Soooo between being on the road for the past four days getting injured playing soccer and general life nonsense I really didn't have time to get this up... Its up now though and its a fun little chapter. Enjoy and Drop a review if you have the time!
sweetXDmelody ... You get your moment! Plus a little more!
LilactheDryad... Nope no allusions to death here. Death is dead for the most part. What about Tikki and Plagg? Actually the comeback was said by a friend to a super rude person once in my presence and I totally lost it. Forgot about the whole thing until I found a meme using a similar phrasing. I just HAD to add it here. A lot of stuff I write I use my own life experiences to spice things up.
(Slow Burn Detective AU!) Marinette is used to working alone on the streets of Paris as she strives to take down the Hawkmoth gang. When the thief Chat Noir comes crashing into her life things are bound to get magical, especially when co-detective Adrien returns to Paris and seems to want to be her new partner. Will their fated partnership end in a capture or a kiss?
Speeches and Dances
For once Marinette wished she could be standing at the speech podium so that Adrien wouldn't have to stand there all alone. Adrien's posture was perfect, enunciation exact, and the speech itself was dry as dust in a summer desert. Even still, he held the room's complete attention and only Marinette knew that Adrien was actually nervous.
"I really don't understand what he sees in you," Chloe snarked coming up behind Marinette.
Marinette glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure what he sees in me either, Chloe. Going Disney princess this year?"
Chloe's gown was gold and fluffy to such an extreme that Marinette was tempted to poke at the gown with a sharp object and see if it deflated.
Chloe's lips twisted in a way that made her look as if she sucked on a lemon. "This is high fashion, Marinette. Something you would never understand."
Marinette raised her hands, really not wanting to get into anything with Chloe, especially since Adrien wasn't finished with his dullsville speech, "I didn't say anything bad about it, Chloe. It's just… fluffy. The color looks very nice on you."
Chloe's eyebrows snapped together in disbelief, "You are complimenting me?"
Marinette shrugged, "Just trying my hand at honesty with you, I suppose. We've been at each other's' throats since the day we met. I'm just sort of tired of it, you know?"
Chloe didn't seem to know what to say or do, so Marinette turned her attention back to Adrien who was slowly finishing up his speech. She supposed she should have been out amongst the crowd while waiting for him to get done, but Marinette had never been one for mingling with those who didn't like her. Most of these people had their hang-ups about her, and a few had already commented on the fact that she had paired up with Adrien.
"I suppose you made your dress again this year, too?" Chloe snapped, making Marinette return her attention to her.
"Yes, I really like making my own clothes and this dress design can be re-purposed or added to without too much hassle," Marinette replied fingering the shimmering folds of fabric.
"Well the color is nice enough, I suppose," Chloe finally huffed looking out at Adrien as he finished up his speech and the polite applause started.
Somehow Marinette managed to force the surprise off her face by the time Chloe looked back at her and replace it with a fairly genuine smile, "See, that wasn't so bad, right?"
Chloe sniffed and remained silent as Adrien walked through the curtain's opening.
"So, how bad is it?" he asked looking both girls over for any wounds or ripped dresses. Adrien was sure Marinette would have shredded Chloe if she dared try anything, but for all appearance's sake it seemed like they had been having a fairly cordial conversation.
"The speech was dry but we already knew that. You held the idiots' attention and that's all that mattered," Marinette said as Chloe scoffed, "It was so boring, Adrikins!"
The girls glanced at each other in annoyance but there was little heat behind the glares. Marinette waved a hand at Chloe in a 'continue' motion and Chloe crossed her arm with a huff.
"Clearly your father wrote that speech since you would never be so unoriginal. But I didn't come to talk to you about your boring speech or dresses. Later this evening I would like to have a dance with you."
Adrien raised an eyebrow and glanced at Marinette who seemed to be struggling with something amusing, "One dance sounds nice, Chloe, just like when we were kids. Come and find me when you want to dance, ok?"
"Of course, but you know it's proper for the male to ask the female to dance!" Chloe sniffed and spun away.
They watched her flounce off, nearly bulldozing the next person in line who was giving a speech and Marinette was the first to regain her senses, "Huh, she is actually getting better."
Adrien sighed and offered his arm to Marinette who took it as they made their way back onto the floor and then to the buffet tables, "You don't mind if I dance with her, right?"
