"Marinette, you need to go and get Mary's coffee," Lillie said. "And while you're out, can you grab a muffin too? Blueberry, not chocolate. I'm on a diet again."

"I'm on a diet again," Chat Noir mimicked. There were no spot prizes for guessing how he felt about Mary's favoured assistant... Sorry, first assistant.

Whatever was wrong with her a mere week ago, seemed to have quickly passed, as she was back at work the day after they'd returned from London, and in a foul mood too. The way the woman had looked down on her, Marinette couldn't help but wonder if she suddenly had some sort of vendetta out. But what was more, was that the feeling was eerily familiar, almost like déjà vu. Yet at no point in Marinette's life had she come across someone who looked like they wanted to throw her to the lions and hope to watch her being ripped apart limb by limb.

"She does realise it's not what's added into the muffin that's the issue, right?" Chat Noir said. "Ask her to go and get it. Or is she worried she'll break a nail? She's done nothing all day apart from posting random pictures on Instagram and reblogging crap on Tumblr."

He had been making his way around the back of Lillie's desk and spying on what she'd been doing sporadically for most of the day, giving Marinette a full rundown of what her superior was actually doing – and by the sounds of it, she was a main player in the 'Choices' fandom.

But as he continued his backwards and forwards, Marinette was barely keeping it together – her eyes twitching with anxiety. She wanted to shout at him to come back to her side and stop being so nosy. The fear constantly there that suddenly he could be seen again...and how would she explain that?

"Oh, I - um - have a lot of files to get through," Marinette said. "Would you be able to go out and get this one?"

She wasn't lying. On her desk was a mountain of paperwork regarding the collaboration with Gabriel, and to be honest she believed Lillie had come in early this morning to move a selection from her own pile onto this one which was slowly turning into the Tower of Pisa. What made it even more obvious was the fact Lillie had completed all her 'assigned jobs' an hour ago and was currently lazing back in her chair with her legs up on desk and ankles crossed. She even had the audacity to be filing her nails. Bitch!

"Come on, M'Lady, where's that Ladybug righteousness? This girl is lazy, and she treats you like her slave. Tell her no!"

Lillie stopped her filing and pointed the emery board at Marinette. "Excuse me! I don't think it's part of my job definition to 'go and get coffee'. First assistant, remember!"

Chat Noir fisted his hand in front of him before opening it once again, his eyes burning into his fingers. "She's a total bitch! Can I cataclysm her Louboutins?"

Marinette snorted.

Lillie threw her legs down from the desk and placed her elbows on top, leaning forward and glaring at Marinette. "Oh, am I funny? Do I make you laugh?"

Marinette sucked in her lips to try and control the next outburst. Chat Noir was now positioned beside Lillie, mimicking everything she did, and as much as Marinette wanted to throw something at him for being so silly, part of her couldn't help but enjoy having someone in the office who actually liked her.

She turned her attention back to her computer and began typing again.

"You're going to make her angry, Bugaboo," Chat Noir sang, parkouring himself over the desk and walking towards Marinette's. He hopped onto the object, glaring over at Lillie as she continued to stare in Marinette's direction. "And now we see the assistant in her own environment, stalking the newer prey in need of blood."

Marinette snorted again. "Who are you? David Attenborough?"

"Excuse me!" Lillie slammed both hands down on the desk, pushing herself onto her feet and leaning over. Marinette had completely forgotten Lillie couldn't see or hear her partner, the comment striking the diva as hard as a slap around the face. Though to be honest, she was amazed Lillie knew who David Attenborough was.

"Sorry?" Marinette said, trying to make herself look as innocent as possible.

"Did you just call me that old guy from Jurassic Park? Do I look like Santa Claus to you?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Chat Noir laughed, pointing at Marinette. "Even you know who David Attenborough is! There's no Santa Claus in Jurassic Park! Can you imagine how many kids would end up in therapy?"

"They could sit on the T-Rex's lap and ask for their gift. 'Please don't eat me'!" Marinette started laughing along with Chat Noir, the two looking at each other and setting themselves off again on another laughing tangent.

Lillie slowly sat back down in her chair, her eyes staying on Marinette as she settled back into her chair. "You're so weird, Marinette."

Channelling her inner Ladybug, Marinette turned her head to smirk at Lillie, before returning her attention to her computer. One of her main jobs of the day was to type up emails to each department to inform them about Adrien's arrival. Until now, only Marinette and Mary knew about Agreste Jr. coming into the office, and from how it sounded, he was going to be there permanently until this collaboration was complete.

"Weird but wonderful, isn't that right, M'Lady?"

