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Adrien was fidgeting on his seat, having the feeling he wouldn’t like what was coming.
“We want to use Adrien, and by consequence, Gabriel’s brand in our commercial for our new lipstick,” the representative for YSL said, a huge smile on her face. “Our promo this time is confidence, and while there will be a female model, the focus will be on Adrien and how he cannot resist this girl because of her lipstick.”
“I cannot just wear the lipstick?” Adrien asked.
“We thought this time we would go back to an old school classic. But since it’s a huge collaboration, the song used in the commercial will be a new Clara Nightingale, and the name of our new rouge will be,” she paused, going to the next slide on her PowerPoint.
Adrien gasped as he read ‘Ladybug’.
The representative smiled. “Your reaction is exactly what we are looking for. As a Parisian brand, we want to promote our superheroine, how she gives courage.”
“Did you ask her?” Adrien couldn’t help but pipe in. He could feel the glare from his father even if he was on the screen of the tablet.
“Well, her brand is not under copyright laws so we have the right to do so. Of course, having her approval would be… better.”
“We already sent her a message via the Ladyblog, just to be sure she wouldn’t be against it,” the other representative said.
“What would be the commercial, if I may ask,” Gabriel said, his tone impatient as ever.
The main representative smiled and changed the slide. “You first see a girl putting the lipstick on. You can see she’s nervous and trying to boost her confidence. We then realized she’s at a party. We then follow Adrien as he enters, in a Gabriel suit, of course. He sees her, she’s a friend, and he knows something is different but can’t tell what.
“He’s enticed as she flirts, charms him in a way she never dared to do. As all that happens, we have cut scenes with flowers and ladybugs, to accentuate the colour of the lipstick, to show her newfound courage.
“They kiss, and she seems to panic for a moment, which gives us a Cinderella type of exit, with her dropping her lipstick. Adrien runs after her, gives her back the lipstick, he still very entrances with her they kiss again, the end.”
Adrien couldn’t help but frown. The idea seemed vain. If they wanted to show courage, why he had to be in it?
“The female model, what she will be wearing?” Gabriel asked.
“We will leave all clothing to your discretion.”
Gabriel hummed. “And the model? Who do you have in mind?”
“Actually, we haven't cast anyone yet. We wanted someone near Adrien’s age, probably someone he’d be comfortable to kiss…”
“We know Adrien never did a commercial that asked for more acting so we do not want him to be uncomfortable in any way,” the second representative continued.
“We have models we could use. Like Lila,” Gabriel answered and Adrien shivered.
“I’m not at all comfortable kissing Lila,” he answered quickly. He still didn’t understand after all the lies she had said, and how she had been exposed, why his father was still letting her model for Gabriel. It was infuriating.
“And we prefer not. Lila is known in the industry as a…” the second representative said, looking for her words.
“A person who knows what she wants,” the first representative continued. Adrien almost applauded for her not saying ‘bitch’. “We want someone innocent. Someone the audience can believe she would need the magical powers of the Ladybug lipstick to make a move on the guy she likes.”
Adrien snorted but the rest of the room ignored him.
“Said like that, I have someone in mind,” Gabriel said and Adrien quickly looked at the tablet in fear. “We have an intern that is a good friend of Adrien… She’s no model, too short, but she can do it.”
“Of course! After all, there will be no poster. It is literally just about that music video and the 30 seconds commercial. For the posters, our usual models will be one them. We just want to create a hype over the new colour.”
“And Adrien would be perfect as he is known for Chat Noir’s voice in the animated movies and a huge Ladybug fan on Instagram,” the second representative mentioned, with an excited tone.
Meanwhile, Adrien stayed frozen. He only had one friend who was currently interning in Gabriel. His father couldn’t be serious about it.
He felt Plagg snickering in his pocket.
“Then it is decided,” Gabriel said and Adrien had to stop himself to say something. “Please send the contract to us and we will send you the necessary adjustment.”
The YSL representative gapped for a moment as if she hadn’t been expecting such an easy agreement. “Can I just ask the name of the model?”
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”
-
Marinette was panicking. When she had first seen that YSL, THE YSL wanted to use Ladybug’s name as a new rouge colour, she had been freaking out in a good way.
But then she learned from M. Agreste that she had to appear in the commercial, with Adrien, and as Marinette, she had freaked out, not in a good way.
She was no actress or model. Her first instinct had been to refuse but M. Agreste had been very convincing, letting her use her own design for both the dresses she would wear in the commercial.
Then, there was Adrien. Who had said she could refuse but had also given her the best kitty eyes to say that, indeed, his father was right that she was the girl he’d be most comfortable kissing.
KISSING.
Because of course, they needed a freaking kiss scene in that commercial. As if Marinette was not freaking out enough.
So, here she was, on set, already in the ladybug dress she had designed, freaking out. Her only saving grace was that the kiss scene would be in her other dress. This scene was just to accentuate the lipstick. Since it was all CG, Adrien was not even needed as he would be added later on when needed.
