28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.

Lucky Us

By: Princess Kitty1

Chapter 28

Chat NoirRE: Summer4 hours ago

Good morning, buginette.

This is it, huh?

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer2 minutes ago

This is it.

x.x.x

Marinette's Sunday morning began like any other: she woke up early, did yoga, ate fruit for breakfast, then changed out of her pajamas and walked downstairs to the bakery.

After a month of being closed, some cleaning was in order. Marinette hauled supplies out of storage and spent two hours getting dust off every surface in the storefront and the kitchen, then she wiped the windows both inside and out. At one o'clock, Manon and Sophie came in and helped her with the chores her injured hand wouldn't let her do. At three, her other assistant baker, Olivier, came in to help Sophie prepare dough for opening day. Marinette took the opportunity to slip upstairs for a shower.

The cleaning had kept her preoccupied, but when left alone with running water and hair she didn't know what to do with, her anxiety returned. In a few hours, Gabriel Agreste would be judging her best work.

And Adrien would be judging her.

She untangled and dried her hair, then twisted it into an elaborate updo that required one too many hairpins and took much longer than she planned thanks to her stitches.

The outfit she'd put together ahead of time: a black strapless jumpsuit with elaborate gold designs inspired by the logo she'd created for her parents' bakery years ago, an accompanying golden laurel hairpiece that she tucked into her updo, and matching gold laurel wrist cuffs. Whether she won the competition or not, no matter how far she made it in the fashion world, she wanted everyone there to know where she'd come from.

To avoid spending the next few hours running around in stilettos, Marinette shoved a pair of three-inch heels into her handbag and put on a pair of flats. The last thing to go into her bag was her lucky charm bracelet. She didn't plan to wear it, but if Henry could carry a lucky rabbit's foot around for her sake, then she'd add to the luck pile with an object of her own.

Marinette checked her ensemble in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, then sighed. She wished her parents could have been there. They had a flight back to Paris that Wednesday, but she could have used their presence at the competition; seeing her parents never failed to calm her down.

When she walked downstairs, Manon, Sophie, and Olivier's mouths dropped open simultaneously. "Who is this goddess and what has she done with our Marinette?" Olivier cried.

"Come here so I can smear some flour on your cheek. They might not recognize you otherwise," Manon said.

Marinette rolled her eyes, but she scurried forward to give each of them a hug. "Thanks for holding down the fort for me. I couldn't have done this without you guys."

"As if we were going to let you blow your chance at stardom," Olivier said. "We're having a watch party at my place tonight, so we'll be there with you in spirit. Feel free to imagine us somewhere in the crowd, screaming and embarrassing the hell out of you."

"Will do," Marinette said. Then she hugged each of them once more for good measure before she forced herself to leave the bakery, lest she chicken out and decide to spend the evening hiding in her bedroom instead.

The contestants were due at Agreste HQ at five o'clock. From there, they would be transported by limousine to the venue where the runway show would take pace. More press interviews, celebrity arrivals, a final rehearsal, and a last-minute touch-up of outfits and makeup later, the runway show would begin at exactly eight o'clock.

As soon as Marinette found a seat on the metro, she whipped out her cell phone.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

I don't know how singers do what they do.

Don't they get nervous having to perform in front of so many people?

And multiple times at that?

Anyway, I'm on my way to Agreste HQ.

Wish me luck.

x.x.x

Adrien's Sunday morning did not begin like any other. After a night of tossing and turning, he slept through his alarm clock, got woken up by Nathalie, catapulted out of bed, threw on the first decent outfit he had, then met his father for Sunday brunch at Le Grand Paris.

From there, he accompanied Gabriel to Agreste HQ, where they were given the schedule of the evening's events—a schedule that Adrien had come up with and should have known like the back of his hand, but his thoughts were so scattered he couldn't remember half of it. He sat through two meetings completely distracted, then got sent home for a break because his father was convinced he'd come down with a fever.

Which wasn't far from the truth. It took more of Adrien's usual self-control to not spend the whole afternoon emailing Ladybug. She was, after all, in a more nerve-wracking position than he was.

So he used his phone to cast a spotlight on his bedroom floor and made Plagg chase it around. Then he took a shower, changed into a black blazer with a green tie, panicked because it was too obvious, switched the green tie for a black tie, groaned because he looked like a host, then went for the green tie again and forced himself to stick with it.

