How to Adult

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Author's Note:

Good day, my lovely readers! ~

I hope you are all doing well. This is chapter three of my story 'How to Adult'. I kinda of got scared due to the lack of reviews. Something in me is still scared I suck at writing. Anyway, I still tried my best. Hope you like it!

Lots of love!

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Warnings: OOC-ness, AU, adult language/swearing

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

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Chapter Three: Troubled thoughts

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Marinette's P.O.V.

It was the day after Adrien's surprise party and I was on my way towards my workshop to do a final check on the dress for miss Beauchêne. It was 10 AM in the morning and miss Beauchêne and her team were coming by the workshop in two hours, so I wanted to make sure everything was in order. Once I reached my workshop, I got out of the car and made my way inside. Once inside, my phone rang and I checked the caller ID to see it was my big boss from work. My heart instantly started to hammer in my chest. It rarely happened the big boss directly called its employees. He mostly only was in contact with the leaders of the design team, which was Marie. The fact that he was now calling me, made me slightly nervous. I picked up the phone with shaky hands.

''Hello, Marinette Dupain-Cheng speaking.'' I politely answered the phone.

''Miss Dupain-Cheng, good morning. This is mister Durand.'' I recognized the voice of the big boss.

''Mister Durand, good morning. What can I do for you?''

''I was wondering if you had time to drop by my office this afternoon. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you.'' Mister Durand spoke to me. I instantly had flashbacks to the talk I had with Marie. So she wasn't kidding after all.

''That shouldn't be a problem. Is there a possibility I can stop by between 2 and 3 PM?'' I asked the big boss. I heard the turning of pages and figured he was checking his schedule.

''That should work just fine. I'll see you this afternoon then.'' He accepted my suggestion.

I thanked him and bid him farewell, then turned to Tikki, who had overheard everything. ''It seems like this is actually going to happen, Tikki.'' I spoke to my Kwami.

''You'll do fine, Marinette! You're an amazingly talented designer. I'm sure the big boss has seen that too. Working for Gabriel Agreste is going to give you so many new opportunities.'' My kwami tried to give me confidence.

I snuggled her with a smile. ''Thanks, Tikki. Now, let's focus on the dress.''

The next two hours, I made sure the dress looked flawless and was exactly how I had envisioned it. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself. It was a beautiful dress and knowing in the back of my head that it would be worn by a beautiful, upcoming actress made me excited. Maybe she would mention my name when people asked her where her dress was from.

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Around 12 PM, miss Beauchêne arrived with her entourage, which consisted out of her bodyguard, her personal assistant and her manager.

''It is beautiful!'' Miss Beauchêne, letting her hands glide over the dress. ''Marinette, you did an amazing job!''

''Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much.'' I smiled back at her. I motioned towards the dressing screen in the room. ''Would you like to try it on? That way, I can see if there are still some adjustments that have to be made.''

After miss Beauchêne's bodyguard had established that there were no hidden camera's or anything in my workshop, miss Beauchêne disappeared behind the curtain with her personal assistant, emerging not long after, wearing my dress. When I saw her in it, I had to suppress a wide grin. It looked exactly like I had envisioned it.

''Does it feel comfortable?'' I asked her, guiding her towards the full-length mirror in my workshop, where she could see herself from head to toe. Her slightly tanned skin and dark blonde hair came out beautifully in contrast with the dark fabric. When she turned around and the light hit the dress, it emanated a soft glow, exactly like I had wanted it to look.

''It doesn't hurt or anything. It's comfortable to wear.'' Miss Beauchêne answered my questions, doing a happy twirl in front of the mirror.

''I'm glad. Is the size alright?'' I asked her, studying her in the dress with a critic eye, seeing if I needed to adjust anything.

''As far as I can tell, it is exactly what I wanted.'' Miss Beauchêne smiled at me.

Her manager then looked her up and down. ''It is a beautiful dress indeed. I think we all agree it doesn't need any more work.''

I gave the manager a nod, coming to the same conclusion. ''If anything comes up, just in case, just give me a call, alright?''

The manager nodded back. ''The remainder of the payment shall come in this afternoon for you.'' She informed me.

I smiled and gave another understanding nod, then turning my eyes back at miss Beauchêne, who was still smiling happily.

''I don't think I want to take it off.'' She laughed, to which I giggled in return.

''Careful, you don't want to risk getting it dirty, before the party.'' I reminded her.

''Thank you so much, Marinette. I mean it. I'll be sure to tell everybody who made my dress, when the question comes up.'' Miss Beauchêne smiled at me, which made me warm with happiness.

