"Well, what did you think?" Adrien asked.
Marinette looked at him. Even through the tinted windows, leftover traces of the silver glitter they'd streaked through his hair still shimmered under the rolling street lamps. Feeling bold in the dark car, she reached over and ran her fingers through a small section of his hair. She came away with sparkling fingertips, which she showed to him, and giggled, "I think you made a very pretty Hawkmoth, but I liked you even better as Ladybug."
"Thanks." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What will they do about the second set of Ladybug pictures? I mean, given that they couldn't completely fix your hair?"
"Well, they managed to wash all the grey out." He shrugged, "So really, it's just a little bit of sparkle here and there that they can edit as they need too."
"Ah, okay."
"So," Adrien tapped his hands against his thighs, "Did you have a good time? Was it what you expected?"
"It was a little different than I expected." She thought over the day, wanting to give him the most honest answer she could. "It was very fast paced and I kind of felt like a doll to start with, but overall it was a lot of fun, and I feel like it gave me a great perspective for future fashion shows with my friends."
"Great!" He beamed. He looked so pleased, his head high, and his chest puffed out like a little boy's. Marinette fought the urge to hug him.
It dawned on her, rather suddenly in that moment, that he'd asked her for her approval, not once, but twice. That surprised her. Why would Adrien, an actual model, care so much about her thoughts? Especially on such a steady, integral part of his life? Maybe it was because of how much time they'd spent together recently.
She thought over the last week and how much of it had just been the two of them. A lot of it, actually. The dinners they'd taken alone. Their precious few free hours that he'd spent showing her basic melodies on his piano. The time devoted to their homework, and polishing his other skills had just been the two of them as well.
People had spoken to them, of course, and Adrien had responded, but most of those conversations had lacked the natural warmth of a personal relationship. It had all seemed so professional and straight-forward, so...
Lonely.
She reached out to touch the back of his hand, maybe to reassure him, maybe to question him, she wasn't really sure.
You don't have to pity me, Marinette. My family is a little broken, but that doesn't make me incapable of happiness. Especially since I have such great friends now.
The adults from the workshop had been different. Their influence may only be limited to shop days, but they still loved him. And Luka only had him one day every other week, but he'd straight up told her that he intended to make certain Adrien knew he wasn't alone. And then there was Nino. Nino who called Adrien his best friend and refused to give up on him, despite only being allowed whatever odd moments Adrien could squeeze him into. In that moment, Marientte even felt gratitude for whatever companionship that Kagami and Chloe offered him.
At her touch, Adrien snapped up her hand. He gave her fingers a light squeeze and then relaxed his grip, not quite letting her go, but making it simple enough for her to pull free of him if she chose to.
She didn't. Instead, she loosely linked her fingers with his and smiled up at him.
"So," He dropped his head back to the seat and rolled his neck to look at her, the picture of ease and amity. "What did you like best?"
She didn't even need to think about it. "Pretending to be Cat Noir."
"Really?" His voice hitched slightly in surprise, but his eyes brightened with pleasure.
"Of course! I loved fighting akumas with you. The real Ladybug and Cat Noir better watch out before we take their spots!" She grinned at him. "And their whiskers."
Adrien laughed so hard that he visibly shook. Then, as his chuckles subsided, he blinked several times. He looked back at her, scanning her face, his smile fading. "Thank you, Marinette."
She nodded and squeezed his hand in return. They didn't speak for the rest of the ride back to the mansion, or even look at each other much, but nor did either one make an effort to pull away from the other. Somehow, at least for Marinette, that quiet only centmented the intimacy blooming between them.
Once inside the foyer, Adrien stopped short, surprising Marinette when she very nearly ran into his shoulder. She looked up to see Mr. Agreste waiting for them on the first landing of the stairs. Adrien stepped forward, sliding a little more in front of her, and nodded, "Father."
"Adrien, I have already received the unedited photos from today. You both did well." He nodded to them, "I am pleased."
