A/N: Thank you so much for your warm feedback! 3 I hope you enjoy this one too! Sending you all some love! 3
8.
After serious contemplation, Marinette decided that failing once was not a good enough reason to give up completely, she decided to try again, crossing her fingers for good luck. She made preparations for a quick dinner. After washing the rice and putting it in the rice cooker, she washed and cleaned the vegetables, then set them aside for later. She had a bigger task to tackle.
Marinette gathered the bowls, ingredients and got out her trusty kitchen scale, ready to measure everything out to perfection. As much as she loved chocolate, Marinette didn't make brownies too often and preferred to err on the side of caution, so that she could still get some work done. The woman cut up the butter and placed it together with a broken-up bar of dark chocolate into a steel bowl which in turn found its place in a larger pot, filled with water. She turned on the heat.
While she waited for the water to warm, she turned on her laptop and opened her digital music collection, choosing one of Clara Nightingale's new tracks for the positive vibes. Then, Marinette measured out the dry ingredients. She had gotten the recipe in exchange for teaching how to make macarons to a group of exchange students from America and it had quickly become one of her secret delights during stressful times. And since her chances of running Adrien Agreste were quite low in the first place, she would at least have this chocolaty treat to console her, if she failed again.
Marinette made a mess out of the kitchen, but after putting the confection in the oven and heaping rice into a small bowl, topping it with fresh vegetables, she felt a little better. She got back to the sofa (the one thing she'd even consider marrying Chat Noir for) and decreased the sound coming from her laptop. It didn't take her a lot of convincing to get started on her reading assignments. After all, she wanted to be a great designer and you didn't just become one by dreaming. It took a lot of continuous effort, knowledge about almost everything and a ton of willpower.
She didn't even make it to bed before falling asleep.
Even without the alarm, Marinette managed to wake up before her roommate returned. She got dressed at a record speed, scribbled a hasty note and prayed to whatever god was listening that Chat Noir would forgive her for leaving the apartment such a mess. She didn't have any time to waste. It was obvious even to her that she couldn't make it to the fashion house before her classes, but she slipped a bit of brownie into a decently presentable container before dashing off, hoping to be lucky enough to somehow run into the love of her life. She didn't.
Adrien's night had been pretty good for a change. Or to be more accurate, the night had been normal. It was Adrien who was seeing things in a more positive light. His genuinely happy smiles got a lot of reactions and a little bit of teasing. The news about his second cup of coffee were spreading faster in the fashion circles, his coy smile and slightly pink cheeks attracting about as much attention as the photo had. Collectively, Agreste House reached the conclusion that someone had caught his eye.
The man could smell the chocolate from the entrance hall. Its sweet aroma pulled him into the kitchen. He gasped at the sight, not even noticing the brownies on the table. The sink was full of dirty dishes. There was a trail of flour on the floor, leading from the table to a cupboard, its open door revealing containers of dried food inside.
"Jesus Christ," he muttered in awe. "What the hell happened here?"
Adrien glanced around, looking for a note. She must have left one, he reasoned, even though the place had definitely seen better days. He found the crumpled piece of paper next to a small plate with what the blonde assumed to be the source of the sweet smell. This time, he read the note first.
HEY!
Sorry about mess! Will clean later. Fav colour pink. Gotta run. Bye!
Laughter rose in his chest. Adrien shook his head, letting a few chuckles escape, as he pictured Marinette writing the note. His imagination was not too far off from the real thing which contained a lot more cursing and clumsiness on the heroine's part. Her note said nothing about the brownies and answered only one of his questions, but it was the most sincere communication he received the entire day and that filled him with happiness.
As awe-inspiring as the mess was, he decided to clean it up before treating the chocolaty treat as a thank-you gift from her, relishing the surprising raspberries in the center. After all, they shared the apartment and this was the least he could do to make sure sweets kept coming. He figured that after a busy day out, she might appreciate having one less chore to do.
Adrien found himself wondering what she did when she wasn't in the apartment. Was she a student? Did she have a job?