"100%, Kitty!" Marinette murmured, her attention purely focused on her screen.

"Kitty? Who are you calling Kitty?"

Marinette stopped laughing abruptly, coughing and then continuing with her work. She looked over at Chat Noir, giving him a glare before turning back to face the computer.

The click of heels on the wooden floor drew Marinette's attention to the doorway. Mary's voice floated through the halls along with that of a male. A male who she was becoming quite accustomed to hearing.

"Yay! Ken's here! Try not to drool so much today." Chat Noir sauntered over to the doorway and looked down the corridor. "Oh wow!"

"What?" Marinette exclaimed.

"I didn't say anything," Lillie retorted. "Are you hearing things now?"

"She is," Chat Noir commented. "She can hear the delectable tones of an overly toned male walking down the hallway. He's so making up for something with all those muscles."

"Sorry," Marinette said, positioning her hands over her ears, hoping to block out the sound of Chat Noir. Though that was easier said than done, especially as he let out a loud and annoying wolf whistle.

"M'Lady, you always told me you liked a guy in a suit...so prepare yourself. LinkedIn has nothing on this bad boy. His tie is even a little loose. I hope you can control your primal instincts."

She focused on Lillie, not imagining what Adrien was wearing, and filled her in on the news. "It's just...Adrien is coming in today, and you know how it is with models."

"Adrien?" Lillie queried.

Chat Noir laughed. "See, it's not just you who doesn't know him. Obviously he wasn't as good a model as he believes he is."

Balling up a piece of paper, Marinette threw it in the general direction of Chat Noir, the little white ball sailing through him and landing by the large house plant in the corner.

"The bin's over there!" he commented, pointing in the opposite direction.

Lillie glanced over at the plant, eyebrows tightly together before turning back to glare at Marinette.

"Sorry." Marinette chuckled. "Shoulder spasm. You know what it's like."

"I - um - no! I can't say I do."

Marinette smiled before attempting to keep the conversation going with Lillie. "So, yeah, Adrien. It's Adrien Agreste, Gabriel Agreste's son."

"I know who Adrien Agreste is, Marinette! I'm not an idiot!"

Chat Noir barked out a laugh. "Yet you don't know your Attenborough's!"

"Well, Gabriel's sent him here for the collaboration. He's going to be looking at the financial side of things, which is why I have this mountain of paperwork to wade through."

"Why didn't Mary tell me about this?" Lillie hissed.

Marinette shrugged before answering smugly. "His work in the office had to be kept confidential. Obviously Mary didn't find it important that you knew."

Lillie looked between the door and Marinette's pile, before stilling. The voices were getting closer. Lillie seemed nervous, an emotion she'd never displayed before. She picked up a pen, only to promptly drop it on the floor.

As Adrien and Mary made it around the corner, Lillie dropped down and under her desk. Marinette gave the ex-model a little wave as he continued his conversation with Mary, opening her boss's door and allowing Mary to enter first.

It didn't go amiss how he seemed to be hanging back a little and moving towards her desk. "Just the person I wanted to see. I'll be right with you, Ms. Humphries."

"Call me Mary, Adrien. We don't need formalities."

A puking sound came from the corner, Chat Noir once again delivering his one-man show as he pretended to puke in Lillie's fern.

Mary made her way into the office as Adrien made his way over to Marinette. Lillie was still under the desk and Chat Noir was now leaning against the wall, watching the interaction with great interest.

With a swift action, Adrien perched himself on the edge of the desk and looked around the room.

He reached out to Marinette, tucking a strand of hair which had fallen from her messy bun behind her ear and leaned down towards her. His thumb and forefinger cupped her chin, lifting it slightly so she was looking directly into his eyes.

"Now, be a good girl and go get your boss her coffee. Skinny latte, no foam, three brown sugars and a tiny amount of caramel syrup. Think you can do that for me, Sweet Thang?"

"Oh my God! Get me out of here!" Chat Noir rolled his eyes and walked out of the door as Marinette burst out laughing.

She stood up and straightened down Adrien's collar, dragging one hand down his tie before tapping him on the chest. "Would you like popcorn with that?"

He laughed out loud, and Marinette never thought she'd heard a more joyous sound come from anyone. "Touché. You know, I was still depositing it around my apartment last night!"

"Perhaps you should shower more often," Marinette said with a giggle.

A holler of Adrien's name sounded from the office, the man in question hopping off the desk and heading towards Mary's door. "I have something I need to ask you. Will you still be here in about an hour?"

"Unless someone comes by and physically removes me from my seat, then yes, I will," Marinette retorted sassily.

