Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“For someone who moved in two week ago, you sure haven’t done a lot of unpacking.” Marinette eyed the towers of boxes stacked around the open studio space of Adrien’s apartment from her spot in the doorway.

Adrien blushed and ducked his head as he rummaged through one of the boxes to find a book he’d been telling her about. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get around to that.”

“You should tell Papa you need a day off.” She stepped over a bulging duffel bag and further into the room. “He wouldn’t mind. I could even cover for you if you needed.”

“It’s okay. I’ll get unpacked eventually. I’ve got most of the essentials out. This stuff is just...” He trailed off as he continued his search. “I’ll figure it out.”

“You aren’t sure if this is permanent or not.”

“I don’t know.” He frowned and moved the box he was looking in and ripped the tape off the next box. “I’ve moved three times in a little over a month and I think I’m just tired.”

As if admitting it out loud made him realize how true it was, Adrien finally felt his exhaustion. After a long fight with a rare blood disease, his mother had passed away barely three months before. He’d spent half his life in London with her after his parents divorced so after the funeral and her affairs had been put in order, he’d left their home in the care of his aunt and moved into a small flat outside the city on his own. The ink had barely dried on his rent contract when he realized he didn’t want to be there anymore without his mom.

He packed up the few things he’d unpacked and shipped them to his father’s estate after Gabriel had offered a stiff invitation to move in at Emilie’s funeral. Gabriel’s home was large and empty and everything felt awkward and forced. The large paintings of his mother and their family still together in each room also made Adrien vaguely uneasy about the situation. When his inquiry for a job at the bakery led to finding out there was an open studio apartment in the building behind it, he jumped at the chance to be on his own. He still wanted to try to build a relationship with his father but it felt like a better start to not be under the same roof and forcing awkward pleasantries.

“Are you okay?”

Adrien shook himself and saw the concerned look on Marinette’s face. He must’ve zoned out; he’d been doing that a lot lately. He played it off with a laugh and felt a bright small fall into place. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

She narrowed her eyes discerningly and then nodded. “You need a break.”

“I just started working there. I don’t think--”

“I’ll take the opening shift tomorrow so you should plan to sleep in and maybe clean up around here.”

“Marinette--”

She held up a hand. “And you better not show up at the bakery because I am not a morning person so the fact that I’m offering to get up and work for you really means a lot and you should know that.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement before turning kind. “Really, Adrien, I don’t mind. You should take the day to just chill out.”

He felt his eyes burn and clenched his teeth. Crying had become so much easier and unpredictable since he’d lost his mom. “Thank you,” he forced out, hoping she didn’t realize he was holding back tears. “I would really appreciate that.”

Marinette smiled and started to move back towards the door. “Don’t mention it. What are friends for.” She closed the door behind her and Adrien let himself fold to the floor.

He didn’t cry hard and not even for very long, but he appreciated Marinette letting him do it in private. It really was nice to have a friend.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for coming with me.” Adrien adjusted the stack of bakery boxes on his lap as the bus rumbled along the busy street. “I was a little nervous to do my first delivery alone.”

“It’s no problem. I’m meeting a friend around there anyway.” Marinette looked out the window and smiled. “I always like taking the bus. I think when I move, I’ll go somewhere that still has good public transportation. I’d miss this.”

“You’re moving?”

She shrugged. “Eventually, probably. I’m trying to figure some stuff out now.”

“I know that feeling well.”

“I actually wouldn’t mind staying here but I think it would make my parents feel better if I left for a little bit. There was this whole thing with my grandmother telling them they’ve trapped me here with the businesses and I need to see the world and become my own person.” She blew out a puff of breath in exasperation. “They feel guilty now and have been pushing me to look for something I would enjoy doing.”

“I’m sure you could tell them you wanted to stay if that’s what you want.” Adrien tried to reign in the sudden panic he felt at the thought of Marinette leaving. Besides his father and her parents, she was practically the only person he knew in Paris, definitely his only friend. He didn’t like the thought of not getting to see her everyday.

“Yeah, I know. I guess there is a little part of me that kind of does want to get out into the world though.”

“Any idea where you want to go?”

She smiled at him. “I’m not sure yet. Did you enjoy London?”

“For the most part. My mom really loved it there but once she was gone, I guess it just didn’t really hold an appeal for me anymore.”

Marinette reached over to pat his hand comfortingly as if without a thought and then she blushed, quickly pulling her hand away. “How are you doing with everything?”
Adrien forced a smile. “It’s been an adjustment but I think I’m okay.”

“It’s okay if you aren’t,” she reminded him.

While he knew that, there was something comforting about hearing it said aloud by someone else. “Thanks.”

The bus began to slow and Marinette peered out the window. “Oh! This is us.” She helped him gather the tote bags full of bakery boxes as well as the ones he’d been holding in his lap and they made it off the bus without incident.

“If you need to meet your friend, I think I can get it from here.” Adrien held out a hand to take the delivery tote she was holding but Marinette waved him off.

“I don’t mind helping you finish. If you aren’t busy after, do you want to join us? We’re just grabbing something to eat and there was talk of a movie.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It’s not imposing if I invited you, silly.” Marinette booped his nose and laughed at the surprised look on his face. “You don’t have to if you’re not feeling it though.”

“No! I’d love to.” Adrien felt his face heat up at the volume of his voice. “I mean, it’d be nice to make some other friends since I plan on staying here a while.”

“That reminds me that I should take you around to meet some of the other tenants. Don’t let me forget.” Marinette rang the doorbell and stood back to wait for the customer to answer. “Ooo, I bet you and Nino would get along well. And tonight you’ll meet Alya.” She rolled her eyes but smiled. “She’ll be so happy to finally meet you. She gives me a hard time for talking about you so much.” Her cheeks went pink and she snapped her mouth shut as she stared at the closed door and wondered when she’d forgotten how to shut up.

“You talk about me?” Adrien felt pleased and some other emotion he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Marinette had never been so happy to see a door open in her life.

Chapter Text

“I almost died on the spot,” Marinette groaned. She held the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could hang up a dress in her closet. “You should’ve seen the way he looked at me, Mimi. I spent the rest of the night afraid to talk.”

“You’re so weird about guys.” Kagami’s tone was bored and Marinette could hear the clacking of a keyboard over the line. “Why does it matter if he thinks you like him now? Don’t you?”

“You sound just like Alya.”

“That’s because we’re both very smart.”

“I just can’t believe I told him I talk about him a lot. Who even does that?!” Marinette lifted another dress from her hamper and took it to the closet. “And of course Alya was winking and wiggling her eyebrows every chance she could.”

“You’re the one who invited a crush to hang out with her. I feel like that one’s on you. You know how excited she gets about your love life, or lack thereof.”

“He’s not a crush.”

“Ah, okay, so we’re doing denial then.”

“Kagami!”

“Yes?”

Marinette sighed and flopped down on her chaise, knocking the basket of clean laundry to the floor. “I’m practically his only friend here right now and his mom just died and he’s working for my parents and I’m the building manager for the place he lives. It would be way too messy to even think of something like that. Besides, I don’t know how long I’m going to be around.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Simply don’t date him.”

“I wasn’t going to date him,” she replied petulantly.

“Introduce me when I’m in town so I can date him. Mother’s been on my case again.”

Marinette stamped down the instant flare of jealousy that rose up at the thought of anyone dating Adrien. She didn’t like that feeling and she wouldn’t entertain it. They were friends and she was perfectly content with that. She could be content with that. She would work really hard at being content with that. “Sure, I can do that.”

The typing over the line stopped and Kagami let out a short laugh. “You’ve always been a bad liar.”
________________________________

Marinette slipped down the stairs and and found her father closing the back door to the bakery. “Closed already, Papa?”

“Adrien’s finishing up the cleaning now. Your mother and I are going out for dinner tonight, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” she nodded, glancing at the closed door. She rocked back on her heels. “I guess I’ll just head back up then.”

Tom studied her, a smile twitching at his lips. “There were some of the raspberry macarons left if you want to scoop them up for the night. You might have to fight Adrien for the croissants though.”

She blushed. “Oh, um, sure. Maybe I’ll go grab those really quick.” She tried to ignore her father’s grin as she moved past him and into the bakery.

“Hey, Tom, I was wondering if...” Adrien trailed off in surprise when he saw who’d entered the bakery and his eyes lit up. “Hi, Marinette. Sorry, I thought you were your dad.”

“I get that a lot actually,” she teased. “He told me there were some macarons left so I was coming to pilfer.”

“Be my guest. I haven’t unloaded the display case yet.” He began to sweep again.

“I can help.”

“You don’t need to do that. I don’t really have anything going on tonight so I was just taking my time.”

“That makes two of us then.” She shot him a smile over the case and then slid out a tray to unload. “Is there anything in particular you’re wanting to take?”

His cheeks went red and the sweeping paused but he didn’t look up from the ground. “Uh, just anything you don’t want is fine.”

“You want all of it?” Marinette regretted the question as soon as it came out. His blush deepened. “That’s great if you do,” she continued quickly. “I hate seeing any of it go to waste.”

He nodded with a mumbled thanks and turned his back as he swept the small dining area. Marinette made a note to herself to check his kitchen the next time she was in his apartment as she packed the raspberry macarons into the box for him along with the other leftovers.

Chapter Text

A series of quick, loud knocks jolted Adrien out of his train of thought. He frowned as he went to the door. The only person who’d ever knocked on it in the month he’d been living there was Marinette and her knocks never sounded like that. He opened the door to find a man he vaguely recognized passing in the hall.

“Hey, dude. You’re Adrien and I’m Nino and I live upstairs and can I please come in?”

Adrien blinked. “What?”

“Hide me,” he hissed, slipping in through the opening and closing the door behind him.

“Uh...” Adrien stepped away from the other man. “What?”

Nino held up a finger and turned to watch through the peephole. His back stiffened and then he seemed to relax after a few seconds and faced Adrien. “Sorry about that, man. I’ve got this cousin who is hellbent on setting me up with her friends and she keep randomly dropping by with different ones. Last time I got trapped in my apartment for over an hour with a girl who wouldn’t even speak.”

“That sounds about as awkward as this then.”

Nino laughed and had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was actually coming down to introduce myself when I spotted Mia. Mari’s been on my case to come meet you.” He held out his hand. “Nino Lahiffe. Annoyed bike messenger by day, struggling DJ by night.”

Adrien knew he was blushing at the mention of Marinette’s name but he shook the man’s hand. “Adrien Agreste, just a bakery assistant, I think.”

“Oh man, I don’t know how you can work there and not eat everything in sight. They make the best stuff.”

“I actually have some leftovers from yesterday if you want something,” Adrien offered with a wave towards his small kitchen.

“Score.”

Another, more familiar knock at the door kept Adrien from following Nino to the leftovers and he knew he was smiling before he even opened the door. “Hi, Marinette.”

“Hey,” she smiled back, her own cheeks pink. “I’m collecting rent checks today if you’re ready.”

“Oh, crap.” Nino appeared by the door with a half-eaten croissant. “Okay, I have a really good reason though.”

Marinette groaned and Adrien opened the door further to allow her in. “Nino, I gave you two extra weeks last month. You’re going to have to give up the two bedroom if you can’t afford it.”

“Fine, I’ll move into one of the smaller apartments.”

She winced. “There aren’t any open right now.”

“You can’t throw me out on the street, Mari! I promise I can pay.”

“Stop being so dramatic. You know I wouldn’t throw you out,” Marinette frowned. “Just let me think on it.”

Adrien went to his counter and lifted the rent check he had gotten ready the night before. He could definitely understand Nino’s pain. He’d been keeping as tight a hold on his money as he could so he could save some and get more basics for his apartment but it was difficult scraping by after realizing that his parents and their money had taken care of all of his needs his entire life. In theory, he could reach out to his father for help but that didn’t feel right. The man was still little more than a stranger.

