°•☆"She burrowed her face
Into the wool of me,
'I missed you', she said
'Long before I ever knew you' "

-Atticus°•☆

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"It's been so long!" Theo cooed, placing his coffee cup down on the cafeteria table.

Marinette was a little bummed that Audrey rushed the both of them out of the room so that she could speak to Adrien about what they had planned to do.

Marinette truly wanted to be involved in the planning. They were based off her designs after all. It wasn't like she had plans to leak them to the press. She couldn't understand why Audrey didn't trust them.

Not being able to be involved drove her crazy. Marinette felt utterly useless.
She could find better things to do with her time than to wait in the employee cafeteria until they were done discussing whatever it was that they needed to.

Albeit it being a bummer that she couldn't stay right by Adrien's side the entire time, at least she was glad to see a familiar face. Theo seemed incredibly excited to see her, and Marinette didn't mind catching up with him.

Of course, their breakup was a little awkward, but she was glad the both of them were able to move past it and become cordial.

"Y-Yeah, it has been." Marinette replied, glancing down at her now cold coffee. "I didn't think I'd see you working for Audrey! It looks like you got lucky."

Theo chuckled, taking a seat across from her.

"And you work for the Agrestes'! I mean, we both did go to school for fashion so that's a given but I actually enjoy my job." Theo elucidated with a wide grin.

Marinette blushed, feeling a little embarrassed that she was simply a minor designer before she became the official assistant to Adrien. Her designs would occasionally get picked out by Gabriel and when they were published, it wasn't even credited. Everything was under Gabriel's name.

That's why she wanted to run her own business. To show Paris just that she could do it. To get her name out there. She wanted to be more than just Adrien's assistant.

"Y-Yeah..." Marinette stammered, totally unsure about how to feel regarding her new position. It wasn't like Adrien was a bad boss either. He seemed a lot more pliable and enjoyable than Audrey.
"I quite like my job, too. Adrien isn't too bad." She chuckled.

Theo nodded, taking a small sip of his coffee with a subtle blush.

"Yeah, he wasn't too bad back in high school either. He was a good kid." Theo explained, slowly twirling his coffee cup between his palms casually.

Marinette furrowed her brow. It was evident that Marinette didn't go to school with Adrien and she knew that Chloe knew him all her life, but she wasn't aware Theo already knew him. In fact, she had only met Theo at university.

"You knew Adrien? I always sorta assumed he was homeschooled or something." Marinette murmured with a furrowed brow.

Theo nodded, playing with the lid of his coffee with a sly smile.

"He was at first." Theo explained. "But he started coming to school a little later. He didn't have many friends. He was very quiet. Very awkward. I think he was probably better off staying homeschooled." He chuckled.

Marinette frowned. She reached up to rub her freckled cheek as she tried to imagine Adrien being secluded in high school. Being the son of Gabriel Agreste, she would have expected differently.

"Really? That's surprising..." Marinette murmured, glancing down at her half empty cup of cold coffee with a blush.

Theo scoffed, blowing into his coffee with a small laugh. "It really isn't." He muttered. "Someone whose been homeschooled doesn't really understand the concept of socialization. That stuff is foreign to them. I think he had only one friend in his entire life. You didn't notice that he's a little weird?"

Marinette scrunched her nose, glancing at Theo with a little astonishment.
"I mean, yeah he is a little different, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean I enjoy his company. He's really nice, he's a really caring boss." Marinette elucidated with a slight shrug. "And considering his upbringing, he could've been very very different...but he's not and I'm grateful for that. I don't care how he was in high school. I think he's really cool."

Theo widened his eyes, nearly sinking into his seat as he realized just how much of a jerk he sounded. The aura Marinette was giving off was certainly off putting and that was the last thing he wanted.

"You're right, I'm sorry." He murmured, slowly sliding his cup of coffee to the side. "I didn't mean to come off that way." He gently folded his hands against the table, his eyes moving towards Marinette who shifted in her seat.

"Look, maybe after work today we can grab a proper drink and catch up tonight. I know it's been so long since we've had a proper conversation, but I think it would be nice. It'd be like old times." He murmured, a small smile stretching across his lips.

Marinette widened her eyes, that suggestion seemingly to come from nowhere. She wondered if he lived on another planet. She cleared her throat, sitting up in her seat as she reached up to rub the back of her neck nervously.

