Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, it's characters, or the music mentioned in this chapter.
Chapter 55,
Armand's day was fairly routine. First he'd drive Adrien to school, and then he would accompany Nathalie while she ran errands. Usually simple things; going to the dry cleaner, or phone company, but usually he would take her down to Gabriel Enterprise. As Mr. Agreste's assistant, Nathalie had access to a lot of critical information to the business; but she was much more important then that. There was no doubt in Armand's mind that Nathalie was the real driving force in Gabriel's precious little empire. She ran the business, she dealt with the public, she helped all the designers employed by Mr. Agreste.
But today was different. Adrien explained what happened to Nathalie, and it broke Armand's heart. How could Gabriel toss her aside? As much as it angered Armand that Gabriel fired someone as perfect as Nathalie, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. As he walked towards Nathalie's apartment, he wanted a smile upon his face, not a scowl. He knocked on her door and Nathalie answered.
"Armand?" Nathalie said in a happily surprised tone.
Look at her. The rock Cinderella shirt, ripped black jeans, killer black tennis shoes, and a comfortable loose hair braid. Have you ever seen a more beautiful girl?
"Morning, Nathalie." Armand said and Nathalie tucked some hair behind her ear.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here." Nathalie admitted and Armand chuckled.
"I hope I'm not bothering you. Mr. Agreste gave me no instructions today. So, unless something comes up, I have a few hours of free time that... I, uh... hoped I could spend with you." Armand said, starting to feel nervous. Nathalie chuckled and held her door open.
"Would you like to come in?" Nathalie asked. Armand hesitated, because he could feel his heart fluttering like a humming bird. But he nodded, and took calming breaths, to subdue the level of glee he was feeling. She must really trust him. Nathalie's apartment was bigger then his, and it was so clean.
Honestly it was so clean that it was almost suspicious. There wasn't a lot of personality in this space. A blue/green couch sat opposite a television, a print of Starry Night hung in the hallway, there was a white tablecloth on the dining room table, but it seemed to have a very thin layer of dust. The most notable detail that proved that this was Nathalie's apartment, was the desk against the far wall that had a 'back in black' mug on it. It was becoming increasingly clear that Nathalie spent very little time at home. And most of it was spent at that lonely little desk.
"I hope I'm not intruding." Armand said and Nathalie chuckled.
"No, of course not. Um... would you like a glass of fruit punch?" Nathalie asked.
"Sure, why not." Armand said. They walked to the kitchen, and as Nathalie poured the red liquid, Armand noticed a few small details. The handles on the fridge and freezer were losing it's shine; he looked up at the microwave and noticed the start button was nearly worn off; and the few pots she had appeared relatively new. It must have been a really long time since Nathalie entertained.
"I'm glad you stopped by. It's kinda weird. I tried sleeping in, but my body kept telling me that I was late for work, if you can imagine." She said with a chuckle.
"I can." Armand said and accepted the glass that Nathalie offered him.
"I wanted to make sure that you were alright." Armand said, explaining why he was there, even though Nathalie didn't ask.
"I appreciate that, thank you." Nathalie said and Armand sipped his drink.
"So, are you ok?" Armand asked and she shrugged.
"It's 10 o'clock on a Wednesday, and I have yet to make one business call or schedule a single meeting. Suddenly I feel like I have too much time on my hands." Nathalie said, almost guilty, and Armand listened.
"I have been trying to focus on Marinette's fashion show. I told Mr. Agreste that I was still gonna help out the children. I don't really know if Gabriel plans to be more 'hands-on' since I'm not his assistant anymore, so I can't just assume that I'll still be in charge of the shows quality." She paused and grabbed a folder off her desk and opened it for Armand to see.
"I've been looking up songs for Chloe and Luka. At least trying to anyways. And it's hard to plan their dance because they don't have a selected song, and it's hard to get Chloe to take orders from anyone." Nathalie said, rolling her eyes and Armand chuckled.
"She certainly does give that impression. But she does seem more lenient with the Luka boy. And I do think that Chloe doesn't want to make a fool of herself on live television." Armand said and Nathalie paused.
"Hm. You make a good point." Nathalie said and Armand saw a drawing. He pulled it out of the folder and looked at it.
"Are these costumes for Chloe and Luka?" He asked and Nathalie nodded.
"I didn't see anything that seemed easy to dance in. But again their outfits would also be determined on what song they dance to. I can't have them dressed like swans if they are dancing to 'The Final Countdown'. It doesn't make sense if I dress them as vampires if they dance to 'Think of Me'." Nathalie said and Armand nodded.
