"How on Earth did you manage to rope Mr Model over there to get into an apron and bake with your father?" Alya laughed in amusement. Marinette let out a small giggle.
"I didn't have to, he volunteered." She looked over with a fond smile at where her boyfriend was in the kitchen. "Somehow he convinced his father to let him come over early this morning for breakfast and then asked Papa to show him how to make cookies. They have been in the kitchen cooking and telling the most awful baking puns ever since." She giggled to herself. "I was actually starting to feel a bit left out until you showed up." Alya put an arm around her best friend.
"That's what I'm here for, girl. Seriously though, I'm so happy for you two, and your parents have always adored Adrien. You have to fill me in on all the deets." Marinette had been prepared for Alya's onslaught of questions. She confided in her best friend about what had happened with Veronica, and Lila's role in it, as well as their office date and finally confessing their feelings for each other. Alya nodded as she listened before breaking out into a huge smile.
"I can't believe he just told everyone you were his girlfriend, like it had been common knowledge. He really does love you Marinette, and you even got to do a photoshoot with him. I can't even get my head around that." Marinette pulled out her phone to show Alya some of the proof photos Vincent sent them copies of. There was one in particular that Alya paused on. Adrien was leaning back against the wall, with one foot pressed against it. Marinette was leaning into him, her hands splayed against his chest and her hair gently blowing back. Adrien had one hand delicately touching her face, the other holding her waist, their faces only inches apart.
"Holy hell girl, I can feel the energy between you in this picture. I'll almost bet money this will be the final pick." Marinette blushed profusely as the front door bell chimed.
"Hi Mrs C, is Alya still here?" Nino asked happily before finding his way to the girls. "Hey Babe, Hi Marinette. Any of you heard from Adrien? I've been trying to message him all morning."
"He's in the kitchen, but come check this out." Alya beckoned her boyfriend over. Nino looked over Alaya's shoulder at the phone.
"Woah, that's hot." He exclaimed. Alya looked up at him with narrowed eyes and Nino started fiddling with his cap. "I mean, you know you're hot babe, I'm just sayin' this is, you know…" He bumbled nervously. Alya burst out laughing, patting his cheek.
"I'm just teasing you. I agree though." She turned back to Marinette, handing the phone over. "Girl, I don't know what you're not telling me about your office date, but this boy's love for you is practically oozing out of this picture."
"I told you, we didn't do anything except kiss. The rest was just innuendo made up by Lila." Alya smirked.
"I have a feeling it won't be just innuendo for long judging by that look." She said, giving Nino a knowing glance.
"Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, mortified. Okay, it's not like she hadn't thought about it, but it wasn't a topic she was about to have an open discussion about.
"So where is my dude?" Nino asked.
"Turn around bro." Came a voice from behind. Looking around Adrien stood at the doorway with a plate of fresh baked cookies. "I thought maybe you guys might like to try some." He sat the plate down on the coffee table before sitting next to Marinette, putting an arm around her waist. She reached over, picking up the still warm cookie, before taking a small bite.
"Oh Adrien, these are wonderful." She gushed. "Did you do these yourself?" Adrien looked a little shy as his friends also took bites and hummed in delight.
"Well, I hadn't really made cookies since my mum...you know…" He trailed off before smiling back at her, his emerald eyes shining in delight. "They're not as good as yours of course, but your dad helped me not to burn them."
"Give yourself more credit son." Tom's voice piped in from the doorway. "He's a natural born baker. Anytime you want to jump into the kitchen, just come right on over." Adrien smiled up shyly at the praise before Tom left the room back to the kitchen. He was almost ashamed to admit it, but he'd had more fun that morning with Tom, then he had ever remembered having with his own father.
Alya grabbed another cookie, eyeing the cute little glances her friends were giving each other as they interlocked their fingers. Adrien leaned over, placing a soft kiss on Marinette's forehead and she leaned into his embrace.
"Ugh, I suppose we have to put up with all your sappiness now." She teased. Marinette poked her tongue out at her best friend. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Come on Nino. Let's leave these two to canoodle in peace. We'll see you both tonight at Chloe's party, since you abandoned us commoners for the VIP section." She feigned offence while giving Marinette a wink as her and Nino wrapped an arm around each other and headed out.
