I'm so happy with the response this story has been getting! This is my most serious attempt yet at some adrinette, and for a story that was never supposed to be this long it... well... got really long. This is only around half so far. Enjoy!=^-^=
Ch. 6 - The Cookies
"Dude, you look really classy." Nino teased as Adrien sported a general version of what Marinette had designed. In order to get the best idea of what she was working with, Stephen was able to come up with random pieces to use in place of what Marinette's design called for. The result ended in some less than flattering match ups color wise.
Adrien had an orange cravat, green silk hat and a black tail coat. "You're just mad I look good."
"Uh-huh, sorry dude, but orange and green isn't your color combination."
"I'm a little more surprised the only color for the cravat you could find was orange…" Marinette remarked not really liking the colors either.
"I told you it was dated didn't I? You think we just have that laying around? Maybe in the back of a warehouse?"
"Knock, knock." Francesca walked in with an amused expression. "I found a black one to match the tail coat." She held up the hat which Adrien eagerly traded his own for.
"Good, if you find a more… common color of cravat in storage as well, we'd greatly appreciate it."
Francesca gave a nod as she looked at the model. "You know, that look actually suits Adrien very well."
"I suppose… it kind of makes sense though." Marinette remarked holding her blush back at seeing him pose.
"True, I suppose if this were a hundred years ago, Adrien here would be considered a noble or at the very least, an aristocrat."
"Don't inflate his ego." Nino teased again as he waved off Adrien's pompous pose and smirk.
"So, Marinette, why don't we get down to materials yes? And I do think starting with the big pieces would be best; the tail coat." Stephen pointed to the design he now had up on the screen mounted to the wall. "You had some notes here about… bouncing?"
Marinette shook her head. "Not quite bouncing. You see, even though Chat Noir's tail is actually a belt, it still moves around like a tail. A normal person wearing a belt like that would just have it hang, but Chat's kind of… bounces. You know, like an actual cat tail, or maybe it's more of a sway. If you look at a cat jump, the tail appears to bounce, but if you watch them move slowly, it sways."
"You know… now that you mention it, Chat Noir can actually move that belt tail as if it were real." Nino cut in remembering back to a fight he joined.
"He can?" Adrien wondered. He certainly never noticed before.
"You're right, and same is with his ears. Maybe that's Miraculous magic at work." Marinette agreed, smiling at remembering Chat snap his ears back a few times before. "Anyway, what I want to do for the tail coat is not line the bottom part with something heavy. I thought we could add a slight weight to the very end and make the rest up to the waist, a very thin fabric. That should stop the tails from blowing around but have them wave with each step Adrien takes."
"Even saying that, putting it into practice will be a trick. The clothes still need to remain fully functional or it's no different than some costume piece." The older designer argued as he thought it over.
"Well, I'll go back to look for some other pieces to bring in. Just keep those ideas coming so I know what I'm looking for." Francesca requested with a wave as she left.
"Maybe a cane so you can look even more like a rich snob." Nino jabbed his friend in the side as he said that.
Adrien just rolled his eyes and struck a snobby pose. "Well, I never." The bad accent he used had the whole room laughing at his antics.
Chat leaped ahead of Ladybug as they hit the tower. "And I win!" He cheered as he turned and gave her a cocky smirk.
Ladybug just gave a tired sigh and a smiled. "Well, you deserve to win every once in awhile."
"Hmm… Not gonna ask for a rematch?" To be honest, it was a little disappointing she didn't say anything else.
"No, Chat. It's patrol, not a race." Ladybug watched as his ears went down and his tail stopped bouncing as much. He was disappointed. "Look, if you want to have a challenge, maybe once this whole Hawkmoth thing is over, then I'd be happy to face you in some video games."
Chat's ears perked right up. He knew Ladybug was a master at fighting games. "Sure, but don't think you'll beat me so easily. I've been practicing."
"Whatever gets you to the console, kitty." Ladybug teased as she took a seat to rest. They'd spend a few minutes resting before heading back home.
"You think I'm kidding, but I have a friend that wrecks at games. I bet she could give you a run for your money."
Ladybug scoffed. "Your trainer then? Bring it on."
"Oh, it will be brought!" Chat declared with a raised fist. "Don't you underestimate her, Milady."
