Chapter Text
“Excuse me? Did you just ask me to teach you to dance?” Adrien asked, incredulous. The way Marinette’s eyes darted away from him told him that her request had been impulsive and she probably regretted asking in the first place. But it was too late. She’d asked and he was already intrigued.
This wasn’t what he’d expected when he stopped by to check on her. She’d been a little distant lately. She looked troubled but also like she was actively trying to avoid him. While she’d been shy and awkward around him in the past, she’d never before gave him a reason to believe she had anything against his company.
He didn’t want to intrude but he was worried. Had he done anything wrong? Was something wrong with her? Something she was hiding from her friends. He didn’t want to ask Alya or Nino, it wasn’t right. And he had yet another option.
She’d always been more relaxed around Chat. Surprisingly so. In fact she was like a totally different person. This was something that always made him wonder. So he’d decided to try to get what was going on out of her and hoped she’d trust him.
He totally hadn’t expected to be asked to teach her to dance within minutes of arriving on her balcony.
She’d been deep in thought so the request probably had to do with what she was thinking about.
“Forget I asked,” she mumbled, clearly embarrassed. This was not the way to make her open up to him.
“Marinette, I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it.” As far as ridiculous requests went, this was fairly normal and wouldn’t require a great effort on his part, so he didn’t mind helping her. But he needed to know why she needed him. “I’m just surprised. What brought this on?”
“Well, Alya somehow roped me into going to this dance. It’s silly, really. But it’s supposed to be kind of a big thing and I’ll probably have to wear a dress. And I’m nervous.” She didn’t need to say it. It was obvious. Hm.
“And why would you ask me to help you? Not that I mind. But do I look like a dance instructor or something?” He said, flashing her a grin. She still looked embarrassed but the corners of her mouth lifted.
“Not exactly. It’s just that you look so easy going and confident and so comfortable in your skin. I can’t imagine you feeling self-conscious when dancing.” She said, shrugging. She wasn’t off the mark. He didn’t mind dancing and didn’t consider it a daunting chore when attending an official event. The truth was he’d had some training through the years since his father considered it a valuable skill.
He had no idea how she'd formed this opinion of him but it was true. But he also couldn’t imagine why Marinette was so troubled by the idea of dancing.
“I admit I don’t have a problem in that department,” he said. “But why are you afraid of dancing in the first place?”
“Have you seen me try to cross a flat surface without tripping at least once?” she said, laughing self-deprecatingly. He knew she was a little clumsy but the truth was he couldn’t say so since any time he’d seen her as Chat she’d seemed very composed. It was as if she forgot her own clumsiness when she was focused on something, especially when there was something important she had to deal with, during an akuma attack for example.
“I can’t imagine this happening,” he said playfully and she finally smiled a genuine smile.
“You’d be surprised how prone I am to such accidents,” she said. “Also,” she said, looking at her hands. “I’m kind of nervous about dancing with someone.”
This was strange. He’d danced with her and she didn’t seem to have a problem then. But of course he couldn’t say that.
“Why is that? Have you never danced with someone?” He asked instead.
“Only once in fact. But I attribute the fact that it went without a hitch to my amazing dancing partner,” she said with a soft smile, but then frowned, as if the memory wasn’t a welcome one. That was really disturbing. He’d almost preened himself on his achievement before realising that he couldn’t. And now it seemed that she didn’t like remembering dancing with him. He’d definitely use the opportunity to probe more into the reason for this.
“That’s good. Having a good partner means you don’t really have to worry about doing anything wrong, you can just let them take the lead. Do you hope to dance with anyone in particular at the event?” he asked, trying to suppress the strange feeling he felt as he imagined her dancing with someone else.
“No,” she answered but again avoided looking at him. “I shouldn't. It’s stupid, really. It’s more as a precaution in case someone asks me.” It finally dawned on him that there may be another reason for her request.
“Are you nervous because of your date?” he asked. Of course she wasn’t going alone. She was probably taking Luka. Which was strange. He was very musical so Adrien couldn’t imagine him having a problem with dancing.
“My date?” She asked, perplexed. “I’m not going with anyone.” Even more strange.
“Why is that, if I may ask? It’s not possible that you didn’t have candidates for the role?” He said, grinning, trying to sneak in a compliment. She blushed! He was clearly onto something.
“Well, I didn’t want to take anyone because my heart isn’t exactly free and it was wrong to lead someone on,” she said.
“You can’t ask the person you’re interested in?” he asked. The same frown appeared on her face.
“No,” she said. “He’s probably going with his girlfriend anyway.” There was a flash of pain in her eyes and it made his heart ache for her. This was unfortunate. And adding to the mystery. Since he knew that Luka liked her. This was about someone else then.
It was the word girlfriend that made him realise that she was probably talking about the same dance Kagami had asked him to. He tried to school his expression as he remembered her reaction when he’d told her that they could only go as friends. It had been the last straw. She’d said she’d waited long enough for him to take the next step. He couldn’t blame her. He’d tried, but he still couldn’t bring himself to kiss her and she’s been surprisingly patient.
But just like Marinette said, it hadn’t felt right to lead her on. He knew what she wanted and he couldn’t give it to her. She’d been hurt but he knew she appreciated his honesty.
“Look, I just want to have a good time,” Marinette interrupted his thoughts. “And if anyone asks me to dance, I don’t want to cause a scene. So I’d appreciate a little help.”
“Of course, I understand,” he said. It sounded pretty reasonable.
“I also feel good with you,” she said and blushed again. “I mean, I don’t get embarrassed easily around you,” she continued before he could say anything although this claim was refuted by her blush. There was obviously more to this but he didn't want to tease her.
“You mean I’m usually acting so silly that there is no danger of you outdoing it?” He said instead and they both laughed.
“Something like that.” She said with a surprisingly fond expression.
He was glad that the unfortunate love confession on her part was behind them. She was obviously over whatever she’d felt for him, since she was talking about someone else. He was curious who this could be if it wasn’t Luka. Maybe he could get her to open up about that too.
“Ok. I’ll help you. Any particular demands? Should I prepare to teach you the tango?” he said with a suggestive smile. She rolled her eyes and then laughed again. Finally, a normal reaction from her.
“No need to worry about that. I don’t want anything elaborate. It’s more about getting used to dancing with someone. A move or two will be a bonus.”
“We have a deal then. You’ll take care of the music?” She nodded. “I’ll come here?”
“Yes, here and I think this time is perfect. If we have to change it, we’ll work around that.”
“How many lessons do you expect?”
“I think two or three times a week. It’s in two weeks. Does this sound ok?”
“Yes, I can manage that,” he said, trying to hide his reaction. He felt strangely elated by the thought that they were going to spend so much time together. He decided it was because they would have many opportunities to talk.
“And what will you want in return?” she asked, looking a little apprehensive. He gasped.
“You wound me, princess! I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart.” She laughed again. “Seriously. I just want you to have the best night,” he said truthfully. She deserved it.
“Thank you, Chat. Until next time?” Her smile warmed his heart.
“Until next time.”