Chapter Text
Marinette fumbled with her papers as she stumbled out of class. Her professor’s words rang in her ears like a catchy song she couldn’t get enough of, though it was anything but pleasant. Stuffing her papers into the safety of her binder, Marinette repeated her professor’s instructions in her head constantly. The project wasn’t the most difficult thing in the world, not at all. All she had to do was create three statement pieces and pair those with closet essentials–jeans, leather jackets, etcetera–and find a person to model all three outfits.
Here’s where she was stumped.
Her roommate, Alya, was beautiful, no doubt about it, but they’d been attached by the hip since primary school. If Marinette knew anything about her best friend, Alya would much rather take the photos than model them. Besides, Alya was a journalism major, and that meant a heck of a lot of work, maybe even as much as Marinette had herself.
The only other person in her friend group was Luka, a guy she’d met when she initially started high school several years prior. She could ask him. She didn’t think that he would be opposed to the idea, but she didn’t know if he’d be okay with it either. After all, the outfits would be based on a random theme assigned to her by her professor, and her theme was springtime. That meant pastel colors, layers, flowy fabrics--everything her leather jacket-wearing, motorcycle driving, and blue-haired friend wasn’t.
Frustrated and confused, Marinette walked through the campus, steering herself through the crowds of students on autopilot. It was a skill she had developed as her mind was usually wandering where her feet weren’t, something she was ridiculed about–by teachers and students alike–very often in her teenage years. She walked outside the main building, looking over the assignment details on the sheet of paper once again.
“Three outfits… at least one statement piece must be created by hand… photos put together in a professional portfolio… due April twentieth…” Marinette stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the deadline with wide eyes. She had twenty days to find a model, sew all three pieces, put together outfits, and, not to mention, a photoshoot? Oh, and she just couldn’t forget about the portfolio.
Perfect.
Subconsciously, her pace began to quicken, like every second was essential to her finishing this project on time. She continued her mumbling, her eyes thoroughly scanning the rubric and details. “…must be the same model for all pictures… all ensembles must have three photos minimum, all of them showing a different angle– WOAH!”
She shrieked as her papers flew through the air and at the sudden throbbing in her head. She leaned down, collecting all her papers. “Sorry! Sorry, I’m so sorry. I should really watch where I’m going but I–” Her words were cut off by a hand reaching out to grab the same paper as her.
“It’s no worry.”
Marinette’s cheeks flushed at the sound of the voice. Her eyes drifted up from the person’s hand to his face. “Damn, you’re hot…” the comment came out of her lips unbidden, and she immediately slapped a hand over her mouth.
He raised an eyebrow, obviously taken aback by her comment. “What was that?”
Marinette eyes grew wide. Had she said that out loud? “I… uh. I… um— yeah. There’s no saving it. I said you’re hot.” She rubbed her burnt face in embarrassment, collecting all the papers and securing them in her binder.
He smirked. “I heard you the first time. Don’t worry, it’s not the first time that that’s the first thing someone has said to me. Kind of a normal occurrence, to be honest.” He stood up, offering his hand to help her up as well. She took it graciously and took notice of the fact that his eyes were a vibrant shade of green.
That was cute.
“I’m really, really sorry. That’s not the right way to greet people, I know. She held her hand out, waiting for him to shake it. I’m Marinette.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Marinette. I’m Adri–” He took her hand but his eyes went downward, and he bent over and picked up the last sheet of paper. He took a glance at it before returning it to her. “You’re into fashion design. That’s cool! My father’s a fashion designer. Are you a student here?”
“Thank you. And yes, I am. Full-time design major. What about you?”
“I’m a full time student here as well. I’m getting a degree in astrophysics.”
“That’s fascinating.” So this guy was handsome, kind, and smart? You didn’t come across those often. Wait… handsome? Marinette looked at him once again. He seemed to be around six feet tall, possibly muscular as indicated from the slight bulges that could be seen in his arms through his denim jacket. His hair was short and styled perfectly, though a few stray strands fell on her face. Eyes green and glimmering, and Marinette had forced herself from looking away before she got too mesmerized. He had a chiseled jawline and a surprisingly comforting face.
He was perfect.
“I, uh… I know we just met, but I have a really strange question,” Marinette started, unintentionally stuttering over her words. “Since I’m a, you know, design major, I have a project where I have to create three outfits and have a photoshoot of all three said outfits. Do you mind if you were my model? It’s fine if you don’t want to–”
“No, it seems like it’ll be a great time. And you seem pretty fun to hang out with. I’d love to model for you, Marinette. And, lucky for you, I’m kind of experienced. My father’s Gabriel–”
“Your father is Gabriel Agreste?” She cut him off with an excited squeal. She was practically jumping up and down in exhilaration. “He’s my favorite fashion designer ever! I’ve closely followed him since I was fourteen. Wait a second, that means you’re Adrien Agreste.”
