Chapter 2
"How was the party?"
"Honestly? It was wonderful."
"Seriously, girl? I would've thought that Gabriel Agreste's announcement would have had you in a tailspin."
"Alya, I haven't had a crush on Adrien since we were in high school." Now I just have a Tether. "Why should I care if his father wants to find him a wife?"
Alya cast her eyes across the kitchen at her roommate and raised one skeptical brow. "Just because you stopped enlisting the whole gang to confess your love doesn't mean you're over him. And anyway, you're still his friend. You see him at work most days! Of course his father announcing a deadline for his marriage should affect you!"
She did not look up from her breakfast pastry.
"Marinette…"
"Okay maybe I am a little upset." Silence. "Or a lot. But that doesn't change the fact that last night was wonderful."
"Well, what was so wonderful about last night?" the investigative journalist inquired. When her best friend failed to respond and instead started piling her croissant into her blushing cheeks, Alya reached for her wrists and started interrogating.
"Oh my god, Marinette Dupain-Cheng did you do the deed last night?!"
Bashful nod.
"Was it good? Did this happen during the party? WHO WAS IT?" She paused her questions to grab Marinette a glass of water as she had started choking. Gratefully gulping it down, Marinette took a second to breath and said "I'll tell you about some of it, but this conversation does not leave this room. Not even to Nino."
Considering the offer for a second, Alya replied "Alright I agree to your terms, now answer my questions!"
"It was amazing, it happened during the party, and I don't know." Liar.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Everyone was wearing masks!" A mask could never fool the Tether.
"Alright, glossing over the fact that you slept with a complete stranger, tell me the details!"
"Well…I went out to the garden for some fresh air. I started up a conversation with a lovely young man who was already out there, and one thing led to another…"
"You had sex in Gabriel Agreste's garden?!"
Her cheeks flushed deep red in answer.
"Was he hot?"
"Very" she replied with a giddy smile. "And it was kinda hot having sex outside with our masks on."
"Kinky." Alya replied as she took a sip of her coffee. "Okay I need to head out for work, but this conversation is going to continue after I'm home." Placing her empty mug in the sink, Alya grabbed her coat and keys, hopping around as she tugged on her shoes. "You better be ready to go into the nitty gritty details before game night at 8." And then she was gone, the door clicking softly with her departure.
Marinette let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging in relief. She needed to figure out what she was going to say. To both of them. Adrien was priority. Afterall, he was actually there. Plus, she had to meet him for a preliminary fitting in an hour and had less time to prepare. As she finished her breakfast, Marinette headed back to her bedroom and got dressed for the day while making her plan of attack.
Red, definitely. Marinette reached for her red blouse with three-quarters sleeves. A pair of black slacks would match well.
Flats, that way your height is right. Red ones to match the shirt.
Low bun. Simple and flattering. Nothing but her bangs to hide behind. Looking in the full-length mirror, she wasn't certain if she felt like the woman from the night before. That woman was calm. Confident. Nervous, yes, but undeterred. That woman was ready to go with the flow, whichever way the conversation led. This woman was cute and simple. This woman lacked the confidence which had come from giving into the pull of the Tether.
This woman was scared of what last night meant for the future. He can decide. He gets to decide what we do. I know what I want, but what about him?
Work was a short bicycle ride across the Seine. The design studio had a beautiful view over the river, with Parisian cafes and wrought iron balconies dotting the cityscape. It had been her second home for the last three years, first as an apprentice and now as a full-time designer. Last year she had released her very first solo collection under the Gabriel label. It was small, only five outfits, but it had been enough to earn her another one this year.
This one would have a full ten looks, the best of which would be modeled by Adrien. She had dismounted her bicycle and locked it at the front gate of the building but could not seem to let go of the handles. He was here. Upstairs. Waiting for her. Move. Go! Her neck craned upward as she searched for the fifth story window she knew was hers. Why did I say everything I did last night? Why did I kiss his cheek? Why did I let him kiss me? Why did we…? Shaking her head roughly side to side as her cheeks became enflamed, she tightened her grip on the handle bars before roughly wrenching her hands free.