She raised a brow at how he looked. "Oh, you look excited. She must be something."
Now Chat was scoffing at her. "That doesn't even begin to describe her, Ladybug. She's not just an awesome gamer, but an awesome person! She's kind, and helpful, and just fun to be around."
"Then she's perfect for you, Chat Noir. You deserve no less in a girlfriend." Though Ladybug's comment was supposed to be encouraging, Chat found it teasing.
"N-no, she's just a friend…" Of course his blush told the heroine otherwise.
"Just a friend? Are you sure? Well, I won't push it then. I'm happy you have a 'friend' that makes you so happy." She giggled a bit at his flustered expression and stood up. "Let's get going home. It's late, and I don't know about you, but I have a busy morning ahead."
Chat waved and decided to take off first this time. "Good night, Ladybug!" He liked spending time with his partner, and usually lingered as long as possible, but the twist in his gut made him get up and go. Even Ladybug was thinking he liked her? What's going on? As soon as he transformed back within the confines of his room, there was an awkward silence. Plagg was floating nearby frowning at him; something he'd been doing since their argument. "Um… I got you some extra camembert…" He informed as he pulled out a whole wheel of the cheese. "Seriously, Plagg, I've apologized like a dozen times already. I'm sorry!"
Plagg scoffed, sorry's all well and good, kid, but that's not the problem."
"Then what is the problem?"
The kwami floated over to finally partake of the cheese. "It's you and everything that goes right over your head. How many people have to point it out before you figure it out?" Plagg chided before taking a big bite of the cheese.
Adrien blushed with an annoyed expression. "Plagg! Are we really going to start that again?" Since when has Plagg cared this much about his love life!?
"We never finished, kid, but I finally have something extra." He floated over to the teen's desk and pulled out a magazine. "You're going to answer the following questions honestly. After that, I'll leave you alone."
Adrien raised a brow at the teen magazine. "What is it? A love quiz?" Like he didn't fill out a bunch of those already back when he wouldn't leave Ladybug alone.
"Not quite. Just answer my questions; easy, right? Also, feel free to name any girl this applies to."
Adrien rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine, but when we're done, you're not allowed to be mad at me anymore."
Plagg smirked. "Sure, that's fine. Now, question 1: Do you enjoy her company regardless of what you're doing?"
Adrien sat back on his bed and quickly let out a sigh. "Well… I suppose, yeah. I can't think of anything I've done with Marinette being boring."
"Okay, do you find things she does interesting despite having no interest before?" Plagg asked next with a knowing brow raised.
"Uh…"
"Let me go ahead and give you a hint; design."
Adrien furrowed his brow as he thought about it. He never found design really very interesting, period. "Well, I'd rather watch Marinette work on her designs than the rest of them, if that's what you're getting at."
"Fine, I'll take that. Next question; Do you feel bad when you disappoint her in even the littlest of things?"
"I feel bad when I disappoint any of my friends, Plagg." The model countered matter-of-factly.
"Okay, whatever, next question; have you ever felt annoyed when another guy was talking to her?"
Adrien turned to his kwami. "Sure, but I have a right to annoyed if someone is being mean to her."
Plagg merely rolled his eyes. "Urg! Right over the head… Okay, one more question; do you ever find yourself just wondering what she's doing? Even late at night you might find yourself wondering about her."
This one was hard for the teen. "I don't really know? I guess I might have, but I don't really remember…"
With a sigh, Plagg gave up for the night. He'd thought for sure these questions would break that thick wall in Adrien's mind that stopped him from figuring out his own feelings. Seriously, how could he know he was in love with her as Ladybug, and be totally blind to how he felt for her as Marinette? It was hard to tell if he knew what love felt like. "Alright… I give. I'm not mad, and I'm out of good questions…" He let out another sigh as he hugged the rest of his cheese and plopped down into his sock bed.
Adrien shrugged and headed to the bathroom to shower. "Why is everyone so insistent I like Marinette like that?" Of course there was plenty to like about Marinette: She was creative, kind, helpful, selfless, giving, beautif-…. "That's a dangerous line of thinking…" He muttered to himself, as he got in the shower.
