Marinette twirled her side swept ponytail around her forefinger, watching the number rise as they ascended to the top floor where their offices were. She studied Adrien's features, wondering what could have him so riled up that he urgently needed her.

Adrien ran his hand through his already disheveled hair, making the blond locks stick out in different directions. After muttering something to himself, he turned toward Marinette, his eyes meeting hers.

"What's going on?" she asked, crossing her arms, and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Hear me out..." Adrien fidgeted with the charm hidden underneath the cuff of his dress shirt, something that did not go unnoticed by Marinette. "It wasn't my fault."

"Adrien," she said, testing. "What happened?" The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Adrien hurriedly grabbed Marinette's wrist, pulling her toward their offices only to pause just outside the door.

"All I wanted was to surprise you with something nice, but then someone broke in and..." He realized what he just said a moment too late.

"Broke in?!" she exclaimed, reaching for the handle. Adrien stepped in front of the door, arms splayed out to block her. There was no way she was going to see the damage in such a mood.

"Before you go in there, could you please try to calm—"

"Move it, Agreste!" Marinette shoved him out of the way...or tried to, at least. He was a grown man now and knew how to hold his ground. "Please? Delaying me from seeing it isn't going to make things any better."

Adrien knew she was right and reluctantly moved. Marinette didn't hesitate, opening the door so quickly that it banged against the wall.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Broken glass littered the place and all of her desk drawers hung open, their contents emptied and shredded on the floor. "H-How did this even happen?"

Adrien bit his lip, hoping that she wouldn't blame him for what happened. Sure, he and Marinette have been pretty civil today, but she was still, well, Marinette.

"Like I said, I wanted to surprise you to make you feel better, since you broke up with Luka, so I bought some of your favorite flowers. They were right here," he pointed to the messy desk, "when I left."

"Did you leave the door open?" Marinette asked, scanning the room to assess the damage.

"No, and I used my entrance, so even if I did, unless someone had access to my office, no one would have gotten in here through that door."

Marinette whirled around to face him. "You're telling me you bought me flowers, came in here and put them on my desk, then come back to find it in shambles?" she demanded.

"When you say it like that...but I swear, this wasn't me." Adrien looked around and found one of the flowers from the bouquet. "Um...here."

Marinette smacked it out of his hand.

"I cannot believe this. First, I get threatened, then I get dumped, and now this?" She gestured to chaos that was now her office. Adrien gritted his teeth. Who would dare to threaten such an innocent person like—okay, so she's not entirely innocent, but still!

"You were threatened?" he asked. Marinette froze, her hand hovering over a ruined sketch. Adrien wasn't supposed to know about that. Shoot. Way to go Marinette, now you're going to lose your job for sure.

"What have I done?" she muttered. "No, not threatened. Just...it's a long story. Why are you pretending to care, and why did you buy me flowers in the first place? You hate me!"

Adrien threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "Here we go again. We aren't having this conversation. Why don't you head home, while I get someone to clean up this mess."

"No! Are you crazy? They'll throw everything away. I can salvage some of this. At least they didn't get—" Her eyes widened at the sight of her filing cabinet opened on its side. Marinette clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. "Get. Out," she demanded harshly.

Adrien stayed put. "What was in there?"

"I said get out!" She found half of a broken mug and threw it at the wall near his head, shattering it into even smaller pieces.

"Marinette, you're being ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Calm down—" A bitter, dry laugh interrupted him. The sound he heard the day she confronted him for something he didn't do.

"I knew you two were dating."

"Wha–Chloe?! Never! Just...what was in there?"

"You would never date her," she said, agreeing sarcastically.

"Please, let me help! I'm sure we can find out who did this after we clean it up."

Marinette looked at him, his sparkling emerald eyes showing sincere worry. She softened and sunk onto the floor, not caring that she was wrinkling her outfit, before burying her face in her hands. "Nearly all my checks. Now I'm broke and have to put up with you and your father."

She sighed and Adrien started to pick up the shreds of paper, putting them in a neat pile. He tried to understand what she meant by that, but nothing made sense when it came to Marinette. One thing he was sure of: this feud, whatever you call it, had to end. Adrien couldn't make himself hate her for much longer. Actually, he hadn't hated her for a while...he only disliked her because of how she had to ruin things and call him out for something he didn't do.

"Marinette, if I ask you a question...will you be honest with me?" She looked up, her watery bluebell eyes sparkling in the bright lights. Marinette's day was already soiled, so what could telling the truth do to her now? She nodded.

