Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Marinette! Adrien’s bodyguard is picking up Nino as we speak and will be! Here! Next!” Alya cried desperately, tugging on her best friend’s limp arms, trying to drag her out of the pile of clothes Marinette had submerged herself in. “So pick an outfit or so help me, you’ll go naked!”

Marinette groaned, curling deeper in the pile of discarded clothes.

“Alya, I don’t have anything to weeeaaar! And Adrien’s gonna be with us!” Marinette whined, definitely not acting like the hero of Paris. Tikki, who was floating overhead and trying to avoid the clothes being thrown around the room, and Alya shared an exasperated look.  “I look like a disaster, and Adrien will hate me forever, and I’m never gonna get married and have kids named Emma, Hugo, and Louis, and I’m never gonna have a dog or a hamster or-”

Marinette was cut off when Alya dropped a large bundle of clothes on her face, blocking her vision and mouth. Shaking them off, Marinette sat up. She tried to look indignantly at her friend, but Alya shoved Marinette’s normal outfit in her face.

“Marinette, just dress normally! You don’t have to dress up, we’re just going to the mall!” Alya gestured to herself. “See? I’m not dressing any different than normal!”

Snatching the outfit out of her best friend’s hands, Marinette sprang to her feet. She quickly jumped into her hot pink pants, forced her white shirt over her head, and yanked on her blazer. Alya ran to the window of the room while Tikki struggled to carry Marinette’s normal purse over to her chosen.

“Marinette!” Alya called from the window, peering out the glass. “They’re pulling up to the house!”

Squawking, Marinette finished shoving her feet into her shoes, scooped up her bag, threw her hair quickly into ponytails, and shoved her phone in her back pocket. Tikki flew inside the small purse without instruction just as the doorbell rang.

“COMING! I’LL GET THE DOOR!” Marinette called, reaching for the hatch door. She had just barely thrown open the door when she heard heavy steps followed by the front door opening.

“Hi, Adrien! It’s nice to see you!” Tom boomed, unseen.

“Hello, Sir, it’s nice to see you too!” Adrien said brightly, his voice carrying up to the girls. Marinette and Alya froze, slowly looking at each other in terror.

“My dad! Is talking to Adrien! He’s gonna embarrass me so badly!” Marinette whisper shouted.

“What are you doing here, son?”

“Oh, I’m picking up the girls to go to the mall!”

“Oh!” The girls could hear the suggestive tone and obvious wink in the large man’s voice. “What for? Anything I should be concerned about?”

“Girl! You gotta get down there and put a stop to this! Your love life depends on it!” Alya shoved her best friend into the doorway. Marinette caught herself mid air and stumbled down the stairs, taking them four at a time. Throwing arm around her purse to protect her kwami and one arm out wildly to stop her rapid and unplanned descent, Marinette managed to throw herself even more off balance, screeching as she stumbled. Hitting the bottom stair, she landed in a heap on the floor with her eyes closed, clutching to her purse to her as her limbs splayed out at awkward angles. Marinette groaned, ignoring the surprised and concerned looks of her father and her crush.

This is the worst day of my entire life.

Before the thought was even completely out of her head, Adrien had materialized by her side, arms outstretched as he reached down to help her up. His eyes gazed fondly down at her, but the rest of his face smirked.

“Wow, Marinette.” He said quietly enough that Tom couldn’t hear from where he stood by the door way, shaking his head as if this was an everyday occurance. While Tom exited the room, muttering something about clumsy daughters and a first aid kit. Adrien reached for Marinette’s hand and began helping her up. “I knew you would fall for me one day, but this is a bit extreme!”

Blushing slightly and deadpanning tremendously, Marinette dropped his hand. “Wow. A pun? I just fell down an entire flight of stairs, and you… pun?”

Adrien shrugged, his green eyes gleaming mischievously. “Hey, I gotta step up my game if I’m gonna win the heart of my lady, right?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Well, whatever game you used to have was just thrown out the window, you stupid cat.” She turned from the blinking blonde boy to yell up the stairs. "ALYA, GET DOWN HERE!”

Alya poked her head down through the doorway, smiling guiltily. “You… you okay Marinette?”

“Yep, I’m fine. Come down here, we have to go. Nino's waiting for us in the car, right Adrien?"

She turned to see the boy staring blankly at the wall, muttering to himself, dazed. "Game… I used to have? I have game?"

Sighing, Marinette turned back to her friend, who had come down a few steps and was looking down with caution.

“Your not going to hurt me, right?”

"Alya, for the love of Paris, I'm not going to hurt you!" Marinette cried, snapping Adrien out of his trance. "But we have left Nino, so we should get going!"

With that, Marinette dragged her friends out the door. Calling a short farewell to her parents, Marinette closed the door behind her. The three friends jogged down a few flights of stairs, exiting the building at street level.

The Gorilla stood emotionless in front of the white limousine parked in front of the bakery. A few pedestrians strolling the streets pointed at it before moving on their way, obvious curiosity on their faces.

The window rolled down on the side of the street closest to the teenagers, revealing Nino sitting inside.

"Hey, dudes! About time you got here!"

" Sorry, we had a bit of a... " Adrien bit his lip and looked at Marinette. "… trip up."

Marinette flushed, eyeing the blonde with a dangerous look in her eyes. "Yeah, more like trip DOWN," Alya sniggered , bumping fists with Adrien.

"Nino!" Marinette declared. "You are now my new best friend."

"Hey, sweet! " Nino said, scooting over to make room for the bluenette besides him on the seat. "Do I get free croissants and boy gossip?"

Marinette smirked. "Nino, you can have all the boy gossip you want." Cue Adrien's jaw dropping in offense and curiosity. Marinette couldn’t help adding, "And as many croissants as you can eat." Cue Alya's similar reaction.

Alya was about to respond when the Gorilla grunted, ushering her and Adrien into the car. After making sure his charges were safely seated, he shut the door firmly and climbed into the driver’s seat.

The four friends talked and goofed off as they drove, each discussing where they wanted to go, what they wanted to eat, and what they hoped to purchase.

“I think I’ll get some new headphones.” Nino said, toying with the cord of his current pair, which were wrapped around his neck. “My old ones only work in one ear, and my… little buddy doesn’t like listening to my music out loud.”

“Hey!” A small voice cried from inside Nino’s red hat, slightly muffled “It’s not that I don’t like it… I just prefer calmer, more soothing tunes.”

Nino laughed and patted the top of his hat softly. “Whatever buddy. It’s okay. Anyways,” he turned to his friends. “What are you guys hoping for?”

Alya elbowed Marinette, who promptly shushed her. “ Not now! ” She whispered, trying to be discreet, but still grabbing Adrien and Nino’s attention.

“Marinette!” Adrien gasped dramatically and leaned forwards playfully, his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. “Have you been keeping secrets ? From your friends ? From your partner ?”

Marinette smirked at him. She copied his stance, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Secrets? Me? Never. Especially not from you, kitty cat.” She winked. Adrien had to fight a blush, instead cocking his head and looking at her suspiciously.

“I don’t know… Alya? Is she hiding something from us?”

Alya smiled. “Girl, if you don’t tell them, I will!”

Marinette groaned, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Alright, alright, fine!” She conceded. “For my birthday next month, my grandmother is taking me to China! For an entire week!”

“Wow, Marinette! That’s rad!” Nino fist bumped the bluenette. “Do you know what you’re gonna do there?”

If Marinette explained the trip to Nino, Adrien didn’t hear it over the sound of his heart stopping. Blinking heavily, all Adrien could think of was the fact that in a few short weeks his partner, best friend, and love of his life would be more than seven thousand miles away from him…

“A whole week?” Adrien interrupted the conversation he had zoned out of. Marinette looked at him and smiled a bit guiltily.

