Monday After School - Adrien's POV || 5 Days Until the Party

The Agreste mansion was quiet-eerily so. The kind of quiet that didn't feel peaceful, just... hollow. Echoes bounced off polished marble floors and glass walls, as if the place was allergic to warmth.

Adrien sat at his desk, staring at the updates about Chloe's party and the latest Ladyblog post split screen on his computer. 

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the tall ceiling like it might hold answers.

It didn't.

The late afternoon sun cast golden slants of light across his room, making the metal buttons on his jacket glint faintly. Outside, the sky was soft and blue, the kind of day that would've been perfect for a picnic. Or a walk in the park. Or... maybe asking someone to a party.

His heart twisted.

Someone like Marinette.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, groaning softly. He had no idea when it had started. Maybe it was when she stopped stuttering so much around him. Maybe it was the way she always noticed the little things-how he preferred honey over sugar in his tea, or how his smile slipped when someone mentioned his mother. Or maybe it was just... the way she was.

Real. Bright. Messy in the best way.

She laughed with her whole face and talked with her hands and sometimes tripped over air. And yet somehow, being near her felt more grounding than anything else in his life.

More grounding than the endless etiquette lessons. More honest than most of his modeling gigs. More comforting than anything his father had ever said.

He drummed his fingers against the desk again.

Chloé's party was coming up fast. Nino had told him this morning that people were already pairing off. "No solo stragglers," Chloé had apparently said.

And of course, Father had an opinion about it.

"Take Kagami," Gabriel Agreste had instructed flatly over breakfast, not even looking up from his tablet. "She photographs well, and it will be good for public image."

As if Adrien's life were just one long, curated magazine spread.

He liked Kagami. She was strong and graceful and kind in her own way. But it didn't feel right. Not like the way Marinette made him feel-like he didn't have to be perfect all the time. Like maybe, he could just be... Adrien.

But he couldn't just say that. Not to his father. Not without setting off a chain reaction of passive-aggressive disappointment and silent punishment. The last time he'd pushed back, his fencing practices were canceled for a month and replaced with photo shoots. Because discipline builds focus.

Adrien stood up and paced across his room, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He passed his piano, the keys untouched for weeks. Walked by the tall mirror where his suits hung in perfect rows. It all felt like a museum display. "The Model Son: Polite, Obedient, Fashionable."

He hated it.

"Just be yourself," Nino had said to him at lunch. "Don't let your dad control everything."

Easy for Nino to say. Nino's dad didn't have his face on billboards.

Adrien paused at the window and leaned against the frame, staring down at the manicured garden below. He could picture it so clearly-Marinette in something pastel, maybe pink or lavender, laughing under string lights at Chloé's ridiculous party. Not as Ladybug. Not as the class rep. Just... Marinette.

Would she say yes if he asked? Would she even believe he meant it? 

What if she already had a date?

His chest tightened at the thought.

He sat back down with a heavy sigh and stared at his phone. The screen glowed innocently, waiting.

One message. One call. That's all it would take.

But what if she thought it was a joke? What if he made things weird? What if his father found out and replaced Marinette's name with Kagami's in the guest list without telling him?

Too many what-ifs. Not enough courage.

He dropped his head onto the desk with a quiet thud.

"Plagg," he mumbled, voice muffled against the wood. "What should I do?"

There was a rustle near his bookshelf, then a soft yawn.

"I dunno," Plagg said lazily, floating into view with a half-eaten wedge of Camembert. "Ask the girl you like. Ditch the party. Run away. Buy a cheese farm. Any of those sound good."

Adrien cracked a smile. "You're no help."

"Hey, I'm just saying-life's short. Get the girl, skip the trauma."

Adrien sat up slowly, brushing hair from his eyes. His heart still felt tangled, pulled between duty and desire, image and identity. But he knew one thing for sure.

He didn't want to keep living someone else's idea of his life.

He stood up, jaw set with quiet resolve.

He didn't know how he'd ask Marinette yet. Or what his father would say. Or if it would even work out.

But he wanted to try. Even if it scared him.

Especially because it scared him.

**********

The cafeteria buzzed with its usual symphony of chatter, clattering trays, and bursts of laughter. Sunlight spilled in through the tall windows, casting warm light over the lunch tables, where students clustered in small groups mid-bite and mid-gossip.

Adrien sat across from Nino, poking at his pasta without much enthusiasm. He hadn't said a word in five minutes, and for a guy who usually tried to make small talk-even just out of politeness-that was a red flag.

Nino raised an eyebrow from behind his sunglasses. "Alright, bro. You've officially stared at that tortellini longer than I've stared at Alya. Spill it."

Adrien blinked and looked up, a little dazed. "Huh?"

Nino tilted his head, smirking. "What's going on in that golden head of yours? You've been weird all day. And not the usual Adrien-weird. Like... philosophical weird."

Adrien gave a sheepish half-laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just... stuff. Party stuff. Life stuff."

"Ah," Nino nodded sagely, then leaned forward with a grin. "This wouldn't happen to involve a certain bluenette with fashion sketches and a deathly fear of eye contact, would it?"

Adrien opened his mouth-then closed it. Then opened it again.

So Nino had noticed.

"It's Marinette," Adrien admitted quietly, pushing his tray aside. "I think... I think I want to ask her to Chloé's party."

Nino blinked once. Then grinned wide. "Took you long enough."

Adrien looked up in surprise. "You knew?"

"Dude. Everyone knows," Nino said, shaking his head in amusement. "Except maybe Marinette. And that's only because she short-circuits every time you smile in her general direction."

That drew a laugh from Adrien, and he leaned back slightly, feeling a little lighter already.

"But," he continued, "my dad wants me to take Kagami. Said it would look better. You know, for his brand. For the image."

Nino's expression sobered just enough. "You still letting your dad pick your socks, too?"

Adrien let out a frustrated sigh. "It's not that easy. He-he doesn't really ask. He just tells. And if I don't do it, there's consequences. He'll say I'm not focused. Or irresponsible. Or... not good enough."

Nino's voice softened. "Yeah, man. I get it. Your dad's intense. But can I be real with you?"

Adrien nodded.

"You've spent your whole life being what other people want you to be. Your father's son. Paris's golden boy. Maybe it's time you do one thing just for you."

Adrien stared at him, quiet.

"Dude," Nino added, "this party? It's one night. But asking Marinette? That's a choice. That's you saying: I see you. I choose you. No cameras. No scripts. Just you being real."

Adrien felt something shift in his chest. Something hopeful. Like the doors of a locked cage cracking open.

"You think she'd say yes?" he asked.

Nino grinned. "I know she would."

The rest of lunch passed in a blur. Adrien barely tasted his food, and yet his appetite had somehow returned. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.

He was going to ask her.

Not because he wanted to rebel. Not because it would make a statement. But because it felt right. Because Marinette made him feel seen, not staged. Because maybe-just maybe-he had a chance to be happy.

He walked with Nino toward the courtyard after the bell rang, sunlight warming his shoulders.

"Thanks, man," Adrien said, clasping his shoulder. "Seriously. You helped more than you know."

"Anytime," Nino replied with a wink. "Now go win your girl."

As Adrien headed back to class, heart pounding with nerves and newfound determination, he wasn't sure what he'd say to Marinette. But he was sure of one thing.

He wanted to say something.

And for once, he wasn't going to wait until it was too late.

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