AN: I'm beginning to insert some new characters into the picture now~ Remember Alec? The bald, tan skinned guy? Yeah, him. Yeah.

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug and its characters.

ALSO don't forget to post your comments! Thanks! Love y'all 3 stay cool, miraculers!

Chapter 3

Adrien and Marinette spent the rest of the afternoon dancing to different songs. They danced different dances, too. From waltz to hip hop to contemporary to jitterbug to swing. They both laughed when they both made mistakes (Marinette, mostly) and they had fun.

Since he was a child, he was taught that dance was his only life. As he grew up, he soon came to dislike dance until he hated it. His father never allowed him to do anything else, and Adrien was fed up with this dull, repeating life of his. That's why he kept escaping the academy, which was already his home, whenever he could.

But, maybe this time, he might be able to love dance again. With Marinette's help.

The girl was just so full of energy and life when she danced, and it was obvious she loved dancing. Her feelings for dance were affecting him and it was the good kind of effect.

At some point, both dancers flopped onto the floor, too tired to go on especially since they just finished dancing to thirty songs straight with no breaks. Adrien was even more impressed at Marinette's stamina. It perfectly matched his, more so when they danced together. She must have practiced almost every night of her life to get to this level, he thought.

"You… really love… dancing, huh?" Adrien asked as he panted, lying eagle spread on the floor.

Marinette managed a chuckle that turned into a wheeze. "Yeah… Very much so," she replied, equally lying eagle spread on the floor.

Both their heads were beside each other's, bodies on opposite sides. When Adrien turned his head to face her, he only managed to suck in a breath when he realized how close their faces were. His eyes were centimeters away from hers. They were looking straight at each other, neither making a move to widen the gap.

"Actually," Marinette spoke after a while. "I… know about you. I just never saw your face before. Your name's almost always on the newspaper or mentioned during the news section. You always won competitions and received numerous awards."

Adrien was about to make a sour comment about it when she suddenly gave him a sad smile.

"Isn't it tiring?" she simply asked. "Leading that kind of life. Is that why you escaped this morning?"

The blonde couldn't answer immediately. He continued staring into her blue, blue eyes. There was only one thing repeatedly swirling in his mind at that moment:

That's the first time someone's asked me that.

It was the first time someone didn't ask what it was like to be famous, how he always managed to win, what he thinks about being a young star in the dance world, what it's like to be Adrien Agreste, or if they could have his autograph. It was the first time someone didn't ask him about the young dance star Adrien Agreste.

And it warmed his heart that someone finally asked about normal Adrien Agreste; that someone actually asked how he was faring and not his reputation-controlled self.

"Adrien?"

Snapping back to reality, he realized Marinette was still waiting for his answer. He quickly gave her a tired smile and nodded. "Yeah, it is – to both questions. Thanks for asking, Mari," he sincerely thanked her.

Marinette didn't know how to react to the new nickname other than to blush. Before he could notice it, she sat up and folded her knees so she could rest her arms and chin on them. "Must be hard, huh," she stated rather than questioned.

Adrien followed after her until they sat side by side, facing the mirror. "Super," he lazily answered, giving her a lazy smile. "Aww, are you worried about me now, Mari?"

The pig-tailed girl rolled her eyes. "Please," she spoke sarcastically.

But then, even after a while, she didn't deny it.

It was only when Marinette looked at her watch that she realized how much trouble she was in. "Holy shit! It's already past 5 PM! I promised Mom I'd be back in a bit but it's already been four hours," she panicked as she stood up. "I'm so screwed!"

And it was at that moment that the door suddenly opened as a tall and confident man came inside, a crowd of students following him. When he spotted Marinette and Adrien, he gave them a look of disinterest.

"Adrien Agreste," he spoke. "I see you've brought a friend. But, sorry to say, I'll be using this room now, so you two…" He motioned to the door using his fingers. "Shoo."

Adrien sighed and stood up, retrieving his phone before joining a nervous Marinette. "Nice to see you too, Instructor Alec."

The man nodded and waited until the both of them walked out. Of course, they were not exempt from the stares and whispers from the students that were with him as they passed by. All of them seemed to question why the Adrien Agreste was with an unknown and shabby-looking girl. This was sure to start gossip in the academy soon.

Then, just as they were about to finally step out of the room, Adrien was struck with a wicked idea. Pausing in his tracks, he turned to Instructor Alec with a confident look.

"Excuse me, Instructor Alec," he spoke in a loud enough voice that it attracted everyone's attention. Marinette turned around and wondered what was happening or about to happen. "I have a proposal for you."

The bald dance instructor turned to Adrien, interest in his eyes. "A proposal from Adrien Agreste? What would that be?" he asked.

It was then that Adrien stepped aside to give the instructor a view of Marinette. "A school entry proposal, to be exact," he spoke confidently as he gently pulled Marinette to his side. "This girl right here is Marinette, and she is a dance genius. I've seen for myself her skills, and I can say she's the type of dancer who can surpass even me in the future."

And everyone gasped. Including Marinette.

"Excuse me, what?!"

Instructor Alec was the only one unfazed by Adrien's bold assumption. The man's always known Adrien to be a serious kid who took his lessons seriously. He has personally seen the genius dancer that Adrien was and knows that the blonde is confident in himself. So, when he made such a proposal, Alec knew Adrien wasn't bluffing or joking with him even though he brought an unknown girl into school grounds (which was illegal). In other terms, Adrien wanted Alec to give the girl a recommendation for school entry. As a long time and renowned instructor within the school, anyone who would be recommended under his name would be sure to get in. Alec was skeptical but he remained reserved.

