Looking over at the clock, you realized that you had been playing the violin for nearly 2 hours. Setting down the bow and resting the instrument back into its stand, you noticed that Duusu had fallen asleep on a few stems of the fruit she had been eating. You cleaned the area up and threw away all of the pieces, not too sure what to do with your time now. It was merely mid-afternoon, and you didn't have any homework to work on. Gabriel would probably want for you to be practicing further, but you didn't want to be suddenly caught outside by someone. You wouldn't be able to handle that situation just yet.

Your stomach rumbled at you in irritation, angry that you had managed to miss both breakfast and now lunch thanks to Mr. Agreste. The strawberries really hadn't been enough. At the same time though, you didn't feel like searching for more food. It was already fairly late, you could just wait till dinner time. Feeling like you at least had some right to do so, you set the conked out Duusu into your hair and set about to exploring the large manor.

Searching through the hallway you were now living in, you discovered Adrien's room in one corner, suddenly feeling grateful that he was not home at the time. All the other doors were locked tightly though. Grimacing, you continued on, hoping that you wouldn't get yourself lost in these winding halls. You walked up some stairs that lead to nothing but dead ends. Going down some other stairs took you to more halls just full of locked doors. You walked past Gabriel's office and through the dining room, deciding that you didn't want to bump into your mom right now. Walking through the front hall, Natalie glanced at you from her desk but continued with her work, not seeming to care.

Finally, you ended up at a pair of very large double doors that you had not noticed before. Feeling enticed and hopeful, you pushed on one and it swung inwards, definitely not locked. With a sigh of happiness, you pushed it all the way open and saw a large vacant area before you. There were many tall windows scattered at various places along the back and right walls. In front of them there were dark velvet drapes, but they were all currently tied open. Towards the back of the room, there was a small stage and a desk with some wires around it. The entirety of the floor was smooth hard wood, probably oak. Your breath was completely gone; this was a ballroom.

Squeeing a bit, you ran across the slick ground to the desk and messed with the wires, seeing that some were meant to be plugged into instruments or a computer. You desperately searched through them, trying to find the one that could work for your purposes and you heard a tiny yawn come from your hair. Duusu flew out, rubbing her eyes and noticed where you guys were. "Ah, this place is so huge! What is it for?"

You finally found the wire that you wanted and you fished your phone out to plug it in. "This is a ballroom, Duusu. One for playing music, performing, and dancing." You chuckled and noticed the surrounding speakers dotting all of the walls encircling the room.

Starting to scroll through your music, Duusu flew around, inspecting everything with great interest. "To think the house of Gabriel would have such a place. I wonder if it's ever been used!"

Shrugging you found the playlist you were searching for and clicked on your favorite of the electro swing music. The song came blaring through all of the speakers and so you adjusted the volume, enough to where it was still loud but not so much the walls shook. Feeling lively, you took off your heels and began to twirl across the dance-floor to the music. Duusu glided around you in wonderment and enjoyment, seeming to not have been so free in quite a long time. Honestly you felt the same. Being able to have the smooth jazz completely surround you in this open place where you were alone, it was an amazing feeling.

Closing your eyes, you let the music take control of your body. Your feet moved with expert precision to the beat, your torso following along with them. You mixed together classic swing moves that you had learned with a modern flare. The song wound down and you ended with a pose. Your hands wrapped around your midsection, one foot slightly behind the other, and your face turned towards the ceiling with your eyes partially opened.

Duusu was laughing somewhere behind you when suddenly, you heard a gasp and felt the rustle of your hair. Without moving from the spot, you turned your head towards the doorway. Much to your discomfort, Gabriel stood there as stiff as a board. He noticed you looking at him and he smirked, stepping forward while performing a slow clap. He shook his head, "I didn't take you for a dancer."

With a pout you turned away from him, hearing the next song in the playlist start to sound out its notes. "I doubt you know much about my life. I'm just an employee." You started to twirl to the next song, intent on ignoring him. Why couldn't he just leave you alone? He had just threatened your mother a few hours before.

