A/N: Hi everyone! So here is chapter ten. Sorry it's rather late in the day, but it is still Saturday where im at. First note- we are nearing the end of the first story arc of this fic. So I am super excited! Second note- Friday was officially my last day of work and now I am a stay at home mom to my little ones, which means in theory I should have more time and energy to write. So yay!
In response to my reviews from last chapter:
Rose tiger: Yes! I felt it was really important for Adrien to deal with Chloe.
Stardust3: Thank you so much! I am happy I could make you feel so much. I think it's so awesome how there are fans from so many different places. Thanks for your support!
Demi clayton: thanks! The reveal is coming soon... just not quite yet. Hang in there!
lala1224: Thank you! I am so glad!
Lizzie: Thank you! Chat will be back very VERY soon... just wait a little longer.
lonelybutterfly95: the reveals will come pretty soon. As for the other thing... well...
The7Strange: Thank you! I am really enjoying writing it. And Gabriel is such an interesting character. Definitely one of my face to write!
mayuralover: thanks for your support! Wouldnt a long engagement be just a little too perfect? Lol. And yes, it always hurts to write Marinette being sad.
DenshUp: thanks so much! I'm glad!
Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Every single one makes me super happy! Enjoy the next chapter!
~marauderluverz
Chapter 10: All I Want Is to Keep You Safe from the Cold
Marinette couldn't focus as she sat in class that morning. Thoughts moved through her head at an alarming rate. Thoughts about a possible marriage to Adrien, her long time crush. Thoughts about how said crush had just kissed her on the cheek in front of her whole class. Thoughts about how her whole class (and probably half the school by now) thought that she and said crush had been having sex. She could feel that her face was still warm.
Next to her, Alya nudged her arm, "Hey, M."
Marinette glanced at her. "What?" she mouthed.
Alya hurried to write something on a piece of scratch paper, before shoving it across the desk.
What were you and Adrien talking about? What haven't you decided?
She stared down at the words on the paper. Well, I had planned on telling her eventually. And I could use some advice. She grabbed her own pen and wrote an answer before sliding the paper back to Alya.
Let's talk at my house during lunch.
Alya gave her a thumbs up to show she agreed before turning her attention back to Mlle. Bustier.
"Now, class, I want all of you to read the next chapter in our textbook and then fill out these questions to turn in tomorrow." She gestured to a stack of papers on her desk just as the bell rang. "Class dismissed."
Marinette followed Alya up to the front of the classroom, aware of the way Adrien's eyes followed her. She had just placed her paper into her bag when Mlle. Bustier got her attention with a wave.
"Marinette, could I speak with you for a moment?" she asked.
"You want me to wait?" Alya asked.
Marinette shook her head. "It's okay, go on ahead." Then she stepped over to her teacher and waited expectantly.
Mlle. Bustier watched as the rest of her class filed out of the classroom before turning her attention back to Marinette. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I just wanted to speak with you privately. I'll give you a note for your next class in case you are late."
Marinette could only nod. She wasn't sure what her teacher had wanted to discuss. Dread filled her, what if she had done something wrong? What if Mlle. Bustier no longer wanted her in her class? What if-
"How are you doing?"
Marinette could only stare at the woman before her. "How am I-? How am I doing?" she asked.
Mlle. Bustier gave a small laugh but nodded. "Yes, Marinette. I know life has been very… exciting for you the past few weeks and I wanted to check in on you."
"Oh, so then… you know?" Marinette felt her face heat up. There was something different about her teacher knowing. Especially when it was a teacher who seemed to think so highly of her.
Mlle. Bustier nodded, "Yes, it would be hard to miss that with all the commotion on Friday. But since all that happened rather suddenly, I wanted to take the time to see if you were okay. Do you need anything?"
Marinette could feel her heart clench at the kindness her teacher was showing. Her emotions caught up to her and her eyes felt a little wet. "I'm doing pretty good. I mean, my parents are taking it better than I thought."
The redheaded woman let our a breath of relief. "I'm glad to hear that, Marinette. All of my students are important to me, but… Marinette's are very special in this world."
Marinette blushed and muttered a quiet "Thank you."
"And how is Adrien doing?"
Marinette followed Mlle. Bustier's gaze to the door. Just outside of it you could see Adrien waiting across the hall with Alya.
"His father is… well, I guess he's taking it as well as can be expected." She turned back to Mlle. Bustier. "Thank you for asking about us. It really means a lot."
Mlle. Bustier gave her a warm smile. "If you or Adrien need anything, you can come to me."
Marinette nodded before stepping forward and giving the older woman a long hug. She pulled away and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thanks again." She then headed for the door, eager to see what Adrien and Alya were discussing.
~a few minutes earlier~
Adrien stepped out of the classroom only partly hearing that Mlle. Bustier wanted to speak to Marinette. He saw Marinette wave off Alya and he decided he would wait across the hall for his girlfriend. Only that meant Alya saw him waiting.