It was right around lunch time when Marinette started to go around the offices in worry. Adrien hadn't come in to Stephen's studio yet today, and always visited at least once before lunch. When she texted him earlier, he didn't reply, which only made her even more worried. "Is something the matter, Marinette?"
She turned to spy Cyrano just coming out of the men's room. "Yeah, have you seen Adrien today, by any chance?"
Cyrano held his chin a moment before shaking his head. "You know, I don't think I have. Of course, there are days I don't, so I can't say if it's really notable. Have you tried his phone?"
She nodded with a disappointed expression. "I did, but I haven't gotten a response from the text."
"It could be he maybe isn't feeling well? I know models are especially cautious about their health right before a show."
That didn't really help Marinette's worry, but it did give her something to work with. "Maybe I should go by his house to check… No, Mr. Agreste probably won't approve of me going during work hours…" The man was terrifying when angry. She could understand a bit of why Adrien always listened; not that it justified Gabriel's actions at all. He was still too controlling, but in this situation, it was probably better to listen.
"You could always stop by after work, you know. Mr. Agreste couldn't possibly have a problem with that; you're worried about his son after all." Cyrano suggested instead.
"You're right." Marinette agreed with a grateful smile. "And perhaps I could go by my house for lunch and grab something sweet for him, too."
"Am I to assume you meant the bakery? Could I perhaps, tag along? I was just about to get lunch, but you now have me craving a macaroon or two to go with it." Cyrano requested as he remembered Adrien mentioning one he hadn't tried.
"Of course, let me just grab my purse, and we'll go." When they arrived at the bakery, Marinette could see a rush must've just come through. Her mother was wiping down all of the counters and her father was helping to stock the shelves again.
"Marinette? You didn't mention coming home for lunch, dear." Sabine recalled as she folded the towel and turned to her daughter. That was when she noticed Marinette's guest; her very handsome guest who was slightly familiar.
"I know, but I wanted to come and pick something up… oh, and this is another intern with Gabriel, Cyrano Stern." She introduced at seeing her mother's curious expression.
"Good day, Madame."
"Oh, yes, you come in for macaroons if I'm not mistaken." The woman finally recalled from the familiar feeling he gave her.
"Indeed I do."
"I was just going to grab that box I made on Sunday." Marinette informed as she looked just behind the counter.
"Oh, that box? Your father very nearly sold it this morning. I'd be more selective about where you keep them." Her mother mused. Her daughter always made a box of special macaroons for Adrien. Although she was glad Marinette had stopped just making the one a week, it was still a bit hair brained to make a batch of macaroons that could only be sold to one person.
"But if I put it anywhere else and he comes in, I don't want you to have to search around for it."
"I don't know why you just don't deliver them to him fresh. I'm sure he'd like them better that way." Her mother argued much to Marinette's dismay.
"Well, I do not wish to hold your time, but if I could get a few macaroons?" Cyrano cut in, rescuing Marinette from a discussion she obviously didn't feel comfortable with.
"Oh, of course. What flavor did you want today? We have them all right now."
Cyrano nodded as he looked at the list behind her. "Yes, but I recently heard about some Passion fruit flavored ones, though I do not see them on your menu." Marinette froze at the mention and her mother glanced over to her daughter.
"I'm sorry," Sabine started as she looked back to the customer. "We don't actually serve passion fruit flavor normally."
"You don't?..." His disappointment was obvious, but he didn't want to cause in issue. Adrien said he got them all the time, so maybe it was only at certain times or days? Or maybe he had some special coupon? He'd have to ask the model later, so he decided on a small variety instead.
At the studio, Adrien was just coming in feeling very on edge. Nino had gone to his house that morning when he refused to answer the phone and caught him in a near panicked state. There was no way in the world he was going to tell him what was really bothering him; he'd never live it down. Plagg had already given him his fill of being teased. By lunch time Nathalie had told him he needed to go in at some point as long as he wasn't really ill like he'd said that morning. She obviously hadn't believed him at all, but let him have a few hours to himself, minus letting Nino in without asking. "Dude, why are you so jumpy? I know something's bothering you so just spill." Nino encouraged as Adrien peeked around a corner before crossing it. "You hiding from someone?"
"No… Why would I be hiding from someone?" He asked back with a slightly flustered tone.
