The beat pulsed aggressively through the air, mimicking the bodies pressed together, moving, jumping, dancing. Marinette lost focus on trying to make sure that her drink wasn't spilled as her hair stuck to the sweat dripping down her neck and a strong pair of hands gripped at her hips to pull her up against the stranger.
Lights flashed in rhythm as the song raged on and she let her eyes slip closed as the world swayed and tilted. Her feet stumbled. The strong hands held her up and she began to move against him, letting the heat and the noise and the feel of another person fill her up with the peace she couldn't reach outside of the club.
She had lost track of Alya hours ago. Alya- she was the reason that Marinette came out- she had called her up earlier, convinced her to gather the will to change out of her oversized pajamas into a skin-tight red slip of fabric, and fed her drink after drink until, suddenly, it wasn't her friend giving her drinks, but men offering to buy them.
Her mind took some time to decipher what was happening, but when she did, Marinette had felt something strange- something that exposed a power that she didn't know she had- something that made her want to giggle and dance with strangers- for the first time, Marinette actually felt wanted.
Memories start being formed in flashes. She can't tell if the song has been playing for 30 seconds or for an hour. Drink, dance, sweat. Hands go in the air as a second pair slips around the front of her torso- the moment that he turns her around to face him, the magic is lost. Slip away, repeat. She never wants to see their face. If she never sees them, she can imagine that it is anyone that she wants. And tonight, Marinette imagines sun kissed hair and striking emerald green eyes.
A sudden pressure in her bladder has the bluenette pushing away from whatever guy she had been dancing with. The room sways as she watches a couple of blurry girls dancing in a cage on the stage. The chatter of voices by the bar guides her way to the restroom and her hand ghosts along the sticky wall incase her ankle rolls out in protest of the heels that she's teetering on.
The hallway is dim and she can see a line of women running out the brightly lit doorway. Damn. Why is it always the women's bathroom that has a wait? Marinette passes the time by slurring greetings and compliments to those around her- she makes fast friends with a bachelorette party- the maid of honor is slumped on the ground crying because she loves her best friend so much and is so happy that she's getting married in a week. Her smile wide and her heart full, Marinette swipes her thumbs under the happy girl's eyes and fixes her running mascara.
When she's finally in the stall, she sits and her vision wants to keep dancing. She pees more than she thought possible and closes her eyes to try and gain control over her body. How much has she had to drink tonight? Her thoughts come in a step by step process, trying to be responsible.
One- finish peeing. Two- stand up, grip the bar when the world spins too quickly. Three- make sure you're not trailing toilet paper. Did she actually flush the toilet or was that the stall next door? Four- make sure you flush your toilet. Five- double check that your dress isn't stuffed down the back of your underwear. Six- get out and wash your hands. Marinette flashes a smile at the next girl in line as she trades the stall for the sink.
The lighting is terrible, soft and flickering every few seconds, and she wonders how long her eye liner had been smudged up the side of her temple. Her face feels numb, her cheeks are flushed, and the tongue in her mouth dances along her lips, catching every crack. Marinette gazes into her own dull blue eyes and wonders what she's doing there. A song fills her ears and she stumbles in her excitement to get back onto the dance floor- she knows this one!
As she passes the DJ's stand, Marinette catches sight of Alya who is wearing a pair of oversized headphones and smiling shyly at an attractive man with bright caramel eyes. She steers away, not wanting to interfere- it's not often that her friend actually shows interest in a guy. Two more steps and she's lost once more in the throng of swaying bodies.
Wiggling through the minuscule gaps between partners, she meets up with the bachelorette group again and dances and laughs. A man comes up behind her once more and she locks eyes with one of the bridesmaids who gives her a shake of the head and gently pulls her away from him and into their midst. It's different dancing with girls- more freedom to move, less pressure to be sexy- the flashes of memory are all hands up, drinks in the air, singing loudly until their voices are gone.
That's when Marinette sees him. Her face alight with laughter after one of the girls splits her pants, she turns and there he is- the man she imagined earlier- green eyes locked on her face. He was handsome, even with his features slackened in awe, mouth hanging open, drink held up as though he were about to take a sip. She giggled and the man shook himself out of the trance. The bridesmaid who helped her out earlier elbowed her in the ribs before smiling and pushing her towards the mystery man who was now walking straight for her.
