Hey everyone! This chapter will give us a little more of the Adrienette side of things. I hope you enjoy what I am calling a, slight interlude, because things are only going to get crazy from here! Timeline-wise, its been a few days since the talk with Master about Blanc on Monday so, Wednesday. Let's go with Wednesday.^-^
Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs, and follows! I love you guys! Melty Camembert Hearts! And a special thank you to my beta SunshineMLB who is looking over these chapters for me!
Also, I do not own the characters, just the plot! Enjoy! Now, onward!
A Little Too Close
She let out a heavy sigh, frowning at the silver and black starlight gown she was working on at her desk across from Gabriel's.
Something wasn't right. She didn't like the upper straps, and the bottom was flaring out too much. She poked at her docked tablet with her stylus, frustrated by the overall design. There was more fabric than was necessary and that would make the dress unnecessarily heavy. She just couldn't think of a way to fix it.
She stared out of the large wall of windows, still stunned by the beautiful view Gabriel had from his office at the main Gabriel building. When she took on the internship, he had opted to use the office here instead of being at home. That way she could have her own place to work with him, without them being crowded. He had basically split his office in two for her, and she was grateful for that. It meant that she spent almost eighty-percent of her day in the office with him, when she wasn't running to check on things for him.
She sighed again with a frown as the starlight gown caught her attention again, and his even voice came from across the room, "Mouse, you seem to be doing a lot of sighing today."
She looked up quickly, seeing Gabriel's focus on the large screen in front of him. The large screen was like a giant tablet that he could work on. She had learned during her first week being his shadow that Gabriel hated sitting at his desk. It was there for show, it was just a place to put things temporarily, but he hardly ever sat there.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's nothing." She said quickly.
He asked instantly, "What don't you like? And why?"
"It's nothing honestly." She tried, but his hands lowered and he stepped out from behind the screen. His intense, unwavering eyes holding hers.
The silver starlight was his design. It was rare he would change his mind about his own designs, no matter what anyone said.
She folded under his gaze, "The silver and black starlight."
He raised an eyebrow at her, "Yes?"
She explained what she thought the issues were and as she went quiet, he stood there without a word.
A sudden knock came from the door and he said it sternly, "A meeting is in progress, how dare you interrupt."
"I'm sorry father, this is important."
Adrien opened the door, a frown on his face before he spotted her and erupted into a smile, "Mouse, hey. I didn't know you would be in today."
"Yeah, I'm here." She said quickly, flashing him a quick smile.
"What is so urgent that you had to come directly to me instead of taking care of it through Nathalie?" Gabriel asked harshly.
She could see how tense Adrien was at Gabriel's tone, but his voice was strong, "I'm taking the rest of the week off."
Her eyes widened and she looked straight at Gabriel who asked simply, his eyes tense as he stared at his son, "Excuse me?"
Adrien stood a little taller, "I have something going on at school that needs my undivided attention. I've already had Nathalie clear my extra lessons, but you are the only one who can cancel the extra,"
"You are not taking more time off to deal with that school."Gabriel said flatly, not letting Adrien finish.
"But father,"
"End of discussion. Don't you have a photo shoot to be getting to shortly?" Gabriel said dismissively to Adrien before looking back at her, going into their conversation as though nothing more had happened.
"I understand where you are coming from Mouse, however removing layers will alter the overlook of the design. Unless you have a way to fix the problem,"
"Uh, I, don't, just yet," she said slowly, looking over at where Adrien was still standing.
Gabriel saw her looking at Adrien and asked him sternly, "Was there something else?"
Adrien said it defeated, "No."
She instantly had an idea, "Sir, I might get a better idea of how to fix the dress if I see the rest of the line that's finished. That way I know how to compliment and play off of the other half of the line. If I could have access to those designs for a few days, and we hold the photo shoots that go with it until I'm done,"
"Absolutely not." Gabriel said instantly.
Adrien was staring at her in shock as she argued back easily, "You can't be so stubborn all the time sir. The dress is lacking grace and won't match up to the rest of the line if we leave it as is. If we take a few days to compare the finished suits and dresses with what we have sketched for the rest, we may be able to find a way to make the highlight dress better."
