Frowning, he opened the door wearing only a towel and wet, semi-tousled hair. If he was very lucky, she had left it all in a pile just outside the door.
Marinette came rushing down the stairs at the same time, startling him. He grabbed the towel, making sure it didn't dare move.
Her jaw dropped, standing there stunned mere steps away from the bottom.
Frantically, she covered her eyes behind her fingers. "Ack! I'm sorry."
Although, her fingers have been spread apart every few seconds longer than she had to.
"I just couldn't reach the clothes." He grinned, sheepishly.
Furiously blushing, she grabbed the pile where she had forgotten it - on the back of the couch - and thrust it at him. "I'll be out here if you need anything."
Adrien inhaled sharply once the door was closed.
Maybe it was all of the chaos at that moment, but his heart was pounding impossibly and had yet to subside. With all the modeling, he had worn that little around women for a good chunk of his life and hadn't been so affected.
Maybe it was the sight of Marinette blushing adorably.
After all, he'd only had his interactions with Ladybug to compare his feelings too.
Sighing heavily, Adrien slumped forward, pressing his forehead against the door. Wearily, he shoved his phone into his pocket, trying to hide the phone away with any sign of his disappointment.
At least he knew who to give the ring to now...
He didn't regret helping Marinette even for a moment, but it was hard not to need more than a few moments of silence to mourn the hopes and feelings he'd held onto for so long.
"Let's get some food to take as a picnic in the park."
Marinette glanced back over her shoulder, worrying her lip. "You'll get their hopes up."
Adrien frowned. "But your father suggested it."
"That's what worries me."
He held her hand, walking along the Seine once they'd finished with lunch, they would get to the movie theater.
"I figured you wouldn't go places on the cheap."
"My father is the one who has money, Marinette. I made some as a teen, but I didn't even have access to the funds from modeling until this year, which has allowed them to grow for 5 to 10 years."
"You could spend a lot more."
He shrugged. "Things have never made me happy. Well, not usually. I'd much rather use the money on what can ensure happiness."
Marinette frowned, reaching for his hand this time. "I'm sorry."
He smiled, buying them a pair of tickets. Once they were away from the crowds, he continued. "That's why I hired you. My freedom from my father's manipulations is worth all that and more."
Her hand rested on his arm, as they walked to the theater and found an open pair of seats. "It's still so weird to me that your father won't listen."
Adrien sighed. "I'm not sure that anyone has ever told him no. Meanwhile, I've heard it for years, every time I wanted to go to school with other kids, or wanted to stop modeling. I wasn't his son, I was his employee."
Marinette's face fell. "I have to admit, I know the feeling."
"Your parents tell you no?" Adrien smirked. "I think I left with more croissants than I've ever eaten in my life when I walked you to their door."
"My parents aren't the issue," her eyes studiously shifted to the screen as she took a sip of her drink.
"Well, it can't be your friends either."
Frowning, Adrien rested his over hers, to steal her attention back from the screen. "Marinette, is this about the job?"
"It isn't exactly my dream." She frowned. "I mean, it was when I was young. The reality of the job just isn't all I'd dreamed it would be..."
Adrien glanced over at her, not watching the movie. "What is your dream?"
She snorted ruthlessly. "Can I tell my boss?"
He shrugged. "Nathalie is still in the hospital. She's probably on enough medication right now that she's sleeping. I'm just filling her shoes for the moment."
Marinette giggled. "Somehow, I can't picture you in high heels."
Grinning Adrien, leaning closer to whisper after being shushed by an annoyed audience member. "Former model, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." Marinette giggled, ducking back into her seat. "I'd almost forgotten," she trailed off.
"If you can't tell your boss," he whispered, digging into his pocket for the red sapphire ring he'd bought. "How about a fake fiancé?"
Much to his joy, he'd caught her eyes darting over to meet his a few more times.
Her slim fingers kept fiddling with the ring.
Smirking, he leaned back into his seat, spending the last half an hour watching her from the corner of his eyes. He had watched the movie on the plane ride over. Marinette's little nervous habits were far more engaging than the poor attempt at comedy that was up on the screen.
Idly, he wondered just how long he could send Lila away to dig into the archives to track down a few old cover issues from his modeling days he could tease Marinette with.
He was sure it would buy him at least a solid afternoon without interruptions.
