A/N: As always, thank you so much! Your reviews made me so happy once again! I'd just like to say that I am trying to update this story every day, since it helps me stay in the habit of writing. So I guess this is the most important story that I'm currently writing. That doesn't mean I've abandoned other stuff though - I'll write when I get a bit more time, but since it's weekend soon, hopefully I can catch up with "Issues", too! Sending you all some love!

11.

Marinette wasn't sure what to do with Chat Noir's phone number. She played with the note paper and folded its corners. The result looked a little bit like a cat. It made her smile. Then she unfolded the piece of paper, saved the number under a new contact on her personal phone and copied it into her journal just in case her phone battery ever died and she had to contact him urgently. She could easily see the benefits of having each other's phone numbers, but even despite knowing that, she didn't text him immediately.

Marinette pulled out her sketchbook to work on Professor Fu's assignment. The old man had been very harsh on her designs in the past. It was extremely annoying to have all her hard work torn apart, as if it was a corpse being dissected, though Marinette truly appreciated the kind manner in which he did it. Professor Fu was old and wise and he definitely knew what he was talking about when he talked about meaningful art. And Marinette wanted her designs to be more than just pretty like pictures.

So she'd accepted his help when he offered it and was now stuck with weekly assignment, tailored specifically for her. Every time they had a class together, Professor Fu gave her a single word around which she had to work. At first, the words had been in French, but satisfied with her first results, he had ventured away from the language.

"Ancient," whispered Marinette to herself in Chinese, unsure how to approach it. When the teacher had told her the word, the young designer had simply stared at him, as if he was speaking a foreign language. Technically he was, but he didn't know Marinette's Chinese was a little more underdeveloped than she let on. She didn't usually need to use it, so what little she had learned, she had also promptly forgotten. Professor Fu had had to translate it. He hadn't looked like he disapproved of Marinette's lack of language skills, but he had had a smug smile on his face that unsettled her a little bit. She'd called her mother right after the lesson.

Marinette hastily sketched a dress, knowing Fu was not going to be satisfied with it and have her redo it, but she was tired and she figured that going to her parents' bakery would inspire her. She made chocolate chip cookies again, packing a couple of extra in hopes of running into Adrien when she packed her bag. She was sure that she forgot something, but she could worry about that in the morning. She left a plate with cookies for Chat Noir, took a shower and tucked in, the bed feeling more comfortable than ever. Her nose detected a hint of something (cinnamon?), but her brain barely registered it, too tired to function.

In the morning, before running off again, she read over the note she'd written for Chat Noir.

Hey Chat,

Don't call me a princess! It's weird. Thanks for the coffee though. Helped me through a rough night.

I'm a fashion student. You probably don't care for that kind of stuff, but it's my childhood dream-coming-true. So it's great!

I got your number. Might make use of it later. Keep an eye out for a text! I'll be back by the apartment at about 19 to pick up my stuff before heading to the bakery, probably gone by 20.

Have a nice day!

Marinette

P.S. You didn't answer my questions! :( Flavors? Allergies? If you don't tell me, I might have to stop leaving you treats, kitty, otherwise it might lead to a nasty surprise for me. Like walking through the door and finding your dead body by the kitchen table. I do not want your blood on my hands!

She left, feeling good about the day. And she felt good up until she arrived at her internship.

"You!" someone screeched, pointing at her, making her jump and panic a little. The woman sighed in relief. "You need to come with me. Immediately." She grabbed Marinette by the arm and started pulling her towards the elevator. "What's your name?"

"Ladybug," answered Marinette immediately, eyes wide in panic. Confusion spread over the assistant's face until the realization hit her like a brick. "Ah, you're an intern. Well, whatever. You help me, I help you. You speak Japanese, don't you?"

The assistant shoved her into a small meeting room without waiting for Marinette's answer. The designer panicked and scrambled back towards the door before someone behind her coughed. Marinette froze, suddenly aware she wasn't alone in the room, She turned around, sporting an awkward smile.

"Hello?" Marinette gave a small wave. Her eyes instinctively seeked out the face of her companion and once they found it, she panicked more than she had ever before, eyes threatening to jump out of their sockets. Right there, in front of her, stood one of the thirteen models hired from outside of the fashion house. A celebrity famous enough for the Agrestes to ask her to present their work, even when it was not her looks that she was known for.

