"Marinette Agreste."

The blue haired woman looked away from the mannequin before her, pins in her pursed lips. She turned her gaze to the blond man leaning against the door frame. The woman brought her hand to her mouth, letting the pins fall into her hand before putting them into a pin cushion. She turned to the man before her, who was her with almost sultry eyes.

"Mr. Agreste." She crossed her arms and leaned against her sewing table.

The man gave a smirk and pushed off the door frame, walking across the room to her.  "You know, my students call me Mr. Agreste, but you... you can call me Adrien." He stopped before her their faces inches apart.

"Oh my, Adrien? A student with the professor? Scandalous." She draped her arms around his shoulders and they laughed, before sharing a long kiss.

"You realize what time it is, my love?" He asked, after breaking from their passionate kiss.

She hummed, fixing her husband's tie and the handmade sweater vest she had made for him herself.  "Time to go home if you're here."

He nodded, fixing some hair behind his wife's ear. "Let's go home, Bugaboo."

○○○

Life always takes a turn for the better when you least expect it. Several years ago, Adrien Agreste was a bachelor model, living life dreadfully under his father's roof.

"You should really get out more often." His friend Nino, told him one day.

Adrien sighed, fixing his sunglasses as he tried to remain anonymous at the bakery they were sitting outside of. "I can't. Don't you see how often the paparazzi try to fucking catch me." Adrien slouched in the chair he sat in while Nino chuckled.

"You're never going to go anywhere in life if you don't go out and fight the patriarchy. What was it you wanted to be? A physics teacher?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, but it's probably not going to make it happen."

"With that attitude, you definitely won't be getting anywhere." The server came with a tray, two steaming cups of coffee and one croissant.

"Marinette's right, you won't get nowhere like that."

Adrien glanced up at the server through his sunglasses, having to take a double glance. She was a beautiful young lady with dark black, midnight blue hair, and the bluest eyes he had ever seen. She only spared him a glance, before looking at Nino with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again Nino. How is the DJ business going?" She asked.

"It's going great actually. Alya scored me this big gig down at this festival the uni is having, so I'm hoping to get more recognition."

"That's great to hear! Leave it to Alya to be the one up to date with the current city events."

Nino chuckled, taking a sip out of his coffee. "How about you, how are the fashion things going?"

She let out a little sigh. "It's going kind of hard actually, I'm trying to get an internship with this huge guy, you know, to get my designs out there, but it's a big fight apparently."

"Why is that?"

She shrugged. "Apparently this guy I'm trying to apply for, he's the best candidate to apply for, because he's really out there right now. But, the fight is only because he has this really hot son that's a model, or something."

Nino glanced over at the blond who choked on his coffee on the other side of the table.

"What's the name of this guy anyway?" Nino asked, a small smirk on his face.

The girl looked over at Adrien worriedly, before looking back at Nino. "Agreste, I think."

Nino let out a chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I'll be." Nino said, glancing over at his friend. "Oh man, where are my manners? Marinette, this is Adrien, Adrien Agreste. Adrien, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette turned to the blond, her eyes wide. "Y-You're Gabriel Agreste's son?"

Adrien avoided eye contact, shushing her. "Unfortunately."

Nino chuckled. "Lighten up bro, it will get better trust me."

○○○

In the worst situations, it's hard to believe any optimism that comes your way. You tend to always see the negative side of things, never trying to make it any better, just sitting down and letting it happen.

"Adrien."

Adrien was in his bedroom, practically doing nothing as his assistant came into his room.

"I'm sure you've heard that your father is looking for an intern."

He let out a sigh. "I heard, and unfortunately, not through you. I learned this through another source." His mind flashed back to the girl from the bakery and her soft smile and crystalline blue eyes.

"Well, at least you've been informed of the information. Your father has numbered it down to a couple students. In order to get chosen, they have to come up with a unique design to be accepted as your father's intern. You will be the judge, your father having the ultimate last decision."

