A/N: These two are so cute I can't even xD For the people who have favorited and reviewed my previous oneshot, thank you so much! :D
I hope you enjoy this story!
Marinette Dupain-Cheng hates flying. She hates how high in the air planes could go, she hates turbulence, she hates how crowded planes could be...
Well, she was sure she was going to hate it. She had never actually flown before, and she was nervous as hell. Unfortunately, the latest fashion show was going to be in Italy, not France. Being one of the top designers, her presence was important.
Which leads to her current situation now, sitting in the waiting area gripping her carry-on bag with white knuckles and a face that looks borderline constipated.
The young designer sucks in a breath, then slowly lets it out. A few people give her strange looks at her behavior but she chooses to ignore them.
Marinette yanks her cell phone out of her pocket, hurriedly tapping her best friend's name.
"Hey, girl," Alya greets on the third ring.
"I can't do this," Marinette moans.
"You'll be fine, girl! The flight's only for two hours, you'll be perfectly fine."
"But what if it crashes or gets hijacked or blown up?!" Marinette screeches in a whisper, fearful from the horrible crash stories that would once in a while be on the news.
"More people die everyday from car crashes. You have a one in a million chance of actually dying on this flight."
Alya immediately wishes she hadn't said that, for now her best friend was in hysterics of how she could be that one.
"Breathe, Mari, breathe. You'll be fine, I know it." Alya stops, letting out a muffled curse. "I'm really sorry but I have to go. I'm needed down at the Le Grand Paris, Jagged Stone is staying there and I need to interview him."
Marinette calms down for a few seconds. "Can you get me an autograph?" She asks in a tiny voice.
Alya laughs. "Of course I will. Now enjoy your flight. Order from the menu, watch a movie, listen to music. Do whatever you need to feel calm. Okay?"
The bluenette feels herself nodding before realizing her best friend couldn't see it. "Okay, I'll try. I'm sure those classic airplane peanuts will be good."
Alya laughs at her joke. "Good. Call me when you land, let me know how it was. See you soon. Bye!"
Marinette glumly returns the farewell, seeing how she's just in time for they're going to begin boarding in five minutes. She swallows, standing up and gripping her suitcase tighter.
...
She finds herself seated in the second row of first class. Not wasting any time, she stashes her suitcase on the shelf above and takes the window seat. Her body slightly sinks, due to the soft cushion on it.
A small smile appears on her face at the luxury. If she was going to die on this flight, at least she'd be comfortable.
"Damn, I'm too late."
Marinette looks up bewildered at the man suddenly sitting next to her. He's one of the most gorgeous men she's ever seen, with sun-kissed blonde hair and emerald green eyes twinkling with amusement. His lips are curved up in a grin.
"I like the window seat, but alas it seems I was too slow to get it. Congrats."
She could only stare numbly. He was handsome, sure, but he talked as if they were friends.
His smile doesn't falter when he sticks out his hand. "I'm Adrien."
Marinette, still slightly confused, places her hand in his. Only instead of a handshake, he turns her palm over to press a kiss on her knuckles. A fierce blush develops over her cheeks, prompting her to yank her hand out of his and to turn her head away.
"Marinette," she mumbles.
Adrien grins at her reaction. "I like your name, Marinette."
"Th-thank you."
While everyone is still boarding, he strikes up a conversation with her.
"So, any particular reason why you're going to Italy?"
Marinette figures it would be nice to have a friend on this flight, to help take her mind off actually flying. So she decides to humor him.
"I'm a designer and I have to be there for a fashion show."
"What a coincidence!" The blond laughs. "I'm a model going to a fashion show. Is it the Moda one?"
Marinette nods. Moda is a fashion show held once a year that showcases all of the top designers' clothing. Though she is proud of her accomplishments, she wishes she didn't have to go.
"Nice! Maybe we'll see each other there." He gives her a charming smile that makes her knees feel weak. Good thing she's sitting down.
But his smile drops as he tilts his head at her in question. "I'm sorry, am I bothering you? I understand if you want to have a quiet flight. I won't disturb you anymore."
The bluenette's heart drops at his crestfallen expression. She didn't mean for him to think that he was disturbing her in any way.
"No, no, you're not disturbing me at all. I like watching you talk." Her eyes widen when she realizes what she said. "I mean, listening to you talk! Not that I don't like watching you because you have a nice face but then of course you have to have a nice face since you're a model and-"
Adrien's warm laughter stops her panicked rambling. Once again a blush engulfs her cheeks. Great, now he probably thinks she's a creepy psycho who liked to stare at models.
