Miraculous Team: Haute Couture - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Marinette in Fashion Land


Alya’s eyes could not believe what Nathaniel had drawn. It was just a sketch, but if one would use its imagination, it could see just how the final version would look like. Nathaniel had decided to use Ladybug’s insignia in the middle, surrounded by smaller versions of everyone else’s insignia. Looking at it, it reminded Alya a little about the myth of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

“So, do you like it? If you don’t, I’ve got a couple of more ideas.”

“No, it’s perfect. It’s exactly what I was looking for the blog.”

“Really?” -Nathaniel asked.

“Yeah, really.” -Alya told him, as she looked at the sketch more closely, admiring the little details he had put in it. –“It reminds me a little of the Knights of the Round Table.”

“I actually based the concept on that.” -Nathaniel declared. –“I’m glad I actually managed to transmit that idea to the drawing. Although, I have to admit that it wasn’t a coincidence I chose that theme when drawing this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, a couple of weeks ago, Mulan told me about previous holders of the red panda miraculous, and it turns out that one of them was none other than Sir Galahad himself.”

“Sir Galahad? You mean, Sir Galahad from the knights of the Round Table, right? But, then that means that King Arthur himself…”

“Existed? Yes, he existed, as well as all the other characters in the Arthurian legends. It was no myth.” -Nathaniel told her.

“Whoa, okay, let me sit down.” -she said, as she sat on her bed. –“So, if everything in it was true, then, I assume that Morgana was Hawk Moth?”

“Yes, it was her.” -Nathaniel told her, as he started to work on the logo’s lineart. –“And Sir Galahad wasn’t the only one who wore a miraculous. Sir Caradoc was the holder of the Bear miraculous, and Sir Percival was the holder of the Turtle miraculous. At least that’s what Mulan told me.” -he declared. –“But, I bet I’m not the only one who has some big shoes to fill, when it comes to my predecessors. Hasn’t Trixx told you anything about the previous holders of your miraculous?”

“Actually, no…” -Alya told him. –“She talks a lot, but, it’s mostly about what she saw on television, or in the Internet.”

“Well, you got to ask her. The way she loves to talk, I bet she’d love to tell you a ton of stories about the ones who held your miraculous before you.” -Nathaniel told her.

“I can imagine, she does…” -Alya chuckled. –“… speaking of which, it’s awfully too quiet.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“With my sisters, absolute silence usually means that they’re either watching TV, or up to no good… I’ll be right back.” -Alya said, as she went to check on her sisters.

Walking on the tips of her toes, Alya approached their sisters’ room. By experience, she knew that something was definitely going on. When it came to the twins, silence always meant trouble, in more than one way. She could only imagine what they were up to. When she reached the door, she noticed this one was not fully shut, so, she just had to look to see what was going on. Fearing the worst, she kneeled on the ground and looked through the opening between the door and the jamb. To her surprise, Ella and Etta were both having a tea party in the middle of the room, with Mulan and Trixx as the guests of honour.

“Well, I’ll be… for once the two of them are actually doing what they said they were going to do.” -Alya thought to herself, as she spied her sisters.

Ella and Etta were having a great time, and just like they had promised their older sister, they were handling both Trixx and Mulan with much care, as if they were the most precious objects in the world. They had even put on some clothes in them and made them look like a prince and princess, who showed up to have some tea with them.

“Would Princess Fox like more tea?” -Ella asked Trixx, who stood as still as possible.

“Why yes, I would love some.” -Etta answered, pretending to be Trixx talking. –“And would Prince Raccoon would like some more cookies to go with that tea?

“Etta, he’s not a raccoon, he’s a red-panda.” -Ella corrected her sister.

“Oh, he doesn’t mind… after all, he’s just a dummy, and dummies can be whatever you like.” -Etta smiled. –“Now, would you like some cookies, Prince?”

“Yes, I would like… but just two, I’m on a diet.” -Ella said, pretending to be Mulan talking.  

