MARINETTE

I am screwed.

Alya found out that tonight is technically a free night for me since my activity, rather meeting, tomorrow will start in the late afternoon.

So she decided to hold our night-out later. She did not even give me time to go against, or find a way out of it. She told me that she has been waiting for a long time for this night-out and she think I couldn't tell from the amount of messages she has sent me regarding it.

Alya immediately sent me a picture of four tickets in her hand and a message after saying that those tickets are for a club that is celebrating an 80's night as its theme, so she told me that I have to dress the part.

I don't mind dressing up. I actually love to dress up especially if we are talking about the 80's, the decade where the combination of different colors was not shunned upon. Fashion in the 80's, for me, was such a bold pioneer that led to the fashion trends we have now. I even prepared what I was going to wear! High-waisted jeans with colored stripes, a cropped long-sleeved shirt as my top - I was ready to feel bold and confident until I remembered one important detail.

Alya bought four tickets, not two. I forgot that I was in-charge of finding two guys to bring with us. Curse my life, that's the hardest thing to prepare for tonight!

She treats me like a person who knows a lot of guys. The closest one I know would be Nath, who apparently is not single and always gives time to his girlfriend when we have free time. I don't even think Chloé would allow him to go out to a party without her. The second guy I know would be...ugh. I don't even want to say his name.

We bump into each other at random times, I won't deny that. But for me to reach out to him? I do not want to come off as someone desperate like that. And the last words he said to me that night still left a lingering thought in my head and, dare I say it, weird feelings in my heart. The guy is nice and smart, yet meticulous. He's also really gentle and good-looking...

"No!" I exclaim out loud in my room and slam a pillow on my face.

I won't call him! No! Never in a million years will I call him! I have a ton of other friends who are guys!

I move my pillow away and grab my phone from beside me. I go through my list of contacts, looking for two guys who I can invite for later. It does not take me a long time to realize that I do not have that many single guy friends because they are all taken. I could invite my dad and Nordic- oh my, God! Who am I kidding?!

I will be so sad, I would lose all ability to feel. I'll be like the living dead - body still alive but the soul is completely dead and empty.

Damn it. I can't get Alya's words out of my head. She complained over the phone about losing her mind if ever this night does not go well. There are times when I question why we are even friends, and this is a reason to it.

I scroll through my phone and stop at his number. He told me to save it and I did, there's nothing wrong with that. What would be wrong is if I call him. My pride will not allow me to do it.

Yet, there are two things at stake here, my friendship and my pride.

If I won't call and ask Adrien if he's free, my pride will win but my friendship with Alya will approach murky waters. Alya has done a lot for me, especially in terms of creating and maintaining Nordic's rapport with the public, and she is only asking this from me. I don't want to be selfish as well.

I groan out loud. I can't believe I'm doing this. My finger hovers over the contact name, 'Pest' on my phone. If I simply tap on it, I would start a call and I would have to talk and ask him. I just need to tap on it. That's it. One simple action.

I inhale sharply and press on my phone to start my call. I don't care anymore. What matters the most is that I'm doing this for Alya. I squeeze my eyes shut, holding the phone to my ear as I wait for him to pick-up the phone.

"End my misery," I murmur under my breath, "Just answer my call now."

"So you really do need my help then, blue-head?" His voice comes out of the phone just as he picked up my call.

"Don't start with me, Adrien," I grumble. I could sense that he's smirking on the other side of the call. "I wanna make this fast. Are you busy now?"

"I answered your call. Is that enough of an answer for you?"

Oh, God. This seems like a bad idea. How am I going to put up with him?

Instead of lashing out with his unnecessary sarcasm, I decide to cut to the chase.

"Okay, good," I breathe out.

"I have a feeling you need something. You wouldn't call me if you simply missed me."

"In your wildest dreams."

He laughs. "Okay, what is it?"

I take in a deep breath and exhale slowly. Okay, this is it. "I have this favor...and it's huge."

"Is this related to the campaign?"

"This...is a bit of a personal favor."

"...like what?" He asks reluctantly.

"I...you remember Alya, right? Anyway, she has been planning for this night-out which is happening...tonight. And I'm in-charge of finding two guys who can come with us..." I trail off.

"So...you need me to be one of those guys?" He asks slowly, trying to digest everything in one take.

