Marinette is just a normal seventeen-year-old girl with a normal life. Hangs out at school with her friends, works on fashion designs at home, helps at her parents' bakery, what have you.
But things turn upside down when she wins a fashion design competition, and saves the life of local celebrity and teen model, Adrien Agreste, during one his father's fashion shows...
As I like doing, I'll try putting songs into this story. Hopefully you enjoy it!
At François-Dupont Lycée, in one particular classroom, there was a girl with raven hair in pigtails, blue eyes, fair skin, and wearing homemade clothes, was sketching something in a book in front of her.
"Morning, girl," Said another girl, with shoulder-length, wavy, dark red hair, glasses, tan skin, and wearing orange flannel. "What'cha working on?"
"Morning, Alya," She said as Alya sat down next to her. "Just another dress design."
"You're on a roll, Marinette," Alya said as she looked at the design in Marinette's book. "I think you've put in... Ten new designs since yesterday? Your mind is active!"
"I know, I just find so much inspiration from around the city and from my friends. For example, I was thinking of making an outfit inspired by a fox for you. You're sly and cunning when you want to be, and always for the right reasons." Marinette said as she turned the page to show Alya a fox-inspired suit.
"Oh, that would be great!" Alya agreed.
The door to the classroom opened and their teacher, Mlle. Bustier, came in with her books. Marinette put her sketchbook away and took out her class materials.
Later, Marinette and Alya were leaving the school (classes got out early), and were talking about their plans.
"You and Nino have a date, right?" Marinette asked.
"Yep. We're going to that new arcade that has the newest installment of "Just Dance" - I hear it's a lot of fun." Alya commented.
"Lucky you," Marinette said, a wistful look on her face. "I envy you sometimes, Alya. You have a boyfriend, you're confident, brave... There are days where I wish I was more like you."
"Girl, all those qualities are in there, but I think the issue is that you sometimes struggle to let it out when you get nervous," Alya said. "And considering what happened last year, I don't blame you for being trepidatious on the romance side."
Marinette gave a nod before looking at her best friend. The crossing light changed to green, and the girls began crossing the street.
"So, any word from that fashion contest?" Alya asked as she and Marinette walked to the bakery.
"Nothing yet. I wouldn't be surprised if someone else won," Marinette confessed. "I know I can design clothes, but this is a contest for the Gabriel brand. They only accept top-quality designs for their work!"
"Don't sell yourself short, girl," Alya assured. "That derby hat you made for the contest was fire! And your website has been getting a lot of hits lately."
"I have you to thank for that." Marinette laughed.
When they got to the bakery and they entered from the side door to the building, Marinette turned to Alya and said, "I gotta help my parents in the bakery, so I'll see you later?"
"I can always hang out and help, too." Alya offered.
"Really?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah! Just make sure to hook me up with some of your parents' macarons in exchange." Alya said with a wink.
Marinette laughed as she opened the door to the baking space in the bakery.
"I'm home!" Marinette said to her parents. Sabine, her mother, was at the register, meanwhile her father, Tom, was near the oven, taking product out of the ovens and putting raw product back in.
"Welcome home, Marinette," Tom said. "Have a good day at school?"
"Yes. Now I'm here to help." Marinette said as she and Alya came in from the back.
As Marinette took up a tray of samples, her phone started going off. She put the tray down before taking the device out of her pocket. She went behind the counter.
She lifted the device out of her pocket, and while she didn't recognize the number, she accepted the call anyway.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Is this Mlle. Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" An adult woman's voice asked on the other end.
"This is her. May I ask who's calling?" Marinette questioned, a little curious.
"This is Nathalie Sancoeur, secretary to Gabriel Agreste," The woman spoke. "I'm calling to inform you that your derby hat was selected as the winning design for our contest."
"I won?!" Marinette squealed, smiling in delight. Alya mirrored the expression. Sabine and Tom were looking on.
