Okay, here's more for this story. Hope you enjoy it! Sorry it took so long.
Song(s) Included, With/Without Modifications:
Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat - Charles Perry cover
Several little kids were out in the Champs de Mars playground near the Eiffel Tower. They were playing with a ball, including games such as hot potato, monkey in the middle, or just playing catch.
"This is fun!" One little boy said.
"Isn't it, though?" A girl agreed.
"I love playing monkey in the middle!"
"Hey, how about a game of kick ball?" Another boy said.
"Great idea... But there's only seven of us." The girl said.
"We could have someone sit out each round, or play the umpire?" The first of the kids suggested.
"May I play, too?" Another voice asked.
The kids turned and saw a boy their age with black fur all over his body and around parts of his face, panther ears on his head, green cat-like eyes, and a big smile.
Instead of hearing him out, the kids screamed, the ball got dropped, and they all ran off, fearful. The little cat-boy slumped in dismay, sat down, and started to cry a little bit.
After few minutes of sulking, someone asked, "What's wrong?"
He looked up and saw a girl with black hair in pigtails, blue eyes, wearing a pink dress, and holding the ball. He stared at her for a second before blinking.
"Oh, um... I... I just wanted to play ball with some of the other kids, but..." He started, but he looked down in dismay. "They all ran away when they saw me."
"I'll play with you!" She said brightly, tossing the ball over. He caught it before looking at her.
"Really?" He asked.
"Sure! Why not?" She asked him, an innocent smile on her face.
He reciprocated that smile, before saying, "Catch!"
She laughed as she caught the ball before asking, "What's your name?"
"My name? It's... Um..." He began, not sure how to answer. His eyes went askance in nerves.
The girl gave him a sympathetic smile before saying, "How about I just call you Cat Noir?"
He looked up at her and asked, "Are you sure?"
"If you're okay with it." She suggested with a shrug.
He smiled before saying, "Okay! What about you?"
"I'm Marinette." She said to him, her eyes closing in joy as her smile grew.
Seeing this, the young boy's heart fluttered a little bit. He was unable to look away, his face tinted red.
"Look alive, kitty!" Marinette giggled as she tossed the ball back to him. He caught it, and the two of them kept playing with the ball for several hours.
Adrien woke up, smiling at that memory that had been engraved in his mind. He sat up in bed as he replayed that point in time, a smile upon his face.
He got out of bed and stretched before going to his en-suite bathroom to brush his teeth. When he got in there, he looked at himself in the mirror. Seeing his chest muscles - quite defined and noticeable - he gave himself a proud smile.
"Can't wait to go shirtless in front of her." He chuckled as he opened his cabinet to get his deodorant.
He could imagine her drooling over his frame as he flexed in front of her. He had to contain his laughter.
At her shop, Marinette was getting ready to open for business as always. She was smiling, humming, organizing all of her wares, rotating stock, making sure the flowers Adrien had gifted her were fed, watered, and behind the counter in their vase. She gave the roses a brief sniff, smiling at the aroma and letting it relax her.
With a snap of her fingers, everything (metaphorically) came alive in the shop - the lights got brighter, the flowers were perkier, the "Open" sign was in the window, and everything looked like it'd just "woken up," as it were.
She started humming to another song, and she used her hands to conjure up a mannequin, and to telekinetically gather up some other materials - patterns, pins, scissors, fabrics - to create another dress.
Using the roses as inspiration, she created a dress made of different shades/brands of rose gold fabric (her favorite shiny satin rose gold fabric from Birdy Grey being the main one) similar in design to Tiana's wedding/princess gown from The Princess and the Frog. It was a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, but Marinette used the main rose gold fabric to make the bust look like the rose petals were overlapping. Marinette also made the skirt look like a rose that was upside down, with its petals opening up and fanning out, with the different rose gold accent fabrics "unfurling" from under the main color. The elbow-length gloves were in one of the accent shades of rose gold, and the cuffs were the same cut as the bust to match.
"Hm..." Marinette murmured, looking the dress over. "A bit... one-tone. Let's see..."
Marinette snapped her fingers and sage green lace overlays with leaf designs appeared on the gloves. They were also on the dress itself - they started about halfway up the bust and ending about an inch and a half down from where the skirt started, as if it were the calyx of the rose. She also moved her hands around, as if tying a bow, and snapped her fingers on both hands to conjure up fabric vines that started at the top of the skirt and ended at the first "petal" on the dress.
