Fudgemonkeys, I'm running out of ideas. I never thought I'd even get this far writing this. I might make two more chapters and end it if I can't think of anything else... Maybe I should just watch the series again for inspiration.
As the car rolled up to Gabriel's Paris Headquarters, Marinette could have sworn she had died and gone to heaven. The large, Modern building with the giant black "G" inside the circle seemed more inviting than it ever had before. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement as she wondered about the surprises the rest of the day would bring.
Adrien took her hand in his and studied it. He admired how smooth her hand was, how much care was taken in her nails, and even noticed the small bump that had formed on the side of her middle finger from years of pencil-holding abuse. He smiled softly, lost in his own world as his fingers entwined hers. He noticed the skin tone differences, and how she was much pinker she was compared to him.
Adrien looked up to see Marinette, staring at him in pure amazement and shock. His face flushed, and he ripped his hand away from hers before muttering his apologies. Marinette softly smiled and returned her hand to his.
"We're here," Nathalie said before stepping out and opening Marinette's door. The Gorilla opened Adrien's, forcing the young couple to separate for a moment as the two stepped out. Marinette thanked Nathalie, and Adrien nodded to The Gorilla before the four of them headed inside together.
The interior of Gabriel's headquarters had a modern feel. The lobby had fashion magazines and books lining the sleek, white bookshelves. The receptionist's desk was laid out in the center, rounded out with a dark, hard wood top and white paneling along the sides. Huge posters lined the walls of the lobby, with ads both in magazines and ads not yet implemented. The area was completely void of people except for the receptionist, who stood when they entered.
"Hello, Mr. Agreste," The receptionist said with a smile as the four walked in. "Your father is waiting for you upstairs." She waved them towards the massive, pristinely white stairwell behind her. Marinette stared absentmindedly at the stairs, and Adrien gently pulled her onwards, his hand wrapped in hers, "Come on, Marinette!" He exclaimed excitedly. The Gorilla and Nathalie remained behind and spoke with the receptionist.
As the two emerged at the top of the stairs, Gabriel Agreste greeted them with a small, fake smile. "Ah, Ms. Dupen-Chang. We finally meet in person." He extended a hand and she took it, shaking his hand strongly. "It's wonderful to meet you, sir!" Marinette said excitedly. He simply nodded and responded, "Likewise."
Gabriel turned to Adrien, "Vincent showed me the photos from the shoot." Adrien's face burned up. "A-Ah, I can explain! See—" Gabriel put a hand up to stop him, and Adrien quickly ceased talking. "They were some of your best work, Adrien. Keep it up."Adrien's face brightened and he grinned, "Thank you, father! I will!"
Gabriel then returned his attention to Marinette. "Did you bring your sketchbook?" Marinette nodded, "Yes, Mr. Agreste."
"Please, call me Gabriel. May I see your designs?" He asked with an extended hand. Marinette offered the sketchbook, and he took it with a delicate hand. As she handed it to him, he thumbed through the pages, his expression unreadable. Adrien took that moment to stand close to her and take her shaking hand in his reassuringly. Marinette looked at him from the corner of his eye and he smiled at her, reminding her that she still had him.
"Yes. Yes, these will do just fine... Maybe a bit of leather on his one, and some silk along the trim of this..." Gabriel said as he thought out loud. "Marinette, I do like your designs. They're fresh. They're new. I believe you are the right person for this company." He looked to her smiling face and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "If you wish, you could work as my intern this summer. It would be nice to start off your resume with."
Marinette felt light as air. She could barely utter out a single 'yes' or 'no'. "I.. I-I.. Y-Y-" Adrien grinned and turned to his father, "Yes. She means yes."
Gabriel blinked. "… Mhm... Well, allow me to show you around your new workplace, Marinette."
A: O.M.G. I CANT BELIEVE U GOT IN
M: It's a dream come true, Alya!
A: Girl! U got2 get me some new threads off that line!
M: Why buy them when I could just design them?
Marinette chuckled and showed Adrien her texts. He chuckled and smiled, "You're actually not wrong. As my father's intern, you have access to all types of fabric available. You can make Alya her own personal outfits."
The two sat outside at the La Bossue café, Marinette drinking tea and Adrien drinking coffee. The two had just finished counting the mopeds that drove by, eventually turning it into a game to see who counted the most. Marinette had finally loosened up after meeting Gabriel and opened up more. The two talked about their futures and what they wanted in life.
"Really? You want to take over your dad's business?" She asked, curious. "Yeah, I mean, sure, I have other interests, but I don't really know what I truly want to do with my future. So until then, I'd like to take over what my father started. Maybe stick with modelling." Adrien replied with a shrug and stirred his coffee.
