yeah! faster update!
Marinette bit the end of her colored pencil, glaring down at the developing rough sketch below her. Yellow. It could use a little yellow. Yes. Yellow complimented the dark blue nicely... A little green here to help with shading. No, lets do a lot of green. Green and blue. They make good shadows. Yes. That was looking good. And white to help lighten some lines...
"Marinette!"
She looked up with a hum, seeing Adrien waving at her from across the park, and getting a light smack from his makeup artist for moving. Cracking an amused smile, she waved back before turning her attention back to her sketch. She took out a pencil, adding some darker lines to help define the shapes better.
She looked up when she heard a furious shout, seeing the photographer arguing in angry Italian with the makeup artist, both waving their hands about. Adrien took the chance to flee, racing straight to her. He flopped down beside her on the bench with a loud sigh.
"Hi," Marinette greeted.
"Hi!" Adrien chirped, flashing her a happy, relieved smile.
"You look like you're having a fun day."
"Oh it's a blast!" Adrien agreed, sinking down the bench a little. "Photographer wants a certain look, makeup artist thinks she has a better idea." He sighed, sinking lower and almost sliding off the bench. Marinette grabbed his dark shirt, pulling him up and keeping him from sliding off.
"Those are always fun," she offered sympathetically.
He flashed her another thankful smile. "It happens with Jagged Stone?" he asked, curious.
"Oh yeah," she said. "Probably more than you think. He's certainly had some of his 'I can't work in these conditions!' moments." To add to it, Marinette rested the back of her wrist over the bridge of nose, a fond smile gracing her lips. "He does fight with makeup artists quite a bit. He'll only have a certain look on him to match his style."
"You ever done his makeup?" Adrien asked.
"Only once," she confirmed. "The makeup artist called in sick one time a few years ago, and the show was about to start and it was too late to get another so Penny and I did his makeup for that concert." She frowned, tapping her chin. "I think I was about twelve..."
"What's it like?" Adrien pressed.
"Hm?"
"Going to a concert?"
She blinked at him. "You haven't been?"
Blushing, he confessed, "No. Never had the opportunity. I want too. To go I mean!"
Marinette cracked a smile, teal eyes gleaming. "I think I can foresee a concert in your future."
Adrien beamed.
Shuffling beside her, he leant over to see what she was working on, only for Marinette to quickly press the page up against her chest.
She stared up at him.
Adrien blinked down at her.
"What was that?" he wondered.
"Um," she emitted.
He leant closer, eyes bright and eager. "Can I see it?"
"No! This is the next up and coming album cover!"
He gasped aloud. "Can I please see it?!"
"No!"
"Come on! Please? I promise I won't tell anyone!"
"I said no!"
He slumped on her, sliding down so that he was leaning on her elbow, gazing up at her with big green eyes, lips pursed pleadingly. "Pwease?" he whimpered.
Marinette sent him a dark pout.
Adrien tried to make his eyes bigger.
She opened her mouth to reply, or laugh, only for them both to jump when they heard a loud, "Adrien!"
The model instantly sat up to attention, straightening as his photographer came up to them. "We're going to do this another day," he declared, waving his hands dramatically. "Selene is too difficult, the weather isn't right, and obviously your head isn't in the game today." He shot a glance down at Marinette. Adrien blushed while Marinette blinked up at him, sparing the blond a curious glance.
The Italian shot him a sly smirk. "Have fun with your girlfriend! We shall do this again!" With a big wave he left them.
"We're not-" Adrien croaked after him, getting redder.
Marinette snickered beside him, hand covering her smile as she turned her gaze back to her sketchbook. "That usually happens to me," she offered mercifully, feeling pity for the blond. Adrien took the chance to try and peek at her doodle, that Marinette quickly hid.
The two shared pouts at each other.
"So," Adrien started, clapping his hands together lightly. "Anything you want to do? I got like an hour of freedom left."
Closing up the sketchbook, she hummed curiously as she mulled over what they could do. "You ever played Ultimate Mecha Strike?" she asked.
Adrien perked, turning wide eyes to her.
In slow awe he asked, "You play UMS?"
"Yeah!" she wiggled in her seat, knees knocking against his. "I played the series with my dad and Uncle Jag, it's become a Sunday tradition." It's thanks to them that she's gotten so good at games. It was always fun surprising people with this amazing skill she has. Leaning close, she pressed, "Want to go play it?"
"I would love too!" Adrien proclaimed. Only to pause. "Where?"
"At the hotel," she said, pointing to the building.
Adrien winced. "I'm not allowed in."
Marinette blinked at him, turning to the building to eye it. Then she turned back to him, smiling coyly. "I bet I could sneak you in."
Adrien raised a brow down at her.
Ah yes, she thought, zipping up her pencil back. Time to show off her skills.
