Hey ML Fans! This is my second Miraculous Ladybug fic. This will be a multi-chapter fic, not sure how long yet. It was inspired by a comic by hashtagartislife on tumblr. Enjoy, favorite, follow and review!

"Adrien. Your father would like me to ask you to call that girl who has won all those design competitions at your school. The one currently interning at his studio. He wants you to invite her and her parents over for dinner with the two of you this Sunday at six," Natalie told him promptly after rapping on his door and inviting herself in. He had been finishing his literature homework. He turned to look at his father's assistant in mild shock, but when he faced the door she was already gone, door swinging shut behind her.

Natalie was, of course, talking about Marinette. They were in their last year of school and she had won every single design competition since the bowler hat one the first month of high school. Adrien just couldn't understand why his father would want to have a sit down dinner with her and her parents. Gabriel Agreste hardly ever even wanted to have dinner with Adrien, let alone any of his friends.

Adrien and Marinette were close friends. They had moved past the awkward stage in their relationship where Marinette could hardly say five words to him. Not surprising considering their best friends had started dating over a year ago and they four of them had been having study sessions at the library once a week every school week since the beginning of their second year. Not to mention when they had worked on group projects and those few times in the early stages of Alya and Nino's relationship where they had been dragged along on their dates. Besides Nino, he would probably count Marinette as his best friend.

He pulled her contact up on his phone and dialed her number. After two rings she picked up.

"Adrien! How nice of you too call! What's up?" she answered, bubbly as always. He repeated what Natalie had said to him to his friend. "Your dad! Wants to have dinner with me!" Marinette nearly squealed in his ear. He held the phone away from his face until he heard her sounds of pure unadulterated excitement die down.

"Yeah, not just you though, your parents too, apparently," he repeated to her.

"Right! Yeah! Let me go ask them," he heard the pitter-patter of her feet running down stairs to the bakery where her parents were working. He heard her muffled excited chatter and some approving noises from what sounded like her dad.

"They said they would love to! Oh my gosh this is soooooooo exciting! I have to decide what I will wear! I got to go do that! See you Sunday!" She finished, clicking off the phone.

He flopped down on his bed. Marinette was so excited about this dinner, he didn't have the heart to tell her that his father would probably be a cold and compartmentalized as he always was. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it seemed unlikely, even more unlikely than he inviting one of his school friends for dinner.


"Alya! You won't believe what just happened!" She told her friend as she came through the trapdoor and into Marinette's room. Marinette had been flipping through her sketchbook looking for a design that she could sew in two days and wear to dinner with Adrien's father.

"What has gotten you so worked up? I haven't seen you this frenzied since the cocktail dress design contest last year," Alya said, walking up behind her friend. Marinette jumped up and gave Alya a super tight hug.

"Alya, you are a genius!" Mari told her. Marinette went over to her stuffed closet and started through the dozens of garments, all made by her, that had been crammed in there. Eventually she found it.

It was a knee length dark red dress. It was strapless, had a small sweetheart neckline, and a princess silhouette. The base layer was dark red satin. The entire bodice was covered in cream roses shrouded in fine maroon tulle. The roses waterfalled down the skirt, still covered in the maroon tulle, which formed a bubble effect at the hem. The bubble had a few cream rose petals sews in for effect. Marinette hugged the dress tight before remembering that she might crush the delicate appliques.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about or...?" Alya asked from where she had taken a seat on the bed. Marinette fell onto her back beside her friend, still holding the dress.

"Adrien invited me to dinner," She sighed, hearts almost visibly forming in her eyes. Alya's face broke into a grin to rival that of Cat Noir as she leaned over Marinette.

"You're for real?" she asked. Marinette's smile faltered.

"Yes and no?"

"Explain?"

"Well, he called me about an hour ago to tell me his father wanted to have me and my parents over for dinner. SO I guess it was his dad that invited me, technically." Mari explained. Alya raised an eyebrow.

"That's still super great, as Gabriel Agreste is your idol, but it's weird that he wants to have dinner with your parents and you. Does he think you and Adrien are dating?" Alya suggested. Marinette turned beet red.

"Oh my god! What if he does! That would be so awkward! I was thinking he wanted to make me his protégé or give offer me a job or something work related!" She squealed, sitting up. Alya put her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Mari, breath. Whatever the reason, it has to be good right! He wouldn't invite you over for dinner just to convey bad news, right? People like him don't have time for that." Alya reassured. Mari nodded and tried to control her breathing.

"Right."