The lights of New York were bright, the city lit up with all the glimmer and glamour that New Year's Eve brings. Christmas decorations which hadn't yet been taken down were coloured by the vivid adverts which flickered on screens placed on the tallest skyscrapers, the logos rolling and changing in a vibrant display.
Masses of people had begun to flood the centre of the city, gathering in droves to get a view of the Ball Drop, which was getting closer and closer as the evening ticked on. As the sky darkened, the city remained colourful, the flashing of cameras and lights keeping New York as colourful as it was the daytime.
Adrien Agreste was not in the ever-increasing crowd; instead, he was standing on a hotel rooftop, taking in the cityscape and wishing that he wasn't there.
It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his father's Christmas gift of an impromptu trip to New York - it was just that he'd thought it would have involved sightseeing, and family time. Instead, it had been an unsubtle way for Gabriel to introduce his son, and therefore his brand, to some of America's fashion elite. The parties and fashion shows had been fun at first, but it was hardly new territory for the Agrestes.
The worst part was that Adrien was away from his friends, who had been able to welcome the New Year together just under six hours earlier. And instead of being with them, he was at yet another party surrounded by people he didn't know whilst his father mingled and Nathalie kept a watchful eye on him.
The call he'd made to Nino at midnight in Paris had been fun; Nino had narrated exactly how tipsy each person was, Alya had started singing 'Happy Birthday' ("Alya is, at this point, best described as being completely and utterly wasted," Nino stage whispered through the phone as Marinette giggled in the background), and Marinette had briefly stolen the phone so she could personally wish Adrien a Happy New Year.
It had been very sweet, until Alya had taken the phone away from Marinette and demanded why Adrien was so rudely not in Paris. He hadn't had time to defend himself – really, the party was nice, but he would have much rather been with them – before Nino had taken control of the phone once more, and apologetically told Adrien that he needed to hang up so he could make sure that everyone was getting home safely.
It was now nearing six in the morning in Paris; Adrien knew his friends would be deep in sleep, but he had yet to see the new year in. A glance at his phone told him he only had four minutes until midnight, and should really head back inside to the party. As if she'd read his mind, Nathalie appeared by Adrien's side as he turned around to return indoors. He jumped backwards, one hand shooting to the railing as he blinked in surprise at her. Nathalie merely raised an eyebrow at his response, and held out a champagne flute filled with the pale, sparkling liquid.
"Your father has noted your absence," she said. "With midnight approaching, I would suggest you come back inside so that the two of you can present a united front to his guests."
Adrien nodded silently, hunching his shoulders as he took the glass from Nathalie's hand, sliding his phone in his pocket and following her back indoors. The warmth of the staircase engulfed Adrien; he'd barely noticed how cold it was outside, too distracted by his thoughts. It didn't hurt that the sweater he was wearing was incredibly cosy as well as being the height of winter chic.
Gabriel saw Adrien enter the room he'd rented for the party – well, it was technically a room, but really it was an entire floor of the hotel they were staying in – and motioned his son over to him. Adrien put on his best Happy Son smile and picked his way across the groups of models and designers milling around. A giant television hanging on the wall showed a countdown to the new year, seconds ticking away as anticipation grew in the room.
"I thought you might not re-join us," Gabriel noted, placing his hand on Adrien's shoulder. Adrien shook his head, still smiling for the ambling guests.
"I just needed some air."
The timer on the screen flickered to sixty seconds, and anyone not watching the TV and the shining ball hovering in the air, waiting for its moment, was quickly pointed to face it. Laughter and chatter filled the room for another fifty seconds. Adrien knew this exactly, as he counted each second until the room began counting down with the clock.
"Ten! Nine! Eight!" Adrien joined in with the countdown, a sliver of excitement at the sight onscreen making his smile genuine. "Seven! Six! Five!" Gabriel's hand moved off his son's shoulder.