Adrien sighed. "What's the design?"

○○○

"Bowler hats? What the hell kind of decision is that?" Marinette was banging her forehead onto her table, her best friend, Alya, sitting beside her with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you can think of something. It's not too hard for someone like Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You're a genius, honey! I'm sure you can come up with something!"

She looked at her best friend who was looking into her phone, smiling happily. "Talking to Nino aren't you?" Marinette asked.

Alya smiled and nodded, putting her phone down momentarily on the table. "I don't know Mari." She shrugged slightly. "I like him. He's just so..." A smile crossed her face and Marinette smiled as well. She knew that her friend had met the one person of her life.

"What about you and Andrew, Mari?"

Marinette looked down at her sketches, shrugging slightly. "I love him, but... I don't know. We had gotten into a fight recently, and he's refusing to talk to me at the moment. He claims that I'm trying to get this internship because I want to get close to the guy's hot model son, but literally, I'm not even interested. I'm not engaged for no reason."

Alya scoffed. "He's so easily jealous. Have you even seen the guy? The model son?"

Marinette began shaking her head but snapped her fingers as she remembered. "Actually, I met him! The other day."

Alya gasped. "No way, so is he actually hot?" She asked.

"I mean, he's a model, so he is handsome but... Even if he wasn't the son of the guy I'm trying to intern for, I would still apply. But yeah, he showed up at the bakery with Nino the other day."

Alya looked surprised. "What? Nino knows him?"

"Apparently."

Alya picked up her phone and she began texting away, Marinette excusing herself to get something to snack on downstairs.

Once she got downstairs, her small spotted dog Tikki, running to her feet and barking happily. Marinette picked up the small dog, letting her lick her face as she laughed. "You're so adorable. This is why I love dogs."

○○○

Life has a funny way of mixing things together. You never know what it will throw at you, throwing you a curve ball in the weirdest ways possible.

"So, as of today, you're going to be Gabriel Agreste's intern. You will be coming in every other day, working on your designs with him. I am Nathalie Sancoeur, the Agreste's personal assistant. Your model will be Adrien Agreste, Gabriel's son. Clothes and accessories will be made to his measurements, so I have provided those here." A young lady was provided with a folder full of information, on the cover of the folder, was a sticky note with Adrien Agreste's body measurements. "Please excuse me for a moment." Nathalie disappeared out of the meeting room and came back with a blond following behind her.

"Adrien, this is your father's new intern, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." The blond was uninterested when he entered the room, but once he heard the familiar name, his interest was piqued.

"It's you."

Marinette nodded, simply offering her hand to him.

According to him, he had been sneaking off to visit her bakery weekly with Nino, pretending not to notice her, vice versa.

"Yes, it's me."

He took her hand, surprised by how soft it was and gave it a firm shake. "You made the pigeon feathered bowler hat? The one with the golden embroidery?"

She nodded, holding her folder with both hands. "Yes, that was me."

"I'm allergic to birds. I couldn't stop sneezing."

Marinette hummed, unfazed. "Bummer. Don't wear it anymore."

Adrien couldn't help the little smirk that rose to his lips. "Thank you Nathalie, I'll start working with her immediately."

The assistant nodded and left the meeting room, leaving the two of them alone.

"What are the odds that I would see you again?" He asked, leaning against the wall.

Marinette chuckled, leaning on the table. "We both live in Paris and you've been visiting my parent's bakery 'inconspicuously' for the past couple weeks." She crossed her arms, giving a little smirk. "It is such a small world after all."

"You know, I've been banned from going to your parents' bakery."

She arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess, your assistant?"

"'I'm getting fat'."

Marinette scoffed, putting her folder on the table and going to him. She grabbed the baggy ends of his shirt and pulled it to the sides, making it fit tight against his torso. "Getting fat? No honey, you're barely getting meat on those bones."

Adrien looked down at her with a teasing smile. "Trying to say that I'm a skeleton?"