"In that case," he finally gets out, taking a breath to calm down. "I'll keep talking, since I know you like watching me do it." He gives her a mischievous wink and she nearly passes out.
"Attention passengers, we are about to take off. Please take out the safety guide on the seat in front of you." A stewardess at the front of the jet said.
As she kept listing all the things that could help in an emergency, Marinette grew more nervous by the second. Air masks? She hadn't thought there could be an issue where those were required. Rubber life raft? She didn't jot down 'crashing into the sea' on her 'Ways To Die By Aircraft' list.
Adrien gazes at his neighbor from the corner of his eye. She looks ready to snap at any moment, her teeth are gnawing at her bottom lip and her eyes are impossibly wide with eyebrows slightly down.
That's when it dawned on him. She was afraid. That's why he thought she seemed annoyed by his talking, she was nervous about flying.
He deftly sneaks an arm behind her to shut the cover to the window, so when they were in the air she wouldn't be tempted to look out.
Adrien smiles, placing his hand over the bluenette's on the seat rest. She tears her eyes away from the guide to look bewildered at him, as if she was previously lost in her 'airplane disaster' world.
"Hey," he says. "You're going to be fine. I purromise."
He smirks when her face scrunches up in confusion.
"I make cat puns whenever my coworkers are nervous about getting on the runway. It either calms them down, or makes them so annoyed they furget about their anxiety completely."
Marinette can't help but smile. He was willing to distract her during the flight so she wouldn't be afraid. He's officially one of the kindest men she's ever met, not to mention gorgeous. Looks and personality were key for Marinette, although she wasn't looking for a relationship with the blond.
The stewardess stops talking and in no time they're on the runway. A few minutes later, they're informed they're going to take off.
The jet suddenly starts speeding, causing Marinette to let out a whimper as her body is sucked backwards from the momentum. Adrien hears her and grips her hand tighter.
"You're fine, Purrincess. I won't let anything happen to you. I never break my purromises."
Her heartbeat quickens, and not due to her fears of flying.
She feels the moment they're off the ground. She screws her eyes shut tight, trying to steady her breathing. Adrien comfortingly rubs small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.
A few minutes after that, a stewardess tells them they can unbuckle their seat belts and turn on their cellphones. The refreshment cart will be on it's way momentarily.
Marinette warily opens her eyes. Adrien smiles at that and places a quick kiss on the back of her hand.
"You're doing a clawsome job, Princess."
She feels the corners of her lips turn up.
A young stewardess hands the model two menus, however her eyes linger on him in the process. Marinette develops a strange feeling her stomach when she notices.
"Thank you." Adrien smiles and nods politely. He returns his attention to the bluenette. "How about we look at the menu?"
He hands her a menu and together they peruse through the limited number of items. They both end up selecting hachis parmentier and soda.
"So, what do you like to do besides designing?" Adrien asks.
A fond smile graces her features. "I love baking. My parents own a bakery back in Paris."
"A bakery? Sweet!"
Marinette shakes her head at the terrible pun while Adrien laughs.
"Come on, that was a great one! I couldn't pass up the opportunity," he explains, still snickering at the end.
"Of course you couldn't," she agrees, although she's smiling too.
They keep talking only until their meals arrive. After all, it's not polite to talk with food in your mouth.
After they've eaten, Adrien wastes no time in talking again.
"What's your favorite color?"
Marinette blinks. So far he's asked her about her life, and getting answers about his. They hadn't delved into personality-based questions yet.
"Pink," she answers. "Yours?"
"Green. Favorite ice cream flavor? Mine's strawberry."
"Chocolate. Favorite singer?"
Adrien grins. "Jagged Stone."
Marinette gasps. "Me too!"
This continues until a voice comes over the intercom from the pilot, saying that they will be arriving at their destination shortly.
The designer's eyes widen incredulously. It couldn't have been two hours already? But, when she opened the window cover, she saw the unmistakable city of Rome.
She slowly turns her gaze back to Adrien. He kept her distracted for the entire flight. Not once was she scared, not counting when they were taking off. For two hours he made sure she wasn't thinking about the jet at all. He could've watched a movie, listened to music, do anything else. But he spent two entire hours talking to her and making sure she was calm.
A warm feeling blossoms in her chest.
"Thank you, Adrien."
He raises an eyebrow. "For what?"
"I wasn't scared at all. Thank you for talking to me and keeping me calm. I don't know how to thank you."
Something sparks in his eyes. "Actually, would you-"
"Attention passengers. Please put your seat belts back on and turn off your cellphones. We will be landing momentarily," came the voice of a stewardess.
