Marinette hurried up the stairs to only be yanked back by Adrien. She looked back at him with a confused expression. "Why are you here?"

The door opened before he could even explain himself and Nathalie appeared with an unpleasant expression.

"Shit." Adrien cursed and hung his head low, as his hand slowly slid down Marinette's arm.

"I believe you mean shoot, Adrien. Your father would like to speak with both of you in his office." Nathalie stepped out of the way and Adrien put his hands in his pockets and watched the floor, as he walked inside.

Marinette swallowed hard putting two and two together. His father had seen the article and he had shown up to try to take the fall for her.

She stumbled on the stairs and caught her balance on the doorway. Adrien looked behind him to make sure she was alright.

"Adrien!" Gabriel's voice echoed across the walls and Adrien flinched at the sound.

Marinette's eyes welled up with tears. Her career was over. Everything was over. Her heart raced and she felt like she couldn't breathe. The room spun and Adrien caught her before she could hit the tiled floor. "Not the time to faint, Bugaboo." He whispered into her ear and she stood up straight, using him to stabilize herself.

"Sorry." Marinette whispered and cleared her throat. She fixed her hair and picked up what little dignity she had left.

Adrien stepped into his father's office with Gabriel's intern beneath his arm. His father's expression wasn't one that Adrien had ever wanted to see. Not this early and not for this reason. He was used to it being kept for when he had done something displeasing, but not when it also involved Marinette. He wasn't letting Marinette take the fall for this. Not when her future depended on it. He pushed Marinette behind him and stared at his father with a protective glare.

"You think you are going to protect her?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow at his stubborn son.

"Get mad at me all you want, but don't involve her. She has nothing to do with this." Adrien pushed her further behind him, even though she pushed around him to speak.

"I want to know about this article and why it is calling my son an arrogant playboy drunk? I raised you better than this. Also, explain this photograph on the front page!" Gabriel turned his screen to face them and Adrien cringed, while Marinette blushed.

"I- I can't explain that because I don't remember much." Adrien tugged on his silver ring and looked away from his father's gaze, ashamed.

"Can't explain this, hm? WHAT ABOUT THIS?" Gabriel's voice boomed like thunder rumbling inside of menacing clouds in a dimly lit sky. He hit a tab with his finger on the screen and the live video began to play.

'YAH, MARINETTE! GET IT, GIRL! WOO!' The sound of Alya's voice shrieked from the audio of the device and Marinette wanted to be swallowed into a deep pit that held her hostage and never let her go.

Adrien flinched as, he heard Marinette moan from his expertly placed kisses. "Can we by chance forget this happened?"

"You think it is going to be simple to erase this from the Agreste name… from the 'Gabriel' brand?" Gabriel was furious and he could feel his face heating up with rage.

"Can't we pay off the media or something to take it down?" Adrien tried to reason with the solid stone of a man in front of him, but it wasn't working out in his favor.

"Excuse me Monsieur." Marinette pushed Adrien out of the way and worried her fingers together in front of her hips.

"And what is your excuse for this, Mademoiselle Dupain Cheng?" Gabriel turned his unamused expression towards his intern.

"I know the girl that posted the video. If I could just talk to her and have her take it down… wouldn't that help?" Marinette chewed on her bottom lip, trying to keep her anxiety in check.

"You know the girl that recorded this atrocious video?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow and rethought about who he had let intern with his brand.

"I do, sir." Marinette normally wouldn't be ashamed to be friends with Alya, but at this moment she was. She loved her best friend to death, but right now, she wasn't too happy with her.

"Well, if you can get her to take the video down… then we just have to worry about the press, but seeing as how the article is already out for the general public and on the front page… I don't see a reason to pay them to take it down when the whole city has caught wind of it already." Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose and let a wave of exhaustion wash over him. "It's being broadcasted on every channel in Paris, maybe further."

"What do you want me to do, father?" Adrien gave in with a sigh and let his shoulders slump. He didn't like when his father was upset with him or didn't approve of his behavior. He had always lived to make his father happy.

Gabriel thought for a moment. He pressed a button on his screen and Nathalie came into the room.

"Yes, Monsieur?" Nathalie held her tablet to her chest.

"Pull up the current status on Adrien. Where does he sit within 'Forbes'." Gabriel stood up straight and waited for Nathalie to tell him.

Marinette looked over at Adrien with a confused expression and he slapped his forehead and shook his head, begging for her not to ask.

"The number one most eligible bachelor, Monsieur." Nathalie's voice came out in a monotone and Adrien groaned.

Marinette could only think of one reason that Gabriel would have asked that and her heart became extraordinarily loud in her ears, drowning out anything that Adrien was saying.

"You can't be serious." Adrien walked towards his father leaving a very dazed Marinette leaning against a wall.

"You are going to prove that you are not a playboy or whatever else they called you by going public with this scandal." Gabriel pointed at Adrien with his index finger and a serious expression; before, he turned to look at a disheveled Marinette. "Mademoiselle Dupain Cheng?"

