Marinette practically floated through the morning. It took her a moment when the bell rang to remember where she was or what she was going to do next. She heard her teachers without processing what they were trying to tell her. The excitement, joy, and pride in accomplishing her goals eclipsed everything else. She had never imagined that she would actually beat Chloe- that she could! She was especially lucky.

As she walked to the fabric store, Marinette's phone rang. Upon seeing the number, she grinned. Her day was only getting better. It was Vincent again!

"Hello!" she chirped.

"Marinette, wasn't it? The ads go out tomorrow, but I was wondering if you would be free next week for another session with Adrien?"

Marinette's heart soared. Was she ever! Another photoshoot with Adrien would be a dream come true, and she said as much.

"I thought that this photoshoot would be themed: fairytale. Classic, yet so much room for innovation. We will meet at that park and provide transport to the shooting location. There will be an Agreste representative choosing the wardrobe, so no need to dress up."

Marinette thanked Vincent before hanging up. Even as a little girl going through her mother's magazines, she had always wanted to wear Agreste clothing. Each awards show was watched with a keen eye, and she had gotten to a point where she could identify the elegant designs on sight. She knew her parents weren't going to buy her designer clothing, let alone while she had still been growing. Marinette had often found her pocket money spent on fabric for her own designs. Considering that the cheaper tops cost upwards of 300 euros, Marinette didn't presume that she would get to wear the label until much, much later in life, if at all. Talk about wish fulfilment!

She almost skipped to work. The large amount of new fabric waiting in the back room to be catalogued couldn't daunt her. Halfway through the inventory, she looked at a bolt of a navy cotton blend with an appraising eye. It certainly was a contender for one of the last pieces, as it nicely fit with her color pallette. And with Adrien's hair. And his eyes.

Marinette printed a label for the store in a careful hand with the information on the tag. "Deep". An understated and yet totally fitting name. It would be the perfect thing!

Inspired (the faster she worked, the faster she could go home and start sewing!), Marinette made quick work of the inventory. Leaving the darker back room, she blinked in the fluorescent brightness of the shop. She scanned the shop before seeing that Mrs. Guinebertiere was swamped with a long line of customers.

Marinette sighed, setting down the stack of papers on the shelf under another register and opening it to help. She was not the biggest fan of working directly with the customers. Marinette felt nervous that she would cause something to go wrong due to her clumsiness, which could reflect badly on the store. Counting change and remembering item codes- it was all so precise, with a correct answer and no real margin of error. Designing came naturally to her because of its lack of limits. Sure, Marinette could do things that people had done before, but she could also expand on them to make something entirely her own. Nobody could tell her that she was wrong since the world of fashion was so vast.

Aside from a woman who couldn't find a very specific gold fabric, Marinette's time with the customers passed easily enough. Still, she was able to better relax when she stepped away from the register. Mrs. Guinebertiere gave her a grateful smile as Marinette shouldered her bag and went out the door. The sun was beginning to set, but the temperature had yet to cool. Marinette loved the warmth of the light on her skin.

Heartened and cheered, Marinette smiled at her mom and went to help in the back. Washing her hands and putting up her hair, Marinette began to fill some of the pastries. Her mother looked at her curiously. What had put her daughter in such a good mood? Setting her tray of eclairs in the display case at the counter, Marinette spotted a poster that they had yet to take down. It advertised the mayoral election, and she realized that she hadn't yet told her parents.

Marinette burst through the door to the kitchen.

"Mom, dad! Guess what… I won the election for class rep!"

Her mother smiled widely. "Your father and I knew that you could. We're so proud of you, sweetie."

"You know what this calls for!" her father piped from the other room.

"Pain au chocolat!" Marinette exclaimed, happy to indulge in her favorite pastry. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they were always a special treat. Their popularity in the bakery meant that they often ran out during the day, and the ones that remained would be slightly stale by closing. For special occasions, her father would whip up a fresh batch just for her. When the roll was still warm from the oven, and the chocolate was gooey… Marinette salivated at the thought.

Biting into the delicious pastry, she felt carefree for the first time in weeks. Not only was the election over, but she had managed to win it, too! Her designs for her menswear collection were nearly finished- just a few details needed to be straightened out, and she really felt that she had a shot at first place. The incident after filming felt so far away. Had she really been so despondent just a short while ago, where now she felt so… so…

Confident. That was a word that Marinette had never often associated herself with. She often felt shy and embarrassed, blushing easily. She would never reach Chloe's level of arrogance, nor allow herself to swagger around the school as some of her classmates did. But she really enjoyed letting herself feel pride instead of trying to hide it. Yes, she was proud of herself, and for good reason!

Marinette scampered up the stairs, taking in the bulletin board covered in sketches, the desk blanketed by fabric, and the pieces hanging around her room. She had worked hard to get here- now it was time to really show people that she was not slowing down yet.