He had just put away the last clean dishes and swiped the floor with a slightly wet paper towel, picked up a brownie and bitten into its holy delight, when the doorbell rang. Displeased, he got to the door, peeked through the peephole and opened with a sigh. He recognized the man. Last time he had been dressed as a pizza boy.
"Look, dude, I hate this as much as you do," the man started before Adrien could get a word in. "I know I came off as a creep last time, but I swear, I'm not."
"Is that so?" Adrien wasn't convinced. "That's what a creep would say."
"I know Marinette, alright?" Things were not really going the way Nino had planned them and he was growing frustrated. Adrien raised an eyebrow at him. "Her best friend, Alya put me up for this."
Nino's shoulders slumped. "Alya's like fire. Can't really so no to her, but I do think you don't deserve this. But really, dude, that note you left her? Asking her to marry you?" Nino shook his head, amused. "It kinda freaked Alya. So she sent me here to gather more information on you."
"Sounds like you're either a really good friend or a crazy weirdo." Though Adrien was feeling sorry for the man, he wasn't entirely convinced of his good intentions. Either he was lying before or he was lying now, Adrien couldn't decide which was more likely.
"I'm Nino Lahiffe, by the way," the man adjusted his red cap, took a small business card from his pocket and held it out for him.
"Carapace?" Adrien read from the card. He had heard the name before.
"The one and only," Nino grinned. "I don't expect you to believe me, cause most people don't, at first anyway. I'm playing at Miraculous later tonight. You're welcome to come, if you want. I'll put Chat Noir on the list." He checked the watch on his phone. "Well, it's been a nice time meeting you, dude, but Alya's waiting for me to report back."
"Um… Thanks?" Adrien replied, confused. He looked at the man and then back on the business card, before slipping it in his back pocket and closing the door. As soon as he was finished eating the sweet, he went to take a nap, surprised to find the bed as nicely as he'd left it. He sighed in relief, drifting off to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His dreams were infused with the scent of chocolate.
He woke up well-rested. He got dressed. He went to Starbucks, ordering coffee for himself and hot chocolate for Marinette. Then returned to his flat to leave a note for the woman and left to meet Nathalie who had his schedule for the day.
A nearly empty schedule, as it turned out.
"Vincent canceled because of a family emergency," the stern woman informed him coolly. "So after being measured for the fall line, you're free to go."
The measuring was quick and painless. Adrien was in and out in less than half an hour, feeling a little sour about it. Though he was usually very enthusiastic about having any free time, he realized quickly that aside from his father's mansion, technically still his home, he had nowhere to go and nothing to do. It was Wednesday. Nothing ever happened on Wednesdays.
Adrien wandered around aimlessly, putting more and more distance between himself and the city center until he discovered he was standing right across the street of the exclusive clubhouse Miraculous. Nino's business card burned in his pocket. He remembered the man's invitation.
What have I got to lose? He thought, heading over to the entrance. In the worst case scenario, he will be denied entrance. Maybe someone will laugh. But he was Adrien Agreste and even if he was humiliated like that, he would come out of it barely scratched.
"Name?" The bouncer asked, barely looking up from his list.
"Chat Noir."
The large man snorted and looked up. Adrien put on his most confident grin, effectively causing some nearby girls to swoon. He ignored them.
"Put this on and in you go." The bouncer handed him a black mask. "Carapace will be with you in a moment."
Adrien covered his face and stepped through the gold-hinged door. Once inside, he marveled at the octagonal shape of the building. There were three floors, growing smaller in size as it got higher. The ground floor was the largest and that's where the crowd gathered. Adrien took in the blinding lights of the room, each of the floor's nine sections shining bright in a different color.
"Hey, dude!" Carapace greeted him, appearing out of nowhere. "You made it!"
"It seems so." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He felt a little embarrassed. The club wasn't really his scene and while it intrigued him in a way that all new things did, he wasn't sure he was fit for it.