''Thank you, miss Beauchêne. I would really appreciate that.''

Then, the manager cast a look on her watch. ''Sadly, it is time to go. We have an interview with Nadja Chamack scheduled at 2 PM, and we still need to run miss Beauchêne through hair and make-up there.''

Miss Beauchêne gave an understanding nod and headed back towards the dressing screen to change back. After she was done, I made sure to pack the dress in a protective dress bag and gave it along with her.

''I had lots of fun making your dress. Make sure you enjoy the party, okay?'' I smiled at miss Beauchêne.

''That won't be a problem.'' Miss Beauchêne smiled back. ''I'll probably be back in the future for more amazing designs.''

I giggled and waved at her, as she walked towards the exit. ''I'll be waiting! Goodbye for now!''

Miss Beauchêne and her crew waved me goodbye and left the workshop. As soon as the door closed, Tikki shot out of my bag with a happy smile.

''Amazing job, Marinette! She looked super happy!'' She praised me.

''I'm so happy she liked the dress! It was worth all the effort.'' I smiled back. I then checked the time. ''I'm gonna grab a quick lunch and then head to my appointment.'' I grabbed my stuff and left my apartment.

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After eating lunch, I headed towards the office building of my company. It was true that this was our main building, but several designers, including me, had separated working spaces. This was mainly, because I also did a lot of designing outside of work. I headed inside and greeted the receptionist, then taking the elevator up. I walked towards the end of the corridor, knocking on the big wooden doors.

''Come in.'' I recognized the voice of Mister Durand.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. ''Good afternoon, mister Durand.'' I smiled.

''Good afternoon, miss Dupain-Cheng. I received positive feedback from miss Beauchêne her team. Congratulations on a job well done.'' The older man greeted and praised me.

''Thank you, sir. I'm happy our client is pleased with our work.'' I replied with respect.

''Now, please take a seat.'' Mister Durand motioned me over to the chairs in front of his desk.

I took a seat, feeling slightly nervous. Mister Durand seemed to notice my fidgeting.

''Don't worry, miss Dupain-Cheng. You are not in trouble or anything. It is quite the opposite, actually.'' He then proceeded to explain to me what Marie had explained to me in detail during our lunch.

''So, long story short, we'd like you to become the new head designer of our design team, and therefore the new supervisor.'' Mister Durand concluded his story.

I was speechless for a moment. ''I… This is such a huge honor. Of course, I am sad to see Marie go, but I'd be honored to take over her role and continue what she has started up.''

Mister Durand flashed me a smile. ''I am very glad to hear that. We all have full confidence in you, and know that you'll do an amazing job.'' His voice then seemed to falter a bit. ''There is something else that I should tell you.'' I had a suspicion and it didn't take long for that suspicion to get confirmed. ''You might have heard the rumors about Gabriel Agreste showing an interest in this company. I am not getting any younger and I think it's time this company spread its wings. I think it would be a good decision to let Gabriel Agreste take over the company, so I will soon accept his offer. Before I do this, I wanted to make sure you were settled into your new role as head designer. Miss Florette is leaving next week, and I want her to spend her remaining days here training and guiding you, so you'll feel ready when the company is taken over by Gabriel Agreste.''

I gave him an understanding nod. We talked a little more about business-related stuff, before he stood up and held out his hand to me.

''I know you'll do a great job, miss Dupain-Cheng. If you ever have any questions about any of this, don't be afraid to ask them.''

''Thank you, and I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the amazing opportunity, mister Durand. I won't let you down.'' I spoke with a smile.

With those words, I said my goodbyes and left his office. I quickly made my way towards my car, and Tikki darted out of my bag.

''Congratulations, Marinette! You did it!'' She beamed at me.

I hugged the little red kwami against my cheek. ''I can't believe it, Tikki! I'm actually going to be head designer, and for a company that is soon to be Gabriel Agreste's company, no less!'' I squealed.

''I'm so proud of you, Marinette! You should tell Alya the good news!'' Tikki suggested.

I followed her advice and called up Alya, explaining the good news to her.

''Girl, that is amazing! I'm proud of you, Mari!'' Alya praised me with a smile.

''Thanks! It's gonna get a whole lot busier in my life, but I am so excited for all the new opportunities that may come my path.''

''You're gonna do amazing, I just know it.'' Alya spoke to me with confidence. I then almost could hear her grin. ''So, Gabriel Agreste, huh? Doesn't that mean you get to see Adrien more often? Since he still models for his father's company?''

I blushed, but tried to stay calm. ''Maybe, maybe not. Who knows. I just want to stay professional. I won't get an opportunity like this ever again, I'm afraid.''

