"Marinette. We need to talk."

"Excuse me but… She said what?!" At that moment, Marinette was relieved she hadn't put her lips on her coffee cup yet. For sure, she would have burned herself and probably would have spit coffee everywhere, and one spitting accident in front of Adrien was more than enough. Although she couldn't be sure she hadn't sputtered on him when she'd suddenly gotten so fiercely upset.

"She said she'll break my bones." Adrien made sure to enunciate clearly, especially those last three words.

"No! I'm not talking about Alya!" Marinette waved away Adrien's worries. Her eyes landed on the box containing their breakfast. She tore it open and stuffed a pistachio croissant into her mouth, taking out her frustration on the sweet pastry. "Can you repeat what my traitor of a mother said?!" This time she was sure she spewed crumbs on Adrien, but she didn't give a damn about that. She was too far gone and food helped her contain her 'freak out moments'. If she had heard well what he said…

"She said we're both invited for dinner tonight, and sounded like it wasn't actually a request."

Okay. Marinette had heard what he said the first time, and it sounded even worse the second time. Luckily she had food at hand.

She chewed on her bottom lip and nervously fidgeted on her seat before pointing at the other croissant. "Are you going to eat yours?" She asked, her eyes glowing with a maniac glint.

"Uh… no?"

"Great." She grabbed it and stuffed it into her mouth like she hadn't eaten for a week. All traces of glamor were long gone as she chewed as if her life depended on her father's baking—only his pastries tasted this good and could soothe her nerves. Taking a deep breath, and almost choking on a crumb, she coughed and cleared her throat, very unladylike, before speaking again. "Great!" she repeated, her voice full of determination and confidence.

Adrien frowned, obviously confused by her antics.

"We're going to do it," she said matter-of-factly "We totally can do this. Right?"

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed a little more, as the tip of his fingers drummed Chopin's Funeral March against the counter top. "Uh… yes?"

Was she talking to a broken record or what? Adrien would lose hands down in neither-yes-nor- no game with that demeanor.

"You didn't say no to my mother, right?"

"I could not say no."

That was pretty much the rules of yes-nor-no; maybe there was still some hope for Adrien.

"You didn't say no… which means you're with me in this mess," Marinette snapped back.

"I guess I am since I wasn't going to tell your mother the truth. Like what? 'Mrs. Cheng, I'm sorry but there's a misunderstanding, I'm not dating your daughter, I'm just occasionally dancing the horizontal tango with her.'"

"You wouldn't dare to say that, would you?" She pointed an accusing half-eaten croissant toward him with a stern glare.

"I wouldn't! Come on, Marinette! That's exactly why I couldn't say no!" Adrien objected as he raised his hands in the air in a defensive move. "I had no tangible excuses to decline your parents' invitation."

Her croissant left hanging between them as she looked intently at her sexfriend, her gaze stern. She tried to gauge how upset she was with him for that situation, only to realize that she was not. She could not.

"Can you please stop pointing that croissant at me and put it down on the table?" His hands made a shield in front of him, showing some discomfort toward the whole situation.

Marinette glanced at the croissant she was holding like a gun and instantly let go of the poor thing. "Uh, sorry about that." She felt a blush creeping up her face as she realized she'd threatened Adrien Agreste with a pistachio-filled croissant—her bad. Sometimes she was a creep.

"Well, don't be sorry… That was kinda… I don't know what that was but… Have you ever thought about joining the bakery police? Your father's croissants make perfect guns. I'm sure all the evil baked-goods would be petrified," he chuckled as he picked up the half-eaten croissant and used the opportunity of Marinette's deep embarrassment to finally get a taste of her father's sweet pastry.

Marinette brought her hands in front of her face, burying herself in shame. Her mortification only amplified with every passing second, Adrien still taunting her. "Oh, shut up!" She knew her reaction may have seemed juvenile. The extra nervousness caused her to behave really oddly this morning—back in full force to her younger awkward self. Hello.

"Make me." Adrien grinned cheekily, his cocky smile turning into anything but uncomfortable—of course, he'd been used to it for years. It even looked like he started to have some fun teasing and provoking her.

