A.N.- I first wanted to thank you all for all the support, I was blown away. I know some of you were questioning whether to follow, but I promise you, as much angst there is in the story, I'm a sucker for romance. Enjoy the chapter!

I remember that night, I just might
Regret that night for the rest of my days.
I remember those soldier boys tripping over themselves to win our praise.
I remember that dreamlike candlelight like a dream that you can't quite place,
but Alexander, I'll never forget the first time I saw your face.
I have never been the same, intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame,
and when you said "Hi," I forgot my dang name, set my heart aflame, every part aflame
This is not a game

Chapter 2: This is Not a Game

1 Year and 1 month prior

Marinette tapped her pencil rapidly against her chin, trying to conjure up a solution. There was something off about the sketch in front of her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. If it was for a smaller project, maybe she wouldn't worry as much, but this was considered her mid-term that was due next week. She was trying not to let the issue get under her skin, after all, she had time. The longer she stared at her sketch the more the lines started to blur.

The notebook slammed shut as she let her face fall into her hands. She hated the feeling of being so close to finishing and not being able to. What she needed was to step back and revisit it when she was less frustrated, not that she was willing to admit that.

"Marinette!" The sound of her roommate's voice caused her to swivel in her chair towards the front door.

Marinette had to curb her jealousy as her roommate walked into their apartment, coffee in hand. She had finished her project the other day, granting her the luxury of free time, but all the negative emotions faded instantly at the sight of the second cup. Apparently, her roommate thought of everything.

"I had a hunch that you might need a boost. Still grinding it out?" She asked. The coffee tantalizingly swept over Marinette's taste buds; she didn't know how anyone was able to survive university without it.

"I'm almost finished," Marinette answered, -glancing at the notebook. "Thank you for the coffee, you're the best." It was hard to believe that they had known each other for three years. They met during the first week of school and quickly became friends. During the summer, they decided to move in together. They had their rough patches, like any roommates, but it was nice to have a friend, considering she hadn't spoken to Nino or Adrien in who knows how long and her friendship with Alya was strained due to the distance between their Universities. She came to visit when she could, but it wasn't enough.

"I know the perfect thing to distract you." When her roommate's eyes started to sparkle, it was always an indication of an idea, but in this case, she feared what she had in mind. She didn't even have a chance to protest. "We should go out. There's that new club that just opened up,"

Nothing could smother the excitement bouncing around in the redhead's body. The second Marinette opened her mouth to respond, Amelie stopped her. "And before you say no, I'm going to use this as my birthday wish."

It was a silly tradition that they started when they first moved in, during their birthday week they got one wish that as long as it was in their power they would grant it. Why she would use her wish on something like this was beyond Marinette. Usually what happened was she would meet a boy and ditch her, but there was no excuse short of dying that could get her out of tonight. Amelie let out a squeal at Marinette's sigh of defeat and wrapped her arms around her.

"What are you wearing?" Amelie's voice brought her out of the book that had captured her attention. Her eyes glanced down at her outfit, there was nothing wrong with what she was wearing, she wore it the last time that they went out a couple months ago.

"I thought you liked this outfit." Marinette loved her roommate but sometimes she was the kind of person that if everything wasn't exactly how she imagined it the whole world was ending.

"I have the perfect dress for you to wear!" She rushed off to her room only to return moments later with an ice blue fabric draped in her arms. The dress was beautiful, there were no arguments there, but it wasn't something Marinette would typically wear.

"I couldn't-" She didn't want to even begin to imagine what something like that would cost if she were to destroy it by being a klutz. She might never forgive herself for it.

"I insist." Amelie held it towards her, silently urging her once more. It was a personal victory when Marinette accepted the dress retreated to her room.

"Well?" The red-head rested her hand on the hip of her red dress, waiting impatiently for the result.

"I'm not sure if it looks okay." The door swung open and Amelie's jaw dropped

"Are you kidding me, you're a knock-out." Marinette felt the heat spread over every inch of her face at the compliment, not knowing how to respond. "I bet," Amelie's grin spread wider, "that you'll get more drinks bought for you tonight than I will." It was a thought that Marinette wouldn't even consider, just because she looked different didn't mean it would change her personality in any way, but it was the honesty of her opinion that meant a lot.