“Yeah, a whole week.” She looked behind her to make sure the sound proof division was closed between the teens and the Gorilla in the front seat. When it had passed her inspection, she continued, “Don’t worry, though, Master Fu knows a way to store an akuma butterfly until I can get back, so hopefully akuma damage won’t be too bad. Queen Bee also volunteered to take a few extra patrols. But anyways, Nino, we’re planning on going to the Great Wall, maybe Disneyland Hong Kong…”

Zoning out again, Adrien stared out the car windows. It wasn’t the patrols Adrien was worried about. What if Marinette got lost, or missed her flight? What if she tripped over a fortune cookie and could never walk again? What if she met a hunky chinese boy and forgot about Adrien forever?! Would he be invited to the wedding? Would she force Adrien to give up his ring for her new boyfriend? As Adrien’s mind raced faster than the car he was inside, he barely noticed his face contorting until Alya placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You’re looking kinda woozy, bro” Nino added.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine, I was just lost in thought for a second-”

“Aw, I see what this is." Alya cut off the blonde, smirking. "Poor kitty cat is gonna miss his… how did he put it at the game night last Friday? Not his teammate," she leaned closer to the blushing teenager. "But his partner?"

Nino sniggered. "And what did Queenie call the sickness our dear friend has, babe?"

"I don't remember, Nino! Adrien, could you remind us?"

" What are you guys talking about?" Marinette butted in, a bewildered expression on her face.

"Nothing." Adrien shot a glare at his giggling friends. Adrien cleared his throat awkwardly, desperate to escape his torture. "So, Marinette, what do you need to get at the mall?"

Looking between her friends and realizing it would do her no good to pursue the topic Adrien was so adamant to forget, Marinette shrugged. "Just the normal packing things. Clothes, toiletries, entertainment, snacks… my parents are going to be very busy this month in the bakery, so they’re letting me take care of my own packing.”

The car came to a sudden stop, jerking the kids in the back. Looking out the window, they could see the large mall ahead of them. In between them, however, was a long stretch of traffic coming in and out of the mall parking lot. Adrien unbuckled and leaned past Marinette and Nino to open the small separation barrier between them and the Gorilla.

“This traffic looks like it might take a while… Maybe you could drop us off here?” Adrien gave his bodyguard the biggest kitten eyes he could. The man eyed the blonde suspiciously. “Don’t worry!” Adrien promised, smiling his brightest. “I have my phone on me, we won’t leave the mall without you, and you could do something you want to do, instead of chaperoning a couple of boring teenagers.”

Adrien turned back at his friends, giving them an instructive look. Immediately, Alya started scrolling on her phone, Marinette yawned convincingly, and Nino put his barely working headphones on and started nodding his head along to a beat that wasn’t there.

“See? Boring! So, could we please be dropped off here and you come pick us up at…” Adrien ducked down to look at Alya’s phone. “what time is it, Alya? Eleven? Okay, thanks.” Springing back up into the window, Adrien continued. “At five o’clock?”

Gorilla surveyed the teenagers in the backseat from his rear view mirror. Looking back at the long line of traffic ahead of him, the large man sighed in resignation. He nodded his head.

“Thank you!” Adrien cried, quickly ushering his friends out of the car. He closed the door behind him. “Bye! See you at five!”

Adrien watched the limousine zoom away until it was out of sight. Grinning triumphantly, he turned to his teammates.

“Well, my friends… I just got us chaperone free for the next six hours!”

Marinette cheered and pumped her fists.“Alright! Now, let’s go get our shopping on!”

Nino offered his hand to Alya, who took it with a smile. Reaching for her best friend, Alya grabbed her best friends hand and held it tight. Leaning in discreetly, Alya whispered through her teeth, “Marinette, I’m setting this up for you, you take your man’s hand or I’ll disown you!”

After a few moments of silent battle between the two girls (consisting of nudges, head nods and shakes, and glares), Marinette held out her hand to Adrien. The boy looked at it as if confused on what he was supposed to do.

Marinette laughed and extended her hand a bit more, trying to cover up her minor nerves with sass. “Come on, kitty cat, I won’t bite.”

Adrien shook his head, grinning mischievously at his partner. “Take my hand. ” He sang teasingly under his voice, reaching for her hand dramatically. “ Take a breath .”

“Pull me close, and take one step.” Marinette sang playfully back to him. Neither were trying too hard to sound good. She took an exaggerated step forward and towards Adrien, while letting go of Alya’s hand. Adrien and Marinette started walking forwards, and Alya and Nino, smirking and discreetly pulling out phones to take a video, followed a few feet behind.

“ Keep your eyes locked on mine ,” Adrien twirled the bluenette, relishing the little dance they were performing on the sidewalk. He ignored the looks of a few pedestrians traveling either way down the sidewalks who had to swerve to avoid the dancing teens; right then, all that mattered was the smiling, laughing girl dancing in his arms.

“ And let the music be you guide ,” Marinette released Adrien’s hands to spread her arms in a small bow, winking at her partner.

Adrien threw himself into a pose. “Won’t you promise me?”

“Won’t you promise me!” Marinette copied his pose, laughing a bright, joyful giggle that made Adrien’s insides burn.

“ We’ll keep dancing wherever we go next! ” The two shouted the last words of the verse, grabbing each other’s hands and twirling in a dizzying circle. Two small blurs zoomed towards Alya and Nino; Tikki and Plagg had been flung out of their keeper’s pockets as the two “danced”, grumbling as they phased through Alya’s bag to a more kwami-friendly environment.

Adrien released one of Marinette's hands, screaming singing alternate lines of the chorus as they skipped towards the entrance hand in hand.

“It’s like catching lightning!”

“The chances of finding!”

“Someone like yooooou!” The two sang in unison before splitting back into parts.

“It’s one in a million!”

“The chances of feeling the way we do!”

“ And with every step together !” Adrien cried.

“ We just keep on getting better! ” Marinette let herself be twirled by Adrien.

“ So can I have this dance? ” Adrien sang as the two teens slowed.

“ Can I have this dance?” Marinette booped his nose playfully as his hands came to rest on her hips and hers around his neck.

Adrien released Marinette breathlessly. He took a step backwards and fell to one knee. Raising his hand to take hers, he brought it to his lips.

“ Can I have this dance? ” He sang to her, really sang , with a note of finality. He kissed Marinette’s knuckles softly, finding immense joy when her entire face turned red and she giggled. The two stared at each other, lost in the other’s eyes, in a world of their own-

“THAT was adorable, you guys.” Alya cried, causing Adrien and Marinette to jump apart as Alya shut off her video camera.

“Wow, Adrien! I knew you were a total anime nerd, but High School Musical too? I never would have guessed!” Nino laughed, clapping his buddy on the back.

Adrien threw up his hands. “What can I say? I’m well rounded!”

“No, you’re a dork.” Giggled Marinette, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear, her blue eyes sparkling.

“Yeah, but you love me,” Adrien winked. Marinette rolled her eyes and scoffed in an attempt to hide the blush crossing her cheeks.

“Well, all this dancing has made me hungry.” Plagg stuck his head out of Alya’s bag. “Adrien. I need food. Now.” Tikki, Trixx, and Wayzz popped out of the bag, too, looking expectantly at their holders.

“Well,” Alya said, “How about the food court?”

Nino’s stomach rumbled before he could answer.

“I guess it’s settled then.” Marinette giggled.

“This is gonna be awesome! I’ve never been to a food court before!” Adrien’s excited smile faded away as he saw his friends incredulous expressions. “...what?”

“Have you even ever been to a mall, in general? ” Alya questioned.

“No? Why would I need to? All of my clothes come from my dad’s business, and my food made by my dad’s chef.” Adrien sighed. “Remember? Homeschooled my entire life? Never had friends except for Chloe?... any of this ringing a bell for you guys?”

“You’re childhood concerns me.” Nino continued in a totally serious tone. “From now on, I’m adopting you. You are my new son.”

“Does that mean you’re paying for my food?” Adrien asked hopefully.

Nino patted him on the head. “Of course not, son! That means you pay for my food! To the food court!”