Not that she wasn't pretty. But Marinette was having trouble comprehending the fact that Kagami Tsurugi in the flesh was standing before her, looking at her with a blank expression on her face. The young designer wasn't sure whether she should squeal in excitement like a big fan (which she wasn't, not really,) or scream in panic, because if she messed this up, she messed up bad.

It wasn't what she'd wanted, but Marinette could consider herself lucky. Other interns dreamed of an encounter like this. She did, too, but not with Miss Tsurugi. The only one of the models that she wanted to have a run-in with was Adrien. As she thought of him, she got a dreamy look on her face.

"Are you always this weird?" The cool tone of the other woman's voice snapped Marinette out of it.

Marinette narrowed her eyes at her. She didn't like Kagami's tone. Before Marinette could ask her what she meant by the question, the Japanese woman's hand shot out.

"Kagami Tsurugi." The smile on her face weirded Marinette out. "Nice to meet you."

"Wow! Your French is so good!" The designer panicked. "I'm Mari… Ladybug! I'm Ladybug! Err… Nice to meet you too." She checked the door, it was locked from the outside, and took a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm sorry. I really don't know what I'm doing here."

She smiled apologetically, but it came out a little awkward, because she remained nervous.

"I'm sorry," Kagami apologized, her smile more forced than the previous one. Marinette cringed inwardly. "They always require a translator to be present, even though I speak French."

Marinette straightened her back. Things were beginning to make a lot more sense to her now. This at least explained why the assistant thought she spoke Japanese. Kagami was Japanese.

"There's been a… terrible mistake." Marinette muttered barely loud enough for the other woman to hear. Kagami stared at her intently, waiting for her to continue. "I… uh… I'm just an intern. And I don't speak Japanese. Obviously." Startled, she laughed a little.

Though there were several notable similarities between Marinette and Kagami, like the similar shade of their hair, the designer found her Chinese traits paled in comparison with the Japanese beauty. Kagami looked good in a healthy way, fit and well-nourished, her skin clear of any blemishes.

"I see."

The silence that fell in the room was deafening. Marinette chewed on her lower lip, trying to solve the problem. She tensed when she noticed Kagami take out her phone. Afraid she was going to get Marinette in trouble, the designer spoke before thinking.

"How do you like France?" She froze when the words were out of her mouth and chuckled nervously, cheeks turning pink. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to ease the tension that was building up in her shoulders.

"It's… charming." Kagami's eyes didn't leave Marinette for a moment, but she seemed to relax a little bit, too. "I like your hair."

The compliment took Marinette by surprise, so she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind: "There's nothing wrong with yours!"

Mortified, she was about to correct herself when the door behind her unlocked. Her hands which had been on the door handle all this time pressed down and she stumbled backwards, barely catching herself, as she opened the door.

"Whoa there," two strong arms caught her. "Oh, hey, Ladybug! What are you doing here?"

All color faded from her face for a moment, as she steadied herself. She looked up to thank the person who saved her from a nasty fall. Then she looked up (a huge mistake), only for the blood to rush back to her face all at once. Kagami watched her expressions change with apparent disinterest.

"Th-thanks!" She stuttered, losing herself in Adrien Agreste's green eyes. He was so close she could smell his cologne. It made her heart beat faster.

When the awkward position registered in her brain, she pushed him away, eyes wide in terror. This wasn't how she'd wanted things to go. What should she say? Should she apologize? Thank him? Her body outpaced her mind: she ran.

Marinette barely made it to the end of the corridor when someone grabbed her arm.

"There you are, Ladybug! We've been looking for you for hours. Pierre is pissed. Someone got measurements wrong." The redhead sounded as panicked as Marinette felt. "And when you didn't show up, girl, the man just lost it. You better look as apologetic as possible when we get there, because he's ready to kill."

"Oh no!"

"I swear, Ladybug, for someone who's supposed to bring good luck, you sure attract a lot of bad luck."

"I know!" Marinette increased her speed to match with the other intern's. They weren't friends, but they'd reached a mutual truce after helping each other out every once in a while. She was so focused on the task at hand that she didn't even notice they were being followed. Marinette didn't know her real name, but when choosing codenames, the woman had written down Applebear on her application. So that's how she was known.

