Chapter 6

"Me and my new girlfriend, Marinette! Isn't she the cutest?"

That was the captain on his instagram post. Marinette wasn't sure which part was more astonishing; that Adrien had called her cute, that the picture had close to a thousand comments, or that he'd actually used correct punctuation and capitalization in a typed sentence. A secondary shock set in when she realized that she'd begun to criticize Adrien at all, even in play, as though he were just anybody else. Or, more specifically, as though he were Chat Noir.

"It's a really good picture," Alya said, looking at it on Marinette's tablet.

The two were sitting in class, having not gotten to see each other properly since Nino's quiz idea on Sunday. Alya had already seen the picture once, having been told about it over text, but Marinette was so ecstatic about it that she felt the need to show Alya again and again. After all, the only other person she was close enough to to brag was Chat Noir, and she got the feeling he wouldn't take it well, even if she photoshopped a mask onto her face.

"I only wish the comments were...nicer," Marinette said, wincing as she glanced through them. Perhaps because of the low profile she generally liked to keep, but this was likely the first time she'd been called a bitch--especially 37 times consecutively.

"Some of them are sweet! Look, this is Rose's account. She said that she's glad you found true love," Alya said, scrolling through them. "Though I have the feeling she might have said that if he'd been posing with a horse or a really good sandwich, too."

Marinette laughed, punching Alya lightly in the arm. Alya rubbed her arm, looking like Marinette had genuinely hurt her, and Marinette made a mental note to either work out less, or pretend to be weaker. She didn't have a good explanation for why her biceps were as large as they were, and it would be best if nobody asked her.

Chloe stormed in a split second later, and didn't even bother going to her seat before coming over to harass Marinette.

She waved her phone in front of Marinette's face, Adrien's instagram page pulled up for her to see. Sure enough, there was the picture Adrien had taken. Somehow, it was even more satisfying to see it in Chloe's hands.

"What's the meaning of this?" Chloe demanded.

"Well, I...uh..." Marinette couldn't think of a comeback quite quick enough, so Nino took over.

"Chloe, I don't know how you manage to text so much for someone who doesn't know how to read," he said, laughing. "The picture's explained in the caption."

Chloe didn't dignify his jape with a response. Her blues eyes were still glued to Marinette's, demanding an explanation. Marinette smiled, but said nothing, allowing the picture to do all the explaining. Chloe reeled back, looking at her phone with visible disgust, and finally settled on an acceptable insult.

"It's pretty pathetic, actually," Chloe said, sneering. "You two doing this elaborate act just for my sake, alienating hundreds of Adrien's loyal fans..." She leaned closer, whispering now: "Once I find out how you tricked him into this, he'll never speak to you again."

With that, she stormed to her seat, and Marinette began to laugh. The idea that she would bribe or blackmail Adrien into dating her was already farfetched, but the truth that he thought he was bribing her was just silly. But, really, on a day to day basis she dressed up in a magic costume and beat up costumed dorks--her life was silly. It was just new that her lovelife matched up for once.

When Adrien came in, it wasn't long before Chloe started acting up again.

"Adrikins!" she cooed, stepping over to him. "Did you know that my father is throwing a charity ball in honour of Ladybug saving his life last month? Your father already RSVP'd, and the invitation was only for one, but I'm sure you can afford a ticket."

"I don't know, Chloe, those kind of events aren't usually my thing," Adrien said hesitantly.

"You know, if I were your girlfriend, it's just the sort of thing I'd expect us to attend as a couple," she said innocently, before her Cheshire Cat grin gave her away. "So it's only natural that you and Marinette would go if you were a real couple and not some sad excuse at a delusion become tangible," she finished, practically purring in Adrien's ear.

Adrien shot a panicked look at Marinette, who would only shrug. It was his call whether or not to invite her. Going to a dress ball on Adrien's arm, to meet his father and the mayor of the city as he spoke Ladybug's praises was something of a dream come true, of course, but she couldn't even begin to imagine how embarrassing that would be for Adrien. And his father would be there, no less. If he shot Chloe's idea down, she would understand completely, and spend all her frustrated energy on designing a gown for a ball that would never happen. She'd probably do something in turquoise.

Chloe looked at Marinette, and mouthed the word "Gotcha."