"Aw, don't be like that." In the middle of a turn, you felt something catch your wrist and send you spinning in the other direction. You hit a solid mass and stumbled backwards a little. What kept you from falling was the same thing that had grabbed your hand and another force that went onto your waist. Looking up, you saw that it had been Gabriel. The closeness of him almost made you feel sick. "After all, we have just entered into a whole new partnership. Besides... your dancing... it gives me an idea."

What was he talking about? What on earth could your dancing have to do with defeating Ladybug and Chat Noir? Too weak to struggle against him, you grudgingly put your hand on his shoulder and let him mindlessly drag you across the floor as he was deep in thought. Surprisingly, his footwork was actually fairly decent, especially for a man you were pretty sure despised dancing.

His voice startled you for the second time that day. "I have a new design line that I believe could work very well with this. With all the different companies at play right now in this season, I could use a presentation that stands out... even though I may not like it that much." You had never actually heard him work through things before. For as long as you had been employed at the business, Gabriel Agreste had never actually been to the company headquarters. He always seemed to be calling other designers over the phone and spouting everything off to them.

Seeming to settle on an idea, he started guiding you through some dance steps, taking control of the movement as was the man's role. The swing era music roared through the room and you were surprised he was keeping with the uppity beat. The waltz seemed to be more his style. He spun you around and let go, letting you twirl away and start up your own steps. You heard a clack of shoes and saw that he was keeping time behind you, you couldn't help but chuckle at your boss. "I didn't take you for a dancer either."

The music came to an end and he resumed his rigid posture, positioning his tie. "I am not. I'm merely testing something. Now..." he started heading towards the door, "If you would come with me, there is something I want for you to try on. If you hadn't been blasting music you would have gotten the message. You had best be more careful about that considering..."

You groaned and rolled your eyes, but technically he was right. You needed to be more careful, especially since your Maman's life depended upon your due diligence. Snatching your phone from the cord and grabbing your shoes, you ran after him, struggling to put the heels back on. He led you back to the office and you closed the door behind the two of you. This time there was no need to lock it.

Gesturing to several dummies in the middle of the room that hadn't been there before, Gabriel continued on to his desk. "Put them on." Great... you were having to do work at home now. You thought he would just be wanting opinions on things.

You pulled your hair tighter and scanned the dummies before you. Each had an identical sleeveless dress on them, although the colors were all different. Upon further notice, some had slightly different patterns on them as well. Starting with a dark blue one that had lace around the chest and beading in the skirts, you unzipped it from the stand and went towards a divider that was in the corner. Duusu flew out of your hair to give you some privacy, and just before pulling the divider closed, you saw Nooroo come out to join her as there was no one else in the room.

You changed quickly and with preciseness, as was your job now for 4 years, and you stepped out, wearing the dress. You walked into the middle of the room and stopped there, not wanting to approach him if you didn't have to. He had taken his jacket off and draped it over a chair, putting a pin cushion on his wrist and a measuring tape on his arm.

Crossing your own arms and turning your face away from him, you tapped your foot in impatience. He stopped a few feet in front of you and scratched his chin in thought. "Put the heels back on."

"They obviously won't go." Nevertheless you turned and did as he said, grabbing them and putting them on to stand a couple of inches higher.

He circled you, making you feel like a piece of meat. His cold eyes made you feel so much more uncomfortable than those of Francis', whom was your extremely gay stylist over at your main job. "It doesn't matter if they match or not, I need to see the dress with this stance and height."

He stepped forward and started pulling at the dress, making certain areas tighter and fastening them with pins. You rolled your eyes and let him mess with it, realizing this was going to be your life now. Gabriel finally moved back to stand in front of you and give you one more look over. He snapped fingers and smiled. "Perfect, now on to the next one."

You sighed and looked up at Duusu and Nooroo playing with each other. At least your time here was bringing some good. Snatching the next dress from the mannequins, you hurried to carefully change out of the clothing full of sharp needles. He repeated this process again and again, prodding you constantly. Did Adrien have to deal with this too?

As much as you hated it, the dresses were beautiful. You had only ever had to work with the clothing and friendly coworkers before. Ever since you had started modeling, you always admired the fashion that Gabriel Agreste put forth for the shoots and the shows. These dresses reminded you of the first time you had thrown on that outfit at the father daughter party. They were so delicate and yet so strong, showing off the curvature of your body and holding themselves up without being uncomfortable. Each color had a subtle differentiation of the lace, patterns, beading, and sewing.