"That's better. Less flashy. Now, what else could this dress use..." Marinette murmured as she looked over the mannequin. "Aha! Accessories!"
She clapped her hands and a plain, rose gold headband appeared on the mannequin's head. Marinette looked it over and saw that it needed some embellishments. With another finger-snap, the headband acquired leaves and vines, also in rose gold, with crystal embellishments scattered throughout. There were miniature fabric roses that were made of same accent rose gold fabrics on the headband, accompanied by miniature fabric leaves in the same sage green in a monochromatic scheme.
"Now, what else... OOH!" Marinette giggled, before clapping her hands.
She conjured up a matching necklace and earring set to go with the overall aesthetic of the dress.
"This is perfect!" Marinette said as she used her magic to move the dress to the center of the room for display. She even put up a magic, invisible bubble around it so nobody would be able to tamper with it.
The bell for the door rang, and Marinette turned around to see Adrien had come by. He was leaning against the door frame, the picture of debonair, yet casual, and he was giving her the same expression he'd given her when he asked her out for dinner.
"Adrien! Hi!" Marinette said, blushing.
"Morning, Marinette," Adrien spoke as he stepped away from the door frame and approached. He saw the dress, and his eyes widened. "Wow! What a great dress!"
He approached it and tried to touch it, but the bubble became visible. He pressed on it, and it gave, but it sprung back with force. He tried again, but the same result.
"Sorry about that," Marinette said with a giggle as she came closer to him. "I do that with all of my display pieces. Even the ones in the window have that bubble barrier."
"Nice safety feature," Adrien praised. "When did you have the time to make this?"
"I just whipped it up before you came in," Marinette responded, looking at him with a blush. "I... Got inspired by the flowers you gave me."
Adrien went red in the face, and his smile grew as well, saying, "R-Really?"
Marinette gave a silent nod, her heart pounding.
"I... I'm glad to hear that. I mean, I'm glad I was able to give you something to inspire you." Adrien said, tripping on his words for a second.
They kept looking at each other with silent, blushing smiles. Adrien gave Marinette something akin to bedroom eyes. Marinette herself began mirroring this body language, and she kept stepping a bit closer to him. Adrien reached his hand out and asked, "May I?"
Marinette looked at him, saw how his eyes shimmered in the light of the shop, and she gave a nod. He put his arm around her shoulder and they kept looking at the dress.
The door's bell ran again, breaking their moment of blissful quiet. They turned around to see Alya had come in.
"Morning, girl, I-" Alya began, only to pause and get stiff again as she looked to see Adrien was there. "Hi, Adrien."
Being congenial as usual, Adrien smiled and said, "Hi, Alya. It's good to see you again."
"You, too." Alya said, trying not to let her tension come through her voice.
"So, I heard you ran into my best friend the other night," Adrien responded with a smile as he walked over to her. "Nino Lahiffe, a protection magic wizard."
Alya's tension melted. She smiled and asked, "Seriously? Nino's your best friend?"
"Yeah. I couldn't ask for anyone better for that title. He's a catch, trust me." Adrien responded.
"Well, good thing we're fated mates. Not gonna spring it on him until it's the right time, though." Alya said, smiling her usual cunning, sly smile.
"Yeah, good point." Adrien laughed.
Marinette also joined in the laughter before saying, "Isn't this just perfect? Two girl BFF's and two guy BFF's?"
"I know!" Alya laughed, before saying, "Hey, maybe we should do a double-date some time?"
'A double date?' Marinette thought, surprise on her face.
Her mind pictured the four of them back at that same restaurant, sharing a table with wine, and great food. The fantasy brought to mind Adrien hugging her by the shoulders with one arm. They were snuggling together while eating and talking with Alya and Nino.
Marinette went red, and she began stammering, "Th... That sounds..."
"Sounds like a great idea," Adrien said as he sauntered back over to Marinette. "Doesn't it, Marinette?"
"Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth." Marinette sighed, blushing deep red.
Adrien chuckled, before his phone began buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out, but his face clouded over with distress at the sight of who was calling.
He took the call and he said, "Hello, pére."
'Pére? Oh, that's right, he still works for his father while he tries figuring out what he wants to do for himself.' Marinette thought, noticing Adrien's body language became distressed and annoyed. A few moments of silence, with Adrien's eyes flitting back and forth to Marinette.