Adrien stood with his eyes wide and mouth ajar in the center of the bustling mall, trying to take it all in; the kiosks, the restaurants, the people… this had to be one of the most magical places he had ever visited by far. Different smells beckoned him from all over the room. Adrien was half tempted to buy everything when Nino caught his eye.

“Adrien, I know that look. And no, you can not buy everything in the food court, not at the same time at least.”

Groaning, Adrien stuck out his arms and spun in a small circle, his head back as he tried to look at every store at once. “But there’s so many choices! What could I possibly get?”

“You could get me some cheese!” A muffled scream came, again, from Alya’s bag. The other kwamis followed suit and shouted their orders too, which Adrien tried to log mentally before shoving them away.

“Well, Adrien,” Marinette said helpfully, pointing out different stores. “Subway is a good one for a sandwich, they make the best ones… Oh, there’s Starbucks coffee, we’ll have to go there eventually… We could get crepes, burgers, pizza, pasta, what are you hungry for? Adrien… Adrien…” When she turned to the blonde, she realized he wasn’t listening. Instead, he and Nino were gazing dreamily at a small restaurant labeled “WAFFLE HOUSE”.

Alya and Marinette looked at each other with exasperated smiles on their faces. “Come on, boys.” Alya said, pulling them forwards by the elbows. “Let’s go get some waffles! Go crazy”

Nino and Adrien took the lead from there, letting their noses guide them as they practically ran towards the kiosk. The girls followed slower, stopping quickly at a few stands to get a cookie, a small cheese and meat slice (the looks they got from the kiosk workers were priceless ), and salad for their kwamis, who would be eating in Alya’s bag. They joined the boys in line, who were practically drooling with anticipation.

“So, do you know what you’re gonna get yet?” Marinette asked Nino, who was next to her. He shook his head, looking back at the over head menu, which displayed the different toppings and bases you could get on your waffle (in an almost buffet style way).

“I don’t know, there are so many different ways to go… I think for the waffle I might get chocolate chip, then some whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate syrup on top?”

Marinette nodded. “I like it… very classic, very aesthetic. What about you, Adrien?”

Adrien, who had been, again, glancing dreamily at the waffles shook his head. Looking back at the bluenette, he grinned. “Milady, I don’t get to do this much. Gorilla is finally out of the picture. So I’m getting as much syrup, sprinkles, berries, sauces, and whipped cream as I can get . I’m getting everything. Nobody can tell me I can’t.” He cracked his knuckles, causing a few of the people in line ahead of him to cringe and look backwards. Muttering a small apology, he chatted with Nino and Marinette until he reached the front of the line. After gesturing to Marinette to go ahead of him (who refused), he stepped up to the counter nervously.

“Sir, what would you like today?”

“I… um…” Adrien floundered, never having ordered his own food before. Thankfully Marinette noticed and stepped in.

“Hi! I can order until my friend makes up his mind!” She beamed brightly at him. Turning to the cash register, she said, “Could I have a chocolate waffle with bananas and chocolate syrup? And then my friend here would like…?”

Adrien shot his friend a grateful look, before standing up and pointing at different toppings on display. “Um… could I have a strawberry waffle with… that… and that… and that… and some of that… and more of that… and a bit of that, that and that in the corner there…”

The woman making his waffle looked at him in growing confusion, her eyebrows climbing higher and higher up towards her hairline as the order piled up. When Adrien finally stopped pointing out toppings and paid for his dish, his waffle was half a foot high and wobbled as Adrien carried it to a table where Marinette was already sitting. He sat down and rubbed his hands together excitedly. He had just lowered his head and took a heavenly bite of whipped cream and caramel syrup when he saw Marinette staring, her mouth ajar as her entire body shook with silent laughter.

“...What?” Adrien asked with his mouth full of food.

“Adrien, oh my gosh, you are my new favorite person,” Marinette cackled, pulling her phone out to snap a picture of the blonde and his enormous waffle. Alya and Nino, each holding their own plates, sat down, locked in their own conversation. “You guys,” she snorted, gesturing wildly to Adrien’s heaped plate. “ You can’t even see the waffle anymore , I’m crying, oh help!”

“When I said ‘Go crazy’ I didn’t mean… this!” Alya chuckled as Nino pounded the table, matching Marinette as he choked with laughter.

“Hey!” Adrien exclaimed, flushing a bit. “In my defense, I’m hungry and had to make up for fifteen years worth of no waffles!”

“Okay, okay, sorry bro, no judgement here,” Nino wiped his eyes and sat down, still giggling every once in a while. Marinette followed suit with her own apology, and together the friends started digging into their waffles.

After a few silent minutes as the friends stuffed themselves, Marinette finally spoke.

“Well,” the bluenette wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Where do you guys want to go after lunch?”

Adrien chewed thoughtfully. “Well, I picked up a map on the way in…” He dug it out of his pocket and laid it out on the table for everyone to see.

The mall layout was quite simple for such a large building. The food court was the central point, a large rectangular area that had four wings: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. Each wing had two floors, and had at least twenty stores a wing, with kiosks scattered throughout.

“I think we should just pick a wing and walk around. I’ve never been to this mall before, so I’m cool just exploring.” Nino said after a quick survey of the map. Nobody disagreed, so they headed for the opening of the Northwest wing.

The first couple of stores were cute little boutiques and shoe stores. Marinette gazed longingly at a “vacant” sign in front of an empty room, but except for a few jewelry stores, which Marinette and Alya ran into excitedly for about five minutes each, there wasn’t much on the bottom floor. The teens rode up the escalator, onto the second floor. What they saw as the second floor came into view took their breath away.

On their right a few stores down, a massive red and black store stood out from all the rest. The neon sign above read, “Miraculous Outfitters”. A steady stream of people entered and exited the store.

“Okay, we HAVE to go in here!” Alya grabbed Marinette’s hand and the two girls took off running. Nino and Adrien looked at each other and grinned, following the girls lead.

“Alya... this place!” Marinette cried as she entered the building to see Ladybug, Cat Noir, Queen Bee, Carapace, and Rena Rouge themed merchandise. “Did you know about this?!”

Alya shook her head, her eyes starry as she stared at a Rena Rouge themed phone case. “I heard they were thinking of making a place like this in a mall, but I’ve been so busy with the Ladyblog and my other… uh… projects, I haven’t had time to investigate.

The boys caught up and stood behind the girls, observing the store wide eyed and bouncing with excitement.

“Okay, I have an idea.” Adrien put on his best authoritative voice. “We’ll split up; we’ll cover more ground that way. Me and Marinette-” He threw his arm around the girl, drawing her close to his side, “-will take the left side, you and Alya take the right! We’ll meet up later!”

Alya smirked. “Alright, kitten, but if you try anything with my best friend…” Alya winked at the blushing pair in front of her.

“I could say the same to you! Nino, if she tries anything, call me right away, okay?”

“And Marinette-”
“OOOOOooon that note, we will see you guys later!” Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand and began tugging him away. Marinette shoved the blonde into the nearest isle, which was full of action figures.

“You want to look at any action figures?”

“Sure, but I already have them all.” Adrien said absentmindedly, fingering a Stoneheart figure. It took him a second to realize what he said, and when he had, Marinette was already looking at him with an expression on her face that said “you are the cutest person in the world” and “you are the weirdest person in the world”, simultaneously.

Or, at least, that’s what Adrien got out of it.

“Wow, really? Even the… Ladybug one?” She whipped the tiny plastic version of herself off the shelves.

“No collection would be complete without you, milady.” He said in a sultry tone and winked. Marinette rolled her eyes and held up a Puppeteer doll.

“That’s exactly what she thought, minou. Sure your not still under her control?” She asked innocently.

“...Touche.” Adrien said while forcing a smile, wilting a bit. He hated the akumas that could control him, and every reminder made him cringe to remember the times he had almost cataclysmed the love of his life…

“Hey,” Marinette, noticing his attitude change, touched his cheek softly. ‘I’m just playing around.” She left her hand on his cheek for a second, their eyes locked. She had the sudden urge to lean in, but fought the temptation. Not in the middle of the store! Besides, he might not even like you! She scolded herself. Instead, she grabbed his arm and linked her’s through his, looking up at him brightly. “Let’s check out the next isle.”