"Theo, I- I'd love to catch up. I mean it's been so long since I've had a drink with a friend but I'm not sure if you've been reading the news lately. It's really not safe to go out with friends right now." Marinette explained, her heart racing, especially at the thought of it not being safe for someone with her appearance.

Theo shook his head, sending a dismissive wave her way as he kept a causal smile on his lips.

"Yes I've read the news. But you'll be with me. I promise you'll be safe. No one would dare to touch you while I'm around." He assured. "Plus I won't keep you out too late. It's been forever and a day since I've been out with a friend and since I've had a drink too. Since this creeps been out doing what he's doing I've been keeping to myself. But I really want to go out since seeing you. I promise I'll pick someplace nearby, it'll only be a couple hours, I'll have you home before ten."

Marinette bit her lip in contemplation. It didn't seem like such a bad idea. Usually she was out on the streets by herself and it wasn't like Theo was a stranger. The last time she was attacked she was walking to her bus stop and that was when she was completely by herself before she was lucky enough for Chat Noir to step in.

There was a bar a couple blocks down from her apartment. She got off of work at seven, she could head straight down, enjoy a drink or two with Theo for about an hour and then head home.

Chat might blow a gasket, but that would be something she'd get to when the time came to it.

"O-Okay." Marinette capitulated. "But only for an hour... I get off at seven, we can meet here when we close."

Theo grinned, nearly jumping out of his seat. The Male parted his lips, ready to speak but was cut short when he heard someone step into the cafeteria entrance.

"Theo." Audrey spoke, Adrien standing beside her. "We can go now."

Marinette blinked, watching as Theo briefly glanced at Audrey before glancing back at Marinette with a wide excited grin.

"I'll see you tonight." He whispered.
The young man quickly stood up from his chair, nearly spilling his coffee before stumbling towards Audrey's side clumsily.

Marinette giggled, slowly standing up and grabbing her purse. She grabbed her cup of cold coffee and pushed her chair in, taking in a deep breath.

Adrien simply watched, his eyes slightly narrowing as Theo grabbed Audrey's bags and began to walk closely behind her.

Marinette took her place beside Adrien, glancing down at her coffee with disdain. She hummed, contemplating heating it up or just throwing it away.

Adrien remained quiet until Theo and Audrey were completely out of view. He slowly slipped one of his hands out of his pockets before gliding his thumb across the inside of his bottom lip nonchalantly.

"I'm probably gonna need you to stay late tonight." He murmured, glancing over towards Marinette.

Marinette widened her eyes, a deep blush covering her cheeks as her heart nearly sunk into the acid of her stomach.

"W-What?" She stammered. "N-No. I can't. I've made plans..." she frowned, almost afraid she was too daring to even say that.

Adrien turned to look at her, a deadpanned expression on his face as she spoke to him.

"You've made plans tonight?" He mused. "Late plans?"

Marinette sighed, reaching up to rub the back of her neck, wondering if she'd ever see Theo again to take a rain check.

"I mean, not that late. I've made plans to catch up with Theo... I mean I only plan to stay out for like an hour or two..." Marinette explained, chewing her bottom lip. "I mean whatever it is, I promise I can stay late tomorrow and finish up."

Adrien glared at her, a brief sign of frustration smearing across his face.

"I'm sorry, did we not have an important conversation earlier?" Adrien asked, leaning closer to Marinette. "I'm sure we talked about it not being safe and how there's a murderer out there attacking young women that are in your neighborhood."

Marinette pressed her lips together. She shifted her weight, almost wanting to roll her eyes.

It was almost like dealing with Chat.

"Yeah I know, but I won't be alone. I'll be with Theo the whole time. Besides, you wanted me to stay late. How is this any different?" Marinette pressed. "Theo isn't some stranger. We go way back."

"I would've been here." Adrien replied. "You would've been here with me the whole time."

Marinette furrowed her brow, crossing her arms.

"And that would be different....how?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

Adrien kept a firm gaze on her.
"Trust me, it would have been different."

Marinette finally rolled her eyes, turning away from him with a deep sigh. "You are weird" she groaned.

"You are weird." Adrien mocked, sliding his hands back into his pockets as he watched Marinette walk away.

"I can't stay tonight!" Marinette called out, placing her purse strap on to her shoulder. "Whatever project it is, I can do tomorrow."

"You know if it were my father, you wouldn't be saying that!" Adrien replied, a frown tugging on his lips. "You're getting way too comfortable."

