"Can you lean a little bit to the left? Perfect. Now show me that lovely smile!"
Marinette watched the photo shoot with professional interest. It was the last one she would have to oversee before the wedding, and that fact excited her beyond belief.
Before her, a young woman posed in a soft-grey cock-tail dress. It flattered her figure fabulously. Marinette eyed the bottom hem carefully, keeping track of its placement lest it shift to an unwanted position during the shoot.
"Very good," the photographer said with a smile, "go get changed and we'll go again!" The young model scurried off.
"What do you think, Miss Dupain-Chang? Are you happy so far?" "Very." She responded in a friendly tone. "It's gone really well, Travis." Travis had done several photo shoots for the fashion label Mari worked for. He was friendly and professional, just the way she liked her co-workers. He fiddled with the lens of his camera. "I was surprised to see you here, thought you'd be prepping." Marinette smiled and fiddled with the ring on her finger. "I haven't got many days left of work, but I didn't have the off-days to take much more than the honeymoon." "I see." Travis said, nodding a little and fidgeting with his lens again. "Well, I wish you the best. I must say, I was a bit offended I wasn't asked to do the photos." It was a joke, and Mari knew that. But she still felt she needed to justify his lack of involvement. "Yah, sorry about that. Adrien wanted to ask the photographer who did his photo shoots when he was a teenager, and the man exuberantly agreed." Travis chuckled, "One never forgets their long-time clients. He's probably excited to— Ah, there you are. Let's do these next shots in a chair. I think..."
And just like that. It was back to business.
Marinette left the studio at precisely 4:30.
"Look at us, Tikki! Our last photo shoot is finally done!" Tiki chuckled as Mari performed a tiny victory dance at the bus stop. They were one step closer now. One week till.
"I'm proud of you, Marinette. You've been handling the stress of everything really well." Tiki nuzzled her slightly, proud of her chosen. "Aww," Marinette said "Thank you. I've been doing the best I can." The bus was right on time.
Marinette got off after three stops. She was on her way to Adrien's apartment. He had promised to make her dinner.
She approached the familiar building with a smile, going in and taking the elevator to the third floor in a happy silence. She walked down the hall with a light skip in her step. It had been three days since she last saw Adrien.
She raised her hand to knock at the door.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO HELP ME!"
She lowered her hand. It sounded like Adrien needed a minute to neutralize whatever was going on. She walked towards the vending machine, bought two bags of Adrien's favorite chips, and walked back. When she didn't hear anything from inside, she knocked on the door. A muffled shout of "Coming!" Came from inside. A moment later, the door opened, and she found herself tightly embraced by her favorite kitty.
"I missed you." He purred into her ear. She was acutely aware of being pulled inside and the door shutting quietly behind them. "I missed you too." She said, shifting to her tip-toes to kiss him gently. She felt him smile as he kissed her back.
"You gonna greet me like that every time you come home?" He asked her mischievously as they broke apart. "I plan on it." She said with a smile. She followed him into the kitchen, which seemed unusually shiny. Adrien must have cleaned up whatever the mess was.
"Marinette! Sugar Cube! It's really you!" Plagg floated towards them happily, and threw himself against Marinette's cheek in a strangely affectionate manner. After she patted him cautiously, he floated down to her hand bag. "Come ooouuuttt, Sugar Cube." He said in a playful tone. "If you don't come out I'm going to come fiiiiinnnnndddd yoooouuu."
Marinette shot Adrien a questioning glance.
"Grocery store. Catnip." Adrien answered shortly as he pulled a chair out at the table and gestured for her to sit down. "I see." She said, casting Plagg a concerned look as she sat down. "How long do you think he'll be like this?" "He'll probably be fine in the morning." Adrien answered, snatching Plagg off the counter where Marinette had laid her bag down. Tiki had chosen to stay in Mari's bag. Out of Plagg's sight. Plagg protested as he was carried away, shouting about animal rights and cruelty. Adrien sat him on the counter by the stove and gave him some cheese. He sat a cookie by Marinette's purse as he fixed plates.
After dinner, Adrien pulled Marinette to the couch and cuddled her close to him. She chuckled as he nuzzled her hair and squeezed her hand with his.
"One more week." He whispered into her ear, in a hopeful sort of way. She shifted closer to him. "One week till." She hummed, letting her head fall against his chest. He kissed her forehead. "How did I ever get so lucky?" He asked in a hazy sort of voice. "Your beautiful, you know that?" Marinette looked up at him with a coy sort of smile. "I'm beautiful? You looked in the mirror lately, hot stuff?" She bopped his nose playfully. The familiar gesture made him chuckle. It reminded him of their younger days, when he was too blind to see she was right in front of him. The memories put a fond smile on his face. "What?" She asked him, with a similar smile. "Nothing, Bugaboo." He kissed her nose, followed shortly by her forehead.
He felt her toe twitch next to his foot, bouncing as anticipation built inside her. "Feline, okay M'lady?" She groaned a short response. He hadn't intended to toy with her, but looks like it happened just the same. He smirked at her.
"No words, Bugaboo? What's the matter? Chat got your-"
That was all it took. All thought left him as she kissed him. She ran her fingers through his hair, and he felt his own hands curl around her waist.
She pulled back, looking sly. Her cheeks red. "What's the matter, kitty? Bug got your tongue?"
He couldn't pull her back in fast enough.
The next morning, Adrien woke to the sound of Plagg yowling obnoxiously. "Plagg!" He said, stomping out of bed. "What is wrong with you? Your gonna wake the neighbors!"
He felt Plagg's head gently, unsure if a kwami could get a fever but not really knowing what else to do.
"My head... hurts so much!" Adrien raised an eyebrow as Plagg flopped around dramatically. "You have a hangover, Plagg. I told you not to mess with catnip."
