Chapter Thirty Nine – Crêpes
Marinette taps her pen against her notebook absentmindedly, reading over the last question on the page. It's early – before her alarm – but she woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so what better way to make herself tired then to study for a test that isn't happening for another month? Unfortunately, because of all of the studying she's done lately, physics is actually starting to make sense and no longer leaves her as exhausted as it once did, meaning it didn't make her tired and instead she spent the last two hours doing physics homework on a Saturday morning.
Finishing the question, Marinette groans and leans back in her chair. She hisses in pain when her muscles protest to her movements and she massages her neck before stretching out her legs and back. She gets up only to trip over the leg of her desk chair and fall onto the floor, bringing her physics textbook down with her.
Tikki springs awake at the sudden noise, flying around the room quickly on instinct before settling down on Marinette's closed notebook. She lets out a big yawn and watches Marinette get back to her feet, rubbing her knee where a new bruise is no doubt forming.
"Morning Tikki, did you sleep well?" Marinette says, stroking her kwamis head before dropping a kiss there.
Tikki nods, eyes slipping closed as Marinette continues to stroke her, before they shoot open again at another realisation. "Your alarm hasn't gone off!"
Marinette blinks at her in surprise of her outburst. "Yeah," She says, absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair to push it back from her face. "I guess not." She smiles at Tikki. "Do you want breakfast or do you want to sleep a little longer? I'm in the mood for crêpes."
Tikki blinks at her holder, startled by her sudden appetite. She can't remember the last time Marinette made the decision to eat something rather than it being made for her, such as with Nino and Adrien and her parents.
"Um . . ."
Marinette smiles kindly and taps Tikki on the head. "I'll let you sleep. I'll bring you up a crêpe later."
Leaving Tikki to sleep a little longer, Marinette pulls her hair into a messy bun with a scrunchy and goes downstairs. She goes back upstairs when she remembers her alarm hasn't been turned off yet and she should turn it off first so it doesn't wake Tikki (the poor mite looks ever so tired and confused).
"Good morning, sweetie." Sabine greets, looking up from the newspaper she is reading on her tablet while her coffee cools. "You're up early."
Marinette hums in agreement, opening the cupboard beside the oven and stove to get a frying pan out. "Yeah. I'm going to make crêpes; do you want some?" She sets the frying pan on the stove and crosses the kitchen to get the electric mixer out of another cupboard.
"Ooh, yes please." Sabine says, mouth already watering at the thought of Marinette's crêpes. "You make the best crêpes. Even better than your father's." She smiles cheekily.
Marinette giggles. "Don't let Dad hear you saying that."
She continues to talk to her mother as she makes the crêpes from memory, the recipe having been engrained in her head for many years at this point. She spreads Sabine's out on a plate and sprays canned wipe cream onto it, adding cut up strawberries before rolling it up. She does the same for hers but uses a little less wiped cream.
After eating, she makes another for Sabine to take down to Tom, before making Tikki's, which she adds some Nutella to. Tikki's asleep when she takes it up for her though, so she leaves it on her desk beside her and goes back downstairs to clean the kitchen and put the left over mixture in the fridge, so they can either have it as a dessert after dinner or for tomorrow's breakfast.
Taking note of the time – a little after eight – she goes to the bathroom to get ready for the day, before going to her room to get dressed. She smiles at the soft snores emitting from the basket of wool Tikki has chosen to sleep in, before standing in front of her closet with the doors wide open, eyes running over her options.
"You should wear another design." Wayzz says upon emerging from the phonograph, making Marinette jump and let out a little shriek.
Tikki shifts in her sleep before nuzzling into the wool. The snoring starts up again a moment later.
"It will give Mr Agreste more of an idea of what kind of designer you are." He smiles at her innocently.
Marinette gives him a doubtful smile, crossing her arms. "I think you've been spending too much time with Tikki." She says, to which he simply shrugs at. She lets out a sigh and looks back at her closet. "But I can't be a designer anymore, Wayzz. I'm the guardian. I need to protect you and the miracle box. Especially since we haven't even defeated Hawk Moth yet."
