A/N: Hello! Sorry for the wait! This week…. Holy cow this week was just full of required adulting! I basically wrote this all today because I had no time this entire week. I should have much more free time this weekend and upcoming week so… yay! Thank you all for your patience and support. You are all wonderful!

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment or review.

Have a wonderful weekend all you wonderful people!

Traditional Twist

Chapter 25: Calm before the storm

Marinette felt an extra level of awkward at the dinner table. Upon mental conversion with Adrien, she learned that he also felt the same. It may have been that they knew they would both be sneaking out at night. It was more likely the fact that the two were sitting across each other, each with a bare foot raised under the table to press against the others bare skin. This connection thing was beginning to wear on pigtailed girl, especially with how casual Adrien ate and continued conversation with her father as if nothing strange was occurring under the table.

Adrien was panicking under his model exterior. Though he was grateful he and Marinette had found a way to keep the withdrawal away from dinner; the game of footsie under the table was slightly more flirtatious than he realized. How was he supposed to talk to her dad so calmly? Not to mention every time he looked at Sabine she winked at him. This many people to interact with at once was becoming overwhelming.

The blonde sighed. He never thought he would ever miss being alone. He was fine with Marinette. Being with her was somehow rejuvenating. However, dealing with school, classmates, Alya, Master Fu, and the need to dive back in the catacombs had emptied his energy.

"Can we go upstairs?" He asked Marinette. "This has just been a lot. I'm exhausted."

Marinette nodded. "Adrien and I still have homework to work on. May we be excused?"

"Of course honey," Sabine answered with a smile.

"Hold on there," Tom said with a stern tone. He turned to face Adrien. "Young man, I was not able to make this warning last night, but I can now. I don't know, exactly what is going on, but I know I need to be honest. Your mother can't keep a secret from me."

Adrien and Marinette gasped. The both looked to Sabine with panicked expressions. "Mom! What did you tell him?"

Sabine placed her hands up in an act of submission. "He was getting too suspicious. You know I have never kept a secret from your father."

"So he knows who we are?" Adrien cried out.

"I do," Tom answered. "I know that you are the heroes of Paris." The table fell silent as all eyes turned to the baker. "I may not understand why you two were chosen to keep our world safe, but I know you two are more than responsible enough to keep us said. That being said," he turned to specifically look at Adrien. "If you get my daughter pregnant because we are letting you both stay upstairs, no money or status will protect you from me becoming a premature pop-pop."

"Papa!" Marinette yelled.

Adrien looked as if he was about to faint. He was stunned by lecture. "I would never do any such thing! Believe me sir, I think I am the least qualified to be a father." He buried his reddening face in his hands.

"Tom, this talk is not necessary," Sabine lectured.

"I am just bring attention to an elephant in the room. I can't control if my daughter fights villains, but I can continue my fatherly duties. Adrien may be Chat Noir, but he is also a teenage boy. I remember when I was that age; I am aware of the possibilities." Tom folded his arms. "I am fine with this conversation ending, I'm just trying to make sure everyone is aware of possible consequences. Just like the warning label on irons to not iron clothes while on, it is a precaution."

Marinette groaned. "Papa!"

"You two go upstairs. I promise you two your secret is safe here." Sabine glared at her husband from across the table. "I will talk to your father."

Adrien did not have to be told twice. He stood up, pushed in his chair and raced up the stairs. Marinette stood, flustered. "Papa, how could you do that? You completely humiliated him!"

"I was only trying to look out for you," Tom reasoned.

"I can take care of myself. I have a partner who can protect me, too."

"And as your father I will protect you as well."

Marinette was shocked at her father's stubbornness. "I'm a superhero. I keep you safe from villains!"

"Don't you take that tone with me? I am you father. I am just trying to look out for you."

"And throwing my partner out into the alley. He risks his life for you two, you know."

"And I'm not saying I'm not appreciative!" Tom slammed his hands on the table and pushed himself to a standing position. "I'm just looking at a bigger picture."

"Bigger picture!" Marinette stomped her foot as she yelled. "You don't even know what the bigger picture is! You aren't even supposed to know! No one is supposed to know! And now that you do know, you are making judgments behind reasons you don't understand."

"Then why don't you just tell us?"

"I can't tell you. You weren't supposed to know anything."

"Well we do know, and I can tell you that being a superhero doesn't mean your teenage years won't have the same teenage problems."

Marinette's face grew heated with anger. "You are the one being closed minded, papa. You're not thinking about what Adrien and I are doing for you."

"And you are forgetting that you are still a child!"

Marinette's brows furrowed. She was too angry to speak, and she was beginning to feel dizziness of not being connected to Adrien. She let out a disgruntled humph, before leaving the table and going upstairs.

Marinette entered her still heated with frustration. Her frustration only grew as she realized the lights were out in her room. This added to vertigo she was beginning to feel, and she toppled over the top of the ladder. As she braced herself for the fall, but instead felt an arm around her.

"You need to watch your step," said Adrien.

Marinette felt up his arm until she found his shoulder, and pushed herself up. "Thank you. I guess this dark room just sort of added to my dizziness." She immediately felt relief as her arm brushed against the blonde's arm.

"Dark?" Adrien asked as he helped hoist the girl up into the room and closed the hatch.

"The lights aren't on," Marinette explained with a puzzled tone. She turned her head to see a pair of slightly illuminated green eyes. She gasped. Adrien's eyes were glowing like Chat Noir's.

"But I can see you fine..." Adrien responded. His voice faded as he saw Marinette's reaction when she looked at him. He helped walk her over the chaise. "Plagg, something's happening."

The lights flickered on. Adrien and Marinette saw the black kwami by the light switch. "It's fine kid. Looks like your connection has strengthened you cat senses."

"So his eyes glow?" Marinette asked.

"My eyes glow?" Adrien was astonished.

The black kwami shook his head. "You can see in the dark now. Its fine, you will get used to it."

"Great," Adrien mumbled sitting down on the cushion. "I guess that explains why I could hear you arguing with your dad so well."

Marinette flushed. She reached out a hand to grab touch Adrien's arm. "I'm so sorry he said that to you."

"You didn't have to argue with him. He was just trying to protect you."

"It was not necessary, and rude."

"I don't think that is what he was necessarily trying to protect you from," Tikki flew down from the bed and into Marinette's lap.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"You father just found out you were Ladybug. Think about all the times he tried to reassure you things would be fine because Ladybug and Chat Noir would fix the day? He didn't know it was you risking your life. How is he supposed to protect his daughter when she is the one putting her life on the line?"

Marinette took the red kwami's words to heart. She was too busy defending Adrien to even think about what her father was saying. "Maybe I over reacted a little."

"You should have just let it be. Your mom would have handled it. Sure it was embarrassing but, it was meant with the best intentions." Adrien took a deep breath. "Why don't we explain everything to your parents?"

"Are you being serious?" Marinette and Tikki squeaked at the same time.

Adrien was hunched over; staring at his feet. "It would have cleared up a bunch of things. I don't know, it would have made your parents not so mad."

"It would put them in danger," Marinette said. "Too many bad things could happen; them knowing who we are is already bad enough."

"But maybe knowing will help them figure out how to stay out of trouble," the blonde contested.

Tikki's antennas stood straight and Plagg's whiskers began to twitch. "Something happened. Something is wrong."