"Nope! I don't usually dance at these things much, and besides Nathaniel asked for a dance later, too, remember? Usually Tiki and I would show up, mingle for an hour or two, flash smiles at Gabriel, and feast at the buffet table before escaping out the back," Marinette laughed. "I actually get more commissions at events like these, which is why I show up in my own designs at all."
"That's really smart," Adrien hummed remembering the little cards that Marinette had been magically pulling out of her dress all evening.
They got some drinks since the food had yet to be uncovered and they made their way over to a quiet spot near the wall where they would be out of the way, and hopefully unnoticed for the most part. The unnoticed-bit didn't work out in their favor so much, but most of the people who came to talk with them were courteous. Only a few came to try and stir up trouble, but a sharp word or flat dismissal from either Marinette or Adrien was enough to send them on their way. Finally the speeches had ended and the final mandatory event of the night was approaching. The dancing was required since Adrien was representing his father out here, but Adrien was tempted to give everyone staring at him the finger. They hadn't left the wall yet even though people were clearing the center floor to allow the first dancers to take their positions. Many people had been less than cordial towards Marinette and while he managed to suppress his desire to hiss at every one of them, it was Marinette who finally managed to distract him when she wasn't talking to someone herself. Turning so their arms were linked, Marinette simply smiled and softly whispered why each person had heartburn over her presence. After she had agreed to be his date for the evening, she had warned him this would probably happen. Especially since between her and Tiki, the high and mighty of Paris had little love for them. At the time she had explained Adrien had listened with a grin wondering how bad it could really be, but now it wasn't as funny to him. The sheer amount of annoyance he'd accumulated from the sharp words these jokers had to offer had him turning into a stiff, irritated cat who's favorite spot had been stolen.
"I don't think I wish to open the dance floor. They can do so without us," Adrien growled, the blatant frustration obvious to Marinette even though she wasn't looking at him.
The people who were supposed to open the floor were moving out into the dancing area while the small band did a final warm-up. Marinette sighed, in truth she hadn't wanted to be here anymore either, like at all, but the police ball was one of those required things in life that she had to attend. She was tempted to take Adrien's hand and turn her back on the whole shebang since she knew he would follow without complaint. Deciding to be responsible for once, she pulled him forward with a gentle tug moving out onto the dance floor with the last of the other openers. Pausing in a clear area, she turned to Adrien ignoring the bitter looks she was receiving. With his hair slicked back and in this dimmer lighting, Marinette felt her heart do a slight flip. Unfortunately for Marinette, Adrien was incredibly handsome even when he had his stone face on. Right on cue he reached out to take her hand as the music started and almost robotically they began to move, swaying to a ballad-like tune that was surprisingly peaceful.
"This is stupid," Adrien grumbled low enough that Marinette almost didn't catch it.
"Most required duties are. Do you have any others once this is done?" Marinette asked.
"No, but I'm sure there are going to be plenty of people wanting to suck up to me and glare down their noses at you," Adrien answered.
Marinette smiled at him, moving slightly closer as a couple swept past a little too close, "Don't worry about it, Adrien. They just don't like the fact that I've stepped on their toes a few times. It comes with our job, unfortunately."
Adrien growled again, especially since another couple chose that moment to sweep past in a cloud of perfume, clearly intent on doing what, Adrien had no idea. In time to the music he spun Marinette out, turning his back to them as he pulled Marinette back into his arms. The irritated couple, in turn, was forced to move away or collide full-force into them.
"Nice move," Marinette complemented not minding the closeness as they trailed towards the outer edge in an attempt to get away from the crush.
"I'm going to reiterate my previous comment. This is stupid and if Chloe or anyone else tries to bother you tonight, I swear I'm going to pick them up and throw them out a damn window," Adrien snarled, keeping his eyes peeled for any other people with stupid ideas.
Marinette's hand on his shoulder moved, pressing against the back of his neck to draw his eyes down to her. The music stopped and people around them clapped briefly before it started up once more, encouraging other guests to take the dance floor. Glancing back up, Adrien missed the way Marinette sighed at feeling him go tense around her again. These dances weren't what you could call fun but Marinette wanted Adrien to relax and just be himself for once, even if he had to be a little constrained since it was a work function.