The blond frowns at the interruption, but does as he's instructed.
A few minutes later they land, and since they're in first class, Adrien and Marinette are one of the first to leave. Now all they had to do was wait for their baggage to come around in the airport.
She ends up walking side-by-side with Adrien. Inside she sees many signs, but the language is completely foreign to her. She probably should've studied some Italian beforehand.
Adrien chuckles at her lost expression. "Baggage claim is over here." He takes her hand and leads the way, all the while she's fighting off a blush.
"You know Italian?" The bluenette can't help but ask.
"Yep, along with Chinese. My father was adamant on me knowing more than one language."
When they finally arrive, they smile upon seeing the conveyor belt already running. Hopefully they'd get their luggage soon.
"So, what hotel are you staying at?" Adrien asks casually, trying not to sound creepy.
Marinette smiles, showing she doesn't think he is at all. "Hotel Di Lusso. You?"
His mouth drops at the coincidence of it all. "Me too." He suddenly dons a rare, devilish smirk. "What room?"
Her face erupts in fire. "I-uh-um-n-not t-telling!"
"Shame." He shakes his head. "I would've loved playing poker with you."
Did he...? Marinette's jaw clenches in anger. He did that on purpose!
Adrien's head bends down, his lips at her ear.
"Strip poker."
She can't breathe. Marinette was so scared she'd die in the jet but she never thought she could die in the airport.
Meanwhile, Adrien leans back and pretends he didn't just knock off ten years of her life. Although, his smug smirk gives it away.
Marinette is all too glad when their baggage finally arrives. So she yanks her suitcase off and walks as fast as she could away. It isn't until she remembers she can't speak or read Italian that she stops.
Adrien strides up next to her with his own suitcase, chuckling.
"Well, we're going to the same place, Princess. Since you can't understand this beautiful language, you might as well stick with someone who does. And who do you know here besides me?"
Marinette's shoulders slump in defeat, until the lightbulb goes off in her head. Her friend Theo should be here by now, she could call him to come get her.
She smirks at Adrien, who now looks puzzled by her seemingly victory grin.
"My friend Theo should be here by now, I'm sure he'd love to come get me."
Adrien does his best to hide his scowl. "Who's Theo?"
"My colleague, he's a great designer and he's going to Moda, too. Thank you, Adrien, you've been a great help but I've got it from here."
She moves to take her phone out of her pocket but the model grasps her wrist.
"No need to bother him, we're going to the same place so it's only more convenient to go with me. Look, there's the place I got my rental car from. Let's go pick it up and then we'll go to the hotel."
Adrien doesn't give her time to protest when he proceeds to drag her away. Why was he so eager to keep her with him? The flight was over, he didn't need to keep her calm anymore...
Soon enough they're in the rental car with Adrien driving to the hotel. Marinette sits in the passenger seat marveling at the luxury of the vehicle.
"How long are you staying, Princess?"
His sudden question makes her jump slightly, the ride was silent until he spoke.
"Until Friday." The fashion show is tomorrow, on Wednesday. She figured she might as well have two extra days to explore the city, then she'd be back in France on Saturday.
It's like fate keeps pushing us together, he muses with a chuckle. Marinette asks him what's funny but he only shakes his head.
...
Marinette arrives at the show an hour before it starts. She has to make sure her designs are correct and nothing is wrong with them.
While she's talking to one of her models an arm makes it's way around her shoulders. She jumps five feet in the air while the male laughs.
"Theo, I told you to stop doing that!"
The brunet grins. "But scaring you is so much fun, Mari!"
"You're cruel," she chides with a small smile. The model Marinette was talking to leaves the assumed lovebirds alone.
"I missed you so much, we have a lot to catch up on," he insists.
"Theo, we didn't see each other in two days," the bluenette deadpans.
"Which is much too long!" He sighs dramatically. "You know how much I love being around you."
While they were friends, Marinette has had a lingering suspicion that he liked her as more than a friend. But she didn't want to point it out and risk losing their friendship.
"I like being around you too, Theo," she replies.
"Hey, Princess."
Marinette looks behind Theo and sees Adrien, wearing a forced smile. Theo narrows his eyes at the newcomer.
"Who are you?"
Adrien ignores his question to walk up to Marinette. Without a word he takes her hand and presses a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Her heart instantly flutters at the affection.
He turns back to an annoyed Theo. "Adrien Agreste. And you are?"
Marinette stills upon hearing his last name. Agreste is the top fashion company in all of France. Her company seemed bankrupt compared his father's.