"Excellent, no need for my superglue then...or I've heard chewing gum on the seat works just as well." He dropped her a wink and placed his hand on the door handle, ready to close it. "I'll see you shortly, then - and don't forget the coffee." He closed the door behind him.

Marinette chuckled as she turned back to her computer.

Lillie suddenly popped up from her desk. For a moment, Marinette had forgotten the woman was under there.

"I thought I was going to have to ring someone to come and pry you out," Marinette said with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

"Geez, you have hair extensions and you turn into a right uncooperative bitch!"

Marinette smiled. Though usually she could see herself being offended by this statement, Lillie deserved it. She'd annoyed her too much over the years. "You always told me a good hairstyle could do wonders."

"Is that why you were flirting with Adrien Agreste?" she snapped.

"Yeah, right. I flirt with Adrien Agreste," Marinette mocked, only to see Lillie's cheeks navigate to a deeper shade of red.

"More fool you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marinette said, looking at Lillie curiously. She stopped her typing and folded her fingers together on her keyboard, waiting for an answer.

Instead, Lillie stood up and took her coat off the rack, threading her arms through it in a way that made Marinette feel sorry for the jacket. "I'm going to get Mary's coffee, as I seem to be the only competent one here. See you later!"

Without another word, Lillie left the room.

Chat Noir chose this moment to make his way back in and make himself comfortable in Lillie's seat. "Where's the wicked witch of the west going? To steal a dog or something?"

"You're going to get me into trouble," Marinette complained, continuing with her work.

"Oh, purrlease! Don't blame me for you actually sticking up for yourself for a change. Did you see how you rattled her? Oh, man! Please tell me this place has office CCTV. You should request a copy for Christmas."

"Kitty!" Marinette whined.

"It was funny! She didn't know what to do with herself."

"Just be quiet for a bit, please. I need to get some work done."

Chat Noir pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key. She prayed that would keep him silent for at least 20 minutes - or until Lillie was back. It wasn't too bad when his chatter was directed at her and leaving her free.

An hour later, she was proud to say her work was complete. She was currently sketching, with Chat Noir giving her his 'expert' advice, and wondering if she should send out a search party for the girl opposite. Lillie, surprisingly, wasn't back yet, and Marinette was starting to wonder if she had gone to pick the coffee beans herself.

"Marianne!" a voice suddenly boomed through the intercom.

Marinette launched out the seat at the sound of her boss's voice, wobbling on her heels. Pressing down on the button, she responded. "Y-yes!"

"I need my coffee. What's taking so long?"

Marinette looked at the doorway, before turning back to the closed door of the office.

"Lillie's not back —"

"I know Lillie's not back. She fell down the stairs and had to go to hospital! She told me she'd spoken to you and you had it all sorted."

"I'm sorry, I didn't —"

There was a sound of muffled chatting coming through the office door. Marinette tried to listen to what was happening, as Mary still had her finger on the intercom button.

"Don't worry about it, Marianne. Adrien's going to take me out for lunch."

The line went dead and Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank you, Adrien Agreste.

A matter of seconds later, the click of the door opening had Marinette launching back to her keyboard and pretending to type something.

Mary's tell-tale click-clack of heels made their way over, stopping in front of her desk. "We'll be back in thirty minutes. Leave the messages on my desk."

Marinette looked up at her boss and smiled. "Of course. Have you heard from Lillie? Is she okay?"

Mary looked at her quizzically, and to be fair Marinette wasn't surprised. In the past two years of working here, she'd never once shown any interest in her co-worker.

"No," Mary responded, continuing out of the room without another glance.

Chat Noir followed Mary to the door, giving her a dramatic wave goodbye. "She is just delightful! Honestly, the aura around her is like that of a sunflower, all bright and shiny."

"Do you ever give up?" Marinette uttered, only for Adrien to hop up onto her desk once again and give her a wide grin.

"Nope, I don't think she ever does." His smile was wide and bright and she couldn't help smiling back. "I'll have to be quick or Mary will send her flying monkeys in after me."

Chat Noir started to wander around the room, hopping from foot to foot and pretending to be a monkey. "Ha! That was a good one. Who knew Ken had a sense of humour."

Trying not to respond to Chat Noir's commentary, Marinette indicated for Adrien to continue.

"Ok, so, I've kind of had my plus one privileges revoked, well, until I can prove I can find someone normal, and not just a fame-grabbing, shallow bitch – my cousin's words, not mine. So I was wondering if you could help me prove a point that I do know nice girls, and I can be friends with someone normal. All I need you to do is come with me to my cousin's engagement party and then maybe...his wedding." Adrien was almost pleading with her.