It didn't matter. He wasn't trying to hide from Ladybug. When he walked up to her after the runway show, he wanted her to know exactly who he was.

At four o'clock, he stopped by the venue where the runway show would be held to deliver Nathalie some food—he knew she had the bad habit of not eating on days where she had to work an important event—then returned to Le Grand Paris to pick up Chloe.

He found her in her bathroom, dressed in a short body-hugging yellow dress and knee-high black boots, gluing on fake eyelashes. "You look good, Adrikins," she said before he could even ask. "Like a teenager about to go on his first date at a sit-down restaurant."

Adrien slumped against the wall. "Should I change?"

"I'm joking," she said. "Your precious Ladybug will love it."

Adrien picked up on her irritated tone immediately. "You know something, don't you?" he asked. When she didn't answer him, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Thanks for not telling me."

Chloe shrugged him off. "Whatever. I'm trying to apply mascara here." She batted her eyelashes at her reflection, then turned around. "You know you can talk to me if you need anything, right?"

Adrien smiled at her. "I know."

"Good." She grabbed her purse off her bathroom counter. "Then let's go."

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: Summer12 minutes ago

Of course singers get nervous. You haven't heard of the ones who spend an hour before their concerts throwing up in the bathroom? It's never easy being the center of attention. Anyone who tells you that you'll stop being nervous with experience is a liar.

x.x.x

Marinette shoved her phone back into her purse. Earlier she'd bid her little office farewell, mourned the loss of her unlimited access to free fabric, then turned in her security clearance badge. If she won the competition, she'd be getting another one soon enough. For the time being, she waited with the rest of the contestants for Colette to return so they could have one final group photo taken before being charted across town.

The photographer, a crabby Italian man who couldn't stop talking about spaghetti, posed them this way and that, ordered them to change places, hummed unhappily, then ordered them to change places again. "Relax a bit! Why so stiff? Pretend you are starving and in front of you is a plate of spaghetti. Give it a sultry look—sultry I said, not hungry!"

In the end, Marinette channeled her inner Ladybug for the confidence necessary to pull off the sultry look. But she didn't dismiss Ladybug when the photoshoot was over. She kept her front and center, wrapped protectively around the core of her that remained nervous and scared. Because Ladybug wasn't a separate entity, hanging out in some corner of her mind and writing emails while Marinette slept. Ladybug was Marinette, and Marinette was Ladybug, and tonight more than ever, she had to own that.

Colette gave the contestants brief instructions on where to go when they arrived at the venue, then accompanied them to the waiting limousine. Marinette changed out of her flats and into her heels as the limo made its way across the city. She ignored the champagne being passed around, because as much as she could have used the confidence boost, she didn't want the accompanying clumsiness. A worst-case scenario of her tripping and falling and taking out at least five other people in a mortifying domino effect played in her mind. She promptly dismissed it.

The limo stopped in front of an upscale nightclub that Marinette recognized as one of the favorites of celebrities both local and foreign. A swarm of paparazzi waited outside. Cameras flashed and cell phones recorded and entertainment reporters stood with microphones in hand, waiting to interview the guests of honor.

Marinette took a breath to calm herself. She'd be fine. Everything would be fine.

The limo driver opened the door. He helped the contestants climb out, one by one so that the reporters had enough time to focus on each individual woman. When it was Marinette's turn, she took the driver's hand and lifted herself out of the limo as gracefully as possible, making sure the bottom of her jumpsuit didn't snag on her heels.

And then she was blinded by photographers.

The limo's tinted windows had caused her to severely underestimate the powerful flash on their cameras. She smiled, trying not to appear as stunned as she felt, and followed the example of the contestants who'd gone before her. Take a few steps. Stop. Pose. Answer a question from one of the reporters on the sidelines. Keep moving. She nearly fainted from pure relief when she saw Alya among the crowd, shouting her name and giving her a thumbs up.

Alya's presence brought a sense of reality back to Marinette's evening. If her best friend was there, it meant she still had both feet on planet Earth, that she hadn't suddenly found herself in another world. No matter how different the atmosphere and the circumstances, this was still Paris, the city she'd grown up in, the city she loved.

"Adrien!"

Marinette and half the crowd turned their heads simultaneously.