"A few days is all I'm asking." Adrien said quickly.
Gabriel stared between them for a moment before turning his back to them. His hands were folded at the small of his back, his finger tapping noiselessly on his wrist.
Adrien took a step towards him but she stopped him quickly, shaking her head. She held up her finger, telling him to wait.
After a minute, Gabriel said it hard, "Mouse. You will accompany Adrien to his photo shoot this afternoon where the designs for the line are being photographed. I don't care how long it takes. If you want access to the other half of the designs, and to have the rest of your week cleared Adrien," he turned around to face them with a blank expression, "you will find a way to alter the dress design by the end of the day."
She smiled brightly and Gabriel looked directly at Adrien, "and you will finish the weeks scheduled photo shoots, today. Is that clear?"
Adrien said it instantly, "I won't let you down."
"Thank you, sir!" She said happily. She snatched her tablet from her desk and grabbed Adrien's arm, rushing him out of the office before Gabriel could change his mind. As they entered the elevator down the hall, they both started laughing.
Adrien asked her with one of the brightest smiles she had ever seen, "HOW did you DO that!? You actually got my father to listen to you!"
She smiled at him, "He's not unreasonable. Just stubborn."
He said it smiling, his voice peaceful and happy, "It takes a stubborn person to deal with a stubborn person. I have a friend who is just like that."
He looked thoughtful as he said it, and recognized the look on his face. It was the face of someone thinking about the person they loved, and she said it softly, "She's lucky."
"I'm the lucky one," he said instantly smiling to himself, "for once." He looked at her confused, "Wait, how did you know I was talking about a girl?"
She flashed him a quick smile, "The way you said it. It was obvious."
They walked out of the elevator and he said it with a nervous chuckle, "Obvious huh?"
She nodded, smirking, "Only to someone who knows you so well."
"You think you can read me huh?" He said easily as he matched her smirk with one of his own, "Well I think I'm pretty good at hiding things."
She rolled her eyes, "You are like an open book Adrien."
He took her challenge instantly, glad that they had been spending more time together lately and she didn't seem to be so nervous around him anymore, "All right then Madame Mouse, wow me."
She commented on it instantly, her voice low, "Your father still intimidates you, doesn't he?"
He stopped walking, making her have to turn back to him. The shock was all over his face.
She told him quickly, "You don't have to answer. I know Gabriel is intimidating, and his disposition comes off cold, but I feel like it gets to you more than you want to admit. This isn't the first time I've seen you try to stand up to him, only to back down."
The tips of Adrien's ears were red as he stared at her, making her feel guilty, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
His voice came out shaky, "You are right though."
He walked up to her slowly, "He does, intimidate me. Not as much as he used to but sometimes when he stares at me, it's like I'm thirteen again. Like I don't have a right to argue against him."
She put her hand on his arm, "You do."
He smiled at her, "I know, it's just, not easy sometimes."
"It will get better. I have nothing but confidence in you Adrien." She said without a hint of doubt.
He smiled more genuinely, "Thanks Marinette. You're the best."
"I do what I can." She said with a small laugh before they headed back down the hall towards where the photoshoot would be taking place.
Jean Luc eyed them both evilly as they walked in, a cellphone to his ear, "Yes he just arrived. Thanks for letting me know of the change Nathalie. We'll see what we can do."
He clicked off and pointed straight at Adrien, "YOU WANT TO DO THREE DAYS WORTH OF SHOOTS IN ONE DAY AGRESTE HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?"
Adrien sighed heavily, "I have something going on at school, and I need to keep my focus on that. It's not like we've never combined shoots before Jean Luc."
Jean Luc's nostrils flared, "Combined yes, when we started at the extreme early hours of the morning until well after dark. It is nearly noon! We'll be here all night!"
"Then dinner is on me. I know you can do it. You are the best photographer in Paris, aren't you?" Adrien said easily, taking off his jacket with a smirk as he moved towards the dressing rooms.
"You, you little," Jean Luc started but Adrien disappeared into the other room.
Marinette smiled, "Hey it will be okay. It will be tough, but we can do it."