Marinette smiled, quickly glancing back at him with a small laugh.
"I'm glad you're not Gabriel. But you're right, I'm way too comfortable!"

Adrien sighed, shaking his head with a grimace. He watched her silently as she rounded the corner and left the hall. He could feel eyes on him from the other coworkers that were on and about from their duties, but he couldn't help but to worry.

Was Marinette always this stubborn?

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Marinette shivered as she downed her drink. It had seriously been a long time since Marinette had a drink. She had began to worry if her lack of outtings led to her being a lightweight.

She had a pleasant conversation with Theo on the way to the bar. She didn't feel like she was in any danger when she took the bus back to her apartment to change.
Of course, Theo was no stranger, but she didn't quite feel comfortable enough to allow him into her apartment building, at least not yet. She was grateful that he was totally understanding of it and was more than willing to wait outside for her until she was done.

When she got done the two exchanged casual conversation as they walked down to her local bar, and Theo was right so far. No one tried to grab Marinette and pull her into a dark alley with a knife.

"So do you have a boyfriend? Part of me is curious." Theo asked, taking a gulp of his drink and setting it down against the bartop causally. "I wonder if you'd even agree to come out with me tonight if you did."

Marinette widened her eyes, nearly choking on her drink. Her heart seemed to have picked up the pace and a deep blush brewed on her cheeks as the question seemed to have come from nowhere.
She bit her lip, setting her shot glass down onto the bar top as she cleared her throat, hoping that Theo wasn't getting the wrong impression of her agreeing to see him after work.

"Erm, no...I don't have a boyfriend." Marinette conceded, nervously reaching up to rub her cheek that only grew more and more hot. "I'm much too busy for one lately, so I'm not actively looking for one either." She slowly looked up at him, wanting to shut down any misunderstandings and dispel any lingering questions or hopes Theo may have had.

"I mean, I did accept the invitation, but I did so because I wanted to catch up with an old friend..." she slowly pushed her shot glass to the side. "I didn't think this was a date..."

Theo chuckled, casually folding his hands as he leaned into the bar with a small smile. He perked a brow, his brow eyes glancing Marinette up and down.
She wore the most beautiful black skirt, a nice off the shoulder blouse and nice tights paired with black boots. She was like a nice dinner waiting to be devoured.

Perhaps there was a possibility for something brief? He had this happen before, if she didn't want anything longterm then they didn't have to. He had no issues with that.

"Yeah but you never thought about anything more causal? You know? Brief?" He implied, biting his lip as he lifted one of his hands to twirl the shot glass between his fingertips. "This doesn't have to be a date. Hell, it doesn't have to be anything longterm."

Marinette felt like she was just hit by a sack of bricks. She wasn't sure if she was too buzzed or if she was actually hearing what she thought she was hearing.

"Y-You mean...like a one night stand?" She breathed, her brow furrowing as her face only grew more red.

While it was true they did date back in university, Marinette had no desire to spark up any sort of relationship or sexual relationship with Theo again.
Even if it was just casual sex, Marinette had to be attracted to him in some sort of way.

She had no attraction to Theo anymore. She just didn't see him that way. As horrible as it sounded, the thought of even being intimate with him didn't even turn her on.
Marinette had recalled that Chloe teased her about her lack of sex life and it was true that Marinette didn't have any action since her university days, but she wasn't that eager to get into it.

"I mean, if you're interested. It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before. It'll definitely be like old times." Theo murmured, slowly leaning closer to her with a grin. "We can make it a common occurrence. No one has to know. What do you say?"

Marinette furrowed her brow, her heart squeezing inside of her chest as she couldn't believe she was put in this awkward situation. She didn't remember Theo being this pushy before back when they dated, but then again they were a lot younger and people changed.

She pressed her lips together, lightly shaking her head as she uncrossed her legs from the barstool.
"I'd have to pass." Marinette declined, glancing down at her wrist watch, suddenly feeling too awkward to want to stay.
"Listen, it's getting late and I promised my boss I'd be in tomorrow-"

Theo's smile immediately faltered, his eyes following Marinette as she reached for her purse and climbed off the barstool.

"Wait-" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm before she could leave him at the bar. "I'm sorry- I just..." he paused, carefully climbing off the barstool with a grimace. "Look, I know I said I wanted something casual and I said I wanted to catch up." He glanced down nervously.