"I'm at MDC Spellbinding Fashions. I was having a wonderful conversation with the boutique's beautiful owner," Adrien said, looking back at Marinette with a wink and a click of his tongue, making Marinette giggle. "Is that a crime, pére?"
Marinette kept watching, keeping an eye on Adrien's demeanor.
'That's weird. Just a few moments ago, he was so jovial. But now...' Marinette thought, seeing how despondent he was.
He heaved an angry sigh before saying, "Yes, I understand that, pére, but-"
He went stiff when his father barked something out from the other end of the phone. He gave a sad, annoyed grunt before saying, "Okay, okay, I'm coming, pére, and I promise this won't happen again."
He hung up the phone, turned to Marinette, and said, "Sorry about that. My father's a... Bit of a slave driver."
"That's too bad," Marinette said, deflating a bit. "But... Maybe I'll see you later?"
"Not "maybe," Marinette - definitely," Adrien promised. "We can get lunch later."
"Perfect!" Marinette agreed, brightening up at that invitation.
Adrien gave a quiet not before turning around and walking to the door of the ship. He paused, turned to face Marinette, and blew her a two-fingered kiss. Marinette's heart pounded. After, he walked out of the shop, the bell ringing.
Marinette let out a quiet sigh - the kind of sighing that a woman would give when she was smitten.
"Looks like you two have another date." Alya laughed, her usual smirk on her face whenever she hit upon some gossip.
"Speaking of dates, what about you and Nino?" Marinette teased back.
"Oh, I haven't made a move. Yet," Alya responded. "I gotta make sure my BFF is settled with her own sweetie, first."
"Alya," Marinette laughed. "You're making it sound like he's gonna propose."
"You're right, that'd be too much too soon," Alya laughed in agreement. "But seriously, I don't think I've seen you so comfortable around a guy since our school days."
Surprised, Marinette blinked a few times at Alya and asked, "Really?"
"Really," Alya confirmed. "I know you and Adrien only met a few days ago, but the connection was clearly instant. He's definitely into you."
"You think so?" Marinette questioned.
"I know so." Alya said.
Marinette was about to answer when the door's bell rang again. A customer had walked in and began perusing the wares.
"Looks like that's my cue to go," Alya said before whispering, "You'd better make sure to wear that dress in front of Adrien at some point."
Marinette shook her head, as if refusing Alya's suggestion, and she turned to the customer that had come in.
On Adrien's end, he'd arrived at his father's company and was now at his desk, working. He tried to resist a sigh.
'I'd rather be hanging out and talking with Marinette right now,' He thought as he plugged away, looking bored. 'But duty calls...'
His father had to be a killjoy as always.
"Adrien," Nathalie, his father's right-hand woman, who had black hair with a red streak in a bun and wearing a red/black pantsuit, spoke as she approached. "Your father wasn't happy with your tardiness today."
"I know," Adrien spoke in a terse voice, not looking at his de-facto stepmother. "But I was in the middle of trying to score some brownie points with my mate."
He could already imagine Marinette wearing the dress she'd just made that morning. Or that final piece she'd shown him during her fashion show. The way she spoke about each outfit, who it was for, the inspiration behind the theming? She absolutely lit up. Apparently her kindhearted, generous nature hadn't changed since that one day in his childhood. If he'd been smitten before, he certainly had it worse now.
'It's too bad she didn't recognize me from that day...' He thought, a smile growing on his face. 'To be fair, I wasn't in complete control of my shift back then.'
"Adrien?" Nathalie asked, bringing Adrien out of his thoughts.
He looked back at Nathalie, saying, "Yes?"
"Were you even listening?" Nathalie asked with an annoyed sigh. "I honestly can't understand how paranormal gentlemen can get so lovelorn over someone with just one look at them."
"It can be argued that that's expected, though - you're human." Adrien commented.
"Touché, Adrien," Nathalie spoke, a smile coming upon her face. "Now, back to your schedule..."
"I have a lunch date with Marinette, though." Adrien complained.
"It will have to wait." Nathalie responded, her tone stern.
Adrien gave an unhappy groan before turning back to his computer to keep working.
Back at MDC Spellbinding Fashions, Marinette was still tending to customers, waiting for Adrien.