"Yes," Nathalie responded. "As stipulated in the contest rules, your hat will be worn by Adrien Agreste, Gabriel's son, in our next fashion show."
"That's amazing! Thank you so much, ma'am!" Marinette said, eyes wet with happy tears.
"No thanks needed. You won this contest fair and square," Nathalie spoke. "Now, you will be emailed the remaining details about the fashion show, including the itinerary and dress code. We'll send a car to bring you to the location on the day of the event."
"Yes, I'll see you then!" Marinette giggled.
Marinette hung up, and she and Alya cheered and squealed in delight at the news. Alya and Marinette hugged each other, before talking in delight about Marinette's win.
"You won! You really won!" Alya cried in joy.
"I know! I know!" Marinette shrieked, elated at the news.
"Congratulations, honey!" Sabine said as she and Tom came over and pulled the girls in for a group hug.
"I knew my little girl would win that contest!" Tom chortled.
"This is the best news I've had all week!" Marinette squealed, overjoyed.
That weekend, Marinette redid the hat. The day of the show, Marinette was up in her room. She put her hat in a hat box, and she smiled at her work before placing the lid on it. She opened her jewelry box and took out a charm bracelet that had several beads on a red string. She smiled, slipped it on, and balled her bracelet fist.
She looked in the mirror and she looked over her outfit. Pale pink short-heel Mary Jane shoes with bows on the strap, with thigh-high black nylon stockings, wearing a knee-length, pale pink pleated skirt with a small, matching pink bow on the waistband. She was wearing a black shirt that was tucked into her skirt, and wearing a small, pale pink cardigan over it. Her hair was down, and she was wearing a pink beret on her head with a small, black bow on top.
"I can do this..." Marinette said to herself. "This bracelet is my luck."
"Marinette!" Sabine said, calling from downstairs. "Mlle. Sancoeur should be here soon!"
"Coming, mom!" Marinette called as she took up the hat box and went down into the living space in the house.
Soon, as promised, a car was sent to the bakery. Nathalie came out of the car. She was a taller, stern-looking woman with black hair with a red streak in a bun, wearing a black and red women's suit. She also had glasses over her eyes.
Marinette ran out of the bakery, her hat box in hand.
"Ah, Marinette," Nathalie said. "I take it that's the hat in question?"
"Yes, ma'am," Marinette said with a nod. "I can't wait to see my hat in a professional setting!"
Nathalie cracked a smile and led Marinette into the back seat. She waved goodbye to her parents as the car sped off.
"So, if I remember right, your hat's design was inspired by a man feeding pigeons in the park?" Nathalie asked.
"Yes," Marinette responded. "I immediately thought that he was like a human pigeon and all he needed was a jacket made of feathers to complete the ensemble. The original design used real pigeon feathers."
"Does this one have real feathers?" Nathalie questioned, sounding a little worried.
"No. It's an easy fix to switch them for fakes." Marinette responded.
"That's good, since Adrien is allergic to feathers." Nathalie informed.
Marinette sighed in relief at her design choices, and looked around the city as the car drove them.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Grand Palais, where the show was scheduled to occur at.
"Here we are." Nathalie said as the driver parked in front of the building and allowed Marinette to step out.
Marinette looked up and saw all the people working to put the show together. The catwalk was built, and there were workers trying to put it all together. Hammers, nails, drills, whatever. There was signage for the Gabriel brand being put around the stage, and seats were being set up.
"This is incredible!" Marinette said, in awe of her surroundings.
"You'll need this," Nathalie said, handing Marinette a VIP pass. "This will let you go in and out in areas that are usually for authorized personnel only."
"Thank you," Marinette spoke as she took the pass and put the lanyard over her neck. The pass laid on her breast. "So, the model..."
"Ah, yes," Nathalie responded. "His trailer should be this way. Follow me."
