Fake It ('Til you make it)

(Un)Lucky Charms (Marinette)

Oh, frick, frick, frickity frick! He knows!

Marinette kept her concentration on the flowers as Adrien explained the story, and if she understood his story, he was letting her down gently, being sensitive about their arrangement and making sure the lines between real and not real weren't fuzzy. Making sure that she knew this couldn't be anything more than what it is right now. The barrier was a line which could never really be crossed.

A weird sound came out of her mouth, her brain really not coordinating with it, as she barked out a laugh at Adrien. Tikki flew from her clutch bag, giving the most judgemental of looks. They stood staring for seconds – which felt like decades – before she closed her eyes and breathed out.

"That would be quite the..." Marinette turned around, only to freeze as she looked down at Adrien...on one knee...in an overpriced Hugo Boss suit...holding the single most gorgeous ring she had ever seen in her life. "...plot twist." The words came out as a whisper, her heart beating heavy in her throat.

He was pretending, wasn't he?

She watched the smile crease his flawless face, giving him lines of memories around his eyes and a dimple in his cheek. "I thought if we were going to play this right, you needed a proposal story to tell people. A proposal for a princess."

She hooted again. For goodness' sake, was she a fog horn or something.

Quickly, she bent down onto one knee and cupped her hands around his as she looked at the delicate diamond ring laying upon the black velvet cushion. She glanced into his eyes as they pierced her with seriousness. "It's too much!"

"Never too much for you." His green eyes shone under the street light, and up this close she got to see the tiny yellow imperfections amongst the green, like tiny stars in the night sky. They shouldn't be there to challenge the beauty, but it made it all the more alluring that they were.

"I can't accept this, Adrien. What if I break it? Or lose it down the toilet?"

His smile grew. "It's a good job it's just costume jewellery, then. No one will miss it if you flush it away."

Marinette snorted, taking the ring off the cushion and holding it in the palm of her hand. It was a lot heavier than what she'd expect from costume jewellery and a lot more sparkly too. She felt his emerald eyes trail all over her face as she studied the ring in her hands. It was classic. One which would make it easy for her to continue sewing while wearing it, but still undeniably gorgeous and personal...and fake. Just like their relationship – she reminded herself.

"Here." He took the ring from her, lifting her left hand delicately, his skin warm as his thumb stroked across her knuckles and slipped the ring onto her finger. A perfect fit.

Once it was in the correct place, Adrien gave her a reward of his brightest smile. "Are you ready to party, Mrs Agreste?"

Oh how the words turned her into a puddle of goo. She would always be ready to party as Mrs Agreste.

"Born ready!"

"Finally, I have you to myself!" Alya grabbed Marinette's arm and pulled her away from the bar and into the main garden.

It was a couple of hours into the party, and Marinette had pretty much spoken to everyone – except her friends. So while usually Marinette would have screamed for help as Alya pulled her away from where the action was taking place, right now it was the exact break she needed.

The back of the Agreste mansion had been decorated to the max. It was littered with soft twinkling fairy lights, coiling around trees and lying along the bushes. Flower arrangements adorned the tables set out for guests, each and every display could only dream of being as beautiful as the one Adrien had presented to her earlier. There were balloons and candles. And everything else which you'd find in a billionaire romance novel. Marinette looked around the vast expanse of the mansion's grounds, still struggling to believe this party was in honour of her...well, her and Adrien.