“Here you go, Marinette.”

“Thanks, Adrien,” she smiled, slipping the check into the small planner she carried. “At least I can count on you.” She winked at him and Adrien felt too pleased.

“That’s a low blow, and you know it, Mari,” Nino sighed. “You don’t think any of the studios are opening soon?”

She shrugged. “No one’s mentioned leaving so as far as I know, they aren’t. You could always get a roommate. Splitting it, rent would be even cheaper than a studio.”

Adrien perked up at that. “Wait, really?”

“Dude, are you thinking a roommate deal sounds good? Because if so, I’m your guy.” Nino shot him finger guns with a wide smile.

“Uh, yeah, actually. I mean, maybe we could hang out a little to see if we even get along?”

Nino threw an arm around his shoulder. “We’re going to be best friends. I can already tell.”

Marinette laughed. “Okay, how about I give you guys a week to figure it out. Adrien, you’re already paid through the month so you have time and if you do want to move upstairs, I can move the extra payment over to next month for you. Nino needs to get his butt in gear though.”

“So harsh but fair,” Nino sighed, pulling Marinette into a hug. “Isn’t she the best?”

Adrien couldn’t help but agree.

Chapter Text

“I think you and Nino are going to be excellent roommates.” Marinette followed Adrien up the stairs with a stack of pillows. “Despite how you met, he’s actually pretty chill most of the time.”

Adrien smiled back over his shoulder. “Yeah, we’ve hung out a few times and he’s cool. Besides, we could both use the money we’ll save.”

“You guys have to let me cook you a housewarming dinner or something.”

“I’m the only one moving in. Nino’s lived here. Besides, you don’t need to do that.” He nudged the door open with his foot and led the way into the apartment.

“I want to and believe me, Nino’s not going to say no to a free meal.”

Adrien blushed. “Okay, then, I won’t either.”

“That’s the spirit,” Marinette beamed. She walked the pillows into the second bedroom. “Ooo, this is the good one; you got lucky.”

“Oh yeah, why’s that?”

She went to the window and unlocked it, pushing it open. “Fire escape.” She pointed up. “You can actually take it all the way up to the roof and that’s where I have a garden.”

“Really?”

“Mmmhmm. My flowers had kind of overgrown my balcony so my parents let me move some of them to the roof of this building and then I kept adding more and well...” She smiled and shrugged. “Do you want to see it?”

“Definitely.”

Marinette swung her leg over the windowsill and climbed out onto the fire escape with Adrien following behind. They carefully climbed up past the next level and stepped onto the roof.

“Wow, this is beautiful.” Adrien walked between the rows and blooms. “You’re growing vegetables up here too?”

“A few,” she nodded. “Some fruits too, depending. Feel free to take any if you come up and see something ripe. I usually end up pawning them off on the other tenants anyway if it’s a good season.” She walked over to a bush sprouting pink flowers and touched a petal delicately. “This was the first one I planted over here. It’s my favorite.”

Adrien joined her side and carefully ran the pad of his thumb along one of the pink petals. “It’s really pretty.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

She sighed and Adrien thought it was a really nice content sound that suited Marinette perfectly. She was moving again and he easily fell into step behind her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“My balcony is on the other side of this wall.” She patted the brick wall and Adrien noted the wooden planks that had been drilled into the side as a makeshift ladder over the wall.

“That’s nice that you still have a private space.”

She hummed in reply. “I like it. I come out and read a lot or sometimes just listen to the city.” She ducked her head shyly. “Do you want to see it?”

Something about the question felt very important and Adrien wondered if he should see this as an honor that she was sharing her space with him; it definitely felt like one. “I’d really like that.”

Marinette smiled and climbed up the first couple of steps of the ladder and then she gasped and was falling backwards, arms flailing. Adrien was moving without a thought and he staggered back as her weight hit him fully. His body cushioned hers as they fell backwards into one of the flowerbeds.

She groaned and pushed off of him. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Adrien?”

Adrien looked up at her, a little dazed from knocking his head against the lip of one of the pots as they fell. The sun was setting and looked like a golden halo around Marinette’s head. “You’re an angel,” he said with a dreamy smile.

“I’m a clumsy doofus,” she argued even as her cheeks flamed red. She helped pull him up and reached to brush off his clothes before thinking better of it and dropping her hands to her side. “One of the nails is coming up and jabbed me and I guess it surprised me so much I lost my grip.”

Adrien blinked a few times as a dull ache began on the backside of his head. He liked the world much better a few seconds ago. “Did you cut yourself?”

She held out her hand to show a small slice along the pad of her middle finger. “It isn’t bad. I definitely overreacted.” She couldn’t meet his gaze as she spoke. “Thanks for catching me.”

He couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t sound cheesy so he nodded shyly. “We should probably go clean that up.” He looked behind him and saw the flowers that had been flattened in their fall. “Oh no...”

“Don’t worry about them. It’s my fault.” She knelt down and poked and prodded at a few. “And believe me, some of them have been fallen on before.” She let out an embarrassed laugh. “I’ll work on them some tomorrow.”

“I can help you if you want.”

She smiled at him as she stood. “I’d love that.”

Chapter Text

Adrien stared up at the ceiling of his new room and thought it was a nice feeling to know someone was just a few strides away. It’d only been a week but Nino was living up to his promise that they were going to be best friends. They were still making adjustments for the other here and there but falling into a routine of living together when they’d started the month as strangers had been surprisingly easy.

His mind wandered to Marinette as it did so often lately. He’d spent the last couple of days up on the roof with her after his shifts at the bakery to mend the flowers they’d crushed and do other garden upkeep. She’d told him stories and seemed genuinely interested in the few he shared. He breathed deeply and felt his body relax even further into the mattress.

Everything about her made him feel good. She was sweet and kind. She had the most adorable laugh and her nose crinkled when she smiled. And she seemed to instinctively understand him. Adrien looked towards the window and blinked slowly as sleep tugged at him. His body was exhausted but he couldn’t seem to slow his mind. He thought about Marinette up on her balcony. She’d mentioned sitting out there to watch the stars and the urge to see if she was there now gripped him so suddenly that he sat up in bed.

“Don’t be an idiot,” he murmured. “It’s late.” He stared down at the thin, worn floral blanket covering his legs. His mother had loved this blanket and kept it on her bed until the end. He ran his fingers along one of the pink flowers that looked so much like the blooms on Marinette’s favorite plant and then he was swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing. He pulled on a pair of loose shorts and the shirt he’d been wearing earlier and climbed out of his window.

It was almost stressful going up the fire escape at night. He hadn’t met his upstairs neighbor yet and he tried to hurry past their curtained window as he passed by. His heart dropped when he saw that the garden was empty but he climbed the rest of the way and sat down on an overturned bucket he’d occupied earlier that day. He looked longingly at the wooden planks that made up the makeshift ladder to Marinette’s balcony but he couldn’t bring himself to climb up them.

The stars were clear and the night was just cool enough to not feel stuffy. Adrien leaned back against the brick wall and imagined Marinette sitting in her lounger on the other side looking up at the same sky. He could never tell her he’d come up here looking for her; he knew it was weird. They weren’t even...they were friends, relatively still new friends in the grand scheme of things.

His thoughts were straying again and he thought about how much his mother would’ve like this garden, how much she would’ve liked Marinette. She kept pushing him to get out and meet someone more towards the end but he didn’t want to miss any time with her. He was glad of his decision now. He got the most time with his mother he could’ve had and if he’d met someone in London, he’d probably still be there now and the thought of not coming back to Paris and meeting Marinette was...

He inhaled deeply, taking in the many scents around him, and looked up at the sky with a content gaze. This nighttime trip to the garden would be his little secret but he was glad he’d taken it.
_________________________________________

Marinette froze when she heard someone moving around in the garden on the other side of the wall. Her eyes narrowed at the instant thought that Liam, the teenage boy from apartment 1C, had come up to smoke pot again but she doubted it was him. She’d done quite a job on scaring him the last time she caught him and the threat that she would tattle to his mother was still hanging over his head.

She quietly stood and climbed up the wooden rungs enough to peek over the edge of the brick divider wall. She looked down on a blonde head and realized after a moment that Adrien was sitting on the bucket he’d been using earlier in the day when she was pruning some leaves. He tilted his head back and Marinette ducked, the quick action causing her foot to slip along the rung but she regained her balance before she could fall. She froze in place and wondered if Adrien heard her but there was no sound from the other side of the wall.

Carefully, Marinette climbed back up and barely peeked over. She could just make out his profile and goodness, he was beautiful. It was nice to get to look at him like this without worrying about him seeing her.

“Like a creep,” her mind supplied traitorously.

She ignored that thought and rested her chin against her clasped hands. She’d developed quite the crush but she was trying to reign herself in. Everything he did was so cute though. And he was nice and kind and funny. He had a knack for puns and she found herself laughing often despite how cheesy they were. It was nice he felt comfortable enough to come up and enjoy the garden. She liked that. She liked him.

Marinette inwardly sighed and climbed the few rungs back to her balcony. There would need to be a meeting of the female minds soon. She couldn’t very well start something up with Adrien if she planned on leaving within the next few months but maybe he was a reason not to leave. Although staying for him seemed silly when they were only...

She pouted her lips and opened the skylight to slip into her room. She was calling Alya and Kagami tomorrow and getting a true reading on how doomed she might be.

Chapter Text

“She can’t stop looking at him. I’m getting secondhand embarrassment,” Kagami said before she sipped her coffee.

Chloe took a bite of her macaron. “Both of their faces are as pink as her apron. How can she be so oblivious? If she’s not going to make a move, I will. He would look pretty in the pictures for that gala Daddy is hosting next week.”

“Get in line. I would get him before you. Princess.”

“Neither of you are getting him,” Alya reminded them as she tore into a croissant. “We’re here for moral support, remember?” She tore her eyes away from Marinette and Adrien’s painfully apparent flirting behind the bakery counter and looked at the pair of women with her. “Wait, are you two dating right now or not?”

“Obviously not.” Chloe flipped her ponytail and lifted her chin defiantly. “I need someone who understands what is necessary for a good relationship.”

“She broke up with me for not buying her a diamond tiara to apologize for missing a dinner because of work. I’m quite devastated,” Kagami deadpanned.

“You should be,” Chloe sniffed. “I’m amazing and you’ll be alone forever now.”

“I can’t believe we’re the ones giving Marinette love advice,” Alya sighed. “Can you both at least admit they’d be cute together?”

“They would be a lovely couple.”

“They’re both so pretty, I want to die.”

“At least that’s settled then,” Alya grinned. “So now we just have to...” She trailed off as the door opened and a new customer walked in. “Oh, crap.”

Chloe leaned across the table. “Why is he back in town?! Did you know he was back?”

“I heard that the tour was over but I didn’t think...”

“This isn’t going to be good.”
___________________________________

“You can put a few more on that tray,” Marinette instructed. She was finding it very hard to keep the dopey grin off her face as Adrien transferred a few more pastries to the display tray.

“I don’t want to overcrowd them.”

“You aren’t going to overcrowd them,” she laughed.

Adrien lifted one of the chocolate eclairs and gently shook it. “Listen here, lady, it’s getting cramped on this tray, ya see? I’m an eclair, not an ecramped!”

Marinette snorted and covered her mouth as a bright blush painted her cheeks. “Stop playing with the food, you goof. This is very serious business.”

He dropped his head and bowed the eclair. “We e-pologize.” He glanced up through his eyelashes, amusement clear on his face.

“How can you possibly be this cute?” Her eyes widened as soon as the words came out and she busied herself with wiping a few imaginary crumbs off the counter.

He blinked and dropped the eclair on the tray. “I, uh...” He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. “Sorry.”