Marinette stepped after her, but she heard creaking noises. Looking behind her and to the light rafters above the catwalk, she saw one of the lights was swaying, albeit the movements were subtle. She squinted, trying to get a better look, but she wasn't having any luck.
'That's weird...' She thought.
"Marinette?" Nathalie called.
Marinette blinked before turning around, and with her hat box in hand, she said, "Sorry, I'm coming!"
She caught up to Nathalie.
"The setup is impressive, isn't it?" Nathalie asked.
"Yes, very impressive," Marinette began. "But I think one of the lights above the runway isn't secure. I saw it swinging earlier, and I'm not sure rafter lights are supposed to do that."
Nathalie's eyes widened a bit, and she said, "Are you sure?"
"I could be being paranoid right now, and I wasn't close enough to the lights to see them, but still..." Marinette admitted.
"I'll get maintenance to take a look at it," Nathalie vowed as the two of them made it to Adrien's trailer. "Now, here we are."
Marinette took a deep breath and stood proud.
Nathalie knocked on the trailer door and she said, "Adrien? Are you ready?"
"Yes, Nathalie." A masculine, yet sweet voice said as the door opened. Marinette's eyes zeroed in on him.
Adrien Agreste. The son of her favorite fashion designer, and the boy whose face was plastered everywhere around Paris. The pictures in the advertisements didn't do him justice. In real life, his hair seemed much thicker and healthier, and his skin, while not 100% flawless, seemed to be well-taken care of. And his suit, while she knew it was only for the shoot, fit him well. The necktie had a plaid pattern to it, but the overall tones of the suit were in the blacks/browns range, the tie included. His shoes were men's loafers in black.
'Wow... Even more handsome in the flesh,' Marinette thought, but she immediately squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. 'NO! Marinette, you're not here to drool over some model! You're here to let your design shine!'
"Adrien, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the winner of our fashion contest. You'll be wearing her hat in this show." Nathalie told him.
"Okay," Adrien spoke, formal, as he stepped down the stairs to take the hat box. He opened it and he looked at the hat. A smile came upon his face "Wow! This is impressive work."
"Thanks." Marinette said, trying to avoid a blush in her face.
"Fake feathers, since I'm not sneezing." He chuckled as he took the hat out of its box and put it on his head. He struck a basic pose, tipping the hat so that way the design was face-first in the light.
"Nice pose," Marinette said, clapping. "And the hat looks great in this light."
"It'll look even better when the pros get photos of it." Adrien said as he stood up and looked at Marinette.
Marinette, feeling awkward and out of things to say, said, "That's for sure. Anyway, I'll just go to my seat now, since I've given you the hat."
"Sure, see you out there." He responded, shrugging his shoulders.
"Come along, then, Marinette. Adrien, you're needed on set." Nathalie said as she led Marinette away.
Adrien watched Marinette leave, a bit curious, before pivoting on his heel to leave.
In the seats at the runway, Marinette was sitting in the VIP front row section. The show hadn't started yet, but she was looking around, enraptured by the vibe of a real fashion show.
"This is amazing..." Marinette whispered as she took in all the details.
To the average person, it looked completely natural and seamless. But to Marinette, she knew that there was a lot more work under it all. The color and lighting choices, the DJ stand up on the other side, the shape of the runway. Every detail was taken into consideration. How each decision could make or break a show's success was always at the back of the team's mind. Hell, even the choice of model was important. Sure, stereotyping and type-casting was hard to avoid altogether, but at least the brand made the effort.
The house lets went out and the stage lights came on. Marinette held her breath in excitement as the spotlight hit curtain in the back of the stage.
"Welcome to Gabriel's "Parisian Slice" fashion show. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all the fashions depicting the slices of life that this incredible city has to offer." The MC began as the models came out, one by one, every few seconds.
Each model had an ensemble that was inspired by some of the mundane things that Parisians would take for granted. One outfit was inspired by wheat stalks, in recognition of the breads and pastries that everyone in Paris would enjoy. Marinette giggled, wondering if her dad would enjoy such an outfit.