Wobbling slightly on the towering heels, pulling her dress down a bit more as she moved, Marinette started forward in a daze. Was he really coming to talk to her? Her insecurity was dulled by the alcohol rushing through her veins and she smiled as he came to a halt right in front of her. The angles of his strong jaw line and sharp features were much more apparent up close.
"You're very attractive." She practically purred. "You put my daydreams to shame." The stranger's face flushes in the most adorable shade of pink before he can gather his wits enough to grin smoothly down at her.
"I thought I knew what beauty was," the skin crinkled in the corner of his eyes and a dimple was revealed on his left cheek as he smiled tenderly, "but then I saw you laughing and your bluebell eyes met mine- everything else doesn't even compare." The words were soft, uttered in the small space that his inclined head created, and it felt like a dream. Fast music was still pounding around them, their bodies were almost pressed flush against one another, and yet she stood there frozen as his words permeated each fuzzy layer of her mind.
With a boldness that she didn't know she possessed, the small girl pressed farther into him, arched herself until her hands were splayed out over his chest and her mouth was centimeters away from his ear and whispered as silkily as possible. "I'm Marinette; do you want to dance?"
She could feel his pulse racing underneath the pads of her fingertips as her own thudded behind her ears. A shaky exhaled "yes" on her neck and the feel of tender, unsteady hands landing on her hips left her flushing a bright red. Anticipation crackled between the two as she wound her arms up around his neck and began to sway and move with the beat.
It was the same, and yet completely different than dancing with the other strangers that night. The heat of two bodies moving together was still there- but there was also this undeniable chemistry- each bit of friction between them had Marinette's body flaming to life with the need to be closer, to hear more of his raspy breaths as the exertion put a strain on his lungs.
She was no longer focused on imagining someone else, for she was so wrapped up in this one unbelievably attractive, surprisingly restrained man. His hands hadn't strayed from her hips, though she could feel the tight pressure that he held onto her with- was that to stop himself from exploring her curves or to make sure that she didn't slip away? She didn't seem to care either way.
"You can loosen your grip, I'm not going anywhere." As soon as he did, boldness struck her once more as she swiveled her hips and pressed her back into his chest. Another short gasp, followed by a low groan as Marinette gently guided his palms down her thighs and onto the hem of her dress- the feel of skin on skin emboldened him a bit and her breath caught in her own throat as a gentle kiss was placed on the pulse point of her neck.
"That's not fair, Princess. I'm trying my best to be a gentleman." His words trailed along the curve of her ear and she shuddered. Her mind was flying to a darkened room, sheets mussed up on the bed, clothes trailed on the floor throughout an unfamiliar apartment- something that she's never experienced, and yet, been imagining for years. Her hips swayed back to grind against his. Another low groan and a feather light kiss were placed onto her neck.
If only Alya was watching her now- for years she had been teasing Marinette about not experiencing one of life's base pleasures- but here she was, dancing, rubbing, teasing. Her hands guiding his over the curve of her hips, onto the skin of her inner thigh. He let her, but never pushed further- even though she could feel the restraint vibrating through his fingers as she moved them back onto her hips. His kisses were driving her crazy; the alcohol was wearing off, but the room still swam with each flick of his tongue against her skin.
Last call rang out through the speakers- the club would be closing soon. A portion of her mind reminded her of Alya. Marinette spun, bright eyed and face flushed, smiling brightly up at her mystery man. "I don't want the night to end yet." She stated boldly. "Do you want to go on an adventure? Get a little lost? Have a bit more fun?"
His answering grin was enhanced by his half lidded eyes. Marinette was taken aback that she was the one able to cause such a look- she felt in control and, oddly, she felt comfortable with him.
"I need to find my friend and tell her I won't be leaving with her then." She grabbed his hand before pulling him out of the mass of bodies still moving in sync. Chancing a glance back at him, she caught the stunned, awed look once more on his face, as though he couldn't quite believe that she was real. Grinning to herself, Marinette felt her self-esteem soaring.
Alya was still hovering around the DJ's station, dancing and holding prolonged eye contact with the man who was spinning the current song- Marinette knew that given the opportunity, her friend would be bringing this guy back to their apartment that night… maybe it was a good idea that she planned to be out herself.