''Just remember you have a life outside of work, as well.'' Alya grinned. ''Speaking of that. Me and Nino are going to see a movie this evening. Wanna tag along?''

I shook my head. ''Thanks, but no thanks. There's something that I've been planning to do.''

''Don't be a stranger, though! Let's hang out soon!''

''Sure thing! Have fun with Nino!''

''Thanks! Bye!''

I hung up the phone, a smile on my lips.

''What are you planning to do this evening, Marinette?'' Tikki asked me with a curious tone.

''You'll see.''

-X-

It was 10 PM and I had been in my working space, working on a design that I had just came up with. I had some background music on and Tikki was sleeping on a heap of fabric. In the meantime, I was focused on my design on the mannequin. ''I just hope this works out.'' I mumbled to myself, sticking another pin in place. My eyes glanced towards the sketch in my sketchbook, that I had worked out. On it was a slim, blonde girl, wearing tight, leather legging-pants with a black, ruffled crop-top with puffed up, short sleeves. Around her neck was a black choker with a golden cat bell attached to it. In her hair, she was wearing a black headband with two cat ears on them. On her feet were black, shiny pumps with a long-inch heel. She was wearing glasses with a thick, black frame. The design itself looked very sexy and mysterious. It wasn't hard to see that my inspiration for this design had been Chat Noir. Ever since Adrien returned, I had been thinking about Chat Noir a bit more. I wondered what he was up to, what he looked like, and if he thought about me every now and then. My heart was slightly getting torn between Adrien and Chat Noir. While I was extremely excited that Adrien had finally returned to Paris, I also had hoped to see my old partner again. Over the years, I came to understand that his shameless flirting might have had an effect on me after all. Even though I hadn't seen the black kitty for 5 years now, I still wondered if I would ever see him again. ''No time to dwell on the past.'' I sighed. I continued to work on my design, until the clock struck twelve and I realized I had been designing here longer than I originally had planned. With a sigh, I walked onto the balcony that my workplace had, since it was on the first floor, and I breathed in the night air.

''Marinette?'' I heard Tikki's voice, as she flew up to me. ''Are you alright?''

''I'm fine, Tikki. Just thinking about the past.'' I smiled, not breaking my gaze away from the night sky.

''I saw your design… Do you miss Chat Noir?'' Tikki slowly asked me.

I let out a sigh. ''I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see him again. I just wonder what kind of good it would do. We both aren't needed anymore in our hero-forms. So why not let him live his life? He might be attending a prestigious college somewhere, right now, or having an amazing job, with an amazing girlfriend and lots of friends. I don't want to force my way back into his life, if I'm not exactly needed.''

''Don't think like that, Marinette. I'm sure Chat Noir thinks about you, every now and then. After all, you have been partners for a long time. You can't just forget a friend like that.''

I shot Tikki a smile, before I stared back at the moon. ''You know, sometimes I wonder what it feels like to transform again. How I would look. If I would still be familiarized with my yo-yo. Even though we don't have to catch Akuma's anymore, I do think being Ladybug gives me some sort of freedom I'd never be able to achieve as Marinette.''

''Then why not try it out?''

Tikki's response made me turn around in shock. ''W-What?''

''Then why not transform right now?''

''T-Tikki, it's been 5 years. There's no need to transform right now.''

''That might be true, but I can see you need it. Don't you want to know what it felt like to be Ladybug, once again?''

I pondered on her comment. It was true that I missed being Ladybug every now and then. But to go as far as to transform and roam through Paris at night? ''I don't know, Tikki…'' My hands went towards the earrings I had still faithfully worn every day, since I found the Miraculous box in my room, that fateful day.

''Come on, Marinette. What do you have to lose?'' Tikki smiled at me.

With a deep breath, I turned towards her and gave her a nod, walking back into my workshop, making sure the windows were covered. ''You're right. Tikki, spots on!''

Tikki got absorbed into my earrings and the bright red light surrounded me. It felt strange, but also nostalgic, feeling the fabric of my Ladybug suit against my own skin. Once I finished my transformation, I hesitantly walked towards the full-size mirror, feeling almost anxious to see myself in the mirror. I closed my eyes, until I was sure I was standing in front of it, and then slowly opened my eyes.

I got greeted by my bright, bluebell eyes, covered by the oh so familiar Ladybug mask. The suit hadn't changed a bit, the only thing different being my own body, having grown in the past 5 years. My curves were more noticeable in the suit, than they had been when I was 15, mainly because my body had matured, and my hair was no longer tied back in two low buns, instead being pulled back in a high ponytail, two hair strands being let out of the ponytail, framing my face, a red ribbon acting as my hair tie.

