Chapter Six:

Marinette stood awkwardly at the front doors of the Capital's council hall. Lights flashed in the windows, color brushing the steps out front every few seconds. Did she have the courage to go inside?

Behind her, Nathanael put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, we can do this."

She turned to look at him. His fox ears were sitting crookedly on his head, and she couldn't help but giggle. Facing him, she carefully set them back into their previous position. His hair was so soft. When she was done, he slipped his hand into hers.

"Together?" He questioned.

His fingers were so comforting, even with the red gloves he had on, and they sent a spark through her. Marinette set her jaw confidently and squeezed Nathan's hand. If he could do it, so could she.

"Together."

She turned toward the entrance. Nathanael pushed open the door and sound rolled out of the open entryway. Dance music was playing as if to keep everyone from thinking they were about to be doomed. Charms were dancing on the dance floor, chatting at tables, and conversing with future sponsors. Marinette gulped, but Nathanael lead her to one of the decorated tables. He pulled out a seat for her, and once she was comfortable, he sat next to her.

During that time, Marinette was scanning the room. Chloe and her friend were flirting with a group of the male Charms. Just the sight of it made Marinette sick. Chloe was an idiot, a very pompous idiot.

"Water?" One of the servers asked politely. Marinette looked up at them. It was a young man about her age with thick-rimmed glasses and hazel brown eyes. He was wearing a turtle costume to match the theme of the party, a board across his back acting as his shell.

"Oh, yes please," she replied. The servant poured her a glass, and while he did so, Marinette caught his name on his tag: Nino.

"Thank you, Nino," she acknowledged. He gave her a sly smile.

"You're welcome, Ladybug."

Once Nino left, Nathanael nudged Marinette. "Why is everyone calling you Ladybug?"

"They're supposed to call you by your costume animal," she replied, looking around the room. She pointed at Chloe. "See that girl there, dressed as a bee? By the way she's being treated, she's probably being called Queen Bee." Nathanael snickered as she pointed to another person dressed like a peacock.

"And him? Probably-"

The person turned. Marinette stopped abruptly.

It was Adrien Agreste.

Marinette couldn't help but stare. His hair swooped to the left, and the feathered mask he wore framed his green eyes perfectly. His suit was designed to look like a peacock. The underlying color was grey, but they designer must have found a way to ombre the turquoise blue to green on top of it. His suit tail was layered with peacock feathers, and they only hung a foot above the ground. Around the back of his shoulders and connecting at his neck were even more feathers.

"Probably what?" Nathanael asked innocently, not even looking at who she was staring at.

Marinette swallowed hard and attempted to adjust her mask. He wouldn't recognize her with the costume, would he?

"P-probably Adrien Agreste," she finally stated. Nathan, upon realizing why she was so flustered over the boy, sat up a little taller.

Then, their eyes met. Adrien's perfect green met Marinette's soft blue. She squeaked and gripped Nathanael's hand for support as he walked toward her. Nathan gave her hand a comforting squeeze, not unlike the one they had shared when they had first walked in.

Get yourself together, Marinette chastised herself. You have to appear confident. You won't win his heart being a freak, or the Miraculous Games for that matter.

"Hi," Adrien greeted, waving to Marinette and Nathanael as he approached. "It's good to see that you've made yourselves comfortable."

"We have, thanks," Nathanael answered stiffly.

The harsh voice he used gave Marinette a bit of a shock. Why was he being so sharp with one of the most important people of the country? And even for their destiny!

"I'm glad," Adrien replied kindly as if he had chosen to ignore the fox's unhappy tone. He looked directly at Marinette. "Do you mind if I speak with you alone?"

Nathanael didn't say a word. He got to his feet, bowed his head respectfully, then walked away. Marinette couldn't help but notice that he appeared as though he might strangle Adrien if he said the wrong thing to her.

Oh no, she panicked. I'm alone with ADRIEN AGRESTE!

"I saw you in the parade," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You did a really good job."

"Oh, thanks..."

The pair both mentally twiddled their thumbs, waiting for the other to say something, when Marinette realized that Adrien was still standing.

"Oh! Please, take a seat." She gestured to the seat Nathanael had been sitting in moments before. Thanking her, he took a seat.

"So, Ladybug," Adrien started. "What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time? Do you bake?"

Marinette relaxed a little bit. This was a question she could answer easily.