"So you need a sexual-harassment defense spell?" Marinette asked the woman (who was around her age) who was looking desperate for help.
"Right. This guy at work just won't take "no," for an answer, but the problem is that he's the boss's son and he's a vampire," The customer elaborated. "I'm only human - I can't just have garlic bulbs on my desk all day, and wearing this holy cross around my neck isn't working, either. I only get a break from him when I'm working daylight hours, for obvious reasons."
"Well, contrary to popular belief, garlic doesn't work on vampires," Marinette said as she tried to find something that would help. "That's just a myth that came about because vampires' senses of smell are just stronger than humans. The only real thing that would happen if a vampire ate garlic is minor indigestion, at the worst. As for crosses, they don't work because most vampires are atheists, but it's not unheard of for them to become leaders in certain religious circles. I've actually met a few vampires that are Rabbis, actually."
"Seriously? No wonder this stuff isn't working," Marinette's customer spoke. "But still, vampires are faster, stronger, and if I'm not careful, I'm going to get bitten, fired, maybe both. I've tried to get him to leave me alone the usual way, but he won't."
Marinette smiled when she found something in stock, and said, "How about this?"
Marinette pulled out a small, knit cardigan jacket.
"Oh, that's so adorable! And it's just my color, too! It will work perfectly for my work clothes." The customer said.
"Great! I can weave a sexual-harassment defense spell into this, along with a karma spell," Marinette spoke as she went to the checkout desk. "Just wear this to work, and not only will any attempts at harassment be deterred by the magic, but if he hangs around long enough, he'll get what's coming to him. Not even his mother will be able to do anything but hold him accountable to the furthest extent."
"Thanks," Her customer said while Marinette started weaving the sigils for the spell into the cardigan, making sure it couldn't be seen by the naked eye, paranormal or otherwise. "This is why I came here: you have a reputation for creating clothes that are not only beautiful and well-done, but they also help people."
"Believe me, I know how you feel," Marinette spoke while ringing up the customer. "I had to use my magic to protect myself in school."
"Sometimes I wish I was a witch," Her customer spoke. "Then I could use magic to get people I don't like to screw off."
The girls laughed as Marinette handed the bag and receipt to her customer and said, "Hope you stop by again. I wanna hear how it works out."
"You got it!" She said before leaving the shop with a skip in her step.
Marinette giggled to herself, thinking, 'These are the kinds of things I love doing for my customers. Great fashion, they help people and make them happy.'
A mess of blonde hair and green eyes popped up in her mind as she looked at the clock.
'He's late. I wonder where he is?' Marinette thought, her stomach rumbling.
The door's bell rang again, and Marinette looked to the door expecting to see Adrien. But instead, a young man came in, and he began looking around, anxious.
"Welcome to MDC Spellbinding Fashions," Marinette said, smiling at him. "How may I help you today?"
The young man did another once-over of the store, and he began, "Hi, um... Listen, I need some help. There's this girl I like at work and I... I'm having a hard time getting close to her. I want her to feel the same way I do, and I was thinking I could get something with a "love reciprocation" spell?"
Marinette pulled an uncomfortable expression and said, "I don't put in spells that manipulate other people's feelings that way. It's just unethical to me. It's one thing to put a happiness spell in a garment if it's a present to make someone happy or cheer them up, it's another to force someone to fall in love."
Her customer's face melted into despair, and he said, "Come on, I really like this girl and I wanna win her over! You're a witch, aren't you?! Aren't love potions or spells in your repertoires?!"
"Yes, but again, I don't mess around with other people's feelings," Marinette responded. "If you want to get this girl a present for the sake of it, that's great, but manipulating her into falling for you? Not happening."
He groaned and said, "Fine!"
He pivoted and started looking at some of the wares. He was grumbling under his breath, but he also looked worried. Every time he examined something, he'd made a noise of disapproval and throw it away. Marinette kept watching while her eyes went to the clock on her phone every few minutes, waiting for Adrien.
"So... Do you know what this girl likes?" Marinette asked as she used her magic to put discarded merchandise back where it belonged.
"Not really. I've been having trouble talking to her, so I don't know anything!" He said as he kept looking around and grumbling. Every time a garment hit the floor, Marinette snapped her fingers to put it back.
Her facial expression became bored, and she asked, "Do you even know her name?"
