Chapter Nineteen

"I don't wanna stay hidden," Duusu grumbled, arms crossed as Adrien stood in his dressing room, looking in the mirror. His hair and makeup had already been done, as he would only be modeling one outfit tonight he didn't have to worry about countless touch ups between changes, but he knew that he would be back in here before the actual show began– but for now he was free to walk about and mingle before he was needed again.

"It's only for one day, Duusu," Adrien replied, adjusting the sleeves of his suit. "And you don't have to stay cooped up– you just have to make sure no one sees you." He gave a small smile. "Don't you want to watch me on the catwalk? See how purrfect my modeling is?"

Duusu considered this. "Can I cheer for you?"

"If everyone else is, yeah," Adrien replied, fiddling with his tie to make sure the Peacock Miraculous was perfectly hidden underneath. He then pulled open his suit jacket slightly. "I'm going to head out for a bit– do you want to come with me?"

Duusu's eyes lit up. "Can you grab me something to eat?"

"I'm not supposed to eat before a show," Adrien replied, and Duusu deflated, crossing her little arms as she drifted towards him. "But I'll be sure to get you something after the show, I promise."

Duusu vanished into the small pocket his father had sewn on the inside, and Adrien turned towards the mirror making sure everything looked good, before heading out. His ears were met with the buzz of chattering, a bit more eager than what he normally heard, a majority of the models and those getting them ready being new to the entire modeling scene. Well, not completely new, Father wouldn't have allowed them into a show with his name otherwise, but it was different from what he normally attended.

He gave a smile and a nod as he felt eyes sweep towards him, excited whispers reaching his ears. He made sure to keep his eyes bright and smile warm, presenting himself exactly how his father needed him to as the face of the brand. He gave a small wave to one group, which made them beam, and Adrien felt himself relaxing slightly.

This was his element. When there was a crowd it was so easy to tuck his mind away and let his smile show. To walk around like he didn't have a care, and greeting everyone was simple– as the only thing expected of him was to be warm and friendly. No worrying about what they were thinking, trying to gauge how they were feeling, he just needed to be the carefully crafted persona he had longed mastered.

Except for today he didn't plan on moving about aimlessly, smiling and nodding to whoever walked by– he had a destination in mind. He headed over towards the main area, where the runway he would be heading down was set up. There were several people up on it at the moment, people posing as their friends snapped pictures, and he wondered how long until security got them down.

His gaze was focused just beyond that, however, locked on the booth where equipment and speakers were lined up. Adrien's heart picked up as he looked at the figure standing within, amber eyes focused behind glasses as he worked. There was a red cap on his head as usual, his outfit leaning on the formal side of casual, the chain of his Miraculous visible, the rest hidden under his shirt.

Nino. His friend.

Adrien felt a smile growing on his face, and he headed towards the DJ as he worked. He didn't notice his approach, kneeling down to fiddle with some wires as Adrien approached the booth, so he stood there for a moment waiting, not wanting to distract him from his work.

"Woah– dude, don't scare me like that!" Nino exclaimed, having jumped back when he lifted his head up, clearly surprised to see someone standing right there. He adjusted his hat. "Um, can I help you?"

"I just wanted to come say hello," Adrien greeted warmly. "I've listened to some of your music before, and I'm excited to see what you do with it today."

"Thanks, dude," Nino said, giving a single nod, and he realized that he missed the friendly 'my dude' that Silver would save for Blue. Nino's eyes flickered over him, and suddenly his eyes widened. "Wait a second– you're the model dude!"

"Adrien Agreste," Adrien said, having to stop himself from blurting it out, and he extended his hand out. "My name is Adrien Agreste."

It felt so good to say that to Nino.

Nino chuckled. "Heh, I know that. Then again probably everyone here does," he took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "The name's Nino, and I wasn't expecting anyone here to recognize my tunes."

