Five AM always came too early.

Though, even if she wasn't a skater, Marinette would still have to rise early to help out at the bakery. The universe deemed it necessary she would be an early riser, even though her body seemed to enjoy being a night owl more.

She groaned and reached for her cell phone. After tapping snooze, she opened up Instagram. "Good morning, Adrien!" she greeted as she pulled up his story. His black cat, Plagg, laid across his face, meowing loudly. The caption read Plagg's favorite place to sleep is my face ?

She giggled. Despite also being a student of Thames & Lawrence, Adrien lived at home instead of the dorms. She didn't blame him; his father was a fashion designer and he lived in a mansion, complete with a butler. Who would leave that life for a tiny cramped dorm room with dull white walls?

She took a slow breath as she sat up. Pain radiated from her core. Hardly a day passed without some sort of ache or pain to go along with it. The cold hardwood floor soothed her sore and red feet as she walked to her closet. "I wonder what color I should wear today?" she muttered.

Ninety percent of her wardrobe consisted of exercise wear, mostly rinkwear – snug black pants, some with pops of color accents on the bottom that went over her skates, most plain, and long sleeve shirts that fit tight enough not to impede movement but not loose enough to impede in the air. Bright colors looked cute at first, but after a couple of falls those cute colors turned mortifyingly wet. She did allow herself a bit of variety in her shirts, but for her first day on the ice at T&L she wanted to portray a serious side to her, so she picked a plain muted dusky pink.

She smiled and took a quick selfie, slapped a "good morning!" sticker on it, and sent it to her parents. They were so busy with the morning rush that they didn't usually reply until after lunch, but she still sent them a selfie every morning since moving away. Thankfully the rink was only a ten minute walk from the dorms. She got a little extra sleep a night not having a forty minute commute.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

"Morning, Marinette!" Nino called as he jogged over.

"Morning," Marinette replied with a yawn.

"Excited about your first day?"

She nodded. "I couldn't sleep well last night because I was so nervous."

"Don't worry about it! It's just like every other ice rink out there, you know?"

Actually, it wasn't like every other ice rink out there. You couldn't apply to T&L for admission; they contacted you. And they only took on a handful of new students every year. The first time they called her she thought it was an elaborate prank set up by her best friend, Ayla.

Nino opened the door for her. The cold air hitting her face banished the last bit of sleepiness. Ice time was precious and valuable. Even though T&L only had a handful of skaters, it still had to be divided between them and they still had to attend school classes in the afternoon. It was show time.

Nino patted her back. "Well, I'm doing off-ice workout this morning, so I'll see you in class! Good luck!"

"Thanks!" She waved goodbye and started making her way to the ladies' locker room.

"Hey, Adrien! What's up?"

Marinette froze.

She knew he attended the same school. Same program. Same place. But despite that, she still hadn't registered that she would actually see him. Hear him. And even talk to him. A hot flush crept up her neck.

"Is that the new girl?" Adrien asked.

He's talking about me. Adrien Agreste is talking about me. She took a shallow breath. She had to get moving. No one stood frozen in place like a freak. Right foot, go! Nothing. Fine. Left foot, go! Nothing. Marinette, you need to get moving before-

"Oh, yeah! You haven't met her yet because you don't live in the dorms. Hey, Marinette! Wait!"

She stopped mid-step and turned on her heels, with a broad unnatural smile on her face. "What's going on, Nino?" she asked, voice flat and robotic.

"You need to meet Adrien. He doesn't live in the dorms with the rest of us."

"Oh really?" Marinette forced a chuckle. "Lucky!"

"I wish I did. It gets lonely at home," Adrien replied as he stuck out his hand. "Adrien Agreste."

Marinette put her hand in his. His hand is so big compared to mine! And it's warm! "M-M-Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

He laughed. "M-M-Marinette, huh?"

Nino playfully punched his shoulder. "Hey, don't be hard on her. It's her first day."

