Chapter 4: The Visit
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe that the Adrien Agreste sent me a letter! I'm starstruck. If a comet were to strike right now, it wouldn't hold a candle to my letter." Marinette gushed ecstatically
"See Marinette! I told you he would return your affection. Tikki commented with a smile
The teen blushed. "H-he's not exactly returning my affection Tikki. All he did was answer my l-letter."
"We'll see about that." The kwami responded with a knowing glint in her eyes. Though the girl couldn't see it now, the two were obviously falling for each other. It was only a matter of time before they exchanged vows and bore a family of their own.
"I have to call Alya! We need to figure out what my next move will be." The girl all but shouted. Fumbling about, she located her phone and shakily dialed her confidante. She was in dire need of her input.
"Hey, girl! What's up?" Alya greeted on the other line.
"Alya! You'll never believe what happened today."
"You confirmed Ladybug's secret identity?!"
"No, but I confirmed mine."
"What do you mean?"
"You know how I worked up the courage to send Adrien a 'get well soon' letter and a basket of cookies right?"
"Right..."
"Well, Adrien actually responded! He sent the cutest letter. I was going to send you a picture, but I had to call you first." Marinette explained.
"Girl, that's awesome! I'm so proud of you. You even remembered to sign it this time."
Marinette blushed once more. "I only forgot the one time!" She defended. "On a different note, what should my next move be?"
"Hmm..." Alya hummed in thought. "Ooh, I know! You can go and visit him. I'm sure being cooped up in his room with limited human interaction has him bored out of his mind."
Marinette considered the course of action. Going from sending letters to visiting him seemed like a big jump. Not to mention seeing him in his , she was able to make her first move without any problems. Why couldn't she take the next step without complications?
"You know what, I think I will visit him! It's the least I could do." Marinette responded with conviction.
"That's great! I'll support you every step of the way." Alya answered. "But what did you mean when you told me that you'd discovered your secret identity earlier?"
"Well, I know it sounds silly but I feel like I uncovered a part of me that I never thought existed. It's like I've tapped into this new-found confidence that's lied dormant my whole life!"
"Kind of like how a superhero reveals their true power in the heat of the final battle?"
"Yeah!" Marinette laughed. "I feel like a superhero." She added with a pose.
"We'll call you Super Dork: hero of all things quirky." Alya teased
"Oh, shut up."
"Marinette's it's time for dinner!" Her parents called breaking her out of her reverie.
"Sounds like you have to go Super Dork. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye Alya! Thanks for the advice."
"No prob. Just try not to malfunction while you're there."
"Will do!" Marinette exclaimed with a salute. She ended the call and hooked her phone up to her charging port. With that, she scrambled downstairs to eat.
I can do this. I just need to ring the doorbell. Once.
After class had dismissed the next day Marinette wasted no time in rushing off to meet Adrien. Though right now, she was face to face with his door.
A shaky finger hovered above the door separating her from the inside of the Agreste Mansion.
She couldn't chicken out. Not now. Not after baking another two dozen cookies.
All right. Here goes.
She poked at the doorbell trepidatiously. An agonizing thirty seconds passed, accompanied by the anxious shuffling of feet and drumming of fingers against her thigh. Surely a butler or maid would let her in soon.
As if she had read her mind, Nathalie opened the door with an uninviting stare.
"Welcome young lady. What brings you to the Agreste manor?"
"Well, um, if it's okay I'd like to see Adrien. I-I was one of the girls he invited to his c-commercial set. I just wanted to check up on him." Marinette managed to explain.
Nathalie paused. Gabriel's direct orders weren't to permit anyone access to the recovering model as it could disturb his valuable rest. But, Adrien seemed so lonely these past few weeks. Without his father around to spend time with him or any friends of his to hang out with, he couldn't express himself. She'd probably get reprimanded for her decision later, but Nathalie complied.
"I'll allow it. But you must leave before 6:00 p.m." The caretaker instructed sternly.