Hearing that, Alya smiled. The way those two were playing, reminded her of the times she and Marinette also played with their dolls, when they were little. In fact, not many knew that, but it had been Alya who had given the idea to Marinette to create the puppets with which the blue-haired girl played with Manon. She was always telling her when they were little, that the dolls they had were always the same old, same boring dolls and that if they could make their own dolls and puppets, they could create all the adventures they wanted. Both grew up, but Marinette learned to sew and kept creating new dolls and puppets in her spare time, and from time to time, she would offer one to Alya, to remind her of those days, when they were younger and they had that somehow silly wish of creating all kinds of dolls and puppets. Those memories, made her shed a small tear.

“Better leave these two, and get back to Nathaniel… at least I know that this time Trixx won’t be coming back saying that I sent her to her doom.” -she thought to herself, as she got up and went back to her room.

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

Swinging from building to building, Ladybug quickly hastened her moves to save time. She was desperate to get to the Champ de Mars as quickly as possible.

“Let’s see… if I cut through the Rue Saint-Dominique I’ll be there in a heartbeat.” -Ladybug thought to herself, as she landed on top of a street lamp, and then used it as a trampoline to reach the following building.  

The people on the street waved at her, and whenever possible, she also waved back at them. She had not told anyone, not even Tikki about it, but she was starting to love that kind of attention. The fact that people would stop in the middle of the street just to wave at her, hoping that she would wave back at them, it made her whole-body jolt. The closest thing she could think of, when asked what that feeling was like, was as if she was a little girl who had been given a brand-new talking doll to play with, and that each time she did something good, the doll would say something new. And needless to say, that she loved it. Still, she had both her feet planted on the ground, and had made a promise to herself to never let that feeling rise to her head. After all, the reason she was doing that was not for the fame or the applause. It was to keep those she loved, like her mom and dad, safe from the clutches of that psycho Hawk Moth. That, reminded her constantly that the powers she now had were not to be taken lightly.  

The Champ de Mars was originally part of a large flat area which was used for market gardening, until the middle of the 18th century, when it began to serve as drilling and marching grounds for the French army. Later, it would serve as the site for the World Fairs of 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900 and 1937. Nowadays, it was a place for people, mostly tourists to walk around and having picnics, while contemplating the Eiffel Tower, or, the hosting place of music concerts or similar events. Events like the spring/summer edition of the Paris Fashion Week. For a whole week glamour and beauty were the words to go by around there, and people knew it.

As she neared her destination, Ladybug began looking for a secluded place where she could turn back into her civilian form. She cursed the fact of not existing many places where she could do that around there. Still, like always, luck was on her side. A nearby construction site, which seemed deserted, would serve nicely. Landing, she immediately changed back into Marinette, and got out of there, before anyone showed up.

“That must have been a record time…” -Marinette commented, as she walked away from the construction site, still gasping for air. That had been quite the workout.  

“Well, you practically didn’t stop swinging.” -Tikki said. Looking at her, Marinette knew she was tired, and deserved a treat. Going through her backpack, she found the Tupperware where she stored Tikki’s favourite cookies, which she always had with her in case of an emergency. Opening it, she took one and handed it to kwami. -Thanks, Marinette.”

“You earned it.” -Marinette smiled, as the scarlet kwami ate the delicious cookie. –“I just hope no one saw me landing there.”

“Don’t worry, you were pretty quick getting out of there.” -Tikki told her. –“But, in the near-future, you might want to maybe do a map of places you feel are safe to transform or turn back into your civilian form, throughout the city. That way, you’ll always know of a place where you can do it, without risking exposing yourself.” -the kwami suggested her.  

The commotion around the event was quite big, and the security was incredibly high. But that did not surprise, Mairnette. With the amount of terrorist attacks happening all over Europe, along with the fact that Hawk Moth had made his mission to conquer the world, starting with the city of Paris, it was only logical that security was incredibly high. No one wanted anyone to get hurt, especially in an event so important for the city. Sighing, she approached one of the security guards. Identifying herself, she showed him her ID card and told her that Adrien’s dad secretary had sent her name to be added to the list of people authorized to enter the event. Looking at her, the security guard stared at her with an unfriendly face. Marinette just kept smiling at him, trying not to show just how nervous that whole situation was making her. Going through the list, the security guard did not find her name. Hearing this, Marinette felt like a knife had pierced her heart, leaving her breathless.