"I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten Alya and Nino into VIP with us, but they were completely sold out." Marinette nuzzled up into his neck.
"It's okay, as long as you're there to hold my hand and keep me upright, I'll be fine." Adrien could hear a touch of nervousness in her voice.
"You're not worried are you Princess?" He said, hooking a finger under her chin so she would look at him.
"It's our first public appearance together, I just don't want to do anything that might cause embarrassment." She lamented. Adrien shook his head.
"You couldn't possibly." He reassured her.
"But this is clumsy me we are talking about here Kitty, not...not the other me." She whispered.
"Adorable I think is the word you're looking for m'lady." He said, kissing her on the nose. Her cheeks took on a rosy glow and he loved the fact that he could put that there.
Not long after, Adrien had to leave in order to get ready for the concert. Marinette didn't have a lot of time to prepare and hadn't even figured out what she was going to wear. Tikki as always was helpful in her opinions, suggesting a dress of Marinette's design. The dress was black with emerald trims. It was a design that had been inspired by Chat Noir, not that she was going to tell him that. Marinette had a feeling that Tikki suggested it because it reminded her of Plagg. She had soon come to realise that Tikki was a lot more fond of that little cheese monster than she would admit. Marinette matched the dress with a black lace bolero. She wore her hair down because she knew Adrien liked it that way. The high heeled boots worried her slightly, but she didn't want to look quite so short next to Adrien, not that the heels helped all that much, but they were wide at least so she wouldn't fall over.
"Marinette dear, Adrien is here." Her mother called from below. Marinette took one final look in the mirror.
"Well, this is it. No more anonymity for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Wish me luck Tikki." Tikki plopped down into Marinette's bag.
"You don't need luck Marinette, you're Ladybug, and Adrien is your Chat Noir, which means he will always be there for you."
At the bottom of the stairs, Adrien had been happily chatting to Marinette's parents. Tom and Sabine had been so welcoming to him that it felt like he was part of the family. "You know Adrien, if you really are interested in the business, I'd be happy to teach you more." Marinette heard her father say. She stopped on the steps for a moment.
"I'd love that." Adrien replied. "I really enjoyed baking, more than I thought I would, and I'm very interested in the business side of things."
"What about your father's business dear. Won't you be continuing as a model before taking that over?" Sabine asked. Marinette's view was slightly obscured, but she could just see Adrien dropping his head down.
"I'll be honest with you, I don't really want to take over the company and that photoshoot yesterday with Marinette was the only one of very few times I enjoyed doing one. I don't particularly like being a celebrity and I hate the fact that Marinette is going to be dragged into the spotlight because of me. She's amazing in her own right and I don't want to be some black shadow that obscures her achievements."
"You would never be that." Marinette's voice rang out down the stairs. Adrien turned to her as her parents took a discretionary step back. Marinette stood on the bottom step to stand in front of him, her eyes almost level with his. Tom and Sabine watched on as Adrien gently cupped her face with his hand, looking at her like she was his whole world.
"You take my breath away you know." He whispered. Marinette felt her heart skip a beat at the way he said it to her, closing her eyes into his touch before looking back up at him.
"Still?" She asked. His eyes were soft like his smile.
"Always." He said, kissing her delicately on the forehead. Lost in their own world, Adrien had almost forgotten Marinette's parents were still in the room. With pink dusting his cheeks, he offered Marinette his arm as they waved goodbye before getting onto his car.
Lights on cameras flashed as Adrien and Marinette stepped out of the vehicle at the concert venue. Everyone was calling Adrien's name. He took Marinette's hand, lacing her fingers through his and giving a reassuring squeeze. Waving and smiling to the fans screaming nearby, he led Marinette straight over to Nadja Chamack. "Adrien, all of Paris is abuzz with the leaked images of your newest fragrance advertisement. What can you tell us about it?"
"Well, the fragrance is called "Le Soleil Noir" and will be launching officially in two weeks." Nadja flashed a mischievous smile.