"Yes, I do," He responded. "But I just can't work up the balls to say something! Maybe if I knew for certain that she'd fall in love with me because of this present, too..."
Marinette heard his tone of voice, which was basically blaming her for not using her magic to get him the desired outcome.
"My advice?" Marinette prompted. "Maybe if you don't really know what she likes, maybe you should look and listen to the smaller details about her when you're at work. What colors or textures does she wear most of the time? Any specific features on her clothes or accessories? Anything like that."
He paused and turned around to Marinette, saying, "That... That actually sounds like a good idea."
"Yeah. Being observant of the people around you without asking invasive questions like that has helped me make presents for my friends. Especially if they're intended to be a surprise." Marinette spoke.
He melted in relief, saying, "Thanks. I'll try doing that for a few days, and then I'll come back when I have a more concrete idea of what might work."
"Okay. Hope to be of service to you then!" Marinette said as he walked out with a spring in his step, feeling relieved and more confident.
Just as he opened the door to leave, he bumped into someone.
"Sorry about that!" He said before moving around the person and leaving.
"He seemed to be in a hurry." A familiar voice said, accompanied by the sound of the door closing.
Marinette looked up and saw Adrien, who had a bag from a local lunch spot in hand.
"Adrien! There you are!" Marinette greeted, a smile blossoming on her face.
"Yeah. I'm so sorry I'm late," Adrien apologized as he came in, holding up the takeout bag. "My schedule was packed to the brim today. I insisted on getting out so I could get food for us."
"I've heard of that place before," Marinette said as she used her magic to put a "closed for lunch" sign in front of the door. "I've always wanted to try it."
"That's great," Adrien responded, sounding relieved when he put the bag down between them. "I wasn't sure what you liked or if you had any food allergies, so I got a bunch of stuff."
He opened the bag and pulled out sandwiches, chips and several fruits.
"Ooh! That looks good!" Marinette said as she took one sandwich, an apple, and sat down to eat.
Adrien chuckled as he also sat down and he took a few more sandwiches out of the bag. He unwrapped one and began chowing down.
Marinette looked at his plate and saw his was filled to the rim compared to hers.
'I'm hungry, too, but that is a lot of food,' Marinette thought. She also took a look at his body. 'He looks healthy, though. I guess he just burns more calories than most people?'
But another thought bubbled up into her head.
'Shifters in general have huge appetites and can put away massive amounts of food because they just need more fuel than humans. I've seen Nora eat an entire crown roast meant for three to four people.' Marinette thought.
A droplet of anxiety rippled in her brain as something else came to mind.
'Could he be...?' Marinette thought, a droplet of anxiety rippling in her brain. 'No! He didn't eat that much at dinner the one time.'
"Something the matter?" Adrien asked, breaking Marinette out of her thoughts.
"Oh, nothing, just... You must be starving. Your plate's full." Marinette said, biting into her sandwich again.
"No kidding. Breakfast was skimpy, so I've been running on near-empty today. And besides, why let great food to go waste when it can go to waist?" Adrien joked, slapping his stomach in good-natured humor.
Marinette laughed, saying, "Yeah! You're so right! Besides, food waste and food insecurity go hand-in-hand with each other."
"This food spot donates leftovers to nearby soup kitchens, so waste is kept to a minimum," Adrien commented. "They use compostable and biodegradable packaging and gloves, too."
"Perfect!" Marinette laughed before taking another bite of her food. "Makes me feel good about eating good food."
"Doesn't it, though?" Adrien chuckled. He chowed down into his sandwich again.
Once they finished eating (almost everything was gone, save for one or two more sandwiches), Adrien and Marinette got to talking about their respective jobs.
"So you got held up at work today?" Marinete asked while they cleaned up.
"Yeah. Like I said, my father is a slave-driver," Adrien commented as he put the paper plates in the recycling bin. "His standards are high."
"High standards are one thing, but he shouldn't push you to the point where you can't breathe or eat." Marinette commented.
"I know. I've tried telling him to ease off, but he just doesn't listen." Adrien sighed.
"Wish your father was more like my dad," Marinette spoke. "More reasonable and making sure you get enough food."
"Same here," Adrien laughed. "My father's always been a bit... Cold."
"Really?" Marinette asked, a bit surprised.
"Yeah," Adrien confessed. "Having overbearing parents is a pain."
"I don't envy you for that." Marinette sighed.