Jean Luc took in a deep breath and held it until his face turned red before letting it out heavily, "Fine, and you are going to be spending the afternoon with us right little Mouse?"
She nodded, holding up her tablet, "I'm working on the highlight dress for the new line. It needs to be altered but I don't know in what way yet."
Jean Luc told her seriously, "Designers, I do not envy you your job."
He walked over to the few other crew members and gave them the news as she found a place to get settled. She found a good spot off to the side near the rack where the first set of finished pieces were. She was still looking at them meticulously thirty minutes later when Adrien's voice said it happily from out of nowhere, "MOUSE! MOUSE CAN DO IT!"
She instantly froze, turning slowly to see everyone staring at her with bright anticipation.
She asked already not wanting to know, "Mouse can do what?"
Adrien had a bright smile on his face as Jean Luc put a hand to his face, looking her over thoughtfully, "Actually, you're not wrong."
"See." Adrien said proudly, already changed into the first outfit for the photoshoot.
She stared between them until Adrien realized they had never answered her question, "Oh, right, uh, well, you see we have a slight issue."
Jean Luc huffed, "Slight issue. Way to downplay a disaster Adrien. Mouse. Isabella has a cold, and Marcela, Juliet, and Natasha are still in Spain and couldn't find a flight back on such short notice."
She asked confused, not sure what the point of telling her this was, "Okay?"
Jean Luc smirked slightly, "You are the right height and build, dark hair, and blue eyes that we need to offset Adrien's height, physique, blonde hair and green eyes."
Her eyes widened and she said it hard, "No."
Adrien said it pleading, "Oh come on! It will be fun!"
"Weren't you the one who said that toasting under bright lights for hours in heavy clothes wasn't fun?" She said instantly.
"These are all designer gowns and suits, little Mouse. The lights will be much less intense, AND the nearest model we have at short notice, is you."
She held up her tablet with both hands, "Designer. Not a model."
Adrien took a small step towards her, "What can I do to change your mind?"
"Nothing." She said instantly, "I'm not model material. I know there has to be a model in this gigantic building somewhere who fits the profile you are looking for, who actually knows what they are doing and who would probably kill to have a photoshoot with,"
"Please Mouse?" Adrien asked softer, his eyes boring into her. She groaned, trying to look away from the pull of such pleading eyes. Why? Why did he have to make that face at her? Why did she have to be such a pushover for baby doll eyes?!
His eyes somehow got bigger and she caved like the weakling she was, "Fine."
He instantly perked up and grabbed her hand, making her squeak in surprise as he pulled her across the room, "Anna and Tiffany will do you hair and makeup, and you can change in my dressing room okay? You are saving my life here Mouse."
She shook her head, saying it heavily, "Yeah, yeah."
He laughed softly at the distinct frown on her face before leaving her in the room. No doubt he was going to go do the single shots first while she was made up.
She sat uncomfortably in the chair the entire time while she was worked on, dreading what she was about to do.
She changed into the first gown after she was given the all clear with her hair and makeup. She looked the dress over appreciatively, thinking that she might actually get a better idea on how to change the starlight piece by doing this. It helped her perk up a bit. Not that she wasn't still uncomfortable in the overly expensive dress.
When she walked out onto the set, everyone went quiet. Jean Luc stood slowly from where he had been kneeling on the floor, staring at her with a small smile. Adrien turned to look, and his eyes widened as his mouth slightly parted.
"Oh wow," she heard Adrien whisper as his eyes stayed glued to her.
Jean Luc said it happily in excitement, "C'est manifique petite souris! Perfect! Absolutely perfect!" He waved a dismissive hand in Adrien's direction, "No more single shots for you. Mouse take his place please on the red carpet."
Adrien stepped down from the slightly lifted platform and walked over to her as she walked up to him. He smiled shyly, holding out his arm for her to take. She smiled appreciatively, blushing slightly as she put her arm in his. She still wasn't very comfortable in heels, even after wearing them with her suit for a couple of weeks now. The suit gave her a better balance, but now it was just her.
Adrien grabbed her hand to help her step up onto the platform as she told him hushed, "Thanks."
He nodded, "Of course."
