Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 2
Marinette approached her parents as Adrien got on his phone to let Nathalie know of his decision.
"Thank you so much... I can't believe you just did that," gasped Marinette.
"It's nothing," shrugged Tom. "I would like to think that if the situation was reversed, Mr. Agreste would do the same."
For some reason, Marinette didn't look altogether convinced of that. "Um... not everyone has your big heart, Papa. Mr. Agreste was just about to ship his son to another country," she argued.
"In the name of protecting him," Tom countered. "I may not agree with the method, but certainly the principle."
Adrien looked up from his conversation. "Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng?" he asked. "Could I have one of your phone numbers, please?"
Sabine reacted first, handing her cell phone to Adrien. He thanked her, punching her number into his own phone and messaging it to Nathalie... and as he returned it, Sabine's phone lit up with a flurry of messages.
"Oh, my," she marveled. "What is all this?"
"My father's assistant, being severely overprotective as usual," sighed Adrien. "You can just smile and nod at a lot of it, I'm sure. Especially my dietary restrictions, which I implore you both to ignore completely. Some of what she asks, I'll tell her you did 100% of it if you promise to pretend you never saw it."
"They're not feeding you at home?" frowned Sabine. "You are a skinny little thing, after all."
"More like they are very particular about my appearance, and that includes my weight," Adrien explained. "There are nutritionists who pore over my meals to make sure that everything's balanced. Sometimes I swear that if I get a snack from the refrigerator at night, I need to get a receipt."
"He is a model, after all," Marinette added.
"A model who will be absolutely thrilled to eat like a normal person for a few days," beamed Adrien. "I promise that I'm not at all as picky as they are. Anything you make would be great!"
"But if we return you newly rounded from sampling all of our bakery wares, we're in trouble. Got it," Tom chuckled. "I'm sure that's not their only concern."
"Apparently not," Sabine said, staring at her overactive phone.
"Oh, boy," groaned Adrien. "The first time I stayed overnight at Nino's house, Nathalie tried to make them sign a non-disclosure agreement. I can only imagine what she's firing at you now. I am so sorry about this... I do not want to be any trouble."
"You won't be," replied Sabine. "I want you to be sure of that. You are not our burden; you are our guest. A very welcome one." She stared at her phone once more, looking at the latest set of messages. "Now, why does she want to know my National Registration Number?"
"What?" Adrien grumbled, then started typing his own responses back at Nathalie.
Marinette looked up at her father. "You're still sure about this?" she asked with a hopeful smile.
"I am," Tom told her, putting his arm around her. "Don't worry about that."
"Okay!" Marinette told Adrien, leading him upstairs. "My parents' room is on this floor, as is the room you'll be staying in. There's a full bathroom in their room and in mine upstairs, so... um... I guess I'll let them decide which one you'll use."
"As long as the door closes behind me, I'll use either," Adrien assured her. "I'm not very high-maintenance when I'm not dealing with photoshoots."
"This is where you'll be..." Marinette opened the door to a small room containing a guest bed and some simple furniture. "It's nothing fancy. When my Nana comes to stay with us, this is where she stays, so I hope it doesn't smell too much like her favorite fragrance."
"That's fine if it does. And I don't think I need much room; all I'll have is whatever the Gorilla's bringing in that suitcase," he pondered. "Maybe he can bring more... but maybe they'll decide that he's been exposed and he can't get near me again for a while."
"I do have a closet full of clothes... I can dig through it and see what's neutral enough for you. There's definitely some unisex stuff. What's baggy on me might be a little tight on you, so sizing might be tricky..." worried Marinette, "and I can't really help you on underwear."
"I certainly wouldn't expect you to," Adrien replied, feeling slightly awkward. "I'm sure there are at least a couple of outfits in the suitcase, and I can do my own laundry."
"Good. I do mine, too. I'll show you where the washer and dryer are later," smiled Marinette. "Now, my room is up the stairs... but you know that, you've been in it." As they climbed, she giggled, "I think Papa made them creak a little on purpose in case I ever had a boy stay over."
An elfin impulse seized Adrien. "But what if one creeps up on little cat feet?" he asked.
Marinette stared back, startled... then grinned. "Oh, when he visits he uses the balcony entrance," she teased him. "C'mon!"
Upstairs, Adrien took in what was more of a familiar environment to him than Marinette knew. "I really like your room," he told her. "It's such a great space for creativity."
"You think so? And thank you," Marinette replied.
"Absolutely! The lighting is great, everything's spaced out just so... you can sew, you can draw, you can stretch out on that chaise lounge and just think," Adrien pointed out. "Your bed is up and out of the way for when you want a little extra privacy. And some fresh air is just a balcony hatch away."
"But your room is so much bigger than mine," backpedaled Marinette. "And that great view from your window..."
"Which reminds me... have I ever properly invited you there?" asked Adrien. "You were there the day that Party Crasher attacked..."
"Oh," moaned Marinette, facepalming. "Please don't remind me of what I did to get there."
"Please," smiled Adrien. "You were so cute that day, how you snuck in. And I would love to have you over someday, just to hang out... once all of this craziness is over."
"I would like that very much," Marinette cooed. "If you still want to be around me, after seeing me up close for days on end."
"What do you mean?" Adrien asked, looking genuinely puzzled. "You're doing me a great favor just by letting me be here."
"Oh, I don't know," she mumbled. "We spend time together at school, but we don't get a lot of chances to talk there... when we've gotten to know each other, it's been a little here, a little there. Small bites. But now you'll get to know the whole me, warts and all."
"Somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem."
The look on his face made Marinette's hormones escalate from a simmer to a rolling boil.
"Um... hey, let's go find that washing machine," she muttered, hoping that her facial glow wasn't lighting the way there.
The Agreste sedan pulled up outside the family bakery, and the four of them stepped out to meet it.
"Good afternoon, Mr... um..." began Tom, suddenly acutely aware that he didn't know the man's name.
The Gorilla said nothing, as was his wont. He gave Tom a small smile and acknowledging nod, then headed to the trunk to fetch Adrien's belongings. Adrien stepped forward to help him.
"He is a man of very few words. I don't think I've ever heard him speak," Marinette whispered to her parents. "But he's very protective. If he likes you, that means quite a bit."
"Noted," Sabine whispered back.
Adrien came back with a small carry-on bag in one hand, with his bodyguard right behind him with a larger one. "If I'm needed, this is where I'll be, obviously," he told the Gorilla. "Nathalie will call me constantly to make sure everything is just right, and I promise to stay inside and away from any danger."
The Gorilla gave him a raised eyebrow, and Adrien continued, "I promise. No sneaking out like you know I do at home sometimes. This is serious business."
Huh, thought Marinette. Adrien sneaks out of his house? I wonder where he goes?
She watched as the hefty bodyguard shifted his attention to her, and kept herself from flinching. He pointed to Adrien, then held his arms as if cradling a small child, rocking them momentarily.
"Sir, I... assure you that none of those will happen while Adrien is staying here," Sabine ventured, causing both kids to turn red and approach purple.
Marinette recovered first. "I think that what he meant was 'take good care of him,' Mom," she managed.
A grin from the Gorilla indicated that Marinette had won that round of Charades.