Nino's hand was warm against his, skin dark and smooth, and Adrien realized that this was the first time he was near Nino without gloves on. He didn't want to let go, but as Nino went to pull his hand back he did, knowing that holding on for even a moment too long would be strange. His skin tingled as they let go, and Adrien wondered if there was a way for them to make contact again.

"I got to see a lot of the process that went behind the show," Adrien explained. "Hear the music of everyone they were considering, things like that– and I think they made a good choice."

"Heh, thanks man. Still surprised I'm up here," Nino replied, fiddling with some switches. Adrien's eyes flickered about, wondering where Trixx might be hiding, and his eyes settled on Nino's bag, tucked away, and decided that was the most likely spot. "So, um, anything I can do for you?"

Adrien couldn't help but feel slightly dejected– but of course Nino had nothing to talk about with Adrien Agreste. Without his mask on, the boy saw him as a stranger. Adrien was quick to put on a smile as he realized Nino was watching him still, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just wanted to say hello, that's all," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "It was nice to meet you, Nino. Good luck with the show?"

He gave a nod. "You too, model dude."

Adrien turned to leave, knowing that he had no reason to stay, not wanting questions to be asked. His world spun around slightly as he headed down the steps away from the booth, and he paused, hand against the wall. He closed his eyes as the dizziness continued, confused, as usually he didn't feel this way unless he was standing up. He braced one hand against the wall, waiting for the vertigo to pass, before opening his eyes.

Black spots danced about his vision, before fading as he blinked them away. Adrien took a hesitant step forward, and while lightheaded he still felt fine, so he continued forward. He held his head high as he moved, not quite sure where he was going, but as he felt his lungs start to hurt he rushed forward, knowing that father would be upset if he let himself act up in public.

Adrien hurried down a hall and pushed his way into a spare room as the urge to cough became stronger, lungs hurting as he held the cough back, his body begging for air, but he couldn't give in until he was out of sight. As soon as the door pressed shut behind him he covered his mouth, hacking into his hands. Once he started coughing he couldn't stop, leaning against the wall to support himself as more black dotted his vision.

"Adrien?" Duusu asked, peering out from the suit jacket.

He gave her a pained smile, voice slightly hoarse. "I'm okay."

The kwami looked up at him sadly. "I'm sorry my feathers are doing this to you."

A few more coughs escaped him, and he rubbed the top of Duusu's head. "They're worth it," he said softly. "If it means being with you."

Duusu let out a soft coo, before nuzzling against him.

"Nino here getting all the handsome guys I see," Alya said with a grin, leaning over into the sound booth. She had dragged Marinette away from the front doors where Audrey Bourgeois had just entered with her family, snapping her out of her panic over the fact that the hat she had created did not have glitter, not even giving her time to spiral.

"Gah– is everyone out to surprise me today?" Nino snapped, jumping back at their sudden appearance.

Not that she wasn't worried, of course– what else could you do but worry when the director of the world famous fashion magazine Style Queen was here at your first fashion show featuring your work that didn't match with the queen's current taste? And when that said queen was the mother of the girl who hated your guts? And that–

"Here I was thinking Mari would catch Agreste junior's eyes," Alya said with a snicker, pulling Marinette in close, snapping her out of yet another spiral and back into the conversation with Nino. "But here it's little drummer boy getting all the hotties."

Nino shook his head. "I think 'drummer boy' would be Ivan, not me."

"Oh, you know what I mean, Lahiffe!" Alya said, leaning over a speaker. "Come on, give me the deets– Agreste went out of his way to talk to you, and he most certainly didn't spare a glance with anyone else."

Marinette clutched her box with her hat tightly, the hat that Adrien Agreste would be wearing later. Gabriel Agreste had chosen it out of everyone in her school. Had decided that his son would wear it to the show, not one of the countless other models that would be here. Granted, the suit Adrien wore would be of Gabriel's own design, the only thing in the show that wasn't made by a student, but that meant her hat would be shown alongside an official Gabriel design.

She was fine. She didn't have to worry about glitter.

She was going to own this show.