"Uh… I don't know, that's why I asked. You keep checking around corners and stuff so…"
Adrien straightened up and continued walking. "I don't know what you're talking about." Such a weak defense wasn't even fooling Adrien. He knew he was being too obvious.
"Adrien?" He nearly jumped at the voice. Marinette dashed up the hall looking relieved. "So you're okay? I was worried since you never messaged me back and I haven't seen you."
"Y-yeah, sorry I was… I wasn't feeling well this morning." He covered as his eyes looked to the side. Nino was baffled by the sudden turn around. Since when was Adrien nervous and Marinette the calm one? Though Adrien had been acting weird all day.
"So you're feeling better now right?" Adrien nodded, only glancing at her a moment before looking away again. "Good…" She trailed off with a slight blush. "I was just out at the bakery. I thought I'd bring them by your house later if you still didn't come in." She pulled the box from the plastic bag and handed it to him.
Adrien could tell from the smell alone they were the passion fruit macaroons he loved so much. Her mother must've told her he liked to buy these. "Th-thanks, Marinette." He finally looked at her again and took the box. He needed to at least thank her properly, and look her in the eye when he did. He didn't need his problem causing him to be rude. "I'm sure whatever had me this morning is nothing a macaroon can't cure." He got out hoping his smile wasn't weird. Marinette beamed at him, and it made his pulse quicken.
"Ah, Marinette! Good, I needed to talk to you." Stephen suddenly cut in with a roll of fabric under his arm. "I just got the fabric for the coat lining, but there may be a snag for what you want for the hat. Let me show you what they have available." It was as if the designer didn't notice the awkward air, or the exchange as he escorted Marinette away to his studio.
"Uh… dude? You okay? Hold up… is it Marinette?" Nino wondered now putting the odd behaviors together.
"No, Marinette has nothing to do with it." He adamantly denied while opening the box. He really needed something sweet to distract him right now.
"Uh-huh, sure it's not."
Cyrano raised a brow at the model as he ate. "Is there something… going on between them?" He asked looking to Nino.
"There's nothing like that!" Adrien answered instead quickly swallowing his treat beforehand.
"Okay, I get it. I'll change the subject." No doubt asking any more would get him nowhere with the model's attitude. "But on a side note, those macaroons look delicious. What flavor did she bring you?"
Adrien, being all too grateful about the subject change, didn't think the question was suspicious at all despite Cyrano's slight grin. "Oh, these? Passion fruit actually. I'm surprised you didn't get any since you mentioned wanting to try them before."
Cyrano chuckled now having a vague idea of the situation. "Actually, when I accompanied Marinette to the bakery, I was told they don't normally sell that flavor." He didn't miss the slight frown at the mention of going with her. "I suppose Marinette got you the last available that day?" Adrien raised a brow. He never had issues getting these macaroons. It didn't matter when he came into the bakery or how many he bought; they always had some for him. "Oh well, perhaps next time." Cyrano proposed as he headed down another hall. His tone was slightly teasing though Adrien couldn't place why.
"Hey, dude, why don't I go grab us some drinks? You'll probably want something with those, right?"
"Sure, I'll go-"
"It's cool, dude, just go ahead into the studio. They might need you for something since you've been gone all day." Nino encouraged as he headed down the same hall as Cyrano.
"Uh… okay?" The model nearly questioned as he started to go in.
Nino got only a few feet down the hall before Cyrano popped out of a door. "I had a feeling you'd follow me."
"Yeah, and you know why right?" Nino asked looking at the designer with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Yes, I believe I do, and you're right, I am interested in Marinette. Or perhaps I should say, I was."
"Was? Didn't you just try and hook up a date with her for lunch? Adrien already told me you hate going out for lunch, so that's the only reason I could think of, plus you tend to be all over Marinette when you come into Stephen's studio." He also wanted to say something about what Adrien mentioned before, but this would be plenty.
"Yes, yes, and that was my intention. Of course even I know when to put up the white flag. When a woman goes through the trouble to bake a special batch of cookies on the hopes of one man coming to buy them? That is something I cannot match."
Nino raised a brow. "What about the cookies?"
Cyrano rolled his eyes. "Those passion fruit macaroons. Adrien tells me he gets them all the time, and yet they don't normally sell them. Then I come to find the box Marinette prepares special is actually passion fruit macaroons? It doesn't take a genius to figure out she makes them just for him."