Marinette felt her friends’ eyes on her and tried very hard not to look in their direction. “Do you want to work the counter or finish the macarons on the back table?”

“I can do the macarons.” He nodded towards the table near the door. “That way you can go talk to your friends if you want.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks! That’d be...” Her attention had gone to the door as the small bell above it chimed and her throat went dry. “Luka! Hi!”

Luka smiled as he reached the counter. “Hi, Marinette. I was hoping you’d be working today.”

“I’m here!” She could feel her face burning and knew she was talking too loud. “I didn’t even know you were back in town. How was the tour?”

“Really great actually.” He ran a hand into his hair and beamed at her. “I have so many stories to tell you.”

“I can’t wait to hear them.” Marinette caught Alya motioning to her from behind Luka and she faltered. “Oh, uh, you haven’t met Adrien! Adrien, this is Luka. Luka, Adrien.” She anxiously watched them shake hands over the counter. “Adrien just moved here from London and he’s really great!”

The men seemed to size each other up even as they smiled and shook hands. “I should get to work on those macarons,” Adrien said. “It was nice to meet you, Luka.”

“You too, Adrien.” He watched him go back to the work table and lowered his voice. “He seems nice.”

“He is,” Marinette nodded.

“Are you two...”

She bit her lip and half-glanced over her shoulder. “We’re friends.”

Luka gave her half a smile. “I get it. Want to talk later?”

“I’d really like that.”

“I’ll call you,” he promised. “Can I get a couple of doughnuts to go? I’ve been thinking about them for months.”

Marinette bagged them up and handed them over to him. “On the house.”

“You’re enabling my sweet tooth, angel.”

“I try.” She attempted to ignore the glares Luka was getting from her table of friends. “Let me know when you’re free and we’ll do dinner or something.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He wasted one last smile on her and then went to the door. “Ladies.” He nodded to the table and then he was gone.

Chapter Text

An emergency call-in order that needed to be filled saved Marinette from the talk she knew her friends were wanting to give her as soon as Luka left the bakery. Alya promised to call later to talk as she ushered the other two out the door before they could say anything too bracing.

“I think this order is pretty much going to wipe us out today.” Marinette finished filling another box and added it to the stack. “We might even get to close early.”

“That’d be nice. Any plans for the night?” Adrien was trying very hard not to let his curiosity get the best of him. There was obviously some history between Marinette and Luka but he didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask about it. He’d considered the not so subtle approach of asking her if she would be seeing her boyfriend later but decided that wouldn’t be the best either. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable even if it was killing him to know.

“I didn’t have any but if we do close early enough, I might go to the nursery to pick out a few new flowers to replace the ones we couldn’t save.” She pulled a tray of lemon macarons out of the case. “Would you want to come with me? It’s totally fine if you don’t or--”

“I’d love to,” he interjected, wincing at his own quick response.

“Really?” She beamed at him. “It’s nice to have someone to do this stuff with. I’m glad you like the garden.”

“None of your friends are into gardening?” There. That was subtle. If that guy was her boyfriend, obviously he would know about Marinette’s flowers.

She shrugged. “They all have their own stuff going on. You’re, uh, the first person I’ve asked to help me with any of this actually.” She looked up with wide eyes. “Not that you should take that as pressure to keep doing it at all! You can totally tell me if you’re not into it.”

“I feel like I mostly just sit there and watch you because I’m not sure what to do but it’s kind of become my favorite thing,” he admitted.

“Oh,” she whispered, voice a little breathless. She nodded at went back to filling the current box she was working on. “It, um, it’s my favorite thing too.” She caught his eyes and immediately looked away. “When you’re there,” she added softly.

Before Adrien could reply, Marinette was wiping her hands on her apron and closing another box. “I’m going to start double checking the ones we’ve gotten finished since the customer should be here in half an hour and then I’m going to call Papa to let him know we’re closing early. He might still be out looking at properties for the second bakery.”

“Sounds good.” Adrien kept working but he couldn’t stop his gaze from wandering over to where Marinette was across the bakery. She was marking off the pastries listed on the order as she checked the boxes and her nose was scrunched in concentration as she worked. Maybe it didn’t matter who Luka was to her if she enjoyed hanging out with him in the garden too and that was good because Adrien wasn’t sure he could give her up now.

Chapter Text

“This is an insane amount of stuff. Only a crazy person would walk into a craft store and purchase this much.” Alya looked at the mountain of fabrics and yarns on Marinette’s work table. “Are you planning on fashioning a scarf for the whole building? I thought you were just making something for Adrien’s birthday.”

“I couldn’t decide what patterns and textures I liked better so I just got a little bit of everything.” Marinette chewed on her thumbnail. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Kagami answered from the chaise, her laptop open and demanding most of her attention.

“Are you really only giving him a scarf?” Chloe studied her nails as she sat in one of the desk chairs. “Do you not like him or something?”

Marinette glared in her direction but sighed. “You’re right. This was a dumb idea. Back to the drawing board, I guess.” She grabbed her sketchbook and folded down to a large throw pillow on the floor.

“Or,” Alya began, shooting warning glances to their friends, “we could talk about Luka.”

“We could just not do that too,” Marinette countered.

Kagami closed her laptop and crossed her arms. “Are you going to date him again?”

“What? No. That didn’t even come up when he called. He just wanted to catch up.” Marinette could feel her cheeks warming. “We’re just friends, that’s all. He’s not even back in town that long.”

“You just seem to like Adrien a lot and I think we were all a little worried that you’d, uh, fall back into something with Luka,” Alya explained with a slight grimace. “Luka is great but--”

“But after he left, you were moping around for months and it was so annoying,” Chloe interjected. “Don’t look at me like that. She was annoying. You both agreed. I can find the text receipts if I need to.”

“Ignore her,” Kagami instructed. “You asked us to come see what we thought about Adrien the other day and he seems very nice, if a little goofy.”

“And I think he really likes you,” Alya added. “How did he react to meeting Luka?”

Marinette shrugged. “He didn’t, not really. I think maybe I was half-hoping he would ask about him so I could say that we’re just friends but he never did and it felt too silly to bring it up myself.” Her lips pursed into a pout. “What do you think that means?”

“That you’re about to read into nothing,” Kagami warned. “You know we support you with whoever you want to date but if you’re asking for opinions--”

“I like Adrien,” Marinette interrupted. She seemed surprised by her declaration, a blush racing across her cheeks. “I...I did love Luka when we were together and I still care about him and I hope he has a really great life but that’s just not what I see for myself anymore.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow. “And you see this Adrien guy instead?”

“I’d like to.”

Alya nodded and stood, going to the work table. “Then it looks like we need to figure out what you should use for the birthday scarf.”

Marinette smiled and joined her as they rummaged through the options. “Thanks.”

“What does this mean for your plans to get out and travel?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Didn’t your parents hire Adrien so you wouldn’t have to work at the bakery so much because they want you to get out and do something different?” Chloe gave the mess on the table a disgusted look.

“Well, yes and no. They are wanting to open a second location so there’s going to have to be even more help anyway.”

“Hmm.”

Marinette sighed. “This is dumb, isn’t it? Adrien and I aren’t even...I mean, we haven’t...”

“Then change that.” Kagami joined them and delicately sifted through a bundle of yarns before producing a soft green roll. “And use this one. It’ll match his eyes. Take the rest of this mess back.” She paused and lifted a fold of red fabric out. “Except this. I’ll pay for a skirt in this.”

Chapter Text

“No, I...I’m not sure if I...Yes, Father, that will be fine. Thank you.” Adrien shot Marinette a quick apologetic look before he was turning around to continue his phone conversation.

“He’s been on the phone with the guy for like ten minutes and it has sounded exhausting,” Nino whispered, closing the door behind Marinette after letting her into their apartment.

“His dad?”

“Apparently. His birthday is coming up next week and they were planning a dinner but from what it sounds like, his dad is trying to turn it into some kind of event and Adrien doesn’t seem very into it.”

“Poor Adrien,” she frowned, watching Adrien disappear down the hall and into his bedroom with the phone to his ear. “And he’s got his trip this weekend to go get the rest of his stuff from London. That seems like a lot to deal with in a week.”

“Yeah. I offered to go with him but I’m kinda glad he turned me down. I doubt I could’ve gotten off work anyway.” Nino flopped down on the couch. “I’m really glad he moved in though. He’s a cool guy.”

“I’m happy you guys are getting along.”

“You didn’t tell me how funny he is,” Nino grinned. “I swear the guy can find a pun for everything.”

Marinette took the other side of the couch. “You think puns are funny?”

“You don’t?”

She smiled and felt her cheeks warm in betrayal. “Maybe sometimes.”

“Uh-huh. So since it seems like you’re on the cusp of your own love story, how about you set me up with one of your hot friends?”

Her blush darkened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about and besides, I thought you didn’t want to be set up.” Marinette took out her phone and prayed for her blush to fade before Adrien reappeared. “Haven’t you been hiding from Mia everytime she brings someone over?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s because she has awful taste. I have complete faith in you, Mari, and I’m very lonely and deserve love.”

“Mmmhmm.” She scrolled to Alya’s name and pulled up their texts. “Smile.”

“Why?” Nino pasted on a quick smile as Marinette held her phone up and took a picture. “Dude, I wasn’t even ready.”

“I told you to smile,” she laughed. “You look like such a nerd. She’ll love it.”

“Let me at least see it.”

“Nope. I just sent it.”

“Wait, please tell me it’s the really pretty one with the glasses and poofy hair.”

“Please don’t call her hair poofy when you meet her.” There was a ding and Marinette grinned at her phone. “Oh man, does she have things to say about your picture!” She jumped up from the couch with a wicked grin as Nino lunged for her phone.

“Hey, sorry, Marinette.” Adrien paused at the edge of the living room. “Am I interrupting something?”

Marinette pushed Nino back to the couch with a palm to his forehead and he fell backwards with a sigh. “Mari is just out there trying to kill my game, that’s all.”

“I’m the one getting you a date!”

“Not with a bad picture, you aren’t!”

“You just have to trust me, goof.” Marinette turned to Adrien. “Is everything okay?” She noted how tired he looked as he gave her a slow nod.

“Uh, yeah, but I don’t know if I’m up to going on the supply run now if that’s okay.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “No, you know what, I told you I would go with you and I’ll go. Just let me get my wallet and--”

“That’s okay,” she interrupted and moved towards the door, trying not to let her disappointment show. “You seem like you need a break tonight. I usually do it on my own anyway so it’s no big deal.” She pasted on a smile. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, definitely.” He returned her smile but it was a pale shadow of his usual one.
__________________________

Marinette heard the telltale sounds of Adrien in the garden not long after she settled on her lounger. He’d taken to coming up there a good bit but she never let him know she could hear him. She knew how important it was to her to feel like she had her own space sometimes.

“Marinette?”

Her breath caught when she heard him whisper her name.

“Marinette? Are you over there?”

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’m out here.” There was a pause and she sat up and tilted her head back toward the brick wall behind her chair. “Do you want to come over here?”

“You don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

She stood and saw him already climbing over the wall quicker than she expected. He turned to face her and even in the dim moonlight she could see his cheeks darken. “I’m, uh, sorry about earlier. I feel really guilty for bailing on you.”

“It’s really fine. I got it all done and put away and ready for tomorrow.”

“Still though.”

“Adrien, is everything okay?”

His shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. Do you mind if I just talk for a minute?”

“Of course not. Wanna sit?” She sat down on the lounger and patted the end of it for him to join her.

“So I moved back here to get to know my father better and that’s been...interesting. He isn’t exactly the easiest man to talk to but I think things are going okay. And, well, my birthday is next week and I thought he and I were just going to do this quiet dinner with maybe one or two other people but he’s wanting to make it into a big party and invite a bunch of his business partners to meet me and I just...” He trailed of with a heavy sigh. “I don’t want any of that but I also feel like I kind of owe him a little bit. He’s the one who paid for me to break my rent contract in London and even be able to move back here and he’s paying for this trip for me to go finish taking care of Mom’s stuff. And as for this whole party thing, he seems to think he’s doing it for me, like he wants me to be able to make business contacts or something.”

