Okay, here's where we it all begins. Are you guys ready?

Feel free to turn on some waltz music and maybe some soft rain, it really adds to the atmosphere.

And, as always, enjoy!

Adrien weaved through the satin gowns and cotton waistcoats, trying to look over heads to spot the little lady. He heard Nino say something, but his words were swallowed by the music and conversation as Adrien wandered off into the crowd. He saw her rush into the entryway and turn up the stairs, her skirts flowing behind her in waves.

What was her name? Maria? Margaret? No, it was something more exotic, wasn't it?

"Hey, uh…Martini?" No, that wasn't even close. "Miss, wait!"

As he approached the staircase, he had barely put a foot on the first step when he realized that she had stopped in the middle of the stairs, one gloved hand holding the railing in a tight grasp. She didn't seem upset at first glance, but he easily saw how tense her form was that gave her away. Blowing some strands of hair from her face, she sighed and quickly regained her composure before continuing up the stairs.

"Um…Marie?" he tried.

She stopped and turned, their eyes met and Adrien floundered for something to say. She seemed to be prepared, however.

"Well, I believe we've bumped into each other once more. I'm beginning to wonder if that's by mistake or not." She smiled, though it didn't fully reach her eyes. "You should be enjoying the party."

"And you shouldn't be?" She looked a bit surprised at the retort. "If I recall, you're the soon-to-be bride's best friend…right?"

"Alya? Oh, she's the greatest friend a woman could ask for. It's just…I don't know, I guess I'm feeling a bit…lonely?" Her eyes lowered and her smile fell. "I'm happy for her, of course. But…my closest friend is going to be married soon and then…she leaves me behind forever."

"Oh…" He hadn't been prepared for her to say anything like that, but… "I can understand that."

She looked up warily. "You do?"

"I may not know if it's exactly how you feel, but Nino…he was my first male friend." Should he be saying this to someone whose name he couldn't even recall? But she had been so open and honest, so why couldn't he? "He's basically my brother at this point if I'm being honest. It's so…weird that he's going to be married now."

She looked down at him with her big, blue eyes, assessing him intensely. Had he said something wrong? But thankfully, her smile returned, and he was glad to see that some of her stiffness had vanished.

"Marinette." she stated, nodding her head to him.

"What?"

"My name isn't Marie. It's Marinette." she laughed.

Oh. Oh!

"Marinette!" He could feel his cheeks get hot, scrambling to redeem himself. "I apologize, I'm generally good with names. Yours is just so unique."

She smiled, which Adrien took as a good sign. The last thing he wanted to upset someone he'd just met.

"Thank you. And you?"

"Hm? What about me?"

"Your name? Is it unique too?" she asked jokingly.

And here…here is where Adrien paused, lips parted to say that he was an Agreste as he looked up into those blue, blue eyes. Something in him, for whatever reason, told him to stop before he dared blurt out his name. Maybe it was a sense of shame, maybe it was cowardice, perhaps it was just the mask. Regardless, Adrien held back his tongue and pressed his lips together, the murmur of conversation and rain mingling together with the faint music.

"Are you…okay?" Marinette asked, brows furrowed. "You haven't forgotten your own name, have you?"

She was getting uncomfortable in his presence now, her previous playfulness melding into uncertainty. She leaned away, searching his face for an explanation. He panicked, his mind blank as he struggled for something, anything, to say.

"Chat!" She blinked a few times as if she was unsure she had heard him right. "Pardon me, milady. I'm a little under the weather at the moment. Chat Noire is the name." he said with a dramatic bow.

Marinette laughed, looking at him with amused disbelief. "Your name is 'Black Cat', huh?"

"Purr-cisely, milady. And since I'm as curious as a cat, I couldn't help but notice you have yet to try any of the amazing food or a dance. I highly recommend the sweet bread."

He watched her bemused expression shift as she quietly assessed him, pondering over something in her mind. Adrien felt lightheaded, wondering if she was about to call him out on his obvious lie about his name.

"Did you plan to be dressed all in black or was that just a coincidence?"

Oh. He had honestly forgotten his black attire until now. But at least she seemed to be accepting his ridiculous name.

"Black is always a good look for me, don't you think? Brings out my eyes."

She looked him up and down before, quite suddenly, her entire face went pink. Instead of answering his question, she looked away and cleared her throat loudly.

"I think I'll go try some sweet bread." She glanced at him. "Care to join me, Mr. Noire?"

Now Adrien knew when a female was physically attracted to him. He noticed when he caught someone's attention and the clear signs of one who was actively trying to pursue him…but only as an Agreste. Money attracted a lot of people and he had seen it all. But not one person had earnestly laughed at his jokes or been intrigued by something other than his money. This he could get used to.

"I'd be honored, milady."

He reached out a hand for her to take, his insides fluttering. Still flushed, she stepped down towards him and put her hand into his.

"Oh, wait!" She pulled away and slipped her red mask over her face, smiling sheepishly. "I completely forgot I wasn't wearing mine."

"You look beautiful. Shall we?"

"Of course, Mr. Noire."

"My friends just call me Chat, actually."

She looked at him as he guided her to the buffet table. "Friends? Are we friends?"

"Well, why not?"

"Because we hardly know each other." She glanced over the food, picking up a tart and taking a bite. "How can I be friends without knowing a person?"

"Oh, that's simple." He gave her some sweet bread, which she took without even looking at what he had handed to her. "You have to start somewhere, so why not with the basics? I'll go first: my favorite color is blue."

She stared at him and he tried not to focus on what a lovely shade of blue those eyes were.

