Beyond the Mask | Miraculous

vii. chapter 7

Marinette settled into her cozy dorm room after a long day, and as the evening sun painted the room with a warm glow, she decided to finally video call her best friend, Alya.

With a few taps on her laptop, she connected to Alya, who appeared on the screen with an enthusiastic grin. "Hey, girl! How's it going?"

Marinette lit up as she saw her friend's familiar face. "Hey, Alya! I'm good! Everything's been a whirlwind, but I'm loving every moment. My classes are fantastic, and Adrien is in one of them."

Alya's eyebrows raised with intrigue. "Adrien? You mean, like Adrien Adrien, Agreste?"

Marinette chuckled. "Yes, that's him. It's been a pleasant surprise."

Alya leaned closer to the camera, her look of surprise showing. "No way! I didn't think his dad would ever let him out of the house after what happened at graduation. And, what else?"

Marinette shrugged, a hint of a blush colouring her cheeks. "We've been working together on a project. He's just as charming as ever, but there's something different about him."

Alya grinned slyly. "What do you mean? Maybe he's just trying to find his real self and fit in, you know? Character development."

Marinette nodded, her heart feeling fuzzy. "You're absolutely right, Alya. So, enough about me. What's new with you?"

Their conversation drifted to other topics, including Alya's adventures in New York and the latest akuma attacks in Paris. Marinette shared her experiences and the recent encounter with Timewrather.

"And then he almost got me! But luckily Chat Noir swooped in and saved my life!"

Alya groaned. "Oh what I would do to be saved by Chat Noir right now, girl."

Marinette laughed. "Hey! Don't say things like that! What about Nino?"

Alya brushed off the comment, changing to a new topic. Marinette was confused, but chose not to push and pry.

- - -

The video call lasted about another hour before the two finally hung up. Marinette laid back on her bed, sprawled out and taking it up entirely. She was lucky; her two person dorm was only occupied by one. She had yet to be assigned a roommate. But it was okay, she preferred it this way, so she didn't have to hide Tikki all the time.

Marinette looked out her window at the glistening stars in the sky, her mind was so busy. I should probably work on the project. It's okay, I can call Adrien and we can work together. I wonder what Adrien's doing right now? Definitely not roaming Paris like Chat Noir is. I hope Chat Noir is taking care of himself. I miss my parents a lot. Mmm, croissants.

- - -

Marinette woke up to the sound of loud thunder. It was storming outside, ruining any plans that she would have had involving the outdoors. Luckily, it was Tuesday, she didn't have any plans. She groaned getting out of bed, like the rain made it a chore to even do so.

Marinette decided on a quick shower. After deciding it was going to be a "lazy day", the young adult threw on some black leggings and a pale pink oversized crewneck. Once she was dressed, she continued getting ready, which included brushing her teeth and doing her hair, which she styled into a side braid.

As soon as she was done, she heard the sound of her phone's ringtone coming from her room. Racing towards it, she looked at the caller ID, reading the name aloud. "Adrien? Why's Adrien calling me? Uh oh." She answered.

"Hey Marinette!"

"Good morning Adrien!"

"I was wondering if you wanted to maybe get together for uh- coffee and maybe we could work on our project?"

"Yeah, of course! Where do you want to meet?"

"Could you actually meet me at my dorm in a few minutes? I'll message you the location."

Marinette agreed and they hung up. She gathered all the supplies she'd need into her little backpack and headed off towards the place Adrien was. As it turns out, the two were located closer than they thought they were. When she arrived, she gently knocked on the door and heard Adrien call from the other side to enter.

When she opened the door, it was hard for her to hold down a gasp at how his dorm looked. It was huge compared to hers, probably a four person room. She looked around a little before calling out to Adrien, who lightly jogged towards her with his keys jingling in his hand.

"Hey Marinette! Sorry to ask you to meet here, I just-" He paused when he noticed something had caught her eye.

Marinette let out a soft giggle. "That's so cute, you're still obsessed with Ladybug." She playfully teased, gesturing to a collection of Ladybug posters visible from one of the rooms down his hallway.

Adrien's cheeks deepened with colour as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, she's just so awesome, you know? But anyways-"

"Yeah, anyways! Let's go!"

- - -

The two walked to a quaint coffee shop a few minutes away from campus. They each ordered a drink and a pastry, with Adrien opting to treat Marinette.

"I invited you here so I'll treat." Adrien said with a shy smile.

Marinette was reluctant, but allowed Adrien to do so. Although they would both never admit it, the pastries from Marinette's family's bakery were way better.

The two were seated at small table in the corner, discussing what they should do with their project for their Fashion Technology class. Marinette's eyes lit up as she told Adrien some of the ideas she had.

"So, there are many different ways we could do this. I was thinking; because this is cultural theme, maybe we could design some outfits featuring our backgrounds. I would love to wear a traditional cheongsam, but we need to find a way to change it to match our specific needs."

"Oh!" Adrien began. "We can combine my French with your Chinese. Maybe instead of flowers on your- uhh"

"Cheongsam."

"We could do the fleur de lis!"

Marinette thought for a moment before excitedly agreeing. She whipped her small sketch book from her backpack and began drawing out their collaborated idea. She showed it to Adrien, who gave his approval.

"Okay Adrien, now we need something for you."

"Well, I couldn't find anything about traditional clothing for us since those silly 18th century costumes."

"Hmm, we could always do the changshan, which is the male version of the cheongsam." Marinette thought aloud before taking a sip out of her iced mocha. "Or we can get you a red beret and decorate it with the gold designs that would usually be found on the cheongsam."

"That could work!" Adrien agreed with a smirk on his face. "Can I please dress like a mime for that."

Marinette laughed, then nodded and finished sketching out Adrien in his desired outfit. Once they both agreed on what to do, it was time for the execution process. The duo gathered their belongings and left the cafe, before ultimately parting ways.

- - -

please correct me if i'm wrong about anything, as i don't intend to offend or misrepresent any cultures <3