“But that’s not what you want?”

Adrien shrugged. “Honestly, I really enjoy working in the bakery. I like doing it and your dad’s been teaching me how to make some of the stuff. I don’t want to get some corporate job.”

“Can you tell him that?”

“I’m trying to but I don’t know. I don’t think I’m very good at letting people down.”

Marinette tried to think of something comforting or helpful to say and came up blank. “Do you want a hug?” she offered weakly as she opened her arms.

All of the air rushed out of her as Adrien was suddenly filling the space between her arms. His arms wound tight around her waist and he took in a deep breath, his head nestled close to hers. “Thanks,” he whispered.

Chapter Text

Marinette was on her fourth warm chocolate chip cookie and halfway through Adrien’s birthday scarf when her phone lit up with a text.

Adrien: Hey! Are you free to Facetime real quick? I want to show you something. If you’re busy, I can send pictures later. :)

She froze with a half-chewed piece of cookie in her mouth. Adrien had been back in London for two days now and she couldn’t believe how much she missed him in that short time. The thought of seeing him even through a phone screen was incredibly tempting but...

She jumped up and went to her vanity, brushing away cookie crumbs with an impatient huff. There was smudged makeup under her eyes but she could fix that quickly and her hair was in need of washing but maybe he wouldn’t really be able to tell. She smoothed her hair up into a bun and took a quick makeup wipe to her face and hoped for the best as she settled back down on her chaise and quickly texted him back.

After a long minute, her screen lit up with his face and Marinette fumbled with her phone to answer it. “Hi,” she said a little breathless.

Adrien’s mouth stretched into a big smile. “Marinette, hi! How are you? I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“I was just sitting here pigging out on fresh cookies and working on a project,” she admitted with a laugh. “How is your trip going?”

The brightness of his smile lessened and then it eased away completely. “It’s been hard. Mom already had things in the works since she’d been sick for so long and my aunt’s been taking care of the rest of estate stuff so this morning I had to sign the final papers and the lawyer is delivering a check before I leave to come back.”

“I’m so sorry, Adrien.”

He glanced away from the screen and his jaw clenched. After a few seconds he looked back at her through the phone with shiny eyes and a forced smile. “It’s...it’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to getting back to a routine. It’s difficult being here.”

“I’m looking forward to you coming back too.”

The brittle edges of his smile melted into something more genuine and he cleared his throat. “Well, I didn’t actually Facetime you to get all teary so let’s get to the exciting stuff.” The camera angle rotated suddenly and it took Marinette a moment to figure out what she was looking at as the camera adjusted for the blur of movement.

“Those are gorgeous,” she sighed happily as soft pink blooms became clearer. “Are you at a nursery?”

“Yeah.” Adrien’s voice came over the line as the camera panned up to show the rest of the greenhouse. “I forgot this place is really close to my old house. I used to pass it all the time so I came in today and they have some really cool stuff I don’t remember seeing at ours.” He brought the camera back around to the first pink flowers.

Marinette felt her heart skip at the words “ours” but tried to ignore it. “Oh my goodness, I love them.”

“Do you want some? I was talking to the manager and he said they ship all over and Paris would be no problem.”

“Oh, uh, you don’t need to do that! I’m sure it would be trouble and--”

“If you like them, maybe we could get three?” he offered and the camera rotated again to show his face once more. “I thought they’d look good in the far bed that still has some room.”

“I can pay you back for them and the shipping.”

“They’re my treat.” He smiled at her again but his eyes didn’t quite meet the camera. “You have no idea how much you’ve helped me since we met and I’d really like to do this for you if that’s okay.” His voice was soft and sincere and Marinette wished she could teleport in that moment because she would’ve hugged him as tight as possible.

“That’s really sweet, Adrien, thank you.” She could feel her cheeks burning but hoped the dimness of her room hid them well enough. “You’re flying back on Friday, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded and she could tell he was walking somewhere as the plants passed in the background behind his head. “Sorry, some other people were looking around and I didn’t want to be distracting.”

“I can let you go if I need to.”

“I actually have a favor to ask.”

Marinette could see face go pink this time and felt her own react in a similar fashion. “Sure, how can I help?”

“My father is throwing a birthday dinner for me on Saturday and I was hoping maybe you would come with me? It’s probably going to be a little stuffy so if you don’t want to, I completely understand.”

“I’d love to.”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Of course! I want to spend your birthday with you even if it is at a stuffy party,” she teased.

“You’re so amazing,” he sighed. “I really miss you.”

Marinette bit her lip. “I really miss you too.” They stared at each other over the phone screens and then Adrien frowned.

“My aunt is calling so I have to go. I’m going to order these flowers and have them sent that way though. Probably some other stuff too. Bye, Marinette!” He gave her a wave and then the screen was dark as he took the other call.

Marinette calmly picked up her pillow and screamed into it.

Chapter Text

“So this is where you grew up?” Marinette craned her neck to look up at the large oil painting of a young Adrien with both of his parents. He was dressed in a small suit but was grinning ear to ear, his front two teeth missing. As soon as they’d entered the large house, Adrien had ushered her into the closed off large dining room before any of his father’s associates could corner them under the ruse of giving her a tour.

“Yeah, when I was a kid anyway. My mom and I moved away when I was twelve.” He frowned up at the picture. “I guess it feels a little weird that he kept these up all this time.”

“You’re mom was beautiful.”

He smiled then. “She really was. She used to be a model. That’s how she met my dad.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. Apparently he made an awful first impression and she didn’t like him very much but he was the best designer in their year so she talked him into using her as the model for his big projects and then they fell in love.” Adrien got a faraway look on his face. “She talked about it a lot toward the end. It kinda makes me wonder if she regretted leaving.”

“Adrien, there you are. Nathalie told me you’d come in. You have guests asking after you.” Gabriel stiffly nodded at them both. “Ah, you must be Adrien’s girlfriend.” He extended his hand and Marinette shook it, unsure of what to say.

“Father, this is my...this is Marinette,” Adrien winced. “Sorry. I just wanted to give her a tour before we got too busy.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “Ah, well, perhaps that can be done another time. Dinner will be served soon.”
_____________________________

“I think we’re safe here for a bit. I’m sorry about earlier.” Adrien closed the door of his father’s office and leaned against it. “Actually I’m sorry about this whole night. It’s been a lot.”

Marinette could feel herself blushing and turned to look at the photos on the wall. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Dinner was really good and it hasn’t been that bad talking with your dad’s business friends.”

He sighed and sank down on the fainting couch against the wall. “Yeah, but you have to admit it hasn’t been fun.”

She joined him on the couch and found that there was very little space between them but couldn’t convince herself to move away. “I got to spend time with you. That’s always fun.”

Adrien reached for her hand, linking their fingers together easily as if this wasn’t the first time they’d done it. He kept his eyes on their joined hands as he spoke. “I really missed you last week,” he said softly. “Knowing I was coming back home to see you made it all a little easier to get through.”

Marinette was sure her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She curled her fingers around his hand. “I really missed you too. You’ve kind of become my favorite person.” She dared a glance up at him and the surprised look on his face was all the prompting she needed to close the little distance between them and meet his lips in a chaste kiss.

Adrien made a soft sighing sound and then he was gently cupping her face with his free hand as he deepened the kiss. The kiss stayed soft and gentle and careful and then they were both pulling back with quiet gasps. They stared at each other for a long second and then Adrien squeezed her hand.

“Could we maybe...I mean, if it’s okay, can we go say our goodbyes and go home and do this some more?” He gave her a hopeful smile and Marinette giggled and could feel her blush getting wildly out of control.

“I would love that,” she managed to say as they stood, hands still clasped together.

Chapter Text

“We’re supposed to be planting my pretty new flowers,” Marinette sighed, enjoying the feeling of being carefully pressed to the brick divider wall by Adrien’s weight as he leaned in for another kiss.

“I know but you’re so distracting,” Adrien purred. “You’re just so pretty and everything you do is cute and now I actually get to kiss you for it.”

Marinette giggled against his lips as he kissed her again. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

It’d been a little over a week since their first kiss and falling into a relationship with Adrien had felt like the easiest thing Marinette had ever done. They flirted as they served macarons and they kissed when then we’re supposed to be tending her garden. They cuddled on his couch while watching movies and laid together on her chaise and looked up at the stars.

“Okay, okay.” He reluctantly pulled away and started towards the back flower bed they’d been working in before the impromptu makeout session. “Did you wanna do dinner together?”

“As long as you aren’t tired of me yet,” she smiled even as she could feel her blush. She was sure that at some point she would be able to stop blushing around him but so far, she hadn’t reached it. They knelt down by the flower bed and Adrien grabbed the trowel to begin making the first hole.

“That’s not possible, trust me.” He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Oh, I’m supposed to remind you that even though we are deliriously happy now, you apparently still owe Nino a date with someone he’s calling Poofy Hair and we aren’t allowed to kiss on the couch anymore until you come through.”

She laughed. “I guess I have left him hanging. Alya thinks he’s cute so we just need to set it up.”

“Maybe we could do a double date? It could be good luck for Nino since you and Alya are best friends. I’ve never gone on one before.”

“Really?”

It was Adrien’s turn to be flushed. “Well, you’re my first girlfriend so I’ve never really had the opportunity.”

Marinette blinked. “I am?”

“Yeah.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, I’ve been on dates and stuff but no one really caught my attention much before you. They were mostly daughters of my mom’s friends.”

“I didn’t really expect that. You know how hot you are, right?”

Adrien let out a bark of surprised laughter. “Oh yeah?”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I know you’ve looked in a mirror.”

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen so I’ll need you to excuse everyone else paling in comparison to me, myself included.”

“You have no right to be so smooth.”

He shot her a boyish grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Ready to get these planted, my beautiful princess?”

Marinette sputtered incoherently and finally handed him one of the pink flowers he’d had shipped from London with a huff. “You better watch it, buddy. As soon as I stop getting too flustered to think straight, I’m going to make you blush so hard.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

Chapter Text

“So he’s a huge dork.” Alya leaned closer to the bathroom mirror and freshened her lipstick.

“Which I told you before you agreed to this double date,” Marinette reminded her.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all.” She turned to face her best friend with a bright smile. “I think I kinda like it actually. The last couple of guys have been such self-obsessed jerks and Nino seems chill and fun.”

“Yeah?”

“He’s got a really great nose too.”

Marinette snorted. “Nino’s got a great nose?”

“Yes, Miss Judgy. It’s big and just, I don’t know, strong.”

“His nose is strong.” Marinette tried to iron out her smile. “That’s...something completely normal to say.”

Alya knocked her arm before dropping her lipstick back into her purse. “Shut up. I like his lips and eyes too. Is that more normal for you?”

“Hey, I’m not trying to kinkshame over here.”

“Mmhmm. So things seem to be going well for you and Adrien, huh?”

Marinette pushed the restaurant bathroom door open and held it for the other woman. “They really are. He’s amazing.”

“And just a big a dork as Nino; I can tell.”

“We must have a type.”

“Are you going to take him to the Valentine Gala in a couple of weeks?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette sighed. “I think it might feel weird.”

“Because you’ve gone to it with Luka the past three years?”

Marinette groaned. “Just don’t mention it. I think I might tell Chloe I can’t make it this year. Maybe I can pacify her with a new dress or something.” They reached their table and sat down.

“Hey, are you guys going to that big party thing the mayor hosts every year?” Nino asked. “Mia was invited through work but she can’t make it and told me I could have her ticket.” He gave Alya a hopeful look.