"I can't believe he bought that," Adrien whispered, flipping the helmet screen up to peer down at her. By her lead, he slipped in as a "pizza guy". "Pizza guy" was made up of trash that she found on the side of the hotel. Adrien flipped out a little bit when she told him that they could work with this, earning him a look from her.
"It's just worn stuff," she tried to ease.
"It's trash!" Adrien waved at it, cringing.
Marinette raised a brow at him.
Adrien turned away with a blush.
He had class ok.
He wasn't raised to put on trash. He was sophisticated.
Not that Marinette would have any of it.
Ignoring his (albeit weak) protests, Marinette wrapped a red blanket around his neck, adjusting it to look like a cape, set a (musty smelling) helmet on his head, and shoved a (greasy) pizza box into his hands. Stepping back and looking over her work, she had nodded approval. "I do good work," she declared proudly.
Adrien had insisted that the doorman would never believe. That he was too obvious. And what pizza guy dressed up like this? Well, mindful, he didn't fully know what pizza guys dressed up as; but he's sure it's not like this!
Not that Marinette cared as she shoved him towards the door.
He really didn't think the guy would buy it.
That he would see that it was Adrien-banned-Agreste in an ill disguise, declaring that he was bringing in a pizza.
And yet...
He couldn't believe it.
The guy let him in.
He believed it.
How?
"It's not that hard to believe," Marinette grumbled, flipping the screen down and hiding his green eyes before dragging him to the elevator. "I'm an amazing artist, I can make anything work."
"But this shouldn't be believable!" Adrien protested, waving to his disguise. Seriously, how did this work?
Marinette was about to comment when the elevator door opened and revealed Chloe on the other side.
Both froze as those light blue eyes locked on them.
"Skipping Stone," she sneered at Marinette. Then turning to the guy beside her, she squealed in alarm. "GREASY FOOD!" Chloe fled away, making disgusted noises as she went. Adrien and Marinette leaned to the side, staring after her.
"She shouldn't have New York Pizza," Marinette declared.
Adrien voiced his relief as he flung off the helmet and cape and eagerly dumped the pizza box into the trash. He was free!
Rolling her eyes, Marinette headed to the big screen tv in the hotel room, getting the game ready. "I hope you're ready to get your ass handed to you!"
"We'll see about that!" Adrien challenged, accepting the controller Marinette offered him. He hopped onto the couch, grinning as the music blasted. Marinette landed beside him, flashing him a confident smirk.
"Don't hold back," she requested as an announcer bid them to choose their characters.
Adrien chose his personal favorite, Chat Noir.
Marinette chose Ladybug.
Bells sounded as they were dropped into an arena, and Chat Noir charged; Adrien hunching forward, tongue sticking out as he got dove into the game. She wanted him to go all out, he was going to. No holding back!
Marinette leant back in her seat, grinning as Ladybug easily danced around the dark, cat based bot. She landed only a few selective hits, mostly letting the dark bot barrel about, totaling the arena. He's only managed to nick her a few times. After observing her opponent, Ladybug darted behind Chat. With a few well hit combos, the red bot shattered Chat in a single, powerful hit.
"Winner Ladybug!" the announcer declared.
Adrien gaped at his immediate death.
Marinette jumped up with whoop, dancing in place.
"That was... fast," Adrien uttered.
Coming down from the victory high, Marinette sat down with a weak chuckle. "Sorry," she offered. "When you play with two competitive gamers, you learn or you die."
"Woah," he whispered, gaping at her.
She blushed at his wonder before shaking it off. Sidling closer, she offered, "How about to teach you some combos?"
Before the model could respond, he started when he felt a firm nudge on his knee. Looking down, he jumped when he saw a crocodile sitting right there, gazing up at him with a big toothy grin. "H-hi Fang!" he hurried out, timidly snapping the snout. Fang rumbled in return, clicking his teeth together.
"Hello."
Adrien jumped, turning to see THE Jagged Stone gazing down at him, his dark brow raised.
He was here.
He was actually here.
Jagged Stone narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you one of those blonds that busted in here a few days ago?"
Adrien just stared up at him.
Marinette leaned out past Adrien, flashing the rockstar a smile. "He's not as bad as we thought," she reassured. She glanced at the gaping blond, her smile turning stiff. "I promise he's more fun than this." She tapped his shoulder, trying to bring him back.
Humming, her adopted uncle just nodded, eyeing the boy. Turning to the screen, he smirked. "UMS3? Starting without me?"
"I thought you were still giving Bob a hard time!" she defends, making room on the couch and giving Adrien another shove to see if that could snap him out of it. He was seriously going to die this next match if he didn't.
Grinning, the rockstar asked Adrien, "Hey Kiddo, wanna team up? I think together we got a good chance beating Skipping Stone into the ground."
Marinette snorted. "You wish."
"Mon dieu," Adrien whispered in awe.