Another set of outfits had taken inspiration from famous paintings in the Louvre, taking colors and textures from some of the pieces and putting them into the clothes. One in particular took the reds, rust, and black tones from Death of the Virgin by Caravaggio. Another ensemble took the blues from da Vinci's unfinished The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.
More sets inspired by the small things in Paris that would be overlooked, from the cobblestone streets to the Eiffel Tower. Marinette was enraptured by every outfit, her eyes wide and a big smile on her face.
'Of all the days to leave my sketchbook at home!' Marinette thought, delighted.
Finally, Adrien came out from behind the curtain, wearing the derby hat and suit.
"And now, the piece de resistance." The MC announced as Adrien strutted down the catwalk like he'd been doing it forever.
"Handsome, isn't he?" Nathalie asked as she took her seat next to Marinette.
"Yes, but the clothes are more impressive," Marinette said to Nathalie. "After all, that's what this entire show is about, isn't it? To showcase the clothes and their representation of the small slices of Paris that sometimes get left on the margins."
"One of the main reasons your hat was chosen. Pigeons may be vermin, but they are a part of Paris that people often sneer down at. You took that and made it into something impressive." Nathalie responded, her face not changing.
The spotlight came off of Adrien.
"And now, presenting the designer behind this derby hat..." The MC said as the spotlights started moving around. One came right upon Marinette. "The winner of our recent fashion design contest, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
Everyone in the audience started clapping and cheering. Marinette looked up and saw Adrien looking at her with a formal smile. Taking this as her cue, Marinette got out of her seat, climbed up to the catwalk, and walked down the runway, smiling and waving to everyone. She came up next to Adrien, but instead of gawking at him, she was looking around in awe, like all her dreams were coming true.
'This is amazing... This is the stuff I've fantasized about for my life for ages!' She thought, her heart soaring in delight.
But the joy was broken when she heard a loud creaking noise from above. She looked up and saw that same light was coming off. She saw that Adrien was right underneath it. The light began to fall. Her eyes widened.
"WATCH OUT!" She shouted as she shoved Adrien out of the way, landing on top of him, her face on his chest. The light crashed several feet away from them, causing the crowd to freak out and for the show to grind to a screeching halt.
"Are you hurt?" Marinette asked as she got off him, turned around, and looked at the shattered light on the stage. All the chatter from the crowd seemed to fade away.
She hadn't noticed Adrien was looking at her as if he'd seen a unicorn and was entranced. A smile was growing on his face.
"No, I'm good, thank you," He responded as he also looked at the broken light, seeing all the scattered glass and the sparking wires. "If that light hit me..."
He shuddered, as did Marinette.
"I warned Nathalie that something was off," Marinette said, frustrated. "She said she would get someone to look into it!"
"Not quickly enough." Adrien responded, his eyes moving towards Marinette.
"Are you two unharmed?!" One of the staff members said as he approached the pair.
"I'm good," Marinette said. "But forget about me; go check on Adrien."
The guard moved Adrien away from Marinette, only for the blonde's eyes to stay stuck on her. Another guard helped Marinette stand, maneuvering her away from the broken glass that was on the stage.
"Young lady," Nathalie said as Marinette was escorted off the stage. "You were right on the money. Very observant of you."
"Thanks. I'm just glad nobody got hurt." Marinette responded to him.
"We'll clean up the mess and figure out how this happened," Another member of the staff said. "I guess for now, the show's over."
"That's too bad," Marinette said, sighing. "I was having so much fun. But we always gotta think about safety first."
"Absolutely." Nathalie agreed.
Marinette hadn't noticed Adrien was still watching her, a smile on his face.
The entire show had been live-streamed, and thus Marinette's "heroics" were on television for the entire city to witness. Social media went viral, praising Marinette's quick thinking for protecting Adrien. While there were a few nasty fans that were accusing her of causing the falling light in the first place, they were overshadowed by all the positive comments regarding Marinette's actions and her designs.