"Adrien," Marinette murmured, the patient tone of her voice making him suddenly pay attention.
"Uh, yes, Marinette?" he asked catching a glimpse of Nino and Alya taking to the floor.
A tap to his chest made him look down into her eyes once more, this time he saw the mischief there.
"Shut up and dance with me," Marinette answered easily already starting to move, forcing him to follow.
Caught off guard, Adrien could only laugh and follow as she pulled him back into the throng filling the dance floor. They made it through the song with ease and no one else tried to get too close to them, especially since Adrien seemed to have great fun in spinning Marinette in time to the music.
"You're going to make me horribly dizzy," Marinette laughed as he pulled her close again.
"Then I suppose you'll have to cling to me so you don't fall over," Adrien returned, his voice filled with hidden laughter.
Marinette slapped his chest lightly, "So that's what your plan was, you sneaky dork."
"Mayyyybe…" Adrien drawled as Alya and Nino sidled up next to them.
"I'm just going to say you guys look absolutely adorable together! And look, Nino, they match! How on earth did you get your color scheme to match Marinette's?" Alya demanded as they twirled around each other.
"Marinette made me the tie and I had to find the shirt, but thankfully the rest was already owned," Adrien answered as Marinette and Alya shared a look.
The two girls nodded as one and called, "Partner trade!" swinging both guys towards each other and ducking under their arms at the last second. The two girls laughed and danced away as the boys went stiff and awkward as they realized they were dancing with each other.
"I'm going to kill Alya…" Nino muttered releasing Adrien and stepping back.
"You know she already got a picture. Where on earth does she hide her phone?" Adrien asked as the two of them decided to wander off the dance floor instead of being embarrassed further by dancing together. Adrien would have done it just to see the looks on everyone's faces but he didn't want to embarrass Nino in any way.
"Marinette sewed a hidden pocket in the dress she has on. Marinette usually does that for her so she doesn't have to wander around with a phone in her hand or a purse on her all night," Nino chuckled heading for the food since they had finally uncovered all the dishes. "Let's get something to eat. The girls will find us in a bit, I'm sure."
Adrien nodded, happy to accompany Nino to get food since he had no desire to join the chattering, backstabbing people gathered at the fringes of the dancefloor.
They both grabbed small plates for themselves and Nino grabbed an extra plate of treats, then they made their way over to a small table in a darkened corner. The girls joined them several minutes later with their own plates, still laughing at the joke they had played on the boys. They stayed in their corner for a long while, enjoying each other's company as other folks came and went. Stormy and Nathaniel joined them, and even Juleka and Rose stopped by to say 'hi' at one point. Things were going well and Adrien found himself to actually be enjoying himself a little more. If his Father were here he probably wouldn't have been able to hang out like he was now and he found himself relaxing in the presence of his friends.
"Uh-oh, incoming," Alya suddenly murmured making everyone go silent and turn to see what she had spotted.
Chloe was moving towards them, a determined expression of her face.
"Ah, I promised her I would dance with her," Adrien sighed, ignoring the looks of surprise and pity on the surrounding faces. "She knows how to dance, you guys."
Marinette snickered and patted him on the back. "Have fuuunnn…" she cooed as Adrien made it to his feet and moved towards Chloe.
"Mari… You're ok with them dancing?" Stormy asked.
Marinette nodded, "Chloe is his friend. And she might be trying to scheme something, but I don't know, I get the feeling she really just wanted to have a dance with him. I'm fine with it."
Deep down inside Marinette did feel the slightest twinges of jealousy, but she knew she was being foolish since Adrien had already offered to dance with her again when they had finished talking with the others. A flash of movement had Marinette glancing back at Stormy who smiled even as Nathaniel was wincing. Catching her gaze, Nathaniel stood.
"M-Marinette, would you maybe like to dance?"
"Sure, Nathaniel," Marinette answered after a moment's hesitation.
Stormy had a sneaky look on her face, and she really did hope that Adrien wouldn't mind. He had been there when she had agreed to dance with Nathaniel earlier and he hadn't seemed to mind that much. He hadn't said anything about it at least. Marinette followed Nathaniel to the floor where he managed a nervous smile. Knowing he was nervous, Marinette took one of his hands in hers and placed the other on her waist trying not to laugh as his face turned red. Slowly, they swayed in time to the melody, keeping a respectful distance between them as they moved. It wasn't like when she danced with Adrien. The moves were slightly awkward and she could feel the nervous tremble in Nathaniel's hand on her waist.