"Thank you, Father."
"Thank you!" Marinette winced at her own nervous pitch. "Uh, sir!"
"Ms. Dupain-Cheng," Mr. Agreste leveled his unflinching gaze on her. "As you may already know, I own the photos from today's shoot and they will be used in advertising. This is something that both you and your parents agreed to when you signed the paperwork that said you were okay to model with Adrien. However,"
He inclined his head almost imperceptibly, "I understand that you are not a professional model. For your willingness to be photographed despite that, I will allow you to select up to three of the images from today's shoot to take home with you as personal photographs in addition, of course, to a paycheck that I will forward to your parents on your behalf. The only thing I ask is that you in no way share these images on social media until the collection airs, as I cannot have my designs leaked and I may have need of the ones you chose for the campaign."
"Oh!" Marinette clapped her hands together to keep from gesturing around stupidly in her excitement. "Yes, Thank you!"
Mr. Agreste nodded curtly and gestured with a single hand to the dining room. "Diner has been prepared. Natalie will bring you a tablet to go over the photos while you eat."
"Will you be joining us?" Adrien asked, taking a single step forward.
"No, I'm afraid I have work that must be done tonight." Mr. Agreste stepped back and started to turn away. Then he paused, looking back down at his son. "However, I am very pleased with your work today, and have decided to grant your request to visit the community pool tomorrow."
"Thank you," Adrien replied softly, "Father."
Both father and son turned away from each other; Mr. Agreste, to go back up the stairs to his right, and Adrien toward the dining. It took Marinette less than a second to follow Adrien, but behind them, Natalie trotted up the stairs after Mr. Agreste.
Dinner had been professionally laid out for them and was still steaming as they took their seats. The night's dish, pan roasted monkfish and lion's mane mushrooms in a garlic and herb sauce stacked on top of grilled asparagus, reminded Marinette of a conversation she'd had with Cat Noir. She looked at Adrien. "Do you really like asparagus?"
"Yes?" He frowned at her. "I like it, but if you'd rather have something different,"
"No!" She held up her hands, "No, it's fine. You just seem to eat it a lot, so I wondered."
"The chef knows it's one of my favorite vegetables, so it's a pretty safe bet for him to make when he can't ask me what I want."
"That makes sense." Marinette smiled back at the food on her plate, picking at it with her fork. "One of my other friends likes it a lot too."
"Oh?" He asked absently, "And who's that?"
"Uh?" She squeaked, realizing what she'd done.
Should she just go ahead and confess that it was Cat Noir? Surely Adrien wouldn't have any cause to speak to him about asparagus of all things. And it wasn't like anyone else knew that it was Ladybug that Cat Noir had been talking to when he said liked it, and not Marinette. So, as long as it didn't get back to him, she would be alright. Wouldn't she?
What if Adrien did talk Cat Noir though? What if, in pointing out their similarities, as he said he might have to do, Adrien pointed out that they both liked asparagus. How many people would Cat Noir have expressed that particular fondness too? Probably not many.
Adrien looked up at her, clearly taken back by her long pause.
"Uh, just uh," She rolled her hand, trying to come up with something, anything. She failed. "Just a friend?"
"O-kay?" He started to take another bite of food, but lowered it quickly back to his plate, his expression lighting up, "Wait, it's not the guy you're in love with, is it?"
Realizing that she could be honest with him on that point, she nodded, "The boy I love does like asparagus. Yes."
"Good to know." He nodded back, smiling. "Anything else I might have in common with him?"
Marinette squeaked in alarm, her hands rolling as she tried to come up with a non-specific gesture.
Fortunately, Natalie choose that moment to enter the dining room with the promised tablet and rescued her from answering. "Marinette? I've loaded today's photos on this tablet for you. Please go ahead and look through them, and just favorite the ones you want."
"May I see them too, Natalie?" Adrien asked.
