Adrien swore under his breath, having successfully escaped an overly excited Lila Rossi. Shivering, he walked down the corridor, hands in his pockets.
It's been like this all day today. He'd lurked various departments under the pretence of getting to know the company before stepping in as a business manager. People greeted him politely and, more often than not, left him to his own devices. Then, there was Mlle Rossi who glued herself to his arm as soon as he'd walk in, for whom "No" meant absolutely nothing and the concept of personal space didn't exist. She even followed him into the departments she didn't work until he'd had enough. If Ladybug were to see him at that moment, of course, she'd think him to be an antisocial, thinking-that-he's-better-than-anyone-else prick. He simply had to go to extreme measures to escape her since none of his countless attempts to do so politely had worked. And if it looked like he was scrambling away in panic... well, that was exactly what he was doing. However, that was called survival, not antisocialist.
"Hey, watch where you—"
Adrien bumped into someone straight on, bringing both of them down on the floor.
"I'm so sorry." He rushed to help the person up but froze midway. The woman's eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue he'd ever seen. Her lips parted; she watched him expectantly for a few moments, but once he failed to provide her help, she looked away with a disappointed look on her lovely face.
Adrien swallowed. She was gorgeous. And she was clearly disappointed with an idiot who was still not helping her to get up. "I'm so, so sorry," he repeated, offering her a hand. She gave him a forced tiny smile and ignoring his hand, started to gather her papers. Adrien picked some up for her and offered his hand one more time when no more papers were left scattered on the floor. "Allow me to assist you."
She stood up on her own. "Thanks, but I'm fine. Can I have those, please?"
Her voice was like a melody. A sad and angry one, but still a melody.
"Of course." Adrien passed her the stack in his hand. "I really am sorry. I didn't see you coming."
"Try looking around when walking in public places next time," she said and walked away.
Rude. Adrien huffed to himself. Gorgeous, but rude. Yes, he was at fault for knocking her off her feet, but he apologized. She didn't have to be so mean. Definitely not Ladybug. From what he could gather from their conversations, Ladybug wasn't a rude type.
"Can I help you with something?" a new voice sounded beside him.
Adrien turned to look at the intruder and froze. What was up with all these beautiful women around here, and why did he never notice them before?
"My name is Kagami. Kagami Tsurugi." The woman stretched him a hand. "I'm a Public Relations Manager."
"Adrien." He shook her hand. "Adrien Agreste."
She smiled. It was a beautiful smile. Definitely better than a scowl the previous woman had given him. "You seemed a little lost Adrien, so I thought I'd ask if I can help."
Adrien hesitated for a moment. Kagami seemed nice enough, so maybe he could accept her offer. Because if anything, this day had taught him was that he needed an insider if he were to get closer to people in a short period of time. "I do need help if you don't mind."
"Not at all. What do you need?"
"I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the company and the employees before stepping in as a business manager, so I've been lurking around hoping observation will give me some info. So far I've had little luck."
"Do you find that people fear you?" Kagami asked, starting to walk the hallway.
Adrien followed. "Either that or they try to get my attention a bit too much."
Kagami chuckled. "I assume you've met Lila?"
Adrien quirked an eyebrow. "How... How do you know?"
She laughed. "Lila has been telling everyone who'd listen that she's your secret girlfriend. I think there were even pictures of you two together at a party or something."
Adrien stopped. The frown on his forehead deepened. "I've met her today for the first time in my life."
"I know." Kagami's smile was soft. Understanding. Calming. "I've had a similar upbringing to you, so I know better than to believe every rumour I hear."
Adrien fell quiet.
"Obsessively sheltered and controlled," Kagami continued. "Until a few years ago when my mother passed away. Then, I decided to explore the world and do something different from she'd intended for me. Something I'd like to do, not my family."
Explore the world. Do something she'd like to do. Adrien felt the sting of jealousy. He might have been an adult but he wasn't free yet. "I'm sorry about your mother."
"Thank you. But I'm fine."
"So, why did you choose to work in public relations?" He asked after a short pause.
"I wanted to work in the fashion industry, and Public Relations is the most suitable position for my qualifications," Kagami said, reaching her department's door. "I'm sorry. I need to get back to work. What did you exactly need help with?"
"I need to get to know this company inside out, and for that, I need someone to help me navigate it. Can you help me?" Adrien asked. "Because as of now, I feel like I am an under-qualified soldier patrolling the enemy territory."
Kagami snickered. "I'll help you. Would you like to start with my department?"
"Yes." Adrien grinned. "That would work perfectly."
Kagami nodded and prompted him to follow her inside.
In the next few hours, thanks to Kagami, Adrien achieved more than he'd ever thought possible. By the end of the day, she introduced him to all the key people in the company in a manner that put all parties at ease. Effectively, Adrien had received permissions to shadow anyone he wanted whenever he needed for the next few weeks. It couldn't get any better than this. He was now in a better position to find his Ladybug than ever before. Victory on his part.
Although, Adrien strongly suspected he'd already found her. Kagami fit perfectly into the picture of Ladybug he'd created in his mind. He'd have to observe her more before he could conclude anything concrete, but as of now, the chances he was right looked bright.
Unlike the weather. The rain poured hard when he walked out. Lighting and thunder split the sky. Thankfully, he didn't park his car that far away, and he had his umbrella on him. In the corner of his eye, Adrien noticed a lonely figure standing to his right. The same girl he'd knocked off her feet today. They'd been introduced properly just an hour ago on his Kagami-led tour. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of the junior designers and, if he remembered correctly, one of his father's favourites. He'd often mentioned her name before, but only now Adrien had a face to put to it.
She glanced his way and turned right back to watching the street. Adrien sighed, realizing why she hadn't left yet. Well, it looked like the perfect opportunity for a proper apology.
"Marinette?" He came closer.
She theatrically ignored him.
"I..." Adrien cleared his throat. "I wanted to apologize for knocking you off your feet earlier. I've been busy escaping the crazy fangirl who claims to date me—Lila, if you know her—and haven't noticed you, but I'm really sorry. Causing you discomfort was the least of my intentions."
"It's fine," she murmured, refusing to look at him.
"Do you need a ride home?" Adrien proposed. "I've noticed you don't have an umbrella, and it doesn't look like it'll stop raining anytime soon."
"No, thank you," she said, side-glancing him.
Adrien stretched his hand, offering his umbrella to her. "Then take mine. My car is close by. I don't really need an umbrella."
She turned to him. Her eyes wide-opened, lips slightly parted Marinette watched Adrien and his umbrella for a few seconds before replying. "I can't accept that."
"Of course, you can," he said. "That's the least I can do for you after I practically ran you over. Here." He reached for her hand and put his umbrella in it. "And you can keep it. I have another one."
"I... Um... I can't—"
The blush that covered her cheeks was adorable, and Adrien couldn't help but smile. "My father really loves your work, Mlle Marinette," Adrien added. "He'd murder me in cold blood if I let his favourite junior designer get wet under a rain." Curling her fingers around the umbrella, Adrien let go of her hand. "I'm sorry again. I hope you won't hold it against me."
"Kay." She nodded, looking dumbfounded. "Kanks—thank coo—thank you!"
She squeaked and hid her face in her hands. Adrien chuckled. Adorable.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said and walked off before the girl could change her mind. Victory number two.
Victory number three came unexpectedly later that night.
From: ladybug@miraculous.fr
To: chatnoir@miraculous.fr
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: It's never too late
Discord name Ladybug#7777. Let's do this!
Ladybug