In fact, the only real "fallout" that happened was Marinette's website getting flooded with requests, inquiries, and commissions. It got to the point where Marinette had to put her phone on Do Not Disturb Sleep mode just to get some uninterrupted rest.
The weekend came and went, and that Monday at school, Marinette reported the incident to the girls while in the lunch room.
"So, the show had to stop early because of the light falling?" Zoé asked.
"Yeah. It's too bad. Watching the entire show going down was incredible. Standing on the runway was an experience I won't forget." Marinette confessed.
"It is too bad the show had to be called off." Myléne spoke.
"Yeah, but look on the bright side: your work is being recognized by professionals and your hat was shown all over Paris!" Rose said. "I can already see the paper ads and video billboards all over the city!"
Marinette gave a nod before saying, "Yeah, that reality still hasn't hit me. I'm still processing it."
"So, what was it like meeting Adrien Agreste?" Alya asked, leaning in to her best friend's space with an eager smile.
Marinette blinked and said, "Um... Fine, why? All I did was exchange the usual pleasantries. He praised me for my win, too."
"But girl, you pushed him out of the way of a falling light! You had to have talked to him after, right?!" Alya questioned.
"No, aside from asking if he was okay," Marinette confessed. "There wasn't a need to."
"OMFL, girl," Alya moaned, face-palming. "This is the Adrien Agreste! The son of your fashion idol, the most popular and recognizable boy in Paris! Didn't you feel some butterflies in your stomach?!"
"Well, yeah, but wouldn't anyone get like that when meeting someone so high-profile? Of course I was a little intimidated." Marinette said to her.
The girls groaned, and Marinette looked at them before asking, "Am I missing something?"
"Major." Alix muttered.
Marinette tilted her head in confusion before taking a bite of her food.
"So, what happened after the light fell?" Alya asked. "Did you get bombed by reporters or something?"
"A few reporters did try to ask me for a comment, but I just went home, since the show had to be cut short." Marinette confessed.
"I can't believe you missed out on the chance to be interviewed for TV!" Myléne said to her.
"I wanted my design to speak for itself," Marinette responded. "Is that so wrong?"
"No, it's not." Zoé agreed.
"And my website's been getting a lot of traffic, since the show was live," Marinette said with a smile as she pulled up her phone and showed the girls the orders she'd received. And alerts were still coming in, even though her phone was silenced. "I've been commissions from all over the place since last night!"
"That's great news! I knew you'd start getting the credit you deserve!" Alya praised.
"Then I'd better get back to work on these when I get home!" Marinette said.
The girls laughed before getting back to eating their food.
"Hey, maybe we can do a photoshoot for more of your pieces for the site to drive more interest?" Alya suggested. "And adding the picture of your hat and the fact you won that contest will boost the credentials and credibility."
"Great idea!" Marinette agreed. "Let's see what we can do about it over the weekend, okay?"
The girls all made agreeing sounds as they kept eating.
When school was over, Marinette was walking out of the building, only to see a group of students at the bottom of the stairs. She saw Alya a few steps down, watching the crowd. Marinette walked over to her.
"Hey Alya, what's going on?" Marinette asked.
"Everyone's talking about that fancy car that just pulled up at the curb over there," Alya said, pointing out the silver BMW that was parked in front of the school. "I wonder who owns it."
The back seat of the car opened up and out climbed Adrien. This time, he was wearing casual, yet high-quality clothing, including orange sneakers, jeans, and a white-button down over a black shirt. He started looking around, seeming to be a little confused. Marinette's eyes widened in surprise.
"Adrien Agreste? What is he doing here?" Marinette asked aloud to Alya.
As if he heard her, Adrien looked up at the stairs and saw Marinette standing there. He grinned.