“Maybe I’ll see you there then. We’re friends with his daughter so she always gives us tickets,” Alya winked. “But if you wanted to plan on going together...”

“Yes, very much,” he nodded, cheeks darkening. “I mean, you know, it’s whatever.”

“Has anyone ever told you how smooth you are?” she teased, leaning a little closer.

Marinette watched Nino turn a color she’d never seen on him before when she felt Adrien’s hand slip into hers under the table. “Nino said it’s called the Valentine Gala? Am I missing something?”

She laughed and turned more toward him. “The first few years, it was actually in February but then there were some scheduling conflicts and it started happening later and later but the name never changed even though now it’s almost May.”

“Ah, gotcha.” He eyed their friends talking excitedly about plans for the event. “Are you going?”

Marinette tried not to let her discomfort show visibly. “Uh, I’m not sure yet. Chloe sent me my tickets but I don’t know. You might not even want to go; it’s boring some years.”

“It sounds kind of nice to get dressed up and have a night at a fancy party with you,” he admitted. “But if you’d rather go with your friends, I get that too.”

“No, that’s not it at all.” She cast a quick glance at Alya who was still caught up in conversation with her date. “I went the past few years with my ex and it might be a little weird, that’s all.”

“Oh.” He considered that with a thoughtful nod. “Well, it’s up to you. I’d love to go if you want to but you know I’d be just as happy watching a movie with you on the couch,” he offered.

Marinette felt the creeping anxiety that had been building up fade away. “I think we should go be fancy and eat expensive food for a night.”

Adrien beamed at her and squeezed her had. “I think that sounds amazing.”

Chapter Text

“You invited Luka.” Kagami watched him get in line at the bar from her vantage point in one of the balcony alcoves. “Were you bored or feeling petty?”

Chloe huffed. “Neither. He’s been on tour with an actual rock star. Of course he had to be here. All the coolest people are.”

“And did you warn Marinette that he’d be here?”

“Not exactly.”

“So back to bored and petty.”

“Oh, please. You’ve seen her new guy. She probably won’t even realize he’s here.”

Kagami raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow and Chloe caved.

“Last year was so boring, Mimi! So what if I just added the ingredients for drama? It doesn’t mean anything is going to happen.”

“You’re a bad friend.”

She sniffed, lifting her head defiantly. “Don’t act like you aren’t up here judging everyone down there. I know you too. Where’s your date anyway?”

“I don’t know. I told him to get me something to drink and then came up here. He’s one of my mother’s picks.”

Chloe sighed and leaned against the column. “Yeah, after the photos ops outside, I cut mine loose once we got inside.” She eyed the other woman. “So are we going to start dating again or what?”

“It’s not likely.”

“What about if I get you drunk? Maybe we’ll make out?”

Kagami couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips. “No comment.”
___________________________

Marinette spotted Chloe and Kagami on the second level as she took in the huge ballroom. They were both laughing and she decided that was a good sign; she liked when they got along. She continued to look around the room, vaguely listening to the conversation Adrien, Nino, and Alya were involved in, when she saw Luka. He seemed to see her at the same time and immediately started walking over. Marinette felt her throat go dry and she took a careful step closer to Adrien.

Luka noticed her movement and gave her an understanding nod as he joined them. “Marinette, Alya, you both look absolutely beautiful.”

Alya spared a quick glance to her best friend. “We do, don’t we?” she preened, leaning into Nino. “You’re looking quite dapper yourself. I’m surprised you’re here.”

He shrugged. “I got an invite and I’ve enjoyed it in the past.” He held Marinette’s gaze for a long second before moving it to Adrien as he offered his hand. “Luka. I think we met at the bakery?”

Adrien nodded and shook his hand. “Yeah, Adrien.” He opened his arm slightly and Marinette made the tiny movement to tuck into his side.

“And I’m Nino but everyone knows that,” Nino grinned. “How was the tour, dude? I was going to try to catch you guys a few months ago but couldn’t get off work.”

Luka’s gaze strayed to Marinette once more. “It was really good. I missed being here though.”

“And you’re leaving again? Soon?” Alya asked pointedly, forcing a sweet smile.

“Uh, still figuring all that out actually.”

Marinette gave him a brilliant smile. “Well, it was really great to see you, Luka. I think Adrien and I are going to dance now but I hope you have a nice night.” With that, she stepped away from her boyfriend and took his hand to lead him out onto the dance floor.

“You okay?” he murmured as he pulled her close to sway to the music.

“I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting to see him here, that’s all. It took me by surprise.” She looked up at him and felt a little more relaxed. “But now everything is great.”

He gave her a soft smile. “Oh yeah?”

“Definitely.”

Chapter Text

“Do you want to talk about it?” Adrien sat down at the elegantly dressed table at the back of the huge ballroom and offered his girlfriend one of the glasses of wine he’d brought back.

She blushed, realizing she’d been caught watching Luka again. “Sorry.”

“You’ve got history. I get that.”

She shook her head. “Still though, he’s not the one who deserves my attention tonight.”

Adrien tried to stamp down the jealousy that had been building all night. “Can I ask what happened between you two?”

“Nothing bad really. We’d been dating almost three years and he got the opportunity to go on tour with Jagged Stone. I convinced him it wasn’t something he could pass on but neither one of us felt like long distance would be a good idea so we ended things.”

“After three years?”

She let out a bittersweet laugh. “That was everyone else’s reaction too. But I don’t know...I thought it was something great for him to do, but it was also an indefinite thing. He could’ve been gone for a few months or a few years depending on how things went and I didn’t want to have a relationship with my phone.” She shrugged and looked back out towards where Luka was talking to some classmates she recognized from her school days. She took a long sip of wine and couldn’t bring herself to meet Adrien’s eyes. “I guess that sounds harsh.”

Adrien attempted to keep his face blank as he tried to ignore the anxiety blooming in his head. “Do you regret it, ending things with him?”

Marinette was quiet as she took another sip of wine. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Up until a few months ago, I did,” she nodded. “My mom even almost convinced me to leave and meet up with Luka on tour just to try something new, but I kept putting it off. I said I needed to help them with the bakery and I was the only one who knew everything about the building and the tenants and...” She trailed off with a small smile. “Now I think maybe I was waiting on something better and just didn’t realize it.”

Whether it was the wine or her implication that she’d been waiting on him, Adrien knew his face was pink. He watched Marinette finish her wine and then lean close, her breath warm against his ear as she spoke. “Have you gotten enough of our fancy night out?”

He met her eyes when she pulled back. “What’d you have in mind?”

"Let’s go to the beach.”

“The beach?” He laughed in surprise. “That’s almost two hours away. What would we do when we got there?”

“Cuddle in the sand,” she grinned. “I don’t know. I think I just feel like doing something different.”

“I think the wine’s getting to you.”

“It’s possible.”

He looked across the room and spotted Nino and Alya slow dancing and looking plenty comfortable with each other. “What’s the likelihood of Nino bringing Alya back to the apartment tonight?”

Marinette tapped her chin in an exaggerated thinking gesture. “Alya’s commented on the way his butt looks in his suit pants at least three times so pretty good.”

“Want to go back to your place? That’s something we’ve never done.”

She scrunched her nose. “It just feels weird with my parents downstairs. It’s different when I sleep over at your apartment for some reason but I don’t know...”

“What if I get us a hotel room for the night? We’ll order room service for breakfast and we’ll get a room with a king size bed and pretend like we’re rich for a day.”

“We can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

Marinette blinked. “Well...” She trailed off, searching for a reason. “I don’t want you to spend your money on that!”

“Gotta spend it on something,” he grinned. “Come on, we’ll go home and get some comfy clothes and go do something a little different for the night.”

“It’s so late.”

“You wanted to go to the beach a few minutes ago!”

She laughed at his incredulous expression and after a second he was laughing too. “If we leave now, we can raid the bakery for leftovers before we barricade ourselves in your room and pretend we can’t hear anything once Nino and Alya get there.”

Adrien kissed her temple. “Sounds perfect.” He stood and and while Marinette was standing and smoothing her dress, he caught Luka watching them from across the room. The men shared a look and then Adrien put his arm around Marinette and led her away.

Chapter Text

Marinette was searching for her keys in the black hole of her purse when she heard someone behind her. She spun around quickly and blinked in surprise when she saw Luka stepping up onto the curb.

“Hey, angel,” he smiled tentatively and held up a hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She let out a nervous laugh. “I just wasn’t expecting anybody that’s all. Is everything okay?”

“I was wondering if we could maybe talk? The cafe down the street has that hot chocolate you like on special tonight. I’ll throw in warm cookies to sweeten the deal just like old times.”

“Uh, I’m not sure if tonight is the best.”

He nodded. “I understand. Maybe another time.”

Marinette faltered. “Is it important?”

“I think it is.”

“Maybe I can do half an hour.”
_______________________________

“That is not at all how that happened and you know it!” Marinette laughed. She covered her face in embarrassment. “I can’t believe that’s how you remember it.”

Luka put both hands up in surrender. “That is exactly how I fell for you. I make no apologies.” His expression shifted from joyful to pensive. “I really miss you, Mari.”

“I miss you too, Luka,” she said softly. “We had a lot of fun together.”

“How serious are things between you and this new guy?”

“You know his name is Adrien. You’ve met him twice now.”

Luka had the decency to look abashed. “Sorry, you’re right. How serious are things with Adrien?”

Even though she’d had a feeling this was where the conversation had been heading, she still felt a surge of panic when he asked. Her mind went to Adrien who’d told her to have fun and come by later if she wanted when she’d texted him about grabbing coffee with a friend. “Things are...I don’t know how serious they are,” she admitted. “But I really like him and he really likes me.” She felt a blush at her confession but she knew it was true.

Luka sat back in his chair with a sigh. “And I’m not going to be able to convince you to give us another shot right now, am I?”

She seriously considered his question; she felt she owed him that. After a moment, she finally answered. “No. If I hadn’t met Adrien, then...” She trailed off and felt something bittersweet stir inside her. “I have to see where things go with him.”

“You love him.” A sad smile tugged at his lips. “I can see it all over your face, angel.”

Marinette blinked. “I...” Of course, deep down she’d told herself that she was falling in love with Adrien but she hadn’t admitted it aloud yet. She did love him though. She loved him and he should know it.

“I recognize that look.” Luka nodded to the door. “Go tell him. And make sure he knows how dang lucky he is.”
_______________________________

“How was coffee with your friend?” Adrien opened the microwave and put in a bag of popcorn for their movie.

“It was...uh...” Marinette bit her lip. “I went with Luka.”

He froze for a second, finger hovering in front of the keypad before he pushed the start button and the microwave began to hum. Adrien turned to face her with a pleasantly blank expression. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “He said he needed to talk so...” She scowled, trying to figure out the right words to say. “He wanted to see if there was any chance of us getting back together.” She saw Adrien’s face pale and she powered on. “And I told him that you and I have a really great thing going and I don’t want to miss out on that.”

He took a deep breath. “Are you sure? You have a lot of history with him.”

“I’m sure,” she nodded. She moved closer and Adrien immediately opened his arms for her to slide in against his chest. Marinette pressed her cheek to the soft material of his shirt and listened to his heartbeat. “I love you,” she whispered, not sure if she wanted him to hear her or not. She felt him stiffen for a quick second and then his arms were wrapping around her and holding her tight.

“I love you too.”

Chapter Text

“I’m glad we could sit down together tonight. I feel like we never see you for dinner anymore.” Tom passed a bowl of steamed broccoli to Marinette.

“Sorry. I guess I’ve been eating dinner with Adrien most nights.” She caught her parents exchange a look across that table. “What?”

“We’re just worried that maybe this thing with Adrien is going to make you feel like you have to stay here,” Sabine frowned. “We hired him so you would get a break from working in the bakery and it’s seemed to have the opposite effect.”

