A/N: These stories are cross-posted on AO3 under LNC. I'm behind on uploading them to .
Gabriel had outdone itself this year.
The waxed floors of Le Grand Paris gleamed bright beneath the twinkling of a thousand fairy lights. Halos of holly found home in yards and yards of rich, verdant garland that hugged the arches and columns of the lobby; mistletoe tied up in conspicuous red bows hung in archways and corridors, ready to entrap the willing and un in tradition, holiday spirit, and mischief; a monstrously beautiful tree stretched up towards the ceiling in the center of the room and the dance floor, limbs nearly sagging beneath the weight of tinsel and ornaments and cheer.
The room was a spectacular monument to his father's success and was entirely lost on Adrien Agreste as he stood, trapped, on the outskirts of the dancefloor, painfully pleasant smile in place. Signor Rossi, one of his father's more outspoken board members, droned on about last quarter's profits as his daughter, Lila, held tightly to Adrien's arm.
"Papa, please," She said, squeezing his arm and laughingly cutting off her father. "It's a party! Let's not talk business tonight."
Adrien would have felt relief if he didn't know any better. Years worth of company events such as this taught him nothing came without strings attached. Years worth of company events with Lila taught him exactly what kind of strings the Rossis were angling for.
"Adrien, did Gabriel tell you about Papa's new chateau up in Trois Vallées? You simply must come up some weekend and join us."
I simply must not, He thought, panic rising as Lila's grip on his arm tightened. Signor Rossi's eyes danced between the two of them approvingly as he seconded his daughter's invitation.
Adrien's gaze darted around the room, looking for something, anything to help him escape, when his eyes locked on a familiar passing blue.
He didn't think before his free arm reached out to snake around the unsuspecting figure, pulling her in close as she squeaked in protest.
"Thank you so much for the invitation, Signor, but I'll have to check with my girlfriend before committing to any plans."
Adrien wasn't sure who was more surprised by his announcement– his father's business partner, said partner's daughter, or the spitfire in heels he currently held captive by the waist.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng's eyes flashed dangerously even as she sent a blindsiding smile towards Gabriel's largest investor.
"Oh?" Signor Rossi said, confusion evident as he reached out to take her hand. He shared a frown with Lila whose lips were pressed into a tight, frozen line. "I didn't know you were seeing anyone. Gabriel didn't mention it."
"It's new," Marinette said, nails digging into Adrien's side. "We're still testing the waters."
Adrien laughed, covering his wince, and unwound her arm to bring the offending hand to his lips with a grin.
"Ah, cheri, these waters run rivers for you."
Marinette's cheeks flushed as she pushed him away, her tongue-tart reply cut short.
"I didn't know you and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng were so close."
Adrien nearly tripped over the woman in his arms as he whirled around to see Gabriel Agreste's imposing frown.
Fuck.
They'd attempted three dates with disastrous results.
Date #1 was cut short by a horde of screaming fans.
Date #2 fell by the wayside when a bout of food poisoning hit Marinette during the middle of their horribly expensive dinner.
And Date #3 resulted in the paparazzi crashing then chasing them through the streets of Paris.
It was surprising to no one when they'd decided to call it quits. Or, more to the point, when Marinette decided to call it quits.
"I think the universe is trying to tell us something," She'd said a few days later, laughing as she gently, sweetly broke his heart. "We're better suited to coffee runs and happy hour."
Adrien couldn't disagree more especially when it'd taken him four months to finally work up the courage to ask her out properly in the first place. Four months of checking his photo shoots against her schedule, working hard to be effortlessly available whenever she planned get-togethers, ran out for a much needed caffeine break, or stayed late to meet one of his father's absolutely insane deadlines.
Four months working off a frankly disastrous first impression, going from disapproving scowls to tentative smiles to silly-faced grins as they passed each other in the hall or caught each other's eye at a photo shoot.
He'd done his best (re: worst) flirting to get them to a full on friendship. Months of feeling like an eight year-old tugging at his crush's pigtails in his desperate attempts to get her to notice him only for one thoughtless thoughtful gesture in the form of a grande no whip-java chip frappe on a tear-filled dead-on-her-feet night for him to accomplish the impossible.
"See," She sniffed, grinning as she wiped away the quite frankly hysterical tears she'd let loose when he'd presented her with the drink. "If you acted like this and less like a yowling tomcat maybe you'd find an actual girlfriend."
She probably hadn't meant anything by it– after all, he knew well enough that Marinette had a rule about dating co-workers – but Adrien's mouth always did work faster than his brain when it came to her.
"Would you be willing to turn this stray into a housecat?"
It was something he didn't know he wanted until the words were out of his mouth. At the time, he wasn't sure which of them was redder, but Marinette recovered fast and laughed him off.
It wasn't until he felt the light sting of rejection that he realized how much he'd wanted her to say yes. It wasn't until he was watching her, exhausted and tear-stained with disheveled pigtails grinning up at him over the straw of her drink that he realized he was already trip-happy stupid in crush with her.
And after weeks of horribly pathetic pining, once he'd finally convinced her he was serious and worth breaking her rules for, the universe decided to throw three big fuck you's into the mix, effectively ending their relationship before it even started.