''Wow…'' I breathed, staring at myself in the mirror. I was Ladybug again. I then started wondering if I should go outside, swinging from roof to roof, like I always used to do. ''Might as well go all the way, now that I have transformed.'' I spun my yo-yo up and down, getting familiar with the object, before stepping onto my balcony, swinging the yo-yo as far as I could, then pulling on the string, flying through the air. The evening breeze whizzing past me, seeing roads of Paris flash by, underneath me, made me want to let out an excited yell. I hadn't felt like this in a long time. Being Ladybug was something that would always be a part of me. I just had forgotten how it could feel like to not worry about anything and just get caught up in the moment. I forget about all my worries, all my stress, as I jumped from roof to roof, taking in Paris as I yo-yoed through it.

It didn't take long for me to reach the Eiffel Tower and I settled down on a beam, watching all of Paris, while remaining hidden. ''I wish Chat Noir would be here to experience this with.'' I sighed softly to myself. A pang of hurt shot through me. I should be thinking about Adrien, but here I was, thinking about the black kitty that always managed to get on my nerves with his never-ending cat puns. The guy who shamelessly flirted with me, no matter the situation. The guy who always protected me and always had my back.

''I wish I could track him somehow.'' I sighed, as the wind blew back my hair.

I stayed on the Eiffel Tower for a couple more minutes, before making my way back towards my workplace, transforming back to my old self.

As soon as Tikki emerged in front of me again, she shot me a happy look. ''Did you have fun?''

I smiled at her, but it faltered a bit at the end. ''Yes, it was amazing. I just wish I had Chat Noir around to share it with.''

Tikki's smile faltered as well. ''Oh, Marinette…''

''Oh well, there's no way I can figure out who he is, anyway. You won't tell me and I bet Master Fu won't spill the beans to me, either.'' I sighed.

''Marinette, you do know it is for the best, right? We all just think it's better if you two decide to reveal in person, when both of you are sure of that choice.'' Tikki tried to explain.

''Yes, but where do I find him? I don't even know if he is still in Paris.'' I groaned, plopping down on the sofa in my workplace.

''Just have a little faith, Marinette. If you two truly care about one another, your paths will cross again. In the meantime, don't you want to get to know Adrien better? I thought he was your crush.''

''He is… or was. Or still is. I have no idea. All these things going on… I just don't know what to think anymore. Adrien was always the guy I imagined myself with. He is so well-mannered, kind, helpful and handsome. Every girl always dreamed about being his girlfriend, me being no exception. But when Adrien left, I think he took a piece of me with him. Ever since then, I've been scared to get attached to someone, afraid they'll just leave me behind in the end. I wanted someone who wasn't afraid to speak their mind, someone who had my back. Someone who could be serious and playful at the same time.''

''Someone like Chat Noir…'' Tikki finished my sentence.

''I'm excited to get to know Adrien again. We both have changed a lot, and I feel like we both matured in a lot of ways. But it would feel wrong to just go for the obvious choice. Ever since Adrien has returned, everybody has ushered me to pursue something with him, just because he has always been my crush. But what if that isn't the way I want to do it, Tikki? I want to love Adrien when I am ready for it. Not because everybody expects me to pursue him. I'm just having a lot of troubled thoughts right now.''

''It sounds pretty complicated, Marinette.'' Tikki sighed.

''I know. It is complicated. Things would just be a lot easier if I could track down Chat Noir somehow. I still feel this connection to him. I at least want to see him again, before I make any decisions when it comes to my love life.''

''I hope things work out for you, Marinette.'' Tikki smiled at me.

I sighed. ''I hope so too.'' I then closed my eyes, suddenly feeling very exhausted. It might have been the combination of flying around Paris as Ladybug, and my train of thoughts. My eyelids drooped and before I fully realized it, I fell asleep on my sofa.

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End of Chapter Three

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Author Note:

Hi, there! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry if you feel like it's a lot of 'fill', and not a lot of romance. But this is the kind of story I feel comfortable writing. The things will come, when the time is right. In the beginning, I'd like to keep Marinette's interest on Chat Noir. I think, at this point in her life, on this age, Chat Noir can give her some sort of freedom she has been craving for a long time, therefore her interest in the black kitty. Don't worry, I'm a sucker for reveals and this story will definitely contain one. I just haven't figured out the details yet how I want it to take place. Anyway, it's something to look forward to. Thank you for reading chapter three, and I will see you next chapter! Lots of love! ~

ShySnowWolf

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