She looked up at him with a chuckle. "No, you just need to eat a little more. My parents began asking for you." He was surprised. "What, you're a weekly customer and they're not as idiotic as the paparazzi are."

He let out a chuckle and Marinette let go of his shirt, flattening out the wrinkles she made and stepped back to lean against the table again.

"So tell me, what's the baker's daughter doing in fashion design?"

Marinette picked at her nails, letting out a sigh. "Well, being a baker's daughter wasn't right for me. Prince Charming never showed so I decided to step up my game a notch."

Adrien smirked, noticing the silver band around her ring finger. His smirk died down a little. "It seems like you've found him now though."

Marinette looked down at the ring before her and quickly brought her hand down, hiding her banded hand behind her.

"You could say that." She looked away. "Things aren't... Things aren't going the way we planned at the moment. Honestly, I'm surprised this ring is still on my finger." She brought her hand back out, looking down at the silver band with a sad chuckle.

"What seems to be the problem?" Adrien asked thoughtfully.

She let out a sigh, hesitating on telling a complete stranger her marital issues. "Do you remember when you first showed at my parents' bakery with Nino and he asked how my fashion design things were going? That everyone was fighting to intern under Gabriel because of- well, you? Well, that's come to be the issue." Marinette drags a hand down her face. "Basically, my fiancé thinks I'm doing it to get closer to you, when it's just to get the opportunity of a lifetime by working with your father."

Adrien nodded, feeling slightly guilty at the fact that he was unintentionally the one causing their troubles. But the feeling didn't last too long.

"So, you don't think I'm the least bit attractive?"

Marinette deadpanned. "Is that all you took from everything?"

Adrien chuckled.

○○○

You never really know you needed something until you have it in front of you.

She was beautiful. She usually wore her hair in pigtails and every once in a while, she changed her hairstyle, and Adrien wouldn't miss it.

"Andrew..." She let out a sigh as she was working on sewing a piece of fabric together, on the phone with her fiancé.

Adrien was sitting at the other end of the table, watching silently. He was her model after all.

"You know why I haven't been around... Well, what am I supposed to do? Give up on this internship that's going to eventually give me good money? ... Shit! No, no, I pricked my finger, not you... Andrew, wait, Andrew—!" The call ended and Marinette let out a long sigh, tossing her phone across the table.

Adrien watched as she continued sewing the material, pricking her fingers several times and cursing, until blood finally dripped and tears streamed from her eyes. Adrien stood as Marinette's shoulders shook, looking at the drop of blood grow bigger and bigger on her index finger. Adrien grabbed a nearby tissue and took her finger, startling her and dabbing it gently.

"Being upset isn't an excuse to purposely hurt yourself." He spoke quietly. Her blue eyes looked lighter than usual, the water in her eyes catching the light. "Marinette, I'm no expert in relationships but... I don't think this is healthy relationship for you. You seem like such a wonderful, happy girl but whenever he calls, your demeanor changes into something dull."

Marinette remained silent, only looking at the finger that the blood was slowly disappearing on. "I just... I don't know what to do." Her voice cracked and Adrien had accidentally pushed her over the edge.

Months' worth of stress suddenly crushed her, the well of emotions overflowing. Adrien let out a quiet sigh, wrapping his arms around her, rubbing her shoulder comfortably.

"It's just... so hard..."

Adrien shushed her gently. "Shh, it's okay."

She wrapped her shake your arms around him, clutching his shirt as if her life depended on it.

○○○

It's strange, really. You don't know ow much you want to protect someone until you see it hurt before you.

Adrien was standing on a small podium, Marinette double checking some measurements to fix a design she was working on.

"Half way or whole?" She asked herself.

"Halfway. Gives a casual look." He answered her.

She fixed the fabric, folding in before placing her arm through it and nodded with a hum. "You're right." She took her fabric with her, leaving his side and going back to the sewing table. She was sweating, running back and forth from the sewing table and him. She wiped some sweat rolling down the side of her face, before running back to Adrien.