"Oh, um, model dude was just telling me that he liked my music, that's all," Nino said, adjusting his cap. "Liked mine a lot out of all those they were considering. Nice dude."

Alya looked like she wanted to slam her head down against the table. "'Nice dude', that's all you have to say? He came out of his way to compliment your music? Tell me you got his number, Nino, please."

Nino grinned. "Didn't think you were out for all the pretty faces in Paris, Alya, is Ladybug not enough?"

"For you, you idiot!" Alya snapped. "You can't tell me you did nothing when Paris' heartthrob walked up to you!"

"...You just realize he was being nice, right?"

"Nice?!" Alya cried. "Nino, you did not see him when he came up to you– he was making a beeline straight for this booth, and stood there waiting for you to notice him. I wish I had recorded it, but he was just not wandering around talking to anyone."

Marinette snickered. "You're just determined to set up someone with Adrien Agreste, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, girl, I'll help you find a pretty model too," Alya said with a grin, before turning back towards Nino. "But apparently Nino here is as blind as a bat!"

"Alya, I barely even know the dude," Nino said quietly.

"Well he clearly wanted to get to know you!" Alya turned towards Marinette. "Okay, when you go to drop off the hat, Mari, you need to talk to him about Nino, okay."

"Wait, you only brought in the hat today?" Nino asked with a frown. "Isn't that the kind of thing they'd want sooner?"

"Oh, um," Marinette looked down at the box in her arms. "Well, I kept it for longer because at first I had made the hat design with a real feather, but then I was asked to redesign it because of allergies, so I made a whole slew of fake feathers to try and replace it, but then they recently called me up and said that an actual feather would be okay again, so I had to decide between the real and fake, and I went with the real, but I had to treat it to make sure it would last, and in the end I brought both feathers just in case."

"That's designer for 'I'm indecisive and a worry wart'," Alya said with a grin.

"I don't know which one he'd prefer though!" Marinette said defensively.

Nino looked up at a large poster of Adrien Agreste for a moment. "The dude seemed pretty chill to me, I think he'd be happy with either one." He frowned slightly. "Huh. They really do go all out with photoshop, don't they?"

Marinette glanced at the image of Adrien, but it didn't look all that different than the boy she had first met during the hat contest. There were definitely touch ups, but nothing overboard. "What do you mean?"

"His smile," Nino said after a moment of thought. "It looks a lot nicer in person, that one..." He waved a hand at the poster. "Looks fake."

Marinette looked up and all she saw was the signature Adrien Agreste smile, the one used on every product with his face on it. It was something she had seen so often with her interest in fashion that she didn't know if she could say it was fake, it was what she was used to, but she also didn't know the boy that well at all. Then again, neither did Nino.

Alya grinned. "Ooo, prefer to bask in his beauty in person, I see? Like it when he smiles at you~? Come on, Nino, you can't deny he's handsome."

Nino looked up at the poster again. "...I mean, he is?" Nino said after a moment, and Alya squealed. "But he's literally a model? Isn't that kind of his job?"

Marinette shook her head. "You can play matchmaker another time, Alya– I think we're distracting Nino from his work."

"I do need to have this all ready before the show," Nino agreed with a hesitant smile.

"Don't think I'm just dropping this, Lahiffe," Alya said. "You said he was handsome."

"Oh, buzz off, Alya," Nino replied easily– but it caused Alya to stiffen up slightly. She let the tension out with a laugh, linking an arm around Marinette. "Go and kiss Ladybug already– it's clear you both want to."

Alya this time choked on whatever words she was about to say. "It's just a crush!"

Nino's eyes flashed, a grin on his face. "That's not what I hear you telling Marinette in class. Besides, you definitely seem to be her favorite reporter– if you ask me it just might be mutual. You should ask her out."

"I just can't ask a hero out!"

"I'm sure you can figure it out," Nino replied, before waving his hand. "Now both of you scram– this is my first big gig, and I don't want to mess anything up."