"And if you could bring one more guy with you...that's it. A-Also! It's an 80's themed event so you also have to dress the part." I can't believe it. I'm going to start begging. I will admit it now. I'm desperate to have him and one more friend of his with us other than two strangers. "For the sake of my friendship with Alya, please say that you'll go."

He's silent on the other end and it does not help with my nervousness.

"Adrien?" I utter, unsurely.

I hear let out a low hum then he clicks his tongue. "I see..." he mutters. "Oh!" He suddenly exclaims, "By the way, blue-head, thank you for the box of coffee even if you gave me the last bag back at the supermarket."

Did he...did he just ignore my question? My request??

I sit up on my bed, confused with his sudden change of topic. Do I continue? Or should I acknowledge what he said? Plus, how would he know that I sent him coffee. It was a lingering thought of mine until I decided to order online the coffee beans we both, apparently, like. I sent one box to him under an anonymous note.

"What coffee?" I reply, acting dumb. "I did not send any coffee to your office."

"I never mentioned anything about receiving it in my office."

I slap myself on the forehead. Oh, wow. I'm stupid. "...think of it as a "thank you for putting up with my parents" gift. It's the least I could do."

He softly chuckles then lets out a sigh. "Still, thank you. So," he drawls out, "I'll see you later then?"

"Y-You're really going?!" I sputter, surprised that he's really agreeing to this.

"Should I change my mind?"

"N-No, please!" I utter in an instant, "I...I'll see you later, okay? Don't forget, bring one of your friends and dress up like it's the 80's."

"Got it. You owe me a drink or two."

"Deal."

------------

"Are you sure that they're coming?" Alya wouldn't stop looking around the entrance, waiting for the two guys to arrive.

"Oh, they'll be here," I reassure her for the nth time. "They better be," I mumble under my breath as I'm starting to worry as well. It's been 10 minutes since the event started and the guys are not yet here.

Alya really looks great. Her dress is black with patches of Rubik's cubes embroidered all around it. Even her earrings are small Rubik's cubes made out of polymer clay. For her hair, she just added volume to it by, of course, placing a moderate amount of hairspray on it. My hair is fixed in a punk-esque updo to finish my attire for the night. Alya also made me wear hoop earrings and joked saying, "The bigger the hoop, the bigger the hoe." I don't believe in that saying, though I still wore it since it made her happy. And she also looked like she accomplished a mission in dressing me up differently for a night.

"By the way, who are these guys that you invited?" She asks, tilting her head. "You haven't told me who they are."

"There's no need to because you'll see them in a few moments," I reply. I nervously fiddle with my fingers as we wait for our two other companions before we can enter the venue. I fully turn to face Alya and purse my lips together before I talk sincerely, "Look, if they don't show up then I'm-"

"Oh my, God." Alya's jaw drops as she stares in awe at whatever's behind me. Out of curiosity, I turn to see for myself. Lo and behold, it is like two male models from Vogue magazine have decided to grace our presence.

Adrien brought Nino, one of his co-managers, with him and he is rocking those sleek brown pants with a tucked-in, maroon-colored button-down shirt made out of silk. He tops it off with a black fedora hat and the designer in me just wants to say, "fabulous" over and over.

Adrien, on the other hand, is a whole different story. Is it just me or the trend, denim-on-denim was made specifically for that man? Although he has such simple clothes on, the impact he brings and his aura is completely out of this world. He's got a simple white shirt on with minimal print in the middle. It's tucked in a simple pair of denim jeans. He's also got a denim jacket on and a pair of dark shades are resting on top of his head.

"Sorry that we're late," Adrien speaks, taking me away from my trance. "Traffic was terrible. We feel awful for letting you both wait for us."

"I-It's okay," I stammer, "it was only for just 10 minutes." And I think Alya agrees with me since she has not uttered a word ever since they arrived.

Adrien flashes the both of us a smile which, I swear, could be the cause of a heart attack. "Um...I'm sure Alya remembers me, so I'll like to introduce Nino." The latter takes a step forward and reaches out a hand for Alya to take. "Nino," Adrien continues, "meet Alya. Alya meet Nino."

"Nice to meet you," Nino greets her, while Alya could only muster a short and quiet, "Hi..."

"I'm sure Nino knows you, Marinette, already."

"Of course," Nino chimes in, "I would know a rival."

I roll my eyes and allow him to shake my hand as well. He throws a pointed look toward Adrien and mutters, "Why did you not tell me that it was with Nordic's manager?"