Marinette grinned. "Thank you, ma'am."
Nathalie opened the door further, allowing the girl inside the large estate. Leading her up a series of stairs and corridors the two finally made it to the teen's room. She knocked on his door gently.
"Adrien, I've brought a guest that would like to see you. May we come in?" She asked while Marinette did everything in her power not to faint.
"Sure." A tired but seemingly excited voice answered.
As the caretaker opened the door, Marinette eyed the boy's room with surprise. Present after present filled the space with vibrant colors and life that would put the entire city of Paris to shame.
"Oh, hi Marinette!" Adrien greeted, breaking the girl's trance.
"H-hi Adrien." She timidly waved.
"I'll leave you two be." The assistant announced, closing the door behind her.
"So, uh, how are things going?" Marinette asked in an attempt to focus on anything else but her beating heart.
"They've all but stopped." He answered with a slight sigh of frustration. "I feel like I haven't moved a muscle since the accident."
"Oh, that's... I'm sorry." Marinette trailed off.
"It's not your fault Marinette. It's not like you pushed me off that ladder or something."
"But, the stunt was my idea," Marinette emphasized. "You probably caught my case of clumsiness too."
Adrien snorted. "Yeah. Because you've always yearned for the chance to sabotage my career. I bet you had already organized a savings account for all the money you were going to make after arranging the ad paying homage to the late Adrien Agreste. The young model that perished before his time." Adrien teased.
"W-what! No way. I would n-never do such a thing. That would be-" The girl was cut off
"Relax Marinette! I was just kidding. I know you'd never do something like that. I mean, you're here checking up on me with what appears to be another basket of cookies right? Only kind-hearted bakers with a knack for puns do that."
Marinette blushed. "T-thanks Adrien. That means a lot to me."
He smiled. "Anytime, Mari."
Mari! He called me Mari. This is it. I must've died and gone to heaven.
"So, uh can I have a cookie?"
"Why, uh certainly. They are yours after all." Marinette commented making her way towards his bed. About to reach her destination, she extended her arms in an attempt to give the model the basket. Unfortunately, she all but dove into the headboard as her foot snagged a gift.
"Glad I could break your fall," Adrien said, trying to make light of the position they were in.
Marinette had landed on top of the boy, arms separating her head from the board and her legs straddling his waist.
"Uh, uh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean t-to fall for you. Uh, I mean on you..." She apologized scrambling off of him hurriedly.
He waved her off. "I must've returned your case of clumsiness on accident. My bad."
Marinette giggled. "And I had just shaken it off too.
Adrien chuckled. Switching topics, he decided to comment on her baking.
"You know I do like more than just cookies," Adrien mumbled nibbling on said dessert. "Not that your cookies are bad or anything. They're actually really good!" He complimented
"Thanks! My Dad taught me how to bake them. They're his favorite treat, but they're not my go-to dessert either." Marinette admitted. In reality, my favorite dessert would have to be... macaroons." Both she and Adrien answered simultaneously.
"Seems like we have similar tastes." Adrien joked as he munched on another cookie.
"Goes great with our cases of clumsiness!"
With that, the two hit it off. Talking about anything and everything, they laughed for hours. That was until Marinette checked her phone.
5:58 p.m.
"Ahh! I didn't realize it was so late. I've got to get going." The up and coming fashion designer announced, hastily gathering her things together.
"Wait! Before you go, can I get your number? It'd be awesome to chat with you!"
Marinette blushed. "S-sure just let me put my contact information on your phone."
"Thanks Mari. For everything. You've been really great." Adrien admitted, whilst rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Anything to help a friend."
With a great yawn, Marinette dove onto her mattress.
She couldn't believe the day she'd had. Adrien had complimented her baking skills, accepted her apology and exchanged his phone number!
Speaking of, said device alerted her with a loud ding. Checking it, she grinned wider than a crescent moon.
Good night and sweet creams. Pun intended - Adrien