Marinette had to hold back a laugh as she led Alya away. "Good luck with everything, Nino!"

"You too, lady-dude."

They made their way down the steps and back into the crowd, and Marinette could see the blush on Alya's face. She was still sputtering slightly, and Marinette couldn't resist nudging her.

"So, when are you asking the lady out?"

"I c-can't do that!" Alya said, waving her hands. "It's unprofessional! She's a hero, heroes have a job to do."

"It would be hard to date someone with a mask," Marinette agreed– because it was something she had debated long and hard about. She had known how easy it would be to approach Alya as Ladybug, to confess her feelings and to know what reply she'd get back... but that wasn't the relationship she wanted with Alya. "What if... what if you knew her without the mask?"

"No one can know a hero's identity!" Alya hissed.

"That's why I said 'if'," Marinette said, shifting slightly. "I mean, if you were able to know, if you did..."

"...That really would be something," Alya said softly.

"What if she isn't the same under the mask?" Marinette asked after a moment, and Alya looked at her. "Ladybug, I mean... what if she is different than what we see without the mask. What if she isn't the same person? What if without the mask she's just–"

"She is who she is," Alya said, cutting her off. "A mask does not make her a hero, Marinette, she does. And... and she's a person. You weren't there the first day against Stoneheart, she wasn't some noble hero. She was... a person. Scared. Just like the rest of Paris." Alya closed her eyes. "Yet she was the only one who did anything against Hawk Moth, she didn't have to, she wasn't hired, it wasn't a job– but she did."

"...I guess she did," Marinette said softly.

Alya gave her a strained smile. "Come on, girl, I think we're worrying about all the wrong things today. This is practically your show, your time to shine– so let's go find that model boy and show him the best hat he's ever worn!"

Marinette held her box tightly. "I'm sure he's worn plenty that are better, Alya."

"Nope, not like this!" Alya declared, hands on her shoulders as she pushed her forward. "Come on!"

"You're– you're going to what?" Adrien asked, eyes wide as he looked up at his father.

The fact that the man had come personally to the show at all was big– not that he was showing himself publicly. The office his father was in was practically untouched in the Gabriel building, as Gabriel usually designed from home– but it was still one of the nicest rooms in the entire building.

"I am going to akumatized Audrey," Gabriel replied, standing in front of a window, Nooroo hovering by his side.

"But... but she's your friend, isn't she?" Adrien asked quietly, Duusu zipping in circles about him– glad to be free of his pocket.

"I know her, yes," Gabriel said, fingering his Miraculous. "As such I know exactly what makes her tick. I know exactly what we need to do in order to craft her emotions into a perfect target for my akuma." He looked back at Adrien. "As for you, you will grant control of your avatar over to her as an akuma– I don't want our dear Style Queen hindered at all."

"Of– of course, Father," Adrien said, swallowing slightly. "Um– will this be after the show, or–? I mean, what time should I be ready? We still have the show to worry about."

"This show means nothing," Gabriel muttered, and Adrien lowered his head. "It is merely a bunch of children running around playing dress up– but it gets good publicity. I think an akuma will help with that as well– killing two birds with one stone, so to say."

Gabriel looked back at Adrien as he said this, smiling, and he felt chills rush through him– but he forced himself to speak. "What time should I be ready to send out my amok, Father? The hair and makeup team will be by my side constantly during the show, and–"

"You will be the opening act of the show," Gabriel replied. "The only one worth seeing– after which I will send out my akuma. After you walk you will excuse yourself to go to the bathroom– the stylists won't need you again until near the end of the show, so you should be able to leave with no issue. By then Style Queen should be akumatized, allowing you to transform and give her an avatar."

"Understood, Father."

"Once enough chaos has been stirred up you should be able to slip away from there to join both akuma and avatar in the fight against Ladybug and Abeille, and if everything goes according to plan..." He grinned. "We'll have ourselves a nice pair of earrings."

