I can't thank you all enough for how lovely you've been reviewing and following this story. Your words and actions mean so much to me and encourage me to make this story the best I can. As usual, replies to you all will be after this chapter.

Now, here we go with a familiar face...

Familiarity

Marinette stood at the refreshment table, pouring herself a plastic cup full of lemonade to finish off the day. She had been told by Rose that Juleka would be ready for her makeup and costume removal at six-thirty, so was waiting around for the clock hand to reach its mark to signal her exit. The young actress' legs were heavy as she leaned against the table, sipping from the cup and feeling the bubbles of the carbonated drink fizz into her nose.

"Long day, huh?"

She turned her head to the side, finding a cat-costumed man to her side observing the selection of drinks that were on offer.

"Tell me about it. I'm exhausted," Marinette agreed.

"You haven't let it show," he told her as his hand lingered over the bottle of lemonade. "I think I was starting to flag by the end of that scene, but you managed to maintain your standards all day, my lady." He moved his hand away, settling for a small bottle of water.

Marinette gave a little laugh. "Well it's an important job. I have to give the best performance of my life."

Chat Noir smiled affectionately. "It's nice to see someone so passionate about acting. It's a tough gig."

She gave a shrug in response. "It's what I've always wanted to do. So finally getting to be a part of a big movie is my dream come true."

"Your first proper feature film then?" he questioned before drinking the majority of the water.

"No!" Marinette blurted in response, trying to cover her mistake. "I just mean that I'm lucky to have the opportunity. Again. I get to relive my dream over and over."

"Sooo," he dragged out, "you're already famous?"

She crossed her arms. "Stop trying to find out about me! You know the rules, Chat."

He smirked. "It was worth a try to see who gets to own those beautiful blue eyes."

Normally, Marinette would have blushed at the compliment. Instead, she shook her head and turned back to the table. "How do you know they're not contact lenses?"

Chat Noir's smile faltered before he shrugged. "I never even considered it. After all, the whites of my eyes aren't naturally green."

"Ladybug, Juleka's ready for you in makeup," Rose called from a small distance away.

The spotted attired girl gave a wave to her in acknowledgement then turned back to her co-star.

"Well, Chat, it was nice to talk to you but I've gotta head off. Bug out!"

She turned to walk but paused, glancing back over her shoulder before she left him.

"That sounded a lot cooler when I said it in the scene," she admitted.

Chat Noir chuckled. "See you, Ladybug."

He watched her walk away to the trailer, a soft glow on his face.

The cool evening breeze drifted around Marinette as she stood waiting by the security hut outside of the film lot for Tikki to pick her up. No longer wearing Ladybug's spots, she instead found her arms decorated in small, sharp bumps where her shirt sleeves didn't cover. She made a mental note to ensure that she brought her jacket with her to set the next time.

The sun had already settled away over the horizon, making way for the shadows to occupy the once bright space. The young actress pulled her phone from her bag just as the screen flashed bright, revealing a message in a bubble.

To: Marinette
From: Tikki
Held up in traffic but we won't be long- five minutes max. X

She returned the phone to her bag and hugged her arms around herself.

"Good evening, Roger. Still working at this hour?"

Marinette turned her head around to the security hut entrance to locate the voice's source with interest; however the wall blocked the speaker from sight.

"It's no bother to me," a deeper voice responded. "So long as I know the lot is protected, I don't mind working overtime."

The friendly male voice that had initiated the conversation spoke again. "Well I definitely feel safe in the lot knowing it's secure. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, sir."

Marinette resumed her gaze forwards, mentally scolding herself for eavesdropping. There was something about the voice though that she recognised, although where exactly she had heard it, she couldn't place.

A blacked out car pulled up in front of the lot, appearing to face the young actress as if waiting for her.

She raised an eyebrow, shifting her weight to grant vision to the side of the vehicle where Tikki would be exiting from.

Instead, footsteps came from the side of the security hut and out walked a blond-haired man, strolling towards the vehicle with his eyes glued to the floor until his attention was drawn to the woman looking curiously at the black car.

"I'm sorry, was this your car?" the man asked her, gesturing to the vehicle.

Marinette's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the man. She couldn't mistake that face.

As if synchronous with her, a smile grew upon his face as he recognised her blue eyes and blushing skin. "I recognise you. From 'Horrificator', right?"

Marinette nodded, her mouth slightly open in surprise. How would he remember her?

"Adrien Agreste," the young man introduced, holding a hand out to her.

The young woman's eyes darted from his hand and back to his face before she shakingly reached out. "M-Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He dropped her hand, his mouth somehow becoming an even bigger smile. He had the straightest, whitest teeth Marinette had ever laid eyes on, she was sure.

"Wow, that film was so long ago," he commented before a brief pause. He gestured towards the film lot behind them. "So you're still acting?"

She nodded nervously, feeling the redness of her cheeks spread across her face.

"Anything I would know?" Adrien inquired curiously.

"N-n-no," Marinette stuttered. "I mean, I am acting in something now but… This is my first break. Well, it's not a big film. It's an indie film. Small. I doubt anyone has even heard of it."

Adrien's warm smile remained while she rambled.

"B-but what about you? Well, I know you're still acting. I've seen some of the films you've been in… or maybe all of them. I don't know."

The actor chuckled in response. "Yeah, I'm still acting. I'm actually taking a bit of a break though."

"So… You're just here to see the sets?" Marinette questioned, words falling from her mouth before she could even consider that he didn't want to tell her everything about his life.

Adrien shook his head. "No, no. I'm taking a break from big films. Sort of working on the same as you, really- indie films. Nothing too…. Popular." His words trailed off at the end and he shot a quick glance to the waiting car. "I should really get going now before my driver leaves without me. It was nice to see you, though. Maybe I'll see you around here? We could talk again, grab a coffee or something?"

Marinette nodded perhaps a little too eagerly. "Yeah, Yes, that would be super. Great. Cool."

"Awesome," he agreed with a smile. "I'll see you again, then."

"S-See you!"

Marinette's eyes followed the car as it drove away into the distance, carrying away the famous young actor that she had spent so many years admiring. She almost didn't see another vehicle approach, where Tikki stepped out with an eyebrow raised.

"Marinette? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The actress snapped back into reality, walking towards the car with a grin. "Yep, I couldn't be better."

Replies to Reviews:

Miraculous Potterhead: I'm so glad you're liking it! Thank you for your support

RapidSammi: Thank you so much!

LadybugLover21: Thank you, I'm glad you like how I'm writing her character!

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moonyares: Thank you for your support, I'm so glad you're enjoying!

Blanket of Rain: I will be continuing the story, don't worry! I'm glad you're looking forward to reading more

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