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The invitations had an address, a date, and a short list of rules:
1) You must come in costume.
2) You must show your invitation at the door.
3) You must keep your identity a secret until the end of the party.
The fact that the party was being held at Le Grand Paris and that every single 3ème student in the school had been invited meant there was a very large likelihood this was Chloé’s doing. It wasn’t just that she was one of few people rich enough to pull it off. There was a certain type of dramaticism behind a guest list over a hundred people long and an anonymous masquerade ball that Marinette could only ever attribute to Chloé. She was sure everyone else had come to the same conclusion, but they, like Marinette, decided to stay quiet and play along with the delightful mystery of it all.
Feelings about Chloé aside, Marinette figured it would be fine to go. She always applauded genuine effort no matter where it came from, and it seemed like the same show of good faith that Chloé’s last party was. Besides, it gave Marinette an excuse to go all out in designing a costume for the party.
After slaving away at her sewing machine for two weeks, Marinette showed up to the party in a dark blue dressed covered in black lace and tulle with a mask to match. She even wore her makeup darker and styled her hair differently just to make extra sure that no one would be able to recognize her. It was all rather exciting once she stepped into the dimly lit hotel ballroom that was decorated to feel like a gothic, candlelit castle with food, music, and noise filling every corner of the room.
Marinette smirked as she grabbed a toffee from a server’s tray and popped it in her mouth. She might actually enjoy herself more than she thought she would.
She spent most of the first hour sampling the dessert tables, giggling with strangers over the outlandish costumes that kept pouring in through the doors, and sharing dances with a few of the handsome boys who caught her hand and pulled her to the dancefloor. She had long given up trying to find Adrien or Alya amidst all the brilliant costumes and figured she deserved a break for the night.
Marinette was sitting down at one of the tables and rubbing her sore feet when she saw a girl sitting next to her, taking off her heels to do the same. She was dressed in all black, the only bright thing about her being the blonde hair she had piled on the top of her head in impossibly tight curls. She was fingering the hole in her tights when she spared a glance at Marinette and laughed. “You can never get them to last a whole night, can you?”
Her voice was ridiculously familiar but Marinette couldn’t place why. She couldn’t think of any blondes with hair this long, cheekbones this high, or a voice this soft. Maybe someone she’d seen in the halls? Surely she would’ve remembered someone this pretty. Marinette lifted her own foot to lament the run stretching from her heel to her calf. “It’s my curse for dancing too much at parties. All my tights either look like this or worse.”
“I can imagine. You’re too good a dancer to stay sitting on the side for very long.”
Marinette bit her lip. “Were you watching me?”
“Kinda hard not to. You light up the room without even trying. I was trying to pull you out for a dance but it seems like everyone else had the same idea.”
She watched the girl’s eyes linger on the bodice of her dress while she rested her sore feet on the cold tile. “The night’s still young. Nothing stopping you from asking me now.”
The girl dipped her head and flushed which made Marinette’s chest feel light and achey. “Would you say yes?”
“I’d be a little stupid not to.”
The anonymity was making Marinette braver than she usually was, and it was so hard not to melt at the sight of the blonde sitting up straighter and ringing her hands out of excitement. A little bit of harmless flirting wouldn’t be a horrible way to spend the rest of the party, especially if it was with someone this cute.
The girl stood up and balanced on her toes a couple of times before holding out her hand. “You good to dance again?”
Marinette eyes her stockinged feet. “Barefoot?”
“Why not? It’ll be more comfortable. Plus you’ll have no excuse to hold back on your dancing.”
It was a very convincing argument, and Marinette felt like a little girl as she kicked her heels under the table and bounced up on her feet. Remembering that she had to keep with the rules of the party, she tried to pick her words carefully. “What should I call you?”
The girl hummed and tapped her lips in thought. “You can call me...Bee,” she decided. “And you?”
Marinette couldn’t resist the irony as she answered. “Lady is fine.”
Bee took Marinette’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Well, let’s go have some fun, pretty Lady.”
They both ran up to the DJ and rattled off a list of song requests before they carved a space for themselves in between all the dancing couples. Dancing in stockings might not have been the best idea because they kept slipping on the floor and grabbing onto each other for balance as they laughed into each other’s shoulders, but getting to share in the silliness with someone else was worth it. She had a feeling Bee wasn’t used to going to parties very often, because she was determined to get Marinette to sing the words to all the songs as loudly as she could and keep them moving through every chorus no matter how tired they got.
