone toward Adrien and Lila. Adrien glanced over and saw Lila put a similar false grin on her mouth, looking stunning but sort of pained.
"Tell us, what type of person are you looking for?" The reporter asked, taking a curious step forward. Lila opened her mouth, but the reporter took a step back in surprise. Adrien felt a hand land on his shoulder.
"Excuse me," Marinette said, frowning deeply at the camera. Adrien knew she had perfected her mother's disappointed scowl, and it had come in handy whenever they had an incident such as this. "But that is personal information. You have no right to be intruding on such a private conversation. Go find your drama somewhere else."
The reporter stuttered, and the cameraman grabbed his coat jacket and dragged him off. As they left, Adrien caught a whiff of a very pungent cologne, something he never wanted to smell again. The cameraman kept glancing back at Marinette, who stared them down until they were out of sight.
"Wow," Lila sighed. "That was incredible. You have to teach me that."
"Anytime," Marinette laughed. "Sorry, that was just a wardrobe malfunction. Everything should be set for Chloe later on, but I might stop by sometime this week to make sure."
"Marinette, you wouldn't happen to have time for a commision, would you?" Lila asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, I actually do. Looking for one?"
"Yeah, actually. I completely forgot about it until now, but I've seen your designs before and fell in love with them. Any chance you—" she was cut off by her phone buzzing urgently. She glanced down, and her face fell. "Place du Châtelet, 75003? Why would I… ah, right," she sighed, hand dropping in defeat. "I'm so sorry, but something just came up. I do apologize for leaving, but I hope to see you guys again this week! And maybe I can email you about the commision, Marinette—"
"No need! Here's my business card, and I'll just…" she pulled a pen out of her pocket and scrawled her phone number on the back. "Text me and we'll discuss it in more detail, okay?"
Lila broke into a relieved smile. "Thank you so much! Nice to meet you both!"
"You too!" Adrien called to her retreating form. He turned to his girlfriend, and she smiled at him.
"What'd you guys talk about?"
"Nothing too important," he slung his arm over her shoulder and she nestled into his side.
"Mmm. Nice job with the reporter."
"Thanks."
"I'm just happy you didn't beat him up."
"That guy was too pushy, alright? He was asking for it."
"You're lucky he didn't call the cops."
"Oh quiet," Marinette laughed. "I never even touched the guy."
"Yeah, 'cause I was holding you back."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I could've totally taken him."
"That's what I was worried about."
They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the conversations around them. A woman near them was worried about tripping in her heels. A man told his friend that they need to go on a double date again. A larger man rambled to his sister about a single lotus flower that had caught his attention.
Things were okay, finally.
Marinette stretched out her legs, feeling them pop and move for the first time in a couple hours. She didn't realize how fast time had flown by until the audience was clapping and her pencil fell from her grip, finally still after another two hours of models passing by. Adrien turned to her, a tired smile playing with his lips. Marinette huffed out a laugh, grinning.
"I just went to Fashion Week Day One," Marinette said, voice tinged with disbelief. Adrien smiled wider, nodding.
"You did."
"I just went to Fashion Week Day One," she repeated. Adrien raised an eyebrow, face expressing his amusement. Marinette took a deep breath. "I am at Fashion Week," she started.
"You are."
"I sketched hundreds of outfits today,"
"Yep."
"And met a bunch of famous people with connections,"
"Mmhmm."
"And I got a commission from Lila Rossi, the famous Italian Actress."
"All correct," Adrien told her, pulling her hand to his lips. She tilted her head in fascination.
"And I went with my absolutely amazing boyfriend whom I love."
Adrien's lips stuttered, and he broke into a large, uncontrollable grin, lowering his head and pressing the back of her hand to his forehead instead of his lips. He chuckled, and she joined in quietly, feeling people file past them toward the exit. She slipped her hand from his forehead. He finally lifted his head, cheeks pink and teeth blinding.
