Maybe There Is Hope

The Photo shoot

Chapter 4

Felix didn't bother hiding his smirk as Marinette came up the steps wearing her songbird. At a glance, he noticed a few changes from the sketch. The pants went all the way to her ankles and tied above her feet, giving it a controlled feel to it, which contrasted and complemented the freely flowing top. However, it was the bird that drew his attention; hand-stitched in hues of blues, purples, and white with gems for eyes and golden thread for the beak and feet. The detail and time she must have put into it was absolutely amazing, proving to him that she wasn't only skilled at designing her pieces, but was a true artist at creating them as well.

There was a slight blush on her face as she stood before him, waiting for him to comment on her design out loud.

"You changed the length of the pants," he told her, pointing out the most prominent change from the drawing.

She nodded as they walked into school together. "I always start out with more fabric for length when it comes to skirts and pants since you can always cut some material away, but you can't easily add more. I liked the longer length and it worked well with the flow of the top, and since the design was for me, I decided to keep it long."

"Fair point and they do work well together. You are a very skilled designer, I can see how you were able to gain Uncle Gabriel's attention, as well as Bourgeois."

Marinette's blush increased at the compliment and although it did calm down as the day progressed, it never left her cheeks, as the compliments didn't end with Felix. Everyone in class was impressed with her design and were now very interested in getting some original designs for themselves. Alya took multiple photos to post on her personal blog, along with a link to Marinette's website.

She handled the onslaught of requests from their classmates with the pose of a seasoned professional, letting them know to visit her website, MDC Original Designs, to take a look at what she has to offer. Marinette had made the website a few months ago after Jagged Stone had taken to bragging about her designs to other friends in the industry and they began emailing her with requests. The website made things easier for setting up appointments, showcase her new designs, and list the pricing for her work.

By the end of the school day, Marinette's phone chimed multiple times, alerting her to the requests for appointments to get a MDC original. A few were from their classmates, but most were from people that had seen the photos on Alya's blog and were willing to pay for her work.

Marinette had been excitedly showing the alerts on her phone to Felix as they left the school, so he had ended up walking her home, not that he minded. When they were approaching the front doors of the bakery, she looked past him towards the park beside her home. There was a photoshoot in progress, and Felix was almost positive that it was for his uncle's new spring line. He had worn one of his uncle's suits to school that day in anticipation of complementing Marinette's style. Before he could suggest taking a quick look, since no designer would turn down the chance to see what was coming, Marinette was already hurrying across the street to get a closer look with the rest of the crowd.

As soon as they reached a spot they could easily see, Felix understood why the shoot had attracted such a crowd and it wasn't because of the clothes. The photoshoot was featuring Adrien and Lila as the models, and the photographer was having a fit with Lila. From the snippets of Italian that he could understand, the girl wasn't giving the right energy for the shoot and seemed more interested in showcasing herself rather than the clothes.