I'm proud of this one guys :) For those Adrinette lovers out there.
The next few weeks went by in a frenzy of work and excitement for Marinette, who watched the video of Adrien taking down Chloe so many times she new it word for word. She couldn't believe how sexy he was, how serious, how noble, how… he defended her! And even before that, encouraging Juleka to take part in the show. And Juleka.. she was perfect, and the dress was perfect on her.
The one problem, however, was that since that hit of inspiration and his brilliant defense, Marinette had been more awkward and flustered around Adrien than ever, and he even seemed to be kind of weird around her. The latest embarrassment was that she had lost his measurements, and had to get them again for the final fittings.
In her room, surrounded by fabric scraps and half finished clothes, Marinette was panicking. "Tikki! I'm so close to the biggest event of my life and now I have to text the boy I like! I'm dead!"
Tikki just giggled. She knew that under the stress, Marinette lived for this level of creativity. "You don't have time to spare worrying, Marinette, just text him now!"
"Ahhh, you're right ok." Marinette launched herself into her swirly chair, scrunched up her legs, and stared at her phone.
Marinette: Hi Adrien, this is Marinette, you know, from your class!
Marinette banged her head on her phone. Ugh he knows who I am, so embarrassing!
Her phone pinged.
Adrien: Hi Marinette from my class, whats up? ;)
She couldn't stop smiling.
Marinette: I'm really sorry about this but I need your measurements again.. .
Adrien looked at his phone. He knew his measurements by heart, and started to text them out, but something stopped him. He caught Plagg looking at him.
"What?" said Adrien guiltily.
"Nothing…" said Plagg, with a small grin on his face.
Adrien: No problem, see you at the studio at school in 15 ok?
Marinette: Ok see you soon thank you so much see you soon ok!
Marinette was ecstatic, and then mortified. Tikki laughed. "Go!"
Marinette got there first, and busied herself setting up the dressform holding Adrien's 2nd look, a trim black suit with intriguing vertical pleatwork in the lapels, the fabric shimmering seductively, faintly green in the light. I can't believe Chat Noir got into my head on this one, Marinette mused, shaking her head at the thought of him seeing it. He would be so excited and happy if he thought he was my muse..
"Hi, Marinette?" She almost jumped out of her skin at Adrien's voice.
"Oh, HI!" said Marinette, too loud.
She blushed and grabbed a tape measure, draping it about her neck in a gesture Adrien knew well. "Let me just grab a chart…"
When Marinette turned around, Adrien had taken off his white collared shirt, standing in just his black t-shirt. She gulped. This boy looks way too good in clothes… she thought, and probably better without them, her reptile brain replied. She turned scarlet and stumbled over.
Adrien turned around and extended his arms out, having been measured a thousand times before. He jumped a little when Marinette's warm hands touched his back, and his skin tingled. What am I doing here? Does she know this is all unnecessary and I just wanted to be with her? Wait, do I want to BE with her? He lowered his arms and she smoothed the measuring tape down his back. Adrien's neck was on fire.
"Uhmm…" Marinette's voice was thick. "Uh, I mean, turn please." OH god oh god I'm touching Adrien Agreste! she was thinking over and over in her mind. Was the room super warm, all of a sudden?
He turned, and they were suddenly face to face, chest to chest, both scarlet and a little breathless. She's so.. cute. Thought Adrien, and only years of experience shook him out of his reverie. He spread his arms out wide again so she could measure the center of his chest to his inside wrist. Her soft fingers left trails of fire down his arms. She bit her lip with focus, jotting down numbers, looping the measuring tape around his neck, around his bicep, internally quivering with the desire to drop the tape and explore with her hands, to press in and smell his beautiful collarbone.
She looked at the chart and realized what she needed next, just a moment before he did. "Can you… um.. put your.. I mean, uh" Marinette stammered, reaching up to touch his outspread elbows. "Ah, yes, of course" said Adrien, his voice a little strangled. He draped his arms over her shoulders, and she reached around him to grab the measuring tape behind his back, bringing it up to measure the stretch of his shoulders. They were practically hugging, or dancing, bodies just a few inches from each other.
Marinette took the measurement but then looked up, and her breath caught. Adrien's green eyes were glowing down at her, his lips parted. What could he be thinking? Marinette's mind was short circuiting, and the measuring tape dropped from her fingers, leaving her holding his shoulders in her hands, his arms draped over hers.
How could someone's eyes be so, so BLUE? thought Adrien, enchanted by the contrast with her pink flushed cheeks, her lips. Her mouth. His brain had given up on verbs. There were just the beautiful parts of her, face, eyes, cheeks, mouth. Another face, a masked face with pink lips flashed through his mind. He tightened his arms, and suddenly their torsos were touching.