Stepping forcefully through the front door, she took the stairs with intention. Step by step, floor by floor, her conviction wavered as her energy was sapped by her daily climb. Her breaths were harsh, but at least her rosy face could be blamed on something other than her thoughts. The door to the studio was ajar, a sign that other people were already working, so she pressed it further with her hand.
Beige and white dominated the room, smooth floors and long tables holding up the only color in the room. Rolls and rolls of fabrics were clustered by each designer's station, their personalities clear from their color palettes and the half-clothed mannequins. Marinette's station was colorful, all centering around different hues of pink and simple patterns. And there was Adrien. The Tether jerked at her, pulling her off balance at seeing him.
He stood in profile, the delicate line of his neck extending down to his strong shoulders as he bent over to look at the loose sketches on the table. She walked across the room, passing her colleagues, and never taking her eyes off of him.
"So… what do you think?"
He glanced up at her and smiled. She did her best not to melt. Why did I talk first? I'm supposed to let him decide where this goes!
"Hey, Marinette! I really like this dress you've got here."
She glanced down. It was an early sketch of the dress she'd worn last night. This one was pale pink and had capped sleeves, but everything else was the same.
"Thanks…" She blushed, knowing that his compliment was tied into everything else he'd appreciated last night.
"So, did you hear about my father's announcement?"
She glanced up at him while he continued to stare at the sketch.
"He's giving the rest of the year to get married." A beat of silence. "He announced it at the party last night. Did you end of making it? I know you were worried about not being able to reschedule that thing with your parents."
Silence. And more silence.
Adrien looked up. She was staring at him, mouth slightly agape and eyes frozen. "Marinette?"
She startled slightly at her name then put an unconvincing smile on her face. "O-oh yeah. I ended up making it after all…I'm sorry about your dad." Her smile had dropped, her eyes falling to the floor at the end. He didn't know. I thought he knew.
"Yeah well…not much I can do if I want to stay employed and housed." Another beat. "Anyway, shall we get started? What are you thinking for your collection?"
"Oh! Um, yeah. I was thinking about doing something inspired by cherry blossoms. Pink…and light…and fluffy…" Her voice trailed off, fading into nothing.
"Marinette? Are you okay?" His voice was concerned, and he ducked his head to meet her eyes.
"Y-yeah! Yeah." A beat. "Actually no. I'm thinking about it more and I'm thinking that I need to change up my whole collection. It's just not sitting right. I'm really sorry Adrien, you came out here first thing in the morning for nothing. I know how busy you are, and you don't have any time to waste but I really think it'd be best if we reschedule…" She was rambling uncontrollably, and Adrien reached out to hold her shoulders in his hands. He held her an arm's length away. He held me as close as possible last night.
"Hey, I can see that you're stressed! I get it…" His tone dropped, clearly thinking about his own predicament. "Spend the day rethinking what you want to do. I'll see you tonight for games and you can tell me about your progress, alright?" He quirked an eyebrow in question and waited until she nodded. He gave a gentle squeeze with his hands then let her go. The Tether thrummed in discontent. Then he was gone, walking through the door and back to his life.
She was sure he had known it was her. How could he not? They had known each other for a decade. They were friends. She had been in love with him since she was sixteen and tethered to him since she was twenty-one. He had seen the sketches of the dress he had slid from her body the night before. How the fuck could he not know?
She had been prepared for him to say 'Let's just be friends,' 'It was a mistake,' or 'Let's run away together and be poor and happy.' She was even prepared for him to pretend it never happened and they could both move on with the happy memories. It had never crossed her mind that he never realized it was her. He's not Tethered.
She let out a shaky breath and collapsed in her chair. She sat for an hour. Then two. Her colleague's worked around her. She could hear the occasional whisper about her, but she didn't register them. She sat and she mourned. And when she was ready to start working, she continued to mourn.