"I've heard of you. You attempted a quad last competition, right?"

He's heard of me?

She giggled and scratched the top of her head. "Hehe, yeah, didn't really work out for me though."

"You can do it! You don't usually even see a woman attempting it in competition. That's pretty cool."

Pretty cool... It took every fiber of being inside Marinette not to scream in delight. "Thanks! I try! Get a lot of bruises though!"

He laughed. "Don't we all? Good luck!"

"See you around, Marinette!" Nino said as he and Adrien walked away together.

Marinette watched their backs until they rounded the corner. Adrien. Agreste. Talked. To. Me! She took her phone out of her pocket and opened up Messenger as she scampered to the locker room.

Ladybug: AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa

VelvetFox: Whhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt why are you screaming

Ladybug: ADRIEN TALKED TO ME!

Ladybug: [screaming]

VelvetFox: What did he say?

Ladybug: HE SAID PRETTY COOL

VelvetFox: Um, what's pretty cool?

Ladybug: ME

Ladybug: ME HE SAID ME

Ladybug: HE SAID I WAS PRETTY COOL

Ladybug: CUZ I CAN JUMP A QUAD

Ladybug: and and and he told me good luck!

VelvetFox: So did you invite him out for coffee or something

Ladybug:

Ladybug:

Ladybug:

VelvetFox: You stood there and giggled.

Ladybug: how dare you call me out like that

VelvetFox: [eyeroll]

VelvetFox: YOU NEED TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE

Ladybug: WHAT IF HE SAYS NO

VelvetFox: WHAT IF HE SAYS YES

Ladybug: IF I ASKED HIM OUT THE FIRST TIME I MET HIM IRL HE WILL THINK I'M A CREEPER

VelvetFox: YOU GET PUSH NOTIFICATIONS WHENEVER HE POSTS ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, AND SNAPCHAT

Ladybug: . . .

Ladybug: It's time for me to get on the ice. Gotta go!

Her phone dinged several more times with messages, but she didn't bother checking them. The problem of developing a relationship - friendship - with Adrien could wait. When push came to shove, the ice superseded everything else. It had to. No one realized Olympic dreams without sacrificing everything to it.

Putting skates on with just the right amount of tension was an art unto itself. Too loose would ruin landings and too tight would constrict the feet and cause a lot of pain while both skating and landing. She slid the guards over the bottom and walked out to the rink.

The rink seemed empty compared to the one back home. T&L kept class sizes so small that she shared the rink with one other person her age, Kagami Tsurugi. Kagami worked with a different coach though. Marinette knew her briefly from competitions. They were neck-and-neck last competition before she failed her quad. Kagami didn't so much as acknowledge her on the ice. She looked as intensely focused as she did when they met in competition on the ice. So much for greeting her. Marinette didn't want to break that razor-sharp focus.

She strode on, doing a playful twirl in glee.

"You seem energetic this morning! Good!"

Marinette stopped and turned around slowly. Caline Bustier skated towards her, coming to a stop just in front of her. She held out her hand. "Always good to see an enthusiastic face in the morning."

Caline Bustier, one half of a pairs team that won two gold medals. She retired last year to focus on coaching. "Good morning!" Marinette greeted. "It's an honor to be your student, really."

Bustier smiled. "Thank you, but you're too much. In my heart, I'm just a girl who loves skating, just like you." She skated backward a bit. "I'm going to have you do some drills today so I can get an idea of your strengths and weaknesses. By tomorrow, I'll have your plan for the season developed."

"Okay!"

"Right, and so, to start..."

≿—- ❈ —-≾

"Ah, Marinette! How'd your first day go?" Luka asked as Marinette walked in the door. She scrunched her nose a bit and giggled, saying nothing but her beaming smile told him everything. She truly was too adorable for words sometimes. It was hard to believe that the spritely girl in front of him was one of the world's leading candidates for the Olympic team. Only a year younger than him, but another universe ahead. She inspired him to work harder every time he saw her.

