Gabriel Agreste did not expect to like her.

He did not even expect her to have talent.

But, his expectations didn't seem to have a say in this matter.

Marinette was not only amazingly talented (she would no doubt be able to rival him some day), but she also had the sweetest disposition. Her smile was contagious and at least four times in their conversation, Gabriel found himself forcing a chuckle back down his throat. He was professional. He didn't laugh in front of future interns.

Marinette tried to be professional. But, it was easy to say that the girl was far too genuine for her own good.

As soon as she stepped into the room, a certain light had come in with her. Maybe it was her smile or her chocolaty voice, but Gabriel felt happier than he had been in a long time. Sure, Adrien had a certain vibe about him too, but Marinette was much brighter than his son. She entered with a timid smile and a soft voice, but as soon as they started flipping through her sketchbook, her face lit up and her volume tripled. Her grin took over her face and she seemed to become more excited with each page.

Gabriel didn't expect to like her.

Did he mind that he did?

No. Not one bit.

He instantly understood why Adrien liked her. She was sweet and her smile matched his wife's in brilliance and serenity. Her voice was both calm and ecstatic at the same time. Her eyes were alive with life and she carried herself with both pride and humility.

And her laugh was like a bag of bubbles and kittens.

In a word, it was adorable.

And her talent… man, he hadn't seen this much talent in someone her age since, well, forever. Never before had Gabriel seen someone who had so much skill and a perfect eye for detail that was younger than 25, but here she was, a 16-year-old sophomore who would no doubt be able to outdo him some day.

Eventually, about three-fourths through Marinette's sketchbook, they were talking as if they had known each other for years, not as if they had only met two hours before. They were talking not only about fashion, but teenager problems, academic struggles, the fashion of America (dear Lord they needed to get their act together), and a bunch of other topics.

And Gabriel found that his smile was slipping out much more often than it ever did with anyone else.

"I mean, life as a sophomore must not be that hard compared to the life of adults, but man when it gets past Christmas, the teachers seem to decide that you no longer need your social life and start giving you four hours' worth of homework." The dark haired girl was saying as he walked her around his studio, showing her various projects that he was working on. "And then they complain about us falling asleep in class when it's really their fault."

"I do agree; it doesn't necessarily get any easier." Gabriel nodded. "But in the moment, being a sophomore is about as hard as being a world renown fashion designer."

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow and a curious smile worked its way onto her lips. Yep, he was really starting to see why Adrien liked her.

He nodded, hands clasped behind his back. "Because you are only 16 years old, the amount of stress and work is too much to handle. You can compare it to an adult's stress and work because they can handle more than you. And I can relate to the terrible torture of high school. I was a student once too."

Marinette shrugged, a crooked grin appearing. "Yeah, well, were you a super clumsy, really forgetful student who has a terrible sleep schedule?"

Gabriel didn't even want to contain his chuckle this time. "No, no I wasn't."

"There you go then. It's worse when you trip over your pajama pants, slip on the bathroom floor and fall down the stairs, and all before you've eaten breakfast."

Another chuckle escaped his mouth, louder this time, and Natalie's head jerked up, her eyes wide. It had been a few years since she had heard anything like that come from Gabriel, and it came as quite the surprise.

"You laugh now, but it really isn't funny. Makes you late for school and you have to ask for notes from your irresponsible best friend who is too preoccupied with trying to flirt with the boy sitting in front of her. Ugh."

The genuine tone in her voice was so strong Gabriel had no choice but to believe her. And who could fake being so clumsy?

"And then there's the mistakes I make when talking to people." Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose. "I mean, have you ever talked to someone you like, but it isn't really talking; you're basically just stuttering and choking on your words and then you trip over your shoelaces and make a complete fool of yourself and mess up your research paper that you worked three hours on." She leaned her head back and whimpered. "I'm trip over something and impale my head in a nail and die at the age of 20, I swear."

This time, a full blown laugh echoed around the vast room, causing Natalie to almost have a heart attack. Gabriel coughed several times, covering his mouth as chuckles bubbled up from his throat. Marinette glanced at him and began laughing too, her shoulders shaking.

"Okay, okay, it is pretty funny, isn't it?"

"Trust me, dear, I'm not laughing at you."

"Oh, no, please. The more the merrier."

They were both overcome by the giggles again and Gabriel had to force himself not to start snorting. Marinette, on the other hand, had no problem with letting all her various giggles, snickers, and snorts bounce off the walls and surround them.

Gabriel grinned, his cheeks hurting. He hadn't been this happy and carefree in years, and he loved it.