"A-are you really going to team up with Adrien?" Nathaniel finally blurted after several moments of awkward silence.
"I would like to," Marinette admitted feeling her face heat up, but somehow she managed to remain calm. "He's a good guy and so far we've worked really well together."
"And he can keep up with you," Nathaniel voiced miserably.
"Yes, that too," Marinette said softly, realizing that there was something else here that she was missing.
Nathaniel had always been sweet or nervous around her, even when they were partners. He was almost too timid and Marinette had worried the times she had been forced to go into the field with him. Each time Nathaniel had tried so hard that Marinette figured that they could work something out. Then he had been transferred for unknown reasons, and Marinette, while she missed having a mostly-competent partner, had been relieved. Adrien was a like tree: solid, flexible to an extent, and protective. Nathaniel, on the other hand, was more like a flower. He was flexible but easy to break, and while it was good to be gentle, Nathaniel wasn't a fighter in any way, shape, or form.
"Are you being treated well with Jackady in charge?" Marinette asked, deciding to change the subject.
Nathaniel nodded, "He's a good man and he doesn't mind when I help out with other cases and things with my art. Has he seen Adrien yet?"
"Yeah, we ran into him earlier with Clara before Adrien went to do his speech. I'm glad you like it over there," Marinette answered.
They continued chatting about other random things that had occurred over the past few months until they came to a stop with the end of the song. A new melody started up and Marinette was contemplating another dance when a voice asked, "May I cut in?"
Marinette recognized Adrien's voice and Nathaniel nodded pressing her hand into Adrien's. "It was nice catching up, Marinette," Nathaniel called, backing away as Adrien pulled her into his arms.
"Y-yeah, see you!" Marinette managed before they were swept up by the dancers around them.
Marinette danced with Adrien, enjoying the closeness between them and the way they seemed to move perfectly in time to the music.
"Did Nathaniel step on your feet?" Adrien asked, his breath brushing her ear and making her heart do flips.
"No, did Chloe get makeup on your suit?" Marinette retorted.
Adrien chuckled, "Touché, Marinette. Chloe was actually quite tame tonight. She's even thinking of breaking it off with Roger. Apparently he showed up to get her in a pair of black jeans and a tie. She refused to go anywhere with him until he wore a tux."
"Mmmm, I was wondering why we hadn't been harassed by Roger this evening. Good for her, I hope she does break it off with him. Roger isn't a good match for Chloe," Marinette hummed.
"Is that concern I hear, Marinette?" Adrien teased, making Marinette's cheeks go a little pink.
"Yes, a little. But only because I know you would kill him if he hurt Chloe."
Adrien laughed softly but he didn't argue the fact. Instead, he twirled Marinette making her laugh with him before pulling her back into his arms. Marinette didn't know how many songs passed but when her feet started to hurt, they moved off the dance floor and back over to where Nino sat entertaining Alya.
Nathaniel and Stormy were nowhere to be seen and Alya said they had gone to dance. They sat for a bit chatting and eating good food before Marinette finally decided to call it a night. Adrien stood with her and the two of them climbed the stairs arm in arm, following some other people that were leaving too. Alya and Nino opted to stay since Alya wanted to talk to a few other people, so it was just them as Adrien called for the limo to take them home. The ride back was quiet and as soon as Marinette sat down in the limo, she felt the exhaustion hit her. At some point her head fell onto Adrien's shoulder, and the next thing she knew he was tapping her lightly on the shoulder in an attempt to wake her up.
"I'm up!" Marinette yawned, following Adrien out of the limo after bidding goodnight to the Gorilla.
They walked up to her door and slipped inside, although Adrien stopped just inside leaving the door cracked behind them.
"Thank you for being my date tonight, Marinette. This evening would have been far worse if you hadn't agreed."
"No problem, Adrien," Marinette hummed, stepping back over to him. "I actually had fun tonight."
"We'll have to do this again, then, the next time we're required to attend these things," Adrien breathed, taking her hand in his.