"Yes, I do bake. My parents run our local district bakery and I've learned to love it." She paused, then decided that it would be okay to tell him what she was thinking about. "I also love to design clothes." Blushing, she looked down at her lap as she continued. "I've always dreamed of coming to the Capital and seeing all of the crazy fashion statements. Not like this, though." She chuckled as she scanned the room. Adrien smiled, following her gaze.

"I must agree, the Capital does have a lot of crazy clothes."

Marinette smiled. "So, what do you like to do in your free time?"

Adrien's smile melted, turning into a solemn frown. "I don't exactly have a lot of time for myself, actually. I have fencing, foreign language classes, piano, and then, on top of it all, my father's political meetings."

"That sounds horrible," Marinette blurted out before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth in shock, positive Adrien was going to hate her forever for stepping out of line. Instead, he just gave her a knowing smile.

"Don't worry about it. It's a great time to take naps." A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes. "Does that count as a free time activity?"

Marinette laughed. "I suppose so. Are you professional?"

"Oh yes," he replied without a second thought. "I am probably one of the best nappers of all time. I guess you could call them secret cat naps, really." He leaned in and whispered. "Haven't been caught once."

Marinette feigned surprise. "Wow, you really are a pro."

Before they could flirt any longer, their conversation was interrupted by a hand slamming against the table.

"Adri-poo peacock! It's been forever since we've seen each other!" Chloe leaned across the table, pressing into Adrien's personal bubble.

"Oh, uh, hey Bee?"

"Queen Bee, if you don't mind," she corrected. Marinette mentally facepalmed. After correcting him, Queen Bee then looked between Adrien and Marinette. "Don't tell me you're hanging out with the loser Ladybug, are you?" She looked Marinette up and down like some sort of disgusting spider that had crawled out of her drain.

Adrien got to his feet, glaring at Chloe. "I'm getting to know the other charms, Queen Bee."

Happy that he had gotten her name correct, Chloe interlocked her arm with his. "Well, you can come and get to know me just fine on the dance floor. Come on!" She pulled him away before Marinette could object to anything she had said. Before he was completely out of sight, however, Marinette saw him look back at her and mouth: We can talk later. She gave him a thumbs up and a small smile.

Behind her, someone whistled. Marinette spun around, throwing her hands around her face like a jazz square. Nino was leaning on her chair, watching Adrien be pulled away to the dance floor.

"Poor guy, having to deal with that animal."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "She's not just an animal, she's a demon."

"I can't argue with that." He looked down at Marinette, then realized he was acting out of character. He quickly straightened. "Sorry, Ladybug. Can I get you anything?"

She nodded and gestured to a seat. "Why don't you relax a little bit? It must be difficult trying to take care of everyone here."

"You have no idea." Glancing around nervously, Nino took a seat. He held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ladybug. Call me Jade Turtle."

Smiling, Marinette shook it. "The pleasure is all mine." They pulled away and Nino kicked his feet up on the table. Marinette smiled and followed his example, showing off her spandex-covered legs. "So, who came up with your costume idea?"

Nino spread his hands. "Who knows? I don't, that's for sure. I was just tossed the costume and was told to put it on."

"Ironically, I think it suits you."

He gave her a look like, 'did you seriously just pun?' She spread her hands helplessly and gave him a shrug.

"You seriously remind me of my bro, Adrien," he replied, putting his hands behind his head and tipping his hair back on two legs.

"Wait, you're friends with Adrien?" Marinette asked.

"Yup. Close as you could get for being his servant." He rolled his eyes. "I swear, his father is crazy, but I'm not allowed to say that to anyone." He looked at her with a coy smile. "Until now."

Marinette put her feet down and scooted closer to the table, her curiosity peaking. "What's wrong with President Agreste?"

Nino scoffed. "He's just a harsh man, especially to us servants. I never really understood him and his motives, so I just learned to live with it." His face fell a little bit. "I feel really bad for Adrien. He has to put up with that dude just because he's his son. He has no free time to do anything when Mr. Big-Shot fills his schedule with crazy activities."

"Maybe the Miraculous Games will be his big break," said someone behind Nino and Marinette. They both turned to find Nathanael, his arms folded detestably.

