Criminal

Chapter 7: Measurements

Marinette woke up befuddled, feeling unusually groggy. She groaned when she looked at the French doors she left opened in case a particular person stopped by. She lazily threw one leg over the other to get out of bed, walking to the bathroom to get ready for work.

She had stayed up all night sketching designs that seemed to suit Adrien fine, but she felt like there was more to him than what he let on. Like he was holding back. She didn't like the idea of failing Gabriel, and she hated the idea of failing Adrien. She wanted to make him something he'd feel completely comfortable in, that was suited just for him.

Because it was.

When she went to the kitchen to make her usual morning coffee, the sight of tasty pastries on the counter made her want to vomit. Normally the sight would make her hungry, but today she just wasn't feeling well. She hoped to get over it by the time she arrived at Adrien's office.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Marinette went along to apply a bit of makeup. She slipped on a pair of dark tights and a light green buttoned shirt tucked into a blue skirt topped with a white blazer.
She put on some black heels and pulled her hair into a messy bun, grabbing her purse before heading to work.It wasn't too far away, around 15 minutes. When she parked beside the Agreste building, she felt her heart drop.

What was Lila Rossi doing there?

The olive green eyed girl stepped into the building with a smirk on her face, and Marinette gulped. What was Lila doing at Gabriel Designs? Even though it was quite frankly none of her business, it made her heart ache with worry. She subsided the thought and decided to head to the office before she was late.

She didn't see the brown haired girl anywhere, and hoped it was just some sort of hallucination.

The familiar sound of her heels clicking against the marble floor clouded her ears when she paused to lightly knock on Adrien's office door. She heard a muffled, "come in!" Before she rendered it safe to enter. She opened the massive and heavy door, walking into the modern office to be greeted with a sincere smile.

Adrien stared at the bluenette, his hands folded across his desk. "Morning, Dupain-Cheng." The blonde teased, and was met with a playful glare. "You look lovely." He complimented, noticing the small blush that coated her cheeks. "T-thank you." She spoke softly. She let out a quiet high pitched sneeze, blushing even more with embarrassment.

That was the cutest sneeze he'd ever heard.

The blonde chuckled at her reaction, paying no mind to her doings. If he were Chat Noir right now, he would've teased her. But he wasn't close enough to do that yet as Adrien. The blue eyed girl sat herself in the leather seat in front of his wooden desk, pulling out her sketch book. "I came up with a few designs last night, but I'm not so sure I like them..." She admitted.

Adrien knitted his eyebrows together in a frown, confusion written across his handsome features. "Why don't you like them?" He asked, seemingly concerned. Marinette sighed, a lump in her throat when she withheld a cough. "I'm not sure... I just don't think they suit you. I'm supposed to take your measurements today and--"

Marinette interrupted herself when she settled into a small coughing fit, adding to Adrien's concern. He was about to walk to the other side of the desk, before she held her hand up to stop him. "I-I'm sorry... I'm fine." She said softly, clearing her throat as Adrien stared at her with disbelief.

"I'm supposed to take your measurements. But I want to be absolutely positive that these clothes are able to represent you. Not your father, Adrien." The young designer spoke, causing a small smile to curl across the model's lips. "I suppose that means you'd like to get to know me more?" He asked, a stupid arrogant smirk curling on his lips.