"Theo Barbeau. I didn't know you were friends with Marinette." His tone is suspicious and cold.
"Oh yeah," Adrien replies easily, wrapping an arm around the bluenette's waist. "We're like this." He raises his other arm in the air and crosses his index and middle fingers together. While a flustered Marinette is looking at the ground the blond gives the brunet a smug smirk.
Adrien gazes back down at the girl wrapped in his arm. "So, Princess-"
"Her name is Marinette."
He acts as if Theo didn't even speak. "Did you enjoy the cafe from earlier?"
"Y-yes."
Around noon Adrien arrived at her hotel room, asking if she wanted to get lunch with him. She agreed and they spent a good two hours laughing, talking, and enjoying the delicious Italian food before going back to the hotel to get ready for the fashion show.
"You know, I bet we could have a better time together getting din-"
"Marinette, I think your models need you. I remember hearing one earlier complaining how there's a stain on her scarf," Theo cuts in before Adrien could continue.
The designer's eyes widen in panic. "A stain?! No, no, no, no." She untangles herself from Adrien's side. "I have to go take care of that!"
She runs away, leaving two bristling males.
"Back off, pretty boy. I've liked Marinette for awhile now and you're not just going to take her away from me," Theo growls.
Adrien mockingly places a hand over his heart. "You think I'm pretty?"
"I'm serious. She'll never consider going out with you, a model for a rival company."
"She didn't seem to take that into consideration when she had lunch with me."
They glare at each other for what seems like an eternity before Adrien is called away to get ready.
...
The show is going splendidly. Marinette was confused when she didn't find a stain on any of her scarves, but is happy nonetheless at one less thing to worry about.
The designers are all backstage, watching their creations get applauded.
Theo finds Marinette and places an arm around her shoulders.
"So, Mari, I was thinking. Do you want to get dinner with me after the show?"
Marinette's eyes widen in shock. He was actually asking her out. She didn't want to go out with him, but didn't know how to tell him that.
He mistook her reaction for joyful surprise. "Awesome. I'll pick you up after." He leans closer to her face to place a kiss on her cheek and that's when she wakes from her stupor.
"No, Theo." She leans away from him. "I don't want to go out with you. I'm sorry."
Theo narrows his eyes. "It's because of him, isn't it?"
She knows he's talking about Adrien. Gorgeous, nice, funny, helpful, smart, caring...she likes him and she can't deny it no longer.
Marinette looks away. "Yeah."
"What do you see in him, anyway?" He barks.
She's surprised at his rough tone but lists all the qualities of Adrien that she's attracted to, completely answering his question.
"I see." He removes his arm from her shoulders and steps back.
"I'm really sorry, Theo. You're a great friend, but I don't see you as a boyfriend," she apologizes sincerely. She hates making him sad but she tried to reject him as politely as possible.
"I understand," he finally says. He's still angry though, proven by his stomping away.
Marinette sighs and goes further backstage, her designs are done being showcased. On her way back she spies Adrien and a female model, who's dragging her finger seductively down his chest.
That same feeling erupts in her stomach like when the stewardess looked at him for too long on the jet, only now it's highly increased. Her eyes narrow at the way the brunette's eyes are half lidded and how she's slightly biting her lower lip.
"Hey, Adrien!" Marinette walks over, a too-cheery smile plastered on her face. "I saw you out there earlier, you look good in a suit."
His cheeks warm at the compliment as he thanks her.
"Who's she?" The model asks rudely.
"I'm Marinette, nice to meet you." The smile stays on her face the whole time.
"I didn't know you were friends with Adrien."
"Oh, yeah." Marinette copies Adrien's actions from earlier. "We're like this."
Adrien grins, realizing that his Princess is jealous.
"Lila!"
The model turns at the sound of the name. She confirms she'll be there in a second before turning her gaze back to Adrien.
"I'll see you later, Adrien." She blows a kiss and winks before strutting away in her heels.
Marinette suppresses a growl.
Adrien chuckles. "Come on, I have to talk to you."
He pulls her to his dressing room and closes the door. He's standing only inches away from her, she gulps at the close proximity.
"I've been interrupted twice and it isn't going to happen again," Adrien states. "Will you go to dinner with me tonight?"
The gorgeous, nice, funny, helpful, smart, caring model Adrien Agreste is asking her out. She would squeal in happiness but that could wait for when she gets back to her hotel room.
"Yes."
He grins. "Purrfect. I'm done modelling for the evening. Want to head out now?"
She nods, biting her lip to keep from smiling any wider.
"Let's go, Princess."