"I'd have to ask her, first," Adrien said at last, before turning toward Marinette and calling out, "Hey Marinette, want to go to the Mayor's charity ball? It'll be a fun date!" He finished with a wink, and Marinette may or may not have actually felt her heart stop.

"A-absolutely," she stammered out, feeling all the blood in her body rush to her cheeks.

She might go through the evening the colour of her superhero mask, but it would be on Adrien's arm, and Chloe would keep making that face--the one where it looked as though she'd stepped in something rotten.

"Well there you go," Adrien said. He looked completely...normal. Not as though he were being coerced or like he'd just one-upped Chloe in a game of chess--just like he always did. "I guess we'll see you there then, Chloe!"

He went to his seat, and Marinette remembered to breathe.

"You guys should take more selfies and put them on Instagram!" Alya said, leaning forward to talk to both of them at once. "That last one was really cute!"

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Adrien felt that taking a limo to a charity ball might be a bit ostentatious, but he shrugged off the feeling when faced with the reality of his life: he didn't have a cab driver on call; he had a limo driver. And so, Adrien had the honour of positively embarrassing Marinette before they even got the ball.

He waited outside for her to be ready as he was told to do by her (incredibly tall) father, leaning against the limo and examining his nails. His suit was an old favourite at this point, given how often he'd had to appear at his father's side at events or catwalks in Paris. It was simple, but elegant in design. Black, good, strong material, with a forest green tie and pocket square. It was more than a little reminiscent of his Chat Noir costume, but he wasn't concerned about being recognised. It wasn't like Chat Noir had a copyright on black and green clothing, after all.

He heard the soft tinkle of the bakery door opened, and he looked up with a ready smile for Marinette.

The smile was almost instantly replaced by a look of shock and awe.

Rather than her customary pinks and greys, which he'd half expected her to adhere to, she was clad in a floor length gown of turquoise blue. It had a white neckline and a soft, almost imperceptible leaf pattern throughout that shimmered as Marinette awkwardly shifted from foot to foot on her white pumps. With a smile slowly returning to his face, he noted that she had pink toenails, and she was either blushing for she'd gone to the effort of putting on meticulous make up. Her hair wasn't in it's pigtails, either, but in a beautifully braided bun. He felt a bit like he'd been punched in the stomach, and yet his first thought was What if Ladybug wore an outfit like that?

Even with someone beautiful, compassionate, and brave on his arm, his thoughts strayed to her. He was almost disappointed in himself.

"You look stunning," Adrien said honestly.

"Stop it," she said, smiling, blushing bright pink.

"Your carriage awaits, my lady," he said, bowing to her as he indicated the limo. She giggled and climbed in as he opened the door for her, and he only noticed after the fact that he'd called her a name usually reserved for Ladybug. It didn't even make sense as a pun for Marinette. He'd have to do better than that.

As they drove to City Hall for the event, they sat in comfortable silence. It had been two weeks between being informed of the event and the limo ride, giving Marinette plenty of time to design and craft the gown she'd put together, and Adrien plenty of time to get to know her, in case quizzed by Chloe or his father.

His father.

Adrien would be introducing Marinette to his father tonight.

True, she'd met him (well, if him being carried around on an iPad counted) once before at the design contest, and he'd approved of her pigeon hat, but that wasn't the same as meeting him as Adrien's girlfriend. Adrien hadn't gotten the chance to explain the situation to his father, and he highly doubted that his father would understand, so the ruse would have to be consistent. He glanced at Marinette out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she knew how nervous he was about the idea.

"You know, I kinda thought you'd be wearing pink," Adrien commented, afraid that if he dwelled too much on his father's reaction to Marinette, he'd become a sweaty nervous mess.

She looked at her dress with a smile of pride. "I thought about it, but I thought blue might make me look a bit more grown up," she explained. "Your father sounds like he'd appreciate a mature girl rather than a kid. Why? Do you not like it?"

Adrien shook his head hastily. "I like it a lot! It brings out your eyes!"

It was dark in the back of the limo, but he thought he saw her blush.

"The green makes your eyes stand out too, but usually they do that on their own," she said quietly.