"I understand that. But this looks more like clothes you've designed for Chloe. It's one of those Latin dresses, right? The bottom looks like a flower. Medium blue with yellow tips, then the rest is white with this black belt and this... um, does it count as a strapless dress if this belt goes up and acts like a necklace thing?" Armand asked and Nathalie smirked.
"You really like the dress?" Nathalie asked and Armand smiled.
"It's great. I think the blue would really match her eyes. And this suit you made for Luka is cool to. It reminds me of Jagged Stone."Armand said and Nathalie giggled.
"I saw him wearing that Jagged Stone shirt, so I thought this might make Luka feel more comfortable. Of course Jagged's top is full black sequins with yellow trims and the military shoulders. This is a similar style, without the sequins and that tassel stuff. A black suit with yellow highlight- like Jagged's, but with a blue undershirt, a white tie, and white pocket square." Nathalie said, as she pointed at different parts of her drawing.
"Why did you circle his feet?" Armand asked and Nathalie shrugged.
"Well, I figured Chloe would probably want yellow shoes, but I wasn't sure if Luka's shoes should be black, blue, or white." Nathalie admitted and Armand stared at the drawing."What if they both wear purple?" Armand asked and Nathalie blinked.
"Why purple?" She asked.
"Well, Jagged Stone has purple hair. If Luka's suit is inspired by Jagged, then it would be a nice reminder that it's a Jagged outfit. And if they both wear purple, not only would it be unique, but it would kinda show that... you know, they go together. Which would work well, depending on the song they dance to." Armand said and Nathalie looked at the drawing.
"Huh... red shoes are usually so unique, but I haven't thought of purple before. You may be on to something." Nathalie said and Armand felt so good to be able to help Nathalie out. Could he get 2 for 2?
"Maybe I could help with the song too. What about 'Time in a Bottle'?" Armand asked and Nathalie smiled.
"I love 'Time in a Bottle', but I don't think so. Not only is it over done, but the song was written as a parent/child love, not a romantic one. If anything, I'd love to use it as a lullaby for my kids." Nathalie said and Armand chuckled.
"You know I've done that." Armand said.
"You have?" Nathalie asked and Armand nodded.
"Yeah. When Adrien was little he got really scared of these paparazzi jerks, and I needed to calm him down. 'Time in a Bottle' started playing on the radio and I sang along as I comforted him. I sang it until he fell asleep." Armand said and Nathalie looked impressed.
"Wow. That's so sweet." Nathalie said.
"I'm no singer, but there were some occurrences where I would sing to Adrien. He doesn't really need it anymore, but I hope he remembers." Armand said and Nathalie smiled lovingly.
"I'm sure he does." Nathalie said and Armand chuckled softly.
"I hope so." Armand said, and then a thought occurred to him.
"Oh, wait, I have a song." Armand said, searching his pockets for him phone.
"What song?" Nathalie asked.
"It's new. At least, I think it is. The music video popped up as an ad for a video I was watching. It was very beautiful, so I sent it to my aunt." Armand explained. He found his phone, pulled up his texts, and smiled.
"It's called 'Four' by Scott Hoying." Armand said, showing her the video.
"Never heard of him." She muttered, mostly to herself. And as she watched the video, her eyes got wide.
"That landscape is really pretty." She said, stepping closer to Armand. At 52 seconds in, Nathalie rose her hand to her chest, impressed with the swelling of melodic notes. Nathalie felt her eyes water, and she smiled as it continued.
"Oh my god, that is simple, beautiful, and romantic." Nathalie said and Armand felt himself get flustered.
"I suppose it's serendipitous. If I never saw the ad, I never would have heard it." Armand said, not knowing how to react.
"I know Chloe wanted an opera-like number, but with this song-"
"And your designs." Armand included, and now she got bashful.
"I think she'll like it." Nathalie said.
"I think she will too." Armand said.
For a moment, they were silent. Armand and Nathalie enjoyed how close there were to each other. Nathalie looked up at Armand, and smirked devilishly.
"Is something wrong?" Armand asked, unsure exactly what this behavior meant, coming from Nathalie.
"You're cute." She said.
Then in a swift moment she wrapped her arms around Armand's neck and kissed him. Armand blushed and held her as he returned her kiss. The love between them was so electric, it was almost bewildering that they waited so long to date.
