Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 20


Adrien looked at Alya's face on Marinette's phone, which still had an expression of utter disbelief on it, and then over at Marinette, who was somewhere in between amusement and annoyance.

"I couldn't help it," he told Marinette. "It just slipped out. Nino asked me what I said when I heard you confess your feelings... and I told him about how we wanted to wait and each talk to Kagami before doing anything dramatic. Then he asked me, 'But do you want to do something dramatic?'"

"And I just... couldn't keep it from pouring out," he smiled. "'Of course I do,' I said. 'I love her... and I told her so.'"

Marinette turned her phone back towards herself and took in Alya's current mental state in a glance.

"So... Alya," she ventured. "How are things going at your place?"


At the Agreste mansion, Nathalie knocked lightly on the door of her boss's private office.

"I said that I did not wish to be disturbed," a voice snarled from within.

"Supper is ready. I can have it brought up to you, if you do not wish to come downstairs," offered Nathalie.

The response was silence.

"Very good, Sir," Nathalie said, then departed swiftly.

Oh, boy, she sighed on her way down the stairs. He is in quite a mood. A hardly unexpected mood...

As she passed two staff members, she snapped her fingers and gestured towards the upstairs office; quickly, they let the kitchen know to prepare the customary tray to be left outside his door.

He knows that everyone remaining in this house is considered potentially exposed already, so his eating in the main dining hall would not endanger anyone. He is simply... not fit company for anyone but himself these days, she mused. He kept his emotions in check on the way to the bakery, and in his confrontation with Adrien... but he was beyond being spoken to on the way home.

He displayed momentary vulnerability in front of others this morning. He took a risk to his own health, however slight it may have been. And he saw the hurt in his son's eyes firsthand... a hurt that even he had to concede was justifiable.

I wonder which of those is affecting him most...


"Well, let's see," Alya ticked off. "My little sisters are happy to be out of school for a while, but they're going stir-crazy and driving the rest of us nuts while they're at it. Nora's fine. My mother's cooking up a storm with what we can get our hands on in our grocery runs, and, hey, here's a question, WHO CARES? Marinette... Adrien... what is going on over there?"

"C'mere, Adrien," Marinette gestured. He stood right behind her, so that Alya could see both of them. "Alya..." she began, "we're still trying to figure that out for ourselves, okay? He knows... and I know... and yeah, we're never going to be quite the same again."

"But... somehow, you're not a couple now?" Alya boggled, scarcely believing her own words.

"Not yet. I mean... um... we're practicing a little," admitted Marinette. "Just for the record... this boy knows how to cuddle!"

Adrien wrapped his arms around her from behind with a big grin. "But we're holding off on crossing certain lines," he added. "Because Kagami and I still need to talk things out and see where we stand. And that's not something that should happen over the phone."

"No. No. You are kidding me, Adrien," insisted Alya. "You told Marinette that you love her, you're spending every day and night with her now, but you're putting her on hold while-"

"It was my idea, Alya," interrupted Marinette. "I insisted."

That stopped Alya short. "That figures," she lamented, holding her head as if keeping it from exploding.

"I'll explain it the way that Marinette convinced me," Adrien said. "Imagine that Nino was at someone else's house right now. Some girl his age, a friend of yours. And while being cooped up together, they hooked up and then you got a phone call from Nino, saying 'Sorry, Babe, but I'm dating this girl now.' How would you feel about that?"

"Especially if that other girl was a good friend of yours. Like, I don't know, me," Marinette added, lightly. "How conflicted would you feel if that happened to you?"

Alya considered that theoretical situation. She still didn't look convinced, but she appeared to grasp the essential concept of it. "Have you talked to Kagami at all since you've been at Marinette's, Adrien?" she asked.

Adrien looked a bit offended by the question. "Of course I have!" he exclaimed. "Almost every night. Marinette set up a game on her computer, too, so that the three of us can play together once I'm home."

Alya's eyes shifted over to Marinette, who gave her a tiny shrug in return.

"...But not since our... big night last night," admitted Adrien. "I'm going to call her tonight... and I'll admit that I'm not sure what I'm going to say."

"I am sure," Marinette replied, "that you will tell her the truth. That things here are getting a little more complicated based on what we each know now, but we're being good and we're going to behave ourselves until all three of us can talk."

"Right?" she asked, turning away from the camera to look right at Adrien.

"Right," he replied, dutifully... though behind Marinette, he saw Alya mouthing NO! silently and repeatedly.


Gabriel heard the meal being placed outside his office door... but did not move from his desk at first.

This is nightmarish, he thought, for far from the first time in recent days. This conundrum with the Guillard contract will simply not be resolvable until our shipping department returns to normal. That could take, what... days? weeks? months? Their understanding of the difficulties we face does not alter the breach-of-contract penalties we shall face.