“Not that we don’t love having you around,” Tom quickly continued.

“And we love Adrien,” Sabine added.

“But I think your mom and I just don’t want you to feel pressured into staying here just because of the businesses and now your boyfriend. You used to talk about getting out and trying to do something different.”

Marinette felt her stomach roil as she looked down at her food. “I know it probably looks like I’m stuck here from the outside,” she admitted. “And there is still a part of me that wants to get out and see different places at some point, but...” She paused to gather her thoughts and then looked at her parents. “I really do love working at the bakery and taking care of the building. I think that’s why I’ve never seriously made any plans to leave. And now I love Adrien too.” She felt her cheeks warm but powered on. “And I love being able to be close to you guys, although I did want to talk about maybe moving into one of the open units.”

“I see.”

“And I’m good at doing my jobs too,” she said with a small smile. “I’ve learned a lot and I enjoy the stuff I’m responsible for more days.”

“And days when the plumbing backs up or the electricity starts to flicker?” Tom asked with a teasing smile.

“Those days, I’m tempted to go on the run and leave the mess for someone else,” Marinette laughed, "but for the most part, I really do enjoy it.”

Sabine reached across to squeeze her daughter’s hand. “We just want to make sure you’re happy and do what we can to make that happen.”

“You already have,” she assured them. “Are you opposed to me taking the open one bedroom on the first floor?”

“The one Adrien had before he moved in with Nino?”

Marinette nodded. “I haven’t listed it because I’ve had it on my mind for a few weeks now. And you and Papa could turn my room into storage space if you need it, especially with getting stuff in for the second bakery while it’s being renovated.”

“We’ll miss having you just upstairs but I guess next door isn’t so bad either,” Tom grinned. “You’re welcome to any of the spaces that become available. You’ve definitely earned it.”

“And will you be living alone?” Sabine’s eyebrows rose as she rearranged the food on her plate.

Marinette tried to swallow against her suddenly dry throat. “Ah, I...I haven’t really thought about it,” she lied.

The older woman hid her smile well. “Mmhmm.”
____________________________

“Marinette,” Nino whined, “tell Alya she just needs to stay here one more night.” He held onto his girlfriend as she laughed and struggled to get off the couch.

“I don’t have any clean clothes left here, you goof,” Alya argued. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“That’s so long though,” he sighed. “I’ll miss you.”

Alya visibly faltered, looking to the door and then back to her boyfriend. “Maybe I could leave first thing in the morning.”

Marinette grinned from her place curled with Adrien on the loveseat. “You guys are too cute.”

“Says the blob that used to be two separate people,” Alya teased as she let Nino pull her back down to the couch. “We’re all sickening.”

“It’s true,” Adrien smiled. “But, like, a good kind of sickening.”

“Sure.”

“You need to just bring all your clothes over here so you never have to leave.” Nino hooked his chin over Alya’s shoulder as he held her to him and she froze, giving Marinette a wide-eyed look.

Everyone in the room seemed to inhale a collective breath and then Nino was sputtering and pulling back. “Wait! I mean, not that you should move in because that’s really early or...you could move in if you wanted because that would be amazing but if that’s creepy, you should just...forget I said anything,” he finished lamely.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Alya announced as she abruptly stood. She walked towards the hall and then turned with a hiss. “Marinette!”

Marinette murmured an apology to Adrien and disentangled herself to follow after her best friend.

“This is so embarrassing,” Nino groaned, dragging his palms down his face. “Please tell me I did not just ask my brand new girlfriend to move in with me.”

“You definitely did,” Adrien winced.

“And then she immediately left the room. She literally ran away.”

“Yeah...”

“Probably not a good sign, huh?” He flopped back on the couch dramatically. “Sorry about that. I probably should’ve asked you first anyway. I just hate when she has to leave.”

Adrien glanced down the hall in the direction Marinette had gone. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Chapter Text

"I can’t move in with him! We’ve only been dating a couple of weeks. That’s crazy!” Alya paced the length of the garden and turned back around. She and Marinette had slipped through the window of Adrien’s room and escaped to the roof during their supposed trip to the bathroom.

“I don’t think he even really meant it if that helps,” Marinette offered. She stretched her legs out and the overturned bucket she was sitting on wobbled with the action.

“That’s worse!”

“How is that worse?”

Alya paused and bit her lip. “I don’t know but it feels like it is.”

“Wait, do you want to move in with him?!”

“What?! No! That’s...that would be ridiculous. We hardly know each other. No,” Alya shook her head. “Absolutely not. That’s...you’re the one who’s crazy.”

Marinette blinked. “Uh-huh.”

“I mean, so sure, yeah, I think he’s great and it’s really hard to leave and I haven’t spent the night at home in like a week and even then it was only to get more stuff to bring back over here and he stayed with me, but that doesn’t mean...” She had a dazed expression on her face. “I am crazy. I want to move in with him.”

“It’s not that crazy. Nino’s kinda great.”

“Yeah, but I’m not like this. I don’t fall head over heels and forget logic,” Alya scowled. “This is all your fault.”

“My fault?!” Marinette laughed. “You didn’t have to go out with him! I honestly didn’t think you guys would work out this well. I thought you’d have a couple of fun dates and call it a day.”

“Yeah, well, I’m in love with him now. Happy?”

“You’re in love with him?” Marinette clasped her hands to her heart.

“Oh, shut up.”
_________________________________

“Everything okay?” Adrien hooked his chin over Marinette’s shoulder as she checked her phone. They’d escaped up to her room to give Nino and Alya space to work out their current predicament.

“I just got a message from Barbara that her husband got a new job out of the city and they need to break their lease.”

“I’m guessing that’s not good?”

She dropped her phone in her lap and waved carelessly. “It’s not really a big deal honestly. I don’t usually have trouble filling the spaces when I list them. This is a good area.”

“I saw my old place is still open.”

Marinette felt her cheeks warm and she leaned back against his chest. “I was actually thinking of moving into it but I hadn’t decided for sure yet.”

“Oh?”

“It just still feels a little weird to have you in here with my parents downstairs,” she admitted.

Adrien laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I actually get that completely. It’ll be really nice to have you just downstairs. The closer, the better.”

Marinette blinked as she started to think through the new information she had. “What about upstairs?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this apartment that will be freed up is the one right above yours. It’s a two bedroom and has a nice sunroom on one side.”

“The one that attaches to the fire escape and is just below the roof garden?”

Marinette smiled and tilted her head back to look up at him. “The very one.”

“Would you live there alone or ask Alya to move in or...”

“I, uh, well...would you want to move there with me?”

Adrien tightened his arms around her. “Even though it will be like my fifth time moving in less than a year, I can’t imagine anything I’d want to do more. I do need to talk to Nino about it though, to be fair.”

“That’s totally fine.” Marinette relaxed in his hold with a soft laugh. “You really have moved a lot, poor thing. At least this one isn’t far.”

“I’m just making my way through the building. I figure you’ll have me in a tent in the garden by the end of it,” he teased.

“A tent build for two,” she promised.

Chapter Text

“How would you feel about us getting a pet?” Adrien stepped away from the picture frame he’d just hung on the wall of their new apartment and tilted his head. “Does that look straight to you?”

“Maybe nudge it to the left a tad,” Marinette answered, stepping up behind him. “What kind of pet were you thinking?”

Adrien adjusted the frame and stepped back with a satisfied nod. “I don’t know really. I’ve always liked the idea of a hamster.”

“Maybe not a hamster,” Marinette winced. “I had a bit of a bad pet owner experience with one and it’s still traumatic.”

He laughed and turned to face her. “Obviously I have to know the story now.”

“You have to promise not to judge me. I was ten and dumb.”

“Cross my heart.”

She sighed and folded down to the couch that was currently sitting in the middle of their living room at an odd angle. “Okay, so when I was ten, all I wanted in the world was a hamster. I talked about it constantly and I begged my parents for one but they always said no.”

“I’m guessing for good reason.” Adrien failed to completely hide his smile and Marinette stuck out her tongue.

“Anyway, Alya and I started compiling our allowance and decided we were going to buy a hamster in secret and let it live on my balcony since her parents didn’t want her to have one either.”

“Uh oh, I think I know where this is going...”

She grimaced. “Right. So we save up enough for the hamster and a little habitat and food and sneak everything in one day. And things are great for about a week.”

“And then?”

Marinette covered her face and talked in a muffled voice through her hands. “And then one day we were out on the balcony playing with it outside the habitat and it got spooked and ran straight under the railing and fell.”

Adrien sucked in sharp breath as he sat down beside her.

“To make matters a little worse,” she continued, “my dad had just stepped outside to sweep up in front of the bakery and this poor little hamster comes raining from the sky and he looks up to see two sobbing girls.”

“Did you get in trouble?”

She let out half a chuckle. “I don’t think my parents could bring themselves to punish me. I was devastated. Alya still uses the hamster scale as a way of figuring out how sad something is.”

He pulled her into a hug. “Poor Mari. That really does sound awful.”

“Alas, it was. Therefore, I’m going to have to say no to a hamster.”

“After that story, I’m going to agree with that decision.” He looked around the room at all the boxes they still had left to unpack and felt his energy dwindling. “What about a fish?”

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut with a groan and Adrien nodded.

“So that’s a no on a fish, got it.”

Chapter Text

Marinette froze when she heard the soft mewls coming from behind the dumpster. The sounds stopped for a long minute and she decided she’d been hearing things as she flipped up the lid and slung the bag of trash inside. She was walking back to the bakery door when the mewls began again.

“Where are you?” she asked quietly, creeping around to the edge of the dumpster. The thought of getting on her hands and knees to look under the huge bin was less than appealing so she carefully pushed it away from the wall just enough to shine the flashlight from her phone into the space. Tiny eyes reflected the light and Marinette jumped a little in a surprise.

The kitten waddled closer until it cleared the edge of the dumpster and Marinette could see it clearly. Its fur was a dingy gray and matted down with dried liquid in places and what looked to be dental floss was twisted around its triangle of a tail.

“You poor thing,” she cooed as she knelt down and offered her hand. The kitten stumbled over its own paws as it went to meet her and once its tiny tongue had licked against Marinette’s fingers, she was scooping it up and holding it close to her chest. “Let’s go get you cleaned up, sweet baby.”
________________________

“So are we keeping her?” Adrien tried to keep his tone casual as he watched Marinette gently rub the washcloth along the kitten’s fur. Her coat had become a beautiful white without all the debris that’d been caked on and there was a spot of black on her chest and the tip of her tail.

“I don’t know.” Marinette bit her lip as she rubbed a corner of the rag under the kitten’s chin and a warbling purr began. “She could be another nightmare waiting to happen.”

“The way I see it, you saved her life. Trash pick-up is tomorrow and she could’ve been squished when they emptied the bin and dropped it back down.

Marinette held the kitten a little closer and stuck out her bottom lip. “No...”

“You didn’t see any others out there?”

“No. I went back to check just in case but I didn’t see anything. Do you think her mom left her?”

“She could’ve wandered away and gotten lost. I think she’s on her own now though.”

Marinette bit her lip. “I don’t really know anything about cats. What if I hurt her?”

Adrien offered his hand and she reluctantly gave him the kitten. He immediately brought it to his chest and rubbed his chin over the top its fuzzy head. “Cats are pretty resilient. Me and my mom took care of my aunt’s for a few years while she was traveling so I know stuff.”

“So you’re saying that as long as I don’t let it play on the balcony, it’ll probably be okay.”

He laughed. “She’d probably really like the garden when she gets bigger. A cat isn’t going to go running off the top of a building either, most likely.”

Marinette reached out to scratch along the kitten’s back. “Do you want a cat as a pet?”

“I’d love one.”

She considered that and nodded. “Well, we’re going to need to go get things, right? Like food and a litter box and toys and stuff.”