"Looks like I'm the first one to show up again, huh?" She put her pink bag in the corner.

"I don't mind." Truly, he didn't. In fact, he rather enjoyed the private time with her before class. The only thing that would make it better would be if he got to see her every day instead of twice a week.

"How's the band going?"

"We're working on a new song right now. Probably going to give it a test drive this Saturday."

"Oh?" She seemed to perk up.

"Yeah. It's at Belle Vie though."

She sighed. "When are you going to play somewhere I can legally go?"

He chuckled. "Technically I'm not legally able to go either. My mates keep it on the downlow."

"Record it for me?"

He smiled. "Always."

"Ballet dancer by day, rockstar by night... I can barely manage skating. I don't know how you juggle both."

"Well, one I use my legs and the other I use my fingers."

She snorted a laugh. "You know what I meant."

The door dinged and two girls walked in. He fought the sigh that welled in his chest. Time with Marinette went by too fast. "Hey, Mylène and Rose!" he greeted.

"Luka!" they said in unison as they set their things down. Mylène put her hand on her hip. "And Marinette, always first. How was T&L?"

"Amazing," she gushed. The three sat down and started lacing their shoes.

"Did you get to meet Adrien?" Rose asked.

Luka tried to casually untie and lace his shoes as he eavesdropped. He'd heard Marinette mention an Adrien before, but when he tried to find out more information she became abruptly mum on the subject.

Marinette's voice became a tad bit higher and he could see the back of her neck growing red. Okay, whoever this Adrien was, she had quite a reaction to his name. But why would meeting him be such a big deal?

"Y-yeah! I did! It's so crazy, going to the same school as him!"

Luka furrowed his brows.

"Was he as charming in real life as he is on TV?"

TV? Maybe he was an actor? But why would Marinette cross paths with an actor?

"Even more so," Marinette replied, burying her face in her knees. Rose and Mylène leaned forward and spoke in a quieter tone. Luka craned his neck, trying to catch it.

"So, what happened? Did you tell him?" Mylène asked.

Marinette shook her head wildly.

Oh. Luka's heart sank. Whatever that Adrien was, Marinette had a crush on him. He sighed as he finished tying his shoes. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone, doing a search for "Adrien figure skater". Photos of a blonde hair green eyed boy filled his screen. Oh. His chest throbbed in pain. Adrien was quite obviously the opposite of him.

So that's Marinette's type. He scrolled through more images. In addition to being a figure skater, he seemed to also be a model, even having his own cologne. Maybe it was just a crush on a celebrity? Lots of girls had those, hell, even he had his own celeb crushes. And in any case, there was no guarantee Adrien would notice her. There were even rumors of him being connected to some reality TV socialite named Chloé. He still had a chance if he would make a move.

Easier said than done.

A couple more girls trickled in and he put his phone away. Class came first. The money he made teaching a hybrid dance class paid for his tuition at Lille Opera Academia and at the moment, that was more important than nursing his crush on a certain figure skater.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Luka's class was one of the things Marinette looked forward to every week and it was always over too soon. Dancing was one of the extra exercises that helped her skating the most. Bustier complimented her on her expression and footwork, and she knew it was due to the lessons with him. That was something her old coach never complimented her on, and the offseason she spent a lot of time dancing under his tutelage. He was such a sweet guy too. Whether he was a rock star or ballet star, she had a feeling he would be famous. He just had that sort of aura.

Maybe the day's jitters or excitement hadn't worked through her entirely, but she found herself full of energy. There was a shopping mall on the way back to the dorms, maybe she could go and window shop a bit before bed.

She gasped as she walked in the side entrance. The ice rink opened early this year! She didn't have her skates, but she couldn't do any sort of tricks on the local rink anyway. There were too many people. It was a nice way to relax and skate, without worrying about routines.

"Maybe I can skate instead of shopping," she muttered. She walked to the front desk. "Excuse me, can I get a student pass?"