Adrien smiled softly at her. “Sounds like a plan, Princess.”

The next isle consisted of  supplies for anybody who wanted to through a superhero themed birthday party. Balloons, birthday hats wrapping paper, “WISHING YOU A MIRACULOUS BIRTHDAY” cards and signs, plastic rings, necklaces, hair combs, wristbands, and clip on earrings for party favors… It was a rather impressive assortment.

Adrien got Marinette to giggle when he put on a party favor mask of Ladybug and said, “Hey look! Now I can be beautiful, too!”

Marinette promptly shoved a Cat Noir mask on herself and flipped her dark hair, fluttering her eyelashes. “Don’t I look meow velous? That cat’s pajamas? Paw sitively purrfect?”

The only thing stopping Adrien from melting into a puddle of goo was a little girl of maybe six that stood next to him, looking up at him shyly. She mumbled something, shifting on her feet and twirling a small part of the pink tutu she was wearing.

Marinette smiled kindly and crouched down. “What was that, honey?”

The little girl looked around, then spoke up a bit louder. “Picture?” She asked in a young, high voice, shyly holding up a small camera she had, the string tied around her wrist.

Looking back at Adrien, Marinette’s hand went to her heart and her mouth made a small ‘o’; this little girl was too cute for words!

“Of course!” Adrien smiled and kneeled next to the young girl, taking the camera softly from her. “What’s your name?”

The little girl blushed and twirled her tutu again. “Celine!” She shouted, excited to be confident in her answer.

“Alright, Celine, can you sit on my knee right here? Then Cat Noir can come stand behind us and hold the camera!” Adrien instructed in a bright voice to the little blonde. She obliged happily, and Adrien gave Marinette the camera.

“Celine, who’s your favorite superhero?” Adrien asked while Marinette positioned the camera.

“Ladybug!” Celine shouted again, pointing at Adrien’s mask. While Marinette felt her heart melt to the floor, Adrien was generating a master plan. For the meantime, however, he turned to Marinette and said, “Everyone strike a pose and say, ‘Ladybug!’”

“Ladybug!” The three said in unison, Celine’s squeaky voice standing out above Marinette and Adrien’s deeper tones. Once the photo was taken, Celine hopped off Adrien’s knee.

“Thank you thank you thank you thank you!” Celine turned a very bright red, before darting in to kiss Adrien on the cheek. Giggling, she sprinted away, yelling, “Maman! Papa!”

Marinette dissolved into laughter as she looked at her partner’s confused expression. “Wow, kitten. Someone is in high demand with the ladies these days!”

Adrien shook off some of his shock. “Well, as long as I’m in your demand, I think I can manage.” He winked, lightly wiping his cheek where Celine had kissed him.

Marinette looked down the hallway to where the little blonde girl had ran off. “She was so cute… I kind of wish I got a picture for us!”

Adrien tapped his chin thoughtfully. A mischievous grin spread over his face. He looked at his partner with glee. “Well, milady… I think I have an idea of how we can get one…”

“OH MY GOSH! LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR ARE HERE! IN THE STORE!”

Alya and Nino jumped, looking at each other in alarm as a shrill voice sounded the isle down.

“Akuma?!” Nino lunged for his phone, expecting to see it blowing up with text messages and news coverage alerts, but instead he got a single text.

ADRIEN: Hey, bro, we met a super cute little kid and were inspired to host a lil meet n greet inside the store! Make sure Alya covers this with her camera, cover for us! Thanks bro!

“Nino? What’s going on?” Alya looked over his shoulder. Her tense shoulders relaxed as she read the message, snorting slightly and shaking her head in exasperation. “Wow, of course they just had to have a meet and greet right in the middle of the mall.”

“Well, Adrien said it’s for a kid or something… and as the head Ladybug fan, shouldn’t you be covering this?”

Alya hummed. “Good point. Let’s go make them as uncomfortable as super humanly possible.”

Nino fist bumped her. “And this is why I love you.”

Alya switched on her phone, plastering on an excited face. She switched on her camera to front view and turning on a live stream.

“Hey, Ladybloggers, we are live! Alya here, inside of Miraculous Outfitters, where two of our heros are hanging out with a couple of their fans! Come on!”

Alya dashed towards the front area of the store, where there was a larger open space. Ladybug and Cat Noir stood in the middle of the throng of people, taking selfies and signing autographs and talking with people. They were trying to get everybody to stand in a line, and the cash registers looks a little bit overwhelmed. Alya fought her way up to the front of the group.

“Hey, Ladybug and Cat Noir! It’s me, Alya! What brings you to ‘Miraculous Outfitters’, today?”

Cat Noir smiled. “Alya, nice to see you again! Well, we were in the area, and heard about this amazing store, so of course we just had to stop bye!”

Ladybug beamed. “That’s right! Although… it’s a bit chaotic in here.”

“You seem like a good photographer.” Cat Noir said, blinking innocently as he signed a young man’s notebook. “Why don’t you have your dashing friend in the red hat hold your live stream for you, and you could help take pictures for us?” Cat Noir winked saucily at Nino, who had to bite his lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

Alya tapped her chin, as if she had to think about it. “Sure! On one condition-”

“No we won’t tell you our identities.” Ladybug interrupted, the irony of the situation almost causing her to crack, but she held the charade.

“Okay, okay, I didn’t think that would work… How about an interview? I ask you one question for each person who needs photos?”

Ladybug and Cat Noir didn’t even spare each other a glance. They could read each other’s body language so well one would think they were telepathic.

“Sounds purr fect!” Cat Noir drawled, causing a couple of young teenage girls near the back to swoon. Ladybug definitely wasn’t eyeing the girls suspiciously as Nino took over Alya’s live stream and a line was formed, leading to the two heros. And so, the system began: Alya was ask a question, Ladybug or Cat Noir would answer in between chatting with their fans, and Nino kept up an interesting commentary.

“Cat Noir, how old are you?”

“Yep, not telling you that.”

“Okay fine.”

**CLICK**

“Ladybug, which akuma scared you the most?”

“Oh, either Timebreaker or Zombizou. I mean seriously, both were terrifying; one could suck the life out of you, and the other turned you into a kissing obsessed zombie? No thanks!”

“Well put!”

**CLICK**

Once Alya ran out of questions off of the top of her head, she let a few other fans ask questions. Most questions Ladybug and Cat Noir could not answer, of course, but they were still excited to be involved.

A few questions in a balding man in his forties asked, “How do you find the strength to push through life, despite the challenges?”

Ladybug answered. “There are always going to be difficulties in life. Learning to look on the positive side and being thankful for what you have really helps, especially on a bad day. And hey,” she winked at the man. “Cookies and ice cream always help too!”

The man smiled, shook the heroes hands, got an autograph on a Cat Noir themed drawstring bag, and retreated to the corner of the store. Cat Noir’s eyes followed as the man leaned down to a young boy of around eleven in a wheelchair, who clutched the bag excitedly, thrashing slightly in his seat as he whooped with excitement.

“Bugaboo, I’ll be right back.” Cat leaned into Ladybug’s ear and whispered, breaking from the crowd and approaching the man and his son.

“Hi!” Cat Noir waved, stepping up to. The young boy, who had freckles and red hair, stared at the hero in awe, clutching the drawstring bag even tighter. The father smiled at the hero, tears starting to fill his tired eyes as he introduced his son.

“Hello, again! This is my son, Matthieu. My name is Theo.”

Cat Noir kneeled next to the wheelchair. “Hey, Matthieu! My name is Cat Noir!”

“I know! I can’t believe you're actually here on my birthday!”

“Woah, no way! That’s pawsome! How old are you turning?”

“Eleven!”

