"Spots off!"
.
Marinette collapsed on her bed, Tikki by her side. They were exhausted from the last fight.
.
"Phew! Paris almost got destroyed by this completely insane akumatized person!" sighed the girl.
"Yes, but you were smarter than him!" replied the kwami with a smile.
"That's right. I must admit that I would never have been able to do it without Cat Noir this time."
.
Tikki answered only with a smile, her mouth full of cookies. Marinette changed into her pyjamas and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Fortunately, tomorrow was Saturday so she could sleep as much as she wanted.
.
.
Marinette was woken up by the sound of a text message on her cell phone. She opened her eyes but changed her mind as soon as the sun rays hit her face. She quickly covered her face with her pillow and groaned.
.
"Why is Alya texting me so early... It's Saturday!"she complained.
.
She heard another text message. Marinette stretched her arm towards her bedside table and knocked a lot of stuff down while trying to grab her phone. She pulled her blankets over her head and looked at the screen.
.
A- Hello Marinette!
A- I hope you didn't forget the photo shoot this morning. If you still want to come with me, of course.
.
"Oh my God, it's Adrien!" she shouted, startling her kwami awake. "I had completely forgotten that he had asked me to go with him to his photo shoot today! But how could I forget that?"
.
M- Hello Adrien! Of course I still want to go!
A- Great! :) Did I wake you up?
M- Oh no, not at all! I was sitting in my bed, lol.
A- Lucky! Nathalie woke me up early so I could get ready. I would have slept more!
M- I can imagine...
A- You know, I'm really glad you agreed to come. It'll be so much more fun with a friend! It's often really long and boring...
M- I'm really looking forward to it!
M- By the way, at what time is it again?
A- The shoot starts at 9:30 so we'll pick you up at 9:00. Is that okay with you?
.
The girl looked at the time.
"What? It's already 8:25! Oh, my God... I have to hurry! I can't meet Adrien like that! Tikki, look at my hair! And what am I going to wear?" The kwami let out a little laughter at her friend's jitteriness.
.
M- Yes, that's fine with me, I'll wait for you at the bakery.
A- Alright! See you later Marinette!
M- Yes, see you soon!
.
The teenager caught her feet in her blanket trying to get out of her bed and fell flat on the floor. She got up and rushed into the shower. She washed quickly and came out in a hurry. She sat in front of her mirror and quickly dried and did her hair. She frantically searched her closet for the best outfit.
.
"Ah Tikki, he'll be here in 10 minutes and I'm still in my underwear! But what am I going to wear?" said the almost hysterical girl.
"Relax, Marinette." said her friend. "Simply choose something comfortable that you love!"
.
The teenager finally chose a small pink sun dress with a white flower pattern, which she put on with a white jacket with three-quarter sleeves and a pair of sandals of the same color. Tikki slipped into her handbag and Marinette rushed down the stairs that connected the apartment to the bakery. She greeted her parents while catching a croissant which she rapidly devoured.
.
She went outside just as a black car parked in front of the store. The rear door opened and Adrien stepped out, smiling. Marinette blushed. He was so gorgeous!
.
"Hello Marinette!" said the teenager, who waved at her.
"H-hello Adrien!" she replied as she approached. She slipped into the back seat and the young man sat beside her.
"So, do you want me to explain how the shoot is going to be like?" he says, turning his green gaze at his friend.
"Y-yes, please." replied the girl.
"It'll be in a studio since it's an indoor photo shoot for a magazine. This means being stuck between four walls, with lighting that makes you sweat, in front of an inflexible photographer who will probably make me do each pose at least 20 times." he said with a sigh. "But with you, it will be much more pleasant." He winked at her.
"Oh yes! I'll be happy to keep you! Uh... I mean, to keep you company!"
.
Adrien laughs at his friend's Freudian slip. They arrived at the studio and Nathalie guided them inside. They entered a large room with a set and projectors. In the centre of the set was a burgundy leather sofa. They followed the assistant to an adjacent room, where the young model could change, get his hair and make-up done.
.
"You can come in, Marinette." said the blond man. "Anyway, I'll go change behind the curtain over there." he said, pointing at the back of the room, grinning.
.
The girl blushed at the thought of Adrien undressing. She felt like it was suddenly hot in there. She sat on a chair while the young man went behind the curtain. She couldn't help but stare briefly, jumping each time she saw the fabric move. Adrien stepped out from behind the curtain, dressed in white. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, showing bits of his skin. Marinette swallowed with difficulty, staring at her friend.
.
"So, how do I look?" he says, smiling shyly.
"Uh... You... You... You're wonderful! Uh, that's wonderful. Ah... It suits you very well. "she finally said.
.