"Woo!" Duusu cheered, throwing her paws up in the air. "Then we can see Tikki!"

Gabriel didn't respond to the kwami, his gaze focusing on Adrien. "You are not to mess this up– is that clear?"

"Of course, Father."

"You are not to let that Fox ruin anything as well– I am putting you in charge of making sure he does not interfere."

His mouth was dry. "I'll do what I can."

Gabriel opened his mouth to reply– but he was cut off by a knock at the door. He looked up in time to see Nathalie opening it up, peering in. "Sir, Adrien's needed down in the changing rooms– his hat has arrived."

"Take him," Gabriel said, waving a hand dismissively. "He knows what he needs to do. And you'll make sure everything is in order for Mme. Bourgeois?"

"Don't worry, sir, I'll have everything taken care of," Nathalie said, before looking at Adrien. "Come on now, it won't look good if you are late."

Adrien turned towards the door, opening his jacket slightly so Duusu could hide within it. He shot one glance back at Nooroo, who was watching him with wide lavender eyes. The kwami hadn't been saying much to him as of late– and he wondered if his father had forbidden it. He enjoyed Nooroo's company– but he would be lying to say that he wasn't glad to get out of the office and away from his father's glare.

He let out a shaky sigh of relief, and Nathalie put a hand on his shoulder, guiding him forward.

"Here," Nathalie said, handing him a piece of paper as they headed down the hall. "This has details as to what your father has planned and what he needs you to do. Don't let anyone see it."

"Okay," Adrien said quietly, taking the paper and slipping it into the same pocket that Duusu was in. "Do you think this will work?"

"Yes," Nathalie replied. "I need to go and get things ready, I assume you can handle yourself from here?"

"I will," he glanced over his shoulders. "Good luck?"

Nathalie didn't reply, just looked at him with a neutral stare, before turning on a heel and heading in another direction. Adrien could feel Duusu shifting in his pocket, but he laid a hand over her to keep her still. He let out a sigh, before heading towards his room, his mind far from the upcoming show.

There were two girls waiting inside, one being the girl that had won the hat contest– but he was surprised to see the Ladyblogger by her side as well. He paused awkwardly in the doorway, not sure what to say. Because these now weren't exactly two strangers, but one was a blogger who had written some not-so-nice articles about him, and it was also one of Nino's friends.

The other girl was the one who had won the contest– and Adrien realized she must have been the friend that Nino had been trying to set up with the Ladyblogger.

The contest winner glanced up, noticing him, and smiled. "Oh, hello Adrien!" She said warmly, beaming. "I, um, brought in the hat. I'm Marinette, I don't know if you remember me, and this is my friend, Alya, I hope it's okay that she's in here too–"

"It's just fine," Adrien said, breaking his silence with a smile, giving a small wave. "Sorry if I kept you two waiting."

Marinette beamed, opening up the box, and inside was the same hat that had won the contest– minus the feather. Marinette carefully set the derby hat down on the counter, before pulling out two feathers from within– one a gray pigeon feather, and the other a hand made silver one. She held both of them uncertainly, hesitating.

"So, um, originally I made this other feather because I was asked too, but a few weeks ago I was told that it was no longer necessary, so I brought both, but I'm not sure which one–"

Adrien smiled, picking up the hat. "I'm allergic to feathers, but I'm on medicine at the moment– so whatever one you think is better. You are the designer after all."

Marinette looked down at the two feathers in her hand, as if she was facing the biggest choice in her life. Alya let out a laugh, bumping up against Marinette. "Stop overthinking it girl, have him try both and then see which one you like more."

She slowly held out the fake feather to him, which he tucked into the hat, before placing it on his head, posing. Alya's eyes flicked up and down him, while Marinette's was solely on the hat. After a moment Marinette stepped forward, switching the fake for the real one, before stepping back, and he shifted to another pose once more. Marinette looked uncertain, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Oh, I don't know," she muttered, tugging at her hair. "What if I pick the wrong one and everyone hates it? Maybe it shouldn't have a feather at all... does the fake one look too fake? Is it too much, what about–?"