"And I hear that there was a new model brought in for the campaign?" Adrien smiled softly turning towards Marinette.
"Well, actually my girlfriend, Marinette, was kind enough to be part of this campaign with me." Nadja looked between the pair as Adrien lifted Marinette's hand up to kiss the back of. Camera clicks and flashes went crazy.
"So we can officially say you are off the market this time?" Adrien gave her a shy chuckle.
"Yes, you can." He replied, before leading Marinette away.
Kitty Section was the last of the pre-act to come on before Jagged Stone was due to play. Adrien hadn't been allowed to many concerts and his father only really let him come to this one because it was for charity and therefore good for the brand. Kitty Section rocked the room with some of their biggest hits. In recent years, the profile of the band had increased thanks to a record deal with Bob Roth and endorsements by Jagged Stone. Marinette was so proud of how her designs looked on stage. As the set started to come to a close, Luka stepped up to the front of the stage, with Rose moving to the backup. Adjusting the microphone up to his height, he strummed a few chords as he addressed the audience.
"You guys have been an amazing crowd tonight." He said, a cheer rising up from the audience. "Jagged will be up in a bit, but before we go, I have one more song I would like to play for you. This will be the first single from my new solo album, so you guys are hearing it for the first time." There were whistles and more cheers. "It's a love song called 'Second Chance' that I wrote for someone that's very special to me, and I hope you like it."
As Luka began to strum the first few chords, Marinette froze, her eyes widening. She recognised the tune instantly. It was the song she had heard Luka humming while she was working with them on the costumes, the same song he had wanted to play for her the night of Adrien's interview. As Luka sang, she felt Adrien's arms behind her curl around her middle and began to sway her to the music. He kissed her neck softly before resting his head on top of hers and she was filled with so much love for the boy that held her so tight. At the same time it broke her heart though that Luka had written this song for her, telling the world what she meant to him, and yet here she was content in the arms of someone else.
"And I know you'll never love me,
The way that you loved him.
And I know you'll never look at me
With that same sparkle in your eyes.
But somehow I still love you,
We can find our own rhythm to dance.
And baby if you would only let me,
I could be your second chance."
When the song finished the crowd went wild. Luka waved to the audience and caught sight of Marinette. When their eyes connected, smiled softly and nodded to her before exiting the stage. Adrien saw Marinette hadn't moved and leaned down to her ear. "Everything alright." She was trying not to let tears fall as she turned to him.
"He wrote it for me." She said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "He tried to play it for me a few times, but I kept avoiding it." She had her head down, avoiding his eyes. A small lull had taken over the audience as they waited for Jagged Stone to take to the stage. Adrien lifted her chin up to look at him.
"M'lady, I knew how Luka felt about you and for a while there I thought you felt the same way about him." Marinette went to protest, but he put a finger to her lips. "Don't worry, you don't have to tell me. The point is you don't have to feel guilty about it. I can't say I blame Luka, I mean, who could help falling in love with you." He said, wiping a tear from her cheek. He pulled her closer, dipping his head down to kiss her. Soon they heard oohs and ahh from the crowd. "Look up Adrikins!" He heard calling out from somewhere behind him. Looking up he saw Chloe and Sabrina pointing to the big screen which had captured their kiss. Marinette went bright red when she realised their little moment had been broadcast for everyone to see. Adrien just laughed as she buried her head into his shoulder, holding her closer to him.
Everyone was on a high as they arrived at the Grand Paris Hotel. Chloe had the party room decked out in a Hollywood style theme with Gold and Black trims. Kim and Alix had dived straight into a break dance competition which had the room choosing sides and cheering loudly. Despite both showing amazing agility, Kim ended up tangled in his legs giving the much shorter Alix a clear advantage. Of course, their classmates were also ecstatic at the news that Adrien and Marinette were now officially a couple, and more than a few Euros were passed around, Alix and Max having kept the class tallies. "Were people actually betting against us getting together?" Adrien asked, concerned at why so many people had lost their bets.