Nino rubbed his chin. "You know… I think I remember Alya mentioning something about making him a special macaroon before. I didn't know Marinette went so far to avoid giving them to him in person before though." He couldn't help letting out a sigh. "She really should just bring him the cookies right after she makes them."
Cyrano chuckled as well. "Actually, I believe her mother said something similar." He then sighed. "And just like that, two hopes dashed. The good ones are always taken." He shook his head.
"Two?" Nino wondered but Cyrano waved him off.
"It's nothing. I assure you, I am not in the habit of reaching for the unreachable. My ambitions are realistic, not foolish."
"Cool, but I kind of have a favor to ask then." The DJ had a mischievous smirk as he said that, and it peaked the designer's interest.
Adrien sat in the back of the room trying to look anywhere but at Marinette. He knew he needed to stay in here as much as possible since his father told him too, but now it was killing him inside. When he initially heard that order he thought it was great. All the other interns were kind of boring to watch, but now he'd much rather be with any one of them, than have a repeat of his morning issue. His morning of super awkward poses and Plagg laughing at him without restraint. He was nearly 17, so it wasn't like he'd never woken up with that problem before, but to know it was fueled by Marinette instead of his lady? God! What the hell was wrong with him!? Marinette. Was. His. Friend. Even if it was Plagg who got it in his head with his questions, the fact he actually had a dream like that was just wrong! "You keep staring like that and she's going to notice." Plagg jabbed from his shirt pocket.
Adrien snapped out of his thoughts to find he'd let his eyes wander back to the girl in question. She was now leaning over a table to straighten some fabric and her position was the worst/best position possible from this angle. "Shh! Plagg."
"Just giving you a warning. Don't want a repeat of this morning do we?" He teased with a hushed chuckle.
"Damn it, Plagg…" He muttered holding the box of macaroons squarely on his lap just in case.
"You know, it's okay to like her more than a friend." Plagg remarked sounding less like a tease. "It's not like she has a boyfriend, and you don't have a girlfriend. You like spending time with her, and she obviously enjoys spending time with you." There was a point in that. It wasn't exactly wrong, but it felt… weird. Marinette has always been his friend, and he wouldn't say she was super comfortable around him. She tended to get tense, and hated looking him in the eye. He supposed it was better than how she was at first, but still… "You need to stop being stubborn and talk to her. Even Ladybug noticed how you feel about her, right?"
"Plagg, I'm not being stubborn. She's my friend, and I doubt she feels that way about me anyway."
If it wasn't for the fact there were other humans around, Plagg would have popped out and shouted just how stupid and wrong he was for missing all the obvious signs. "Ugh, fine, torture yourself. I give up…" The kwami grumbled as he re-positioned himself in the pocket to get a nap in.
When Nino arrived a few minutes later, he took notice of where Adrien was looking and rolled his eyes. If he could only see his expression right now. "Yo, dude, you remember what you told me about that Cyrano guy?" He asked with a hushed tone so Marinette couldn't hear. "He was asking me if Marinette was taken or interested in some one. I think he wants to ask her out." The model narrowed his eyes at the idea. Cyrano had said he was interested, and he'd been really hanging around her in the studio. "Adrien?"
"I don't think he's her type." Adrien stated simply with a slight edge to his tone.
It happened faster than the DJ thought. "I don't know, dude, they are both designers so they'd obviously have stuff in common."
Adrien just rolled his eyes. "I don't doubt it, but I'm pretty sure it just wouldn't work out."
"Well, shouldn't we let Marinette decide that?" Nino tried to argue.
"Marinette doesn't have time to be wasting on him right now, Nino."
"Wasting my time on what?" The designer in question suddenly asked as she stepped next to Nino.
"It's really not-"
"Cyrano." Nino interrupted as he gave Adrien a side glance. "I think he likes you, Marinette."
Marinette blushed at the information. "W-wow… really?" She didn't really look excited, but not sad either. "I guess I should be flattered..?"
Adrien raised a brow and gave his friend a superior smirk. "See, I told you."
"Is it because you like someone else?" Nino suddenly asked knowing what it would do to Marinette.
She quickly devolved to a stuttering mess as she tried to respond. "T-that I-I-I… Y-Y-no, I mean…" She finished as she twiddled her fingers and looked down.