"My apologies, but you want to interrogate each other and consider that a friendship? You have an interesting way of making friends, monsieur." She waved the sweet bread at him. "I believe relationships should come naturally, with experiences and memories. It should be…what's the word?"

"Normal?"

"Genuine!"

He offered her his arm. "Am I not being genuine enough, milady?"

She rolled her eyes but accepted the arm, allowing him to guide her. She hardly paid any mind to where there were going as she countered his statement.

"You do realize that we are two complete strangers with no – what are you doing?"

Adrien turned to face her, smiling coyly. "I'm light on my feet, I promise."

Marinette stepped closer to avoid two dance partners passing close by, her demeanor changing now that she realized where he had brought them.

"I'm not a very good dancer, Chat."

"That's one thing I've learned about you so far." She gave him an exasperated look and he laughed. "I would like to have at least one dance with you, milady."

"But-" She paused, pressing her lips together as she looked around her once more. "But everyone will be watching."

"Well, let's give them something to look at." She still seemed uncertain. "Please?"

Swallowing down her fears, she stepped in front of him and took a deep breath. Adrien grinned and offered his hand, which she carefully took before he put his other hand gently around her and placing it on her back. They stood there and listened to the music swell into a crescendo, couples waltzing around them in a whirl of color. Wide blue eyes glanced about, distracted by all the graceful movements and beautiful faces that surrounded her. Adrien could feel her go tense in his arms and squeezed her hand reassuringly, bringing her attention back up to him.

"Look at me, milady. No one else matters right now."

"Chat, I – whoa!"

Before she could say another word of self-doubt, he pulled her ever closer and started to dance. Marinette rushed to correctly follow his steps, wincing when she missed a step and crashed into her dance partner. Going red, she mumbled an apology. Adrien just smiled, continuing their dance without saying a word.

She repeated the mishap a few more times, but this masked stranger took it in stride, effortlessly moving around the floor. It was almost like he didn't need to think about what he was doing, simply allowing his body to move along to the tempo.

"You dance like you were born to move." she comments without thinking.

Amused, he cocked his head to the side. Marinette felt her heart flutter at those piercing green eyes, ignoring it.

"I've taken lessons for many years. I hardly need to think about it anymore."

"It must have been expensive."

Uh oh. Not the route Adrien wanted to take tonight.

"Well, milady, you dance like a butterfly." She scoffed, giving him a doubtful glare. "Once you stop overthinking things, of course."

"You probably say that to every woman that you come across, Chat."

"Only to pretty ladies that run in the rain."

She blushed, looking away. "Not a wondrous entrance, I'm afraid."

"It made for a memorable first impression, though."

Her head shot up, ready to make a witty retort at him. Before she could utter a word, he spun her in his arms and Mari felt her stomach clench as everything became a blur. He caught her easily, pulling them both into their original stance as she tried to regain her bearings.

"You think you're charming, don't you?" she said breathlessly.

"Naturally. Don't you?"

She just rolled her eyes with a smile, her body relaxing into his. Marinette had danced with many people before, but she knew she wasn't the dancing sort. She had never been able to match the energy of another like Alya, she certainly couldn't hypnotize others with sultry looks like Lila, nor did she have the confidence to simply approach others as Rose did. Her parents always said she was born with magical hands and uncoordinated feet, something that still rang true to this day.

But this man? Chat had the unnatural ability to pull someone into this…bubble. Mari felt a sort of transformation while they circled the floor, a strange form of self-assurance that she had only ever felt when she was baking or sewing. Where she was in her element, taking the lead and letting all eyes turn to her. Was this what dancing was supposed to feel like?

"You're quiet all of a sudden. Did you want to stop?" Adrien said, slowing their movement.

"Oh, no! I just…I'm not used to dancing with someone so…"

"Attractive?" he said.

"Skilled." she retorted.

"Skilled and attractive?" he tried again.

She just laughed, her stomach tightening when the music changed tempo and Chat smoothly changed into a gentle sway.

"Do you not like parties, then?" Adrien asked.

"I love them, minus the dancing bit. All the food, the music, the beautiful clothes. It's the closest thing to a fairy tale, like in Cinderella."

"Cinderella?"

"You don't know the story of Cinderella?" He shook his head. "The magic, the pumpkin, the glass slipper?"

"I wasn't allowed to read 'silly fantasy novels', as my father would call them." Another sore subject that he wanted to avoid. "But I would love to read it. It sounds intriguing."

"I could let you borrow my copy of it."

"Really? How about tomorrow, then?" He realized how intrusive that sounded and tried to backtrack. "I mean, if I could stop by and get it from you? With your permission, of course."

"Is the poor kitten flustered?" Mari teased.

"I wasn't trying to rudely invite myself over." He could feel his cheeks get warm. "I apologize for acting too informal."

"No need, Chat. I'll give your servants my address and you could come by tomorrow. Around noon?"

Adrien couldn't believe his ears, but he nodded in agreement. "Noon it is, milady."

"Now, I don't know about you, but my feet are beginning to hurt and I still need to find some other friends." She stepped away, giving him a sweet curtsy. "Until tomorrow, Chat Noire."

Adrien almost forgot to bow as he stood amongst the dancers, watching her walk away with a wave. Had…had he just made a new friend? Perhaps the first of many for tonight. Excited at the very thought, he stepped out of the swaying bodies and looked for his next dance partner.

Tonight, he would have fun.

I just love parties, but they tend to exhaust me rather quickly. Adrian seems right at home here, doesn't he?

Let's see how this lovely party continues, shall we?

Until next time!