Cat Noir reached over to ruffle the young boy’s red hair. “Wow, you’re practically a grown man by now! What are you doing to celebrate?”

Matthieu’s smile fell a bit. “Well, I invited my whole class over for a birthday party, but none of them could make it today… But I got to go to the mall and meet my favorite superhero, so it all works out!” He ended with a fist pump. Cat Noir could feel his heart breaking for the boy, however, and couldn’t resist adding one more thing.

“Well, next year, I would love to come to your birthday party. Maybe I could bring Ladybug, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee with me, too?”

Theo’s eyes freely started to water at the hero’s offer, hiding his face below his eyes with his hands. Matthieu’s jaw dropped, before he lunged half out of the chair to give Cat Noir the biggest hug he could.

“Yes yes yes yes!” Matthieu cried into the black leather suit, shaking with joy. Cat Noir smiled and hugged him back, then helped him get resettled in his chair.

“I’m going to give you something special, okay?” Cat Noir said seriously. Matthieu nodded fervently. Cat Noir looked both ways, as if looking for spies, then turned back to the red head. “This is the phone number for my staff.” He scribbled a note on a piece of autograph paper, handing it to the young boy. “Don’t let anybody but you and your dad see it. Make sure you give me a call if you need anything, okay? I might not always be able to respond, but I’ll make sure I try my hardest.”

Matthieu nodded his head, carefully folding the paper and sliding it into his drawstring bag. He continued shyly. “One more thing… Could I take a selfie with you?”

Cat Noir smiled and obliged, making his signature peace sign pose into the camera with Matthieu. He big the boy and his father farewell with a hug and a handshake. Theo was so moved he couldn’t speak; all he could do was choke out his thanks and shake the hero’s hand firmly. Finally, as Theo wheeled his son through the store towards the exit, Matthieu turned slightly in his chair to look back at the waving hero.

“BYE! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!” He cried, oblivious to the tears now running freely down his father’s face.

Cat Noir waved until the father and son were out of sight.

Cat Noir turned back to the small line and group of people, back to Ladybug, who was looking at him with an expression he could only dream to call affection. He rejoined his Lady, easing in besides her as they took pictures and answered questions.

“Kitten, that was amazing.” Ladybug muttered quietly as they posed for a picture with a few mothers and their children.

Cat Noir shook his head. “It wasn’t amazing, it was my job as a human being.”

Ladybug smiled softly. She leaned her head against his discreetly as Nino filmed and Alya took photos on everybody’s phones. “You’re a great guy, Cat.” She closed her eyes, her hair brushing his neck. “You’re such a great, amazing, caring, loving guy. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner and friend.”

Cat Noir squeezed her in a quick hug. They posed for a few more pictures until Cat realized Ladybug getting tired. Of course; Adrien was used to doing this for hours at a time. Marinette, however? Not so much.

At his signal, Alya announced, “Okay everyone, this is the last question, sorry, but our heroes have other things to do!”

The group of giggling girls from a while ago approached. After a quick picture (in which Ladybug was all but forgotten as the girls crowded suspiciously close to Cat Noir), the bravest of the girls asked their question through her giggles:

“Cat Noir, are you single?”
Immediately people started whispering and laughing. Ladybug tried so desperately hard not to become territorial (seeing how well that worked out with Lila) but thankfully Cat took the situation gracefully.

“Eh… it’s a work in progress.” He leaned over to Ladybug and kissed her hand, eyeing her in a playful and completely serious tone at the same time. Ladybug didn’t know what to do, so she just smiled and patted his head as the teen girls bounced away, looking disappointed, but ready to move on to their next celebrity crush.

Alya scowled. “Well, that was a total waste of a question! I have a better one. Ladybug, here is my final question before we let you guys go: what were your first thoughts on being a hero?”

Ladybug hesitated. She turned to face Alya and continued honestly. “I was terrified and thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. I almost quit, to be honest. I didn’t think I would be… strong enough, or fast enough, or coordinated enough.” Ladybug let out a small chuckle. The entire store was watching her now, shushing each other to hear the Miraculous Ladybug speak of her personal trials. “The public sees me as a strong, brave, perfect heroine. The truth is, I’m only human. Sure I have magic powers, an amazing team, and the best partner I could ever dream of… But I make mistakes. I’m not perfect. I was terrified before I committed to my… calling as a hero. But I’m working to improve myself to keep Paris safe.” Ladybug took a long breath in and out, then looked directly into Nino’s camera. “That’s my promise, Alya. I might not be perfect, but as long as Paris needs me, I won’t stop trying.”

One could have heard a pin drop, it was so silent. Then, all at once, applause echoed through the crowd. Ladybug turned to see her partner with a confused and awed expression.

“I’ll tell you later,” she whispered to him. Turning to the crowd, she said in a louder voice, “Thank you so much for your time!” With that, she sprinted away.

Cat Noir turned to Alya and Nino, speaking quieter than his partner had. “Well, random citizens, I will not see you again for a long time. Especially not at the North West wing opening of the second floor. That would be a clawful meeting place.” He winked, then turned and followed his partner.

Alya smiled at her boyfriend. “Our friends are awesome, aren’t they?”

Nino grinned and linked friends with his girl friend. “Yes they are, Alya. Yes they are.”

Together, they headed for the North West Wing, enjoying one another’s company as the strolled down the hallways in search of their friends.

Chapter Text

Five minutes later, Adrien and Marinette came running down the hall in Alya and Nino’s direction.

“Hey!” Adrien said, a bit too loudly to be causal. “Sorry it took us so long, we got lost!”

“Yeah, totally lost!” Marinette added. Alya shook her head and grinned.

“Okay, you guys, that was totally awesome but… really? You just had to transform in the middle of the mall? I thought today was your day off?”

Adrien shrugged, a carefree smile brightening his features. “We saw this adorable little kid in the party supplies section, and when she asked for a picture-”

“We had Ladybug and Cat Noir Masks on.”

“-she looked so happy, we wanted others to feel the same!”

The two beamed at Alya, who chuckled. “What Hallmark movie did you pop out of?”

“You guys are too precious for this world,” Nino added, shaking his head.

“We’re heroes; keeping people happy is our job!” Marinette turned from the group and examined the stores in front of her. Her eyes froze suddenly, and the bluenette tensed up. Adrien was about to ask what was wrong when she grabbed Alya’s arm, making a sudden dash from the group with a wild look in her eyes. “ALYA! WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!”

“Marinette! Where are we going!” Alya stumbled as she was dragged off by her best friend, confused at the sudden burst of energy.

“NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! I JUST SAW THE BEST THING AND WE HAVE TO TRY THEM ON NOW!” Marinette didn’t stop as she answered, digging her fingers in tightly to Alya’s arm and running faster.

When Marinette finally stopped, the girls stood outside of a small store with two dresses on display in the display case.

“ Stella’s Dress Boutique ?” Alya read aloud. Marinette nodded excitedly as the boys approached from behind.

“This place had a contest a few months ago for dress designs, and I entered a few designs just because, why not?” Marinette spoke quickly, tugging on her hair. Her eyes never left the blue and gold dress on the far right of the display case. “The announcement said that they would pick five designs, and that dress would be manufactured and sold!”

Nino nodded slowly. “So… did you win?”

“That’s the thing; they never called me to tell me if I won or not, so I always just assumed I didn’t. But…” Marinette skipped to the glass and pressed her hand against it, biting her lip with excitement. “This is my design!”

“Nice!” Adrien and Nino cried, examining the dress for themselves. The neckline was sweetheart style, with gold lace wrapping around the sleeveless halter top. At the waist the gold was met with a floor level, billowy, deep blue skirt. Gold leaves and flowers flowed from the waist at different lengths onto the skirt.

“Wow, Marinette! How long did it take for you to come up with this design?” Adrien asked.

“Oh, about a week,” Marinette replied casually. At her friend’s awestruck expressions, she hastily continued, “Of course I didn’t actually sew it, I didn’t have the right materials. I only designed it.”