Marinette was about to retort when she abruptly paused in mid-track, freezing on the spot, and blinking at him in utter disbelief. Had he just suggested that she kisses him to shush him? What about the 'no kissing' rule which he had decreed in the first place?

Adrien must have realized his slip-up because he did this thing when he felt embarrassed by the situation: intently rubbing at the back of his head. "I mean… I… sorry for that. Though… If you want us to… uh… do it for your parents… maybe… maybe we—"

"We don't have to kiss in front of them and cross one of your limits," she instantly cut him off, setting the record straight. "Don't worry."

"But you still want us to go tonight and… fake that we're dating?" Adrien nervously racked his fingers through his hair, reaching again for the nape of his neck.

Indeed, it was one thing to have broken the 'keep it a secret' rule, letting some very close people 'know' or at least, thought they know what they don't really know—and this is getting confusing. But it was another thing to have to actually show up so they don't really...know.

Why make it simple when you can make it complicated?

"Well, as you said earlier we can't tell them the truth, and you didn't deny anything so… My parents obviously think we're dating; they're going to expect us to act like we are."

"I didn't know it would cause such a confusion. I just bought your favorite pastries, and your parents instantly supposed it was for you because you didn't sleep at home last night. They caught me off guard with their assumptions."

"I know and I'm sorry…" Marinette sighed as she picked up a chocolate pecan cookie and grabbed her coffee cup, finally allowing herself to have a not-so-compulsive-breakfast. "They tend to do that sometimes. They always overreact when it comes to my love life. My father once was akumatized because of a date, which wasn't really a date actually, that I had with...Chat Noir." Her voice was barely above a whisper when she named her partner yet Adrien heard it very well.

"You once had a date with Chat Noir?"

Adrien seemed so flabbergasted; it was almost over the top. Why was he so surprised? Of course she could get with a superhero… She was Ladybug after all—not that he would know that.

Anyway…

"It wasn't a date. It was… kind of a fake one?" she spoke softly, the last words barely making it through the seal of her pursed lips. "Anyway, it ended up with papa being akumatized and Chat Noir almost not making it out alive."

"Sounds like something I wouldn't want to experience. Besides… Should I be worried that you tend to like fake dating hot, blond boys?"Adrien raised a brow as the corner of his mouth quivered a little.

"Who said you were hot?" She soon mimicked his expression and folded her arms over her chest, not even a little impressed by his daring remark.

Adrien leaned over the counter, slowly bringing his lips to his cup of coffee. A spark of mischief and something more glistened inside of his green eyes as he slowly and sensually drank a sip. "I'm surely hotter than the coffee you've prepared," he eventually boasted, shrugging leisurely whilst taking another mouthful of the beverage.

"That is only because we talked and now the coffee is cold." Marinette poked a finger against his cup with a teasing grin.

"Is that so, uh?" Adrien left his cup aside and moved his hands along his chest. He began to unbutton his shirt, starting with the button holding his collar neatly closed.

Marinette choked on her cold coffee, the damn drink almost spilling out from her nose and pricking her throat in an unpleasant way. Lately, it seemed like she had almost as much trouble swallowing as an old lady in a nursing home.

"Wh-what are y-you doing?" Damn! The confidence she had just regained after her freak out moment wouldn't waver now. She wasn't that weak in front of Adrien! At least, not anymore! She was over the stuttering, the clumsiness, and the over-adoration. And she'd already seen him naked, for God's sake!

Adrien grinned with lust, not the least disturbed. "I'm showing off the hottest stuff in the room." He winked at her as he resumed his journey down his torso.

"Is that a challenge ?"

There. Some boldness finally came back.

"Maybe."

Adrien stood up, his shirt soon meeting the floor. His muscular, bare chest mocked and quickly stirred Marinette to her breaking point.

"You know that I never back down from a challenge, right?" She mirrored what he'd just done, using to her advantage the fact that she was still wrapped in the shirt he wore the day before.

"I know," Adrien whispered.

At this point, a second shirt joined the first one on the floor.

See you on next week. Until then, feel free to leave a review. (heart emoji).