"I don't see why not." She replied, setting the tablet down between them. "Do you remember how to favorite photos, Adrien?"
"I do."
"Good, then I will leave the two of you to it. Just remember to unfavorite the pictures that she decides she doesn't want."
"We will." He nodded and scooted his chair closer to Marinette, angling it so they could both look at the screen together while they ate. He smiled at her, "Want to see if we can figure out who everyone is supposed to be?"
"I think I already figured most of them out by the weapons they were given, but I'd love to go over them again just for the details." She nodded.
They spent a good half hour discussing the various costumes and models. They both agreed that the man representing the Mime, while the most out of character, had the best facial expression. The man dressed as Darkblade, however, had never broken character and probably remained the most true to his akumatized counterpart. The nuances in Mr. Agreste's work was another whole conversation unto itself.
For instance, the young man in the crimson knit cap and thin, dark button up had translucent circles painted onto his shirt in primary colors. Marinette hadn't given the circles much thought when she'd been face to face with the model, but now she realized that were supposed to represent bubbles.
The young woman he'd been partnered with had similar flourishes to her costume. She'd been dressed in a black tunic with four white arches on the chest and capri leggings with similar markings, but inverted colors. Easy enough to figure out, her identity just from that, but the real contemplative eye-catcher had been her silverly-white belt. It had been comprised of metal circles repeated all the way around her natural waist, that on closer inspection, vaguely resembled the 'on' symbol.
The first picture Marinette chose to keep had been one of those two models encircling her and Adrien as they stood back to back. She had used her staff to knock Lady Wifi's phone up and potentially out of her hand, while Adrien had his yo-yo wrapped around the Bubbler's wand to pull it away from him.
Then she flipped through to the pictures of her and Adrien in their alternate costumes. Marinette, beyond the akuma dress and glitzy sandals, had been adorned with a crown of flighty butterflies, expertly curled into her hair, and large cuff bracelets cut into butterfly silhouettes. Adrien matched her in an almost plain, dark purple suit with silver trim, a lilac mask cut into the shape of a butterfly, and the glittering paste they'd streaked into his hair.
She had wanted to choose a photo from this set, but something about them bothered her. Adrien looked handsome enough in all of the pictures, but he also seemed so detached and melancholy. Marinette just looked overwhelmed.
She scrolled through all of the pictures, not particularly settling on one. She ended up skipping through to the picture of Adrien, now back as Ladybug, catching her with his yo-yo. It had taken them several minutes to wrap the wire around her waist in way that didn't crease it or her dress, but the effect worked.
Their expressions, unlike the previous photos, complimented each other beautifully. His smile was the perfect mixture of confidence and compassion, and, far from being upset, the Marinette in the picture was bright eyed and hopeful, actively pulling her hero towards her.
She showed it to Adrien. Without speaking, he tapped the favorite button and grinned at her. She giggled in response.
For her last picture, she knew she wanted the one of him kissing her, but she tried hard not to immediately return to it. In fact, she made a point of finishing her way through the rest of the pictures before 'deciding' on it. If Adrien thought anything of this display, he didn't voice it.
When they finally finished, Natalie descended on them as though she had been waiting. She confiscated the tablet and their plates, and sent them off with the suggestion that they retire immediately, given the late hour. The two traded yawns and agreed.
Adrien escorted Marinette to her room as he had done every night that week. When they reached her door, she pretended to brace herself for his usual teasing. "Alright you! Sweet dreams and good night!"
"Sweet dreams to you too, my Marinette. May they be filled, once more, with the kind of kisses that make you," He trailed off, focusing on something behind her.
"Adrien?" She checked to see what might have caught his attention, but saw nothing noteworthy other than the cat cutout she'd put in her window that morning. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I thought I saw something fluttering outside your window, but I think it was only a shadow."
She rushed to the window. "I don't see anything."
"Sorry, it was probably just a leaf or something." He shifted uneasily, "I must be more tired than I thought."