However…

"Then let's see it," Alec said as he motioned towards the dance floor. "Your dance skills." He looked at Marinette who was covered in cold sweat at that moment.

She didn't expect Adrien to do that, to say that. Why was he being so kind to her? Why is he giving her a chance to fulfill her dreams? They weren't even close! In fact, they just met!

So why?

It was then she noticed a hand nudge her from the back. She looked up to Adrien, the question obvious in her eyes: Why?

Adrien chuckled, understanding her look. "You're a dance genius, Marinette. Just admit it already. It'll be such a waste for the academy if they let a talent such as yourself go," he said confidently then softened his voice. "I'm giving you this chance because you deserve it. Trust me."

If he had said that hours ago, she would never have trusted him. Ever. But now was different. She knew he was a dance genius himself and that he'd be the only one who could possibly understand her skills and talent. He had done so much for her already – taking her to the academy and lending her a dance hall.

How was he so kind?

Before she could ask him, Alec spoke up.

"Are you going to dance or not?" Alec asked, impatience laced in his voice. "I've still got a class to teach."

It was then that the both of them noticed the crowd around them again. Marinette inhaled a deep breath and walked to the dance floor. She then nodded to Alec who quietly observed her.

"Since this is a special test, one that will determine your admission to this school or not, I will give you a special situation," Alec spoke as he plugged his phone to the speakers. "It won't be an easy test, that's for sure. What's more, I will be your partner. That way, I'll be able to assess your dance more thoroughly. Agreed?"

Marinette nodded, her nerves tingling especially at seeing and hearing the crowd around her. In the mirror, she saw how Adrien watched her intently. Seeing that somehow gave her ease.

"We will begin with waltz. Throughout the dance, the song will change and so will the dance. You must be able to execute each dance near perfectly for you to pass. Understood?"

As the music began, Alec began moving, leading Marinette directly into an advanced variation. "There are only two types of people who deserve to study at the National Dance Academy of New Paris and those are: one, the learned. They are they who have begun learning dance at a young age and have since a passion to dance. They are the ones who work hard until their dancing is perfect," Alec spoke as they danced. "And, two, the gifted. These are rare. They are those who have the talent and natural instinct as that of a grown and experienced dancer ever since they were young."

Marinette could barely listen to him as he led her to complex movements. Luckily she's been doing a good job at following and feeling the dance. Then, she closed her eyes, allowing her feel the dance better and give herself to her partner's leadership. Alec noticed this and gave a small smirk. "Which one are you, little girl?"

Before she could answer, the song suddenly changed and so did Alec's movements. From waltz, the dance quickly melted to a cha-cha. Thankfully, this was one of Marinette's favorite dances. Just like when she was with Adrien, she consistently followed Alec's routine.

She is a good follower, the most important trait of a partner, Alec thought.

In the sidelines, Adrien watched on as the pair danced to different songs. Waltz, cha-cha, foxtrot, quickstep, and finally…

Tango, the most sensual of all dances.

Before anyone could think or notice, Adrien moved to the dance floor. With great timing, he quickly moved to replace Instructor Alec during a moment of separation between him and Marinette. Surprised by the sudden cut-in, Alec moved away as the couple continued the dance. For a moment, he thought he saw a scary look on Adrien's eyes when he suddenly cut in.

Collective gasps were heard all around them, followed by whispers. However the most surprised was Marinette who was surprised when her partner changed by the time she opened her eyes again.

She didn't like dancing Tango particularly because it was too intimate a dance, especially with a complete stranger and instructor. But when she saw Adrien suddenly in his place, she couldn't help but feel relieved and, at the same, even more nervous.

Because of her surprise, she nearly made a mistake in her steps but Adrien suddenly changed the variation to save her from tripping. Then, he put his mouth beside her ear, their bodies so close.

"Focus," was all he said. With that, Marinette immediately remembered what she was dancing for and focused all of herself into the dance.

Despite the sensuality of it, the both of them executed the flirty dance perfectly until the song finally stopped. Marinette was panting once it was all over, but Adrien simply smiled down at her, not a single sweat drop on his head.

Everything was silent for a moment that it was so awkward, when a single clap started which was followed by two, three, until the whole room was filled with the sound of applauses.

"Impressive," Alec commented with a smile on his face once the claps died down. "It is as Adrien says. You've consistently followed our lead without any hitches, despite the moves being advanced and complex. How long have you been dancing, err…"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," the pig-tailed girl answered. "Since I was a child, but I had to dance secretly so my parents wouldn't know."

Alec furrowed his brows at that. "Wait, your parents don't know you dance? Then how were you able to?"

"Almost every night, in my room," Marinette nervously answered. "As quietly as I could."

"Without any partner?" he asked, becoming more surprised.

"I've only ever danced alone until today," she replied.

"Then, how did you teach yourself?"

"I watch a lot of dance competitions on the television," she answered thoughtfully. "Every time I practice, I simply try to remember the moves used. Well, at least, whatever moves I could use on my own. Also, I searched the internet for some tutorials."

Alec nodded, his mouth slightly ajar and eyes wide open. "Huh, impressive," he said before grinning. "A true genius, indeed. Well, Marinette, it seems the academy is about to welcome another genius to their armoire. I look forward to teaching you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I'll be sending your letter after my class. Congratulations and welcome to the National Dance Academy."