#I just spent all afternoon embroidering for TS

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Well.

Everyone say hi to the newest of the four-inch Mechs!

It’s having a jolly good time, I think. . .

[thepickpocketofdreams]

“I’m too nervous to talk to the Prince. I wouldn’t know what to say.” Marinette fretted, turning her head to catch a glimpse of him in his white outfit. Herself and Chat Noir were still waltzing around the ballroom, making a continuous loop of the dance floor. Every time they came close to the Prince, her stomach clenched and she steered them well away, where she could just watch from afar and sure, maybe she wouldn’t get to talk to him, but just looking was fine, right? At least she’d be able to remember this night and –

“I’m sure you’d do just fine,” her partner replied. Marinette looked up at him and saw that he was smirking, so she flicked the bell attached to his bowtie.

“That’s easy for you to say, kitty. You have no trouble with conversations – I bet you make him laugh all the time.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Princess. I find you purrfect.”

“Chat.” Marinette shot him a look. “Look at him! My friends have told me he’s funny, but he’s also so…so elegant and refined!”

From behind her, there came a familiar voice. “Trust me, Multimouse, Prince Adrien is anything but refined.”

Marinette pivoted to grin at Kagami’s dry quip; they must have drifted close to where she was posted. She tugged Chat off the dancefloor to avoid being stepped on as they talked.

“Excuse me, Kagami, but the Prince is the epitome of refinement.” Chat said with an exaggerated bow. “He practically invented it.”

“Which is why Nino spent all afternoon having to chase him with cologne?”

“That cologne makes him sneeze and you know it – ”

“Keep talking, fleabag.”

There was a second of silence in which Chat glared at Kagami’s impassive expression. Then Marinette snorted, and blushed furiously as Kagami and Chat looked at her in amazement. Then Chat began to laugh, and Kagami’s lips twitched.

“It’d do him good to have someone like you around, Multimouse,” said Kagami with a shake of her head. “You can help me to remind him of his duties – which involve wearing cologne,” she added in a stage whisper, as Marinette giggled.

“Oh, cruel world that forces its Princes to wear such vile concoctions,” Chat pouted and struck a ridiculous melodramatic pose, which only made Marinette laugh harder. Before she could find a comeback however, she noticed that Kagami snap back to attention.

“Your highness,” she said with a bow.

Slowly, Marinette turned.

And gasped.

Before her was the Prince. He stood tall, dressed in a white suit with a flowing cape that touched the ground – there were feathers embroidered into the lapels, she noticed distractedly, as her eyes moved upwards. A pair of green eyes bored into hers from behind his mask as he surveyed Kagami’s bow, and the people around them who had dropped into curtsies and –

“Oh!” Marinette dropped into a clumsy curtsey, and lowered her gaze. His shoes! They were white too – a pain to keep clean outside, but SO distinguished in this case and –

“You may rise.” His voice. It was melodic, not that three words were really an indication, but oh well. As she stood up, Marinette peeked sideways and realised that Chat hadn’t bowed, merely nodded his head at the Prince. Well, he’d said they were friends, but if even Kagami had bowed then –

“Can I help you, your highness?” asked Kagami, distracting her from her thoughts.

“Princess Lila wishes to dance with me. I wish to avoid dancing with her.”

“You could dance with me,” suggested Chat Noir with a smirk. To Marinette’s surprise, the Prince gave him a withering look.

“Don’t start. I’m exhausted.” His eyes roamed the cluster of people around them, before coming to rest on…her? Checking behind her, Marinette realised he was holding out a hand. “You’re a pretty thing, you’ll do.”

Pretty???

“Excuse me?” Chat Noir took a step forward. “You can’t just speak to the guests that way –”

“There should be a ‘your highness’ in there somewhere, cat,” said the Prince in a bored tone.

“Oh, I’ll give you ‘your highness’ –”

“Gentlemen!” Kagami strode in between the pair. “No need to make a scene. Your highness, I’m sure any one of these wonderful guests would be more than happy to join you on the dancefloor.”

For a moment, no one moved. Marinette looked from the Prince to Chat Noir, whose posture was stiff and unyielding. What was he doing? Surely, he could see that the Prince needed a partner?

“I want to dance with this one.” The Prince said firmly.

Marinette gasped. She tore her eyes away from him and caught the tail-end of the glare Kagami shot at Chat. He hadn’t moved. The glare he was directing at the Prince was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.

I thought they were friends?

“It’s okay,” she said, putting a hand on Chat’s arm. His eyes snapped to her. “I wanted to dance with the Prince, remember?”

“Yes, but –”

“Smart girl.” The Prince placed a hand on her waist, and Marinette dropped hers from Chat’s arm. Seeming to snap out of his trance, Chat swept into a deep bow.

“Well, it was a delight to dance with you, milady. I hope you find all that you’re looking for.”

And he walked away.

~~

Out in the centre of the dance floor, Marinette had no time to worry about Chat Noir. All her attention was focused on not standing on the Prince’s toes, or saying something ridiculous. Not that she usually said ridiculous things, unless she was around unfairly attractive people which, to be fair, the Prince was, because he was a MODEL but –

“Your name?”

“I – sorry?” Marinette forced her attention to the Prince’s face and saw him wince as she instantly stood on his toes. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry –”

“It’s fine.” He attempted a smile. “I asked your name?”

“Oh, I see. I’m ah – I’m Multimouse. Well, just for tonight, I mean, I’m not normally called Multimouse. What kind of person would have that name? Like multiple mice, what would have to happen at your birth for you to get a weird name like that?” Towards the end of the sentence, she tailed off into a squeak.

Why. Am. I. Like. This.

To his credit, the Prince didn’t run for the hills. He looked as though he wanted to, but he didn’t. Small mercies.

“It’s…nice to meet you, Multimouse.”

Something inside her shrivelled up at the lack of tone in his voice. Marinette chanced a glance up at his face, only to be met by disinterested eyes. Eyes that looked past her to scan the crowds of the dancefloor.

“Hiding from someone?” she asked. Chat Noir had been hiding from someone too, her traitorous brain reminded her. No. She pushed Chat Noir aside. This was her chance to talk with Prince Adrien.

“I’m hiding from Princess Lila. Weren’t you listening?” he snapped. A lump formed in Marinette’s throat – here she was, in front of her hero, and it was going every bit as badly as she had feared.

“Oh yes, silly me. I completely forgot.” Marinette gave a half-laugh. The Prince didn’t seem to notice. If anything, he seemed to prefer her silence.

They waltzed around the room, and Marinette looked around wildly for a friendly face. Alya, Nino, Kagami, even Chat Noir – but none of them were there. She craned her neck to check the highest balconies, but there was only a lone figure up there dressed in blue.

All of her friends had left.

“I –” Marinette took a step away from the Prince, letting her hand drop from his shoulder. “I’m sorry. Please, find someone else to dance with you. I need – I need a moment.”

Before he could reply, she darted through the crowd and out of the ballroom.