In the past three weeks of their pseudo-relationship, the two hard grown more comfortable with one another than he ever would have thought possible. They'd had over a dozen actual, real conversations that didn't end in Marinette blushing so hard she couldn't speak, and Adrien had found that he actually liked her quite a bit. Even without the facade of their relationship, he would be glad to count her among his friends.

They arrived at City Hall, and Adrien escorted her in without a hitch. The interior was decadent, which seemed moderately out of place for a charity event, but it didn't surprise him. Mayor Bourgeoisie was extravagant at the worst of times, and had a penchant for turning simple events into wild parties. Chloe had no doubt helped arrange the event, and Adrien felt sorry for whoever they had hired to put the ball together.

The main hall had been decked out in red and gold, with black polka dot accents here and there in celebration of Ladybug. Adrien felt his chest tighten just seeing the Ladybug motif. He had it bad for her.

Marinette pulled to a stop, swinging around so that she was standing in front of him, with her eyes wide.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Chloe at 2 o'clock," she whispered.

"Wait, your 2 o'clock or mine?" he asked, panicking slightly.

Marinette casually toyed with his pocket square, settling it into place as Chloe came up from behind Marinette, her eyes ablaze with anger. Perhaps she hadn't truly believed that they would go to the ball together, preferring to assume that Adrien wasn't willing to pay for Marinette's ticket all for the sake of a ruse. True, it had been more money than he had expected, but Chloe would never estimate exactly how committed he was to this fake relationship.

Except when it came to flirting with Ladybug, of course.

Though, he reflected, even that had been coming up less and less often. Maybe he'd even convinced himself that this relationship was real.

"I see you two made it," Chloe said, her voice like acid.

Adrien smiled at her as though she were a camera. It looked natural, but it wasn't. "Did you think we wouldn't?"

Chloe huffed and walked away, leaving them alone. As soon as she was out of their line of sight, Marinette backed away respectfully and stopped touching Adrien. She was still uncomfortable with him, although she might be able to hold a conversation, but he understood. Both of them were interested in someone else who would not or could not return their affections.

Adrien thought about asking her to dance, but thought better of it. It wasn't fair to spend the whole night pretending to feel things he didn't, picturing Ladybug the whole time. Instead, he extended his arm to her, and she took it. They walked around the party, arm in arm, nodding politely and trying not to step on anyone's toes. Besides Chloe, they were likely the youngest people among the affluent of Paris, and as such felt monstrously out of place.

After an hour or so of this, they both agreed to hit the punch table and hope for anything good to eat.

"What kind of goodies do they usually have at these things?" Marinette asked. Her eyes had been wide all evening, trying to take in the height of fashions and exactly what huge amounts of money looked like.

"Expensive cheeses, I guess," Adrien said, wrinkling his nose. "I don't do these events too often."

"Not a fan of cheese?" she asked, laughing.

"I've been exposed to cheese's darker side more times than I'd like. Just the word 'Camembert' sends unpleasant chills up my spine." He shook his head thoroughly, sending some of his neatly kept hair into his face.

Marinette brushed it out of his eyes for him, and stepped toward the punch bowl, somehow without turning red or rigid.

"You wouldn't want to look sloppy," she said, smiling over her shoulder.

Adrien swallowed, hard. For a moment, he wasn't thinking about Ladybug.

He chased after her, beating her to the punch bowl so that he could pour their drinks. He tried to ignore the lump in his throat as he smiled at Marinette. From over his shoulder, he heard some kind of argument, and his ears pricked up. His hearing wasn't as good out of costume as it was when Plagg aided his senses, but he was capable enough of hearing that someone was very upset.

"I'm sorry sir, I--" It was a woman's voice, and she sounded on the edge of tears.

"I've had three noise complaints, and you come in here looking like a beleaguered mother of three who hasn't slept in a week? Your glasses are smudged--you probably can't even see yourself. You look like garbage, and I can't have you in here ruining the decor." Adrien wasn't sure without looking, but it sounded like the Mayor.

Marinette's eyes narrowed as she looked over his shoulder, and an expression of disgust he'd only seen when she looked at Chloe being particularly cruel showed on her face. She was gripping her glass too tightly.

"Sir I chased out the gatecrashers and I just--"

"Go clean yourself up, woman. I can't have you looking like this." the Mayor snapped, and pushed past Adrien on his way back into the ballroom.

