4

Troublemaker is referenced in this chapter.

When Jagged Stone had come to visit on his tv show, Marinette supposed it had been good luck that Adrien had invited her to his next photo shoot. Every fibre of her being was telling her to dance in the air. However, this was Adrien Agreste, the beautiful model who would not want to see her being goofy. She had thanked him and had waited for when he would tell her.

She would have never expected two days later for him to be waiting outside the classroom to take her to said photoshoot. However here he currently was smiling down at her with his radiant smile that made her want to melt into a puddle on the floor.

"How about coming to that photoshoot with me then?" He said with a wink.

"What—now? I—I have to," Marinette stammered while her eyes tried to look at anything other than Adrien.

"Come on, it'll be fun! We can always take you home so just come along!"

Marinette had no choice but to be pulled along through the school corridors to the steps outside. Luckily most of the students had gone home so there were only those staying for after school activities. As they got further to the entrance, the more rational side of her really wanted Alya to be with her. She needed her best friend's support. The less rational side, the side who she thought caused her clumsiness and strangeness was jumping on clouds. Adrien! Adrien was taking her to a photoshoot!

She saw his bodyguard's car waiting outside near the steps. He was stood glaring at the two of them.

They both walked to the car and Adrien opened the back door

"Now if you would get in the car, please." He said with a bow.

Marinette froze but quickly shook her head. She got into the car without sparing Adrien a glance. He got into the car too as his bodyguard closed the door behind them.

What followed was the most awkward car ride that Marinette had ever experienced. There was a silence between all of them. She kept glancing at Adrien out of the corner of her eye. He was humming, tapping his ring finger on his knee. He was looking at the car window, his eyes glazed over as if he was in deep in thought.

She didn't realise that she was still staring at him when he turned towards her.

"Marinette?" He said with an eyebrow raise.

Marinette was suddenly brought back to reality.

"Erm-yes. Sorry- I thought I saw-a fly that was landed on your beaut- erm face and-," She stammered, pointing a finger up in the air.

She stopped when Adrien put a hand on her leg. The tomato red was appearing on her face.

"It's okay, you don't need to get worked up over a fly."

He smiled down at her and removed his hand.

"Yeah, sure." She said nodding her head a bit too vicariously.

The rest of the car ride was silent as they drove through Paris. Marinette stared out the window so she wouldn't be tempted to stare at Adrien's face. She could feel Tikki moving around in her clutch bag but didn't pay her any mind.

Another ten minutes later, the car ride came to a halt. Marinette looked at the window to see they had arrived in a park on the outskirts of the city. There was a large crowd of people that had gathered. They all had their phones out and were taking photographs of the car.

"Looks like those fans already want a photoshoot." She mumbled looking at her hands.

"It'll be okay, my bodyguard should move them," Adrien replied. "Look."

Sure enough his bodyguard had gotten out of the car was now moving the fans away. Most of them were young girls around the same age as Marinette. They looked frustrated as they were moved away from the sides

The car door was opened by his bodyguard. He stood at side of the door. Marinette didn't waste any time as she got out of the car. She could see the flashes of their phone cameras going off as Adrien stepped out behind her. They both walked together as they got closer to the park. Marinette could hear screams coming from the fangirls and she wanted to laugh. If she wasn't Adrien's friend, perhaps she would have been there with them.

As they entered the park, she noticed that the grassy area was covered in a large stage. There was different props and backdrops all gathered into the corner. There was also a couple of large cameras that people were in the middle of setting up. Small trailers were pushed to the side and a rack of clothes was also present.

Getting closer to the stage, a small woman came bounding over with a camera in her hand. She had brown hair that had been done up in a braid. Her eyes were the colour of moss and she had a large gap in her teeth but her smile was radiant. She wore a red floral patterned dress that ruffled at the knees and black gladiator sandals on her feet. Marinette recognised both clothing items as belonging to Gabriel Agreste's newest fashion line.

"Ah, Adrien Agreste!" She beamed. She reached out her hand.

Adrien shook it with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Azure."

"Of course it is! I must thank your father for arranging this. I've been wanting to use someone to advertise my products. Your father designs are wonderful- if it wasn't for him supporting us-," She froze and then laughed. "Ah there I am again, rambling! Now come on, we have work to do."

Adrien laughed. "Before we start, is it okay if my friend watches it?" He gestured to Marinette.

Marinette gave Azure a little wave.

"Even better! Two for the prize of one."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Marinette panicked.

Azure didn't answer her, instead she only sat her down on a chair and gave her a parasol to hold. It was frilly and decorated in red spots. Marinette just stared at him.

"Why am I holding a parasol?"

Azure smiled as Adrien started to come towards them. "I design umbrellas! This whole photoshoot is for my parasols and umbrellas!"

"Okay…" Marinette just kept staring at the parasol.

"You will have to get changed though."

"Wait? Why?"

After an hour of makeup artists prodding her face and hair, she was finally ready for the wardrobe. The makeup artists had taken her raven hair out of her pigtails and let it naturally fall. They had spent about ten minutes curling it off so that it bounced off her shoulders. She hadn't seen the rest of the makeup but it wasn't long until she would be in front of the mirror.

The wardrobe section didn't last very long. The woman who was helping her took one look at her and went to the rack of clothes. She spent a couple of seconds going through them. She handed Marinette a simple white dress and a pair of black slip ons.

"If you would go and get changed in there please." She gestured to one of the caravans.

"Right, okay." Marinette said looking down at the clothes. She was bewildered. First Adrien had whisked her away to his photoshoot and now she was about to take part in said photoshoot.