Wayzz makes a disapproving noise and nuzzles into Marinette's cheek. "Master Fu wasn't just the guardian. Just because you're the guardian doesn't mean you can't also be Marinette."
She lets out another sigh, this one deeper, and her shoulders slump as the seemingly permanent exhaustion she feels whenever she thinks about everything rears its ugly head. "Thanks Wayzz," She says instead of arguing. She doesn't have the energy for that right now.
"Can I choose your outfit?" He asks her excitedly, doing a little backflip in the air.
She smiles and waves a hand towards her closet. "Sure."
She sits down on her chaise and watches the kwami flit through all of her clothes, murmuring to himself. Eventually he tugs on a 60s style emerald green A–line dress with four large, black buttons on the bodice and a bow around the waist, tied at the back. It was one of the last things she finished before she became the guardian.
"This." He tells her, leaving no room for negotiation.
Marinette raises an eyebrow. "I wore a dress yesterday."
"And Mr Agreste couldn't keep his eyes off you. Younger Mr Agreste," He adds when Marinette scrunches up her nose in disgust.
"You mean Adrien." She says. He nods quickly and tugs on the dress again, seemingly trying to get it off the hanger. "Fine. I'll wear the dress."
"Yay!" He lets it go and flies around her head before nuzzling into her cheek. "Please don't let Tikki know I'm the reason you're wearing green. She always complains I have too much influence on holder's decisions."
. . .
"Another Marinette Dupain–Cheng original?" Adrien asks, holding the front door open for Marinette.
She steps inside and smiles at him kindly, exchanging cheek kisses in greeting before allowing him to shut the door. "Yes. What about you? Another Gabriel original?" Her eyes twinkle in amusement and she smirks lightly.
He snorts, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "All my clothes are Gabriel." He shrugs nonchalantly. "I wouldn't mind a Marinette original, though." He winks at her and removes one hand from his pocket to loop it through her arm.
"Maybe for your birthday." She says, smile faltering slightly. Despite what Wayzz said earlier, she still sees no future where she can be a well–known fashion designer while also being the secret guardian of the miracle box. It just doesn't seem possible.
"Father wanted me to bring you to his office when you arrived." Adrien says when Marinette looks at him questionably when they turn left on the staircase instead of right. "Did you remember your sketchbook?"
"I did."
"Cool," Adrien grins and bumps his hip against hers playfully. "I love your designs." They reach Gabriel's office and he knocks on the door, before checking his jumper is spotless and isn't sitting funny.
"Come in." They hear Gabriel say from the other side.
Adrien smiles at Marinette reassuringly, trying to hide his own nerves, and she smiles back, tightening her grip on her school bag. It doesn't exactly go with her dress, but she needed a bag to bring her cardigan in case she gets cold (since it's oddly warm today and the black tights under her dress are enough to keep her warm for the moment), as well as all of the books they need to complete the assignment. Plus she brought macarons for them to share in secret.
"Ah, Miss Dupain–Cheng," Gabriel greets, watching the two kids enter his office. He steps away from his desk and meets them halfway. "I see you're wearing another of your designs."
"Yes sir," She swallows nervously and Adrien slips his arm from hers to take her hand instead.
Gabriel raises an eyebrow at the movement (an improvement from yesterday, he notes) but doesn't comment. "Do you have your sketchbook today?" He asks, turning his focus back to Marinette's face rather than her hand entwined with his son's.
She nods.
"Excellent. May I have a look at it?"
She nods again and removes her hand from Adrien's grasp, slipping her schoolbag off her shoulders. She awkwardly holds it in one hand against her legs and uses the other to pry the zipper open and dig it out from under her cardigan, which falls onto the floor as she removes the book. Adrien ducks down and picks it up quickly, refolding it messily before putting it back in her bag for her, which he then takes to hold.
"Thank you," She tells Adrien, before passing her sketchbook to Gabriel. "I haven't really designed anything lately, so it's a little dusty." She tells him, noticing his eyes inspecting the cover.
"Did you make this too?" He asks, surprising her, but she recovers quickly and nods. "And your bag?" He asks, noticing the matching flower pattern on it.
"Yes."
