Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 39
"So, what did you think?" Adrien wondered to Marinette, grinning at him across the dining room table.
"Oh, that was great!" bubbled Marinette. "And they obviously thought so, too."
The gaming night had gone very well. After the first round of becoming accustomed to the flow of the game and Adrien's hints about strategy, the next couple of games were closely contested. The youngsters and the parents formed rough alliances in the second game, leading to Sabine winning with a bit of luck and some timely bottlenecks from Tom; the third led to Marinette conspiring with Tom to bottle Sabine up, then with Adrien to stop a rallying Tom, only to sneak her way to victory when Adrien pretended not to see her final double-cross coming.
"So was Mama right, that you're a softie deep down... or Papa right, that you're a very smart young man?" teased Marinette about the latter.
"A little of each," grinned Adrien.
"So what do you want to do next?" Marinette asked. Her parents had headed up to bed not long before, to get some sleep and to give the pair an opportunity for a little unsupervised private time.
"I'm not sure," Adrien wondered, gathering up the last game pieces and replacing the lid on the box. "I ought to touch base with Kagami... or there are some things at home I should clarify with Nathalie. After what Father came out with this morning, it never hurts to be sure. But if you've got something in mind..."
"If you want some time to yourself... please, go ahead," Marinette assured him. "I don't want to seem clingy, and if you need me, you'll know where to find me. I have lots of things that I can do up in my room for a while, and I can tuck you in later."
"I thought it was your turn for that?" asked Adrien. "You tucked me in last night."
"Come find me when you're done, or when you're sleepy. We'll argue it out then," she beamed.
The two headed up the stairs. Adrien paused at the guest room door and pecked Marinette's cheek affectionately. "I'll see you in a bit?" he asked.
"Absolutely," she grinned, then went up to her room.
Maybe sooner than you think, thought Adrien, as he entered his room and closed the door, eyeing the window.
Up in her room, Marinette rummaged through her dresser. "Which nightgown should I wear tonight, Tikki?" she asked. "The white one or the blue one?"
"I'm not sure. What kind of message are you planning on sending?" replied Tikki, looking amused. "The white one certainly caught his eye the other night, and it's very innocent-looking. Remind me what the blue one looks like?"
Marinette held it up to herself. "It's not like I have anything too slinky," she reasoned. "Or much of anything to fill it out, even if I did! This one is just as modest, isn't it? It's just a little bit shorter, but it's a higher neckline. Here, I'll show you."
She glanced at the door, making sure that it was closed - Adrien was too much of a gentleman not to knock first anyway, wasn't he? - and disrobed quickly. Tikki turned away for a moment, more for Marinette's comfort level than anything else, then turned around and sized her up.
"Yes, that's very pretty," Tikki smiled. "And not something that would give anyone wild ideas. Sort of a nightshirt, but a little fancier."
"It's not too much leg?" asked Marinette. "Not too flirty?"
"I don't think so," confirmed Tikki. "And it looks comfortable."
"It is. I'll wear this in the summer months sometimes, on hot nights when my pajamas would be too warm," Marinette explained. "Sometimes I will-"
*TH-BMMP!*
Marinette turned white as a sheet, then stared at her ceiling, where the noise had come from. The sound was unexpected, but hard to mistake for anything else.
"Was that... what I think it was?" she whispered to Tikki. "A certain visitor?"
"Who else uses that entrance?" giggled Tikki. "Better think fast, Marinette!"
Marinette thought for a second, then dashed to her bedroom door and locked it. That's all I'd need... Adrien finding me in my nightgown, with another boy in my room!
Should I change back into my clothes first? she wondered... then decided that if Tikki felt okay with her wearing it around Adrien, Chat wouldn't get the wrong idea, either. One little addition seemed appropriate, however...
As she climbed up to her bed quickly, she heard a light knock at her ceiling hatch.
"I'm coming!" she hissed. Hesitantly, she reached for the hatch and unlocked it, then climbed up the ladder.
Chat Noir watched the hatch open, and reached out his hand to help Marinette up and out... a hand that shook slightly as he realized what she was wearing.
"W-wow!" Chat stammered, taking it in. Before him stood his lovely lady, radiant in a light blue nightgown... and a facemask... and very little else. "Marinette, I'm... I didn't realize that... I didn't wake you, did I? You're... dressed for bed already..."
"Oh, this old thing?" giggled Marinette. She could tell immediately that she'd thrown Chat off-balance, and felt the urge to take advantage of it, giving her gown a small twirl. "It's the latest fashion. All the girls are wearing protective facemasks to bed this time of year."
"That's not what I meant!" he gasped. He didn't want to be caught staring... even if he was secretly the person that she'd dressed up for... but he couldn't take his eyes off of her for a second.
"You look absolutely lovely tonight, Marinette... even if I can tell that you're laughing at me under that mask," Chat managed.
"Thank you," she blushed. "I hope this isn't too much! But I didn't want to leave you up here waiting while I changed..."
"It isn't... I just wasn't... expecting that, that's all," Chat managed. "You've come up to see me in your pajamas sometimes... but never in that."
"Well..." smiled Marinette, looking downwards shyly, "This is kind of an unusual situation right now. I have an unexpected houseguest. And... I think I have a boyfriend now."
"I see," Chat replied, regaining some of his usual swagger. "Is it the same person?"
"Of course it is!" she retorted, one hand on her hip. "We have so much to catch up on... but, Chat, what are you doing here?"