"I-" Adrien starts but I beat him to it.

"Well, because tonight...we are all friends. No rivalry and anything politics, just good drinks, some dancing, and...people."

Alya walks close to me and whispers in my ear, "I thought you said you would never think of bringing Adrien with you?"

I force out a soft laugh and dart my eyes toward the direction of the men standing in front of us then back to Alya. "That's why Nino is my guy for the night while Adrien is yours," I whisper back.

"Hm, no. I'd rather want to hang out with Nino. You enjoy Adrien." She smirks mischievously and goes back to facing the men now with much more courage. "Shall we head inside?" She asks them cheekily.

The whole ambiance changes once we enter, flashing lights, speakers fixed to their full volume that's blaring popular music during the 80's. People are dancing, drinking, laughing, talking, and even singing along to the songs being played.

Nino and Alya immediately hit it right off the bat. Right after they started talking about her love for writing and his passion for music, they moved to the middle floor of the venue to join with the dancing and the chugging of drinks.

I bought Adrien the drink I promised him, but he hasn't left the table ever since. He's been sitting with me, drinking and engaging in small talk. There's a part of me that's worried if he's feeling bored because of me.

"You should go with them," I tell him, jutting my chin toward the direction where Nino and Alya are dancing together. I'm glad they are enjoying their time there.

He looks their way for just a second then goes back to looking at me. "And leave you here?" He grabs his glass and takes a sip of his cocktail. "I don't think so."

"But you might be bored just sitting with me."

"Who said that I was bored? In fact, I'm having the time of my life!" He lets out a sigh in content. "Good music, good drinks," he pauses to look into my eyes, "and good people."

"Y-You should drink more," I stutter and grab my glass of rhum and soda. I take a sip from it to distract myself from his piercing gaze.

"I want to, but I can't," he replies, "I'm driving tonight so I need to watch over myself and how much alcohol I'm taking."

I place my glass back down on the table and move some strands of my hair away from my face. "I wish I brought my car so that I have a reason to not drink much as well, but Alya wants me to let loose just for once and 'drink 'til I won't remember anything'." I quote with my hands in a scoff.

"Wait." He cocks his head to the side and furrows his eyebrows. "You've never been drunk?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I was the quiet one during university. I've never even been to a party when we were studying!"

He shakes his head in disbelief. "No way. I am not believing that."

"Adrien, I never made time to really party when we were still students. Okay, I've been tipsy before but that's just it."

He continues to gape at me in shock. "Then I think it's my job tonight to change that," he declares.

My eyes widen in bewilderment. "What?! Adrien-!"

"Waiter!" He shoots a hand up to call the attention of one server who happens to pass nearby our table. The person stops and goes to Adrien. I watch the two, feeling worried with whatever Adrien is planning in his head. "I'll get three Enzoni's, please." The server nods and leaves for the bar after Adrien dictates his order.

"What are you doing?" I ask Adrien in haste.

"Hey, you need to get drunk at least once in your life! Plus, I know there's a part of you that has started to trust me. So, continue to do that because I'll take care of you, okay?"

"Adrien!" I exclaim, exasperatedly.

"When our cocktails arrive, make sure you chug at least half of it then shake your head," he instructs me and just like magic, our cocktails do arrive. The same server from before places the three glasses on our table then leaves.

"Why are there three?" I ask starting to feel anxious yet excited at the same time. I'm not going to lie, although there is this voice in me that is still questioning this whole situation, there is a louder voice that is saying that I should do it.

"Two for you, one for me," Adrien answers and hands me a glass while his other hand is holding one already. "Okay," he looks at me in the eye, "remember, I am here to take care of you, so- hey!"

I do not wait for him to finish as I bring the glass to my lips and immediately down more than half of the glass. I shake my head right after and in an instant, I could feel my world spinning yet in a good way.

The sensation is exhilirating. Is this what I've been missing my whole life? The effect numbs whatever worries I have in my head. What's left to function are my happy hormones. What is this...is this the peak state of euphoria I've always wanted to reach?

"Oh my, God!" I exclaim, a huge grin plastered on my face. I point at the glass and proclaim loudly, "This drink is amazing! It's sweet because of its fruity flavor mixed with it yet there is also a hint of bitters in it?! Amazing!" I finish what's left in the glass and shake my head once again. "Whooo! It's kicking in, it's kicking in!"