She was so close and warm, he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her to him. Marinette gazed up at him, her sleepiness giving her an odd mix of bravery and foolishness that would have her banging her head against a wall at some point later in the night. Any thoughts of future consequences were far from her thought process because right now she had the idea that a goodnight kiss would just complete the night. Before she could embarrass herself with stupid comments, she went up on her tiptoes and their lips met. It was just the slightest brush of her lips on his, but the jolt of energy that flushed her system had her feeling like she had just been hit by a bolt of lightning.
"Marinette…" Adrien breathed as she dropped back down, cheeks pink and looking extremely flustered at her straightforwardness.
Before she could stutter or try to explain or anything else, Adrien pressed his lips over hers, his arms going around her and practically crushing her to him. The second kiss was hot and heavy, and when they broke apart to breathe they both had red cheeks. Neither was ready to talk, in fact both of them were more than ready to kiss again but a car horn honked loudly out in the street reminding them both that they were standing just inside Marinette's flat with the door still partially open.
"You… we, or I, should um…" Marinette tried her words coming out garbled as her hands waved spastically.
"Uh, yeah…" Adrien nodded. "S-sorry about that. I mean, being... uh, forward."
"Oh, no! It was night… I mean the nice… The night was kiss…" Marinette slapped a hand to her face with a whine.
Adrien felt relief flood through him and it came out as a chuckle that had him pulling her hand down to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Goodnight, Princess," he said and slipped backwards out the door, his eyes never leaving hers until the door clicked shut. Through the door he heard her squeal something intelligible, but it wasn't a distraught or furious sound. Matter of fact, if Adrien had to guess, it was the sound of excitement. He was just happy that she hadn't been pissed, but dear lord that woman could kiss. Somehow he made it into his own flat and Plagg flew out the second he moved to shrug out of his coat.
"Not a word, Plagg," Adrien warned, an utterly dopey look on his face.
"The cat finally got some cream. I'm thrilled kid, but just make sure you keep your head in the game." Plagg huffed crossing his arms, "Also, how dare you not bring anything back from that buffet table!"
Adrien barely heard him from cloud nine and was on complete autopilot as he got ready for bed. Plagg didn't begrudge his kitten, although he was definitely going to mention the little bit of red lipstick he missed in the morning.
"She kissed me, Plagg…" Adrien murmured, grabbing a pillow and rolling around with it on the futon.
Plagg watched his kit's giddy excitement and knew that there was very little chance he was going to sleep any time soon, "Come on, kit. Transform and we can go run off some of that energy before you sleep tonight."
Adrien agreed, knowing that he thought better while he was moving. A few minutes later, Chat Noir was sprinting across the rooftops. He didn't go far, he just ran hard and by the time Chat stopped, he was panting.
"She… she kissed me, Plagg," Chat panted quietly, flopping to the empty, quiet rooftop, his burst of energy spent.
"Yeah, kit, I was there. You nearly crushed me when you two were trying to swallow each other's faces."
Chat growled but he didn't move, "What do I do now?"
Plagg could hear the nervousness in his kit's voice and for a moment he wasn't sure what advice to give him. On the one hand he wanted Adrien to be truly happy and Marinette was the closest Plagg had ever seen him to being truly happy. However, the two idiots being in a relationship would definitely hurt them at work since you couldn't date your partner.
"I'm not good at this relationship stuff, kid. In fact, I frequently screwed up the one relationship I had. Best thing I can say is follow her lead and listen to her since she's the one that took this step forward. Talk to her and stuff. I'm told that relationships don't work well if the people in them don't communicate," Plagg grumbled, even though he could feel the joy still surging through his kit.
"Aw, come on, Plagg. That's good advice right there. Thanks," Chat hummed as he rolled onto his belly.
Stretching out for a few seconds, Chat remained silent before he darted off again into the night. He was thrilled at this new development and he hoped that by morning Marinette hadn't talked herself out of the possibility of dating him. They would have to keep it on the down-low and he knew that shows of public affection would be a no-no, but they could make this work. Somewhere deep inside of him Adrien knew that this was meant to be, they just had to work out some kinks. Eventually Chat wandered home, his energy spent, and collapsed to his bed after pulling out cheese for Plagg. He couldn't help but think that tonight had been the best night ever in a very long time, and he looked forward to many more with a certain blue-eyed woman at his side.
Adrien keeping his hands to himself... Lol...