Although in all honesty it was probably the paparazzi that did it.
Adrien's heart shriveled when he'd read the headlines from that date. The ones accusing Gabriel's newest designer of sleeping her way to the top. He'd known even then what would happen next.
Marinette was too generous to mention it when she'd let him down, but he knew she felt like she'd been proven right, no matter how much she may have liked him.
And so Adrien started all over again. His heart really wouldn't allow him to do anything but as it continued to happily tumble into stupid-love with the cunning, stunning designer. And while it took time, he was slowly building back trust in the idea of them– working hard to earn back her silly grins over camera lenses and inside jokes at happy hour.
He was even hoping to one day, in the not-so-far future, ask her out for non-platonic drinks.
But as he watched his father's cold gaze rake over the two of them Adrien felt his hopes shrivel up and die. There was no way Marinette would agree to go out with him now.
"Dupain-Cheng?" Lila said, eyes flickering between the two with twisted understanding. "Ah, I believe I did hear something a while back."
Marinette stiffened against him, smile strained, and Adrien cursed all paparazzi to the catacombs and back.
Dammit, dammit, dammit.
"Yes, well you know how the press can be." Marinette said, shifting closer in his arms. Adrien's heart skipped in happy confusion even as her next words shamed him. "Fortunately, Adrien's usually wonderful about respecting my boundaries."
Guilt, hard and fast, stabbed through him. The woman he claimed to adore was now staring down what could only be described as a pack of hungry wolves because of his impulsive tongue.
"I'm sorry," He murmured, sincere, dropping a kiss onto her hair before realizing what he was doing. "I never really think when I'm around you."
"Clearly." She huffed, blushing, but didn't pull away. A small victory he shouldn't feel so happy claiming.
A thought proven right as he caught Signor Rossi's disapproving scowl.
"As enlightening as this conversation has been," He said. "I don't know how comfortable I am knowing Gabriel is hiring designers with… questionable qualifications."
Rage, white and hot, unfurled like a flame, but before Adrien could spout off a stock-dropping retort, his father broke in.
"I'm quite certain I misheard you, Victor, as there is no way you would be questioning the qualifications of one of my designers." Gabriel Agreste, cold and confident, continued. "As I am the one who hired Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. In fact, Signor, you might be interested to note that the lovely gown your daughter is wearing was her original design."
Adrien smothered his grin as Lila's face settled sour. She'd been twirling the creation before him not even half an hour ago.
"You were right, Lila," He said, smiling fondly down at Marinette who was still reeling from her idol's unlooked for defense. "Your dress really is a work of art."
"Thank you, Adrien." Gabriel said, not sounding thankful at all. "Why don't you and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng find something else to occupy yourselves with for the evening. It seems tonight is a night for business after all."
Adrien didn't need to be told twice. Grabbing Marinette's hand in his, he wasted no time bidding the Rossis goodnight and ushering her away. She was tense and it took more than a little effort on his part to guide her through the crowded room and into a more secluded corridor.
Her frown was black and deep when he finally turned to face her.
"I'm so sorry!" He blurted before she could say anything. "I... panicked."
Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes, only for them to catch on something above him. Her irritation had him following her gaze only to widen in horror at the green and white bundle hanging overhead.
"I swear I didn't plan this," He groaned, running anxious hands through his hair.
Seriously, couldn't the universe give him anything?
Marinette sighed, shaking her head.
"Rain check, Agreste." She said, arms falling in tired resignation to her side. "I'm still unbelievably furious with you."
Adrien's internal conga-line of despair fell to an abrupt halt.
Wait.
"What?" He choked out, too hopeful for this conversation to do anything but hurt.
Her answering smile was fond, if not irritated.
"You owe me so many frappes for this." She said, finally, finally stepping forward if only to tidy up his hair. "So. Many."
She punctuated the statement with a double tap to his nose before stepping away. For the second time that evening Adrien found himself pulling an unsuspecting Marinette Dupain-Cheng back into his arms.
"Are–" He caught himself before he could finish the disbelievingly, desperately wanting are you serious? that sat in his chest. He'd already made enough of an ass of himself for the evening. Instead he fell back on what he knew best.
"This rain check," He said instead, sheepish grin already in place. "How long do I have to wait before cashing it?"
Marinette's answering grin made his heart skip a whole-ass bar.
Trouble. He was in so much trouble.
"Two weeks." She said, biting her lip. "At the very least."
"Oh." He murmured, eyes following the movement in disappointment. Visions of spiriting her away for the rest of the evening vanished before they could even form. Adrien began to step back from her, removing himself from temptation even as the promise of later, later, later sent his emotions into a joyous tailspin.
Marinette seemed to have other ideas, however, as she grabbed the lapels of his jacket to keep him from moving away.
"But don't wait too long, cheri." She said, leaning in with her grinning mouth to place a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw. Adrien froze, feeling he could die from the feel of her breath on his skin. "Keep me waiting and I may just change my mind."
"I promise not make you wait," He managed.
Marinette giggled and took a step back, tossing him a wink over her shoulder before rejoining the party, taking his silly, racing heart with her.