"Marinette! Over here!" Margie calls out across the bar.

The interior is clean and classic, with an original wooden bar top and stools. It has a low ceiling and is only frequented by locals who know about it, resulting in an intimate but not crowded environment.

Marinette had changed out of her business dress into a more casual back skirt, red tank top, and jean jacket; an outfit she debated over for a good 15 minutes, not wanting to over or under dress for this rare excursion out. A sigh of relief escapes her as she spies Margie and their other coworkers dressed to a similar degree.

"I'm so glad you came!" Margie hugs her as Marinette joins them at a standing table.

She smiles nervously, "Yeah, you were right, I could use a drink, or two," she mumbles the last part, wondering if Margie could sense how her life had been turned upside down since she last saw her.

Magie smiles delightedly, "I knew it! I'll get you a drink, on me." She and the other girls head to the bar to order while Mari holds their spot at the table.

It had been a while since Mari participated in any sort of night-life, she wasn't even a big fan of it during her time at university. She sighs, realizing the reason she can even afford to go out right now is because business is slow. When they were busy, it wasn't unusual for Mari to stay up till midnight in her office or review sketches on her couch while some reality show played in the background. She longed to be that busy again.

She couldn't understand the sudden drop off in business this past year or so. She knew that they were lucky that the Boutique was sustainable at all during the five years they've been open. Margie and her had to work second jobs during the beginning; now she worries that they may be returning to those circumstances soon.

Her spirits lift as the ladies return with glasses in hand, Margie slides Marinette a glass of vodka-cran. "Thanks."

They all clink their glasses together and take their first sips of their drinks of choice. As Mari lifts her glass to her lips, she spies a familiar figure over the rim of her glass. She chokes on her drink, only calling Adrien's attention to her faster.

Margie pats her on the back as she coughs, clearing her airway. "Are you that out of practice?" She jokes.

Marinette recovers herself, her eyes drifting up. Margie follows her pointed gaze and gawks at Adrien approaching them. "Oh my god?" She says under her breath, everyone at their table unable to hide their stares.

Still dressed in a dress shirt and slacks, he sticks out like a sore thumb, as if his famous face wasn't enough to draw attention. Visually assessing the situation he's walking in on, he puts on the charm, "How are you ladies doing this evening?" He says in a voice like silk.

The half-dozen of their coworkers just continue to stare awestruck at him. Margie is the only one to form words, "We're all well, Mr. Agreste, thank you. What brings you here tonight?" She says in her work-voice, a tone she reserved for talking to clients. It probably helped steady her.

"I needed to consult with 'M' on a... project we discussed earlier. I was told I could find her here." His eyes drift from Margie to Marinette.

Everybody manages to tear their eyes away from Adrien to stare, even more wide-eyed, at Marinette.

Her toe taps on the floor, she clears her throat, "It seems whoever told you I was here neglected to mention my office hours?" She retorts, making her co-workers jaws drop at her tone.

He's unwavering, "They understood the importance of our discussion." He turns to the ladies surrounding her on both sides, "I do apologise for interrupting your night out, but I would like to borrow 'M' for a while."

Before Marinette can oppose, everyone basically pushes her in his direction gleefully. Margie is able to whisper in her ear, "Why didn't you tell me Agreste Fashion wanted to partner with us?", before giving one last shove to place Mari in front of Adrien.

Her arms are pinned at her sides, one hand still holding her drink, a feigned smile on her lips, not wanting to make a scene. "Right. Of course. Why don't we talk over there."

Adrien follows her lead as the ladies erupt into a frenzy of hushed discussion behind them. "I really am sorry for bothering you all. Tikki didn't mention you were out with friends."

She slides into a wooden booth and table, wanting to keep prying eyes away. "I'm not surprised."

He sits across from her, entering the bubble of silence that hung between them.

"Why are you here?" She prompts with a hint of impatience.

His eyes follow the curve of her cheek, remembering how he used to dream of kissing Ladybug there, as a teenager. But finding his mind is teetering dangerously close to wanting the same thing now.

"Mr. Agreste."

He snaps to the present, shocked at how easily he slipped. The narrowing of her eyes was not a good sign they were on the same page. "I'm here because I want to get to know you." He says honestly. "Even if we don't listen to our Kwamis about this other reality, maybe we can be friends. We did make a pretty good team as Chat and Ladybug." He says in a low voice.

Something flashes in her eyes, she looks down at the corner of the table. "I guess."

A spark of hope flickers in his chest. "I can't believe, after all these years, I finally know who was behind your mask. This wasn't how I imagined the reveal would be," he leans forward a bit, arms resting on the table.

