Chapter 4

There were many things Marinette enjoyed about being an official graduate. She enjoyed spending extra time with the people she loved, like her parents and Alya. She enjoyed being able to devote entire days to designing and sewing, or helping her parents out in the bakery. One thing, above all else, she absolutely loved: sleeping in. She relished in the luxury of being comatose, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, her oversized cat pillow clutched to her chest, until sunrise was long past. On mornings such as those, it took nothing short of a tsunami level emergency to forcibly awaken her.

However, this was not one of those blessed mornings when she had the luxury of such indulgences. This particular morning she had set her alarm early, and even enlisted Alya as her backup plan should she sleep through it, in anticipation of a very important phone call.

Every spring, Agreste Fashion would hold a design competition, open only to graduating students, for a highly coveted internship position. The company would scope out any promising young talent and have the opportunity to scoop them up before their competitors had the chance. In turn, thousands of aspiring designers had the opportunity to make their work known, have it reviewed by working professionals, and possibly get a jump on their career.

There was no way Marinette could pass up the chance, regardless of her feelings about Gabriel Agreste, the man she once idolized. Seeing firsthand how he treated his own son with such cold indifference had knocked him down from his pedestal long ago. Even so, he owned one of the most prestigious companies in the industry, and it was unlikely she would ever have even a chance of working with him. The decision was simple.

Four months after her first submission, and much to her surprise and delight, she had made it to the final five candidates. Today was the day she would receive a call informing her whether or not she would advance to the final three. Her parents, as well as Alya, were beyond proud of her accomplishments, and would often brag about her.

Marinette was almost always happy to see her best friend. The main exception was when Alya would come over to act as her alarm clock. The girl was ruthless. She would stop at nothing to make sure Marinette pulled her sorry carcass out of bed on time, once going so far as to wet the end of a cotton swab and stick it in her unfortunate victim's ear. Though Alya adamantly denied it, Marinette suspected she secretly enjoyed it.

As predicted, Marinette slept through her alarm, leaving her at the mercy of her best friend. This time Alya's torture of choice was her icy hands thrusting under Marinette's cozy blankets and onto the bare skin of her back. Tikki, who was safely hidden away, wasn't sure which was louder, Marinette's pterodactyl screech or Alya's hysterical laughter.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty," Alya finally choked out through fits of laughter. "Your mom is making breakfast."

Marinette only grunted in response and stomped after her. Luckily for Alya, she couldn't stay mad for long.

After her brain had a chance to wake up, Marinette was a complete wreck. Despite the assurances of Alya and her parents that she was sure to advance to the next round, she spent the first part of the morning as a tightly wound ball of nerves. She tripped over essentially everything humanly possible, spilled her orange juice down the front of Alya's shirt, and by the end of breakfast the kitchen looked like a post-akuma disaster zone. By the time the call came, she had become a hazard to herself and everyone around her. The second she saw the caller ID she grabbed Alya's hand in a vice grip.

"You've got this, girl." Alya encouraged and Marinette nodded in determination before answering the call.

"H-hello?" She squeaked, and both girls grimaced at the high pitch.

"Good morning. This is Nathalie Sancoeur with Agreste Fashion. Am I speaking with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" The smooth and ever-professional voice of Gabriel Agreste's personal assistant sounded through the phone.

"Yes, this is Marinette. I've been expecting your call." Marinette replied more calmly.

"I am calling regarding your status for the design internship." Marinette's stomach clenched in a painful knot, and she squeezed Alya's hand tighter, eliciting a muffled yelp. "Congratulations, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You have advanced to the final three candidates. The next step in the process is an in-person interview. I will personally be conducting the interviews of the three finalists."

"That's amazing news! Thank you so much!" Marinette could hardly contain her excitement. She glanced at Alya, who was already doing a victory dance and giving Tom and Sabine an exuberant double thumbs up.

"The interviews will be held tomorrow. You will be expected to bring a brand new design to submit, which will be reviewed by Mr. Agreste himself, after which he will decide on the final candidate." Nathalie continued.

"A new design...by tomorrow?" Marinette almost choked in disbelief. How was she going to get a new design done by tomorrow?

"That is correct. I will email you all of the relevant details. Do you have any further questions?"

"Um, no I guess not." She answered in a daze.

"Then I will see you tomorrow. Good day." With that Nathalie hung up, leaving Marinette's mind reeling.

The second she lowered the phone Alya and her parents exploded with congratulations.

"But they want a new design by tomorrow." Marinette moaned. "How on earth am I supposed to make that happen?" She began to panic and Alya have her a supportive hug.

"You've got this, girl." She said affectionately. "I'm gonna get out of your hair so you can get to it." With a wink and a parting wave to Tom and Sabine, she headed out the door and Marinette ascended to her loft.

"Tikki, what am I going to do?" She blurted the moment her trap door shut, then let out a loud moan as she plopped unceremoniously on her chaise. "This is a nightmare."

"You can do it, Marinette!" Tikki encouraged in her usual chipper manner. "All you need is a little inspiration and focus. Besides, you have until patrol tonight to work on it. That's plenty of time!"

Marinette bolted to her feet frantically, shoving her fingers into her hair and screeching in panic.

"Patrol! I forgot about patrol!" She began to pace the room and gesture wildly with her hands. "Chat's going to expect me to tell him something about me- Marinette me! And I don't know if I'll even be able to face him after how our last patrol went!"

She sank down against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest and covering her face with her hands. Tikki floated down to her and perched atop her knee as a sympathetic gesture. She had learned through the years that it was best to let Marinette vent all her worries before offering her advice, so she waited patiently while her chosen unleashed her pent up fears.

"I could've just pushed him away like I always do, but no, I had to go and encourage him! I let things go too far. I don't want to lead him on, but he was so earnest and sincere... and that look in his eyes..." She stared off, momentarily lost in the memory, while Tikki noted the hint of a smile that touched her lips. "He's always been my anchor, but I never even let myself consider him as anything more than my partner. I mean, you can't really have much of a relationship with someone when you don't even know their real name, now can you?" Marinette sighed. "Revealing our identities is going to change everything. There won't be anything standing in the way anymore. When the masks are gone, what if it changes the way we feel? What if instead of making us a better team, it breaks us? I can't lose him, Tikki. He's my best friend." She hung her head.

"Oh, Marinette, it's perfectly normal to be afraid of change." Tikki said softly. "Just don't be so careful with what you have that you miss out on something even better."

"You're right, Tikki, as usual." Marinette smiled as Tikki nuzzled her cheek affectionately, her downcast mood already improving. "Thanks for being there for me."

"Anytime." Tikki beamed. "But for now, there's something else that requires your attention." She shot a pointed look to the drawing table and Marinette followed her gaze.

"Right.'" She said determinedly and stood to her feet. "Let's get to work."

*Author's Note*

Sorry this update took so long! On top of the holidays, and both of my kids having birthdays, I ended up adding several chapters between what I had intended to be chapters 4-6. It should tie everything together a lot better.

I hope you enjoy Chapter 4, and Chapter 5 is almost finished. :) I love reading your comments so let me know what you think!