"But the truth is, I haven't stopped thinking about you since university. I kind of wanted what we had back and if you don't want that then I totally respect and completely understand. Just-" he paused, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "Just give me a chance to at least start over and be a friend to you."

Marinette glanced at him, awkwardly shifting her weight. She was a bit surprised at his confession.
They only dated for six months and their breakup wasn't dramatic at all. She couldn't understand why he still thought about her after all those years.

"Look, the truth is... now that Adrien and Audrey are working together, we are going to be seeing a lot of each other." Marinette replied, tucking some hair behind her ear awkwardly. "So you have to stop suggesting awkward stuff like that. We will be working partners, we have to keep things platonic. We shouldn't be suggesting we'd casually sleep with each other or talk about how we saw each other naked..." her voice trailed off as she looked around awkwardly. "We dated years ago, Theo. That phase of our life is over. We have the chance to start over new...as working partners and as friends."

Theo slipped his hands into his pockets, a subtle blush coating his cheeks as he listened to her words.
They weren't what he wanted to hear, but she was right.
If this was what she wanted, then he would let her have what she wanted.

It wasn't like Theo never had one night stands before, Marinette just happened to be the first one to say no. It deflated his ego more than he initially anticipated.

"Then let me at least walk you home." Theo replied, finally glancing up at her nervously. "I know I've made things awkward, but it's still too dangerous for you to be out there on your own." He offered her a weak smile. "I mean, we made it here in one piece, we caught up, now we can go back in one piece."

Marinette pressed her lips together. She shifted her weight, clutching on to her purse strap. Although she'd much rather go home by herself, she knew that Theo was right.

It was much too dangerous for her to travel home by herself, even if it was only for a few blocks.
She exhaled, the room suddenly spinning and Marinette wondered if she had too much too drink. Her stomach grew tight and with wide blue eyes she looked up at Theo.

"Uhm...excuse me." She breathed, immediately brushing past him and out of the bar.

Theo widened his eyes, immediately following after her.

"Marinette, are you okay?"

Marinette stepped out into the night air, breathing in a lung full. It had felt so nice. After awhile the bar became a little too stuffy for her.

The streets were empty and dark.

Marinette pressed her lips together almost feeling an uneasy emotion overcome her. She ran a hand through her hair and wandered over towards the street where she leaned against a light post to catch her breath.
She closed her eyes, sweat beading at her forehead and Marinette inwardly cursed herself for drinking so much.

Her conversation with Theo didn't exactly help.

"Do you want me to grab you some water?" Theo asked, the doors to the bar closing behind him as he stepped out.

Marinette pressed her lips together, almost wanting to say no, but the moment she parted her lips to speak she hunched over and got sick.

Everything she ate and drank spilled out on to the street in front of her and for the first time Marinette was glad that there was no one around.

Theo widened his eyes, stepping back slightly as the sight of it nearly made him sick.
"I'll go grab you a bottle of water." He murmured, immediately turning around and rushing back inside the bar.

Marinette exhaled, feeling a little embarrassed that Theo had to witness that. A deep blush coated her cheeks as her worries came to fruition. She really had become a lightweight.
She partied almost all the time in university and about a year or two before that, in fact she was caught once at Chloe's party by the police for underaged drinking. She knew how to handle her liquor well.

But then she graduated and became a workaholic.

Marinette shook her head, wiping her nose and mouth with the back of her hand. She furrowed her brow, taking another deep breath as she stood straight. She glanced at herself, hoping she didn't get any vomit on herself.

The coast was clear and Marinette was ready to meet Theo inside the bar when she saw a shadow approach her from behind.
Her heart sank to her stomach, and Marinette barely even had time to think or scream before the figure grabbed her.

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Theo shoved his wallet into his pocket.
He smiled at the bartender, grabbing the water bottle from his hand quickly before he nearly stumbled away.

The last thing he wanted to do was to leave Marinette alone outside any longer than she had to.
He brushed his way past a bar full of people, ignoring the glares and scoffs that he attained.

What mattered was that he got to Marinette as soon as possible.

"Marinette!" He called out, pushing through the doors of the bar. "I got you your wa-" his voice was cut short the moment he stepped out.

The streets were completely silent and empty.
He could still see the vomit from where Marinette last stood but there was absolutely no sign of Marinette.

It was as if she had completely disappeared.

Theo glanced around, his heart sinking within his chest as he clutched on to the water bottle even tighter.

"Marinette...?"