"Marinette! There you are!" He called. Everyone turned around to look at Marinette. She pointed at herself, confusion on her face.
Adrien jogged over to the stairs, and everyone cleared the way.
He climbed the steps to Marinette, and he said, "Finally. I've been looking everywhere for you."
Marinette went pink, asking, "F-For me?"
"Yeah," He confirmed, taking her hands into his own, causing her heart to pound. She looked at him and saw his face was also pink. "You just left after the show, and I wanted to thank you."
Marinette looked around and saw everyone staring and pointing, talking about the news report about the show over the weekend. She lowered her head, a little embarrassed.
"I don't think I did anything special, Adrien," Marinette said, her eyes going askance. "I just noticed something was wrong and spoke up. That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it?"
"True, but you also got me out of the way of that light before it fell," He responded before his face fell. "I can name a few people who wouldn't have done that for me."
"Like who?" Marinette asked.
"Adrikins!" A snide, nasally voice cried in delight.
Marinette groaned as she turned around and looked up to see Chloé staring the scene down, smiling at Adrien. The body language wasn't reciprocated.
"Don't call me that." Adrien said, anger in his tone.
"It's so good to see you here!" Chloé said as she ran down the stairs and shoved Marinette out of the way, causing her to fall on her butt on the steps.
Chloé gave a cruel smirk to Marinette before hanging onto Adrien's arm.
"This place is an utterly ridiculous drag. But what are you doing with this loser?!" Chloé asked.
Marinette hung her head. Of course a boy from a well-off family would be acquainted with her bully. And from the sound of it, they had history. But Marinette was surprised when she watched Adrien firmly shove Chloé off of his arm before glaring at her. If looks could kill...
"Don't talk to me as if we're friends. We may have been once, but never again." Adrien said, his tone dark, like he meant business.
Chloé stepped away. Marinette blinked in shock as Adrien turned to face her. He gave her a smile, knelt down, reached his hand out to Marinette. She took it and he helped her stand up.
"Are you okay?" Adrien asked Marinette.
"Yes, thanks." Marinette responded, but he didn't let go of her hand.
"I should be the one thanking you for the other day." Adrien admitted, blushing a bit and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ugh, what is that loser talking about?" Chloé asked.
Adrien gave her an angry side-eye before saying, "Haven't you seen the news? Marinette here not only won the fashion design contest, but she saved me from getting hurt at my father's show - a light almost fell on me, but she shoved me out of the way in the nick of time."
Chloé glared at Marinette, but the pigtailed girl ignored the blonde before telling Adrien, "You're giving me too much credit."
"Certainly more credit than she deserves," Adrien responded, thumb-jerking to Chloé. "I know she wouldn't have done what you did if it meant risking her own face or her nails."
"Of course I wouldn't!" Chloé spat.
Everyone gave Chloé angry scowls before continuing to watch Marinette interact with Adrien.
Ignoring Chloé, Adrien said to Marinette, "I also wanted to give you something."
Marinette blushed hard and she said, "H-Hey, you didn't need to do that."
However, Adrien handed her beaded charm bracelet over to her.
"My bracelet! How'd you find this? I didn't even realize it was missing!" Marinette said, surprised.
"You dropped it at the show," He said as he put it on her wrist. "I wanted to make sure you got it back."
Marinette looked up at him, and seeing his smile, she reciprocated it.
"That's so sweet of you. Thank you so much..." Marinette spoke to him, blushing pink.
"You're welcome, Marinette." He responded, still looking at her the way he did when they were at the show.
"But... How'd you find me?" Marinette asked.
"I asked my father to help me find you, using the information from your application." Adrien confessed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"You went that far just to give this back?" Marinette questioned rhetorically, her voice quiet as her heart started pounding.
"Not just to return your bracelet," Adrien admitted as he took her hands into his own. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the show."
Marinette looked up at him and saw he had pink-tinted cheeks and was giving her affectionate, shimmering eyes.