The young man laughed and sat down. A hairdresser was busy placing his blond hair while a make-up artist was in charge of making his skin look flawless. The two teenagers discussed during this time, then returned to the room where the photo shoot would take place.
.
Adrien sat down on the leather sofa and followed the photographer's instructions. He posed, smiled, re-positioned himself, and did that over and over until the man behind the lens was satisfied. Marinette didn't waste a second of it, smiling at her friend or showing him a thumbs-up to encourage him.
.
"Adrien, I see that you are more authentic when you look at the girl over there." said the photographer. "She should come with you more often. But hold on, why wouldn't she join you for a few pictures?"
.
Marinette jumped. What? Her, in a photo shoot? With Adrien? She suddenly felt very nervous.
.
"She won't even have to change. What she's wearing will be perfect. Nathalie! Take the girl to get her hair and make-up done!"
.
The hesitant teenager followed Nathalie and sat in the chair she was pointing at. Adrien soon joined her.
"Whew, it feels good to have a break!" he said. "I'm glad you agreed to pose with me, Marinette."
"I... I don't really know how to do that..." she replied. Adrien laughed.
"Don't worry about it. All you have to do is follow the photographer's instructions. As long as you don't fall off the sofa, you should be fine!" he said, winking at her.
.
Marinette blushed, to the great displeasure of the make-up artist who was applying foundation cream on her face. When she was ready, she turned towards Adrien who was speechless. He had never noticed how pretty his friend was. Her makeup was very natural and enhanced her features. Her hair, left loose, framed her soft face. The girl looked down and blushed more beautifully as she felt the boy's gaze on her. Adrien let out a little nervous laughter and shuffled his blond hair.
"Come on, l-let's get going, Marinette."
.
They returned to the studio and waited for the photographer's instructions.
"Finally, there you are!" said the man, irritated. "Adrien, sit on the left side of the sofa. Miss, you'll sit to his right." They did as they were told.
.
"Come closer! Yes, just like that. Now, look into each other's eyes." the photographer continued.
Marinette hesitated to look into Adrien's green eyes. She looked up slowly, feeling her heart pounding. She barely heard the sound of the camera.
.
"Now, be in love!" The two teenagers laughed nervously. "Adrien, place your hand on your partner's cheek. There you go. Put your other hand on her knee. Miss, put your hand on his. Yes, perfect!" shouted the man behind the lens.
.
Marinette felt like she was about to faint. There was such intensity in Adrien's eyes! She was very aware of the warmth of his hand on her skin. She jumped when the photographer spoke again.
.
"Perfect, this is beautiful! Now, one last series of shots, and it's over. Adrien, stay seated where you are and Miss, sit on his lap, your legs a little on the side."The girl stiffened. She approached her friend, trembling. Adrien encouraged her with a smile. She saw the redness on his cheeks. She sat down slowly.
.
"There you go. What's taking you so long?" laughed the photographer. "Okay, now Adrien, put your arms around her. Be protective of her! And you, put your head against his shoulder, one hand on his chest. Adrien, put your chin on her head. Good. Close your eyes."
.
Marinette could feel Adrien's heart pounding under her hand. She breathed in his scent, while enjoying every second of this embrace, even if it was only for the camera. Her head was spinning, a bit like when they were at Chloe's party, after Alya decided they should be closer as they danced.
.
Once the shoot was over, they returned to the dressing room to remove their make-up and change their clothes. They remained silent, a little embarrassed by what had just happened. Marinette, floating on her cloud, was brought back to earth by the voice of her friend.
"Thank you very much Marinette... And... I hope you weren't too uncomfortable... I... I didn't know what the photographer had in mind." he said, nervously rubbing his neck.
"N-No, I'm fine!" she replied in a higher tone than intended. "I-I liked being on top of you. No! I mean... Posing for you... With you!"
.
The girl hid her face in her hands, embarrassed. Why couldn't she make a proper sentence when she was talking to him? She lifted her head up when she felt a hand on her shoulder and melted in front of Adrien's radiant smile.
"Thank you for being here, really." he said.
.
A little later, Marinette was back in her room. She twirled and dropped down on her bed. Tikki flew by her side.
"Ah Tikki! What a day it was!" sighed the girl. "I don't think I'll ever wash my dress again!"
The kwami laughed. "You two were really cute together!" she said, giggling.
"W-what? Were you watching us? But someone could have seen you!" Marinette replied.
"Don't worry, I was very well hidden. You guys would really make a great couple!"
.
The girl threw a pillow at her friend who easily dodged it. Both laughed. Marinette grabbed her cellphone and invited Alya over so that she could share every detail of her day. Her best friend would never forgive her she did not tell her everything!