This is my first time doing a prompt fic! Every prompt is going to be one chapter and the fic should be read as a continuous narrative (one chapter leads directly into the next). This is an AU where Adrien never went to public school, so he never met Marinette. This is for PRPR March. I hope you enjoy!
Marinette woke up to the frantic buzzing of her phone sitting on her nightstand half a meter from her head. She rolled over and drowsily canceled her alarm so she could get more sleep. About 30 seconds passed before the phone went off again. She groaned and rolled over to face away from it.
"It's Adrien," Tikki said, flying above Marinette's phone to look at the listed contact.
"Chat?" Marinette sat up without a second thought and grabbed her phone so quickly she almost hit Tikki in the process. She quickly slid the icon to answer and brought the phone to her ear.
"Hey, Chadtrien," Marinette fumbled through her greeting. "What's going up?" He laughed. The laugh was small and polite and nothing she expected from Chat Noir.
"You're really funny," he told her sincerely. "My driver and I are almost at your family's bakery, then we're heading your way to pick you up for your first behind the scenes of a photoshoot. Is there anything specific we can get you?"
"That's sery veet of you to do, going to get parents from my pastries. I, uh, pain aux amondes is my favorite, but they're really popular, so they might be sold out. If you tell my parents you're getting something for me, they'll know what I like. Coffee would be great, though."
"I can make that happen." Marinette looked at the time that was flashing on her clock, 5h35. He mentioned when he invited her that he would be around to pick her up at 6h. She winced at the idea of only having 25 minutes to get ready for her first day of being public friends with Adrien.
"Hey, Adrien. I was actually in the process of getting ready to go, I'm going to finish that, but I'll see you soon."
"See you soon," he said before hanging up. Marinette rushed around the apartment she shared with Alya, trying to get herself ready as quickly as possible. She put on a simple emerald green sun dress paired with a pair of black ballet flats and a dark denim jacket. She knew the temperature would get warmer throughout the day, but it was a sunrise photoshoot, it would be chilly for a while still.
She fixed her hair in a half up, half down style tied back with a barrette that was covered in clay versions of Chat Noir's pawprint. The version she wore that day was in different shades of green, but she had a version of the clip in every color in the rainbow. She brushed her teeth and put on a soft pink lipstick. She added eyeliner and mascara and looked at the clock.
5h56, flashed the clock she looked at. She released her breath for what felt like the first time since he had called and woken her up.
She put her sketchbook, phone, wallet, keys, and pencil bag into a small black backpack. Tikki flew in to hide in her bag while Marinette sprinted down the stairs of the apartment complex. She arrived outside and looked around. There was only one vehicle outside of her apartment.
She checked the time on her phone, 6h01. Maybe he changed his mind. While she was checking her phone, it started buzzing furiously in her hand once again. She answered.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Good morning. Your dress looks lovely, but we're going to be late and my driver won't let me out of my car to escort you over here." She could slightly see that there was a hand pressed against the window closest to her in the car. She started walking in that direction and relaxed when she saw that it was Adrien.
The driver got out of the car as Marinette approached and opened the door for her. Adrien was seated on the right side of the car, so she got in on the left. He was wearing a striped black shirt and a pair of medium wash jeans. She had expected him to be more dressed up for the shoot, but she knew that he would probably change when they arrived.
"Good morning," he said with a smile when she took her seat. He held out the coffee he had gotten for her. As partners, he'd bought her coffee almost weekly for the last 3 years, so he knew exactly how much sugar and milk to use for her ideal cup.
"Thank you," she responded. "I hope you slept well." She was nervous to make the comment. They had revealed identities the night before because of an akuma and they went their separate ways close to 2 am after he invited her to join him, model Adrien Agreste, on set of his photoshoot the next morning.
"Not at all," he half joked with a playful smirk on his face. "I'm just jealous that you can have coffee this morning." She raised an eyebrow at his claim of being jealous. "I'm not allowed to have coffee the morning of a shoot. It would stain my teeth and blah, blah, blah…" She giggled at his explanation.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I hope you don't expect me to give up my coffee in solidarity." She took a sip when she finished her sentence and clutched her coffee cup to her chest as though she expected him to try to jokingly take it back from her.
"I don't," he affirmed, "I just have to have energy drinks instead if I want caffeine before a shoot. I usually try not to have them, though. Vincent says I get fidgety when I've had energy drinks and that just makes the shoots take longer." She nodded, accepting his explanation. "I also have your croissant," he added. She did an excited little wiggle in her seat.
He held up the bag from Tom and Sabine's so that she could see it and she could tell it was the biggest type of bag the bakery stocked. It seemed to be filled up almost to the top with boxes upon boxes stacked on top of each other.