Another limo had replaced the one that brought the contestants to the club, and from that limo emerged Adrien, followed by Chloe. He offered Chloe his arm and didn't even flinch at the camera flashes and the multitude of people calling his name. He merely threw them the same handsome smile that had on so many occasions made Marinette go weak at the knees.

Then his eyes met hers.

And for several heartbeats, neither of them moved.

Marinette stared at Adrien. A dangerous combination of panic and excitement swept through her body. She felt hot and cold at the same time because Adrien couldn't just stare back at her like a normal person. He stopped smiling. His eyes widened. His lips parted. An unmistakable flush spread across his cheeks.

He looked at her like he wanted her.

And suddenly, it was all too much.

Marinette turned and hurried into the nightclub. She followed the signs that Colette had told them to follow and caught up to the other contestants on their way backstage. She pressed a shaking hand to her forehead, wondering if she looked as sick as she felt.

Then she fished her cell phone out of her bag and opened her emails.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer10 minutes ago

I can't do this.

x.x.x

Although Adrien had been fired from the competition planning committee, he'd still done ninety percent of the work, so he arrived at the nightclub eager to see the fruits of his labor. He couldn't help being a little proud of himself. Not only had he slapped the whole thing together, he'd done it in less than two months.

Beside him, Chloe knocked back a second glass of champagne. "Is it bad that I always hope for one of the models to fall over?" she asked.

"Yes," Adrien said. He took the glass away from her. "Please go easy on the alcohol. The reporters will already assume we've gotten back together. I don't want to give them anything else to gossip about."

Chloe snorted. "Those reporters gave up on us a long time ago."

"Oh yeah? And who's the only one who's ever been sober enough to remember getting chased by the paparazzi after picking you up from another bar?" Adrien confiscated the champagne bottle as well. Chloe crossed her arms and scowled at the window. "Don't do that. Your makeup will crease," Adrien said, and poked her between the eyebrows. She knocked his hand away.

The limo in front of theirs moved on and they pulled up to the curb. Chloe straightened Adrien's tie before he stepped out into the assault of camera flashes. He ignored the reporters' shouts for the time being, and turned to offer his hand to Chloe, who accepted it with a smile that he could have mistaken for genuine if he hadn't known her better. She slipped her arm through his as they started towards the entrance of the nightclub, the rich and golden couple with perfectly rehearsed smiles who walked with the confidence of the absurdly photogenic.

But when Adrien looked up, his years' worth of training abandoned him and he came to an abrupt stop.

Marinette stood by the entrance of the nightclub, staring straight at him.

And if he'd thought her beautiful before, he could not find a single word to describe her now. She stood alone, flanked on either side by photographers, an island in a sea of noise that filled Adrien with the irrational fear that she would vanish if he tried to get closer. She wore a black strapless jumpsuit with a gold print that reminded him of Tom and Sabine's bakery logo, a gold laurel hairpiece, and gold cuffs around her wrists.

Adrien's mouth went dry. His heart made several desperate attempts to escape his body and run after Marinette. And he would have run too, he realized; run and taken Marinette's face in his hands and kissed her until he could no longer breathe.

Marinette turned her back on him and disappeared into the nightclub.

Chloe's elbow rammed into his side.

"Get a grip," she hissed.

Adrien blinked, remembering where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. He forced the smile back onto his face, but his heart did not calm down and his thoughts remained incoherent. He hadn't expected to see Marinette so soon. He hadn't been prepared. It wasn't fair. He couldn't get the idea of kissing her out of his head.

But he held it together. He made it into the nightclub and took a deep breath and reigned in his imagination before he drove himself insane. His cell phone vibrated in his blazer's inside pocket. He reached for it.

"Adrien!"

He turned around. Ange Simon, fellow supermodel and co-star on his father's fragrance commercial, walked towards him in heels that made her at least four inches taller than him. She leaned down and kissed him on both cheeks. "It's so good to see you again!" she cried, then turned and kissed Chloe's cheeks as well. "You too, Chloe. We need to get together sometime soon. I've missed you!"

Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Of course you have."

Ange gave Adrien a sly look. "So… your cute friend Marinette is a finalist, huh?"

Adrien's cheeks reddened all over again, and he was grateful for the dim lighting in the club. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

Ange gasped. "He's not denying it anymore." She turned to Chloe. "You should have seen him at Chateau Margaux. He would not admit he liked her."