"Exactly that," he smiled. "We have so much to catch up on. I wanted you to know that I'm okay and doing fine... and to make sure that you were, too."
He watched as Marinette shifted nervously, one bare foot rubbing the other, shivering slightly. "And it's a little bit chilly for us to do this up here tonight. Do you want to go back in and change, or..."
"N-no, it's okay. Come down, please," she replied.
Chat climbed down to Marinette's bed, sitting cross-legged across from her.
"Thank you," she smiled. "I was a little underdressed... but I hadn't imagined going outside like this. Probably because I didn't imagine that you'd come out and see me tonight! Though... you do seem to be well-prepared."
"Oh, this?" said Chat, pointing to his mask, which now extended down to his chin. "A small modification that I had my Kwami make. They can adjust costumes based on what we want or what we need. I'm told that they're based on our subconscious desires in the first place, so... it wasn't hard for him to add a protective mask."
"You know, I never thought to ask that time that Ladybug let me borrow the Mouse... are the costumes machine-washable?" giggled Marinette.
"They're magical. I think that they're generated new each time that we transform, so... it's hard to get much safer than that, I guess," shrugged Chat. "Or at least I've never had to put it in with my laundry."
"So..." Marinette said.
"So... like I said, I was thinking about you tonight. You are pretty much the only person I visit when I'm in costume, so... I didn't want you worrying about me," Chat explained. "And I wanted to check on you, too, and what's this about a boyfriend?"
"Oh, my gosh, yes," she beamed. "This is quite a story..."
Marinette ran though the basics of how Adrien had come to live at her house temporarily and how they had become much closer. Chat sat and listened attentively, doing his best not to give anything away from his end that he shouldn't already know.
"So you finally told him that you love him," smiled Chat. "That took an awful lot of bravery for you to do, Marinette. I am very proud of you."
"Yeah, it did," she admitted. "And even after I did... and it paid off... things were still complicated. There's a third girl involved."
"You told me that you loved me once... and that was complicated," offered Chat. "I think it's always complicated."
Marinette buried her face in her hands. "Ohhhhh... Chat, that was... I don't know what I was thinking that night, okay?" she sighed. "I was startled and I was emotional and... maybe there was at least a grain of truth there."
Seeing Chat's startled eyes, she clarified, "Not like an I-need-to-kiss-you-right-now kind of love. But you do mean very much to me, Chat. You understand that, right?"
Her soft eyes made him quiver. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't," he breathed. "And that feeling is mutual, Marinette. Count on that."
"Good," she beamed. "Anyway... this third girl is a friend of mine and his. She was involved with Adrien first... and I'm still trying to tell myself that I'm not making him cheat on her. I mean, the three of us talked things out, I'm doing everything I can to keep the two of them close, I've told them that they have every right to give it another try once they can see each other in person again..."
"You're sweet," interjected Chat. "But I knew that."
"I'm doing the right thing. Winning his heart the right way," replied Marinette. "And I'm not going to ruin friendships or stab backs to get that."
"All the more reason that if he does pick you... he'll have made a wonderful choice," smiled Chat. "And I have a funny feeling that he will."
"You're sweet," glowed Marinette.
"So!" Marinette continued. "That's my big news. How have you been doing? Everything's okay with your family, your friends?"
"So far, yes," Chat declared. "I'm also staying with a friend. I got caught out when the lockdown started, kind of like you said that Adrien did. I can't tell you too many details, of course, but I promise you that I'm safe, I'm healthy, I'm happy... they're great cooks... and I'm staying in touch with my family, and they're doing all right, too."
"That's good," she smiled. "You haven't had to... go out, other than this?"
"Nope. Hawkmoth's been quiet, so it's just been everyday family life," he replied. "Honestly? I can't remember the last time I felt this happy. And that feels weird, given the circumstances... people all around are suffering, some people are dying, you know? And here I am, playing house and getting kisses and feeling pretty great. But I-"
"...Wait. Kisses?" Marinette jumped in. "You didn't mention that part to me!"
"Oh. Yeah," Chat added, knowing he'd been caught. "You know how you kind of have a boyfriend now? I kind of have a girlfriend."
Marinette's eyes went wide. I know that he'd said that in his message to Ladybug, she thought, but it's still wild hearing it out loud from his own lips!
"Oh, wow!" she grinned. "It's not... Ladybug, is it?"
"Oh, no. I haven't seen Ladybug since this lockdown started. And she's... well, she's made it clear that she wouldn't want that," Chat admitted. "And I heard from her that she might have started seeing someone else, too! She'll probably be thrilled if I'm not chasing after her, the way that I used to."
"I'm very sure that she'll be very happy for you, Chat. I think that she's always wanted you to have that kind of love in your life... she just didn't feel like it could be from her," Marinette assured him. "What's she like, though? Where did you meet her? How did you meet her?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Chat begged off, his hands up. "Let me think about this for a minute! I have to be careful what I say... you could probably say that you know her."
His joking tone changed abruptly when he saw Marinette's face freeze and her body stiffen. "Marinette?" he asked, cautiously. "What is it?"
Marinette sat there silently, staring at him with her thoughts whirling fast and furious.
He told Ladybug that he's seeing a girl that he knows in his everyday life. His secret identity, she panicked. He said that Ladybug might know her. And he just said that I probably do, too.
How many boys are out there that I know as both Marinette AND as Ladybug?