Marinette's mind barked at her 'This is Chat Noir This is Chat Noir', a constant reminder she apparently needed. But giving into those thoughts, to reignite the bond she and her partner shared from 10 years ago, was something she intentionally smothered many years ago. "How did you imagine it?" She asks curtly, but still curious.

He sighs out a half laugh. "You wouldn't approve."

"Just tell me."

His head ducks, an embarrassed smile spreading, "I thought... if we ever wanted to be more than partners, we would trust each other enough to reveal ourselves. We could date like normal kids." He avoids her eyes, "Don't judge me; you remember how hopeless I was back then, I'm sure."

She hopes the dim light of the bar is enough to hide her blooming cheeks, "I remember."

"Did you ever think about how it would happen?"

Her eyes tighten, "I tried not to, since it was never supposed to happen..."

"-But you did anyway. Indulge me." He urges, amused.

She shrugs, "I don't know. I was always worried it was going to happen by accident. Like, an Akuma would actually get one of our Miraculous, or we'd get knocked out and change back, or something." She replies in a hushed voice, despite being out of range of anyone around them.

"That does sound like us, or at least something that would happen to me. Though I guess you could chalk this up as an accident as well." He smiles so genuinely that Marinette can't help but join him, easing into the presence of her old friend. "So you run a Wedding Boutique? That's really neat." He comments.

Her face falls a little, "Thanks. It's nothing compared to what you run though: all of Agreste Fashion Industries." She thinks back to the pretense given to her coworkers, "My friend over there might be disappointed that we're not actually making some business deal."

Adrien's lips press into a line, "I guess that is what I alluded to."

She shakes her head frantically, "Don't worry about it, honestly. I'll just tell her that you ran too hard of a bargain and I had to turn you down."

He's still able to pick up on the slight panic in her voice, like she's hiding something, "I can help you, I want to help you if you need it." His mood turns serious.

This catches Marinette off guard. She stammers to find some excuse, "We're not, you don't need to, we'll be fine-"

His hand reaches across the table, holding her fidgeting hands in place on the surface. "Please let me help you. It's the least I can do after... all these years." He squeezes his hand on hers, his face somber.

The contact shakes something in her, the last memories of Chat that she has, "Why did you never come back?" Her voice breaks.

He knows what she means immediately. He keeps his hand on hers as if the connection was the only thing keeping him from reliving the past. "I was ashamed. You obviously didn't know Hawkmoth was my father at the time, but I couldn't face you, Ladybug, after we caught him."

She pulls her hands away, tucking them under the table, "I waited for you every night that week." She says calmly, not wanting to give into the emotions she worked to hide, "You were one of my best friends. And we never even said goodbye."

"W-we didn't need to, we're together right now. It wasn't goodbye." He jokingly rationalizes, but his guilt is inching up his throat behind his taut smile.

She smiles sadly, "I guess not." She sighs and her eyebrows raise, "I guess I did imagine a different way we'd reveal ourselves."

"What was it?"

Slightly smug, she gazes up at him, "I imagined telling you who I was as a celebration for defeating Hawkmoth."

He stares at her, wide eyed, "You can't be serious."

She nods, nonchalant, "100% serious."

He puts his head in his hands, "I can't believe this!" he scolds himself.

"And-"

"'And'?!" he echoes, his head snapping to meet her gaze.

"And, I'm only saying this because it was a long time ago, and you're married now..." She conditions, "I...I did like you. But I was stubborn. I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of knowing that your constant flirting... worked." She shrugs, but her hands are sweating under the table.

Adrien's jaw drops.

"So, yeah..." Marinette tacks on when he doesn't reply.

His mind was short circuiting, to say the least. Marinette starts to shift under his, seemingly, unblinking stare.

The bar crowd moves closer to their table, encroaching on their private bubble.

Adrien gets up abruptly, hands in his pockets, "Can we finish this conversation at your office?" He eyes the bar goers around them.

She nods wordlessly, still fretting over what Adrien is really thinking of her confession. Was she clear enough that the crush was in the past?

She slides out from the booth and follows Adrien to the door, passing by Margie and the others whose attention is immediately grabbed by their re-appearance.

He smiles charmingly, "Sorry to take M away but there are papers to be signed."

The table of women gasp simultaneously, eyes fixing to Marinette who smiles and nods to keep up their story, not stopping to allow them to ask questions.

The crisp night air enters their lungs, the street lamps are nothing compared to the moon tonight. Marinette takes the lead, while still walking by his side. "It's right around the corner. We can walk."