"Sounds like Adrikins," Chloe drawled.

Adrien threw his hands in the air. "If the two of you are going to stand around roasting me, then I'm going to find my seat. Chlo, don't drink too much. Ange, don't let her drink too much," he said, then hurried off to a sparsely populated corner to check his phone.

A one-line email from Ladybug. His heart sank as he read it, and he hit reply before he even had an idea of what to say to her.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: Summer17 minutes ago

What can't you do? Talk to me, Ladybug.

x.x.x

Marinette tottered around in her heels as Henry and Alexa got dressed. They'd each been in makeup for at least an hour already, and from backstage they could all hear the crowd getting louder as more people filled the nightclub.

Marinette scrutinized every inch of her two outfits, making sure nothing was out of place and that neither the dress nor the suit would magically unravel themselves in the middle of the runway show.

"Honey, breathe," Alexa said to her. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"To be fair, so do these other ladies. I think poor Astrid threw up a few minutes ago," Henry said.

Marinette squeaked in surprised when Alexa suddenly wrapped her arms around her. "I swear on my honor as a model that I will not fail you. You just stand back here, let us do our thing, maybe do some deep breathing exercises, and when the moment comes you'll be ready to face that audience. Got it?"

Marinette hugged her back. "Thank you," she said.

If only the competition was the only thing she had to worry about. She hadn't been able to think straight since seeing Adrien outside. Adrien in his black blazer and green tie. Her kitty cat.

When she was satisfied with the state of her designs, she grabbed her phone and snapped a photo of Alexa and Henry fully dressed. Then they pulled her into at least five selfies, which they promised to post all over social media when the show was over.

Once they had gone to talk to the other models, Marinette found a moment to rest and an unoccupied chair to rest in. She had a new email from Chat Noir. Short and to the point. She tapped her phone against her mouth as she thought of a reply, then wrote the only thing that came to mind.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer9 minutes ago

I'm scared.

x.x.x

Adrien sighed. Scared. He could handle scared. For a moment he'd been terrified she would run away and forfeit the competition.

He looked at the runway, but couldn't see anything backstage. No hint of black and gold. No ladybug and black cat outfits. Across the room, Nino waved at him from the sound booth. Adrien waved back.

Someone slid into the chair on his left.

His father.

"You chose this venue well," Gabriel said as he straightened his suit jacket. Nathalie stood on his other side, and handed him his tablet once he'd gotten settled. "I'm proud of all the work you put into this competition."

Adrien smiled. "Thank you, Father," he said. He glanced at his phone to check the time.

The runway show was about to begin.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

If you weren't scared, I'd be surprised! Do you want to tell me about it? Maybe talking it out will help.

x.x.x

A burst of music made Marinette jump. Onstage, the host of the competition welcomed the audience. The models ran into position and giggled and tittered excitedly.

Marinette looked back at Adrien's email and hit reply.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

I'm scared that I'm going to lose.

I'm scared that my best won't be good enough.

I'm scared that things are going to change between you and me once you know who I am.

x.x.x

Adrien tapped his fingers against his knee impatiently as the host went through a list of sponsor names.

Ladybug was afraid things would change between them.

Naturally, things were bound to change between them. But what kind of change could she be anticipating that freaked her out so bad? He checked to make sure his father was preoccupied, hid his phone behind his blazer, and replied to Ladybug.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Your best IS good enough. It got you this far, didn't it?

And why would you be afraid of things changing between us? Change can be a good thing.

x.x.x

Marinette stood up and paced the backstage area as the first pair of models walked out onto the runway. She wanted to reply. She needed to reply. She needed for her thoughts to not be a jumbled mess. She caught Alexa and Henry's eyes and they both gave her a double thumbs up. She smiled nervously back at them, then returned to the email.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

It can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing.

You're one of my best friends, Chat Noir.

I love what we have now.

I don't want to lose this.

x.x.x

Adrien watched as the second pair of models walked onstage. Not Ladybug's designs. Not Marinette's designs. Not relevant to him.

He read through the email again. And again. What was Ladybug saying?

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Would you rather I not know who you were, then?

x.x.x

Marinette shook her head vehemently. Stupid cat. How could she not want him to know?