Adrien watched as she tried the fabric on him, looking at Marinette's facial features. The way she stuck her tongue out when she tried to figure her stitches or hems right, her long lashes and her beautiful blue eyes. On the top arch of her cheekbone, something caught his attention, a deep purple hue that was peeking through.

"Marinette?"

She only hummed in response, her mouth holding the fabric. He tried to raise his arm to her face, but she quickly slapped his hand and straightened his arm.

"Are you wearing make up?"

She noticeably froze, her eyes widening. "No, I'm not." Marinette quietly turned away and undid her hair, letting it loose around her shoulders, and covering the area.

Adrien got off the podium and turned her around, putting her hair behind her ear. He grabbed a tissue on the table and gently rubbed the makeup away, revealing a bruise on her cheek.

"Did... Did someone hit you?"

Marinette avoided his gaze. "I got hit by a door." She muttered.

"Marinette." He cupped her other cheek and made her look at him. Tears stung Marinette's eyes, but she tried to fight them. "Who hit you?" He asked sternly.

"My... My fiancé." She spoke quietly.

Something burned inside Adrien, something along the lines of rage, lividness. He wanted to do nothing more than beat the living shit out of the human being that would ever lay a hand on such a beautiful woman. And Marinette certainly didn't deserve any asshole that hurt her.

Adrien couldn't speak after she revealed this to him, only bringing her into his arms. "Take me to him."

Marinette was confused. "W-What?"

"Take me to him."

"B-But Adrien-"

"If you don't take me to him, I will follow you. I don't care how creepy that sounds right now, I need to talk to that man."

And Marinette didn't deny him any further. Adrien and Marinette finished for the day, Marinette taking Adrien to Andrew's place. When they arrived, Andrew had just gone outside, glad to see Marinette back.

However, when he saw the male step out of the car shortly after she did, all happiness disappeared without a trace.

"Marinette? Who the hell is this?" The brun gave Adrien a glare, looking him over before turning to glare at Marinette for an answer. The girl cowered, unable to answer. Andrew closed the space in between them, grabbing her arm firmly, yanking her close to him. The action alone angered Adrien more, that crossed the space between himself and the couple with a couple strides, before landing a punch to Andrew's jaw. Marinette gasped and Andrew let her go, stepping back with a groan as he held his jaw.

"So I guess it's safe to assume that you're sleeping with her huh?" Andrew chuckled darkly and a fight broke out between the two boys, Marinette crying, begging for the two of them to stop.

○○○

Life sure does have a crazy way of bringing in new people into it.

"Do you have someone that can pay your bail?"

Adrien was in holding, at the police station. A neighbor had called the authorities and got the two of them arrested. Adrien was now cursing himself, dreading the thought of having to call Nathalie to come and get him.

"Adrien Dupain-Cheng?" The blond looked up from his cell bench, looking curiously at the officer. "Your bail has been paid. You're good to go." Outside of the station was a blue eyed beauty.

"You paid my bail?" He asked her and she nodded.

"I'm sorry you had to get wrapped up in this. I didn't... I had a feeling you wouldn't want to get your father involved in this. Or the media. I hope you didn't mind."

Adrien couldn't help the smile on his face. "Thank you so much, Marinette. And I don't apologize regarding what I did. That asshole deserved it."

Marinette rubbed her arm, nodding.

"I... I agree, I guess." She mumbled.

"You don't hate me, do you? For messing things up between your fiancé and—"

"Ex-fiancé." Marinette held out her hand, showing off the newly single hand with a shaky smile.

○○○

How do you know when change has come about your life? Whenever you catch yourself smiling for no reason, thinking about specific person more often, even though you just saw them.

Marinette started to devote more time at the Agreste residence, working with Adrien a lot more. With an abusive ex-fiancé out of the way, there was nothing to stop the two of them from getting to know each other more.

"So, tell me Adrien, if you weren't a model, what would you be?"

