Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 35
Marinette's pulse pounded in her ears as Gabriel Agreste watched her closely through Adrien's phone.
He doesn't look angry, I don't think; more annoyed than angry, somewhat curious... she considered, but that can change in a heartbeat. This could get messy quickly!
"Mr. Agreste... first, good afternoon to you," she began, buying herself a moment to try to structure her approach to this. "I hope that you don't think that I was eavesdropping."
"Not at all," said Gabriel. "As soon as Adrien put the call on speaker, I assumed that he had company, someone whom he trusted. You were the logical assumption. Now, kindly appraise me of the logic of going out necking with my son, in a public park, in the middle of a pandemic?"
"That... is not at all how it happened," she stammered.
Quickly, Marinette ran through the essential points, trying hard not to babble... how the two of them had followed all of the applicable restrictions, how even the witnessed kiss was mask-to-mask, and how Officer Roger had agreed in the end that they had not endangered the public or violated its sense of decency.
"Adrien was prepared to simply accept the ticket and be done with it, as a good example," she noted. "I was the one who clarified that he was not more than a kilometer from where he was living temporarily. He was not having a public rendezvous with some random girl; he was taking a walk with one of his housemates! There were a couple of other people walking by who recognized Adrien, even through his mask; one of them must've tipped off the newspaper..."
"...And I have dealt with that particular policeman before," sighed Gabriel. "He means well. That is likely the hard limit of what good I may say about him."
"We kissed each other once in our thirty minutes out," Marinette declared. "I think that Officer Roger teleported behind us at that moment. We did not... go out 'necking,' Sir; we just wanted to breathe a little bit of fresh air for a few minutes, away from other people. I promise you that."
"I tend to believe you, Marinette. That kind of behavior would be out of character for Adrien," mused Gabriel. "And given his awareness of that, I would expect him to be attracted to young women with similar sensibilities and maturity. Of which you are either one, or you are sufficiently clever and devious to be worth my notice for other reasons."
"...I'm sorry?" Marinette managed, startled.
"Do not mind me. A tiny joke of mine," he replied, in the tone of a man who had not joked out loud since 1998. "With a grain of truth behind it. We have met before, you and I... but I do not know you well. And since you are assuming an ever-growing role within my son's life... I feel that perhaps I ought to."
"That is... um... what would you like to know?" asked Marinette, in a hesitant voice.
"I know more of you already than you might expect," lectured Gabriel. "For one, you would not imagine that I would allow Adrien to live under your care without a thorough investigation, would you? Rest assured that my people found nothing that concerned me in the slightest."
"What were they looking for?" snapped Adrien, wary of the common folk subtext that he feared that he was hearing.
"Ah!" Gabriel tutted. "This is between myself and your lady fair, Adrien. Please do not interrupt." Aiming his voice more at Marinette once more, he continued, "They were not searching for specific things; rather, for a lack of red flags. This is a city full of charlatans, frauds and schemers, all looking to take a bite out of a tempting target. Your parents, Marinette, showed absolutely none of that. They are, in a word... refreshingly good and normal people."
"I would like to think so," she replied. "I'm not quite sure how to respond to that, Mr. Agreste."
"In the spirit in which it was intended; a compliment," Gabriel smiled. "An affirmation. Likewise... I am aware of much about you, thanks to my son's speaking of you on many an occasion. He has told me all about a promising talent with a dazzlingly creative mind. Whether with a designer's pencils and sewing needle, drawing up a derby hat or costumes for a musical group... or with a baker's tools, or a mediator's skills, or simply with your watchful eye over your friends and classmates and acquaintances. Watching for opportunities where your insights could aid others, and possessing the courage to do precisely that."
His eyes stared straight through her. "If my son's descriptions are accurate... and I am keeping in mind that he said all of that before romance was in the air... you appear to have an eye for quality, Miss Dupain-Cheng. For seeking out that which is good in all things. That is an inborn talent that no school can teach, and no lessons can impart, and it is something that I prize highly in my design staff."
"Th-thank you, Sir," breathed Marinette. "Adrien is very kind. I hope that I can live up to even half of that."