“That I am, but not so loud, please. I don’t want somebody to hear my name and come running towards me.” He rubbed the nape of his neck and looked around, making sure no one was in earshot. “But what are the odds my father is your favorite fashion designer? That’s kinda crazy.”
“Yeah, what a coincidence. But thank you so much for agreeing to model my designs for my project. You are literally my lord and savior, Adrien.”
“Happy to be of service. Wait.” He dug the pocket of his jacket and pulled out his phone. “Put your contact in, and we can meet for coffee sometime to discuss everything. Just keep in mind, I have a pretty loaded schedule with doing stuff for my father and schoolwork, and you know how it is. But I promise I will help you fulfill whatever you need for this assignment.” He bent down in a princely manner, his phone set in his extended hand.
Marinette giggled at his gesture, taking his phone and plugging in her number. “Here. Just text me later. It was a pleasure to meet you, Adrien.”
“Delighted to meet you too, Marinette. I look forward to that coffee meeting. Let’s have it as soon as possible.”
“Definitely.”
***
Adrien blushed as he waited for Marinette in the café. It was his personal favorite, and he had insisted they meet there, even if it was on the little more expensive side. He didn’t mind, though. She seemed to be a really cool girl, even if she had bumped into him on the street in the parking lot outside their school. He scrolled through the chain of texts they'd sent each other, smiling at how excited she seemed to be through her typing. His foot tapped against the wooden flooring, and he shrugged off his jacket due to the overwhelming warmth of the café. Soon enough, the bell rang at the front door, and in came Marinette, dressed in the most adorable outfit he’d ever seen. She was dressed in a pale yellow and white crop top and a pink pleated skirt that she looked adorable in. Her hair was down and flowing freely past her shoulders, the dark locks long and shiny.
Gosh, she’s beautiful… He caught himself thinking but fumed further at the thought. They’d just met three days prior. There was no way they’d even continue a friendship after the project was submitted. This was a one-time thing.
But there was always a chance.
He adjusted himself as Marinette sat down across from him, a wide smile on her face.
“Hi,” She said, setting her purse on the seat next to her. “Thank you again for agreeing to this. I hope this isn’t too much of a bother to your preoccupied schedule.”
“Nonsense.” He waved it off, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Do you want to order before we start?”
“Yeah, sure. What’s good here?”
“The croissants are to die for! I usually come here before classes because my father doesn’t allow me to eat pastries regularly. Again, model. But this place is only alsecond compared the Tom and Sabine’s Boulangerie Patisserie, their sweets are literal perfection.”
“Thank you.”
Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Thank you?”
“That’s my parents’ bakery. I was often there when my Maman and Papa baked the treats, and I learned how to make them very early on. I’d even bake some of my own pastries and sell them in the shop on weekends.”
“That’s amazing! It must be heaven to live in a bakery.”
Marinette shrugged. “It has its pros and cons.”
“You should give me a baking lesson sometime. I can’t cook to save my life, and I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“What, you have personal chefs that are waiting on your beck and call for you to say ‘I’m hungry! Give me food!” Marinette teased.
“Exactly. But I have a super-controlled diet, so it’s more like. ‘I’m hungry! Give me enough food to make me starving again in three hours!’” He chuckled mirthlessly, and he could sense she wasn’t amused either. Suddenly feeling like he said something wrong, he decided to divert her attention. “So, let’s get our food.”
Marinette got a plate of macarons and a fudge mocha, while Adrien got tea and a plate of croissants. She giggled as he devoured one before she finished taking out her design sketchbook.
“So, what do you have in mind for the ensembles?” He asked.
“My theme was assigned to me by my teacher. It’s springtime, and one of the reasons I asked you are because of your eyes.”
“My eyes?” He inquired, tilting his head slightly.
She took another sip of her coffee and nodded. “They’re beautiful. I definitely think green is your color. So,” she flipped open her book to reveal a spring green blazer decorated with marks of a darker green, pinks, purples, and yellows. “I’m going to hand sew and embroider the blazer and the jeans.” The jeans were ripped and decorated with the same pattern, along with a chain belt. The same chain was strung around the neck of the form, as well as a flower crown set on its head. There was a plain white t-shirt underneath the blazer. “The assignment’s details were to play with color and design, and center an outfit that looks like it could be fit for a runway while using closet staples”
“No, this looks super cool! I’m really impressed, Marinette.”
“Oh. Thank you, Adrien.”
“Let’s see the other two, assuming you have them done…”
“I do! Is it weird if I tell you that I was so excited the day I found you as my model that I couldn’t sleep that night? I thought finding a model would take forever.” She nervously laughed and flipped to another page, showing him the next ideas. Adrien was grinning in joy the whole time. Marinette was talented, and by the looks of it, very intuitive. He really wished that the two of them could be friends even after the project was over.
“That’s not weird at all,” He reassured her, laughing at the coffee mustache formulating on her upper lips. He grabbed a napkin to wipe it and moved onto her seat so he wouldn’t have to reach over the table. Their close proximity flustered him, but he continued the clean-up of the mustache. “I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, huh?”
“It sure is.”