Work Text:
Marinette knocked on Adrien's office door before pushing it open slightly. It was weird that they worked together now. After he graduated with his Licence, he had decided to take on an Interim CFO position at Gabriel while he went for a Master's in Physics. Secretly, when Adrien told the group about his decision, Marinette had wondered if he took the job as a small rebellion against his father. A way to make peace while still pursuing what he wanted.
He fit into the financial work as flawlessly as he modeled the clothing. And he was still modeling, whenever his father needed him to, which was more often than not. He kept fencing, too, and tutored sometimes at the D'Argencourt Academy. But even with all of that on his plate, he still remembered the name of everyone in the company. He would bounce through the halls with boyish charm, greeting everyone with a warm smile, gushing when he paused to talk like he hadn’t seen the person in months and needed to catch up. Everyone loved him.
Nobody else seemed to notice how tired he was, though. But Marinette recognized the tightness of his smile, the slight roll of his shoulders when he thought no one was looking. He was stressed, worn out. Who wouldn't be? She wanted to do something nice for him. So she picked up some coffee and pastries at her parents' bakery over her lunch to share with her coworkers. She had to fight to save a croissant for him.
She called out to him timidly before she peeked into his office. She found him reclining in his desk chair, arms crossed over his chest and ankles crossed under the desk, his head leaned back against the chair. Asleep, if the sound of his heavy breathing was anything to go by.
She slipped into the room a little further, fully intending on leaving the coffee and the croissant on his desk for him to find later. But she stopped short when the sun shone through the window to play over his vulnerable features.
With his head tilted back, the sun highlighted his long eyelashes, casting shadows in kaleidoscopic patterns over his cheekbones. He had loosened his dark green tie and unbuttoned the collar of his white button-down, exposing the hollow between his collarbones. His hair, which had recently started to look darker in normal light, shone gold in the sunlight and the remnants of facial hair that he kept closely shaved glinted along his jaw.
The years had certainly been kind to him, she noted as her eyes wandered over his lithe physique of their own accord. The curve from his neck to his shoulder had broadened and become more pronounced. His chest and arms had filled out with lean muscles that were flexed against the fabric of his shirt. She tried desperately, and failed, to avoid her mental pictures of his recent forays into swimwear.
He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his tanned forearms and delicate pianist's wrists. Her thoughts sprang back to that day in the rain, their fingers brushing as he offered his umbrella to her. But at the same time he looked like he had always existed in just this moment, just as he was now.
Timeless. He looked timeless.
And, she had to admit, blushing at even the thought, he looked gorgeous. Before today, she had thought she was over her school girl crush. She had thought it would be like having Nino as a coworker. Apparently she had just buried her feelings for him when she buried herself in her work, in and out of costume.
She looked down at the offerings in her hands, remembering with a start why she had come in. She snuck closer, hoping she could avoid waking him. All she had to do was leave the coffee on the desk. She could do this. No clumsy moments, just focus.
But when she was directly across from him, he seemed to sense her presence and his eyes flicked open: green, impossibly green. Familiar, but in an odd way. Like she had seen those eyes on another face before. She froze in place. He woke easily and stretched, reminding her of a cat that had been napping in a sun soaked spot.
He seemed to realize, then, that she was there. He glanced over her, took in her position across his desk, a coffee in one hand and a croissant in the other. She saw the understanding flit across his face.
"Marinette!" He stood, grinning at her, and the sunlight seemed to be within him now, shining out from his bright, genuine smile. She couldn't smile back, couldn't seem to form a single word. She just stood there, gaping.
His smile slipped a notch, but he still looked like some beautifully disheveled greek sculpture. He blinked at her, then twisted to look back at his chair. His shirt pulled up with the movement and she caught a glimpse of the strip of skin above the waistband of his dress pants. She fought herself to look away, to meet his eyes again when he turned back.
"Oh, I guess you caught me in the middle of a cat nap," he said, running his hands through his hair. Then he chuckled at some private thought.
That was straight out of Chat Noir’s joke book. It helped her to regain control to think of talking to her partner instead of Adrien Agreste. Still, she set the coffee down solidly on his desk to be safe and proffered him the croissant.
“I rescued this from the interns for you. They swarm over free food, you know.” She was channeling Ladybug’s bravado, but there was still a small quiver in the pit of her stomach.
She could picture the tail swishing behind him as he perked up, her small gesture of kindness affecting Adrien in much the same way it would for Chat. He reached out to take the pastry from her. She had to do a double take when the fingers that brushed against hers weren't clawed or gloved like she expected. Not Chat, she reminded herself. Adrien.
"My hero," he quipped back. Was that a smirk? No, Adrien doesn't smirk. But now that she had started picturing him as Chat, she couldn't seem to stop.
Glancing over him again, he did have the same body type as Chat, the same height on her. But it could also just be wishful thinking on her part. It was too convenient. She took a deep breath, but it didn't help her racing heart. Adrien is not Chat Noir, she reminded herself firmly for the second time.
Her breath caught when he tilted his head, waiting for her to say something, his brow furrowed in concern. She had seen that same gesture from Adrien before, but now she was paying attention. There were no cat ears on him, but she could still see one of them flop to the side. It couldn't be coincidence. He was Chat Noir. And she was Ladybug. She could do this.
"If that's all it takes to be your hero, I'll rescue pastries in distress any time." She smiled sweetly at him.
Now he was the one gaping. She could get used to that. He blushed as he straightened up, his hand finding the nape of his neck.
"You don't have to do that, Marinette," he said, dropping his arm and training his eyes back on her. "You've always been my hero."