He stepped back to Jean Luc who was already nodding, "This won't take long." Jean Luc gave her easy directions to follow, he and Adrien both reminding her to relax a few times. She wasn't up there long by herself when Adrien jumped back onto the platform with her. Jean Luc had a cunning grin on his face as he gave them more direction, starting off with them standing apart but facing each other.
She felt herself tightening up again as he smiled at her. She wished she could stop feeling this way around Adrien. She knew her love for him would never truly go away, but at least she wanted these feelings to stop stirring whenever they got close.
Even after the dozen outfit change's they had gone through, and multiple positions based on the outfit types, walking out on set and seeing him smiling at her still put butterflies in her stomach. They were friends. That was all. She had to find a way to stop reacting to him like this.
Chat Noir was in her life now. She just, had to pretend Adrien was him. Yeah, she could do that. Pretend that it was his bright green eyes staring at her as his hands settled gently on her waist. Pretend that it was his blonde hair shining in the low lights as her hands moved to his chest. Pretend that it was his shy smile she was seeing as he stared at her lovingly. Pretend it was his breath washing over her as her eyes began to close, his eyes doing the same as his nose brushed hers.
"Eh hem." Jean Luc not so subtly cleared his throat.
They instantly stepped back as they let go of each other, realizing what had almost happened.
Their faces equally flushed red.
"How about we take a break huh?" Jean Luc suggested wearing one of the biggest smirks they had ever seen.
Adrien said it quickly, "Y-yeah, a break."
She nodded quickly in silence, stepping back further before taking off back towards the dressing room. She changed quickly, feeling the heat radiating off of her face as her eyes misted over.
She couldn't believe, she had almost, and with Adrien, but Chat Noir.
God, she was a terrible person.
She wiped her eyes carefully before rushing out of the room, going straight to her bag without looking in Adrien's direction as he made his way to the dressing room. She pulled up his contact instantly, seeing her hands shaking as she called him. He answered on the second ring, his voice husky, "H-Hey m'Lady. What's up?"
She frowned slightly, hearing the shaking in his voice, "Are you okay?"
She heard him clear his throat, "Yeah no, no I'm fine. Sorry just, I'm working late tonight and I'm a little tired."
"Oh, i-is there anything I can do? Do you want me to bring you something to eat, or something sweet and some coffee maybe?" Anything, she begged internally, Need anything so that I have a reason to get away from Adrien for a few minutes.
"No, you don't have to go out of your way m'Lady, don't worry about me." He instantly changed the subject to her, "What about you? Do you think you are going to get off early for a change?"
She sighed heavily, "That's highly unlikely. I got roped into a slight, mess. It looks like I'm going to be working late too."
He sighed heavily, "That's just our luck huh? A double late night, on top of Master wanting us to focus on really increasing your magic."
She whispered it as she glanced around set, watching them prepping for the next one, "And trying to see if we can't figure out what really happened to Rebecca and Anthony."
He said it heavily, "And that, but at least by doing this one late night, I'll be clear for the rest of the week."
She smiled slightly, "That's good. You need the break."
He chuckled slightly, "So do you. Maybe we can take a day out from all of it and have that re-do date."
She instantly felt guilty and hesitated too long, "Unless, you don't want to." He whispered.
"No, no I do, I," she stuttered, "Kitty, you, you are so important to me, you know that don't you?"
"And you are important to me." He said instantly.
She had to, she had to tell him, "And, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you."
He took in a sudden breath, "Did, something happen?"
"No, nothing happened I wear I, you know I work with models." She started, hearing him hum in response, "One of the things I got tied into doing, well, I ended up getting,"
He whispered it, sounding guilty himself, "A little too close?"
"Yes, but nothing happened I promise. I was just,"
"Caught in the moment, thinking about you." He said heavily.
She felt her heart tighten. Chat had let it slip during their date that he modeled occasionally, mostly due to his father's wishes. He didn't particularly care for it though.
By the tone in his voice, she was almost sure that he was talking about a situation similar to hers, "You too huh?"
His apology was instant, "I'm so sorry m'Lady, I don't even remember getting that close to her. We were just working so well together and the next thing I know we almost,"
"It's okay. Things happen, right?"
