"Please fasten your seat belts, and return your seats to its upright and locked position," the recorded voice of a flight attendant spoke out from the cabin's speakers.

Eyes wide open, Marinette fumbled around her seat to lock in her seat belt. Once she did, she cupped her cheeks in her pale, cold hands and took a glance out of the window. 

We're still down here. Good, she thought with a reassured sigh. 

Her wailing moments were temporarily blocked away at the present, for at least five more minutes. Her feet were uncomfortably shuffling on the carpet, and she started to make the bubbling noises that she would usually do whenever she was nervous. And indeed, her soul was black and blue from all the anxiety.

"You okay, there?" Marinette turned her face to the person sitting next to her. He had breathtakingly blond hair and emerald eyes. He had his eye mask up on his forehead as he spoke to the girl.

"First flight?" He asked again, noticing the nerve-wracking shock on her face. The boy wanted to be most friendly to her, since he's quite the charmer inside.

"Y-yeah," she replied, nodding repeatedly. "I've never been outside Paris before..."

"Ah, you'll be fine," the blond reassured her with a smile. "This is probably the thirty-third flight I've been on in my entire life, and I can tell you that the boats are worse."

Marinette let out a soft giggle. She thought that this guy was quite friendly, and her feet started to feel warmer and calmer.

"I'm Marinette," she held out her hand. "How about you?"

"Adrien," the guy replied. He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he gave it a light kiss. Marinette blushed profusely, and she swore she could see a slight tint on his nose, as well.

"What brings you to hop on a plane to Beijing today, my lady?" Adrien smirked — his eyebrows gently wiggling for more effect.

What a flirt, Marinette thought. As flirty as he looked like though, she was really quite attracted to the stranger.

"I'm visiting my mum's family," she replied. "You?"

"You might not want to know," Adrien shook his head and turned his face to the back of the seat in front of him.

"Please, do tell—" A rapid shake of the cabin caused Marinette to stop talking and clutch her hands back to her armrest. Knuckles white, she held on for her dear life as the plane started to slowly ascend into the air. She let off a small whimper every five seconds, and mumbled out a hushed prayer with her eyes closed. He laughed quietly in his seat and watched the new flyer in comedic awe.

The alert lights soon turned off, and the people in the plane started to unbuckle their seat belts, and moved around the plane. It was a really large plane for a first-timer like Marinette. There were around three floors of seats, and she could only afford the economy class ones at the bottom. 

"You done with your panic attack, love?" Adrien asked her.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. Anyway, about my question."

"I don't want to answer it," he bit his lip. "It's better if you don't know."

"Fine, then, Mr. Secret-Pants," she huffed and crossed her arms in her seat. 

"That's a cute nickname for me," he teased her. He liked the way her cheeks would flush bright pink whenever he called her with an endearing nickname. The subtle moves that he was making were slightly working on the girl. He had a lot of experience with hooking up women, but this Marinette girl seemed so different and interesting compared to all the Barbie dolls he's been seeing.

"I wasn't trying to," Marinette shifted in her seat and looked out of the window. France was just a tiny dot underneath her thumb now, and the clouds started to phase through her view. She suddenly remembered her friend Alya, who wanted her to bring back something from China. The two were the best of friends ever since Alya moved into town.  

It was quiet again for the few moments after. Adrien wanted to speak up, but he wasn't too sure about what things to say to a girl like Marinette. Up close, she was weird, awkward and sassy all at the same time. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that he would he meet a girl so much... like his mum.

"So... Where will you stay in Beijing?" He asked— hopeful to spark up a conversation with her.

Marinette looked at him with a sly smile, "You wanna stalk me now, Mr. Secret-Pants?"

"No!" Maybe.

"I just wanted to know because we may be living nearby, and... I think I'd like to hang out with you a bit more," Adrien said a little quieter than normal.

As much as Marinette was driving Adrien's head up against a wall, the girl was pretty much curious about him, too. He was strikingly handsome in so many levels, and he's been making her internally fangirl since the moment he spoke. She wasn't so sure how to talk to him, either. With the shoes and clothes that he was wearing, he seemed to look like he belonged in the first-class cabin, but why was he here?

The two of them were so vague to each other. She wanted to know more about him, and he wanted to know about her, too. They just had to make a move.

"You know, my father wanted me to accompany me in his first fashion show in Beijing," Adrien finally spoke up about the reason he was on the plane. "He's opening up his first shop outside the country, and I guess he wants me to go because... well, more girls would be in the show to see me."

God, so that's why he was familiar! He's Adrien Agreste, Marinette mentally whacked her head.

"You're the Adrien Agreste?" Of course he is, you dummy.

Adrien shrugged, "It's a good thing and a bad thing."

"I can't believe it. You're... You're here!" She quietly let herself loose. "I love your father's creations. If you're flying, then why are you down here where all the losers and commoners are at?"

"Maybe because I am a loser and a commoner, as well?"

"No, you're not... You're Adrien Agreste," she looked down. "You're not common, and you're certainly not a loser."

"I just want to escape being known for a while, I guess," Adrien didn't stop his gaze on her blue eyes. There was something that he hasn't seen before in them. He took time in closely speculating the features of the girl before him. She had a light dust of freckles around her nose, which he admitted to be pretty adorable.

From the few minutes that they've been cramped together in the aircraft, he found himself already attracted to the personality of the young lady. Likewise, Marinette was completely starstruck when she learned that she was sitting beside Adrien Agreste in the economy seats. It wasn't exactly how she expected her first flight would go. It wasn't the most convenient, but surprisingly thanks to Adrien, it wasn't exactly boring and overly annoying, as well.

"Let's play a game," Adrien suggested with his Cheshire cat smile. "I'll ask something about you, and you can ask something about me. I won't answer, if you don't answer, as well."

"Sure." Marinette nodded. "You can start..."

"How old are you?"

"Nearly seventeen," she replied. "You?"

"Nineteen, no biggie. Next," he said— waving his hand. "What do you love doing?"

"Designing clothes, at the very most," Marinette replied. "Also watching romantic comedies."

"That's so basic of you," Adrien commented with a slightly disgusted face. "Are girls all like that?"

Marinette rolled her eyes once more. She really wasn't believing in this guy beside her. He was both charming and annoying at the same time. So rude and refined in perfectly equal amounts— well, maybe a little more of the rude. All she knew was that what honor and misfortune it was to be sitting beside Adrien Agreste. She half-wished she was sitting beside the man who was snoozing across the aisle, with his snot dribbling down his nose.

"You can't blame the entire female population for having a soft spot for crying and squealing at the same time." She rolled her eyes. "Also, those were two questions."

"Fine," he said with a sigh. 

Marinette shifted in her seat a bit, eyeing him well, "Got a pet?"

"That's all you have to ask?" Adrien chuckled. "I was worried with that look you are giving me. And yes, I do. He's a black cat named Plagg."

"Ew, why did you name him that?" She complained. "It sounds very unfortunate for the cat."

"Well, that's who we both are..." Adrien shrugged— his green eyes staring past the girl's. "Unfortunate."

to be continued

i seriously have a shit ton of drafts, and i never get to finish any of them, really. i have like this swan lake one, this bori one, another adrienette one. ah, so much.

hope you like this, and i put "to be continued there" because the one-shot was getting too long, and it's an excuse for its unfinishedness.

also, an adrienette fanfic with them having a two-year age gap hOORAY ME I INVENTED SOMETHING

thanks for reading <3