You had almost lost track of how many times you had changed before the door burst inwards. Duusu fled to your hair and Nooroo swooped back into Gabriel's jacket on the chair. In came your Maman bearing a platter of something that looked as delicious as it smelled. She started when she saw you, and then let out a big grin, continuing past the two of you and towards the desk. "I didn't know that the two of you would be working, I would have brought some food for you too."

Gabriel stood you back up and shooed you off towards the divider. "It is fine. We are done here."

You changed quickly and came out to put the last dress back on the mannequin. Gabriel was standing right there with your Maman and you started, holding your heart. "Jesus Christ, don't do that to me."

He took the dress off your hands and glanced over you one last time with the same straight face. "Darker colors definitely suit you the best." Turning, he walked over to the desk to eat alone; your Maman took you by the shoulder and guided you from the room.

She spoke up. "I'm pretty sure Adrien is already eating. I'll drop you off at the dining room on my way back to the kitchen."

You turned to her with an expression of sadness. "Oh can't you eat with us Maman? You are a part of my family anyhow."

Your Maman gave you a little side hug and shook her head. "No no hun. As much as I might want to, in this sort of house it's just not right besides…" she cackled, "I don't want to barge in on your alone time with the boys!"

"Maman!" You shoved her playfully. "One is seven years younger than me and the other is my boss!"

She finally stopped as the two of you reached the entrance to the dining room. "Well, a mother can dream can't she? At least you might gain a friend out of this."

You shrugged and gave her one last hug, holding her tight. "Just stay safe."

She shook her head and walked off. "So unlike you! You know how I am, haha, always playing it safe!" Her voice faded around the corner and you smiled to yourself, still wishing you could tell her about the situation the two of you were in.

Walking through the doorway, you saw Adrien sitting at the table as expected, already leisurely eating what your mother had set out. You sat where you had the previous night and served yourself, merely exchanging waves. You couldn't bear to make eye contact, fearing that even the slightest of things could give away what you now knew about his father. Something, however, caught your eye that you hadn't noticed the previous night. Behind Adrien on the wall hung a family portrait. Upon it was Gabriel, actually sporting a genuine smile, and Adrien, appearing to be so much happier than he was now. Between them stood another woman with the same blonde hair and green eyes as... obviously her son. But where was she? You were pretty sure you hadn't seen her around.

You cleared your throat, knowing you were getting into very delicate territory. You decided to play on the part of ignorant. "So um... Adrien. I just now saw that picture there behind you." He looked startled so you gave him a moment. "I've met two of the three people in that picture. I was wondering... who is the third?"

His eyes opened in shock for an instant and then he looked down in pain. "I... I normally don't like to talk about it, but you told me about your past so fair is fair." He gave you a pained smile. "That is my mother. She... vanished several months ago. We don't really know what happened to her."

You opened your mouth in shock. First your father... and then... this? Biting your lip you looked down and twisted the napkin in your lap. "I'm... so incredibly sorry. I did not know."

He smiled more genuinely now and shrugged. "It's okay, you couldn't have known. Since you are living here now, you should know anyway."

You met his gaze and laughed slightly. Leaning across the table you cupped your hand to your mouth and whispered at him. "Has your father been prodding you around recently for a new line coming out?"

Adrien tilted his head. "Uhhh, no, not that I can think of." He grinned. "What, did he do that to you?"

"Yeah... just a few minutes ago actually." You rolled your eyes dramatically.

He sighed. "You're new here, and he's already going about doing that. I'm so sorry."

You shrugged. "Well, I am an employee and it's the least I can do after being offered a whole new place to stay free of rent." Not to mention the extra hours you'll have to put in being Hawk Moth's little villain assistant, you grumbled in your mind.

"Anyways, he doesn't really bother with me. Once he got to know what fits me, it was always just handed to me right before I had to wear it." He started messing with the food on his plate. "It will probably happen to you too. It's nothing personal, it's just how he is."