She tried to focus on positive things; like the fact that she loved the black tulle of the dress.
She followed the director’s instructions as best as she could. After a few bad cuts, the director asked her to take a break.
“Take the time to channel your inner Ladybug,” he told her.
It should be easy since I am Ladybug, she almost wanted to spat. She had to calm down, forget about the camera and let herself into the song. It was a seductive song that Clara had made, different from her usual style. She did say she wanted to do more mature hits.
With those thoughts in mind, she did her scenes. She had no clue if it was 'seductive' like the director asked but seeming to approve of her acting this time.
Now came the difficult part.
The next day, they asked her to come to a hotel. A couple of extras were there and Marinette already felt the nerves as to think she would have to kiss Adrien in front of all those people.
She changed dress for a pink cocktail one, one of her most simple designs. She had chosen something she was comfortable in, to help her relax.
The makeup artist and the hairdresser did their magic and once more, Marinette felt in awe with how she looked. She knew Adrien was on set, he had been doing his green screen shots in the morning.
He was filming his close up shoots when she arrived on set.
“Marinette… You look beautiful,” Adrien said as the director approved the various shoots taken.
She choked on air.
“Are you alright?”
“No,” she said truthfully. “I’m so nervous.”
“But the director said you did a great job for someone without experience!”
“Yeah, doesn’t change that it’s nerve-racking.” Filming, she could somewhat manage but she was not at all ready for what was coming.
“Marinette! You look lovely! I cannot wait to see more of you in action today!” The director said as he saw her. “We will do your solo shoots and then we'll be ready for the main action!” He laughed and Marinette could only be more nervous.
The first scene for her solo shots was the first scene of the commercial, her being nervous and putting the lipstick on.
That had been easy as it was exactly how she felt.
Once the director was satisfied with the cuts, they changed for close up of her lips. The director asked her to speak about random things, such as the design for her dress which helped her calm down.
It only took few minutes before the director was satisfied.
“Are you two ready?” The director asked, turning toward Adrien who had been on standby. They both nodded. “It’s the scene where you guys meet. You talk about whatever, the music will be playing so it’s not like people will know what you said. I want you both laughing. Marinette, you will have to go heavy on the touches.”
Marinette nodded even if she wasn’t sure if she could. The director screamed action and they did the first part as if just bumping into each other.
“I have no clue what to say,” Adrien admitted.
Marinette snorted. “At least I’m not the only one who’s clueless.”
“Not at all! I usually just have photoshoots! When there’s a camera for commercial, I just jump around and smile, it’s not like I have to act.”
Marinette gathered her courage and put her hand on his forearm. “It doesn’t really feel like acting when we just talk like that.”
Adrien quickly glanced at her hand but smiled. “Yeah, I just… I’m not sure how the last result will look like.”
“Oh! It’s like yesterday’s setting! I only had flowers and green screens! I’m sure it’s going to be amazing but like, I have no clue what it will look like! I only saw the few previews so I’d make sure the dress matched their images.”
“I cannot wait to see it! I’m sure the dress is amazing.”
Marinette blushed. “You always say that.”
“Because they are always amazing!”
“I cannot trust you or Alya because whatever you say always turn into a compliment!"
“So you can trust Nino?”
“Nino and I have an agreement that if we don't like each other’s creations we have the obligation to tell the other.”
“Since when?”
Marinette thought about it. “Not sure. I think grade 3.”
“Wow, I keep forgetting how Nino and you have known each other for so long.”
She shrugged. “We weren’t really friends before. We used to play together with Kim often until like… around grade 3. That’s when guys start to think girls have cooties.”
“What?”
“Oh, poor homeschool child. You never went through that time? It was terrible anyway, I don’t know why parents let the children say things like that.”
“Ok!” The director interrupted, making them both jump. Marinette had genuinely forgotten about their entourage. “More laughing and Marinette, move your hand more.”
Her blush deepened as she looked at her hand then his eyes.
“Marinette… Do you know why I don't like stairs?”
Marinette looked at him confused.
“They are always up to something.”
She snorted, loudly. “Oh my god. Adrien no!”
“It’s like the fact that I used to hate math, but then I realized that decimals have a point.”
“Adrien, I swear I cannot with your puns!” she said but she kept laughing, playfully shoving him. She always loved when Adrien started to pun, even if it was driving her nuts. It made her wonder about the things he kept hidden.
(It also made her think about Chat and her theory but she refused to go into that territory at the moment.)
“You know what they say, if he can’t appreciate fruit jokes, you need to let that mango.”
She wheezed. “I hate you.”
“But you’re laughing.”
“I must look terrible!”
“Your hand also moved,” Adrien pointed out as her hand was on his chest in an attempt to stop him from doing more puns.
She stared at her hand, moving it from his chest to his shoulder. “It did.”
His breath got caught in his throat. They stayed a moment looking at each other, not moving.
“Ok!” The director said, “don’t move and then kiss!”