Marinette never really craved the spotlight, she had enough attention on her when she was saving the town as Ladybug to last for both her egos. But when Amelie went out for that evening, she insisted that they both wore dresses that were bound to draw the eye. Marinette objected at first, but what she learned quickly is arguing with Amelie was exhausting and pointless, so she caved.

The flirtation in the air when the two walked by a group of men was hard to miss, but Marinette did her best to ignore it; she wasn't interested in any males at the moment, they just proved to be a distraction. If she didn't know any better, she would have called this a crazy scheme to go out with a guy that her roommate had been begging her to give a shot for months now. Amelie wasn't subtle in any aspect of her life. Each time she had politely turned her down and promptly continued her work, hoping that she would drop the subject, but the girl had a persistence of an Olympic hopeful.

"We're going to have so much fun." Her roommate exclaimed, and Marinette forced herself to smile. It wasn't her first thought associated with the word, but she was doing this for her friend's birthday, so she kept it to herself. She could hopefully use the atmosphere to shake loose whatever was blocking her creativity on her project. Maybe Amelie was right she was too uptight lately to let her ideas flow properly, and if she had to dance to loud music and enjoy one to two drinks to do so, then she welcomed the night.

To her surprise, the night had flown by, she contributed to the music pulsing through her veins. Was this why Amelie went out so often, just the adrenaline coursing through her veins gave her a high. Her roommate had kept her promise and hadn't left her side once that night even though she had more than one opportunity. She simply shooed them off and continued to dance with Marinette, and, if she was honest, she missed this. It had been at least a week since they hung out due to school.

She spun around and felt Amelie's hands guide her waist. "Thanks for coming out with me tonight." She said. Just the words caused her to smile.

"I'm having fun." Marinette never thought those words would leave her lips, but it was a pleasant surprise.

"And what would you two lovely ladies be doing in a place like this?" Their interaction was interrupted by a voice she could best describe as slimy. There had been at the club for at least two hours, they knew they would eventually get hit on by an unwanted presence.

"And what if our boyfriends are just going and buying us drinks?" Amelie replied, taking the lead linking her arms through her roommates.

"Then they should know better than to leave their beautiful ladies alone so long."

"Does that work on many women that you meet?" She fired back, the redhead was going to make him work for it, although Marinette was doubting his chances currently. She shushed him with a finger before he could respond. "Let me just stop you there, we both are clearly out of your league, so might I suggest you pick up what's left of your dignity and head back to any friends that you may have come here with." The guy muttered something under his breath and pushed past them roughly into the crowd, probably looking for someone else to hit on.

The girls released a series of giggles, maybe if the guy was genuine and not just playing a game, they would have taken it easy on him.

"I'm going to go get us something to drink." She let go and started to weave her way towards the bar.

Marinette wanted to call after her and beg her not to, but any words would get lost in the crowd, so she let her go. She took a deep breath and started moving her body once more to the beat of the music. If she distracted herself with dancing, it would make the time quicken until Amelie returned.

She must have gotten too into the music because the next thing she knew she had tripped over her own two feet sending her flying into a guy who was just walking to the bar. Heat rose to all corners of her facial features, as his hands went out to steady her. Now she would have to apologize and explain what a klutz she was, which was embarrassing in itself.

"I am so sorry, it's all my fault, I'm such a-" Marinette stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes wandered up to the man that she had collided with till they met a pair of green eyes. She wished she could pinch herself, after all, he had been the subject of many dreams.

"Marinette?" She took note of his voice and committed it to memory. The three years had blessed the model even more than she could imagine. He should fire his photographer because his pictures in magazines did not do him justice. She didn't know whether this was a blessing or a curse, but she hadn't seen him for two and a half years. His eyes pierced hers, only to slip into her soul. She found herself trying to force out anything, something so she didn't just stand there.

"Hi, Adrien."

A.N.- So there's a little history between Marinette and Amelie, and it will just gain clarity as we continue along. So I threw some clues in here, love to talk about it with you all, leave a comment and I'll respond.