"So, Miss Marinette," she raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. "What do you think of an internship at Agreste Fashions?"

Her eyes grew four times wider and her mouth fell open. "Are-are you serious?"

"Very serious, almost as serious as your case of clumsiness."

Marinette giggled, her hair bobbing up and down with her nodding head. "Um, yes. Yes, I'd love that."

Gabriel believed that he would love it too.

Le skip…

Adrien paced the length of his room for the 78th time. It all pointed to Marinette, and by this time he was almost sure that she was Ladybug. She had to be. The smile, the laugh, the voice, the eyes, the body, the bravery and the courage. How could he have been so thick?

But he wasn't 100% sure yet.

Yet.

"Plagg, we need to go visit Mari."

"Oh, yeah, Romeo going to visit the balcony of his short Juliet." The kwami rolled his eyes and stuffed the last bit of camembert into his mouth before complying to his master's wish.

Adrien raced across the roofs of Paris, his mind a jungle in and of itself. He had never been so confused in all his life. He had been hanging around Marinette for a year now, how could he have not seen it? They were so freaking similar.

He needed to give her a lesson on protecting her secret identity.

He suddenly skidded to a stop.

Ladybug didn't want them to know each other's identities. She distinctly told him that. She said it would be safer if they didn't know. He had disagreed, but right now, he was going against his Lady's wishes entirely.

He shook the guilt off. He had to know.

He jumped down onto Marinette's balcony without a sound and peered in through her window, looking for anything.

He didn't have to look long.

It was zooming around Marinette's head like an airplane. A small, red, polka-dotted airplane.

Her kwami.

Marinette had a kwami.

It hit him harder than he thought it would.

Marinette was Ladybug. Marinette was Ladybug. The girl he had been in love with for years now was the girl who had been sitting behind him in class. The quiet, sweet, silently brave Marinette was also the outgoing, courageous superhero who saved Paris on a daily basis.

Adrien shook his head. No, no,no, This wasn't happening right now.

He backed up slowly, his head still shaking. He needed to leave. Right now.

"Chat?"

He glanced over to the window, which was now open and had Marinette's head stuck out of it. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "I was wondering when you were going to drop by. Is everything okay?"

"I-I-I have to go."

And he turned around and ran as fast as he could, ignoring her shout of question and made a break for his house.

Stumbling in through his window, he released the transformation and sat down on his bed, holding his head in his hands.

"Oh, come on now, chap," Plagg said, grabbing a piece of cheese. "I know it's a bit of a shock, but you'll get over it soon enough. It's... Adrien?"

Adrien didn't notice that there were tears streaming down his cheek until the kwami fluttered over and wiped one away. "S-sorry Plagg."

"Now what on earth is this about?"

"It's just that… Marinette is Ladybug."

"Yes…?"

"They're both strong and smart and beautiful and brave. They're amazing, and I… I'm not."

Plagg's smile slid right off his face. "W-what? Adrien, you are just as strong and smart and brave as Ladybug, and Marinette for that matter."

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the creature, bitterness leaking into his tone. "Are you kidding me? I've never been as brave as Ladybug! I've never been as smart as her or as quick-witted. I've never been able to stand up to Chloe and I definitely don't have her creative mind! Plagg, I'm nothing like them."

The black kwami huffed. "And why do you say that?"

"Look at me, Plagg! I'm nothing more than an insecure boy dressing up like he's better than everyone else. I don't save the day, Plagg. That's Ladybug's job." Adrien's eyes became misty again. "All I do is get in the way. I bet she only puts up with me because she's got to. I'm her partner in the job and her classmate. She can't avoid me."

"Oh, stop this nonsense!" Plagg shouted suddenly, catching Adrien off guard. "You are being ridiculous. You are just as amazing as your partner and don't you dare disagree with me, young man! I've been doing this jig for more than 4000 years so you can shut up and listen! Maybe Chat Noir isn't the day-saver, but he is the one to save the day-saver. You save Ladybug all the time. She wouldn't survive without you."

Adrien scoffed. "I'm not good enough for her, Plagg, I don't deserve her. She deserves so much more than me. I mean, what am I? A second-hand pretty boy trying to play hero."

That night, Adrien went to sleep with tear stains on his cheeks and a heavy heart.

Marinette didn't sleep. She stayed up all night waiting for her silly cat to return, but he never did.

Hi, guys! Sorry it took a little longer. School has started back up and I am kind of overwhelmed by work, not to mention the drama of being in highschool. I'm really struggling with emotional stuff right now, so pardon my slow progress with this story.

And yes, Gabriel kind of thinks Marinette is adorable. Sue me.