Adrien's perfect face was coming towards hers, green eyes narrowing, just like Chat Noir's do when he leans in..mused Marinette's fuzzy brain, as she was drawn in, upward, unbelieving, desperate to believe what was happening, his hair tickling her forehead, his breath on her face…
briiiiiiinngggggg!**
Adrien's phone buzzed insistently, at precisely the wrong moment. They both started, and their foreheads smacked together painfully. Stars exploded in Marinette's eyes and she stumbled backwards, as Adrien lunged for his phone. It was his father, and he was furious.
Marinette tried not to listen, but Gabriel Agreste was shouting, Adrien holding the phone away from his ear. "Where are you?! I looked for you in your room and you were gone, no note, no classes, nothing!"
"Dad I'm sorry!" Adrien protested. "I had to come back for measurements for the show!"
"Measurements!? I'm supposed to believe that!? You could have sent over a thousand measurement charts, for god's sake, but instead you leave the house without telling anyone!?" Adrien was aghast, and seeing that Marinette had overheard, he turned a shade darker.
He didn't even need to come..! thought Marinette in astonishment, as Adrien turned away to placate his father. Finally, the phone call ended, and he turned back to Marinette.
"I- I'm sorry I.. wasted your time, M-Marinette." He said, hand rubbing the back of his neck, as he always did when feeling sheepish.
"N-no, that's fine!" stammered Marinette, awash with feeling. She stooped to pick up her measuring tape, looking at it like she didn't know what it was. "S-so, you can just send me your measurements then?"
Adrien's stomach dropped as he turned to go. "Yeah, I'll just send them-" Adrien did a double-take. The suit on the mannekin, why was it so familiar to him? He stood still, looking it up and down, noticing the lines and the way it caught the light. Embarrassment temporarily forgotten, he turned back to Marinette. "Is this- is this about Chat Noir?"
Marinette started. "No! I mean, yes! but no!...kind of?" She trailed off stupidly, not an ounce of bravery left to explain herself to him.
"That guy has all the luck" said Adrien bitterly, hating himself for being so weak and shy, hating his father, hating that he could never have his own masked confidence in front of Marinette, hating that even with that confidence, Ladybug just didn't understand he was in love with her.
Marinette was amazed. Perfect, amazing, kind, beautiful, supermodel Adrien was jealous of goofy Chat Noir? How could that be? "Wh-what?"
Adrien couldn't help himself. He only ever got to talk to Plagg about this stuff, and Plagg was no help much of the time. "Chat Noir. He's confident, he's free, he inspires artists like you, he gets to spend time with Ladybug, he's the better version of m-I mean he's so much better than me!" Adrien just wanted to hide and transform, to bound around Paris instead of facing his father's wrath or Marinette's disappointment.
"What are you talking about?" burst out Marinette. "I mean, yes, the suit is a little inspired by him, but you are, well, Adrien Agreste!"
"A mannekin. A pushover. Can't stand up for himself, against his own dad. Can't leave the house alone, like a baby." Adrien's shoulder's sagged with pain.
The Ladybug within Marinette responded to his distress, and she crossed over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "A good friend. A patient, generous person. Who stood up for me, and for Juleka, against Chloe! I can't ever thank you enough for that. Chat Noir is my partn- I mean, he's a hero, he saves Paris, but… he's not better than you."
Adrien smiled weakly. Something he had said earlier came back to Marinette, and she couldn't help herself. "Wait, are you jealous that Chat Noir gets to spend time with Ladybug? Are you a… fan?" Marinette hoped she hadn't gone too far, asking about herself like this.
Adrien blushed, and responded with a little more energy. "Aren't you? She's so amazing! So confident and strong, so decisive but still so kind to everyone. She's totally.. super, you know? And beautiful, I mean, soo…" He trailed off, green eyes glazed with a vision of Ladybug. Marinette's mind did loop-de-loops. Adrien Agreste thinks Ladybug is amazing! said one, jubilant part of her, while another part drooped with disappointment. Of course he could only love the side of me that's in costume, fears hidden behind a mask and a magical yoyo..
She nodded in agreement and turned away from him, gathering her things and tidying the studio, hoping he wouldn't see her face. Lost in his own thoughts, Adrien didn't notice. He put his white shirt back on and went to the door of the studio classroom.
"Thank you so much Marinette, for everything. I'm so sorry about.. all of this."
With a click, the door closed, leaving Marinette alone with her thoughts.
haha i want them to kiss too, seriously! stay tuned :)