“B-But… B-But my name has to be there. Gabriel Agreste’s personal secretary told me she would send my name to be added to the list. Please, check it again, or maybe there’s already an updated version of that list you have there, and my name’s in there. Please, I really must enter, and I don’t have much time!” -Marinette begged the security guard.

“Wait here, please.”

A few minutes after, the security guard came back, and this time, he told her that indeed her name had been added to the newer list. Letting her through, Marinette sighed in relief, as she went to the following security check. There, she was checked for any concealed weapons or dangerous objects. After getting a clear checking, she was given a VIP pass, which granted her access to every part of the event, including the backstage. As the security guard handed her the pass, she felt instantly like a movie-star, or someone famous. Walking inside, she felt at home right away. Surrounded by fashion designers, fashion critics, models, beautiful clothes, haute-couture dresses, runways, this was as close as she had ever been to her ideal depiction of Heaven. Ever since she was a little girl and had decided that one day she would either become a model or a fashion designer, that she had wanted to attend Paris Fashion Week; and now, that dream had come true. With that VIP pass, she could wherever she wanted, and there was no one stopping her from doing it. And the temptation to take a seat next to a runway and see one of the shows that was going on, or check out the models and get a closer look to the backstage was pretty big. But, she knew that the clock was ticking, and she had to find Adrien. But, as she looked around, she realized one thing. She did not know where to go from there.

“It just hit me… how are we going to find Adrien in this place? There must be hundreds of people here.” -Marinette whispered to Tikki. –“Maybe I should have asked the security guards where I could find Adrien.”

“Don’t worry, leave that to me.” -Tikki told her.

“What do you mean?”

“Every kwami can sense the presence of another kwami when were near each other. If Plagg is with Adrien, I can find him, no matter how many people are around here.” -Tikki

“That’s so cool, Tikki.” -Marinette smiled. –“Then, tell me, where should I go?”

“Let me concentrate…” -Tikki told her as she closed her eyes. A couple of seconds later, she opened them and said: -“Go right; Marinette.”

Following Tikki’s directions, Marinette made her way through the turmoil of people, dresses and staff walking around. In the air, you could hear the iconic song Le Freak, which was usually associated with fashion shows. It did not take long for Marinette to get to where Adrien was. Even if Tikki had not been with her, once she recognized one of the many clothes designed by Gabriel Agreste, she knew she was on the right track. According to Tikki, Plagg, and quite possibly Adrien, were inside a trailer with the logo of the Gabriel brand on the side. But to get to him, she would have to go past the one obstacle that was right in front of the trailer’s door… Adrien’s bodyguard. Hiding behind a clothes rack that had some of the most beautiful spring clothes Marinette had ever seen, she tried to figure out what to do.

“That’s Adrien’s bodyguard. He never goes anywhere without him… not that he likes it, of course.” -Marinette said, remembering the times Adrien would just give him the slip, so he could act like a normal kid. –“And I bet that even though I have to see Adrien, he’s not going to let me in.”

“You could always ask him.”

“No, I already know him well enough to know that the only person he takes orders from his Adrien’s dad.” -Marinette said. –“What I need is a distraction… wish my powers would work when I’m not transformed, because right now, my special 6th sense would really come in hand.” -she told Tikki.

“Indeed… but, maybe I can help.” -Tikki said, as she flew out of Marinette’s purse. –“Get ready to run.”

“Wait, Tikki!” -she exclaimed, as her kwami

Tikki flew out of there, with one idea in her head… to provide a unique distraction that would give Marinette the opportunity to enter in the trailer. She knew that Adrien’s bodyguard had to be incredibly strong; just looking at his physique one could easily assume that he could easily take down a man with one swing. Still, just because one is strong, does not mean he’s just as fast, and that was exactly what Tikki was hoping for. Her plan was simple. She was going to dive into the lapel pocket of his jacket, and then use her speed to pull him forward and make him lose his balance, just long enough for Marinette to get to the trailer’s door. Not hesitating, she dashed into his pocket, and just like she had predicted, he lost his balance and ended up falling forward. What she did not predict was that he ended up falling on top of a boxes that were all stacked neatly. Seeing him tumbled on the floor, Marinette made a run for it, and in a matter of seconds was in front of the door.  