"As do I. Expect to be tested in the future... and in ways that you might not expect... because the rewards may be substantial, should you pass," he replied.
Gabriel let his praise sink in for a moment, watching Marinette squirm a bit, unsure of how to respond. "However... I have some more immediate questions for you," he added.
"...Anything, Sir," Marinette stammered. She stole a glance at Adrien, who had an I have absolutely no idea how to process any of this expression on his face.
"Right now, Miss Dupain-Cheng, my business is in an extremely precarious position. Having listened to my conversation with Adrien, you grasp this, yes?" stated Gabriel. "My son is, of course, a public face of said business. And at a moment when I am pulling my hair out trying to keep it afloat, my son is not only unavailable for whatever advertising or PR that we could figure out here... he is no longer living with me. Indefinitely, it would seem. And in a matter of days, he has gone from dating the daughter of a major client to appearing on the gossip pages, caught kissing someone else very publicly and potentially breaking the law in the process."
"Potential is a very complicated word, Marinette," he continued. "But it refers to what might happen in the future... not to what is happening now. As it stands... I accept your explanation for the incident in the park; it was an honest mistake, with good intentions. But at this moment in time, even honest mistakes are unacceptable from both of you. Adrien, come over next to Marinette so that I know that both of you are hearing this."
Adrien scooted over behind Marinette, his head over her shoulder, an arm draping around her protectively. Marinette felt like his throwing her down to the mattress and guarding her with his own body might be an option that he was considering, instinctively.
"I need to be crystal clear about this, and I will say this only once. I am not making decisions for either of you about your romantic future... yet. I am not comfortable in such a role, any more than I would be if someone else told me whom I may love," lectured Gabriel. "And as long as you continue to comport yourselves maturely... and give Miss Tsurugi's feelings the same consideration... you have my blessing. Adrien, from what Nathalie has told me, and from what I have seen myself... you seem genuinely happy in Marinette's company. And you may not always believe this... but that happiness remains something important to me."
"Thank you, Father," Adrien replied, uncertain of how else to reply. But I hear a 'However' coming, he thought...
"However..." said Gabriel. "I must insist upon your cooperation. Assist me in maintaining what little sanity I have left. If you could avoid further public scandal, and if things remain passable with the Tsurugis, bless you both. If either of those prove impossible, on the other hand..."
He left the sentence unfinished, a state in which Marinette hoped it would remain.
"Message received. We will do our very best," Adrien declared.
"We will," echoed Marinette.
"Excellent. In that case, I will let you return to your baking and your necking. Thank you both."
The phone call disconnected, rather abruptly.
Adrien and Marinette stared at each other, silently.
"That was... interesting," Marinette ventured.
"That's my father," sighed Adrien. "And his amazing knack for lifting you up and casting you down again, sometimes in the same sentence. His stick usually outweighs his carrot."
He looked at Marinette with sad eyes. "I have to say it. My father and I do come as a package deal, and with so much baggage. What do you-"
His sentence was interrupted when two soft lips stilled his.
"Adrien Agreste... don't you even talk like that," Marinette affectionately scolded him, once the two of them could speak again. "You're not about to scare me off, and neither is he."
"Evidently not," breathed Adrien. "But he is serious about what he said. He may say that he doesn't want to interfere with us... but that won't stop him from trying from time to time, I promise you. That's who he is. We are going to have to tread lightly sometimes."
"I can do that," Marinette assured him. "All this time that I was chasing after you, trying to get your attention like this... don't you think that I saw the craziness that your life can be? What he puts you through sometimes, even in good times? I knew what I was getting into from very early on. But then you smiled that sweet smile at me, and I didn't care any more."
"I heard what he said, and I get it," she continued. "That's what this has all been about, hasn't it? I want you to be as happy as I can help make you. Your father is part of that. The business is part of that. Kagami is part of that. Everything is part of that. If we are going to make this work... we're going to do it the right way."
"No one should be this lucky," blinked Adrien, overwhelmed.
"Well, you say that now," grinned Marinette. "But we'll see how your luck fares when we try out some of these games tonight."