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

I want you to know who I am more than anything.

x.x.x

Adrien let out a weak laugh. He was going to hell for this. He might have been in hell already. He couldn't be this happy over an email from one girl when his heart had been seconds away from running off with another.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

I want you to know who I am too, Ladybug.

x.x.x

Tears filled Marinette's eyes. She wiped them away before her makeup could smear, but more kept coming. They splashed onto her cell phone screen as she wrote back to Adrien with shaking hands.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

I already know who you are.

x.x.x

Adrien checked to verify that the fifth pair of models also weren't dressed in Ladybug's designs, then read the email she'd sent him.

And his heart almost stopped.

I already know who you are.

He stared at the screen.

I already know who you are.

He closed the email, then opened it and read it again.

I already know who you are.

He tapped the reply button.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Ladybug…?

x.x.x

Marinette looked up as the sixth pair of models walked out onto the runway. Alexa and Henry were next. Henry blew her a kiss. Alexa gave her a reassuring smile.

Marinette typed one sentence and pressed send.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

I'm sorry, Adrien.

x.x.x

Adrien.

She knew.

She really knew.

Adrien stared at his phone so hard that he didn't realize the sixth pair of models had come and gone until the host's voice penetrated his shock.

"The Luck Collection," he announced, and Adrien raised his head, watched the black cat and ladybug clad models walk down the runway, heard the appreciative murmurs from the audience, saw his father begin taking notes—

"By designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien stood from his chair.

A hand closed around his wrist and tugged him back down. Probably Chloe's. Definitely Chloe's. She'd been seated next to him, but…

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

His father leaned towards him. "Is something the matter, Adrien?"

The Luck Collection, by designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"Adrien?" Chloe's voice sounded so far away.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Adrien leaned back against his seat. He'd lost track of his phone. Where was his phone?

Marinette.

He saw Chloe lean down and pick something up.

Marinette is Ladybug.

His phone. The screen lit up. Chloe sucked in a breath, then slowly placed the phone on his leg.

A large crack split the screen in two. The top half could still be read, but the bottom half was nothing but static.

Ladybug's email was nothing but static.

Marinette's email was nothing but static.

x.x.x

Marinette waited.

One, two, three pairs of models later, no reply had come.

The silence was deafening.

Even in the commotion of the models reuniting with their designers, she felt Adrien's silence in each thudding beat of her heavy heart. Henry and Alexa found her staring blankly at her phone. When she couldn't tell them what was wrong, they settled for embraces and murmured reassurances.

Because the hard part had ended, but the most difficult part was only beginning.

The host of the show called the designers onto the runway. Marinette left her phone and bag behind, asked Henry and Alexa to take care of them. She walked out seventh, following the same order the models had. Wild applause filled her ears. She could hardly see the audience thanks to the darkened club and the bright spotlights.

But she saw Adrien, standing on the runway with the winner's bouquet in his arms.

He didn't look at her. He didn't look at any of them.

And yet, when the host introduced him, Adrien smiled and waved at the audience as if it were any other day.

Then Gabriel Agreste took the stage. His appearance was met by even wilder applause and the clicking of camera shutters from every direction. He wore a placid expression and the reddest pants Marinette had ever seen. The host mock-bowed to him before handing him the microphone.

Marinette tried to catch Adrien's eye. He didn't so much as turn his head in her direction.

"Thank you all for coming out here tonight," Gabriel Agreste said. "It has been a pleasure and a privilege to witness the debut of these promising young designers. Truth be told, the competition almost didn't happen this year. Had it not been for my industrious son, none of us would be here right now."

More cheers for Adrien.

Marinette willed him to look at her.

He didn't.

"Unfortunately, there can be only one winner of this competition. But I can assure every single one of you that these ten women standing before you are more than worthy of the title. Please, give them another round of applause."

Marinette smiled for the audience along with the other contestants.

Adrien still didn't look at her.

"Without further ado," Gabriel said, and the tension in the club threatened to suffocate Marinette. "The winner of this year's design competition is…"

Marinette's heart hammered in her chest. In the glow of the spotlight, she saw Adrien's fingers tighten around the flower bouquet.

"…Noemie Chapuis."

And she closed her eyes as her dreams were swept away by the audience's thunderous applause.

To Be Continued

A/N: Months ago, I commented on Tumblr that I'd made a hard decision about this fic. Well. Here it is.

Leave your screams in the review box below. Just know that I won't be answering any questions about this until next chapter.