Seven Minutes In Heaven ~ A Miraculous Fanfic

Chapter 22

Marinette

Natalie had shown up as well, much to everyone's dismay. Even Vincent, the photographer seemed uncomfortable with her presence. He pulled out all of his equipment in the livingroom, focusing on his tasks.

"Everyone go change into nicer clothes. Since It's going to get dark soon I can get some sunset pictures. Oh and maybe some around a campfire." He called out, and the four made their way upstairs.

"I thought it was just the photographer." Alya whispered to Adrien and he nodded.

"Father thought I needed a babysitter." He grumbled, and Marinette snickered at the thought.

He smiled at her, and it caught her off guard. She would have thought that after earlier he would be upset with her. So why wasn't he? And why did it hurt that he wasn't? Pushing those thoughts out of her head she disappeared into her room, pulling out the clothes they had bought. Since the price had been so low she had been able to get three tops, two pairs of shorts and the bikini. She grabbed a soft blue top, one that had the Gabriel logo over the breast pocket. She buttoned it up and slid into a pair of the shorts, smiling at how well they fit. She turned and looked in the mirror, grinning to herself.

"Hey how do I-"

She stopped herself, it had always been habit to ask Tiki how she looked. It was going to be difficult spending time without her. She swallowed thickly, shaking her head. Tiki wasn't gone. She was just in another room. She would be fine. So she forced a smile onto her face, and marched out to do the photo shoot.

* * * * *

They sat around a fire roasting marshmallows, and Marinette stared gumly at the flames. If hawkmoth knew who she was, that meant it was all over. No more Tiki. No more Ladybug. No more running over rooftops with Chat Noir. She would even miss the acumas. And worst of all, she would have no choice but to give up the role of guardian, which would mean losing her memories. She didn't want that. She cherished all of her memories, even the bad ones. They were what made her Marinette. Without them, what would she be?

"Smile for me! Think of Mama's cooking! Think of pretty stars!" Vincent coaxed her, and she put on the brightest smile she could muster.

No more freedom. Just normal, mundane, boring life. No more constant companion. No more Chat clad in black. No more silly puns. Or nicknames. Her smile trembled, and she averted her gaze from Vincent, who looked to be losing his patience with her. They were sitting on logs around the fire, Alya and Nino across from her and Adrien. That had been Alya's idea. She probably should have mentioned that she turned Adrien down earlier, but she didn't want Alya to get upset.

"Breathe Mari. We're almost done. Okay?"

Adrien reached over and took her hand, squeezing her fingers. She sighed, looking over at him.

"Just have a lot on my mind."

He smiled softly, and her pulse picked up again. Why did she still do that? She liked Chat. She wasn't one to jump from man to man. Was she? She felt heat rising into her cheeks as she met his eyes, her heart stopping. His eyes shone from the light of the fire, and they almost reminded her of someone. But who? She couldn't think of anyone who had eyes like Adrien's. She heard a few more clicks of the camera, and she quickly pulled her hand out of Adrien's. She didn't want it to look like they were a couple. His eyes dropped slightly, and he turned back to the fire, that signature grin coming back onto his face.

"It's getting late Vincent. Are you almost done?" Natalie asked, for what had to be the fifth time.

The entire group groaned in response, and she went back to furiously tapping on her tablet, occasionally swatting at bugs that flew at her.