Adrien lets out a loud fit of laughter and holds me down before I start to stand. "My speculation is right. You really do have a low tolerance for alcohol!"

"Whaaat?" I drawl out and cup my ear from behind and lean closer to him. "I can't hear youuuu."

He lets out a laugh in disbelief and steadies me. "For your second glass, at least wait for me to drink with you?"

"Okay, okay," I dismiss him and grab the other glass, anticipating another re-fuel of the happy concoction. "Come here! Cheers!" We clink our glasses together and before I bring it to my lips, Adrien stops me.

"Down it all at once?" He challenges me, raising an eyebrow.

I stick out a tongue at him then smirk. "Deal!"

We drink the whole serving, chugging down the liquid until there was nothing left but some bits of grape in the glass.

"Go shake your head!" Adrien shouts and the both of us do it until we feel dizzy enough to stop and let loose by laughing. Before I even realize it, I start to lean on him and grab my glass that still has rhum and soda in it, I finish it in one go as well. I can feel my face starting to numb already. Even the loud music in the room is not as blaring as before.

I feel invincible and so care-free! I don't even care about what I'm going to do or say for the rest of the night! I start to laugh and shout, "I can't believe this is what I've been missing out on all these years!"

"Next time, I'll make sure that you drink with moderation."

"Adrien," I push myself off from him and look at him, the corners of my mouth twitching up, "I want you to ask me a question...any question!"

He chuckles and sits up. He props his elbow on the table and rests his head on his hand. "Okay, you asked for it. Also, I think this might be the only time I'll ever get to talk to you like this."

"Go on, Adrien!"

"Yes, I heard you the first time. Well...here it is. Do you think we would have been good friends if our jobs did not require to let us treat each other as enemies?"

"Good friends? Heck, I even think we would be dating!"

He visibly stiffens after I say my answer. He even loses the smile on his face as he stares at me without uttering a word. He then turns the other way and hides his face from me.

"Adrien?"

"That is the alcohol talking for you," he says and turns back to look at me. "Anyway, you're going to forget all of this tomorrow so I'm going to say it out loud, your words made me blush and my heart went crazy for a moment there...I don't know why you could do that to me."

I hiccup and smile sweetly at him. "You're cute like that," I utter, leaning close to him.

I think I could see his cheeks turn red again. "You're cute, too."

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" A loud voice comes out the speakers, overlapping the current song that is playing, "our evening is ending such as our decade of songs! Let's end this night with a bang starting with the '87 hit, 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' by Starship!"

"Oh my God!" I stand from my seat once the intro of the song starts and pull on Adrien's arm. "I love this song!"

"You know this song?!" He asks, excitedly. He stands as well.

"Yeah!" I nod enthusiastically, which makes me more dizzy and unaware of my surroundings, only Adrien. "Let's dance!"

"What?!" He asks in disbelief, throwing me an incredulous look.

"Come on! Let's go to the dance floor!"

Looking in your eyes I see a paradise
This world that I've found is too good to be true

I wrap my arms around his neck and allow him to pull me close by the waist. I start to laugh as we dance together to the beat and rhythm of the song. Adrien would even let me twirl with his guidance then bring me back to holding him again.

Standing here beside you, want so much to give you
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you

"Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that!" I start to sing along in a loud voice without even caring if my pitch is correct or not. "Put your hand in my hand baby, don't ever look back!"

Without any thoughts of hesitation, I pull Adrien close to me by the collar of his jacket and nip on his left earlobe. The alcohol has affected me so much to the point that even the things around Adrien are blurry. The only thing I can see clearly is him and I'm not complaining. He's a beautiful sight on his own.

He draws back slowly and keeps his face close to mine as he asks in a whisper, "What was that?"

"Did you hate it?"

And we can build this thing together
Standing strong forever
Nothing's gonna stop us now

"You...are a really cruel woman," he breathes out, staring into my eyes.

My gaze waver between his eyes and his...lips. "Won't you do anything about it?"

"The both of us will regret it-"

"Who says that I will?"

And if this world runs out of lovers
We'll still have each other
Nothing's gonna stop us
Nothing's gonna stop us now

He does not say anything after that. Instead, he's looking at my lips just like what I've been doing with his. He moves his head closer to mine and I don't move away at all. I could feel his breath fanning over my lips. The strong scent of alcohol from him wafts through the air and I close my eyes...until I fall asleep.