"So, um..." Adrien began, trying to find a change of subject.
Marinette's body tensed, feeling her heart begin beating a bit more.
"I... I was wondering... Maybe we could go to the movies or something? Or go out dancing? There's this jazz club I've been meaning to go to." Adrien began.
"A jazz club sounds like a lot of fun!" Marinette said. "Date and time?"
"How about tonight?" Adrien questioned. "I'll pick you up."
"Perfect!" Marinette squealed, brightening at the idea.
"Great! Until tonight, m'lady." Adrien said, clicking his tongue with a wink. Marinette blushed and stifled a laugh, watching as Adrien spun on his feet before dancing out the door.
She kept laughing, a smile on her face. She took the closed sign off the door and got back into work mode.
Dusk was soon upon the city. Back at the Agreste Manor, Adrien was once again in his en-suite bathroom. He'd just stepped out of the shower and had a towel wrapped around his waist. He saw the mirror had fogged up, and so he took a hand towel to wipe it off. Pulling his arm away, he saw his underarm was getting thick with hair. Black hair, rather than his natural blonde.
"I just shaved three days ago..." He grumbled as he took up a canister of eco-friendly shaving cream, put some on his underarms, and shaved them, making sure not a trace of black hair was left.
He wiped off the remaining shaving cream before putting on some deodorant. He put his hands on the vanity and looked at himself in the mirror, seeing his wet hair was clinging to his face, which was red from the shower water heat.
"You got this, Adrien," He said to himself. "Take it slow and easy, and she'll be yours if she'll have you."
Whether it was the mating instinct of his species or his love-addled imagination, Adrien didn't know - most likely both - his mind started going somewhere a bit dirty, but instead of fighting it, he let his imagination run wild like the wildcat he was.
Marinette, on the other hand, was up in her room, choosing an outfit. She was standing in front of her full-length mirror and looking over her clothes, which she'd been wearing during work all day.
"Okay..." Marinette murmured, snapping her fingers to switch outfits. Her clothes changed into a tight-fitting dress, similar in color to the one she wore during her dinner date with Adrien.
"No, this won't do. This is a jazz club," Marinette grumbled. "I can't go in something overly-stuffy like this dress. I won't be able to move on the dance floor."
With another finger snap, her clothes changed again. This time, she was wearing a white, long-sleeve, form-fitting shirt with pale pink accents to it, paired with dark grey, ankle-length flared dance pants.
"This looks better. Now, for shoes," Marinette murmured as she looked at her feet. She raised her hands to her shoe closet and pulled out her shoe drawers. "I'll need something with a split sole..."
Saying "split sole," the shoes that didn't have that trait were put back in the closet. The rest were floating around in pairs for Marinette to look over.
"Hm... This pair," Marinette said as she grabbed a pair of shoes that were closer in color to her pants. "That will work."
She snapped her fingers again, and the rest of the shoes were put away. Marinette put the shoes on, and she raised her hand to use her magic to pull out accessories that were close in style to the 1920's, including a few necklaces and hats.
As she looked them over, she imagined her and Adrien doing some very dynamic moves, including steps where she would be upside down or above his head.
"Maybe I should think this through... Bingo!" Marinette said as she found a 1920's style pearl choker, which was in white to match her shirt. "And maybe a hat to go with it..."
She found a dark grey bowler hat with a pink bow and band on it, and it had a white swan feather in it, too.
"Perfect! This will work!" Marinette spoke before going to her vanity to get some makeup on. She went easy on her eye makeup - nude eyeshadow, with a bit of eyeliner and mascara - while giving herself some lipstick that highlighted her pink lips.
"Now, for a touch of blush..." Marinette began, putting the brush to her cheek, when...
*DING-DONG!*
"He's here!" Marinette giggled as she put her blush on. She clapped her hands to put everything in her room away before running downstairs to the boutique.
She made her way to the door and opened it. She saw Adrien standing there, wearing a fitted black shirt under a white blazer, with fitted black pants and black split sole shoes. He also had a black fedora on hand, similar to Frank Sinatra. He smiled at her, causing her heart to pound.
"Hi, Adrien." Marinette said.
"Hi," He responded. His face went pink. "You look absolutely stunning."
Marinette giggled as she approached him.
*ACHOO!*
Adrien covered his mouth with his elbow, blocking a loud sneeze.