Marinette was breathless by the time a slow song came on, and she didn’t think before she collapsed against Bee and wrapped her arms around her neck, pretending to snooze in the crook of her neck. Bee teased her about not being able to keep up, but Marinette just mumbled a complaint into her skin while Bee settled her hands on her lower back and started to sway them to the rhythm of the music. She let her eyes flutter shut while she curled the baby hairs on the back of Bee’s neck around her finger, and the whole time she could smell Bee’s perfume, hear Bee humming the melody right next to hear, and feel the black glitter from Bee’s mask falling on her cheeks.
They stayed like that for three songs before the playlist picked back up again and the bodies near them started jostling them about. Marinette saw the new sweets that were being brought out from the kitchens and she smiled delightfully at the idea that came to her. “Wanna steal some food and run up to the balcony?”
Bee went to fetch their heels while Marinette piled embarrassing amounts of desserts on as many napkins and plates as she could carry. It was much darker up on the balconies, and Marinette tried not to blush when she realized that most of the people who were up here came to steal kisses away from the scrutiny of the rest of the party goers. But Bee must not have been too bothered by it because she led Marinette to a cushioned window seat tucked away in the corner and drew the thin curtains around them so they were sufficiently shut away from everyone else.
They were licking melted chocolate off their fingers and letting their legs tangle together between them when Marinette asked, “Have you seen anyone here that you know yet?”
“Only a couple of people,” Bee said through a mouthful. “But even then it’s only a guess. I don’t dare ask them. I love the whole aesthetic of masked balls so I want to follow the rules as much as I can.”
“I definitely didn’t expect it to be this fun. I thought I’d be alone all night because I wouldn’t be able to talk to any of my friends.”
Bee winked. “Lucky I found you then.”
“Luckier than you realize.”
“What do you mean?”
Marinette shrugged. “I’ve been dying to slow dance with another girl for ages, and I didn’t think I’d actually get to do it today. It was really sweet.”
Bee’s eyes widened. “Never?”
“Nope. It’s not often that I get to meet girls who like other girls.” Marinette’s head shot up. “I-I mean! Unless I totally read this whole thing wrong, in which case forget everything I said.”
“You didn’t read anything wrong,” Bee assured, and Marinette’s toes warmed at the confirmation. “I mean I’m not all that experienced myself, but there have been a couple of girls I’ve held hands with and kissed before I really understood much about myself. Harmless experimentation and all that.”
Marinette pouted. “Still waiting for that kiss.”
“Seriously?”
“I’ve never had the opportunity! I was always too scared I was gonna freak someone out by asking or just going for it. Seemed safer to just wait.”
“If you keep waiting it’s never going to happen. I know it’s scary, but you have to take a risk with this stuff otherwise you won’t get to experience anything.”
“I guess that’s true,” Marinette decided. “I’m a wreck when it comes to romance though. I can’t be smooth to save my life.”
“Oh come on, you can’t be that bad,” Bee teased. “Kissing someone isn’t anything at all. You just lean in and do it.”
“It’s definitely more complicated than that. You can’t just go up to a random girl and kiss her.”
Bee crossed her legs, scooted closer to Marinette, and grabbed both of her hands. “Wanna bet?”
Marinette straightened up. “Wait….really?”
“I mean, if you’re waiting for someone else to give you your first kiss just say so,” Bee said. “But I’d be happy to do the honors if you want to give it a try now.”
Marinette could hear her heart beating in her ears. “I-I mean I’m not….there wasn’t anyone I was expecting or anything like that….I mean, maybe a little but not like actually ….like I thought I’d have time to psych myself up before I actually tried so I just thought that we’d never — ”
“Woah, woah, slow down,” Bee laughed. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I was just asking.”
“No I want to!” Marinette squeezed Bee’s hands to prove the point. “I’m just….I’m seriously so bad at this stuff you don’t even know.”
“You’re doing fine,” Bee assured. She drummed her fingers against Marinette’s wrists and leaned her face closer. “Would it be easier if you closed your eyes?”
Marinette bit her lip and nodded. “A little bit yeah.”
Bee smiled and kissed the back of Marinette’s hands until she was relaxed enough to shut her eyes and tilt her chin up in waiting. She heard Bee shift around a little bit as she got closer and cupped Marinette’s jaw, letting her thumb trace the curve of her cheek. “Relax,” Bee whispered. “Nothing to be nervous about.”