------------

My head hurts.

I groan out loud and move slowly, stretching a bit on bed. With my eyes closed, I grab a pillow and wrap my arms around it. Hmm, that's weird. I don't own a pillow as big as this. I force an eye open and my eyesight is still blurry until I see that I'm hugging a white pillow while snuggling into my gray blanket.

Wait.

My eyes fly open when I realize that I don't own a gray blanket. It's supposed to be pink. "Ah!" I scream out loud when I see that I'm not in my room. With wide eyes, I look around. White walls, plain decoration, a neat desk, this is DEFINITELY NOT my room.

I look down at let out a sigh of relief. At least I'm wearing clothes, specifically my attire from last night. As disgusting as it may feel and sound, it's better than waking up wearing a different set of clothes or nothing at all.

I continue to look around and spot my phone and earring lying on the small table beside the bed. I grab my phone and check the time. "10 A.M.?" I mutter in disbelief. I also check if I received any important messages or missed any calls. Thankfully, there are none except for one text from Alya.

Enjoy the rest of your night with him ;) tell me all about it later! xo

Wait, so I'm in Adrien's place? What in the world happened last night? Although the pulsating pain in my head is still there, I force myself to try to remember the events. Well, I am sure of one thing, I got drunk for the first time in my life. And I remember being hyper and happy about it.

I remember...dancing and singing...with Adrien. Then...

I let out a loud gasp and a hand flies to my mouth. Oh my, God. He was leaning in and I did not move away, rather I was waiting for him to-

"Marinette," I quietly scold myself, "don't tell me you don't remember your first kiss!"

I can't remember anything else before that. I might just really have to ask...Adrien. My cheeks start to flush as that specific memory of his lips near mine replays in my head.

There is a folded shirt and boxer shorts placed beside my earrings and I think Adrien left them there for me to change into. So I do, and right after I fix his bed and grab my belongings before I head out of his room. I am greeted with the sight of the living room and the kitchen once I exit the bedroom. Adrien, wearing a normal attire, looks up from working on something at the kitchen counter.

He shyly smiles at me and walks away from the counter. "Good morning," he greets me.

"Good morning," I bashfully greet him back.

He gestures to the plate with food on it on the table. "I had a feeling your head hurts because you might be having a hangover. So, I prepared food for you."

I walk to the table and place my belongings on the chair beside me before taking the seat in front of the food that is still a bit warm. Adrien takes the seat across from me.

"Uh...it's a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup," he tells me, "I like to dip my sandwich in the soup but I don't know if you'll enjoy it the same way I do."

Without a word, I dip my sandwich in the soup then take a bite of it. I let out a hum of approval. "You're right. It's good."

He breaks off into a smile. "That's good to know."

"Uh, Adrien," I start, looking down at my plate, "how did I end up here?"

"You passed out in my arms last night," he answers me slowly. "I was really going to take you home but I couldn't find your keys and apparently, Alya and Nino left on their own."

"What were we doing before I passed out?"

Adrien gulps out loud then rubs the nape of his neck. "We were in the middle of...dancing."

I bite my bottom lip and let go of it before taking a deep breath. "...did we kiss?" I ask softly.

His eyes widen in shock. "You remember that part?"

"Apparently, I do," I breathe out.

He shakes his head and averts his gaze from mine. "We did not kiss," he answers my question in a whisper.

"Oh," I simply utter and feel like there is an empty pit in my stomach. I feel...strangely disappointed with the outcome.

"And that should have never happened," he continues, and his statement takes by surprise. "I told you to place your trust in me but I broke it by almost kissing you. I should never have done that-"

"It's not only your fault..."

"No." He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head firmly. "You were not in your right mind. I am so sorry. The blame is all on me and I'm scared that if we continued recklessly it would have destroyed whatever friendship we have. Marinette," he pauses to look into my eyes with sincerity, "I respect you so much, and-"

The front door suddenly opens loudly from my left and two men barge in the apartment.

"Hey, Adrien! We- Marinette?!"

"Nino, Luka?" Adrien stands from his seat and faces the two new visitors in utter confusion. "What the hell are you doing here?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

PSA: Always drink with moderation. And please don't drink if you're still a minor.

Though...I miss drinking with my friends (a lot). tbh, one of the best things about college and living far away from home -> the liberty to go out with friends HAHA

I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

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