"Nothing happened." He said seriously. "I wouldn't hurt you that way either."
She smiled a little, "So, you were thinking about me huh?"
He let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah, the girl modeling with me, she has similar hair and eyes to you, so it was a little too easy to put you in her place."
She admitted it softly, "I did the same thing, seeing you in his place."
He laughed, and she felt the tension between them fade, "He must be devilishly handsome then."
She rolled her eyes, a real smile finally forming, "Eh, he's okay."
"Me-owch m'Lady. Be careful or you'll hurt his feelings." Chat told her not sounding like he truly cared one bit.
"I'm sure he'll survive. The last thing he needs is someone reminding him of how handsome he is." She said easily.
Chat chuckled, "Models I tell you."
She laughed with him, "I better go, I need to work on a few things or I'll never leave from here."
He sighed heavily, "Me too unfortunately. I'll see you tomorrow m'Lady. Have a good night."
"See you tomorrow. Have a good night Kitty." She whispered. She stuck her phone in her purse and walked over to the computers where Jean Luc was uploading the first part of the photos.
"Do they look okay so far?" She asked worried.
Jean Luc smirked without looking at her, "These are some of the best shots I've gotten out of that boy in a very long time."
He pulled up a photo from their last outfits, and her heart skipped a beat as he told her, "I don't know what is going on between the two of you, but whatever it is Mouse, neither of you can hide it very well."
She said it quickly, "Nothing, nothing is going on. We, we're just friends."
Jean Luc raised an eyebrow at her, "Just friends, don't look at each other that way."
He pulled up a few more shots, and the chemistry that she and Adrien had was clear in every single one.
"He likes you Mouse." Jean Luc said plainly.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before saying it softly, "I'm seeing someone. That, what almost happened, it should have never happened."
Jean Luc said it shocked, "You are seeing someone?"
She nodded, "We just recently started going out, we aren't, official or anything, but,"
"So, you don't feel that way towards him," he nudged his head towards the dressing rooms, "at all?"
She stared towards the dressing rooms sadly, "We are friends, I don't want to ruin that."
Jean Luc put an arm over her shoulders, "Whoever he is, he's lucky to have a girl like you in his life little Mouse. You are a gem above the rest."
She smiled at him, blushing a little, "Thank you."
"We are all ready for the next set sir." Jean Luc's assistant said happily.
Jean Luc nodded and shooed her away, "All right, back to hair and makeup with you. Let's get this done so we can all go home."
She walked into the makeup room, Tiffany and Anna getting straight to work for the next look. Adrien walked in a few minutes later with a heavy sigh, "I ordered dinner, so it should be here in about an hour or so."
They all nodded as he sat down in the chair next to hers, Anna moving over to start on him.
The silence between them was tense until Adrien cleared his throat, "Hey, Mouse I, I'm sorry about earlier if I,"
"No," she said quickly, "No I'm sorry. I didn't mean to,"
"You didn't do anything wrong." He said quickly, shooting her a shy smile, "We're, still friends, right?"
She smiled at him, "Of course."
Anna and Tiffany finished with them quickly, letting them go change before going back to the redone set. They each did single sets before doing the couple shots, falling back into the rhythm they had earlier with ease. Only this time, the tension was different, more relaxed. They were barely half way through when their ordered dinner arrived.
They took another short break so everyone could eat, but went right back into it as soon as they were done.
Adrien lifted his head slightly at Jean Luc's request, whispering it to her, "For not wanting to do it originally, you're doing really well."
She smiled slightly, "I have a great partner to work with."
There was another round of flashes as he told her, starting to sound sleepy "Your boyfriend is a lucky guy."
She blushed, feeling tired already herself, "I don't know if we've reached that stage just yet. He has a lot going on."
They adjusted their positions slightly before he said it, "Oh, I'm sorry. I just figured, when Alya mentioned a mystery guy the other day,"
"Don't get me wrong, he means the world to me, we just," she forced herself to smile, "we both have a lot to deal with and honestly haven't talked about it much. Once things settled down, maybe things will be different."
Adrien smiled at her, "If he's smart, he'll make sure you know how much you mean to him. He'd be an idiot to make you wait too long."