"Okay, well, good night." She smiled at him, "And sweet dreams."
"You too, Marinette." He flashed her a quick smile in return, before he turned on his heel and hurried away.
Marinette closed the door after him and flicked off her bedroom light. She checked the window once more. She could see a little further into the backyard, but still nothing popped out at her. She debated transforming anyway, just to triple check, but decided it wasn't worth it.
Until Adrien had accidentally drawn her attention to the cutout, Marinette had honestly forgotten about setting it up. She had no idea if Cat Noir had already tried to stop by, but if he hadn't, or if he intended to circle back and check on her again, she'd rather not have to explain Marinette's absence.
Also knowing Cat Noir, he'd probably take a quick look around for her, if she asked.
She checked the window again, but saw no distant figure leaping across the Parisian skyline. Probably, she would be safe to grab a quick shower and wash the product off of her skin and out of her hair. After that, she'd crawl into bed, but spend some time scrolling through her phone, just in case he showed up.
She stepped into the bathroom, but left the door cracked open out of habit. She stripped, showered quickly, and wrapped herself in a towel to brush her teeth.
"Marinette?" Someone called in a low voice.
"Ah!" She squeaked and whirled on the bathroom door. "Don't come in!"
"I won't! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know I was in here." Cat Noir sputtered. It didn't sound like he was very close to the door. "I knocked, but you didn't answer and I saw the bathroom light, so I just came in. I hate to intrude, but it seemed less creepy than just clinging to the wall outside your bedroom while I waited for you."
"Oh, that makes sense. Um," Marinette sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Cat Noir, my clothes are out there."
"Oh! I can step back outside, or hand them to you, or,"
"Just drop my bag by the door and turn around."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Marinette grabbed her bag almost immediately after she heard it hit the floor, and dressed quickly. Cat Noir still had his back to the door when she emerged. She shuffled awkwardly to the bed, and dropped her bag in the middle of it. "I was out so late tonight, I wasn't certain if you'd already been by or if you were even still coming."
"I didn't want to raise any questions, so I waited until most of the mansion went dark before I transformed." He inclined his head toward her, "It is pretty late though. Did you have an eventful day?"
"Very. You can turn around now if you'd like." She smiled at him. "Thank you, by the way."
"Of course." He nodded. In the semi-darkness it was hard to tell, but Marinette thought his cheeks looked dark. "So, you summoned me?"
"Yeah. I guess I should have just had Ladybug tell you this, but after you made the effort to come by the mansion everyday, it seemed rude not to tell you myself." She took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Adrien knows now that you're not Luka, but I'm also pretty sure that he's dropped his search for you identity."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Yesterday morning, Alya accused him of being Cat Noir. He said he was flattered, but it wasn't true, and I helped him prove it. Then he suggested Luka to her, and she told him how that wasn't possible. He just sort of accepted that, and said we'd have to wait until we had more information to try again." Marinette shook her head. "So, I think he's given up for the moment."
Cat Noir grinned at her. "Sounds like it. Thanks for letting me know."
"Yeah, of course." She hesitated, rubbing her arm.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Adrien."
"Adrien?"
"I know you wanted to tell him your identity, but I'm worried about him. Alya's already accused him of being you once, and that really seemed to scare him. And now, I guess I'm just really worried that people might target him if they notice any more of a connection between you." Marinette met his eyes, "Please protect him, Cat Noir."
Somewhere during her spiel, Cat Noir's mouth had fallen open. It took him a minute after she had finished to close it again, shaking his head. He started to say something, chuckled, and stopped again. Finally, he just took a seat next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder, "Friend to friend, Marinette, I swear to you: as long as I'm up and kicking, Adrien will be fine."
Marinette threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."
"Of course, and listen." He pulled back from her, "If we, Ladybug and I, and by extension you, decide that Adrien would make a good secret keeper for me, we're not just going to throw him into it head first, okay? I'll talk to him personally, and make certain that he understands all the risks before I reveal anything. You don't have to worry about him."