Honestly, you hoped that would be how it was. His stare and nearness just gave you the shivers. Granted, the poor boy was clearly not having enough time spent with his father. He always seemed to be alone in this large house. Even with you there, he seemed ready to talk just about anything.

The two of you finished your meals over some small talk and this time he helped you pile the plates for your mother. You continued to stroll and chat while headed to the hallway you shared, but were abruptly stopped by a pile of boxes. They were blocking the front of your room and part of the hallway walk-path. Oh great, your things had already arrived. This was probably why your Maman had been so eager to head off earlier, to get to unpacking her things. Feeling embarrassed you struggled and managed to open your door. "I'm so sorry, I had almost forgot this stuff would be showing up. I'll be sure to have it all moved inside as soon as I can."

Adrien laughed and picked up a box before you could say anything. "It's no big deal. I'll help you out." He smiled at your protests. "I insist! I don't have anything better to do anyways."

You let him take the box into your room and you picked one up yourself, following him. He set it down along one of the blank walls and let out a small exclamation of pain. Adrien started sucking on an area of his finger above a silver metal ring that he wore. Honestly, you hadn't even noticed it before. You stopped and looked at him in concern. He noticed and smirked, "It's okay, just a pinch."

You giggled and walked past him to start stacking the boxes. The two of you managed to move all of them into the room within fifteen minutes. You turned to him. "Thanks so much. On my own, it might have taken an hour!"

He shrugged. "It's fine. Need any more help?"

"Nah, I can unpack everything on my own. It's my own process, ya know."

Adrien laughed. "I can understand that for sure. So um..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I know you're new and everything, but don't be a stranger. I'm just down the hall and things can get boring around here. You play video games?"

You blinked at him. "Uhh... a little bit." Something seemed off. "Your father not let you have friends over?"

He shook his head. "Rarely. He prefers me to focus on my studies. The rest of the time he takes up with his company work."

Looking towards the boxes you sighed. "That's rough. I'm sorry. I'd take you up on that tonight, but I have to start on these. Otherwise they could sit around for months." You smiled knowingly.

Adrien let out a bit of a sad sigh. "Nah I understand. Well, have a good night." He waved and headed out of the room towards his own. You felt terrible, but what you had said was the truth. He was so absolutely alone here.

Closing the door, you turned to the boxes and began to open them, Duusu flying to the couch arm to stare at you in sadness. "My goodness. Mother gone, father is a super-villain who doesn't give him the time of day... I thought I was having it rough."

Duusu shook her small head and watched as you started to pull posters and books from the first box. "Maybe with you here, that can start to change!"

You laughed. "My schedule is going to be pretty hectic as it is. I can give him some company but not really what he needs. Besides, I almost forgot, but tomorrow is going to be a big day! Casting announcements are tomorrow!" You jumped up and down in excitement.

She tilted her head. "Casting?"

"Oh Duusu! The music history department is putting on a full performance of some ancient music. Gaelic, Celtic, Latin... etcetera. I just adore how beautiful and pure those songs are." Duusu smiled in understanding and you continued. "I auditioned for the forest spirit, which is the lead female vocals and violin. I'm really hoping for that part." You frowned. "Although that will mean less time for me and will really conflict with Hawk Moth's activities."

Duusu flew to your shoulder and laughed. "If anyone can handle all of that workload, it's you! Just learn to balance all of it and write up a schedule!"

You poked her cheek. "It's not that simple, but I will try." You sighed. "I almost spaced something else. Tomorrow is also my scheduled day to go into work."

For the next couple of hours, you unpacked more boxes and started setting up posters and scrolls on walls, books in shelves, and figures on their own special areas. The last thing you pulled out of a box was a set of speakers and you smiled at them, remembering the music you had played in the ballroom. With these you would be able to turn your room into your own practice area. However, there was no time to set them up tonight.

You changed into your pajamas and turned out all the lights, moving your book from your pillows this time. Crashing into bed, you saw Duusu land softly on a separate pillow near you and curl up comfortably. You desperately hoped you wouldn't accidentally crush her in the night. Hitting the button on the clock for the alarm, you started to doze off, both excited for and fearing the morrow.

Sample music:

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