As she quickly approached her, Alya's keen eyes latched onto her hand still attached to the attractive man behind her and Marinette felt the embarrassment coloring her cheeks, but she refused to loosen her grip and risk losing him in the crowd.
"Had a nice night Marinette?" A smirk rose at the corner of her lips, just under her beauty mark. "And to think you wanted to stay home." Her teasing only caused Marinette's cheeks to heat up more. Quickly glancing at the man behind her, she saw that the adorable pink was once more on him as well- she idly wondered how much she could make it appear during the rest of the night.
"Yeah, yeah- thanks very much, Alya. I just wanted to let you know that we're-" she motioned between her and the man, "going to go find something to do. I don't know when," she flashed her eyes up to the DJ who was staring at their group in confusion, "or if, I'll be coming home tonight. So be good and be safe."
Alya's eyes had flashed up to the DJ as well, her face flamed dark red and she sputtered out a few words before laughing. "I didn't know I was being that obvious." She glanced back to the blond behind her friend who was smiling and waving at the man she'd been talking to all night. "So, who might you be? If I'm to trust you with my best friend for the night."
Marinette blanched, with the alcohol receding from her system, she had just realized that he never told her his name. "Uh-"
"Adrien! I didn't think that you made it out tonight; I haven't seen you at all!" The dark skinned DJ cut off Marinette's panicking and the man's attempt at an introduction. The two men shared a soft fist bump before an arm was slung carefully around Alya's shoulder. His caramel eyes drifted down to the couple's still entwined hands. "And who is this lovely lady that you have here?"
Both adults flushed like teenagers. "Hey Nino; I was, uh, late tonight and then- then I met Marinette and got, um, distracted." His voice was raspy with the volume that he had to use to be heard and her mind flashed back to the feel of his breath on her neck- her grip tightened minutely around his own and she instantly felt an answering squeeze in return.
"Wait," Alya waved her hands in front of herself, "you two know each other?"
Nino laughed softly before nodding and grinning. "He's my best friend! We share an apartment over on Rue Serpente. I had to practically bribe him to get him out of the house." Marinette saw the gentle squeeze that he gave her friend, and the adoring look that Alya sent back at him as he gazed at the man- Adrien- behind her.
"What- what a coincidence!" Alya laughed a moment later, placing a hand up onto Nino's chest in excitement. "Marinette and I live together on Rue Palatine; who would have thought, huh?"
Marinette felt Adrien move up beside her before his hand slipped from her grasp and settled around her on the small of her back. The gentle pressure sent another shiver up her spine and her body physically ached to lean in towards him. Looking up into the startling green eyes, she smiled shyly under the observation of their two friends.
An incessant beeping rang out from the wristwatch on Nino's arm. "Sorry dude's, gotta go play the last song. Are you heading out now, Adrien?"
His brow lifted elegantly in a question as her gazed at her and Marinette's body tingled with anticipation before giving a subtle nod. "Yeah-" the word squeaked out as Nino hid a laugh behind his hand, "yeah, we're going to go find something to do- get to know each other better… I think?" The question hung in the air and Marinette's smile beamed.
"Okay, cool. I text you later to let you know where I end up." Marinette flashed Alya a sly grin as she flushed red once more.
"I'll text you too Als, to let you know what we end up doing. Thanks for dragging me out tonight!" Her friend's bright brown eyes gleamed as the two of them hugged. Marinette waved goodbye to Nino before slipping her hand once more into Adrien's and pulling him towards the exit.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do! Be safe!" The red head's words rang out behind the two adults and Marinette cringed before sending a sly smile back up at the blushing man beside her.
It took a bit for her to shake off the embarrassing comments of her best friend, but by the time Adrien was helping her slip on her light jacket, she was feeling more like the daring girl on the dance floor. "Come on, let's get out of here."
The fresh night air lapped cooingly against their overheated skin- Marinette hadn't noticed just how warm the inside of the club had been until they were securely outside. She shivered, drawing her jacket tightly around herself, before she felt the tentative weight of an arm around her. Adrien was shyly gazing at her to see if it was okay and, with her small answering nod, he pulled her in closer to himself.
"What would you like to do, Princess? Paris is our oyster tonight." His tone was softer, more velvety now that he didn't have to be heard over blaring music. Her ears were adjusting to the sudden lack of noise outside and the ringing in her head was calming down.