Glancing over at Marinette once again, he wondered if maybe he could arrange to have lunch with her during the workday.
By early evening, the moon was out but so were the clouds. He wasn't ready to part for the night, but her parents would no doubt worry.
They made their way through the touristy districts. Not as busy this late, but plenty of views. Maybe if he had been a regular teen, he would have seen this area so much he would have been sick of it. Now he just felt like a tourist in the very city he'd been raised in.
"I can pay this time," she insisted, resting her hand on his arm. "You bought dinner. And the ring."
"Okay, okay." He relented, trying not to smile too much as she wiggled, savoring her little victory.
They shared a little serving of dim sum. "Here's a question: if you could fix things at Gabriel, how would you do it?"
"Honestly, I'd have more of a chat like this."
Adrien blinked. "Not sure I follow."
"Most designers are working with mannequins early on." She took a bite of her whole portion, closing her eyes to let the flavors last a little longer. Her eyelids fluttered. "But mannequins can't tell you how the clothes feel. And in the end, we're trying to make the person wearing the clothes happy."
His shoulders fell as she walked ahead. "I don't think I've ever had a designer that let me give input. Not during my modeling days, anyways."
"That's a shame. It's better to consider who you're making your clothes for." She grinned, swiping the third and final bun.
With a grin, he grabbed her hand, only in part to stop her from eating the last sweet. "How would you do it?"
She nibbled at her lip. "With the little bit of practice I've had, I like to talk to who I am designing for. Figure out their tastes and clothes preferences. Comfort is half the battle. That only makes confidence in the brand more likely. Especially for the price tag."
"Not exactly the way Gabriel operates, is it?"
"I'll admit, it isn't exactly what I expected when I landed the internship years ago."
"Dude. You have a problem."
Adrien sighed softly, watching Marinette rush off towards another food truck. He wasn't going to fit in any of his clothes by the end of the week. "More than you know, Nino. More than you know."
"Huh?'
"Never mind. What's up?"
"Someone snapped a picture of you out on a date and it's out on socials."
"Where was it?"
"In some restaurant." Adrien scowled. He hadn't been watching closely when he was so engaged in asking her questions.
For all they needed to speed run getting to know one another, it hadn't felt like a chore at all.
"Can you see her?"
"No."
Adrien sighed, jogging to catch up with Marinette. That was a relief. "Keep me posted."
"Be careful!"
They passed a kitschy shop that had cheap umbrellas. It would do in a pinch, especially since it was possible that it would rain. It was the red and black spots that caught his eye, but the black one had green plastic edges that would make her look twice.
Marinette grinned. "What is this?"
Adrien smirked, handing her the red one. "I figured it would go with your dress."
"I don't know if the fabrics would match," she was still giggling sweetly at the absurdity. That alone was worth the tourist trap price tag. "But thank you."
"Better than being wet."
She shrugged. "We could have shared one umbrella."
They kept walking for a while, as the drizzle started to fall...
Marinette was slowing down. "Did you still have someplace you wanted to go?"
Adrien grabbed her hand, whispering near her ear. "Don't freak out. There's someone who has been following us."
"In this crowd?" She frowned, scanning over his shoulder. "Can we lose them?"
"I've been trying for a while..."
"I'm not sure I can move much faster in these shoes," she pouted.
"How about this?"
"Hm?"
He stopped abruptly, spinning her around with his free hand. Before she could say another word, he kissed her cheek.
She gasped, staring up at him in shock. Her red spotted umbrella was still up behind her, blocking her from anyone else's view. "Adrien?"
His hand cupped her cheek gently. "Stay still," he murmured.
Marinette's gaze was locked on his.
As he took a half step back, Marinette rose on her toes. One arm snaked around his neck, dragging her lips back to meet hers.
The sweetly ardent press of her lips caused him to wrap his arms around her, dropping his black umbrella to the ground with a wet clatter.
He pressed his forehead to hers, hair growing damp behind him.
Her tongue slid past her lip for a moment, wetting her lips. "Are they gone?"
Staring at her for a moment, he was sorely tempted to say no without even checking.
Inhaling sharply, he looked up scanning the horizon as he grabbed his umbrella. He was blushing so hard, he was only just noticing the chill of the rain. "I think so. Let's get you home, just in case."