She headed to one of the trailers and went inside. It was just perfect for a couple of people. At the back was a bathroom with the door open so she could see a cubicle shower and a toilet. Just next to it was a large wall length mirror. There was a fridge to the side where she was standing. There was also a table and chairs.

Marinette took off her clutch bag first and placed it on the table. Tikki flew out of it and sat on her shoulder./p

"Tikki, how did this happen?" She asked staring at the dress. She was scared; scared that she was going to stumble over everything and make it a mess for Adrien.

Tikki could feel her distress as she snuggled closer to her neck. "Don't worry Marinette! Just be yourself that's all you have to do!"

Despite Tikki's cheery voice, Marinette still couldn't stop the worry in her heart. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"If I can be Ladybug, I suppose I can do anything." She told herself with a nod.

"That's the spirit!" Tikki cheered and flew off her shoulder as she began to get changed.

Once Marinette was ready, she looked at herself in the mirror. She let out an 'oh' as she admired the dress. The dress was loose but still managed to look tight at the top. Although it was simple white, the way it cut off at one of her legs was beautiful, it showed off her white skin. The collar was ruffled and it sat across her shoulders so that you could see how slender they were.

She then finally looked at the makeup. They had gone for a natural look that matched the dress. Her eyes were coated in a light pink eyeshadow that you could just make out. The eyeliner that had they used made her eyes pop as there was just a small flick. Her large eyelashes were dabbed in a few lengths of mascara. The rest of the makeup such as the contour was something she wasn't used to, it made her eyes seem even larger than normal. Her freckles had been left so that they more enunciated on her face. The lipstick used was a light shade of pink that matched the eyeshadow.

Her hair also looked good as it flounced off her shoulders.

"Wow, they know what they're doing," Marinette admired herself in the mirror. "Hopefully I don't make a mess of myself."

"You look lovely, Marinette but I have an idea to make it better." Tikki said with a smile. She phased through the door and came back a couple of seconds later.

She flew to the top of Marinette and placed a small flower in her hair. It was a red rose and just completed the whole look.

"Thanks, Tikki. It looks great." Marinette tickled her and she laughed.

"I don't know where I'm going to hide since you can't wear your bag." Tikki said with a frown.

"I know. How about you stay in here? Then if anything happens, I'll come back for you." Marinette said with a wink.

Tikki nodded and watched as Marinette slipped the shoes on. She flew into the clutch bag just in case someone walked in.

Once Marinette was outside, she headed towards where Azure was sitting. She was talking to Adrien who had his back towards them. As she approached them, Azure looked up.

"Wow, you look amazing!" She clapped her hands in excitement.

Adrien turned around and his green eyes widened. His mouth was a little open but he quickly closed and smiled.

"Wow is right." He whispered. He just gazed at her and Marinette could feel a blush forming on her cheeks.

She almost fell onto the floor when she noticed what Adrien was wearing. His hair was the same, styled back in it's usual way except there were a few lose strands on his forehead that had been deliberately placed there. He was wearing a suit, albeit not a formal one. It was more casual. The jacket and pants were black but he wore a green sweater underneath. The colours made his eyes stand out. The forest green that she loved.

"You-you look good." Marinette stammered with a smile.

Adrien winked and put his arm around her. She almost froze but kept her cool.

"Are you ready? I'm happy she's letting you have a go. It will make this photoshoot more fun."

"Me too." Marinette replied as she was handed the parasol. Adrien was given a umbrella with a small cat paw on it. The cat print was green to match the suit.

Marinette couldn't help but stare at the matching parasol and umbrella.

"Are these based on on Ladybug and Chat Noir?" She asked.

Azure nodded. "Yes. They are popular right now, those umbrellas and parasols will sell quickly. Now come on let's get to work!"

She pushed them onto the stage where the backdrops had been set up and started to take photos. The first set of photos were of Marinette and Adrien on their own just holding the umbrella and parasol in different positions. The backdrops kept getting changed and a green screen had come in at some point.

Adrien had almost finished his last batch of photos when Azure pushed Marinette onto stage.

"I think it's time that we put you two together. Now get close you two!"

Marinette could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she got closer to Adrien. She held the parasol to the left of her. Azure had them standing back to back holding the umbrella and parasol behind them.

Azure kept taking photos of them. In each of the photo sets, Adrien and Marinette seemed to be getting closer and closer. In one photo, she had even got the pair of them to hold hands. They were coming to the end of the photoshoot when Azure shot them a knowing smile.

"For the last photo, I want you two to kiss like you're in the rain. Of course I'll edit the rain in but I want you to put the umbrella and parasol on the floor behind you."

"Kiss?" Marinette stammered. She stole a glance at Adrien who was just smiling. He didn't seem to mind.

"Come on, I don't have all day." Azure huffed pointing at the camera.

Marinette took a deep breath. She had to do this. She placed the parasol behind her and started to walk towards Adrien. He put his hands on her shoulders and they both gazed into each other eyes. She realised she didn't want to move. She could stare at his eyes all day. He started to reach down towards her, closing his eyes in the process.

Marinette closed her's too and reached up to kiss. She was ready for the moment when their lips would come crashing down together but it never happened.

What did was the sound of a person panting, running towards Azure. Both Marinette and Adrien opened their eyes to see what was going on.

"Azure! Azure!" The clerk was running with a cellphone in their hand.

Azure rolled her eyes and turned around. "What is it now, Alex?"

"It's your boss." The clerk replied with a grimace.

"Oh," Azure took the phone off him. "Hello?" She answered.

Someone down the other end was ranting and Azure's face welled up in tears. She shook her head and the tears sprouted. She dropped the phone onto the grass and took off running, sobbing and Adrien both exchanged a worried glance.