Okay, I swear to god that I was not meaning to write this one!

I saw an AU idea by miraculcusladybug on tumblr, and I couldn't resist writing it!

It's probably going to turn into a few chapters...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

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It had been one of the most wonderful moments of her life, the day she received the letter. It wasn't just any letter. It was printed on fancy pearlised paper and looked more like a fancy invite to a special event than an acceptance letter.

She still vividly remembered how Adrien had handed it to her with a knowing grin. How her hands shook as her mind registered what it said on the paper. How Alya's loud shriek in her ear had sounded far off and distant. The faint feeling that came over her, and the strong hands that steadied her and held her up.

Apprentice...

The words had echoed in her mind.

It is with much congratulations that I tell you that you have been accepted as my apprentice. Having previously won many of my competitions, and receiving high recommendations from my son, Adrien Agreste...

She had found it hard to breathe.

Sincerely, Gabriel Agreste...

Adrien had chuckled as she swooned, making her turn deep hues of red. Thanks to Alya, the news had gotten out incredibly fast. By the end of the day, the entire school knew that next year she would be studying under Gabriel Agreste as his apprentice. They all knew that she had also been accepted into at least three different prestigious art and fashion schools. But this option bet them all. She'd been congratulated so many times that day, and it still felt as if she were lost in a dream. Of course, by the time she got home that night, her parents knew and had thrown her a surprise congratulations party.

That had all been a year ago.

For an entire year now, she had been Gabriel Agreste's apprentice. By now she had her own line of clothing that had become incredibly popular. Gabriel ensured that her designs were modelled at his shows. It had surprised her when after a few months, he warmed up to her more than she thought he would, and had been doing her more and more favours, and showering her with gifts, passing them off as perks of the job. Adrien said it meant he really liked her.

She had also been working part time as Adrien's personal assistant. It gave her a little – okay, a lot more – extra money. And it helped her see the other side of the fashion industry that she wasn't actively involved in.

It was brilliant!

In the last year, she had grown much closer to Adrien. She had discovered a whole new side of him that was a lot more relaxed and cheeky. It actually reminded her a little of Chat Noir. She had stopped being so tongue-tied around him long ago. They spent far too much time around each other for that. In fact, she spent so much time with him, that Gabriel had offered her one of the rooms in their house. It was right next to Adrien's, and she tended to stay there over the week, going back home on the weekends. They would eat dinner together most nights, and sometimes his father even joined them.

And, to be honest, being together still lessened the blow of Nino and Alya being away in a different school most of the time.

If anything, over the last year, she had fallen even more in love with him. But of course, nothing had happened between them yet, no matter how close they had become. She did know, however – since now she was in charge of his schedule, instead of stalking him for it – that he hadn't dated anyone the entire year either...

Today they were on yet another photo shoot. Adrien was modelling one of her pieces, no less. But things were... not going so well. They had had another, er... disagreement earlier that morning. She wasn't afraid to call him out when he was being stupid, and though he usually appreciated it after, he was still throwing a tantrum. They had calmed down a little since then, but there was still a tension in the air. A fire that burned between them whenever they looked at each other. And then on top of that...

"What do you mean you can't make it?!" Jacques shouted into the phone. The photographer paused, a look of shock and rage on his face. "No, no, no, no, no! You do not get to use that excuse! How will we do this photo shoot?!" He paused again. "Alright, fine! Don't come! Jacques Bouchard does not need someone like you! I can find another!" Dramatically, he hung up the phone and stuffed it in his pocked.

Marinette giggled and slid up to the eccentric photographer. "Is everything alright, Jacques?" she asked.

"No! No, ma cherie! The photo shoot is ruined! Ruined, I tell you! Bella D'Amaritz has cancelled! She says that she is 'sick'! Bull! It is bull, I tell you! She was fine yesterday! These models nowadays!" He pretended to stick a finger in his mouth to hint forced vomiting. "They're terrible!"

Trying to hide her smile, Marinette placed a hand on his arm. "It is terrible, but come now, Jacques. You are a very resourceful man. You'll find someone to replace her in a heartbeat. You're amazing at this."

He smiled at her reassurance, then as he looked at her, his eyes lit up. "Aha! I have it! Marinette, you are a genius!" She smiled again, rolling her eyes. "I have found the perfect girl for the job! Why, she stands right before me! You will be our beauté pour Adrien!"

Her face paled. "What, what?"

"Yes, yes! It is perfect!" He danced around her as she stared in shock. She wasn't sure if she was trying to blush, or if her face was losing all it's colour. "You are an incredible beauty! You deserve to be in such pictures as mine! And your dress, it is one of your own designs, no? Yes, you will be perfect together! Come!"

"N-no!" she squeaked. "I-I can't... I couldn't possibly..." She spun around in distress. "Adrien tell him!"