“Yeah. We should have time if we go now before stores close. What do you want to name her?”

Marinette smiled. “Oh! I don’t know. I didn’t think about that part.” She gently pinched the cat’s tiny tail between her fingers where the black fur met the white. “She kind of looks like she got dropped into a bag of flour, doesn’t she?”

“A cat named Flour does seem like a good name for two people who work in a bakery,” Adrien teased.

“I know you’re making fun of me but I actually like it.” She took the kitten away from her boyfriend and kissed the top of her head. “Okay, Flour, here’s the deal. You’re going to live here with us and we’re going to take care of you and you’re going to promise not to jump out a window or anything, got it?”

The kitten blinked up at her and meowed.

“We could always name her Nightmare.”

“Ha ha.”

Chapter Text

“Are you absolutely sure?” Alya asked for the third time. “Because girl, you’re already going to have a lot on your plate as my maid of honor. I plan on going full bridezilla when you least expect it.”

Marinette laughed and picked up a piping bag. “I promise I’m sure. Papa is going to make the cake and the cupcakes at the other location so really this doesn’t fall on me at all. I’m just the middle man. I will be completely free for any of your bridezilla tendencies.” She held up a finger. “Although, for the record, I don’t think you’re going to have any freakouts.”

“I don’t know. I’ve been looking up awful wedding stories all weekend. Maybe I’ll require that no one is allowed to wear any shade of white and all women must come without make-up and jewelry and the only acceptable hairstyle is a ponytail,” Alya grinned. “You just never know.”

“Well, if you do that, then I’ll be sure to lock you in a closet for as long as it takes for you to realize you’re being ridiculous,” Marinette promised. She leaned closer to the cake she was working on an piped on a few frosted roses. “Really though, let me know whatever you need. I’m here for you.”

“You’re the best.” Alya sank down on a stool to watch her work. “I think things are going pretty well. I gave Nino a few of the easier tasks to take care of and he’s already finished that list so that gives me hope.”

“Always good to know the guy you’ll be marrying can actually do stuff you ask,” she teased.

Alya got a goofy look on her face. “I’m marrying Nino.”

“I know.”

“I’m going to be his wife.”

“That is part of the whole deal, I believe.”

Alya sighed happily. “This is mostly your fault, you know.”

Marinette nodded with a smile and added another flower to the cake. “I’m fine with that.”
________________________

“Flour, so help me if you bite that bloom one more time,” Marinette warned, narrowing her eyes.

The cat in question watched her for a full second before opening her mouth and leaning towards the flower again. She watched her human take a step in her direction and finished the action with a bored yawn before hunkering down for a nap.

“Butthead.”

“Well, hello to you too,” Adrien grinned, climbing over the dividing wall from the balcony.

“The cat was trying to eat my flowers again. And to think I was ever scared of her being up here. She’s the real danger!”

“Flour eating flowers? Unheard of,” he teased and kissed her cheek. “We got a last minute order for tomorrow morning so I’ve got some stuff in the oven but I just wanted to come up and see what you were thinking for dinner.”

“Mmm, you wanna order Chinese and I promise we can actually cook tomorrow night?”

“Isn’t that what you said last night?”

Marinette pursed her lips. “I really don’t like cooking.”

“Yeah, me neither. Chinese it is.” He sat on one of the adirondack chairs and watched her snip away some dead leaves. “So lots of wedding stuff going on lately, huh?”

“Yeah, Alya is trying to be chill but she’s super excited.” Marinette laughed. “It’s going to be a big deal, I think. She keeps adding more and more stuff.”

“And Nino just keeps saying yes, believe me, I know.”

“It’s nice though. I’m glad to see them so happy.”

“Me too.”

Flour had given up on her fake nap and sauntered over to Adrien to rub along his legs. Adrien reached down to scratch along her head.

“It’s been making me think a lot lately,” he said.

Marinette paused in her pruning. “Oh yeah?”

“Well, we did say that we’d talk about marriage once things settled down again after the move and switching things up with the bakeries. I feel pretty settled; what about you?”

She smiled up at him. “I’m feeling pretty settled too.”

“Good to know.”

“Mmm.”

“Nice that we’re both feeling settled.”

“It is,” she agreed.

Adrien stood and stretched. “Well, I should probably get back downstairs. You want your normal order?”

“Yes, please.”

He leaned down and she tilted her face up for a kiss. “So perfectly settled, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

Chapter Text

“It was so nice of your father to give us these tickets,” Marinette whispered, leaning close to Adrien as another model made his way down the runaway. “I’m having such a good time.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad. I thought you might like this.”

“I do.”

They fell silent as they watched the show until Adrien spoke again. “You think this will inspire you to get your sewing machine out again?”

Marinette tore her eyes away from the walking designs in surprise. “What?”

“I just noticed that you never really unpacked it when we moved,” he shrugged. “I know we’ve been busy but I hope you know you can always take time to do the things you enjoy.”

“You noticed that?”

He nodded. “I’m not completely dense, you know.”

That got the smile he was hoping for and Marinette glanced back at the runway to makes sure she wasn’t missing anything. “I guess I have been neglecting non-work stuff lately. The garden is the only thing I kept doing because the flowers will die if I don’t keep them up.”

“I just wanted you to know that if you want to make time for that kind of stuff, just let me know how I can help.”

Marinette leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You’re kind of the best, you know that?”

“That’s definitely you,” he grinned.
_______________________

“Thank you again, Father. Marinette enjoyed the show so much.” Adrien looked across the party to see his girlfriend talking animatedly with one of the Gabriel junior designers.

“I’m glad you two were able to come. It’s always nice when I’m able to see you.” Gabriel followed his son’s gaze and lowered his voice. “And I brought what you asked for.” He produced a small box from his pocket and Adrien turned his body to block any outside view. He opened it to find the ring his mother had worn until they moved to London.

“It’s just like I remember.”

“I did have it cleaned. The jeweler said resizing shouldn’t be an issue should the need arise,” Gabriel replied. His stoic expression softened. “I hope you two have a lifetime of happiness.”

Adrien saw sadness in his father’s eyes but hope too. He surprised the older man with a hug and stepped back with a big smile. “Thank you.”

Chapter Text

“You look so beautiful tonight.” Adrien smiled down at his girlfriend as he swayed them in a lazy circle on the dance floor.

“I feel like a wreck,” Marinette laughed but a blush still tinged her cheeks. “We had a dress mishap ten minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start and Alya was ready to call the whole thing off.”

“Since we just witnessed the sweetest wedding I’ve ever been to, I can see you saved the day.”

“I did what I could,” she winked. “I will say though, it’s really got me wondering if I even want a wedding.”

“Really?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Alya’s been a wreck the past few weeks and there was family drama on both sides that was really dumb and was over before the actual wedding but it was about such silly stuff.” She shook her head. “And this feels like it’s supposed to be such a special moment between you and the person you love but there are all these people here who want your attention too. It’d be tempted to just get it all done at a courthouse and tell everyone later. And just the cost of everything? I like this part, the party, but I could even deal with something more casual.”

Adrien tilted his head, studying her. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”

Marinette bit her lip and gave him a shy look. “I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. All of this is great for people who want it, but I don’t really need it.”

He leaned down to kiss her. “Marry me,” he murmured against her lips.

“I’ve only been waiting on you to ask,” she replied, tone slightly teasing.

He pulled back enough to look down at her but still held her close as they danced. “No, I mean, let’s get married, like, this week. We could go fill out the forms first thing on Monday.”

She blinked. “You’re serious?”

“Was that a wrong move?” he winced. “This isn’t romantic. Forget I said anything.”

Marinette took his hand, leading him off the dance floor. They bypassed a few people who attempted to get their attention and traveled up the staircase outside the reception hall. Once they reached the top of the stairs and the music from the party was mostly muffled, she turned back to look at him. “You really want to get married this week?”

“I would get married tonight if we legally could,” he admitted.

“So you don’t care about a big wedding either?”

“I guess I always thought I would have a wedding but I think only because that’s what people do. But you’re right, after some of the stuff I’ve been through with Nino this week, I could absolutely deal with not having one. I do like the idea of a reception though.”

Marinette licked her lips. “So we could just go...go get married and skip the wedding.”

“Yeah.” He gave her a lovesick smile and then his eyes widened. “Oh, hang on.” He patted his pants pockets and then his jacket with a little sigh of relief. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small jewelry box. He opened the lid to show her the ring. “I really was going to do this with a big romantic gesture but I might be too excited to wait now.”

“Adrien, it’s gorgeous,” Marinette breathed, staring at the ring.

“It was my mom’s. Father gave it to me a few weeks ago and I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment.”

“And this is it?” She met his eyes and they were full of excitement.

“Every moment since the day I met you has been perfect.” He squeezed his eyes shut and laughed. “Good grief, that was corny, wasn’t it?”

“It was and I love you for it.” She went on the tip of her toes to kiss his cheek. “We’re really getting married?”

“We’re really getting married,” he grinned. “Here, let’s see if it fits.” He carefully pulled the ring out and slid it onto her waiting finger. They both held their breath until it reached the knuckle and sat snuggly.

“Perfect fit,” she smiled, blinking back tears. “So we marry in secret and then throw a big party?”

“You have the best ideas.”

Chapter Text

“You’re my husband!” Marinette jumped up and Adrien caught her in his arms and spun them in the middle of their roof garden.

“You’re my wife!”

She laughed as he slowed and let her feet touch the roof once more. “I know it’s been a few days but it still makes me so excited.”

“Well, I would hope so. You’re stuck with me now,” he teased, kissing the top of head.

“A terrible fate to be sure.”

“Mmm.” He walked to one of the far flower beds. “Do you think we need to cover them up tonight?”

“The forecast is a little iffy. I think I might just to be safe in case there is frost.”

“I’ve got some bread I have to check on in the oven in a few minutes but I can come back up and help you after if you want. We’ve got to protect our delicate flowers.”

“They’re strong flowers,” Marinette pouted. “They just don’t like the cold.”

Adrien laughed and went back to her, pulling her close. “I’ve got to protect you too so don’t stay out here too long. We can’t have you sniffling.” He bopped her nose and got a smile in return.

“I’ll come back down with you and wait until you can help me cover everything.”

They made their way over the brick wall and down into Marinette’s old bedroom that was currently storing boxes. They continued through their apartment and down to the darkened bakery.

“Why’d you turn off all the lights?”

“Because I feel bad when I lock up but leave them on and go upstairs. People get all excited and try for the door and then they’re sad when they don’t get warm bread.”

Marinette tried not to smile. “How do you know that?”

“Because it used to happen to me at a bakery in London,” he grinned, turning on the kitchen light but leaving the store area dark. He checked the oven and then leaned against the counter. “Okay, so we’ve got dinner with my dad on Thursday.”

“Mmhmm. Do you think he’s going to be mad?” Marinette winced.

Adrien shook his head. “He knew I was going to ask you to marry me. He’ll be surprised, but I can’t imagine he’ll be mad.”

“And then we’ve got dinner with my parents on Friday.”

“Which was supposed to be when we told them.” He gave her a judgemental look and Marinette cracked.

“I’m sorry! I talk to them everyday. I couldn’t keep it a secret.”

He grinned. “You’re just so cute about it.”

“Because I feel guilty! Guilt isn’t cute, Adrien Agreste.”

“It’s a little cute on you, Marinette Agreste.”

She melted into his arms and he chuckled, holding her close. “Still, our first official married dinner with them will be nice though.”

“I agree.”

“And then the party on Saturday where we tell everyone else.”

“And deal with the fallout.” He released her and checked the baking bread again. “Ooo, that’s a good brown.”

Marinette leaned against the counter and watched him extract the loaf. “So if someone guessed early and I didn’t correct them, that wouldn’t be the same as telling them, would it?”