"Oh no. Lila was the only one who did that." Alix replied with a laugh. "No these bets were on who would confess to who first and when the first kiss would happen. I'm disappointed in you Agreste. I had bet you would have kissed Marinette at her 18th last month. Now I owe Kim twenty Euros." She poked him in the chest to reiterate her point.
"Sorry Alix." Adrien apologised, rubbing the back of his neck. "Does it help if I say I wanted to?" Marinette looked up at him in surprise as Kim came over and slung an arm over Adrien's shoulders.
"Nope, a bet is a bet. No puckering up equals no discount." Alix narrowed her eyes at Kim who gave her a challenging look.
"Well, we might leave you two to it then. Shall we?" He said, taking Marinette's hand and walking over to the bar. "What would you like, m'lady?"
"Just a coke will be fine. Better stay sober just in case. After all, this is a Chloe party. She might be doing better these days, but she still doesn't have the best track record." Adrien nodded in agreement, ordering two cokes.
The party was well underway by the time Jagged Stone and Kitty Section eventually arrived. Juleka and Rose immediately hit the dance floor while Jagged happily signed autographs and posed for selfies with his adoring fans. Luka quietly made his way to the bar. Ordering a bourbon and coke, he was joined for a while by Ivan and Mylene who were content to just people watch for the moment. Luka tried to keep his eyes away from the dance floor, but he kept being drawn to look at them, to look at her. Nino changed the music to a slow love song leading to Ivan and his girlfriend now also taking to the floor.
Luka sat alone, watching Adrien and Marinette over his glass. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself. Marinette had her eyes closed, her head resting against Adrien's chest. He watched as Adrien held her close, like she was the most precious thing on earth. There was a sharp prang deep in Luka's chest as he swallowed the rest of his drink and ordered another. He was right when he had told Juleka he couldn't make her love him. He always knew where her heart lied, and Marinette had never tried to conceal that from him. But he had hoped that one day… ugh, what's the point now. She was gone, he reminded himself as he took another gulp. Juleka slid into the seat beside him, concern written on her face. "You okay." She asked, lowering the glass away from his lips.
"Don't worry Jules, I'm not planning on drowning my sorrows." He said, looking at the glass in his hand. "It's just...harder than I thought it would be, seeing them together and so...so..." Juleka looked over to the dance floor at the pair, her own feeling still conflicted.
"In love." She finished for him. Luka slowly nodded his head.
"I should have told her Jules. Even if she had rejected me, even though I knew she was in love with him, I should have told her what she meant to me." His sister put a hand on his shoulder.
"You did Luka. She heard your song. Believe me, she knows." Luka looked up, the slight glisten of a tear in his eye.
"It wasn't enough." He said sharply, sliding off the seat and making his way out to the terrace. He needed fresh air to clear his head and his heart. To try and erase her from both.
Adrien kissed Marinette on the head as the song came to an end. Taking a break for a while, Marinette struck up a conversation with Sabrina while Adrien got them some more drinks. Chloe came marching over, her arms folded.
"Those incompetents in the kitchen stuffed up the finger food orders. I said feta only canapés not feta and spinach. I hate spinach. It's utterly ridiculous that anyone would want to eat leaves in their food."
"But Chloe, you eat lettuce in your salad." Sabrina offered. Chloe just gave a dismissive wave as Adrien joined them with Marinette's drink.
"It's not the same thing Sabrina! Ugh, I better go check on the dessert too. Next time I'll just order from Dupain-Cheng's. At least they don't stuff up." Chloe huffed as she dragged Sabrina off with her.
"Praise indeed." Adrien smirked, clinking his glass with his girlfriends. Adrien felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he frowned to see it was his father. Answering it, he asked Gabriel to wait while he found somewhere quieter.
"You'll be alright for a while?" He asked, Marinette nodded.
"I might go outside for a bit. it's getting a bit warm in here. Meet me out there when you're done." She kissed him on the cheek before they parted ways.