"I said I was your friend to your parents and I think they like me," he said with a laugh. "I was planning to share with the crew when we get there, but you get first dibs on as many pains aux amandes as you can eat before that."
"Can I…" she began quietly, looking around the backseat of the town car they were riding in.
"You're not allowed to eat in the car," he said, then added in a terrible stage whisper, "but that has never stopped me." He looked up to make eye contact with the driver who responded with a silent wink. He opened the top box and took out a pain au chocolat. He took a big bite of it and winked at her. She laughed and followed his lead with her own pastry.
They finished their breakfasts before they got to the shoot, laughing and smiling the whole drive there.
"That's a nice color for your dress," Adrien said with a smirk on his face. He put a more sincere expression on his face so she wouldn't think he was making fun of her when he followed up with, "is it a piece that you designed?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "I designed it over the winter and this is the first day that I've been willing to wear it. I thought it would be too cold before, but today just seemed like the right day for it."
"It's lovely, Marinette," he told her. "I'm happy I can finally start to see your designs after so long." He reached out, asking for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. He released her hand just in time for the car to come to a stop.
Adrien quickly held out a napkin containing a croissant and a spinach and ham quiche to the driver through the partition when they arrived. The driver nodded appreciatively and Adrien's smile widened. The driver placed the snacks on the dashboard before getting out of the car to escort them to the photoshoot.
"Merci, Gorille," he said to the man who responded in turn with a silent smile.
Marinette looked around, awestruck by how much was going on. Adrien handed the bag to the driver and Marinette was a little confused about why he didn't just carry them himself. As they got closer to the set, the smile that was lighting up Adrien's face in the car dulled. It was a look she had never seen her Chaton have before and she wanted to knock the smile back onto his face as soon as she could.
After they entered the gate surrounding the site, Adrien made sure Marinette was still at his side. He knew from experience how easy it was to get lost on site. The second he set foot on the site of the shoot, they were approached by a crowd. He kept a stoic look on his face while he was talked at from every direction.
The driver got ushered away, presumably to take the bag of treats over to the catering table. Marinette was too focused on Adrien to see what the man was doing. She could hear maybe one word from everyone who tried to talk at Adrien at once. She thought she was able to make out the words 'right,' 'Juleka,' 'styling,' and maybe 'catering.'
Adrien seemed to know the right words to placate everyone and she didn't know if it was because he was good at dealing with the situation, or if he was good at dealing with the people. Most people cleared out fairly quickly until it was just one woman with a red streak in her hair holding a tablet.
Adrien placed a hand on the small of Marinette's back to lead her in the direction to his wardrobe trailer. He had a curtained off area to the side of the trailer. It was really there because of how often Nathalie needed to speak to him while he was changing. Marinette was able to stand in the same area as Nathalie while the team got him into his first outfit.
"Adrien, Vincent wants to know if you're caffeinated or not so he can prepare."
"No caffeine," he confirmed with a neutral look on his face. He stepped from the changing area and thanked the crew from wardrobe. He placed a hand on the small of Marinette's back again, leading her to the stylist's tent. He moved to sit down.
He took the seat in the nearest chair and Marinette stood off to the side, continuing to exist next to Nathalie. "Is there anything we have to know for the shoot today? Changes to your diet, skincare routine, relationship status, piercings or tattoos?" He shook his head. After that, the makeup artist started on his face. Nathalie took that as her cue to continue talking.
"Today's shoot is for our 'Summer on the Docks' 2022 Collection and you will be accompanied by a recent hire. Her name is Juleka and she is joined by her partner and brother. Your friend," she briefly paused.
"Marinette," Adrien chipped in while the stylist gave his hair a windswept look, "Dupain-Cheng." Saying her name was the first time Marinette had seen him smile since they stepped on site. Just as quickly as the smile appeared, it vanished.
"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng will be sitting alongside Juleka's guests during the photography, but she is permitted to join you between scenes during wardrobe and styling changes. Will Mlle. Dupain-Cheng be regularly accompanying you to future shoots?"
"We don't know yet. I suppose it depends on how today's goes." Adrien hadn't seemed nervous on the set, in fact he acted like a professional the entire time. It was weird for Marinette to see the Chat Noir hold back his emotions. He was constantly being talked to and she didn't know how he did it. It was clear from the moment that they arrived that Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir were like completely different people.
He stood from the styling chair and thanked the crew before once again, gently holding the small of her back to lead her to the set of the shoot. Before they walked onto the set itself, he had to let go of Marinette. He didn't even look disappointed to not be in contact with her anymore. Marinette went over to where Nathalie pointed to the guest chairs.