Adrien turned to face and her and crossed his arms. “Alya knows, doesn’t she?”

“Oh, definitely. She knew before it even happened.”

“I’m not even surprised.”

Chapter Text

“How are we on sprinkles?” Marinette asked, going up on the tips of her toes to look at the top shelf of the supply display.

“There are seven cakes this time so we might be cutting it close after that big school order last week. We should probably order more early just to be safe,” Adrien answered. “Can you check on strawberry filling?”

“It looks good but I’m going to put us down for an extra chocolate.”

“Make that two, I think. Four of the kids requested it.”

“Got it.”

Adrien looked over the list of cake requests once more and laughed. “Man, these kids are going to be so hopped up on sugar.”

“They deserve a little sugar hopping.” Marinette joined him by the counter and leaned against him until his arm came around her. “It makes me kinda sad every month when we do this.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I know; me too. I’m glad we can do it but I wish there was more we could offer. I didn’t realize we were coming up on a year of doing this though.”

Marinette blinked up at him. “Really?”

He nodded and stepped back to check the oven. “Yeah. When I called Cheryl to get the cake orders for this month, she mentioned it. Apparently a couple of the kids were excited about getting their second birthday cake from us, though they missed the giant,” he grinned and got a laugh in return.

“That’s kind of sweet.” She frowned then. “But also sad that they’re still there.”

“Yeah. I know the staff does what they can to make it a nice place but...”

“Yeah.”

They worked in silence getting things ready for a few minutes before Adrien spoke again. “We haven’t talked much about kids. How do you feel about them?”

Marinette pursed her lips. “I don’t know really. I like the idea of a family but every time I try to imagine myself pregnant or with a baby, I just can’t do it.”

“But you want kids?”

“I think I do?” She let out a nervous laugh. “I like some kids.”

He considered that. “What about older kids?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like adoption. Not now or anything but...you know, something to think about.”

They fell back into an easy quiet as Adrien rolled out dough for the morning and Marinette began to assemble cake ingredients.

“I think I’d liked that,” Marinette finally said. “Actually, I think I’d like that a lot.”

Chapter Text

“While I can’t say I’m shocked, I’ll admit I am a bit surprised,” Gabriel said, looking at his son and new daughter-in-law. “I’d actually begun playing with designs for both of you, not that you would’ve been required to use them, of course.”

Adrien winced. “I’m sorry, Father. After seeing everything behind the scenes of our best friends’ wedding, we decided to skip most of it.”

Gabriel waved a hand and turned to lead them to the dining room. “I don’t blame you. Weddings are a rather dramatic affair.”

“And don’t let him make you think he doesn’t enjoy them immensely.” Nathalie entered the room and offered Gabriel a tablet. “One last thing before your dinner, sir.”

He distractedly scribbled something on the tablet. “You’ll be joining us, won’t you, Nathalie?”

“I have plans for the night, but I appreciate the offer.” She gave him a quick nod and Adrien and Marinette caught the way Gabriel watched her as she disappeared back into his office. He seemed to shake himself and gestured towards the set table.

“Shall we?”
____________________________________

“So the party on Saturday is more of an announcement then,” Gabriel frowned slightly. “I do wish I had more heads up. It’s very little time to pull together a proper gift.”

“Oh, you don’t need to get us anything, Mr. Agreste,” Marinette assured him. “We just wanted to be able to celebrate with our family and friends.”

“Please call me Gabriel,” he requested with a small nod. “And of course I owe you both a gift. Is there anything you’re in need of?”

Adrien and Marinette shared a look before Adrien spoke. “We’re doing well, Father. Marinette was being honest about us simply wanting to share our good news with everyone we care about.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and studied them both. “Very well then. I’ll come up with something on my own.”

Adrien chuckled. “But you’ll still come to the party on Saturday, right?”

“I feel I might be out of place.”

“Nonsense,” Marinette said. “You’re family.

“And,” Adrien added with a sly look at his wife, “we would really love it if Nathalie could attend as well.”

Gabriel seemed slightly flustered but nodded. “I’ll see what I can do then.”

Chapter Text

“Three years ago, this young man with absolutely no experience working in any kind of food industry walked into our bakery looking for a job and for some reason I decided to give him a chance,” Tom grinned. “And now he’s running that bakery and he’s the best son I could ask for. To Adrien.”

“To Adrien,” Sabine and Marinette echoed with raised wine glasses.

Adrien’s face was red and his eyes a little glassy as he raised his own glass. “I showed up in a city I hadn’t lived in for over a decade, my mother’s death very recent and painful, and I didn’t have a single friend here and then somehow I lucked into this amazing family.” He swallowed thickly and ducked his head with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry,” he murmured, regaining his composure. “The three of you offered me a job and a place to live and then I found the love of my life.” He met Marinette’s eyes and her expression was full of love and fondness. He raised his glass in a toast. “I will never understand how I got so lucky. To the Dupain-Cheng family.”
________________________________

“You’re the sweetest man,” Marinette murmured, curling up to Adrien’s side.

He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled in even closer. The night was the chilliest it had been yet and Marinette had pulled a large red blanket down from the closet and spread it across their bed. Adrien pulled the edge of it up to cover her shoulder. “And you’re the sweetest woman. That works out nicely for us, doesn’t it?” he teased.

She laughed softly. “Could you have ever imagined that first day we met that this is where we would be in a few years?”

“Imagined? No,” he admitted. “But dreamed about? Absolutely.”

Chapter Text

“It’s about time,” Chloe teased, hugging Marinette close and then pulling Adrien into a hug. “You guys took too long, by the way.”

“Ignore her,” Kagami insisted. “She’s just cranky she overshot the marriage by a year and a half.”

Marinette laughed. “You guys were betting on when we’d get married?!”

“I still say Alya had inside intel,” Chloe grumbled. “She was only off by a couple of months.”

“Do you ladies think you’ll be joining us old married folks anytime soon?” Adrien grinned.

“Oh, please.” Chloe waved her free hand that hadn’t already found its way into Kagami’s like the other. “We hardly like each other most days.”

“Obviously.”
_________________________

“So is this everything you were hoping for?” Adrien led Marinette in an easy circle around the dance floor.

“It’s been perfect,” she sighed happily. “Have you had fun?”

“I really have. It’s been nice to see everybody and get to celebrate. I will say I’m a little surprised most of our friends aren’t, well, more surprised, I guess.”

“I have a feeling a bit of a warning slipped out.” Marinette cut her eyes across the room to where Alya was laughing at Nino as he dabbed a sauce stain on his shirt. “There’s a surprising amount of ‘just because’ gifts on a gift table I didn’t have set up when the party began.”

Adrien grinned. “They’re good friends.”

“They really are,” she agreed with a happy smile. “Oh! Your father is here.”

He followed her gaze to see Gabriel standing stiffly by the door with Nathalie at his side, both of them holding wrapped gifts. “So he did invite Nathalie,” he mused.

“Good to know.”

“We might need to insist Nathalie be at our next family dinner.”

Marinette kissed his cheek. “In the mood to play matchmaker?”

Adrien tightened his hold on her and led her in another lazy rotation. “I guess I’ve just been thinking about him a lot lately. I don’t think he ever really got over my mom leaving him. He kept her paintings up all this time and he’s never really dated. She isn’t coming back obviously so to see him showing interest in Nathalie is nice. I want him to find happiness too.”

“But you still wish she was here,” she added softly.

He kissed her forehead. “She would’ve adored you.”

They danced to the end of the song and then stepped back enough to look at each other as the music transitioned into something with a quicker tempo. “Thank you for coming into my life, Adrien Agreste. You’ve made me happier than I could’ve ever imagined.”

Chapter Text

This last part has another bit of a time jump and Marinette and Adrien have adopted two of the boys from the children’s home they donate birthday cakes to.

“Henry, Michael! Come get breakfast!” Marinette set the plate of stacked pancakes on the counter as the apartment door opened.

“Ooo, breakfast time already?” Adrien grabbed one of the top pancakes and tossed it from hand to hand to cool it off.

“Hey, mister, those are for our sons. Wait your turn.”

“I can’t. Busy day.” He kissed her cheek and grabbed the waiting mug of coffee she’d made him. “See you downstairs in a few?”

“As soon as the kids get to school,” she promised and then rounded the corner to yell at the closed trap door up the stairs. “Boys, I mean it, now!”

Adrien laughed when he saw Michael open the trapdoor with tousled hair and a bleary eyed look. “Good luck, sweetheart,” he called back.

“Go to work already,” she grumbled but shot him a wink as he closed the apartment door. She looked up at her son. “Is your brother awake?”

Michael yawned. “He’s on the computer talking to a girl.” Something unseen hit the boy and he scowled into the room.

“Both of you get down here now before the pancakes get cold.”

The trapdoor shut again and Marinette shook her head and leaned back against the counter. Flour slowly made her way into the kitchen and headbutted her owner’s leg. “Tell me about it,” she murmured, kneeling down to scoop the cat up. “We’re both getting too old for this morning nonsense, huh?”

After a few minutes, Michael and Henry came down the stairs and took their usual stools at the kitchen island. “Hey, Mom, do you think it would be okay for Kyoka to come over to study later?” Henry asked, staring at his pancakes very hard.

Michael made a cooing noise and Henry shoved him off his stool.

“Hey, both of you behave,” Marinette chided. “Who is Kyoka?”

“His girlfriend.”

“Shut up, Mike! She is not!” Henry flushed a deep red. “She’s a friend from school and we have a project to work on together.”

“That’s fine. Don’t forget that tomorrow afternoon you both promised your grandparents that you’d help at the new bakery.”

“Why didn’t we get to move to the new bakery? This one smells like bread,” Michael complained.

“You’re such an idiot,” Henry sighed.

“Both of you finish breakfast and get ready. I don’t want you to be late for school.” Marinette watched her sons devour their pancakes before racing up the stairs to their shared room. She looked at the full sink and the dirty stove and while it would’ve been nice not to have twice as much work as she used to, she wouldn’t trade it for the world.
__________________________________

“Does Henry have a girlfriend?” Adrien boxed up half a dozen croissants and left them on the counter for a pick-up order.

“I don’t know if he officially has a girlfriend but there is definitely a friend that’s a girl,” Marinette laughed. “She’s supposed to be coming over tonight.”

“I better brush up on some dad jokes then.”

“You do that,” she grinned. “Oh, did you get the sales numbers to Dad?”

“Yeah, I called him this morning before I opened. “We’ve dipped a little since he opened the third place but nothing too significant. I think we should be okay.”

“Good. I’ve been a little worried about it.”

He kissed her temple as he moved past her to the kitchen. “I know. I think things will work out though. What time are you meeting with the new tenants today?”

“Just after lunch. We have a family moving in on the third floor and a single guy taking the open one-bedroom on the first.”

“Nice. Oh, Nino wants us to bring the boys over for a barbeque this weekend. They said they have news.”

“She’s pregnant again.”

“That’s my thinking too.”

“No, I’m telling you she’s pregnant. She already told me,” Marinette winked.

“I swear, between you two, no secret is safe.”
__________________________________

“It’s a pretty night,” Adrien murmured, tightening his hold on his wife.

Marinette hummed in agreement and curled more against him on the lounger they were stretched out on. Spring had brought back beautiful blooms to their rooftop garden and the air around them was filled with delicate fragrance.

“Are you falling asleep on me?”

“Close to it.”

“You’ve been working too hard.”

Marinette yawned and then snuggled closer again. “So have you.”

He snorted. “Sounds like we both have problems. Hey, we should try to get away soon. Take a weekend off and leave the boys with your parents.”

She tilted her head to look up at him. “That sounds really nice.”

His expression softened and he dipped his face close to hers for a kiss. “I love you and I love our crazy, hectic life.”

Marinette smiled against his lips as they kissed because she felt the same exact way.