"Can I see your ID?"

Marinette handed it over.

The front girl gasped. "You really are Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

Marinette blinked. "Umm, yes?"

"I saw your program last spring! You almost had that quad!"

Marinette nervously chuckled. "I bit off a little more than I could chew... but I'll get it this season, watch!"

"Can I take your photo? Once people see a famous skater like you comes here, we'll have a full house every night!"

"Umm, sure?" She put on a smile and waited as the girl took a photo.

"Thanks!"

"Umm, sorry, but I need to rent a pair of skates too. I saw you guys happened to open early and decided to stop by."

"Oh! Well, I'm sure they're not as good as your personal ones, but we have some skates here. What's your size?"

Marinette was thankful when the girl handed her a pair of skates and she could leave the awkward exchange. She only seemed to get recognized by die-hard skate fans and she never knew how to respond to it. She wasn't famous, she wasn't even that special. She was a girl who decided to change her program at the last minute and attempt a jump she only nailed thirty percent of the time in practice and tumbled from second place to last.

At least her guts earned her a spot at T&L. Silver lining, right?

There was a Christmas tree and presents in the center of the rink. Marinette wrinkled her nose. It wasn't even past Halloween yet! Maybe they did it to get people thinking about winter? All it seemed to do was remind her that it was too early to think of Christmas stuff, and she liked Christmas.

There were a few people on the ice; a few kids, a few teens, and a couple of adults. She lazed about the rink in a circle with the rest of the pack.

This is probably one of the best days in my life! She grinned and twirled around in a circle.

I talked to Adrien and he actually knew who I was!

A squeal interrupted her thoughts. A little girl was skating straight into the tree. Marinette raced over to her and grabbed her arm just as a boy grabbed the other arm. They lifted her up and somehow managed to coordinate their moves so they didn't pull her apart. The itchy false branches scratched Marinette's back.

"Whoa, little miss!" the boy said.

The girl was oblivious to what just happened and squealed in delight. "I'm flying!"

The boy raised his brows and grinned. "Shall we?"

"Let's do it!" They each grabbed ahold of her and held her parallel to the ice and raced around the rink.

"I'm Wonder Woman!" she screamed. "Mama! Look!"

The boy's movements were precise, as though he practiced just as much as she did. He wore a blue beanie hat that covered up most of his head and thick black glasses took up most of his face. He looked rather dorky, to be honest, but nothing about his face seemed familiar. The world of high-level competitive skating was so small she knew everyone by a glance and had known them or at least, of them, for years. It was too bad. If he had started younger and worked as hard as she did, he probably would also be a T&L student.

They didn't really have to communicate their moves much, they just naturally fell in line with each other to the point it seemed choreographed. Not that it was complex, but weaving around the other skaters took effort on both their parts.

When they were done they set the girl down and she hugged both of their legs.

An older woman in a stylish green coat skated to them. "Thank you for helping my girl," she said.

"Mama! Did you see me fly?"

"I did!"

The girl took her mom's hand and they skated off.

Marinette and the boy moved back into the outer circle of the pack. "You're a pretty good skater."

"So are you."

"Thanks!" As a plus, he didn't seem to recognize her. That was a good thing. She didn't want to deal with another fan like the girl at the front. It was too embarrassing.

"Do you come here often?" the boy asked.

"I just started at - I just started university here so I just learned they were open today."

"Oh really? Which one?"

If she said T&L he would know immediately she was a skater. "Lille Opera Academia," she lied. "What about you?"

"Born and raised here."

"Oh, wow! I like it here." Very good choice on the lie. If he was born and raised here the moment she said T&L he would catch her in her lie, and then she would have to explain why she lied, and it would just end up more awkward than she ever wanted to deal with. They probably wouldn't see each other after today anyway. "It's not a bad place to live. I might even stay after I graduate."

"I travel so much I rarely get to see it."

"Really? What do you do?"

"Business. Boring stuff, really." He skated in front of her and began skating backward. "So, my name is Guy."