Adrien's head perked up. "What am I telling him?" he said in confusion, having not been listening to the conversation.

"Belle has dropped out for the shoot. She's sick. And now Jacques is picking... Ugh, it's just ridiculous!"

"Ah, our beautiful Marinette does not believe she is worthy of being a model for today," Jacques sighed with a roll of his eyes. "She would make a fetching partner, no? A stunning woman, fit for the part!"

A smirk came across Adrien's face and her eyes widened in terror. "You're right, Jacques. She'd be perfect!"

"Then it is settled!" he cried in delight. "Marinette! You, my wonderful beauty, will be Adrien's partner in this shoot."

"But..." she squeaked, her mouth hanging open. Jacques just strutted off over to his gear to get everything set up. She looked up at Adrien in shock. He just put his hands in his pockets, winked, and walked over to the set.

She fumed. That bastard! That spiteful little shit! She was going to kill him! And now she was going to have to jump in front of the camera!

"Oh god," she groaned.

"What's wrong, Mari?" Tikki asked from her pocket. "This is the chance you've been waiting for!"

"Yeah, but not like this! And not right now, he's being a twat!"

Tikki giggled. "Just go for it, you silly girl!"

"On set!" Jacques called.

Taking a deep breath, she went over to the set and stood up by Adrien. She wasn't used to being on this side of the camera, and her face instantly flushed. Adrien was smirking at her, looking thoroughly amused.

"I am so going to kill you when we get home," she hissed.

He chuckled. "I don't doubt it. But for now... it's time to try something new. Today you get to try what I do."

"I have no idea how to do this," she muttered, rubbing her arm. "This is a bad idea."

He stepped closer, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Hey, relax," he told her, dipping his head to look her in the eye. "It's pretty easy. Just listen to Jacques. He'll tell us what to do. He usually tries to paint a good picture for us. And you can use emotional recall as well. Just think of a memory that uses whatever emotion he wants and use that. Just relax. Breathe. You can do this."

Her mind was screaming at her with everything it had that she couldn't do this. But her body reacted to his voice and relaxed. His bright green eyes staring intently into hers made her legs start to shake.

They were snapped out of the moment when the flash of a camera went off, and they looked up in surprise.

"Perfect!" Jacques told them, kissing his fingers. "Great start! You are a natural, Marinette! Now, you need to get a little closer."

"C-closer?" she stuttered.

"Come on, Mari, it's just a photo," Adrien said with a smirk, but there was something in his voice that almost sounded nervous. The look on his face didn't waver as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She let out a small squeak and a blush rose to her cheeks. One of her legs was left in the 'popped' position, and her hand was braced against his chest. The look he gave her made her want to melt.

"Yes! Yes, that's it! Look at your partner like they are everything to you, like they are the world!"

'Not hard,' she thought. She tried to seem less nervous and relaxed into the pose. As she let out a small sigh, her eyes softened and a genuine smile spread across her face. It might have been her imagination, but Adrien swallowed before his expression morphed into something that sent butterflies wild in her stomach. Her breath hitched and she bit her lip. Her hand grasped at his shirt, the other rested on his shoulder.

It just felt so... natural.

Jacques stopped his flow of encouragement to give them another direction. "Alright, now lean in as if you are going to kiss each other!"

The teens blinked, taken aback.

"Wait, what?" they said at the same time.

"Lean in to kiss!" the photographer said in exasperation. "It is on the list of must have shots for the final product."

Adrien let out an unsteady puff of air before pulling her close again. He leant down, encouraging her to go up on her toes to reach for him. Their lips were inches apart now... And Marinette was glaring at him again.

This was his fault. Of all the stupid things she could have been doing. This wasn't fair. She just wasn't cut out for this sort of thing, and he had dragged her in there just because he knew it would make her uncomfortable. And it was making her uncomfortable, alright. She was practically tangled up with the guy she loved for... for a photo! Nothing more.

Her body was getting worked up and frustrated by all the feelings and emotions. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and her hands trembled against him. She could feel his breath ghosting against her lips and her own breath seemed to get stuck in her throat. Her gut had wound itself into a tight coil, and if she didn't stop this soon, she was going to explode.

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to kiss him. Oh, god. She wanted to kiss him so bad!

This torture was dragged out for what seemed like hours as Jacques complained that they weren't doing it right. She felt as if she were going to snap. There was something tangible in the air between them, and it would only take one spark to set it off. Her neck ached from looking upwards. Even Adrien's hand cupping her face wasn't enough to support her. Her whole body was trembling now. She felt like every nerve ending was on fire. She wanted it to end. She wanted it to continue forever. She wanted that damn photographer to shut up!

"No, no, no! I want to feel it! I want to feel the tension! There needs to be more tension!"

"Oh, there's more than enough tension!" she hissed.

Adrien muttered something similar at the same time and they looked at each other in shock.

