Lovebug

Part 21

In the long tablelled dining room of the Agreste mansion, three people are seated at the table, the most in a long time. Usually, Adrien sits alone here for three meals a day, but tonight, Marinette is seated across the table from him with his father Gabriel seated at the head of the table, feeling miles away from him still.

There is an air of silence while the trio eat a perfectly prepared meal. Marinette has already complimented the food on a few ocasions and now cannot think of another thing to say to her intimidating host.

"So Marinette," he host's voice booms through the silence after a while, "Will you also be attending university at the end of the summer?"

The sudden beginning of conversation strikes Marinette suddenly, so suddenly that she forgets how to speak. Luckily Adrien picks up from her slack.

"Marinette is going to the Paris School of Design in September" he beams proudly

"PSD? Very impressive" Gabriel responds

"Well, I haven't been accepted yet..." she admits "It would be such a dream to go there but they are very selective so it mught take me another few years to improve my portfolio."

"But Marinette will get in, I'm sure of it." Adrien smiles across the table to her

She blushes to hide her terrified face. Everyone else she knows has an offer to study somewhere next academic year... everyone except her. The closer September got, the less and less sure she got about being accepted.

"It's cute that you believe in me, but I've accepted an offer to study at the local Art College as a backup." Marinette says

"I have seen your designs Marinette, you definetly have what it takes to be accepted this year" Gabriel tells her

"Thank you Mr Agreste, but enough about me, what about Adrien getting early acceptance to Paris Central, that's pretty amazing" Marinette says

They continue polite discussion for another while until the meal is finished, after which, Marinette excuses herself to the restroom. There had been something bugging her the entire meal, something she couldn't place that was just ever so slightly off.

Overall, she just needed out of the room for a little, the meal was a bit emotionally draining and meeting the parent of a boyfriend is a nerve-wracking experience. 

She pulls her phone out of her pocket to the notification of an email from an unknown email. When she clicks on the email, it is revealed that it was sent from Paris School of Design's admissions service.

The breath gets caught in Marinette's windpipe as she realises this is it... this is the dream she has chased for thirteen years, all culminating in what this email will reveal. She's too scared to open it for a few minutes. As much as Marinette had tried to prepare herself for rejection, it is still a hard thing to get a grasp of.

Usually in moments like this, she can talk to Tikki and rationalise this  stuff, but she was preocupied with Plagg up in Adrien's bedroom

"Ok..." she thinks, "I'll just open it". Before she can however, another noticification comes through, one that tells her someone is trying to reach Ladybug through the bugphone. Barely wasting a second, Marinette runs out of the bathroom and into Adrien's bedroom. She presses an earring against the phone's button and answers the call, silently beckoning the kwamis to listen in.

"Ladybug? It's Max, Max Kanté" the other side of the phone tells her.

"Ahh Max, good to hear from you. Have tracked the wifi signal from the tape?" she asks

"I believe I have Ladybug," he says "Markov is just tabulating the results down to an exact address.

"Great work, where is it?" she asks, but here is no reply.