"Well, I think it's a good start to an idea, but if your heart really isn't there, you shouldn't waste your time on it." Marinette said with a smile. Adrien agreed, "Yeah, I totally understand. I mean, I still have time to decide, right?" Marinette nodded, "Of course! We're only in high school. We still have all the time in the world."
"Then... Can I spend all that time with you?" Adrien asked, peering up at her. Marinette looked at him and blinked confusedly. "Well, of course you can. What are friends for?" Adrien couldn't help but laugh. "No, Marinette, I mean... Oh, nevermind."
Marinette looked at him confusedly as Adrien played with a loose strand of her thick, black hair. "… I mean, unless you don't want to." He frowned a bit, almost making puppy eyes at her.
"No!" Marinette swiftly found her feet and looked down at him, almost panicked. "I-I mean... Yes. Yes, I would love to spend more time with you!" She was almost yelling in her hysteria, and Adrien began to chortle in response, "Oh Marinette, you're too cute."
Plagg took a moment to peek out of Adrien's jacket, sniffing the air as Marinette's purse popped open . "I smell... cookies..." He crawled down to Adrien's leg and floated into Marinette's purse as the two kids were distracted, laughing off Marinette's social faux pas.
Plagg nestled himself in the bag, unaware of the other kwami's presence in the purse. As he reached for a cookie, his paw was slapped. "Heeeeey!" He exclaimed in surprise. Tikki pulled her cookie away from him. "Get your own cookie, Plagg! Marinette made these for me!"
"Tikki? Is... That you?" He asked with a blink, looking into the dark purse. Even with his night-vision senses, he could barely make out Tikki as she blended in with the red on the inside of the bag. Tikki blinked and hid behind her cookie. "Um... No? I'm a talking purse! I-"
Plagg scooted close to the cookie and moved it aside, looking at the small red kwami. "Ohmygosh! Tikki! It IS you!" He grinned and pulled her into an affectionate hug. "Oh wow, Tikki! I haven't seen you since, like, the dark ages!" He grinned and nuzzled her. Tikki smiled and pulled away from Plagg, looking at him happily. "It's only been since the French revolution but, sure..."
"Huh... So Marinette IS Ladybug, then? Wow, Adrien is smarter than I thought..." He muttered. "I knew I sensed you around us a lot, but I never thought it would have been her..." He said as he looked up at Marinette, who was walking with Adrien hand in hand. "You know, he really likes her." Plagg stated to Tikki. Tikki looked up to her companion, watching the way Marinette and Adrien looked to one another. "Yes, well, you should see her room. It is embarrassing." She uttered with a grin. "It's almost creepy."
The kwamis chuckled and shared the cookies as they talked. They reminisced about the past, about their current Miraculous holders, and about the possibility about the future. They expressed their worry for Nooroo and talked of Master Fu and Wayzz, when Tikki mentioned when she was sick.
"No way, you got to see Master Fu?" Plagg's eyes sparkled. "I miss that old man! Is he okay?" Tikki blinked at him, confused. "You haven't seen Master Fu? At all?" Plagg shook his head, "No, Adrien's been keeping me pretty healthy..." He frowned.
Marinette stopped to check the time on her phone and she frowned. It was 7:30 PM, and she had to be ready for her and Chat Noir's night patrol by 8. "Oh, Adrien... I have to go..." He blinked at her and frowned, "Oh... May I ask why?" Marinette blinked and began to stammer, "O-Oh, um, well, see, I um, have to... cat sit!"
"Cat... sit?" Adrien raised an eyebrow. "I can come with you if you like. I love cats!" Marinette's face turned red and she grinned uncomfortably. "Oh, no. This cat really only likes me. If he saw you, he'd probably get super jealous and probably try to beat you up—err, claw you." She bit her lip as she scratched her head, "I'll text you when I get home, though, okay?"
Adrien chuckled, "Yeah, okay..." He pulled her into a tight, loving hug, and Plagg snuck his way up Adrien's jacket once more. Plagg waved to Tikki and blew her a kiss, and Tikki made a face before sliding back into Marinette's purse, closing it tight.
Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien, kissing him softly on the cheek before heading off to home. She left Adrien alone on the street with a big, stupid grin on his face. Plagg poked his head out, "You know you have patrol, right?" Adrien merely chuckled absentmindedly, "Haha, yeah..." Plagg rolled his eyes. "You know you have it, like, right now, right?"
"Uh huh..."
Plagg growled, "Then get going, lover boy!" He yelled, and Adrien snapped back to reality. "Huh!? Oh! Yeah! Sorry! Plagg, claws out!"