He gulped as her eyes flashed. I guess we had to talk eventually. He wasn't exactly sure why talking with Alya scared him as much as talking to Marinette's parents had, but he knew how protective she could be. He forced a smile as she approached him.
"Hey, Alya," he greeted with a wave. "I think Nino had to grab something out of his locker before the next class."
Alya nodded, "Perfect. That gives us a chance to talk."
"Talk?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"Don't play stupid, Agreste," Alya hissed. "I know. She told me everything."
"Oh." Adrien stared at the ground, not wanting to meet Alya's eyes.
"So, what's in it for you?"
The question itself shocked Adrien more than her tone. He had expected her to be suspicious of him, but he hadn't exactly expected her to be so straightforward.
"In it for me?" he asked, "I'm not sure I understand." He stared through the classroom window and watched as Marinette talked to their teacher. "I just want to do what I can to take care of her."
Alya watched him warily. "You could do that without saying it's yours, you know?"
"It's easier for me to be involved if we use that though."
"How long have you liked her?"
Adrien's head spun as he stared at Alya. He could already feel his cheeks warming. "How long…?" he let his words trail off, unsure how to respond.
Alya nodded. "This type of thing isn't something you just do for a friend. Hell, most people wouldn't even do it for someone they were interested in. So I'm trying to figure out if you are just so stupidly in love that you would, or if there's something in it for you."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I promise I'm not doing this for anything other than Marinette's happiness and safety. I care about her and I just really feel like I need to be there for her in whatever way she'll let me."
"Fine. But if you hurt her in any way, I will kick your ass. And once I get my hands on that stupid cat…" Alya clenched her fists and Adrien swallowed hard.
Well, that wasn't good.
Their conversation was interrupted by Marinette emerging from the classroom. She waved at them both with a smile. "You guys didn't have to wait for me."
"No worries, girl. We were just having a friendly little chat," Alya answered, stepping forward to pull Marinette along next to her.
Marinette gave a concerned glance back towards Adrien. "Friendly?" she asked, her tone betraying her doubt.
Alya laughed as they reached their next class. "Well, mostly friendly." She winked at Marinette before leading them both to their seats.
When lunch finally rolled around, Marinette was feeling nervous again. Her earlier conversation with Mlle. Bustier had done a lot to lower her anxiety about her current situation, but now that time had passed, she had begun to think about it more deeply. It wasn't until she and Alya were up in her bedroom with croissant sandwiches, that her blogger friend decided to grill her for information.
"So, what was it you were supposed to be deciding on?" Alya asked, taking a large bite.
Marinette stared at her own sandwich in thought, trying to determine the best way to tell her friend. "Adrien's dad wants the two of us to get married. So that it doesn't look so bad on Adrien."
If she had thought more about it, Marinette might have thought to wait until Alya had swallowed before making her announcement. Alya choked, coughing loudly until she was able to take a large gulp of her water.
"He what?!" Alya exclaimed.
Marinette cringed. "Calm down or else I can't give you all the details."
Alya shot her a look before taking a deep breath and setting her half-eaten sandwich aside. "Fine. I am calm. Now spill."
"Your dad wants you to what?" Nino asked, eyes wide in shock as he and Adrien sat in the former boy's bedroom. They had scarfed down a hasty lunch before hiding away to discuss Adrien's "relationship drama".
Adrien sighed. "He wants me and Marinette to get married."
Nino stared at him blankly. "Your old man is crazy. You know that right?"
Adrien rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know that. But what am I supposed to do about it."
The other boy shrugged, falling back on his bed. "Well, what do you want to do?"
"What do you mean? I can't marry her! We are only sixteen."
"You turn seventeen next month," Nino argued.
The blond groaned. "That's not the point."
Nino sat up and placed his hands on Adrien's shoulders, staring him directly in the eyes. "Look, Dude. I know that you wouldn't have gone and been with Marinette unless you loved her. You aren't that kind of guy."
Adrien quirked a brow, "What kind of guy?"
Nino rolled his eyes. "Dude! You are a hopeless romantic. Face it. The point is, if you love Marinette, what's wrong with just marrying her. You would've done it eventually."
Adrien leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. If he was going to be a father to their child, wouldn't it be easier if they got married? His mind wandered as he tried to imagine life being married to Marinette. He was surprised at how easy it was to imagine it.
Watching Marinette cooking dinner because heaven knows he'd probably burn their house down. Them playing video games together all night. The constant sound of her sewing machine or the pencil as she designed. Lying in a nice warm bed, being able to cuddle her. Being able to… do more than cuddle?
A shout of laughter broke through his daydream. "Dude. You're blushing."
"Shut up," he muttered. Although, I guess it would be really wonderful to be married to her.