"I'm Marinette."

"Marinette? That name is as cute as you."

She laughed. "That's such a bad pickup line."

"At least I made you laugh! That gets me points, right?"

"Minus three for the landing."

He mimed getting shot in the heart. "You're a harsh judge!"

"Plus three for effort?" she amended with a shrug. The music changed to Jagged Stone's Love Haze. "I love this song!"

Guy held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

"On the ice?"

"You can do it. You're no amateur."

In more ways than one. "I don't know; it seems hard..."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. "I'll lead."

She danced plenty of times with Luka, but Guy's felt entirely different. Luka was considerate and seemed to push and pull with his dominance. Guy took control to the point where she couldn't tell if she danced with him or he put her under his spell. He was definitely talented; some of the footwork they did reminded her of the ones in her programs and he performed them like a natural.

Plus, his arms were strong, far stronger than he looked. He must either be a gym rat or his business was in CrossFit. His cheeks had a slight flush to them and she couldn't help but match his big smile.

"Gorgeous and a great dancer," he complimented. "You've never ice danced before?"

"N-nope!"

"You're a natural."

"I sucked at my footwork so," she stopped abruptly, she was about to talk about skating. "I worked hard improving it."

"Ah," he said, extending his arm. She instinctively twirled herself out.

Ah! I'm supposed to be an amateur! She forced herself to fall.

"Are you okay?" Guy called as he rushed to her side.

"I'm fine," she said as she got up. "What's a skater without a thousand falls?"

"Tell me about it!" He laughed. "How about I make up for it with some coffee? It's almost time for the rink to close."

"It is?" Marinette checked the clock. It was already close to nine. She groaned. "I have practice at five."

"You start your days early."

"I'm a night owl ever doomed to wake up early."

"Coffee tomorrow?"

Whoa, she was so caught up in the dancing she forgot that she had no intention of seeing him again. Lying wasn't her forte and she would slip up sooner or later. "I can't."

He seemed crestfallen and her heart ached with guilt.

"After tomorrow, I don't have a free day until next Thursday."

He seemed to have a puppy-like look to him, cloying and irresistible. She wrenched her hands together. It was a bad idea. A really, really, bad idea. "We can do that."

"What's your number?"

The moment Marinette finished giving her number she realized that her social media profiles were saturated in skating material and every single network she was on had a "You might know" feature based off cell numbers programmed into the phone.

"Are you okay? You seem pale."

"I'm fine!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. Everything. Private. Right after I leave.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"I sent you a text. See you Thursday?"

"Yeap!" She skated off the ice and managed to turn in the skates only after promising she would come back as often as possible.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

As she settled into bed to sleep, her phone beeped.

Adrien updated Instagram with a silver cup of coffee on his balcony. "Nothing like a hot cuppa on a starry night."

"I wish I was there." She sighed and double tapped.

The text from Guy was still in her notification list. "This is Guy. Nice meeting you, Marinette! I'll be counting the days until I see you again."

Guy was sweet, but she needed to let him know on Thursday she wasn't interested in a relationship. She shouldn't have taken his number to start, but there was something about the magic of their dance that clouded her better judgment.

For now, the only relationship she needed was with a quadruple Salchow.

A/N: The setting has been changed from France to America, simply because it's easier to find information about the road to Olympic glory from American athletes. To compensate, the fictional town of Lille is a city that has a French ancestry and will have touches of French influence everywhere. It's the only way I could somehow get that unique Paris flavor of the original story and keep the fanfic somewhat grounded in reality and what I know (though I would love to live in France to learn more about cultural norms that I can incorporate in writing, alas, I am not rich).

I hope you forgive what I may get wrong, I've tried to research as much as I can about figure skating and dance, but mistakes will always be made. Feel free to comment and correct my mistakes anytime.

I did much of this on a phone, I tried to account for autocorrect mistakes, I apologize for those that got through.

much love,
marvelous chat