“Nice work, Tikki.” -Marinette told her kwami, as she approached her.

“My pleasure.” -Tikki said, as she went back into Marinette’s purse. –“Now, go on, knock at the door, before that guy gets back on his feet and sees you.”

“Right.” -Marinette said, as she knocked at the door. Waiting for someone to answer it, she felt like time had slowed down to a halt.

“Yes?” -a voice asked. Marinette recognized it immediately. It was Adrien.

“Adrien! It’s me, Marinette!” -Marinette exclaimed.  

“Marinette?!”

“Let me in, please!” -Marinette begged him, afraid that his bodyguard could see her, when the door opened.

“Get in.” -Adrien said, as he let her in, and closed the door behind her. –“What are you doing here? How did you get past the Gorilla?”

“Do you want those questions answered by alphabetical or numerical word?” -Plagg asked him. –“Give them a second to get their breath back, genius!”

“Sorry.” -Adrien apologized himself. –“It’s just that I wasn’t really expecting you.”

“Well, answering your questions, let’s just say that Tikki is full of surprises, and found a way to get your bodyguard out of the way.” -Marinette said. –“And… And…” -she froze, when she realized she was talking with the boy that had stolen her heart. She wanted to say something, but her brain seemed like it short-circuited.

“And? Marinette? Marinette? Are you listening to me?” -Adrien asked her, seeing her staring at him like that.  

“Oh, yes, right…” -Marinette said, laughing nervously. –“Can’t believe you froze like that! Marinette, this is probably the most humiliating thing you ever did in front of Adrien… I don’t think there’s a hole deep enough for you to get into and disappear right now…” -she thought to herself, cursing her luck and feeling extremely embarrassed by what had happened.

Seeing her in trouble, Tikki went to her rescue, by hovering in front of Adrien’s face, saying:

“Marinette came here to hand over your homework.” -Tikki told him. –“She went to your home, but since you weren’t there, she decided to come here.”

“Oh, really? You shouldn’t have.”

“I-It was no big d-deal, really.” -Marinette stuttered, as she went through her backpack and found Adrien’s homework. –“Here they are.” -she giggled.

As she handed the homework to Adrien, she got a first good look at the trailer. Its interior looked nicer than some houses that did not had wheels. The furniture was minimalistic but nonetheless stylish. The place had just about everything, from a huge plasma TV to a refrigerator and a microwave oven. Plus, there was a small desk filled with all kinds of papers, which Marinette assumed belonged to Adrien’s dad.  

“Thanks, Marinette.” –Adrien said, as he looked at the homework.

“Miss Bustier told me to tell you that the last few math exercises are a bit tricky, but that you can use a calculator to solve them.” -Marinette told him. –“And that the report has to be at least 4 pages long, because if it is shorter than that, she won’t classify it.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” -Adrien said. –“But you really shouldn’t have come just for this… I mean, you could have let them with Nathalie. I’m sure you had other stuff to do.”

“Like I said… it was nothing…” -Marinette said. –“I just wanted an excuse to see you… thank you, Alya!” -she thought to herself, while thanking her best friend.

Suddenly, the trailer’s door opened, startling the two teens. Tikki and Plagg barely had time to get out of sight, when he entered. Wearing his trademark white dress shirt underneath a silver vest with red buttons and a cream-colored dress jacket, along with a red and white striped tie, red dress pants and white shoes with red laces, it was none other than Gabriel Agreste, Adrien’s father

“Adrien, I… oh, I see that we have guests.”

Marinette could hardly believe her eyes. Gabriel Agreste, Adrien’s dad, and the fashion designer she looked up to, was standing right in front of her. She had seen photos and images of him before, but this was the first time she was face-to-face with him. Looking at him, she did not know how to react, or what to say. His stern face made him look like someone who did not have time for trivialities, while his eyes made him look so distant.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s Adrien’s dad! I’m so busted… I’ve got to say something, but what? Come on, brain, don’t freeze now!” -Marinette thought to herself, as she tried her best not to burst into panic. –“Remember, Marinette, first impressions are everything, so don’t say something stupid… easier said than done… I’m freaking out!”

