First Order of Business | Adrienette

Fragrance

Adrien Agreste is a terrible driver. Between conversation, reassuring him, and wishing she wore anything but a mock neck under her blazer, Marinette is on the verge of passing out. It's on this car ride that she decides it's time to get the money together to fix her motorcycle that's been sitting in the garage. She's been putting it off for half a year now because she always has bigger expenses, but this seems like a comfortable time to get it done.

Marinette lets out a hidden sigh of relief when he pulls into the parking lot of a building and a valet takes the keys from him. Adrien still rushes over to open the car door before she can, and she feels mean just thinking: Wow. No wonder they drove him around for so long.

"We're here," Adrien tells her with an awkward smile. Marinette is still sweating, and she can't tell if it's because of the car ride or because she's basically staring into the sun. She gets out of the car, and he closes the door. He checks his watch. "Ten minutes to spare. Just enough time to find the room."

They walk in together, and there are other various businesspeople from the fashion industry. Marinette recognizes a creative director she knows from certain photoshoots she has bookmarked in fashion magazine. She doesn't say anything about it and instead follows Adrien into an elevator with people she swears weren't even in line to go up until he got in.

People greet him in hushes voices because it almost feels illegal to talk in regular volume on a public elevator, and Adrien works his natural charm. Or it's his acting skills. Marinette can't tell what's real and what's fake at this point, but she feels like she'll get to decipher the truth herself with ease one day.

She didn't ever have the theory that Adrien and Gabriel Agreste had the best relationship since the passing of Emilie Agreste but now she knows something did happen. She wasn't sure how she felt knowing something so intimate about her boss who happened to be her celebrity crush when she was a teenage girl. She almost felt honored that he told her something so deep and still, she wonders if it's just because seems lonely.

The elevator doors open to a small conference room similar to the one where Adrien got instated as Vice President. There are rows of chairs facing a podium, and the press is there setting up cameras. Marinette hadn't seen the logo of the company before going in, but she sees now that it's an expensive brand that deals with perfume and clothing. They don't hold a candle to Agreste Inc., though. At least in her opinion.

Adrien finds them seats in the very back row that everyone was avoiding. Marinette sits next to him and watches how people change their seats further back to be closer to Adrien. She wonders if he notices it, too, or if he's gotten so used to it growing up he thinks it's normal.

"You can pretend to take notes if you want to," Adrien whispers to her. "I think this part of fashion is the boring part." He leaned his head closed to her to speak.

"Is it just statistics?" She turns her mouth to his face. Someone who is sitting two rows is looking at them and raising an eyebrow. Marinette's eyes go from the side to her lap.

"For the most part. Maybe some previews. I hope they give out samples." Marinette lets out a short laugh that makes Adrien face her. He has a pleased smirk on his face. "What? Their cologne lasts all day."

"See, and here I thought you could just go buy it yourself." They're still whispering but it seems like the people around them are holding their breaths to hear what they're saying.

"I technically can, but it'd cause a brand loyalty scandal if I buy it in stores and I don't trust the post to get things safely my apartment."

Marinette knows he's going to blush when she says, "You can't cheat on Adrien the Fragrance?" She's right. He gets flustered and turns away from her, crossing his arms like a little kid.