Apparently this was a normal thing for Marinette, because Alya didn't look worried at all, giving Adrien a reassuring glance as she bumped up against her... friend? Girlfriend? He didn't remember if Nino ever said if they ended up getting together or not.

"Snap out of it, girl," Alya said. "Both of them looked awesome, you can't go wrong with either. It depends if you want a more natural look, or a sleeker one. I'm not the designer– which one goes best with the suit?"

"Er... maybe..." Marinette began, and black spots danced across Adrien's vision. His lungs tightened, and his eyes widened as he felt a cough itching in his throat. He tried to hold it in, but with the way they glanced at him he knew that they could see something was off.

He quickly turned away as the coughs forced its way out front his throat, facing the corner as the hacking continued. Panic was building up in him, knees feeling weak, and he forced himself to stay standing. Someone was seeing him! No one was supposed to see him like this!

Duusu twisted in his pocket, and he slammed a hand over his chest to keep her from appearing. His other hand braced him against the wall, black spotting his vision. He took in several ragged breaths as it ended, eyes wide as he stood there.

"Oh no!" Marinette cried, hurrying forward. "Are you okay? It's the feather, isn't it, this is all my fault, I shouldn't have even brought it, I'm so sorry Adrien–"

He didn't pay much attention to her ramblings, just letting her pluck the feather from the hat and back away. He closed his eyes for a moment, giving a tight smile. "Not your fault, this medicine hasn't been as good as I thought it would..."

The words didn't feel right on his tongue– and he knew it. Feathers never made him cough or dizzy– they made him sneeze. This coughing wasn't completely forgien, however, he had seen it before.

His heart thundered heavily as he thought back on his mother, and how he had seen her go through the same things. Had this started happening to him before he knew her fate, he might have worried, not knowing what had taken his mother– but now he knew that it was magic. Whatever was happening to him, it probably wasn't as serious as he had originally thought when he'd seen his mother's dizzy spells.

"You don't look too good," Alya said, stepping forward. "Here, I'll call someone–"

"No!" Adrien cried, his head whipping up, and Marinette jumped slightly at his side. "I, um, please don't. My... my father will over react, and we don't need the show to be impacted just because I got a bit too close to a f-feather." He reached for the fake one, carefully tucking it into the hat. "I'll just have to wear this one, but I guess that makes the decision easier?"

He couldn't have his father or Nathalie be interrupted for something like this– especially when they were preparing an akuma to send out. If they had to put that all on hold for just a cough... he shuddered at the thought.

"Um, if you're sure," Marinette said– though she didn't sound too certain. So he sat up, putting a smile on his face, trying to look as relaxed as he could.

"Sorry you girls had to see that," Adrien said. "I know it looks pretty bad– but I just don't do well with feathers... heh, it's a severe reaction, but fortunately not dangerous."

Alya nodded in understanding. "My cousin has a peanut allergy, and she usually ends up in the hospital when she has a reaction... It's not good. But as long as you're okay..."

"I'm so sorry for bringing that feather near you," Marinette said. "This is the second time that's happened now, I feel so stupid–"

"It's not your fault," Adrien reassured her. "It's the medicine's for not working– don't worry yourself, please."

There was a knock on the door before either of them could reply, and they all looked up to see Nathalie entering the room. Adrien was surprised to see her back here so soon, but she closed the door behind her and cleared her throat, standing stoically as always.

"Are you ready for the show?" Nathalie asked, and Adrien's eyes flickered up towards the clock on the wall, wondering if they were running low on time– but they weren't.

Adrien adjusted the hat on his head, giving a nod. "Yes we are, Nathalie."

Nathalie's eyes flickered towards the girls. "You're the designer of the hat, correct? And this girl...?"

"My friend," Marinette said, an arm on Alya's shoulder. "She's here for moral support."