Exiting out onto the terrace, the cool air brushed over Marinette's warm cheeks. She stood against the railing, looking out over the glittering lights of the Parisian skyline and wondered if Adrien might be up for a quick rooftop run later. They hadn't transformed since finding out each other's identities, and she wondered if it would be any different now that she knew who the boy was behind the mask. She was startled from her thoughts by approaching footsteps.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump." Luka walked over to the railing beside her, leaning his back against it. Marinette had to avert her eyes away from the intense look in his, focusing out on the horizon.
"Your...um...song was very beautiful." She said quietly. The air had suddenly become thick and heavy around her as she felt Luka move closer.
"I wrote it for you Marinette." He said softly near her ear. Marinette turned from him taking a few steps away.
"I know you did Luka." She held her hands together to her chest. "And it pains me to have to hurt you like this. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you." Luka dropped his head.
"It's not your fault Marinette, I guess I was just too late?" Marinette turned to face him shaking her head.
"It's not a matter of being too late. You knew I was always in love with Adrien. It wasn't a secret I tried to keep from you. You're my dear friend Luka, and I love you like a brother, but I could never have been in love with you. Not like how I love Adrien." Luka stepped towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes.
"Then at least tell me why, Marinette. What is it Adrien has that I don't? I know it's not the money or the fame because you're not like that. But you waited so long for him, how can you be so sure he's the one, that he won't just abandon you for someone else?" Marinette didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell Luka their secret, that they were always meant to be, that they had loved each other on either side of their masks all this time.
"Luka, I can't really explain it to you. It's like a part of me had been missing all my life and Adrien makes me whole. We are two pieces of the same puzzle. That day on the school stairs when he gave me his umbrella it was more than just a physical attraction, it was like I was attracted to his soul, because I saw who he really was behind the spotlight. Someone who makes me laugh and holds me when I cry, who knows what I need without having to say a word..." She stopped when Luka dropped his head again. She knew how much he had wanted to be all those things to her. He let out a heavy sigh before trying to speak again.
"I get it Marinette. It's okay, you don't have to explain anything to me. I had no right to ask you if I can't handle the answer." He looked back up at her. "I'm leaving for San Francisco in a few days to record my solo album. 'Second Chance' is still going to be the lead single." He reached a hand up to gently touch her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I'll think of you everytime I sing it, because you are still the music in my heart, even though you will never be the one in my arms." He leaned in and pressed a chase kiss to her forehead before turning to return to the party.
As Luka approached the door, Adrien walked out from the other side. He could see the concerned look on Marinette's face and the glassy look in Luka's eyes. "Hey." The blonde called gently, reaching out to grab Luka's arm. Luka stopped to look at his friend, because despite it all, Adrien was still his friend even if he was his rival.
"Tell me you love her Agreste. Tell me you would be willing to give it all up for her." Adrien looked back towards Marinette and understood what had happened between them.
"In a heartbeat." He responded without hesitation. "If all I ever had was her, then I would have everything I ever need, because I love that much." Luka looked soulfully into Adrien's emerald eyes. He knew he was speaking the truth, and that's all he needed to know. Luka nodded his head and patted Adrien on the shoulder before leaving back into the party.
Adrien wrapped Marinette up into his arms. "I love you." He whispered into her ear holding her a little tighter. She pulled back to look up at him, the warmth in his eyes though had a touch of something else in them that she couldn't quite put a finger on.
"Is everything alright? What did your father want?" A slight frown creeping into her face. She could tell something wasn't right. Adrien shrugged his shoulders as he ran his fingers into her hair.
"Doesn't matter. I'll tell you later. Right now I just want to kiss you." Marinette smiled softly and bopped him on the nose.
"Then what's holding you back Kitty." Adrien gave her a devilish Chat grin before capturing her lips with his. Unfortunately, they didn't get to have their moment for long before the peace was shattered by a loud crash. Looking towards the door, Alix opened it and called out.
"Chloe finally pissed one of the waiters off. Kim owes me my twenty Euros back. You guys better hide until Ladybug and Chat Noir turn up." With that she ran back off inside.
Adrien turned to Marinette with a knowing grin. "Shall we m'lady?" He asked. Marinette pulled him back down for one more quick kiss.
"After you Chaton."