"Ready to head out?" She asked, gathering her sketchbook and pencils into her bag. He nodded, rolling his shoulders as the last person flew through the exit, bustling quickly and loudly. Adrien glanced up, and raised his eyebrows. As the person turned toward them slightly, attempting to squeeze into the crowd leaving, Adrien saw his face. Pierre, his father's newest intern, pat a handkerchief to his damp forehead before squeezing out into the freezing Parisian air. This December was a harsh one, colder than normal with icy rain every other week. But Pierre only wore a light coat, sprinting to the left as soon as the cold air hit his face.
"Huh," Adrien frowned, leaning back on his heels to see where Pierre ran off to. He couldn't tell from his angle.
"What's up?" Marinette asked, pulling herself to her feet. He turned to her, and smiled.
"Nothing. Ready?" He offered her his arm, and she laughed, taking his hand instead and intertwining their fingers.
"Let's go," she said, pulling him forward through the narrow aisle of chairs. He followed her carefully, looking for any sign of a stray chair leg. She managed to make it through without tripping. They entered the cold air, feeling their cheeks tingle from the frosty wind. As they set down the street, Marinette felt her phone buzz. She pulled out her phone, and froze. Adrien was pulled back by her sudden stop. He turned, raising an eyebrow at her frozen posture.
"What, did you turn to ice?" He joked, before feeling his tongue fall flat when she turned her phone to him.
Gabriel Agreste
Come now.
Adrien burst through the front door, not bothering to take his shoes off at the mat. With Marinette on his heels, they had hopped the fence, not bothering to wait for someone to let them in. If Gabriel had messaged Marinette, this was bigger than his pride, which meant a lot from him. Marinette stopped next to Adrien, breathing heavily. He shushed her.
"Excuse me for breathing," she whispered. He sent her a look, breathing just as heavily. They were silent as they crept through the house, set on full alert. Marinette spun in a circle, listening for any sound of life. Adrien peeked through an open door, pulling out even more confused.
Marinette approached a door, before reeling back in surprise when a loud crash scared her. She rushed forward, pushing the door open to see a room full of chaos. Adrien appeared next to her, face flushed, before yelling angrily.
Both Gabriel and Natalie were on their feet, holding two items—that shouldn't be used as weapons—like weapons. A candlestick and sketch book brandished before them, Gabriel stood straight, relaxing his arm. He kicked a broken piece of glass away from him.
"Finally. You're here. I knew having her number would be useful to me." Gabriel said, ungracefully dropping the sketchbook to the ground.
Marinette huffed. "You're both fine."
"I believe we had different definitions of the word 'fine', Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Gabriel sniffed indignantly, straightening his suit jacket. Adrien grit his teeth.
"Were you attacked?" He forced himself to say.
"Yes," Gabriel said immediately.
"No," Natalie sighed. Marinette slammed her fist against a wall.
"We were attacked!" Gabriel interejected.
"You're both standing and I see no blood stains on your clothing," Marinette gestured erratically.
"I'm assuming you made this mess." Adrien crossed his arms, gaze aimed at Gabriel.
"Why yes, I did!" He snapped.
"You're a petulant child." Marinette rolled her eyes.
"Says the woman who dumped coffee on my pants 'accidentally'." Gabriel huffed. Adrien grabbed Marinette around the waist as she lunged down the stairs, heading straight for Gabriel's mussed up head.
"Natalie, please explain why this was worth our time or we're leaving." Adrien told her, pulling Marinette backwards. Marinette grunted, shrugging Adrien off and pacing the entrance like an angry predator. Gabriel watched her with a mix of fascination and terror.
"Gabriel's sketches and final designs for Fashion Week are missing," she told them.
"Oh, this is bullshit!" Marinette threw her hands into the air and went to walk out. Adrien grabbed her collar, hoisting her back into the room. She glared at him, resuming her pacing.
"Please tell me there's more to the story?" Adrien practically begged.
"Our security cameras show that the sketches were stolen last night. The designs were taken today."
Now Marinette stopped, turning her attention to Natalie. "Stolen?"
"Yes."
"Great." Adrien sighed. "Have you called the police?"
"Ha!" Gabriel laughed. "I am not allowing those heretics into my home!"
"Well, if you did, you'd already have your designs back," Marinette huffed, taking a step down the stairs. Gabriel and Natalie flinched, stepping backward. Adrien coughed out a laugh. Knowing his five foot three girlfriend scared his World Renowned Fashion Designer father brought him joy when nothing else could.