The room interns usually gathered in was deadly quiet. Marinette immediately noticed a couple of girls crying in the furthest corner, tears ruining their perfect make-up. Applebear nudged Marinette towards the other direction, close to the wall.

"Ladybug!" Pierre bellowed, his anger enough to shake the room. "Where have you been? I have half a mind to fire you! You don't get paid to lollygag around!" With every word, a little bit of spit flew towards the two young women. Marinette took it bravely, knowing that cowering would make her situation even worse. She tried to look as sorry as she could, but she hadn't done anything wrong. What had happened wasn't her fault. It was hard to accept the humiliation. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I…" Marinette started, trying to think of a good explanation on the spot. "I…"

"She was with me," a cool voice cut through hers. Everyone turned to look at the doorway. Pierre gasped, some of the interns joining in. Marinette felt herself pale again. Her head turned to look at the newcomers. The sight made her feel faint. Adrien Agreste was leaning against the doorframe, watching the events unfold, as confused as everyone else. But it was not him that had spoken.

"Mademoiselle Tsurugi," Pierre rushed to kiss her hand. Kagami put her hands behind her back and clasped them, stopping him effectively from succeeding. She had barely stepped in through the door. "I heard you won the last tournament. Congratulations!"

"Ladybug was with me," the woman repeated calmly. "I apologize for keeping her from you."

"Oh, no! Don't worry about it!" His tone changed instantly in the presence of the beautiful model. "I'm glad Ladybug could be of assistance to you."

Applebear nudged Marinette who jumped at the contact.

"You should give her your card," the intern whispered.

"No way!" Marinette protested, crossing her fingers that everything would turn out smoothly.

"Come on!" Applebear nudged her again. "It's a good opportunity!"

Adrien happened to overhear their conversation and he spoke up energetically. "That's a brilliant idea!"

At the sound of his voice, Marinette's feet hopped off the ground again and she blushed deep red.

"What's a brilliant idea?" Kagami turned to her friend.

"Ladybug should give you her card!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "It's a thing we do with our interns. Because social ties are such an important part of our business, all interns get a certain number of business cards…"

"One hundred!" Applebear chipped in helpfully.

"They exchange those cards with people within the company. When it's time for their first evaluation, interns who have made a good impression on the employees get an advantage, provided the rest of their work is up to the company standards." Adrien explained, looking at Marinette who was frozen on her spot like a deer caught in the headlights.

"She doesn't look like she wants to give me her card." Kagami observed. Applebear nudged Marinette again, breaking whatever spell she was under.

"I do!" she exclaimed, not willing to throw away the shot she had. She looked for the small box where she kept the business cards and opened it with shaky hands. Marinette took out a card and closed the cover before handing her business card over to Kagami. The woman accepted it graciously with two hands as she'd been taught in Japan before passing over her own business card. Marinette put her box away hastily, dropping it on the floor before wordlessly accepting her card. The small pieces of paper scattered on the floor. Applebear snorted, surprised to see the intern act so clumsy.

Marinette knelt down to pick them up. She was painfully aware of the blonde model coming to her help, much to everyone's surprise and amazement. She tried not to look at him, failing miserably, as her eyes couldn't stop glancing in his direction and looking away immediately when their eyes met. Once she was sure she'd gathered them all, she stood up again.

"You missed this," Adrien said, holding another card out for her. Her hand reached out for it, body faster than the mind again, and froze when she realized she should say something. She stammered another thanks, as he let go of the card and smiled at her. Marinette could only stare in amazement.

"Well, keep up the good work, everyone!" he looked away from her and spoke to everyone in the room. "Now, please excuse us."

It seemed that as soon as Adrien and Kagami had left, the room exploded. Everyone breathed out in relief. Someone laughed. Marinette still stared into the empty doorway, business card bending in her strong grip. Applebear pried it out of her hands.

"I'll be damned," the woman giggled. "I'll take back everything I said about you and bad luck."

"Huh?" Marinette turned her head to look at her.

"Look at the card." Applebear waved it in front of her. Marinette grabbed it from her hand and did exactly that. "That was so smooth."

It took Marinette a moment to realize what she meant. She blinked to see if she was imagining things. Pinched herself in case it was a dream. It wasn't. Adrien Agreste had given her his business card.

Marinette squealed happily and threw her arms around Applebear. The woman let out a small giggle, but accepted the unexpected hug happily, knowing she had just made a friend.