Adrien shushed Marinette and she flinched, not having to have said the "model" word out loud. The two were sitting at a frozen yogurt shop, Marinette's treat Adrien, a secret from Nathalie.

"A teacher." He looked around sheepishly and Marinette was awed.

"A teacher? What kind?"

"Physics."

Marinette frowned. "Oh."

He looked at her, chuckling at her reaction. "What?"

"Nothing it's just that I hate physics."

Adrien gave an astonished laugh. "Why is that?"

"It was my worst subject in high school, I don't know how I passed." She laughed.

Adrien and Marinette would always go out weekly, secretly going to a place that Adrien knew very well Nathalie would hate. They enjoyed each other's company, Marinette being a ray of sunshine to Adrien's dull life, while Adrien was practically Marinette's knight in shining armor.

"You two should date." Alya said.

They were all gathered at Marinette's parents' bakery, indulging in some fresh pastries.

"Yeah, you two would make a really good couple." Nino added.

Both Marinette and Adrien stammered for words or blushed, leaving the other two laughing.

"W-Well, why don't you two date hmm? All I used to see is you talk and talk about Nino."

Alya smirked. "We are dating. So why don't you two get a move on?"

○○○

Several months passed before Adrien could actually make a move, but he left subtle hints. New fabrics, clothes for Tikki, flowers at her doorstep, taken upstairs by her parents.

It was one particular slow, rainy day that the Dupain-Cheng's received an unusual visitor at their bakery.

"Adrien? You're soaking wet, what happened?" Marinette's mother was quick to let him in, her father going to grab Marinette upstairs.

"I... I wasn't having a particularly good day at home, so I walked out. Is Marinette home?" Adrien asked, running a hand through his wet hair.

"Yes, Tom is getting her, she's upstairs."

"Adrien?"

He looked up to the sound of her voice. She hurried down the stairs after her father gave her some towels, rushing to wrap Adrien in them.

"Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing out in this rain? Papa, do you have some clothes Adrien can borrow? He needs a shower before he gets sick." He nodded and went back upstairs.

"I'll prepare something warm for him to eat." Marinette's mother said as he was ushered upstairs by Marinette.

Adrien was given some spare clothing and was let into Marinette's bedroom bathroom, taking a long, hot shower. Once he was done, he came out in just a towel wrapped around his waist. Marinette stood, going to him before smacking his shoulder.

"What were you thinking? Going out with the weather like this? Are you trying to catch pneumonia? Seriously Adrien Agreste, you drive me up a wall." She grabbed another towel and draped it over his head, ruffling his hair with it.

"I wasn't thinking. All I knew is that I wanted to see you." He looked down at her and Marinette looked up at him with a sigh.

"My only day off and you decide to do something reckless, Adrien. Get dressed." She gave him his clothes before turning on her television to check the news.

"Are you going to let me change or what?" He asked as he took the towel off his head.

Marinette scoffed. "I've seen you with the only layer of clothes that stops you from being naked Adrien, no modesty exists between us."

Adrien smirked, getting dressed. After getting dressed, he went over to Marinette, draping his arm over her shoulders. "Anything about me?"

"Nope." She shut the television off and stood, turning to Adrien. "Hungry?"

Adrien was welcomed by the Dupain-Cheng's, the family warmth being something he's never experienced before. There was warm, nutritious food, with conversation, laughs and smiles. Marinette was smiling, talking with her mother when a loud crack of thunder echoed in the skies, they all jumped. Marinette's father stepped away from the dining room table, going to the living room to look at the television.

"Oh no, it looks like the weather is getting worse..." Marinette mumbled, looking out the window and looking back at Adrien. "I think it's safe if you spent the night." She said and Marinette's mother giggled.

"Why don't you stay forever?"

Marinette blushed, snapping to look at her mom. "Mom!"

Adrien chuckled and her father joined them again.

"Marinette is right though. It's best if you spend the night. I would prefer you staying here than for you to go walk back home or have one of us take you."