"I refuse," Gabriel managed to say firmly, still looking like a scared cat. Adrien rolled his eyes.
"So why are we here?"
"Yes, good question, Adrien. Why are we here?" Marinette repeated, barely hiding her seething anger.
"I need Adrien to find out who was responsible." Gabriel said simply. Marinette and Adrien both went still, turning to face Gabriel. He looked between them.
They began to laugh. Hard.
"T-this isn't funny!" He shouted, barely audible over their boisterous laughing. "I require you to—!"
"Gabe, neither of us are qualified to find your stuff!" Marinette managed to say, wiping tears from her cheeks.
"I understand, but—!"
"Dad." Adrien said finally. Gabriel stilled. It had been a long time since Adrien had called him that. "We can't. I'm calling the police, because every second we wait, the more the trail goes cold."
"Well, at least tell us what time the stuff went missing?" Marinette sighed. Adrien looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. She shrugged. "What?"
"The camera tells us the sketches went missing at 3:37 this morning. The designs were taken around 11:42."
"Hmm…" Marinette said. "What's the address of this place?"
"Place du Châtelet, 75001?"
"Place du Châtelet, 75003? Ring a bell, Adrien?"
He thought for a moment. "Yes, but I can't remember from where."
"Lila left our conversation early, saying she had to go early. That was the address she said she was going, under her breath, remember?"
"Oh, right. Do you think… wait, look." He pointed across the room to a glass bowl. Inside the bowl was water, with a single lotus flower resting lightly in the water. Adrien walked over to it.
"What?"
"Today I heard a man talking about a single lotus flower, just like this one. Doesn't that seem odd to you?"
"Yeah, it's starting to…" Marinette trailed off, circling the room. She flipped over a sketchbook, and went to move on. Marinette froze. She looked back, and narrowed her eyes, picking something up. A strip of black lace.
Gabriel frowned. "That is the most hideous lace I've ever seen. Who would use that?"
"It's not yours?" Adrien asked. Gabriel shook his head, prying it from Marinette's hands and inspecting closer. Marinette gave it one more glance, before gasping and reaching for her bag.
"What is it?" Adrien asked, heading over. Marinette pulled out her sketchbook, flipping to the front few pages. Adrien saw the sketch on the page and started choking.
"What is that?" Gabriel asked, peering at the page.
"A-a sketch of a lingerie piece I saw and liked," Marinette didn't meet Gabriel's eyes, but Adrien could hear his own words from earlier: "Black lace would look nice between my teeth, don't you agree?" Marinette continued, "And if you look close, I put down all the materials used. This," she pointed to the lace, "is one of them."
"Which designer?" Gabriel asked cooly.
"Albert Carpentier." Marinette tapped the page, deep in thought. Adrien looked back at the lotus flower, spinning it in the water. He approached the door, looking for any sign of entrance or exit.
"How'd they get in, Natalie?"
"According to the tape, they came in through the window."
"And you were robbed twice?" Marinette asked.
"Surprisingly, yes. And I am thoroughly offended." Gabriel sniffed.
"Why are you offended?"
"Don't they know I have one of the best security systems in the city? Why attempt to rob me?"
"It doesn't seem like it was an attempt," Adrien started.
"Yeah, and clearly it's not the best if someone managed to break in twice." Marinette rolled her eyes, scribbling on the page in her sketchbook.
Gabriel glared at her, before kicking another broken shard of ceramics and marching across the room to slump in a chair. Adrien had never seen his father slump, so this was certainly a sight to behold. He wasn't very good at it. He took the coat on the edge of the chair and wrapped it around himself like it was a security blanket and he was three years old.
Marinette went back to scribbling, Adrien inspected the windows for any sign of forced entry, and Natalie typed something on her tablet.
Gabriel sighed loudly, and the other three people in the room rolled their eyes. It wasn't often that Gabriel sunk to this level of pettiness, but when he did, it was extremely irritating for everyone involved.