Marinette glanced at the director, a little irritated that he had interrupted their moment. It was suddenly anticlimactic. Recently, she had so many moments that she wondered if Adrien was finally looking at her the way she had always wanted him to see her. Maybe it was the internship, or maybe it was the fact that they were older. Marinette couldn’t tell. What she could tell was that something was going on between them and she wanted so badly for them to get over it.
But maybe in front of a camera was not the best. Maybe she should finally confess, that after all these years, she hadn't been able to fully get over him, even with her feelings for Chat growing every day. Maybe…
“Marinette… Why did the cat go to the vet? He was feline-”
She didn’t let him finish the pun that she kissed him. It was only a quick peck on the lips but Marinette felt the butterflies explode in her stomach.
She took a step back, panic rising inside her while Adrien still looked in awe.
“Perfect! Now Marinette, run away and let the lipstick fall.”
Good, because Marinette indeed felt like running away. She knocked on the table, which made her stumble and drop the lipstick. She was vaguely aware that the director seemed happy with her “acting” as she quickly walked away from the scene.
She only stopped a few meters away as the makeup artist was there to stop her and reapply some of the lipstick.
“Perfect!” The director said behind her, most likely to Adrien. “No need for any retake! We have enough material! It looked perfectly natural!”
If only they knew… Marinette thought bitterly. It was at this moment she wished she had her usual bag just to feel Tikki reinsure her.
“So the last scene,” the director continued as the makeup artist did the last touch up, “Marinette is running outside, but Adrien calls her. He gives her the lipstick and as she’s about to take it, he kisses her.”
Marinette tried not to think that she had to kiss him again.
It’s only going to be a peck on the lips , she thought, no need to freak out.
Still refusing to look at him, she went on standby.
“Action!”
Marinette went towards the stairs in front of the hotel.
“Marinette!”
She couldn’t help the shudder as she heard her voice. Part of her brain wanted to run away for real but she forced herself to stop and turn. She saw the lipstick first, without thinking she tried to grab it but he took her wrist instead.
“Wha?” She said but he pulled her flush against him and his lips met hers.
She tensed in the kiss, waiting for the director to say the words but Adrien snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
On instinct only, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He licked her bottom lip. She parted her lips.
The kiss grew more heated as she tasted his tongue, hands going up to his hair.
“Cut!” She heard in the background but every time she tried to detach herself, Adrien would follow her into another kiss and she didn’t have the will to push him away. Not when he was so close.
“Cut!” The director said once more, this time voice a little more uncertain. She managed to look at him as Adrien panted in her ear to only softly kiss her temple. The director cleared his throat. “That was perfect. Let’s take a break.”
Everyone awkwardly looked away from them. Only a few staff seemed to be giggling.
“Adrien…”
He hummed in response, never letting her waist go away.
“What was that?”
“Something I should’ve done a long time ago.”
Marinette blushed fully, unable to find the words. She even wasn’t sure what she wanted to say.
“Marinette… I think I was always kind of in love with you,” he said as he let her go.
She fully turned to look at him. “What?”
“I had a crush for so long on Ladybug and, don’t laugh, but I thought… I don’t know what I thought but the crush was there and then I tried to date Kagami but something always felt off. And then I was jealous… Somewhat jealous when you were dating Luka but I couldn’t… I didn’t understand why…” Adrien seemed to struggle with his words and Marinette quickly glanced around them.
All the staff seemed to have understood that something was going on and was in a distance but it still felt public. “Let’s go in the waiting room,” Marinette said.
Without even looking if he was following her, she went to the room.
When she heard the door close softly behind her, she said without looking at him: “I used to have this huge crush on you back in college, That’s why I was such a klutz around you. But you started to date Kagami and I thought I should let go and then we became good friends and I could finally talk in full sentences so I thought it wasn’t meant to be and then those past few months you kept flirting and sending those signals and I thought I was going crazy.”
“You were not,” she heard him say. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more straightforward… You always said we were just good friends…”
“You said it first!”
He chuckled. “Sorry.” There was a pause. “Marinette, look at me.”
She took a long breath in and turned to look at him. The genuine smile on his face made her weak.
“Marinette, would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?”
Marinette blinked once. Twice. Let out a squeal of pure happiness and jumped in his arms.
“I’ll take that for a yes.”
“Of course it’s a yes, you doofus!”
He laughed. “Who would’ve believed that a commercial would’ve been the thing to bring us together!”
“A commercial your father almost blackmail me to be in…” she paused. “Do you think he knew…?”
Adrien grimaced. “I don’t want to think about it.” Instead, he took her face in his hands. She closed her eyes and his lips softly met hers.
They were in a heavy make-out session when the assistant director knocked on their door. She didn’t say anything about their state of disarray, only said: “the director thought it would be better to redo Adrien’s solo shots with Marinette next to the camera. You don’t look half as smitten when she’s not there.”
They both blushed.
-
It was only later after she retailed the happening to Alya and screamed in her pillow for 2 hours that she realized, looking at Tikki in awe, “Adrien had a crush on Ladybug?”
The End