"Four! Three! Two! One – Happy New Year!" The words were screamed in unison, a chorus of cheers and exclamations which were almost deafening. Corks flew across the room as people refilled their already empty glasses, and Adrien took a sip from his own champagne flute. Gabriel held out his glass for Adrien to clink his against, and the two Agrestes murmured the sentiment echoing around the room before they separated. Gabriel elegantly moved around the room, nodding and tapping his champagne against his peers' drinks, whilst Adrien did the same on the other side.
He was exchanging pleasantries with one of his father's models a few moments later when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Adrien politely extracted himself from the conversation and darted back up the staircase leading to the roof. He didn't leave the stairwell however, preferring the warmth to the cold January night.
When Adrien tugged his still-buzzing phone out, he was more than a little surprised to see the little picture of Marinette beaming up at him, requesting a video call. He pressed the green phone icon, and Marinette's face took over his screen.
"Hey, Marinette," Adrien said, confusion evident on his face even through the tiny camera. "Is everything oka-"
"Happy New Year!" Marinette interrupted, rubbing the heel of her palm against her eye as she smiled groggily at Adrien. "Sorry it's a few minutes late – Alya hit the snooze button on the alarm."
"I'm not sorry," Alya's muffled voice growled from off-screen.
"Anyway," Marinette continued, "I know you were sad that you weren't seeing in the new year with us, so I just thought I'd call at midnight so you weren't just with strangers." A yawn dragged out the last syllable, and Marinette covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she blinked heavily. "So yeah. Happy New Year!"
Adrien could only gape at Marinette's sleepy gaze, a grin of his own widening on his face.
"Happy New Year, Marinette," he replied, ignoring the lump in his throat which made his voice thick. "You're way too sweet, this is so – so nice of you. Wait, how much sleep have you had?"
"Not enough!" Alya hissed, and Adrien let out a laugh as Marinette had to duck to avoid the pillow thrown at her.
"Happy New Year, Alya," Adrien said with a grin.
"Didn't we do this earlier?" Alya grumbled.
"Yeah, but it wasn't New Year for Adrien then," Marinette said. "Now it is!"
"Happy New Year, Adrien. I hope yours is filled with sleep, unlike mine."
Adrien chuckled. "Thanks, Alya."
"No problem. Now, we've all said everything we needed to. Can we please go back to bed, Marinette?"
Marinette's gaze, which had briefly focused somewhere away from her phone to look at Alya in amusement, snapped back to Adrien. He nodded at her.
"I mean, I guess?" Marinette said. "Unless you want us to stay up, Adrien, I know you aren't a huge fan of your father's parties…"
Adrien shook his head. "I'm not, but I should go do the rounds before I go to bed myself. Besides, I think Alya may murder you if you don't let her go back to sleep."
"He's right," Alya agreed in the background. "I will." Marinette rolled her eyes before yawning again.
"Go back to bed, Marinette," Adrien said gently, causing Marinette to nod lazily.
"Mmkay," she agreed. "But I'm glad we managed to call you. Didn't-" she yawned again, "-didn't want you to think we didn't care." Marinette blinked sleepily, clearly fighting back another yawn. "Wish you'd been here tonight," she said carelessly. "I miss you."
Adrien's eyebrows shot up, and Marinette seemed to hear the words at the same time he did. Her face went bright red, and with a squeak she began to babble.
"Anyway, have a good time in New York and we'll see you soon," she said rapidly. "OkayHappyNewYearbyenowAdrien!"
The last thing Adrien heard before Marinette ended the call was Alya's burst of laughter, and he frowned in utter confusion before he let out a chuckle. He sent a quick text to Marinette before heading back down to the party, feeling exceptionally better about the year ahead. He had wonderful people waiting for him when he got home – what more could he ask for?
In Marinette's bedroom, the girl in question was lying sideways on the floor, staring at her phone in shock, her face flaming red as an exhausted Alya patted her on the head.
The unmistakeable beep of an incoming text broke the silence between them, and Marinette's eyes widened as she read the text Adrien had sent her.
Thanks for the call, it really meant a lot to me. I wish I'd been there tonight, too – I miss you too, and can't wait to see you when I get back to Paris. Happy New Year xxx
Marinette screamed.