A thought struck her as she gazed at the horizon. "I've never been to the tower after nightfall. Want to go with me?" It really wasn't that far- a couple of kilometers at best- she felt confident that they could walk it. "We could stroll the Seine back towards our apartments."
Adrien hummed in agreement as they switched their heading and started walking towards the imposing structure. The silence was stretching on- not in an uncomfortable sort of way, but Marinette was racking her brain for something to say, none the less. Luckily, the man next to her must have been thinking along the same lines.
"So… do you go out dancing a lot?" Images of their bodies rubbing up against one another sent heat dancing below her skin.
"No- tonight was actually the first night Alya had gotten me out…" She laughed slightly as the memory of her hands moving his to her thighs flittered through her mind. "I- I'm not usually as forward as I was- uh- when we were dancing."
Adrien's head flew back in a laugh as his free hand raked through the messy blond hair and some of the tension in his body relaxed against her. "I'm not usually that bold either! Truth be told, I was- still am- so nervous." Marinette giggled as he laughed again and then blue eyes met green and that chemistry crackled to life once more between them. "I meant what I said, though- you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
A swoop in her stomach and a flutter around her chest had her cheeks flushing for the umpteenth time that evening. She thought of her smeared makeup and the way her hair must be twisted and tangled from dancing. "That's incredibly kind of you- I meant what I said as well; you're incredibly handsome- unfairly so- you'd probably make a good model, if I'm honest."
Adrien sputtered for a moment and then laughed once he caught sight of her serious, contemplative expression. Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion as the man had to clutch his sides against his mirth.
"Fun- funny you should mention that!" He coughed out around his laughs. It took him a few minutes to calm down enough to talk properly. Marinette stood with her arms tucked across her chest and tapping her foot impatiently. "Sorry- sorry. It's just that… I actually am a model- and it's funny that you didn't actually recognize me- I thought for sure after Nino had said my name, you would catch on."
"Wait- hold up- that's not possible. I've studied countless magazines! I'm a fashion major for crepe's sake…" Her eyes roamed the contours of his face under the dim streetlamps. "This is going to drive me crazy- What's your stage name?"
The man laughed again before shrugging. "I'm afraid it's true Marinette. I haven't got a stage name; I just go by Adrien Agreste."
Taking an involuntary step back, Marinette tried to connect the two people in her mind. She was spending time with one of the biggest names in modeling at the moment. She danced with the son of her favorite fashion designer. She guided his hands along her inner thighs and caused those low, throaty groans!
He thought she was the most beautiful person he's ever seen.
Adrien was avoiding her eye contact as she slowly made her way back towards him. Using her left hand to gently lift his chin, she used her right hand to smooth back the wayward bangs hanging into his eyes. "I see it now," she murmured softly, "I just never expected to be here."
The blond barked out a low, mirthless laugh. "I understand if you don't want to be around me. Fame does nothing good to people's lives… It's sure not the life that I would choose." The open vulnerability that she saw within those darkened green eyes, left her head reeling.
Thoughts of her career, thoughts about paparazzi, thoughts about gossip and fans and his father all swirled around in her mind, but only one constant thought kept resurfacing- she didn't want this to be the last time she saw him. Slowly leaning to nuzzle her head into his neck, she smiled as his arms pulled her into a hug and his lips once more found her pulse point.
"You didn't think I'd walk away from such a good dancer just because of a mild case of fame, did you? Let's make it through this first date and then we can see what we want to do tomorrow." She teased him to lighten the mood. The grin that spread across his face made him more attractive than any magazine spread had ever managed.
"So this is a date, Princess? I should have gotten you flowers." Marinette smiled wickedly as she caught his eye. Her gaze traveled down to watch his Adams apple bob in apprehension. She felt powerful once more as she realized that she was the reason he was nervous.
"I have this rule- a guy has to take me out before I'll go home with him; no one's ever made it past the date, but I have a good feeling about you." Adrien's breath hitched in his throat as a high, pitiful sound squeaked out- Marinette winked at him before looping an arm around his elbow and pulling lightly to get his feet moving again.
"Sooo," She drawled slowly, "Last I heard, Adrien Agreste was dating the mayor's daughter." Beside her, Adrien noticeably flinched. Marinette almost felt bad for asking, but she needed to know about it before allowing herself to get further invested.