Adrien nodded. "Thank you for letting me under your roof." They nodded.

"You don't have to leave either."

"Oh my god, mom!" Marinette was flushed red, her parents and Adrien laughing at her.

"Marinette, are you awake?" Adrien was laying in chaise of Marinette's bedroom, looking up at the high ceiling. There were designs strewn everywhere in her bedroom, some leading up to her bedroom that was on a loft. He could hear movement up in her bed before he heard a soft voice.

"Yes, Adrien?"

There was silence before Adrien replied.

"I'm cold."

"Well then, come here."

Adrien smirked and he went up the stairs, seeing her sitting up in her bed, her blankets open for him.

"You're such a wuss. Afraid of a little rain?"

Adrien chuckled. "Maybe. What are you gonna do about it?"

Marinette laughed. "You're like a cat."

"Purr-haps." He rolled his 'r' and slipped into her bed, pulling her blanket over him. Marinette's bed was small, fit for one person, a tight squeeze for two, but they didn't mind, Marinette laying on Adrien's arm, their bodies barely pressed together as they mingled in each other's warmth.

"Unbelievable. What would the gossip magazines say if they saw us like this? With your shitty cat puns?"

Adrien hummed, moving some hair out of her face and looking down at her moonlit face. "'Who is she? Baby Agreste's sudden new girlfriend' or 'Local girl calls hot model a shitty cat pun guy'. Either or, you prefer."

Marinette giggled. "You know, I'm liking the ring of calling you the shitty cat pun guy." Adrien chuckled. "But... Baby Agreste's sudden new girlfriend sounds good too."

Adrien couldn't help the smile that grew on his face and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

○○○

It was the start of a new chapter of life. A ray of sunshine pierced the gray clouds, bringing out the blue skies with the fluffy white clouds, yet there was one dark cumulonimbus cloud that tried to possess the skies.

"Adrien, I forbid you from moving in with that girl."

"Father, you can't forbid me from doing anything anymore. I'm not some fifteen year old child that you can control anymore. Both Marinette and I are adults, and we want to start a new life, and we aren't going to allow you to stop us." Adrien and Marinette were facing Gabriel Agreste, a man whom although Marinette worked for, only met with once.

"If you leave this household, I'm cutting off every single company you work for."

"Pardon me, but you act like Adrien is some amateur who doesn't know what he's doing." Marinette spoke up.

"It is because he doesn't know what he's—"

"I beg to differ, Mr. Agreste." Marinette interjected. "I've spent the past year with Adrien, and I'll let you know that Adrien is a bright young man who has the potential to go places. But because of you, you anchoring him down, he hasn't been able to do anything. Have you ever once asked your son what it is he wanted? Or have you been so selfish that you never asked your son what he wants?" Gabriel banged his fist on the table.

"You little tramp—"

"You do not talk to Marinette like that, father!" Adrien shouted. "We're leaving and that's final. Let's go Marinette."

"Don't ever show your face around here ever again. You're no son of mine." Gabriel seethed.

"It's not like you were a great father figure either." Adrien wrapped his arm around Marinette's waist and after gathering a few of Adrien's things, they were able to leave and never look back.

○○○

A brand new fresh page, with nothing getting in the way. It was the start of a new life, in a new place, just the two of us. I thought it was going to be happy forever, nothing ever getting in the way. It was Marinette and I against the world.

"Hey, my silly kitty. I know you're probably in your final class right now, but I wanted to call you any way to let you know that I got off a little early from work today. Don't forget that there's a gala we have to attend right after you finish school tomorrow, so don't schedule anything!" She sighs happily. "I miss you. I felt like I haven't seen you in such a long time. Whenever you get home, we're not going to go out, we're going to stay home, watch movies and have a little... Us time." She let out a laugh. "It's raining outside, so do be careful when you get out of school. I love you, Adrien." She smooched the phone, said her goodbye and hung up.

And that was the last time that I heard from my Marinette Agreste.