"Gonna take that as a yes."
"Where did you hear a yes in there?" Adrien demanded as he crossed his arms.
"Marinette! Back over here please, this part is not right." She turned on her heel to flee at her golden moment.
Nino leaned down to smirk at Adrien. "Alya told me she had a crush."
"Who?" The model inquired, knowing if it was Alya, it was definitely true.
"Can't say, she made me promise. Just figured I'd let you know, in case… Well, I guess it doesn't matter." The teen then turned around to take a look at what the designers were doing, and left Adrien to his own devices.
It was Thursday afternoon, and Paris's heroes had just finished defeating yet another akuma centered around fashion. Ladybug could only assume it had something to do with Lila again, but couldn't confirm because both her and Chat's miraculous were seconds from deactivating. She was able to drag Chat up to a roof where each ducked to opposite sides of a large air-conditioning unit. A split second later the flashes showed the magic expire and the duo found some new found free time due to needing their kwami's to recharge. "Hey, Ladybug?"
"What's up, Chat?" Marinette asked as she pulled out a macaroon for Tikki.
"This is going to sound strange coming from me, but please don't laugh, okay?" He had a pleading tone she just couldn't ignore.
"Of course not, Chat Noir."
"O-Okay… um, how do you know if you like someone?"
Marinette's eyes went wide at the question. "…You're right… that does sound weird coming from you."
"Please, Milady!" Her partner implored.
"I know, Chat, and I'm not laughing I swear. For most that is a pretty standard question. Everyone expresses attraction differently. There are some common standards though if you'd like to hear those?"
"Y-yeah…" He sounded so small, and so… Not Chat Noir at all.
"Well I know when you like someone you enjoy being around them. It doesn't really matter what you do with them, you just want to be with them. For some it can also cause a lot of nervousness. I'm guilty of that particular trait myself actually."
"So… You get really nervous around that guy you like?"
Marinette let out a sigh. "Unfortunately yes, I could barely speak at first too, but I like to think I've gotten better."
Adrien thought on that one a bit. He's been feeling nervous around Marinette ever since that first problem morning. "… Any others?"
"Um… Well, if you like them you can get jealous when they spend time with others. For me, I get jealous when other girls hang on him even though we're not together or anything." She lamented with a sigh. "I mean you don't necessarily get jealous of everyone, mostly just those you know are interested too." Like Cyrano… Was he jealous of Cyrano?... Hell no… He had nothing to be jealous of when it came to him! "Let's see… When you like someone you tend to want to know what they're doing. Not to be nosy per say, but just because you like keeping in touch with them." Not that her creepy tendency to copy down his schedule is any safe example…
"Another good one is how you really like everything about them even if something is seen as bad by others." Tikki chimed in. She flew over to see Plagg who was cranky from the conversation. Tikki merely rubbed faces with him despite his obvious mood. Adrien watched the two with interest.
"This is about the friend of yours that's good at games right?" Marinette asked innocently.
"With the way you looked and talked about her, I honestly think you feel pretty strongly for her. If you're worried about what she'll say, you'll never get around to asking… trust me…" The designer nearly grumbled.
"Just remember, Chat Noir, if you don't make a move then someone else will." The luck kwami warned before flying back over to her chosen.
Marinette gave her an approving nod for giving Chat the extra push. "Spots on!"
"Claws out!" Chat followed as the heroes stood up to make their ways home. "Um… Thanks, Ladybug… I think that answers a lot."
"Pound it?" She asked with a pleased smile.
"Pound it." He reciprocated before she dashed off the roof and away.
Think maybe Adrien's figuring things out? Hopefully. Cluelessness has limits, no? BTW, for those of you who didn't pick it up before, yes Cyrano swings both ways. His character is actually loosely based on a friend of mine from highschool. Cyrano's interest in both Adrien and Marinette was really just ambitious to begin with and then it changes for Marinette to more admiration as he grows to know her. His attraction never got any deeper and he's a very realistic person so going after things that are unlikely is seen as a waste of time. Plus, he's not an ass. He's pushy and very opinionated, but if he's told he's bothering someone (And he likes that person) He'll back off.
Thx for reading. Comments are very very welcome.=^-^=