"You... You haven't?" Marinette asked, her face turning a little red.
"Right... So, maybe I can give you a ride home? And we can talk a little more?" Adrien asked, his face still pink.
"That's not necessary," Marinette said, a polite smile on her face. "It's not that far a walk."
"Please, it won't be a problem," Adrien insisted as he began leading her down the stairs. "Let my driver bring you home."
"No, seriously, it's not that far a walk. I live right across the street in the bakery over there." Marinette said, pointing out her home at the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
He turned around and saw where she was pointing, watching a few customers coming and going from the storefront. He blinked before turning back to Marinette and saying, "Oh, of course. I... I see."
"Anyway, thanks for returning my bracelet," Marinette responded, noticing Chloé glaring at her out of her peripheral vision. "I should get home. People are asking for my designs and I gotta get to it."
Marinette tried walking down the stairs to get away, but Adrien called, "Hang on!"
He grabbed her wrist and she turned to face him.
"I... Um..." Adrien began, not sure what to say, his face a bit red and trying to find the words. "I'd like to get to know you better, so..."
Marinette gave him an owlish expression, and everyone around them gasped in shock.
"A... Are you asking me out?" Marinette asked, her voice going up an octave in surprise.
"Yes," Adrien said, smiling, seeming relieved. "So, what do you say?"
Marinette felt her breath catch, and she heard murmuring and gasping all around her. Her eyes darted around and she saw all the students staring at her, pulling out their phones, talking about the entire scene going down.
"Alya!" Marinette said, aghast that Alya had taken her own phone out and was recording everything.
"Girl, I gotta record this, just to prove how much of a catch you are." Alya teased.
Marinette went beet red and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Nothing to see here! Phones away and as you were, please!" Adrien called, sounding resigned.
Everyone got the message, and it was clear: stop recording and mind your own business.
Once people started acted like nothing was going on, Marinette looked back up at Adrien, and saw his kind, sweet smile once more.
"I... Um..." Marinette began, her mind a complete whirlwind. Her face was pink in embarrassment.
"Go for it, girl!" Alya said, encouraging Marinette. "You can make the time, can't you?"
Marinette looked at her best friend, then back at Adrien. She took a deep breath and said, "Listen, I wish I could give you a straight answer right now, but..."
Adrien put a finger up to stop her, and he took out his phone, messing with it for a few seconds before putting it away. Marinette heard her phone go off with a text alert. She picked it up and saw Adrien had texted her his contact information.
"Huh? How-? Why-? Oh, right... My phone number was on the application." Marinette began, shocked at first.
"Right," He chuckled. "So... Give it some thought and get back to me when you have a moment?"
"I, er..." Marinette began, looking up at Adrien and seeing his earnest eyes, her heart jumped into her throat. "I... I will."
"That's great!" He said, seeming relieved. "I'll see you again soon!"
He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before running down the stairs to the car. Marinette's eyes were wide and her face went completely red.
"Girl, this is totally insane!" Alya squealed as she shook Marinette by the shoulders to snap her out of her stupor.
"Alya, stop shaking me!" Marinette squealed, her voice vibrating.
"Oops, sorry." Alya said, stopping and taking her hands off.
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut to cut her dizziness before asking, "Ugh, what just happened...?"
""What just happened?" Marinette, Adrien Agreste just asked you out, that's what just happened!" Alya shrieked in delight.
"S-Seriously?" Marinette asked, still processing everything.
She blinked a few times before shaking her head and pinching herself.
"Ow... Okay, I'm not dreaming." Marinette said.
"No, you're not!" Alya laughed.
Marinette's mind went totally blank.
Okay, that's it for this chapter. Still hashing out details on this, so don't be scared to help me along. And keep the comments coming!
Coming up, Marinette's still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Adrien Agreste asked her out, and she can't figure out how to answer. But circumstances are going to force her to say yes.