"I can't believe someone would do something this horrid!" he exclaimed, sinking lower into the chair. "It's absolutely vile that they would ever consider crossing me. Mark my words, this demon spawn will pay, and I will make sure their life will be worse than the hell they crawled out of. But how could they do this to me? I've never done anything to them! This is completely unprecedented! No one has ever dared to rob me! I'll make sure they never try again. But this is so rude, and entirely uncalled for. Why would they do this to me? It's such a crime against humanity, this is! It's a crime against the Gabriel Company! Who else would be able to run such a company? Certainly not Marc, or Marcel, though I suspect they both are attempting to overthrow me. Can you believe that? Overthrow me! This all is so outrageous I can't— Eugh, what is that horrible smell?"
"I don't smell anything," Marinette said, sniffing the air. Adrien shook his head, confused.
"Ugh, it's this thing!" Gabriel exclaimed.
Marinette turned, watching Gabriel throw the jacket he had placed over his shoulders across the room. Adrien caught it, taking a sniff before recoiling.
"I know that smell," he said, wincing from the fumes. "Is this your jacket?"
"No! I thought it was yours!" Gabriel told him, tilting his head in confusion. Natalie looked up from her tablet. She walked over, inspecting the coat.
"Are you sure it's not yours, sir?"
"Yes! That color is not in season, and I doubt it ever will be again. Get rid of it at once!"
"Wait," Adrien said, stopping Natalie's hand. "I know this smell. That reporter was wearing the same cologne."
"Reporter? When did you—"
"We were at Fashion Week, Dad. There were dozens of reporters there."
"You're talking about the pushy one, right?" Marinette asked.
"Yes. He was covered in the stuff. Maybe this is his jacket?"
"Why would a reporter break into my house?"
"Dad, you know the answer to that question. They've done it before, they're bound to do it again."
"Okay, we have another suspect." Marinette scribbled that information down as well.
"Great. Let's keep looking, I guess."
They looked for a while, glancing around for something else they could use as evidence. Adrien sidled over to Marinette.
"You haven't called the Police yet," Marinette noted quietly. Adrien glanced over his shoulder, before turning to her and leaning down to her ear.
"Yeah. Figured it would be a waste of time and money. Plus, we wouldn't be able to enjoy Fashion Week anymore."
Marinette hummed in response, flipping over shards of ceramic and glass.
"Well, I guess there's that."
Gabriel sat by a blazing fire, staring into the hot flames. An orange glow illuminated the dark room, settling Gabriel's chaotic nerves ever so slightly. A single knock jolted his silence, and the door swung open, throwing electric lighting into the mix of orange flames. A shadow covered his frame, and he nodded once. Natalie cleared her throat.
"Pierre, the intern, hasn't returned yet, sir. Should I call him again?"
"When did he leave?"
"Yesterday, at midnight. He hasn't been seen by any receptionists at any of the buildings, and Marc Dubois had reported he hasn't visited his office in three days."
Gabriel stayed quiet and still.
"Sir?"
"Message Adrien with this information. I'm sure he will find it useful to his search."
"Of course, sir. Would you like some tea from the kitchens?"
"No, thank you. I will retire shortly. You are dismissed."
"Goodnight, sir."
"Goodnight."
The door closed, and Gabriel was alone again with the flames.
Surprisingly, his thoughts drifted to Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He knew the girl was hard working, dedicated, and good for his son. He also knew she resented him and his ways of raising Adrien. He wondered if he would ever be granted permission by her to meet her parents. He doubted he would, however. He knew she was irritated by him. He knew she was attempting to help Adrien through his trying times, though her methods were debatably effective. He knew it would be difficult to connect with her. He knew their personalities and beliefs would clash.
He smiled to himself. He wondered if he was even willing to try. He wondered if she was willing as well.
But he knew they would both try if Adrien asked.
Phew!
This took a long time, sorry about that, but it's here! And there's a plot! YAY!
I'm sorry about the wait, but I got a bunch of work these last few weeks, and I'm basically booked until school starts, when I'm booked again cause school. Yay.
So I hope that I can get another chapter up soon, but it's very unlikely, so I guess let me know what you think! Encouragement to write is appreciated, as always. But actual thoughts of the story are appreciated more.
Thank you for reading and please review!
~Ani