"I doubt it," Nino replied, adjusting his green mask and putting his feet back down on the ground. "Adrien is probably running around like a chicken with its head cut off. There was this whole thing to plan," he gestured to the party that was going on around them. "And he had to come up with everything."

"So, he came up with the animal idea?" Nathan asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, that was the President. He insisted that Adrien had to have that theme to work with, so Adrien ran with it."

Marinette looked around the room in all its glory, taking in all the little details that Adrien was ordered to chose out. In complete honesty, she thought it was magical. Adrien had chosen the pastries on the buffet tables. Adrien had chosen the color of the table clothes. Adrien had chosen the music that was playing.

On the dance floor, she saw Queen Bee and 'Adri-poo Peacock' slow dancing. She knit her eyebrows together. The sight bothered her. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Did he get to chose out his animal?"

Nino shook his head once more. "Nope, President Agreste forced him to do that too."

"Well, he doesn't look bad..."

Oh dang, he looked real good.

Nathanael scowled, but didn't say anything.

On the stage, Alec (the giraffe) tapped the microphone in order to get the crowd's attention. Marinette couldn't help but notice Adrien peeling himself off of Chloe and taking a few steps away from her.

Good riddance.

"Hello, Miraculous Charms and supporters!" Alec announced, his tone way too happy. "We want to thank you all for coming to the party. Before the night's festivities continue, we have the amazing opportunity to have the President speak to us! Give it up for President Gabriel Agreste!"

The crowd clapped as Gabriel made his way to the microphone. Beside Marinette, Nino got to his feet and stood at attention. She had a feeling he didn't want to be spotted sitting next to two Charms when he was supposed to be serving them.

President Agreste stood with his hands behind his back until the applause died down. Once it did, he gave the crowd a small smile. Marinette found it odd that he wasn't in a costume.

"You would think that since he came up with the animal idea, he would at least dress up," she muttered to Nathanael. He shrugged.

"Thank you for all coming. I am positive my son, Adrien, shares the same gratitude." Marinette caught the look he sent toward the dance floor before he continued. "The party will last until eleven tonight, but if any of our Charms wish to retire to their rooms, we have guards stationed for your own personal bodyguards. Servants have also been placed in your rooms to assist you." He scanned the crowd, a fake smile plastered across his face. "Enjoy the party."

The crowd applauded as he got down from the stage. As Marinette clapped, she watched the President leave, slipping out with a handful of bodyguards out a side door.

"Hey," she said to Nathanael, "I'm going to go to bed."

"But it's only eight-thirty."

"I know, but I-"

"Will you at least have a dance with me before you go?"

Once he blurted that out, Marinette actually turned to look at him. His face was as bright as a fresh tomato. Biting her lip, Marinette thought about the invitation.

"Alright, just one dance."

He nodded shyly, then extended his arm for her to take. It was as if he didn't want to look her in the eye, but Marinette decided not to pay attention to that. He led them out onto the dance floor as a slow song began to play. They took their dance position and once they got on time, they began to dance.

As they swayed awkwardly, Marinette was glancing over Nathanael's shoulder, trying to find Adrien. She couldn't find him or his outfit anywhere. Did his father make him leave? Was he in a corner snogging with Chloe. Just the thought of that made her want to punch a wall.

"Marinette," Nathanael said, snapping her out of her thoughts and bringing her attention back to him. "I want to thank you."

"For what?"

He was quiet for a long time before responding. "You've been so nice to me and I know that I wouldn't even have any friends here if you weren't here with me. You've been a real life saver."

She gave him a kind smile. "It's the least I could do. I mean, how many people can pull off those fox ears?" She flicked them and Nathan flushed.

"Yeah, I-I guess you're right."

They continued to dance, no doubt stretching the blanket of awkward to its limit. As they did so, something dashed by in the corner of Marinette's vision. She turned and spotting a blurry black figure out the window. Furrowing her eyebrows, she was about to mention it to Nathanael, but the song ended. He let go of her and stepped away, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thank you for the dance..."

"Yeah, no problem," she replied automatically. "Now, uh, if you will please excuse me, I have to go check-- I mean, go to bed." She bowed her head, then dashed away. She headed for the door, and once she was out in a spacious white hallway, she looked around. Chandeliers hung from above and cast their light around the room. The light reflected off of tall windows that stretched almost to the ceiling, scrambling toward the window, Marinette peered outside.

The black figure had disappeared.