My sole comfort there, he reasoned, is that we have THEM over a barrel on two clauses as well. Perhaps we can arrange some sort of... nonaggression pact and avoid a lengthy court battle. Once we HAVE functional courts again, he smiled momentarily.

And that is only one of a dozen hurdles the business must overcome, he sighed. The largest issue is the studio itself. The shutdown must continue until the health of all affected is assured. The two who tested positive are responding reasonably well to treatment, but it is still too soon to tell how many more may yet be symptomatic. Or when someone ELSE may bring the virus into our facilities down the road, and we will start the whole circus all over again!

Gabriel sighed, quietly. It is pointless for me to rehash this in my mind over and over, he told himself. Each day brings its new challenges, and crying about them will not solve anything. At least my son seems to have been spared much of the impact of this affair.

In point of fact, he may be enjoying some unexpected benefits! he mused. That young lady seemed rather taken with him - and he with her, judging from their body language this morning. A complication that I may wish to discourage down the road... have I not been steering him into the arms of the Tsurugi child for months now? He seemed rather happy there.

Granted, Miss Dupain-Cheng has some design talent... rough, but with potential... but maintaining smooth ties with the Tsurugis is more important to the company in the short term.

But she and her parents seem like decent folk from what Nathalie has reported about them, and he seems happy enough in their care. Let him have his fun for now. If he can find something positive to cling to in all of this... he should cling. He and I can have a talk about restoring his more proper relationship when he returns.

He will return soon, and then we will talk.

Yes.

Adrien simply... must return soon. I must believe that.

With a touch of uncharacteristic melancholy rising in him, Gabriel rose from his chair and brought the prepared meal into the room. Not that I have my appetite, thought Gabriel, but the staff should feel like their efforts served a purpose.


The Scepter Quest login screen appeared on Marinette's monitor, as the game connected to the MMO's server.

"Are you sure that you want me to go first again?" asked Adrien. "I can wait."

"No, it's fine! If Kagami's on, I'll give you two a little privacy. If she's not, I'll be right here next to you making fun of how well you're playing."

"Hey, we're both pretty new to this game. I bet that I can find a few flaws in your technique, too," Adrien grinned. "Especially if we keep trying out new character classes."

"There aren't many left that we haven't tried, are there?" wondered Marinette. "I think it's just the Jugglenaught and the Prancermancer."

"Who comes up with these?" laughed Adrien.

"Some twisted minds, that's for sure," Marinette replied.

Adrien accessed the game, then typed:

[TheRadiantOne] /msg ScarletBlade8 Hello!

ScarletBlade8: No such player online

"Guess she's not on yet," Adrien said. "Had you messaged her this time?"

"No... I hadn't thought of it. Though you're welcome to, if you like," shrugged Marinette.

"I'll wait and see for now. It's not like I don't have a great partner right here to play with," he smiled. He turned away from the screen to face Marinette, and added, "If she does come on to play tonight, you don't have to give us extra privacy. We're not going to have that talk tonight - not in a game, certainly! - and I don't need to keep secrets from you."

"It's fine! Seriously! I set this up so we can all spend some time together. I don't have to be part of every combination," Marinette assured him. "And even if we do become... you know... down the road, I still won't have any problem with you and Kagami staying close. I'd be the biggest hypocrite ever if I did."

"Is that... something that you want to happen, Marinette?" Adrien asked. "To become... you know?"

"Of course I do," she answered. "I... kinda planned out a lot of it months ago." At Adrien's questioning look, she mumbled, "Like what our house would look like and the names of our three kids and our hamster," bashfully. "Nothing much... hey! Don't look at me like that!" she protested with a grin, watching Adrien recoil in feigned fear.

"Wow... Will I at least get to choose what color my underwear is, once we're married?" Adrien teased her. "Or is that also on your extended day-planner?"

"Go ahead. Laugh," she smiled, good-naturedly. "I know how Adrien-crazy I was. If you only knew some of the things I did..."

"Now you've got my attention. Like what?" asked Adrien.

"Oh, no. You don't pry those out of me that easily," retorted Marinette, defiantly. "Some of those, I'll take to my grave."

"Now I think I have to know," grinned Adrien.

"Someday. Maybe," she blushed.

"Sounds like a lot of things involving us. Someday... maybe," Adrien replied, in a softer tone.

"As long as I get to pick your underwear color," deadpanned Marinette.

"Your wish is my command," Adrien declared. "But I get to pick boxers or briefs."

"It's a deal," giggled Marinette.

Her heart raced as she realized that he hadn't flinched at the "once we're married" part... but she redirected his focus back onto the game before he could notice.