Nathalie gave a sharp nod. "If you two would come with me, I can get you two seated for the show. Since you won Gabriel's contest you will be placed in the front row."

Front row. Audrey's favorite place– usually cleared out for her and her family. Adrien could quickly see where this was going to go, and his throat tightened slightly, but he didn't say anything. Marinette and Alya perked up at this announcement, and he looked away. At least the Ladyblogger would have a front row seat to an akuma? It had been a while since she had posted a live video.

"Come with me," Nathalie said, including her head towards the door.

"Thank you, ma'am," Marinette said warmly. "Would it be possible for my parents to join me, they're here as well–"

Nathalie opened the door. "That will be just fine. If you have any other friends here as well they can also join you."

"Awesome!" Alya squealed, reaching for her phone.

Nathalie looked back at Adrien as they headed out the door, giving him a meaningful glance. He gave a short nod to let her know that he was ready, and as the girls headed out the door they paused to say goodbye.

"Good luck, Adrien!"

"See you!"

He gave them a wave, and then the door was shut, leaving them alone. Duusu burst out from his pocket with no hesitation, stretching. He sighed, looking in front of the mirror, before pulling out the paper Nathalie had given him on what kind of avatar they expected him to produce. He frowned slightly, this being nothing like what he normally created– but he would do as his father asked.

"Okay, Duusu," Adrien said softly. "You can watch me go down the runway, but you need to stay hidden. Up by the supporting beams, okay? As soon as I finish my walk I need you to go to the bathrooms, where I'll meet you to transform, alright?"

"Got it!" Duusu beamed. "I'll see you soon, Adrien! Good luck~"

With that she zipped through the ceiling, vanishing, leaving Adrien truly alone.

"How dare you? You're fired!" Audrey Bourgeois cried, jabbing a gloved finger at Nathalie.

Gabriel Agreste's assistant didn't even seem fazed, her emotionless face turning to one of mild annoyance. "I don't work for you, I work for M. Agreste."

"We'll see about that," Audrey muttered, turning away with a huff, pulling out her phone.

Marinette uncertainly lurked behind Audrey, Alya laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Marinette would much rather just go to the second row and let the Style Queen herself take the seat that Nathalie was trying to place her in– but the woman would not budge. Her parents and classmates had already been seated, and now Audrey was apparently on the phone with Gabriel himself.

Chloe glowered at Marinette from behind her mother.

Gabriel did not answer Audrey's call, the woman pulling the phone away with a horrified look on her face. She looked back up at Nathalie, whose expression was unmoving. "I assume from your expression that I'm not fired?"

Audrey's hands curled into fists. "This is unacceptable!" She cried, stomping her foot– and even Chloe looked shocked as she looked up at her mother. "I will not view a fashion show from the second row, ever!"

With that the Queen of Fashion let out a huff, before turning and scrambling away with a sneer, her daughter right behind her. Nathalie gave the smallest of smiles to Marinette and Alya, gesturing to the open seats. Marinette gave an uncertain one in return, before they carefully sat next to each other, and Alya grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"See, girl, everything worked out just fine."

"Pretty sure the Queen of Fashion hates me now," Marinette replied, giving an uncertain smile.

Alya smirked. "Most queens don't like the ones destined to overthrow them."

Marinette flushed. "I'm– I'm not that good–"

"First professional fashion show, hand picked by Gabriel Agreste, modeled by Adrien Agreste..." She trailed off, eyes sparking as she looked at Marinette. "Girl– 'good' doesn't even begin to describe you!"

Marinette let out a muffled noise, burying her face into her hands.

"You two are so cute together," Rose said, giggling a few seats over.

"Our little macaron has grown up so much," her father said, beaming at her.

Marinette risked looking up, and for a moment she swore she caught a glimpse of blue above– but as music started playing and the overhead lights shifted she was temporarily blinded, and she assumed it was just another light. Everything dimmed for a moment as a voice echoed through the room, welcoming everyone to the Gabriel Youth Fashion Show, music slowly starting to fill the room with a steady beat.