And who could say no to those wide green eyes? "Luckily for you, I am nice and somewhat normal." Her eyes skimmed to Chat Noir and prayed he didn't come to play mind tricks with Adrien again. She was still recovering from the night at the premiere. "When is it?" She pulled her calendar up on her screen.

Adrien leaned over her to look too. "You're free. Excellent!"

"This is this month!" Marinette laughed.

"Yep, it's right here." Adrien pointed to the following weekend, precisely 10 sleeps away. "And it ends here!"

"3 days!"

"Well, 2 nights and 2 complete days. We'd have to drive there on Friday around lunchtime and then come back on Sunday evening."

"And where are we going?"

"Oh, just a few miles away, to Domaine De La Forêt."

"Domaine De La Forêt?" Marinette pulled up Google maps and entered the information. "That's 5 hours away. How am I even meant to get there?"

"I'll drive, it's fine. Plus, if you take the toll roads it's only 4 hours."

4 hours? In a car with Adrien Agreste?

"Please, Sweet Thang, I need to prove I am capable of meeting people who aren't a real life depiction of Cruella De Vil."

She pouted, pulling up the pictures of the Chateau. It was gorgeous...and the weather had been promising lately.

Chat Noir walked over and placed his hands on the chair behind her. "Once in a lifetime opportunity, Bugaboo! You said you wanted to change things up and take risks."

She looked into Chat Noir's eyes. If it all went to hell, at least her partner would be there with her — well, in spirit. "I'll tell you what. I'll agree to this if you will be my plus one for my lycée reunion, this weekend."

Adrien pretended to think, placing one hand to his chin and looking around the office, his face landing on her open sketch book. She noticed his eyes studying the page, his head tilting for a better perspective. She quickly reached over to slam it shut, only for Adrien to place his hand in the page and stop her.

With a quick snatch, the book was in his hands, and he was pacing the room. He grabbed the glasses from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and slipped them on, turning the pages over and over again. "These are —"

"They're awful, I know. Please just give them back and ignore what you've just seen." She sprang from her chair and headed around to where Adrien was standing, nervously gnawing one thumbnail between her teeth.

Chat Noir perched himself on the desk, looking over at them. "Marinette, give the guy a chance to speak. That's not the face of a guy who's unimpressed. He looks quite taken with these – and he has contacts. This could be good for you."

Why was Chat Noir suddenly being so nice?

Adrien shook his head. "Awful? I don't think so. These are exceptional, Marinette. Why aren't you working in design?"

She turned away from him, embarrassed by what she was about to say. "It didn't quite work out to plan. I originally received a position at a school in New York, but...one thing led to another and I couldn't cut it, so I came home. Without a degree and with only little experience, this is the best I could get. A glorified coffee girl."

Chat Noir caught her eye, his own looking as compassionate as ever. She couldn't take it. Instead she turned back to look at Adrien, his eyes mirroring those of her partner. They both looked at her as though the world had done her wrong, and if she was being honest, it had. But there wasn't a lot she could do about it, so why dwell?

As though he could read her, Adrien flicked the pages over a couple more times.

Chat Noir headed over to Adrien, saddling up beside him. "Ask her if she's made any of these. Maybe the black on the next page."

"Will you stop it!" Marinette hissed.

Adrien closed the book and placed it back on the desk, one hand reaching up to his neck as his cheeks pinked. "Sorry, I shouldn't have overstepped your boundaries." He rubbed harshly against the nape of his neck, ruffling his hair a little.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped."

"I was just...wondering if you've ever made any of them. The black one looked beautiful, and it would suit your colouring so well."

Marinette picked up the book and turned back to the page Chat Noir meant, the last one Adrien had looked at.

She nodded. "I started this one a couple of weeks ago on the off chance I did decide to go to the reunion."

Adrien's phone began to ring in his pocket and Marinette was quite sure that would be Mary hurrying him out of the building. "In that case, we better not let your hard work go to waste. I'll message you later for the details. Have a good day, Marinette."

With a blinding smile, Adrien walked out the room leaving Marinette and Chat Noir alone once again.

"You can thank me for your date with Ken later. I'm thinking maybe a Brothers vs Brothers Marathon."

"Firstly," Marinette said, holding one finger up in his face. "It's not a date, and secondly, let's do it!"

Marinette looked down at her sketchbook again. The dress really was beautiful – one of her best designs – all it needed was a little cleaning up and it would be ready to wear. The dress had been sitting pretty on her mannequin for months now, just waiting to be unleashed on the world.

As she stroked a hand gently over the design, she couldn't help but feel luck really was finally landing on her side.