“So… you haven’t tried it on yet,” Alya asked, a smile growing on her face. Marinette shook her head. Alya rolled up her sleeves dramatically and pushed on her glasses authoritatively. “Well, we are marching right in there to try it on and get credit for it. Let’s go!”

Adrien looked at Nino while the girls disappeared. Adrien scratched his neck, reading the sign. “Any chance we can sneak away and go check out the arcade over by the pretzel stand?”

Nino sighed. Plagg popped his head out of the hat (how did he get there?) and said, “Yeah, let’s go check out the food court again! Who cares about dresses, let’s get food!”

A small pink hand phased through the hat and dragged him back. Tikki’s head popped out seconds later.

“Adrien, she worked on that dress a long time. You want to win her over, you go into that store, right now.” Tikki ordered sternly. She vanished to leave  Adrien stammering in surprise and embarrassment.

“Bro, am I that obvious?” Adrien asked his buddy. Nino smirked and folded his arms.

“You could paint a billboard that said ‘I love Marinette’ and it would be less obvious, dude.”

Adrien groaned and buried his head in his hands. “Let’s just go inside, before I die of embarrassment.”

A muffled voice said, “Your welcome!” from inside of the hat as the boys walked into the brightly lit store.

The first thing that hit Adrien was the smell. The interior smelled like at least four different perfumes had been sprayed, all different and diverse, yet mingling perfectly. A dark middle-aged woman in glasses looked over from behind the counter, where Alya and Marinette were standing.

“Hello, boys!” The woman called, gesturing the closer with two fingers. “My name is Jade, welcome to Stella’s Dress Boutique! Anything I can help you with?”

“Oh, um, we came with these to ladies right here, actually!” Adrien responded. Nino nodded helpfully. Jade’s welcoming smile grew mischievous.

“Oh, I see! Getting ready for formal and wanted to get here before the crowds did? Smart thinking, smart thinking!” Jade winked at the teens, who turned a bit red each.

“Actually, ma’am, we’re just looking today!” Marinette said.

“Well, why didn’t you just say so! What are you looking for?”

“Well, that dress in the display case? That’s the design I submitted for the design contest from a few months back.”

Jade paused and looked at the bluenette curiously. “Really?”
Marinette nodded, digging her sketch pad out of Alya’s bag. “It’s right here!”

The woman compared the design and the dress for a few minutes, her eyebrows furrowing. Finally, she looked up and smiled. “The entry for that came in this dress wasn’t signed, so we didn’t know who to give credit to. Here, follow me, sugar. What did you say your name was?”

Marinette and Jade walked away, leaving Adrien, Alya, and Nino alone. Alya scanned her surroundings, leaving to check out the price tag of a red sweater dress.

“Come on, guys, help me pick out a few dresses to try on!” Alya called, disappearing further and further into the store. Adrien and Nino shot each other a look, but followed Tikki’s advice and agreed.

Fifteen minutes later Marinette reappeared, holding a small plastic card and a dress bag. She explained to the boys, who had stuck together for their own sanity, that she had won a five hundred dollar gift card towards buying a dress (other than her own design, of course). Marinette planned on keeping the money until “the right time”, but still wanted to try on the dress she had designed. The trio reunited with Alya, and the girls disappeared off into the dressing room, each holding three dresses each.

“So…” Nino tapped his fingers against his leg, shifting awkwardly outside of the girl’s dressing rooms. “Want to go to the arcade for a few minutes while the girls try the dresses on?”

Adrien sighed in relief. “More than anything.” Leaning towards the door, Adrien spoke loud enough for the girls to hear. “Mari, Alya, Nino and I are going to the arcade for a bit while you get dressed, okay? Unless, of course, you want to let me in, milady?”
“Nice try, kitty!” Marinette’s voice was muffled through the door. “We’ll text you when you can come back!”

“As you wish, my lady!” He turned to Nino. “Dude, come on! We’re free!” Nino cheered quietly, and the boys bumped fists.

“We heard that!” Two feminine voices sounded from inside. Smirking at one another, the boys ran from the shop.

Adrien immediately groaned, shaking his blonde head to clear it. “Is that what it’s like shopping with girls? Has Alya ever made you do that before?”

Nino cringed as the boys walked in the direction of the arcade. “Only once, and it was the worst day of my life. I love her, so it was worth it, but we were at the store for six… hours…”

Adrien's jaw dropped. “Wow, she must have gotten quite a lot, then!”

“No! She didn’t buy anything !” Nino gesture wildly at the memory. “Can you believe it? Six hours and she couldn’t find anything she liked!”

“Dude, I am so glad we aren’t girls,” Adrien shook his head in disbelief and disgust as they opened the door to the arcade.

Adrien and Nino’s jaw dropped in unison as identical smiles grew on their faces.

“Wooooow…” The boys said, eyes starry at the assortment of arcade games, dance pads, claw machines, and booths. They turned to each other with wicked grins, before dashing off in opposite directions; Nino to the ticket booth, Adrien to the claw machines.

After loading up on tickets, Nino headed to a row of boxy games. Wayzz’s peeked out of the bottom of his chosen’s hat.

“Nino, that one looks fun!” He gestured with a small flipper towards a racing game. Nino sat down and put a ticket into the game. He pressed the button, and the machine rumbled.

“Oh, yeah…” Nino cracked his knuckles, sitting in the low seat, rolling his shoulders and getting comfortable in the faded leather of the chair. Wayzz phased out of the hat to settle on Nino’s lap.

“Wayzz! What are you doing out here! Get back to safety-”

Wayzz waved him off, an exhilarated look on his small green face. “No one can see me, and if they do, they’ll just think I’m a toy from a claw game. Let’s drive!”

Nino smirked fondly down at his little kwami. “Alright buddy,” Nino said, rubbing the kwami’s head with a finger before placing his hands on the wheel and punching the start button. “Let’s hit the road!”

Adrien, meanwhile, had gone straight to the claw machines with one mission in mind: Win something for Marinette. Just like in the movies.

“Really, kid?” Plagg popped out of Adrien’s shirt, rolling his eyes at his chosen. “Is this how you plan on declaring your love for her? A stuffed animal?”

“Hey!” Adrien said defensively, pointing to the machine. “It could work! They do this all the time in the movies!”

“Yeah, but isn’t the girl usually there to see the guy win her the toy?”

“...Touche.”

Adrien put a quarter into the machine and hit the play button, his eye on a small orange and white tabby kitten toy with bright blue eyes.

Plagg popped out of Adrien’s shirt once again and stared disdainfully at the blonde. “Really, Adrien? Getting her a stuffed cat? Isn’t that a bit straightforward?”

Adrien ignored him, instead directing the claw directly above the animal. “I can do this, I can do this…” he muttered, positioning the claw perfectly. When he had it right where he wanted it, he held the joystick and was about to press his thumb down-

“Adrien, I’m hungry!” Plagg yelled in the blonde’s ear. Adrien squawked, accidentally jerking the control and launching the claw. It dropped, missing the cat by an inch. He threw his hands up in frustration and glared at the sniggering kwami.

“Plagg!” Adrien exclaimed. “I was so close!”

“Yeah, but I’m hungry!” Plagg retorted. “How about some food right now!”

“No! I’m trying to win this toy for Mari! You can have some cheese later!”

“Adrien?” Plagg’s tone grew threatening, his eyes narrowing and glowing brighter than usual. “If you don’t give me some cheese, right now, I guarantee, as the literal embodiment of bad luck, that you will never, and I mean NEVER get that toy. Or Marinette to love you.”

Adrien felt a literal wave of cold wash over him. The hairs on his arms raised as goosebumps formed. The blonde was taken aback by his kwami’s threat; usually Plagg, while gluttonous and lazy, was usually pretty easygoing.

“Alright, alright, take your cheese, you pig.” Adrien dug a piece of clear wrapped cheese out of his pocket. He handed it to Plagg and winced as the kwami took it in one gulp. “I don’t even think you can make Marinette fall in or out of love with men… can you?”