"Are you okay?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah," He said before sneezing again. "Are there any pigeons nearby?"
Marinette looked around and she said, "No. I mean, aren't pigeons diurnal? It's near dusk."
"Well, I'm allergic to feathers, so-" Adrien began before sneezing once more.
Marinette said, "My hat, maybe?"
Marinette took it off and presented it, making sure the swan feather was front and center.
Seeing Adrien letting out yet another violent sneeze, Marinette raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Visibly, nothing changed, but the sneezing stopped.
Adrien looked at the hat, curious, and asked, "How...?"
"I just switched it out for a fake feather. No big deal," Marinette said before putting her hat back on her head. She got closer to Adrien, and with a sultry look in her eyes and smile, asked, "Ready to swing it?"
Adrien looked at Marinette, almost in awe, his face turning beet red. After a few seconds, he smiled, his face still rich with red.
"Ready." Adrien responded.
He offered his arm, Marinette hooked hers around it, and they began walking to the club.
When there, Adrien opened the door for Marinette, and the two of them walked in. Inside, people and paranormals from many walks of life were dancing, playing music, talking, eating, and more. Up on the bandstand, a Balaur was playing several different types of brass and wind instruments with its five heads. Along with the Balaur, a sharp-dressed gorgon with sunglasses was on the double-bass, there was a griffon on a piano, and a werewolf on drums.
"Wow!" Marinette said, raising her voice so Adrien could hear her over the music.
"Need earplugs and/or noise-cancelling headphones?" The hostess said as she offered a basket of the aforementioned items. "It can get pretty loud in here, especially for hypersensitive human ears, and for paranormals."
"Thanks! I'll take a pair." Adrien said, taking a set of earplugs.
"Me, too." Marinette responded, also taking a pair. They put them in their ears.
"Enjoy your time!" The hostess said as Adrien and Marinette walked in to take a seat.
But before they could, the band started playing a specific song. When Adrien heard the notes on the piano, he brightened.
"I love this song! Come on, Marinette!" Adrien said, grabbing her hand and bringing her to the dance floor.
Marinette felt her heart soar and her face turn pink as she followed Adrien's lead. When they got there, Adrien started making some moves.
"Ev'rybody wants to be a cat," Adrien began to sing as he tipped his hat. "Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at."
He began dancing, not really caring about decorum - he just wanted to have fun.
"Ev'rybody's picking up on the feline beat, 'cause everything else is obsolete." He sang, in perfect time with the music.
Marinette grew a smile on her face.
Adrien lifted his hands and mimicked a trumpet player, singing, "A square with a horn makes you wish you weren't born, ev'ry time he plays."
"But with a square in the act, you can set music back to the caveman days," Adrien sang before spinning on his feet. "I've heard some corny birds who tried to sing. But still a cat's the only cat who knows how to swing."
He grabbed Marinette's hands again and brought her into a swing dance.
"Who wants to dig a long-haired gig or stuff like that? When ev'rybody wants to be a cat?" Adrien sang as he kept dancing, with Marinette along for the ride for the most part.
She couldn't stop herself from laughing or smiling at this, and she kept going with it.
"A square with the horn makes you wish you weren't born, ev'ry time he plays!" Adrien sang, while swinging. "With a square in the act, you can set music back to the caveman days!"
Marinette laughed, looking Adrien in the eyes and smiling with love on her face.
"Ev'rybody wants to be a cat, because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at," Adrien sang as he let go of Marinette's hands for a second before doing some solo swing moves. "When playin' jazz, he always has the Welcome mat, 'cause ev'rybody digs a swinging cat!"
At that last line, he grabbed Marinette and swung her between his legs before pulling her up and they kept dancing. She laughed, a little embarrassed, but soon recovered.
Once the tempo from the piano picked up, Adrien got even more excited. They kept swing dancing, and Marinette started singing along with him.
They danced the night away, filled with laughter and fun, swing dancing, and neither one of them lost their smile that evening.
Sorry about how long this took. I can't tell if I'm having burnout with this show or what. Anyway, NO SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6, PLEASE! It's just gonna send my anxiety through the roof!
And my computer is going to be going in for repairs, so I won't be able to write anything for about a week or so.
Coming up, Adrien and Marinette continue seeing each other, as do Alya and Nino. But for some reason, Alya still isn't quite able to relax around Adrien.