“Huh, dad, this is Marinette. She’s one of my friends from school.” -Adrien said. –“Miss Bustier, our teach, she asked Marinette to give me my homework, and, well… she came here to do it.”

“I see…” -Gabriel with a neutral voice. –“How did she get in here? This place was out of limits to anyone. That bodyguard I hired for Adrien is getting sloppier on his job. I’ll have to talk to him later.” -he made a mental note.

“Mr. A-Agreste… I’m, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, h-how do you do?” -Marinette asked him, with a smile on her face. –“I-I’m sorry if I appeared unannounced, but Miss Bustier told me that it was imperative to give Adrien his homework.”

Looking at her, from top to bottom, he noticed the VIP-pass, but more importantly, he noticed what Marinette was wearing… her dark gray blazer. He noticed both its outside, but particularly, the inside which was lined in white with pink polka dots. He seemed to have seen that design before, but could not tell where. And then, it hit him. He had designed a blazer a couple of years earlier quite like the one she was wearing.

“You will forgive me this question, but, is that blazer one of mine?”

“Oh, this one? No, I designed it myself, although I must admit that I used one of your designs as a starting-point to create this one.” -she told him. That blazer was one of her first pieces she had created, without the help of her mother, and she was incredibly proud of it.  

“Marinette’s very talented.” -Adrien backed her up.

“I see…” -Gabriel said, as he looked closer and immediately saw where improvements could be made. His motto was “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for minor improvements.” –“Well, if you want my honest opinion on it, as well as some advice, the trimming could use a little more work, and the collar, should be one centimeter shorter. Believe me, not only it would make it look a little more seasonal, but it would also uncover your neck, making it look longer.”

“I can’t believe that I’m actually getting fashion and dressmaking advices from my fashion idol! If this is a dream, don’t wake me up!” -Marinette told herself. Right then, she was on cloud nine. –“T-Thank you for the advice.”

“My pleasure.” -Gabriel told her, with a neutral voice.

“Huh, dad, you were saying something when you were coming in. What was it?”

“Oh, yes, I came here to tell you that I’ll have to absent myself for a few hours. After you finish that photoshoot you have scheduled along with the models from Givenchy, you can go home. I’ll arrive late.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Good. My apologies for not being able to stay longer, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I hope we meet again, soon.” -Gabriel told her with a cordial voice. –“Until then, I hope you keep working on your fashion designs. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll have the chance to show them in this very event.”

“Thank you, and I will.” -Marinette said.

“See you tonight, Adrien.” -Gabriel said, as he opened the exit door.

“See you later, dad.” -Adrien answered back, as the door closed.  

After Gabriel left, there was a brief silence that filled the whole trailer. The only sound one could hear was the muffled sound of the music that was playing outside.

“Your dad’s nice. I-I mean, I just met him, of course, but he doesn’t look like the tyrant that Nino describes.” -Marinette said, breaking the silence. –“Oh, crud, what did I just say?! What is Adrien going to think about me?! Me and my big mouth!” -she thought to herself.

“Well, he’s on one of his good days.” -Adrien said. –“And, yeah, he’s not the big tyrant that Nino says he is… at least, not when he’s in a good mood, which is really rare.”

“He’s not the kind of dad that’s always present.” -Plagg added. –“Plus, he can be a little cold and distant… besides not being there for Adrien when he needs the most, he can be a little too protective. The kid can’t even go outside for some sunshine, without having that overgrown brute outside by his side.”

“Plagg! Don’t say things like that! I’m sure he loves Adrien, very much.” -Tikki said. –“I mean, I could tell by the way he talked that he really cared.”

“Well, he shows it in a very strange way, that I can tell you.” -Plagg said, as he went to the mini-bar, opened it and took another piece of Camembert, which he gulped on the spot.