Plagg snorted and shrugged, smacking his lips. “Of course I can’t. I just wanted my cheese, and I knew that would hit a hotspot.”

“Well it worked, and now I need to pay again for another shot…”

Adrien inserted another coin and tried his luck again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

“Plagg are you sure your bad luck isn’t interfering with this machine?” Adrien snapped at the kwami as the crane missed the cat for the nineteenth time.

The kwami burped. “You know these things are rigged, Adrien! You probably just need to try one more time.”

Adrien shot the black cat a suspicious look before directing the crane over the cat one last time.

“If I don’t get it this time, I’m going to cataclysm this machine,” Adrien growled. He held the joystick tightly, his finger over the button. After a few seconds hesitation, he pressed the button.

Down, down, down, the crane reached. It closed around the cat’s back, hoisting it up a few inches. Adrien almost cried with relief, until the claw slipped, giving Adrien a heart attack. The claw just barely caught the cat again by the neck, and Adrien sighed in a rather undignified way. The claw carried it to the small pick-up area. Squatting down to grab the animal out of the machine, Adrien whooped in triumph, straightening to smirk at the game.

“What’s that, claw machine? You thought you were tough? You thought you could keep me from this toy? Hah.” Adrien smirked, raising his eyebrows as if he were trash talking a contender on the basketball court, and not an arcade game. “You can try, but I’m Adrien Agreste. No stupid machine can keep me from winning! I play Adrien style, booyah!”

Grinning, Adrien turned to find Nino; but he didn’t need to. Nino stood in front of him with his cellphone camera raised, his eyes burning with mirth, biting his lip to keep from exploding with laughter. Adrien froze. Crud… he just filmed me talking… to a claw machine.

“Ni- Nino?!” Adrien spluttered. “How… how long have you been standing there?!”

Nino cackled, still holding the phone. “Oh, the past five minutes.”

“Nino!” Adrien sprang at his best friend, lunging madly for the phone with one hand and holding the cat with another. “You better delete that video right now!”

“No way dude! This is gold!” The dark haired boy held the still filming phone out of the blonde’s reach, dashing towards the exit. “I’m sending this to Marineeeette!” He called in a sing-song voice, sprinting towards the dress boutique and waving his phone.

“NINO!” Adrien shrieked. “YOU SEND THAT TO MARINETTE AND I WILL PERSONALLY SKIN YOU ALIVE!”

“Oh! I’m so scared!” Nino cackled as the dress store came in to view. Nino put on a final burst of speed and disappeared into the store with Adrien right on his tail. Adrien was about to catch his friend when a small group of girls moved across his path, forcing Adrien to pause and fall behind. Once Adrien got past the group (all giggling about how cute he was), Adrien sprinted straight towards the entryway.

Adrien burst through the door, causing a few girls to jump. Nodding in apology, Adrien headed straight to the girls’ dressing rooms.

“Nino?” Adrien called. “Alya? Marinette?”

The woman behind the counter, Jade, approached him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Your friends are in the mirror room, honey!”

“Oh… um, where’s the mirror room, ma’am?”

“Right back here, follow me, sugar.” Jade led him to a door with a small mirror on it. “Right through there, your friends are in the second room to the left. Oh, and by the way.” Jade winked at him. “That girl, Marinette… she’s a keeper. You want to keep her? Fight for her.” With a wiggle of her eyebrows, she left him blushing by the door.

Shaking his head to clear his blush, Adrien looked at the mirror on the door, trying to get himself in control.

Alright, Adrien. Everyone keeps thinking you and Marinette are dating, and that’s okay. Gonna go see milady in a prom dress. Gotta keep it together. Can’t embarrass myself. Keep. It. Together .

He took a breath and pushed open the door. He walked down the hall, then knocked on the door.

“Nino? Alya, Marinette? You guys in here?” He called through the door.

“Yeah!” Alya called. “I’ll get the door!”

Alya opened the door a few seconds later, wearing a sparkly silver gown with a leg slit. It had only one sleeve on the right shoulder, and the silver sequins caused the entire dress to shimmer as she moved.

“Wow, Alya! I love the dress! It really looks good on you!” Adrien complimented.

“Aw, thanks, Adrien!” Alya spun a bit, showing off the twirl in the skirt. “You have excellent taste!”

“Of course I do!” Adrien flipped his imaginary locks. “I’m a model; of course I picked up a  fashion taste!”

“Whatever you say, buddy,” Alya sniggered.

“Hey! Look what the cat dragged in!” Nino called from behind Alya. Adrien leaned over his friend’s shoulder to yell at Nino when he saw her.

Her back was towards him, and Adrien could see dark hair flowing down her back, free from their pigtails. Her hair swished as she turned to look at him, the beautiful smile on her face making her blue eyes seem to sparkle that much more. There Marinette stood, in the dress crafted and designed perfectly to fit the girl’s body type and style. It sparkled and swayed as the girl approached, turning the teenage girl in front of him into the only thing he knew how to see.

“Uh…..”

Adrien was completely floored, and didn’t realize he had been staring until Nino waved a hand in front of his face. Shaking his head, Adrien cleared his throat, refocusing on his slightly blushing partner. Maybe he wasn’t the only one freaking out.

“Wow, Marinette! You look beautiful!” The blonde stammered, ignoring the pounding impulse to kiss the goddess standing before him.

“Aw, thanks kitty!” Marinette’s to the orange tabby toy in Adrien’s hands. “What’s that?”

“Oh, this?” Adrien fumbled with the toy, hastily raising it, nearly hitting his partner with it in his attempt. Adrien shyly held it up, not looking unlike a child offering a flower to a schoolgirl crush. “I, uh, won it for you! At the arcade!”

Marinette’s face melted a little bit, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ of surprise and affection. “Aw, Adrien, thanks!” She took it from him, cupping her hands around his. With a small smile, Adrien dropped it into her hands.

“Hey, Nino?” Alya nudged her boyfriend, half expectant and half sarcastic. “What did you win me?”

A wicked grin spread over Nino’s face. “Something much better than a stuffed animal… I got a video.”

Adrien groaned while Marinette and Alya glanced at each other in confusion.

“... Okay, a video of what?”

“A video of the most famous teen model on this side of the Seine… trash talking a claw machine.”

Adrien flushed as the girls roared with laughter, clutching their chests when they imagined their favorite blonde friend trying to one-up an inanimate object. For some reason, it seemed entirely plausible.

“Hey! No! Don’t show them, Nino!”

Nino’s only reply was an evil grin, before whipping out his phone and pressing “play”. The girls watched the screen in curiosity. Adrien, however, sat on a bench as far away as he could from the group and buried his red face in his hands. He peeked out of his fingers at the walls of the room. The walls were covered in mirrors. His position stopped Adrien from seeing anything more than his own flushing figure. Deciding he would rather not see himself in his current state, he closed his eyes and groaned.

“Ninoooooooooo!”

“What?! This is comedy gold right here! Stop complaining!” Nino chided, his eyes still not leaving the screen as he held it up for the girls to see.

Although Adrien was too far away to hear, he could tell they had reached the trash talk part when the girls started snorting once again.

“Wow, Adrien.” Alya snickered.

Marinette shook her head, grinning as the video ended. “Adrien, you dork, I love it.”

Adrien was opening his mouth to retort (undoubtedly with a stupid pickup line) when a knock was heard on the door.

“You kids done in there?” Jade’s voiced called through the door. “I have a few customers lined up out here.”

“Okay, thank you!” Nino called. “We’ll be out in a minute!” He rose from the bench he and the girls were sitting on, dusting off his pants and shoving his phone back into his pocket. “Come on, bro. Let’s wait outside.”

Adrien gave his best friend a withering glare. “Why? So you can videotape me doing something stupid again?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

“... okay.”

With that, the boys left the girls to get dressed. A few minutes later the girls joined them, longingly staring at the dresses as they put them back on the shelves. Adrien sneakily took a picture of the dresses for any future need (not that he could think of any at the moment), and the friends were off.