Marinette's eyes flew down to the end of the catwalk, to the music booth Nino was manning, who looked right at home up there. The lights slowly came back on– this time focused upon the catwalk. Cameras started flashing, and the lights dimmed again before reappearing with a flash, now showing the silhouette of Adrien up on the stage, hand on the hat, head tilted downwards.

The lights slowly brightened, spotlight trained on Adrien as he made his way down the catwalk. He moved gracefully with no hesitation, looking as if he was completely at home on the stage. As he reached the end he paused, shifting between poses as the cameras flashed.

"Did you see that!" Alya suddenly hissed at Marinette, causing her to jump.

"What?"

"Adrien totally winked at Nino!"

Marinette looked over as Adrien headed back up the catwalk. "I'm pretty sure he was doing it for the cameras."

"We need those two to meet up again," Alya said with a grin– not at all deterred.

With that Adrien vanished backstage, and the next model came out. Rose sat up a bit, but it wasn't Juleka yet. Still they all let out cheers as the young models came out. Marinette relaxed in her seat a bit, realizing that the worst of this was over. Her piece had been modeled, all had gone well, she could now just sit back and relax and enjoy the show.

But that's when she realized Alya was still holding her hand– and all the panic came rushing back at once.

She didn't get to fully realize this panic though– as a burst of golden light suddenly flared across the stage, glitter and gold shimmering in the spotlight as a figure materialized– looking like a statue plastered with glitter as she stood there, a scepter in hand as she examined the stage around her.

"A fashion show without the Style Queen?" She sneered. "How shamefully– now tell me, where is that coward, Gabriel Agreste?"

No one answered the akuma, and Marinette clutched her purse where Tikki was. She needed to get out of here, and quickly too. But she couldn't move right now, not when everyone else was paralyzed, she would only draw attention to herself.

"Really? You're all useless, utterly useless," Style Queen sneered, shifting. "How about Agreste Jr., where's he? Or that poor excuse of an assistant?"

"I..." The model muttered, staggering back a bit. "I–"

"Useless!" Style Queen shouted, aiming her scepter at the model. "You're fired!"

A burst of golden light burst from the staff, and the model who had been standing there was turned into the same golden state as Style Queen, only they were as stiff as a statue. Cries of panic echoed through the room, and at once everyone began to scatter, screaming and bolting for the exit. Marinette jumped to her feet, ready to slip away with everyone else, and transform.

"Fired! Fired! Fired!" Style Queen cried, launching the blasts in seemingly random directions. "You're all useless unless you can bring me an Agreste!"

"At least she isn't after you," Alya muttered, and Marinette realized that her best friend was right behind her– not parting ways like she normally would. "But she could change her mind–"

"If she even remembers my face," Marinette said, giving a grim smile. "She couldn't even remember Chloe's own name."

Aya winced as they hurried through the exit– and up ahead she could hear her parents calling her name, so she ducked away into another part of the crowd before Alya could lead them towards the Dupain-Chengs.

"The only time I've ever felt bad for the poor girl."

"I'm surprised you're not getting footage for the Ladyblog," Marinette said, her voice barely heard over the shouts of everyone else.

"Gotta make sure you get out of here first," Alya said firmly.

Ah, the problem of making your friend a hero– they become heroic. Not that Alya wasn't before... "We're almost at the doors, don't let me keep you back."

Alya frowned at her– because usually Marinette had something to say about her running into danger, even if she never stopped her. However Marinette didn't want to head outside, because there were plenty of places to transform here, which would get her close to the akuma.

Alya hesitated, and Marinette grabbed her hand. "I'll be okay, promise."

Marinette didn't give her a chance to reply, turning and heading towards the exit, and when she looked over her shoulder, Alya was out of sight– leaving Marinette comfortable enough to duck down an empty hall, and hurry into a spare room.

"Tikki, spots on," Marinette said, a flash of pink engulfing her.