The fists that Marinette had bunched in her lap immediately unravelled when she felt Bee’s lips on hers. She smiled right into it and accidentally made their teeth knock together until they were snickering at the awkwardness of it all. But Bee steadied them and tilted Marinette’s head to the side so that she could softly lock their lips together and gently coax Marinette’s mouth open. It didn’t feel too much different from the kisses she’d had with other boys, but she liked how soft Bee’s lips were and how slow she was going as if to make sure that the kiss wasn’t awful for her. It was short enough that Marinette could’ve counted the seconds with only two hands, but she didn’t mind. It was worth it to see Bee blushing despite all her experience and sucking on her bottom lip like she was afraid she’d forget the feeling of the kiss.
Marinette wasn’t sure how late it was or when the party was meant to end, but she knew she was going to hate herself in the morning if she didn’t get a chance to ask. “Would it be weird if I asked for your number?”
Bee shook her head and left one last kiss on Marinette’s cheek. “Not at all. I’d hate to never see you again. Especially when you’re such a good kisser.”
“Shut up, you’re lying.”
“I’m not! You’re really good. I might wanna steal another one….”
“Put your number in and you can get as many kisses as you want.”
They both traded phones and typed their numbers in, but it wasn’t until Marinette started to put her real name in the new contact field that she realized they’d sort of forgotten a really big part of this whole evening. Bee must have realized the same thing because she was already reaching behind her to play with the elastic that was keeping her mask in place. “I know it’s against the rules but….it’s just us. And I’d love to know who you are.”
“I think we can cheat a little bit,” Marinette said, reaching for her own mask. “Besides, I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“On three?”
“Okay.”
It was amazing how quickly things could sour in only three seconds. Marinette was expecting some shyness, some awkwardness, and hopefully more kissing once the masks came off. But the moment Marinette got a look at Bee’s unobstructed face she jerked back against the wall behind her and let her mask fall to the floor because the absolute last person she expected to have just shared a kiss with was Chloé.
She honestly felt so stupid at having not recognized her when she was only wearing a flimsy mask, but it seemed like Chloé was just as shocked as she was because the flush in her face had completely disappeared. She didn’t look angry, which Marinette supposed was one good thing. But she definitely looked scared and confused, and suddenly neither of them knew if they were supposed to run away like nothing had ever happened or sit there in the thick silence.
Chloé managed to find her voice first. “....I’m so sorry.”
Marinette wasn’t prepared for an apology, and it was muscle memory that helped her shake her head and assure her, “It’s alright. You don’t have to say sorry.”
Chloé swallowed, still holding Marinette’s phone in her hands, thumb hovering and waiting to save the contact. She eventually clicked the phone off and held it out to Marinette instead. “H-Here,” she muttered. “Take your phone back. I didn’t save anything, don’t worry.”
It wasn’t that Marinette wasn’t already contemplating just deleting Chloé’s number in order to save herself the discomfort, but hearing Chloé sound so forlorn when she suggested it didn’t sit right with her at all. “Why don’t you want to save it?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Chloé frowned. “You know why. I don’t want to get my hopes up anyway.”
She expected Chloé to act disgusted and make a big deal out of the discovery, not sound so thoroughly sorry about it that it made her look smaller meeker than she actually was. Chloé wasn’t the type to slot the blame for anything onto herself, and the fact that it seemed like she was doing exactly that right now made Marinette question if this was embarrassing for a different reason than realizing she’d just spent the whole evening with Marinette without knowing it.
This certainly wasn’t the neat, romantic ending to the evening she expected, but things were already shifting before Marinette’s eyes and she didn’t feel like forcing them back to where they were before tonight. She swallowed, unlocked her phone, and saved Chloé’s number. “I’m keeping it,” she told her. “I asked for it for a reason, didn’t I?”
Chloé’s brows furrowed as she accepted her own phone back and stared at Marinette’s number sitting in her recent contacts. “Are you sure?”
“I think we should talk first,” Marinette decided. “But yeah, I’m sure. I….I had fun tonight.”
Chloé smiled. “Yeah. I did too.”
Marinette held out her pinky and pocketed her phone. “This seems like a bad time to have a serious conversation, but….promise we can call each other and talk about this later?”
Despite how strange the situation was, it seemed that Chloé was relieved to see it be filled with kindness rather than something more ugly. Marinette was sure that was why Chloé decided to buck up the courage, link her pinky with Marinette’s, and squeeze it tight. “Alright. It’s a promise.”