"Thanks, Cat Noir." Marinette swiped at one of her cheeks. Something on her fingers sparkled. Somehow, despite her shower, some of the silver glitter from Adrien's hair had lingered. "Oh, I thought I'd washed all this off. I'm sorry if I send you home covered in sparkles, Cat Noir. I was teasing Adrien about the glitter in his hair earlier, and I guess it's true what they say about how you can never really get rid of it."
"Hey, uh, no worries." He chuckled awkwardly. "I'll just blame him instead of you."
"I'm not sure that's fair. He didn't have a choice in being glitter-fied, but I did when I teased him."
"You, you really care about him, don't you?" Cat Noir asked softly.
"Yeah, I do. I," Marinette felt her cheeks heat, and suddenly she couldn't be honest with him, not completely. "I think of him as a very good friend."
"Thank you, Marinette." Cat Noir stood and drifted back toward the open window. He paused and looked back at her. "Before I go, can I ask you one last personal question?"
"Yeah, sure."
"You told me once you had your heart broken. I was wondering if that was still true." He shifted from one foot to the other. "Like, if you still love him."
"Yeah, I do."
"Can I ask why? What makes him so special to you?"
"It's hard to explain." She shrugged. "I mean, I've tried to move on, at least a little, but everytime I do, he just,"
"He just?" Cat Noir came back to her slowly.
"Well, he's kind." She looked up at him. He stood so close that if she tried to get to her feet, she'd probably have to cling to him to keep from losing her balance.
She swallowed. Why did her brain have to phrase it like that? There was something, between the semi-dark room, and his proximity and quieted tone, that made the entire conversation seem far too intimate. Far too similar to the conversation she'd had with Adrien about him. She shook her head to clear it, "Um, he has a lot of other great qualities too, but his kindness always gets me."
"So you spend a lot of time with him then?"
"Yeah, sort of."
"Will you tell me a little more about him?" He finally sat back down next to her causing her to sigh in relief. Cat Noir misunderstood and immediately brought his hands up, "Sorry, I'm not trying to intrude, I'm just curious."
"No, it's okay." She smiled at him, "Aa, uh, I mean, my friend, that is, he's very smart. But it's not just that he's smart, he's also sedulous. Like some of it is natural skill, but some of it is how hard he studies. And he's brave. He'll run from akuma if he has too, but he does at least try to help people."
"He sounds," Cat Noir stopped short, and whirled towards the door, ears wiggling. Then, finger pressed to his lips, he scooted around her to crouch behind her bed.
Marinette froze, her heart pounding. Best case scenario, Adrien caught Cat Noir in her room and had a few questions for her. Worst case, what? Mr. Agreste found the two of them together and threw her out for being a bad influence on his son? Probably. That would probably be the worst case, although she didn't much relish Natalie finding them together either.
After a moment, Cat Noir got back to his feet, "It sounds like she's headed on upstairs, but we probably shouldn't press our luck."
"Definitely." She walked him to the window. "Good night, Cat Noir."
"Good night, my Marinette, and thank you for indulging me." He bowed. "It's been nice, and it's given me hope."
"Hope?"
"Yeah, uh," He rubbed the back of his neck, "I've been struggling with my own affections, and somehow hearing what you had to say about the guy you like helped. Like, it's exactly how I feel about Ladybug. It reminds me of why I love her."
"O-kay." She frowned at his visable wince. "I don't know what you're actually up to, but I trust you, Cat Noir."
"Thank you." He smiled. Rather impulsively, he then leaned forward and kissed her temple. "I appreciate everything you've said to me tonight."
"I!" But Marinette had nothing to say.
Cat Noir chuckled as he hopped up to the window sill, "Good night then, Marinette."
And he left, traces of the glitter Marinette had accidentally spread to his hair winking at her as he darted away.