"She has a matching purse too," Adrien adds in, swinging her schoolbag onto his shoulder. "But she hasn't worn that lately."
"It's a little too small for what I carry to school most days." She says as a way for explanation.
Gabriel nods to her handbag. "But you didn't design that?" She shakes her head.
He makes a noise at the back of his throat to indicate his recognition before flipping the sketchbook open. The room dissolves into silence, save for the flipping of the pages, and Adrien and Marinette glance at each other nervously, unsure whether they should stay where they are or leave him to it.
After ten minutes, he reaches the end of the sketchbook and closes it. He passes it back to Marinette, who hugs it to her chest like it's a safely blanket, and puts his hands behind his back professionally. The kids both look at him, waiting for his response, and a rare genuine smile ghosts across his lips.
"I have a proposition for you, Miss Dupain–Cheng."
Marinette blinks in surprise, unsure if she heard him correctly. "Pardon? A proposition?"
"Yes. Nathalie spoke with your parents last night and they told her you have been having some issues at your school regarding a student–"
"Lila." Adrien cuts in sharply, putting a hand on Marinette's shoulder.
Gabriel pauses, a little shocked at his son's outburst, before clearing his throat. "Yes. Miss Rossi. Nathalie told me your parents want you to be home schooled?" He poses it as a question and she nods, avoiding Adrien's gaze. "When will that be happening?"
"Um . . ." She shifts uncomfortably and wraps her arms around her middle for comfort. "They were thinking Monday last time we spoke about it."
"Monday?" Adrien gapes at her. "As in this Monday?" She nods, biting her lip.
"Excellent." Gabriel says, causing the kids to both look at him in surprise.
"Wait, what?" They say together.
"My proposition for you is to learn under me as an intern. You're, what, fourteen? Fifteen? I usually take interns in at sixteen and older, but I'll make an exception for you."
Marinette opens and closes her mouth, a high–pitched squeak escaping her as opposed to actual words, before she shakes her head. "But, wh–"
"Why?" Gabriel raises an eyebrow. "I like your style; you have passion in what you create and I know that you already have a skill set beyond your years. I have no doubt that you will make a successful designer if you continue to pursue it, and quite frankly I'd rather you be an ally than a rival." He tilts his head questionably, raising both his eyebrows. Like that, he kind of looks like Adrien. "Is that 'why' enough?"
"Um . . ." She rubs her upper arm nervously, glancing at the ground between Gabriel's feet and hers and Adrien's. "I suppose so."
"Great." Gabriel nods once and turns around, moving back to sit at his desk. "If you switch to home schooling on Monday I would like you to arrive here on Tuesday morning at nine o'clock. Nathalie will talk you through everything, give you the tour, etcetera, and then she will take you to Gabriel so you can get to know the designing team, the sewing team, and you will be given projects to complete. As this is an internship and you are a minor, I cannot legally pay you, however in return you will have full access to all of my supplies for your own pleasure outside of the projects."
I think I'm dead, Marinette thinks, staring at Gabriel with more shock and surprise than she thought she was capable of. Even more shock and surprise than the first time she met Tikki. What is she supposed to do? This is literally a dream come true! It's everything she ever wanted, but she can't take it, can she? She can't be a designer. She can't make her own clothes. She can't do any of it anymore, and that's not even just because she's the guardian.
It's not just that she gave up her dream of being a fashion designer and stopped designing, it's that she stopped designing. She ran out of ideas, lost her inspiration. She tried, obviously, but no matter what nothing came to mind. Nothing. At all. Usually something would come to mind even if it was something she'd never make (the Cat Noir swimmers, for example) but now her mind is blank. Empty. Void of creation.
But even she knows she can't pass this up. And even if she did, she knows she'll only regret it later on. And Gabriel probably won't take no for an answer anyway. She knows that much about him.
She steals a quick look down at her handbag to see Tikki and Wayzz beaming up at her. Great. I have their approval too.
"Mari?" Adrien asks softly, slipping his hand from her shoulder to her back.
Inhaling a deep breath and hoping she looks more confident than she feels, she meets Gabriel's gaze and forces a smile. "Okay."