"It runs in the family, I guess," Adrien said, sighing.

Marinette didn't reply, just shaking her head. She looked down at the punch in her hand thoughtfully, and he expected her to articulate a thought when she looked back at him, but her blue eyes grew wide as saucers, and she pushed him to the side. Punch sloshed out of his cup and onto both of their outfits, but when he turned and saw what she saw, a dry cleaning bill was the last thing on his mind.

Towering over the crowd was a woman in a golden dress which seemed to move like liquid gold as the light struck it. She was facing away from them, but her hair seemed to be made up almost entirely of blonde snakes. She turned her head sharply, and the unfortunate man she happened to look at froze in place in shock. Adrien looked closer--that wasn't shock. He was turning into a gold statue.

"You wanted killer good looks, Mister Mayor?" the woman said softly, almost cooing. She had the same voice of the woman the Mayor had been yelling at not two moments ago. "I'm not your event planner anymore, Bourgeoisie. I'm Midusa now, and I'll give you looks that can kill!"

"Sorry to run out on our second date," Marinette murmured in his ear. "But we need to get you to safety."

Adrien nodded, grabbed her hand, and ran.

They made it all the way upstairs, near the Mayor's office, before she started pulling away.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You need to stay up here where it's safe!"

"I need to evacuate people!" she insisted. "They're turning to statues down there!"

He nodded, and ran in the opposite direction, gesturing that she go back down the stairs. He knew that Adrien wouldn't be much help in an emergency situation. Chat Noir, on the other hand...

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Ladybug sprinted toward Midusa, grabbing a silver platter of fine cheeses and tossing away all the cheese in a single motion. She didn't know much about people turning others into gold with a look, but she hoped that a reflective surface would work as well against Midusa as it was supposed to against Medusa. Before she could get close enough to attract the giantess's attention, she saw a familiar looking silver staff fly through the air and smack Midusa right in the side of the head.

"Hey! Pick on someone a little more handsome, won't you?" Chat Noir called from atop the stairs.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile. Bravado he might have, but a plan he certainly did not. She picked up another cheese platter and frisbee'd it at his head. Fortunately (especially given his luck), he managed to catch it, and looked her way with a cocky grin.

"Kitty! I didn't expect you so soon!" she called.

Chat Noir wielded the platter like a shield as he slid down the bannister to land at her side. "You know me," he said, grinning wide. "I love a party. You should see me in a suit sometime."

She laughed as she crouched and tried to fit her entire body behind the platter. She started creeping forward, toward Midusa, but was afraid to look and see how far away she was. Instead, she looked over at Chat. Yeah, she could believe he looked good in a suit. Maybe even as good as Adrien.

"You know, I'm almost glad this akuma showed up," she confided. He was at her side, occasionally grabbing glasses or ornaments that had fallen in the chaos of an akuma appearing and chucking it over his shield at Midusa. "I was having a really awkward date."

He looked at her, his expression more thoughtful than cocky. "Things with your boyfriend not going well?"

She took her yo-yo and hurled it at another platter which was lying on its side. With the yo-yo, she turned it just so that she could see the giant akuma victim, stalking toward them, gazing about lethally for the Mayor.

"Things are okay, I guess," she admitted. "What about your girlfriend? Has she seen you in a suit yet?"

His grin was back in full force, and she was glad. She'd never admit how much she was reassured by seeing his smile in the midst of chaos.

"Maybe," he replied, sticking his tongue out at her playfully. "But I bet she could see me in a catsuit instead. Have you figured out the akuma?"

Ladybug studied the reflection of Midusa, and noted that where there had been typical square tortoiseshell glasses, there was now a gold and pearl cat eye frames sporting a darker, more sinister hue than the rest of the giantess's golden body. She didn't notice any other odd looking jewelry or accessories, so she made a guess.

"Her glasses, maybe?" she offered with a shrug.

"That's quite a 'maybe,'" was Chat's reply. He studied the reflection as well before eventually offering up a shrug of defeat. "I'll keep her distracted, and maybe try to get those things from her face, but I don't know how you can get up to her face without making eye contact, and I don't want to live in a world without Ladybug."

Ladybug smiled softly, and looked at him perhaps closer than she had in awhile. She nodded at him, then, and steeled herself for the coming combat.