"Sorry about the mask, dude," Carapace continued, guiding him through the maze that the ground floor was to the deep green zone where a small bar had been set up. "But with a face like yours, dude, you'd be on the Glamour's first page faster than you can say miraculous. Wasn't sure how you'd like that."
"Thanks." Adrien's green eyes bored into Nino's through the slits in his mask.
"Dude, you do look like a black cat." Carapace laughed, sounding pleased. "Anyway, this spot's my fave. You're welcome to stay and hang around here until I get off the stage. Hey, Wayzz, get this kid a drink on me!" He called the last sentence to the man behind the bar. The barman, wearing a suit which matched in color to the section, gave him a thumbs up.
"First time in Miraculous?" Wayzz inquired once Carapace had disappeared into the crowd.
"Yeah." Adrien's eyes moved through the crowd, looking for something to focus on.
"Here. You have to try this then." Wayzz passed him a drink. Adrien eyed it suspiciously as if expecting it to be spiked, its green color putting him off a little bit. It smelled sweet.
Deciding that another chance like this might never come, Adrien took a small sip. It was fizzy like chilled champagne and it tasted like melons. It wasn't bad, but not exactly to his taste either. He told the barman as much.
"I would offer you something else," Wayzz smiled apologetically, "but unfortunately, every section is only allowed to serve one specialty. This was mine. There are 18 sections in total, nine on this floor, nine on the floor above us."
"What's at the top?" Adrien inquired, his eyes finding the center piece of the hall. It hung above everyone's heads, empty and almost unnoticeable.
"The nineteenth section." Wayzz followed his eyes to the spot and smiled fondly. Adrien waited for him to elaborate, but the barman never did, finally looking away and getting back to polishing an already-perfect glass.
"What's the nineteenth section?" the blonde asked.
Wayzz gave him a friendly smile. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you that."
Just as Adrien was about to ask him why, a voice echoed through the room, announcing Carapace. The blonde turned around, still holding onto the drink, and looked over to the center of the stage. Loud cheers were almost deafening. When the music started, Adrien found himself reaching a strange conclusion about the man on stage: that it would be interesting to have a friend like him.
After Carapace's performance, the DJ got off the stage, heading straight for where he had left Adrien.
"Dude! That place is awesome! And you were great!" The blonde exclaimed, sounding louder and more enthusiastic than before, all because of Wayzz's magical melon drink (as he dubbed it, not remembering its real name).
"Thanks, dude!" Carapace grinned. "You should see this place on Friday. It lights up like no other. Well, if you exclude Akuma. But personally, I like Miraculous better."
He slid into the seat next to Adrien's, asking Wayzz for a drink. "Anyway, dude. You weren't serious when you ask Marinette to marry you, were you?"
"Dead serious." Adrien wasn't sure why he was being so honest. Nino laughed.
"Yeah, the stuff she bakes…"
"Heaven on Earth," Adrien sighed, a dreamy look passing over his face. Nino snorted.
"Dude, you've never met her. She could be hideous. Deformed. Snap out of it before you hurt yourself."
"As long as she keeps feeding me, I don't care." Adrien sighed again, "But is she?"
"Nah." Nino took a long sip. "She's pretty cute. Wanna see?" He dug his phone out of the pocket in his pants.
"Nah." Adrien shook his head. "If she wants me to know… She'll show me herself."
Nino put the phone away. He looked at the masked blonde like he was pleasantly surprised. It made Adrien feel like he'd just passed an important test. "That's decent of you, dude! Respect!"
The two talked until the club closed several hours later. Nino showed him around, covering half of the first floor and promising to show the rest at a later date, because "Wednesdays aren't the best days to get pissed." Adrien agreed wholeheartedly.
Even though he ended up crashing at his father's house that night, Adrien had not felt this happy in a long time. And the one he had to thank for this was Marinette, his mysterious roommate. Nino had made a point that they could talk about anything as long as it wasn't Marinette (unless it involved her pastries). They got along just fine and at the end of the day, they exchanged phone numbers. So coming to the fashion icon's house for rest seemed like a tiny misfortune.