For the next few hours, the teens occupied themselves in the various different stores around the mall. Marinette dashed into every fabric store she could, coming out with at least one roll of fabric each store. Adrien, ever the gentleman, willingly held her bags for her. Every time he dropped one on accident or fumbled, she offered to get him a small cart to push. Every time he smiled and said determinedly, “Shopping carts are for the weak! And I, milady, am not weak.”

Eventually, after he almost dropped the entire load into a fountain, he agreed to put the bluenette’s purchases in shopping bags.

After hours of strenuous searching, Nino found the perfect replacement headphones; meaning they were exactly the same as his old pair, but both ears worked. Exchanging the working for the broken, Nino posed for Alya who took plenty of pictures. Marinette bought Adrien a pair of earbuds. They were perfect for slipping into long sleeves, something Adrien needed for long sleeved photoshoots that quickly got boring.

“Marinette, I have plenty of money! I’m perfectly able to buy something for myself!” Adrien protesting, whipping out his wallet and stepping forward at the cash register of the store. She sidestepped him and stopped right in front of him, cash already in hand.

“No way, kitty cat. This is my gift to you. Accept it.” She said with finality, not letting Adrien carry the conversation any longer. She grinned cheekily, sending Adrien’s heart fluttering when she bopped him on the nose. “You hold my bags? You get paid. Serves you right for being such a gentleman.”

“Anything for you, milady.” Adrien sheepishly accepted the earbuds and shoved them in his pocket. Soon after Adrien tried returning the favor… but it didn’t exactly work out the way he had planned.

“Adrien, I know you’re trying to return the favor, but no.”

"What if I bought it for you!"

"I won't wear it!"

"Why not?!"

"Adrien, no offense, I refuse to wear three hundred dollar custom Cat Noir footie pajamas!"

"Why?!"

"It's too expensive!"

"But Marinette! You would look like..."

"Don't you dare say it-"

"The cat's pajamas!"

".... Don't ever talk to me ever again."

“Marineeettee!”

“As cute and sickening as this is,” Alya interrupted, physically standing in between the bickering couple. “The mall is closing soon, so we should probably get going. Closing in twenty minutes, and we still need to hit up the photo booth and candy store. Speaking of, the big candy place is right next door. Come on!”

Alya grabbed Nino in one hand and Marinette in the other. Marinette grabbed Adrien’s wrist on instinct, dragging him along with her as she was pulled by Alya herself. Marinette didn’t even realize what she had done until Adrien wrapped his hand more firmly around hers. When she looked back to see him smiling warmly at her, wiggling his eyebrows, she stuck her tongue out, yet intertwined their fingers all the same.

Ten minutes later the friends emerged from the candy store, weighed down all sorts of candy: calissons , nougat, caramel, taffy, chocolate, and American candies like Skittles, M&Ms, licorice, and Reese’s. Popping the candies into their mouths, Alya, Adrien, Nino, and Marinette sprinted over to a small photo booth.

“Alright kids! Everybody in!” Alya called, inserting a few euros into the machine while her friends crammed themselves onto the two-person seat. Alya awkwardly squeezed into the middle and selected a simple blue frame.

“The detailed frames take up more space,” she explained when Adrien complained. “Now, everybody, look into the camera! Say, miraculous!”

“...Alya, that was worse than Adrien.”

“Hey!”
“I SAID SMILE!”

CLICK

Adrien dropped Marinette and Alya off first at the Dupain-Cheng’s house. He stood awkwardly, rubbing his neck as Marinette fidgeted in her purse for a house key. Looking at Alya, he made eye connection and jerked his head towards the car. Alya caught his message with a small smirk, which she quickly wiped from her features.

Alya leaned over to her best friend and whispered, “I think I left something with Nino, I’ll be right back.” She didn’t stick around to see Marinette nod, going straight to her boyfriend’s window to lean in and say goodnight.

Adrien watched Marinette digging in her purse

“What?”

Adrien was snapped out of his trance. Marinette stared up at him, her face scrunched up. “Is there something on my face?”

Every single pickup line Adrien had ever learned (and committed to memory for a time like this) deserted him, so he choked out the safest answer he could: “Uh, no?”

Marinette hummed suspiciously, raising her hands to rub her face. “That sounded more like a question to me. Where is it?”

Adrien grabbed her hands away from her face. “No, there is nothing on your face, Bugaboo. Cat’s honor!” He saluted Marinette dramatically with one hand, still holding the other. The two stared at the hand together for a moment in silence.

I’m gonna do it. Tonight is the night. I can feel it! Come on, Agreste! Tell her you love her, and ask her out!

“Marinette…” Adrien began, coughing slightly. Where was his Cat Noir confidence when he needed it?!

“Adrien? You okay, minou?”

Adrien waved his free hand. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just wanted to know if you would, uh- maybe, possibly, uh-”

Marinette put her free hand on his shoulder. “Look who’s stammering, now?”

Adrien would have appreciated the job if he hadn’t been about to ask out the love of his life. But since he was doing just that… all he could muster was a half smile. Taking a deep breath, Adrien pushed forwards.

“Marinette, I-”

“Hey, kids!” Tom’s booming voice sounded as the door was thrown open to reveal Marinette’s parents. Marinette and Adrien jumped away from each other, and Alya rammed her head against the top of the window in surprise. Grumbling, the brunette kissed Nino goodbye and made her way to her best friend and her parents.

“Hey!” Alya smiled, trying desperately to remove attention from Adrien, who had turned a bright red, wondering how long Marinette’s parents had been standing by the door listening.

“Did you guys have a good time?” Sabine asked, wiping flour from her hands onto her flowery apron.

“Yeah, we went to…”

Marinette turned away from the conversation, back  to Adrien, her blue eyes shining in the late afternoon sunlight. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes, gazing brightly at her partner. “Was there something you wanted to say?”

Adrien opened his mouth to continue but decided against it. He shook his head neutrally, taking a step back. “Nah, it doesn’t matter. I should go though, Nino probably wants to get home before morning.”

Marinette giggled. “Yeah, good idea.”

“Good night, milady,” Adrien said with a dramatic bow, taking Marinette’s hand and kissing it.

Marinette smiled softly. “Goodnight, chaton.”

The two heroes parted, one final message left unsaid to one another:

I love you .

Chapter Text

At two o’clock in the morning, Marinette jerked awake. She had been having such a wonderful dream full of waffles and black cats and earbuds when a thought woke the sleeping blunette. She reached over and shook Alya, who was sleeping next to her on Marinette's bed, wrapped in blankets with her glasses on a shelf.

“Alya! I just realized something!” Marinette whispered when Alya blearily blinked her eyes.

“...wha….” Alya’s eyes rolled back into her head, and her head collapsed back onto the pillow.

“No, Alya!” Marinette held her best friend up again. Alya’s head rolled and her eyes closed, but she managed to stay (kind of) awake. “I remembered! I completely forgot to buy stuff for my China trip!”

Alya blinked her closed eyes (if that was possible) and let out a sleepy snicker. “I guess you were… too… busy flirting with your kitty cat to…” Alya yawned a massive cloud of morning breath in Marinette’s face. Marinette dropped Alya in exhaustion and disgust. Alya fell back asleep momentarily, but jerked awake as well. She struggled to finish her sentence as her fuddled mind tried pulling the brunette back to sleep. “To… to… buy your… clothes… ha, ha…”

Marinette groaned into the pillow, snuggling deeper into the blanket. “Alyaaaaa….”
Alya clumsily patted her best friend’s head with a floppy arm, not raising her head from the pillow she was pressed into. “Don’t worry, girl, we can go… with…out the boys… later.”

“Oh-h-h-hkay, Alya."

"Noooo distractions."

"Goodnight”

“Good night. And Marinette?”

“Hm?”

“You... w-w-wake me up one more time tonight and I… I… tell Adrien about… your crush on hi-i-i-m.”

“.....sounds fair.”