"Ugh, okay, let's stop," Jacques conceded. "I have enough of this shot that may do. Let's just move onto the next pose. Okay, now kiss."

"What?!" they cried, their eyes going wide.

"I said, now kiss," he repeated, cocking his head to indicate they should hurry up and do it.

Oh god.

Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!

Her heart stuttered and she felt herself starting to panic. No, no, no... She couldn't- Adrien- She had not signed up for this!

Adrien looked almost as nervous as she was, but he shook it off quickly. "You okay?" he asked, drawing her near. The way she was acting made him look a little worried, but she reassured him with a quick nod. She could do this. It was just Adrien.

Adrien. The guy she had wanted to kiss for the last four years of her life!

She was practically trembling by the time they got back into position again. This time, now that they weren't holding the same pose for too long, it felt natural again. Her body pressed against his, moulding to it. For a moment he stared down at her with heavy lidded eyes and all her breath rushed out of her. He leant down, and she found herself gravitating towards him, pushing up on her toes to get closer. His hand pulled her against him lightly so there was no space between them, his other hand gently cupping her cheek. Again her hand grasped at his shirt, and her other arm wrapped around his neck, gripping at his collar. She needed to be closer.

Finally, she felt his breath lit across her face and her eyes drifted shut. She kept moving, kept searching for his lips. And finally she found them. Their lips pressed together in a tentative, chaste kiss. Her heart was drumming so loudly in her ears she was sure that everyone could hear it. But she didn't care. She was kissing him. She was kissing Adrien...

He moved slightly, his nose nuzzling against hers and a gasp escaped her lips. Something snapped in her, and she suddenly pushed herself forward slightly, spurring on the kiss. Adrien's eyes flew open in surprise, but then he pulled her in tighter, his lips starting to move against hers. She kissed back passionately, savouring the taste of his lips. Her mind went blank, and all she knew was touch and sound and taste. Every nerve ending was on fire, and so sensitive to everything. She could feel their hot breaths mingling together, his teeth scraping her bottom lip.

A soft moan escaped her, but she was too wrapped up in the moment to care. Nothing mattered outside of them. Nothing else existed. Just the two of them, and the feel of his lips on hers. The feel of his body pressed against hers, and his hands running through her hair, his nails dragging lightly across her scalp. This time it drew a whimper and she desperately tried to get closer, going as high up on her toes as she could while dragging him down to her. She felt his tongue slide gently against her lips and she gasped, opening her mouth to him. There was a deep rumbling sound coming from in his chest, almost like he was purring. She could feel it humming through his chest and smiled.

She didn't want to stop. Oh god, she never wanted to stop. But there was something telling her that they probably should. Adrien must have known it too. Slowly he started to pull back, softening the kiss, giving her lip a few nibbles before pulling away and resting his head against hers. His breath was coming hard and heavy, and she was no better off.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He was already staring down at her, a slight smile on his swollen lips.

"Parfait!" Jacques cried, startling them apart. "Simply marvellous! So much feeling! So much passion! Ha! These shot's are miraculous!"

Marinette blushed as she quickly let go of Adrien and looked away. She had been so absorbed by the kiss she hadn't even noticed Jacques taking photos the entire time.

"Yeah, it was pretty miraculous," Adrien sighed. She went even redder. "Mari-"

"Is the shoot done?" she squeaked. "I should g-go check your schedule!"

And with that, she bolted back down to where their bags were.

The ride back home was a silent one. Marinette hadn't said a word to him since she had rushed off. He sighed. He'd finally gotten a kiss from her – an absolutely amazing, mind blowing kiss – and she wouldn't even pay attention to him.

It was against his feline needs to be ignored, and he craved that attention. Maybe when they were back home he could talk to her. He could stop her from dashing to her room. Yeah, that was it. He could grab her by the hand, pin her against the wall and kiss her till they were breathless again, and-

Whoa... okay. Slow down there... He took a deep breath and grabbed out his phone to distract himself from the ungentlemanly thoughts there were intruding on his mind. He was surprised to see that he'd gotten a message half way through the shoot. He was even more surprised to see that it was from his father.

Cautiously, he opened it.

'How did you photo shoot with Marinette go?' was all it said.

'Um... good. Really good. She's a natural,' he replied.

'Good.' A smile flickered on his face at the subtle praise, but then his face dropped as realisation struck him.

'Hang on, how did you know that I did the shoot with Mari? Belle cancelled moments before we started, and Mari was too busy with the shoot to notify you...'

He waited for moments for a reply, but none came.

'Father?'

He waited again, looking up at Marinette to find her staring out the window with an unreadable expression. His heart thrummed and butterflies fluttered pleasantly through his body.
He looked back at the phone. Still no reply. A sudden suspicion began to gnaw at him and his stomach dropped.

'...Dad?'

That bastard.