"Not actually dating- it was a publicity stunt that she talked my father into… I think she thought I would fall in love with her if I was forced to spend time with her. After a couple of weeks of incessant shopping trips, public appearances, and awkward conversations, I had my father put a stop to the whole thing. We officially broke up after a public fight three weeks ago." She felt him shrug. "My past 'relationships' haven't actually been about me liking a person… instead it's more about what I can do to help out the brand. It's hard to find a connection with someone when increasing profits is at the top of the priority list."
The young bluenette sighed dramatically in an attempt to lighten the mood. "And here I thought I had it bad. My dating history includes one sweet, but shy red head who asked me to be his girlfriend in high school to cover up the fact that he had a boyfriend from his parents and a slew of tinder matches that only ask for nudes." She giggled. "If anyone saw us on the dance floor tonight, they never would have guessed, huh?"
Adrien stared at her, stricken, before laughing along. "He really used you to cover up his actual relationship? What did you do, pretend to go out on dates while he actually took his boyfriend?"
"Yes! I spent a lot of time at the park near my parent's house pretending that I was at the movies. He'd text me the plot line in case anyone asked me what it was about… It was so awkward, and the worst part was that everyone at school thought we were dating and so no one else would ask me out!" Marinette could feel the smile stretch across her face despite the remaining embarrassment from high school- at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about any missed opportunities with boys- she had a great one sitting right in front of her.
"And the tinder guys; that's just disrespectful! I've never been permitted to have an account on there, but Nino would sometimes let me see how it worked. I'm guessing it didn't lead to a lot of great dates?" He nudged her side with his elbow and Marinette was momentarily stunned by how easy it was to talk to him, by how easy this entire night has played out. She'd never met someone like him before.
"Like I said, no one that I would go home with." They both laughed again and she soaked up the warm, comfortable feeling that his body radiated. She couldn't remember a night where she had been this happy, where she had felt this at ease and comfortable, it hadn't even been half a day, but Marinette was sure that she wouldn't find this connection with another person.
"Can I ask you something?" His voice cut into her thoughts and her eyes got caught on his intense stare. "I-I don't really have a lot of experience meeting new people, I was home schooled my entire life… Nino's really one of my only actual friends. Is this how it normally works? Is it really this easy all of the time, or is this just easy because it's you that I'm meeting, that I'm laughing with and getting to know?"
Marinette took a moment to consider her words. "Usually it's more awkward- you introduce yourself and try to come up with something to talk about and then worry afterwards about if you sounded stupid or not. Sometimes it's easier- when I met Alya, we just clicked. I still had moment of worry about if she actually wanted to be my friend or not, but it got better as time went on. This?" She gestured between the two of them, not darling to break their eye contact. "I've never had this before. It's palpable- I can feeling whatever it is humming between us and drawing me closer to you. There's no fear, no worry about being strangers, no question about if you like me or not. It's just there."
Before she knew what was happening, Adrien had pulled his arm out from her grasp and two steady hands braced themselves on either side of her face. She could feel his breath ghosting across her dry, cracked lips and her tongue darted out to wet them. Anticipation hung in the air as his green, green eyes bore into her blue ones, giving her every opportunity to push him away- instead, her small hands wrapped into the fabric of his jacket and pulled him down the last few centimeters until his lips were melding against her own in a feverish frenzy.
Sparks danced along the soft flesh as his tongue ran across her bottom lip, eliciting a muffled gasp and granting him entrance into her own mouth. One of his hands drifted to the back of her head as he tilted his own, drawing them closer together. Her fingers loosened on the fabric and wound around to the small of his back. A gentle nibble on his bottom lip had him groaning again and Marinette reveled in the sound.
They stood there, kisses slowing down, catching their breaths in between each one, just gazing into each other's eyes. The air hummed with the nighttime sounds of the Paris streets and the two adults still clung tightly to the other, afraid that by letting go, the night will have turned into a dream.
"I, uh- I was hoping you'd say that." Adrien finally murmured, settling his forehead against her own. "I've been dying to do that since I saw you laughing in the club."
"Since then, huh?" Marinette smiled widely, closing her eyes and gathering her courage. "I feel obligated to warn you that I'm not a morning person, but I'm sure that if you kiss me like that, tomorrow we might just be up in time for brunch."