Alya stared at her friend. She honestly couldn't believe what Marinette was telling her. Gabriel Agreste wanted his son to get married? To Marinette? Imagine if he found out that the baby isn't even Adrien's… I would love to see his face if that happened. Actually… maybe I wouldn't.
"So, what do you think I should do?" Marinette asked, watching her friend expectantly.
"What do you mean? How should I know what you should do?"
Marinette groaned. "Alya, you have spent the entire time we've known each other telling me what I should do. Don't stop now!"
Alya couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I have. But, girl, this is something you have to decide. Do you want to marry Adrien? Even if he isn't the baby's father?" Her voice dropped to a whisper at her last question.
Marinette watched Alya thoughtfully. "I- I don't know."
Alya smiled at her friend sympathetically. "Well, then I think you have your answer."
That afternoon, once they had bid Alya and Marinette good-bye, Tom and Sabine sat at their kitchen counter listening intently as the phone in front of them rang. They had decided this was something they needed to do, but that it would be better if neither Marinette nor Adrien knew about it beforehand.
After three rings, a woman's voice answered. "Gabriel Agreste's office. This is Nathalie."
"Hello, Nathalie. My name is Sabine Cheng, Marinette's mother. My husband and I would like to speak with M. Agreste."
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Good afternoon, Mme. Cheng. Give me a moment to see if he is available."
The couple sat anxiously awaiting an answer from M. Agreste's assistant. Instead, the next voice was from the man itself.
"This is Gabriel Agreste. Mme. Cheng, was it?" the voice asked, and Sabine realized she had no idea what type of attitude lay beneath the monotone voice.
"Yes. I am Marinette's mother and her father is here with me as well," Sabine answered. "We wanted to discuss something with you."
"And what might that be?"
Sabine grabbed hold of her husband's hand. She was trying to keep her emotions in check. Trying not to allow an outburst that would surely affect their children negatively. "Do you really think it is best to have the children get married? Our daughter spoke with us, but-"
"Mme. Cheng," Gabriel interrupted, "I understand your concern. However, I do think this will be best for both of the children. They are intending to raise a child together and this should make things… less complicated."
"How does Adrien feel about it?" Tom asked, speaking up finally.
"My son does not yet understand the necessity for this decision. I have advised him, as his parent, this will be happening so long as Marinette agrees to a marriage."
Sabine stared open-mouthed at her husband. She couldn't believe that Gabriel would still insist on this if his son was even partially against it. She gave a nod toward Tom and he continued speaking.
"We have told Marinette this is her decision. So we will wait to see what her answer is then," he told the other man. "Thank you for your time, M. Agreste."
"It has been a pleasure," and Gabriel's voice gave every indication that the only pleasure he found was in ending the call.
Once the line had gone dead, Sabine watched her husband with eyes filled with concern. "How can he just make that decision for Adrien? A decision that could affect the boy's entire life!" She rose from her seat and marched across the room with fists clenched.
Tom stood, "Sabine, sweetheart. We will talk to both Marinette and Adrien. Separately if we need to. We won't let them make this decision if they aren't ready. We still have to be the ones to agree to it."
Sabine hugged her husband as tears pricked her eyes. "If his father won't stop to think about his son's feelings, then we will."
Three blocks away from the most popular bakery in Paris, an intense interview was being conducted in a news office. Lindsey Marcon sat straight in her chair, waiting for the man before her to speak. After what felt like an hour, he finally lifted his head from the paperwork he was reviewing.
"Lindsey, we were very impressed with your resume for someone who is only in their final year of lycée."
"Thank you, M. Beckham," she answered quickly.
He held up a hand, "However, we have had many talented applicants this year. Unfortunately, I don't think it will work out. You are more than welcome to reapply next year." He stood and held out a hand for her to shake.
Lindsey fought back tears. This was what she had been working toward all her time at lycée. This internship was the first step in her eight-step plan to being the most popular news reporter/blogger in all of Paris. She shot to her feet. "What if I can prove I'm better than the other candidates? I can get you any story you want. With facts and sources and pictures."
Julius Beckham shook his head. "Lindsey, it would have to be really big to change our minds. We have many applicants with a lot of experience."
Lindsey's eyes caught sight of the billboard just outside the window. They flashed with determination. "What if I got you the story on Adrien Agreste?"
Julius sighed, "That would be impossible, Mlle. Marcon. Gabriel Agreste has already had his lawyers send out letters to nearly every news agency in Paris. We are not allowed to interview his son."
The girl before him smiled in a way that sent a shiver down his spine. It was cold, calculating.
"I don't need to talk to Adrien Agreste. I know the girl in question. The one who's name hasn't been out there yet. She goes to my school." Lindsey turned on her heel then. "M. Beckham, you can expect to be receiving an email from me with a completed article within the week. Then we can talk about my internship."