“Maybe, but I know that in his own way, he loves me. That I don’t have any kind of doubts.” -Adrien admitted. –“Still, he wasn’t always like this… back when my mom was alive, he was always smiling. I don’t remember much about it, but that’s what I hear from Nathalie, his secretary. After my mom died, he just stopped smiling.”

Marinette had never heard Adrien talk about his mother before. She knew she had died when he was little, but nothing more. She could hear the sadness in Adrien’s voice, and wished she could do something about it, but she couldn’t. She would be lying if she told him that she knew just how painful it was to lose a parent. The closest thing to losing someone she cared was a pet gold fish she had when she was 6. The more she thought of what to say, the more nervous she became. Finally, she decided to go with her gut, and hope for the best.

“You do miss her a lot, don’t you?”

“I do.” -Adrien said. –“But I always try not to think about her not being here anymore. Instead, I try to remember the things she told me when I was little.”

“I see...” -Marinette said.

“Still, I got my dad, even though he’s not around much, and I have Plagg to keep me company, as well as you and the rest of guys at school.” -Adrien said with a more cheerful voice. –“You guys are really important for me.”

“We are?” -she asked, surprised by what she had heard.  

“Of course, you are.” -Adrien told her, as if that was the most elementary thing in the world. –“You guys are so important to me. I know this is going to sound a little sappy and all, but you guys are like the brothers and sisters I don’t have.”

Hearing that, Marinette almost shed a tear. She did not know just how much she and the rest of her friends meant to Adrien, and when he told her that, those words hit her directly in the heart.

“You know, whatever you need, Adrien, I’m here for you.” -Marinette told him. Tikki and Plagg, who kept observing the two were pleasantly surprised to see Marinette acting like that. She did not look like the Marinette who would freeze in front of Adrien, or started to say dumb things because of her crush on him, no. She looked more like when she was Ladybug. –“If you ever want to, you know, talk about anything, and I mean, anything, whether it’s about a problem you have, or about how you miss your mom… oh, my gosh! Mom!!!”

“W-What?” -Adrien asked, perplexed.

“I told my mom that I would meet her after bringing you your homework, and I must be late already!” -Marinette exclaimed, as she checked her watch and saw that she only had 15 minutes to get there. –“Oh, my mom’s going to kill me!”

“Not if you start running now.” -Tikki told her. –“You know this city very well, you’ll get there on time. “

“But I must go through all that security, and it’s going to take me at least another 5 or 10 minutes to get out of here, Tikki… it’s impossible!” -Marinette sighed, already in desperation.

“Not if you take the artists’ exit.” -Adrien said.

“Artists’ exit?”

“It’s the exit that models and designers use. Come on, I’ll take you there.” -Adrien said, as he grabbed her by the hand, and took her to the trailer’s back exit.

From there, it was just a matter of meters until they arrived at the exit. This one just had one security guard, and you could see that security was not as tight as it was on the main entrance. Adrien quickly told the security guard who Marinette was, and this one let her pass, as she gave him her VIP-pass.

“Thanks, Adrien.” -Marinette thanked him.

“Don’t mention it. And thanks again for bringing me my homework. I’ll try and get some of them done before the next photoshoot.” -Adrien told her, as he went back inside.

Exiting the event, Marinette started looking for a place where she could change into Ladybug. She could always go back to the construction site, but there was always the chance that it was not desert anymore, and from where she was, heading back would make her lose time. It would be safer and faster, to look for another place.

“Adrien was a real sweetheart, helping you like that.” -Tikki broke the silence, trying to make Marinette calm down a little bit. She could tell by her face that she was starting to panic, because of the little time she had.

“He’s always a sweetheart.” -Marinette sighed. –“And you know what? Today I saw a side of Adrien I didn’t know it existed… I think I went past the crush part, to real love, Tikki.”

“I’m glad for you, Marinette, but right now, you’ve got to meet your mom.” -Tikki giggled, as the blue-haired girl quickened her pace. She wanted her to keep calm, but not to space out.  

“I know, I know… she’s going to kill me if I’m one minute late.” -Marinette said, as she looked at the time.