Marinette suddenly came to and straightened up. She cleared her throat and walked up beside a worried Adrien. She had barely paid attention to the conversation between the two men, lost in her own little world. "Yes, Monsieur?"

Gabriel smiled at her with a condescending expression. "Will you date my son for media purposes?" He searched her blue bell eyes and watched her become uncomfortable.

Marinette wanted to cry and not from pure happiness. She loved Adrien, but she didn't want to date him for status. She wanted to date him because he truly loved her, as much as, she loved him. Marinette wanted it to be mutual. When she looked over at Adrien, she saw his saddened expression. She could tell that it hurt him to see her get used by the top fashion mogul in all of Paris and the industry. This wasn't how he had wanted for it to go either. He was sure that she now thought that he only was using her for his own gain and that was not the case.

"I- I'll do it. If it helps the Agreste name and the 'Gabriel' brand." She tangled her fingers together and looked down at her feet. "It is my fault after all. It was very irresponsible of me, Monsieur. I promise to help you out of this bind." She weakly smiled up at Adrien, while her heart broke. She should have known that he didn't love her since he found out she was the one under the mask.

Adrien spun his ring around his finger again. He felt like he was digging himself a deeper hole and the more that was set up by his father… the more he realized he'd have to disclose at dinner for the poor girl beside him. "How do you suppose that we get the word out?"

"Go on a very public date. I'll set one up for you at the Louvre for tomorrow afternoon. Then a lovely dinner will follow. Sound good? I'll let Nathalie know so that she can rework your schedule." Gabriel waved them away and Adrien took Marinette's hand and lead her out of the office. "And Mademoiselle Dupain Cheng?"

Marinette turned to look at her boss. "Yes, Monsieur Agreste?"

"I want you to take the day off. Adrien! Go buy that girl a new wardrobe. I won't have her looking subpar beside you. Your bodyguard will drive you to the top brands I like." Gabriel dismissed them after Adrien had responded with a 'yes, father.'.

Adrien sighed and continued to lead Marinette into the grand foyer, as the heavy doors shut behind them. He walked with her to the front doors to only be met by his bodyguard/driver.

"I'm really sorry that I got you into this, Marinette." He opened the back door of the silver car for her.

"It's really okay, Adrien. It's my fault too. I should have known it would end up all over the media." Marinette sighed and sat in the back of the car. "I should have known better."

Adrien climbed in after and shut the door. "It's not your fault. You don't deserve to be drug into this. I should just come out with a statement and accept my fate." He ran his hand through his hair.

"But what did happen last night? I remember going to Nino's party with Alya. I remember dancing and drinking. Not with you, but with my friends. And then it's all a blur." Marinette touched her cheeks with her hands, as she internally panicked about this whole ordeal.

"What am I then? If you danced and drank with your friends and not me?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at her and looked at her from the side. He didn't know how to take that. Was he not a friend? Was he more? What was he to her?

Marinette squeaked and brought her lips into a straight line. Her cheeks burned and turned a deep rose. "Um… y-you're my friend too. I was just saying that I don't remember dancing with you, but I do remember being with Alya, Rose, Juleka, Alix, and Mylene. Um…"

Adrien burst out laughing. Marinette jumped at his sudden outburst and watched him lean into her. Everything slowed down and felt like time was holding still as, his soft fingers grazed beneath her chin. She watched how his blonde hair slightly shifted as, he brought his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. The kiss quickly intensified and she was suddenly in his lap with his fingers tangled in her hair and his tongue in her mouth. She moaned and forgot about anyone else in the car with them. To her it was only them.

Adrien broke the kiss and searched her shocked blue eyes. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me." His cheeks flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly.

She climbed off of his lap. "I- it's probably just all of the adrenaline and the situation we're in. Just rushed emotions. Ya know?" She awkwardly giggled and sighed, as she peered out the window. He mirrored her with saddened eyes and slouched shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah. Tha- that's probably it." Adrien knew that wasn't the case. He had enough love to fill all of Paris for the woman beside him, but he was too nervous to tell her. Too nervous that she'd turn him down like she used to when he was just Chat Noir and not Adrien Agreste. The more he thought about it… the more he wanted to back out of dinner. He needed some time alone to recuperate and get his priorities straight and his thoughts, which were a wreck at the moment. Also, he thought being around her wasn't doing much good for her either. He was bad for her and he knew it.

The city passed by them and they both couldn't help but notice all of the happy couples on the street: holding hands, laughing, sharing drinks and food, and taking in the sights of the beautiful city.

They both slowly turned to peer into each other's eyes; before, they both blushed and quickly turned away from one another back to their respective windows. A sigh slowly came out of both of them and Gorilla looked back at the two young adults in his rear view mirror.

Songs I wrote to in order:

Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez

Dollhouse by Melanie Martinez

Into You by Ariana Grande

Everyday by Ariana Grande