He twirled her in a small circle suddenly, making her really smile and giving her a small burst of energy, "Take your own advice Agreste. I'm sure the girl you mentioned earlier would love to know how much she means to you."
He blushed slightly, saying it softly as he twirled her back into his arms so they were face to face again, "I hope she would know without me saying. Nino tells me I can't hide how I'm feeling when I look at her."
She smiled, saying it honestly, "But it's still nice to hear."
He nodded, "Duly noted."
Jean Luc finally told them, "All right, one more set and then we are done."
"What time is it?" Adrien asked heavily.
"Nearly ten. By the time you get redone in hair and makeup it will hopefully be no later than ten-thirty. And by the Gods if everything continues to go smoothly, we'll be done around one. There are only four outfits in the last set."
She lifted the bottom of the gown as she moved off of the platform, Adrien asking as he helped her down, "Why do formal dresses always have to be so long? Doesn't that bother you to have to keep lifting it like that?"
She shrugged, "You get used to it honestly."
"You'd think there would be a way to pin it up so that isn't a problem." He said stifling a yawn.
The idea struck like lightning.
"Pinning. Pinning, of course! That's it! Adrien you're a genius!" She kissed his cheek quickly, completely missing the way his face was turning pink as she dashed to her tablet. She quickly made the adjustments on the design, taking out three layers of the heavy fabric and leaving two of them. She marked where they would be pinned in a delicate arch that matched the original design. It was perfect. It was PERFECT.
She dug through her bag quickly and dialed Nathalie's number, putting her phone to her ear as she finished up the design. Nathalie answered on the first ring, "Marinette, can I help you?"
"Just wanted to make sure you were still awake. Is Mister Agreste still up?"
"Yes, for a little while longer."
"I'm sending him the alterations for Starlight." She said simply, hitting send.
It only took a few seconds for Nathalie to tell her, "He's received the file. He'll let you know if he approves the changes tomor-," Nathalie went quiet and Gabriel's voice came over the line, "It's acceptable. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't have known the alteration was done. Well done Mouse. Have a good night."
She smiled brightly, "Thank you sir, have a good night."
She squealed, stomping in place excitedly. Adrien asked quickly, "He liked it?"
She nodded, beaming at him, "Yes! You are a life saver Adrien!"
He smiled sheepishly, his hand going to the back of his neck, "I didn't do anything really."
"You did more than enough. Come on, let's finish this photo shoot and free you from the hands of tyranny for the rest of the week!" She grabbed his hand and practically ran back to the dressing room, hearing him laugh behind her, "Free me from the hands of tyranny?"
She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop smiling, "I said what I said."
They changed quickly and went through hair and makeup one more time before changing into the first of the last sets for the night.
It was just after one in the morning when Jean Luc told everyone tiredly, "That's a wrap." He hit a button on the computer and everyone let out tired breaths of relief.
Adrien suggested it to everyone after he yawned, "You guys are welcome to use the guest rooms if you want. I can't thank you all enough for doing this for me."
Jean Luc smiled slightly, "It was a rare request. Let's just keep it that way huh Agreste?"
Adrien nodded, "For sure."
Marinette yawned, "I think I am going to take a guest room. I know I won't make it home like this."
A few people murmured in agreement as they finished packing everything away. After they changed and made sure everyone was in a room, Adrien walked Marinette to a room that she could use.
"Really Marinette, thank you for doing this for me. Despite how long it took, this is the most fun I've had at a photoshoot in a really long time." He said with a sleepy smile.
She smiled up at him, "You're welcome. We are friends, aren't we? This is what friends do." She said it happier, "And I'm glad you had fun. Jean Luc said these were some of the best shots he's gotten out of you in a long time."
Adrien smiled brighter, "It helps to have a good partner to work with."
They wished each other good night and separated into different rooms. Both of them falling asleep within seconds of hitting the beds.
Thanks for reading! I have a surprise for you. That's right, a surprise, can you guess what it is? No? I finished the next chapter too so it will be right up! That's right! So let's get a move on!
Feel free to comment and review if you want! It makes my day to hear from you guys!
Au Revoir for now!^-^