"What did I do?"

Adrien's question hung heavy in the air, mingling with the tension and confusion that enveloped the room like a suffocating fog. Marinette hesitated, her mind racing as she tried to navigate the labyrinth of emotions and memories that Adrien's inquiry stirred within her.

"You... you told everyone that I..." she sucked in a breath. "That I snuck out to see you and they took that to mean we...you know," Marinette finally murmured, her voice barely audible above the din of their shattered reality. She couldn't bring herself to meet Adrien's gaze, fearing the vulnerability and raw honesty that lingered in his eyes.

"So the whole reason you've been mad at me, slapped me across the face in front of everyone...is because you thought I started the rumor that we slept together?"

"I know we didn't, but they don't! And after you told everyone—"

He knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes imploring. "Marinette. I promise you, I never told anyone about our stolen nights together. We needed someone to talk to, to trust, and I would never break yours. Is this seriously why you hate me?"

Marinette knew for a fact that she did not hate Adrien Agreste. His eyes were telling the truth, yet a flicker of the past embarrassment crossed her mind, warning her to be cautious. Couldn't he just be lying, trying to play her again? No...they weren't the same people they were back then. Tears came to her eyes as she realized just what she had done.

"I-I don't hate you...Adrien, I'm so, so sorry," Marinette cried softly, shifting to stand up. Adrien offered a hand and she took it gratefully. How could Marinette be so stupid to be quick to judge and ruin what could've been a meaningful relationship? "You would never do such a thing, and now it's too late. But who started it, and how did they know of our visits?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out someday. I'm just so glad that things are fixed." He placed a hand on her back, rubbing up and down gently.

"Stop that," Marinette whispered, shuddering under his touch. "I can't do this."

Adrien's hand fell limply to his side, his heart heavy with a sense of helplessness and resignation. "But why does it have to be like this? Why can't we just... be friends?"

"You actually want that?" Marinette asked, surprised.

"Yes! Of course I do! All I've been thinking about is how I can prove to you that I don't hate you, but every time we get close, you say something, then I say something back, and the cycle continues..."

"I-That's—"

"I'm not saying it's your fault. It's mine."

Marinette turned her head toward the window and crossed her arms, gazing out at the Christmas lights strung on the other buildings. "It's both our faults. And...I feel like an idiot. Yes. We can be friends. I'm so sorry, truly, I am. If I had just listened to what others told me and talked it out with you, things would've been better a long time ago."

"I knew it was all just a misunderstanding!" Adrien rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "Can I...hug you?"

Marinette looked at how nervous he was and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist with a small laugh, the sound music to Adrien's ears. Despite the destruction around them, they felt as if a part of them had been restored.

"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I already have. And whatever you tell me, I'll keep it under lock and key." The smell of her hair was still the same. Oh, how good it felt to have her in his arms again! He loved her more than anything and would make sure she knew that soon.

Marinette suddenly pulled away, her eyes wide. "My key! Someone got in my drawers once before, that's why I handed in the sketches so late this morning! Was that only this morning you had a photoshoot and scolded me for turning in my work so late?"

This time, it was Adrien who let out a laugh. "Today's been a long day," he agreed. "How about I help you clean this up and you head home? You only have two more hours of work left anyway."

"That's sweet of you, but I still have to help the others with the designs for the gala. We only have 10 days left, and every hour counts. All of our orders came in on time?" She checked her watch; 2:55 pm.

"Yes, they're all here."

"Please tell me you told the workers how to make the 3D snowflakes and other decorations."

Adrien muttered a curse under his breath. "No, that's where I was going after I headed up here to grab something, then I saw the mess and knew I had to get you, otherwise—" She placed a finger on his lips, shushing him like she used to.

"Okay, then it seems we both have some work to do. I'm getting nervous with so little time left, but...we can do it, right?"

"Of course we can. I better get on with it, otherwise nothing will be done today. And thanks again for the lunch earlier. I appreciate it."

"Yeah...and again, I'm really sorry. I feel so bad."

"The only thing that matters now is we're on the same page. I'll see you tomorrow. Unless you're staying late to clean up, I can help." Adrien gestured to the mess.

"It's fine, I've got it. Bye!" It would take some time for Marinette to get used to being so nice around Adrien. She sighed as soon as he was out the door. There was no way Mr. Agreste was going to fire her now...