Part 4, and Adrien (Aaron)'s plans hit a slight snag and take a turn for the interesting!=^-^=
Ch. 4 - House Chat
There were only a few days left until August when Adrien realized a possible snag in his plans for supporting himself. "Have any ideas of what you'll do while the bakery is closed?" Marinette asked as she cleaned off one of the back counters. This was one of the few days Adrien was given the later shift, and so once the bakery closed Marinette went down to help him clean.
"Closed? What do you mean? For Sunday?" Since the bakery was closed every Sunday for special orders and catering.
"No, for August, silly. Our district has bakeries close for the month of August."
"The whole month!?" The boy cried in surprise.
"Well yeah, I mean, didn't you see the sign?" She pointed to a sign on the door, and Adrien ran right over to it.
"How long has that been there?"
"About a week or so? I mean, didn't you know that bakeries close for a month? For July and August half the bakeries are closed. Our area has August."
He pressed his hands to the glass door in a state of slight shock. "Shit… I have no idea what I'm going to do…"
"I know exactly what he's going to do." Tom boldly announced as he entered the front of the bakery.
"Papa?"
Tom was holding a present in his hands. "He's going to help house sit while your mother and I go on our anniversary trip for two weeks. So, because we won't be here on the actual date, happy birthday, sweetie."
Marinette jumped in excitement before blushing at realizing she was being watched. "Aww, papa!"
"Your mother has been working on making your favorite meal, and I pulled out a box of movies that were your favorites. We already know Alya is planning something on the day, so we thought a nice family celebration would be better." He then gestured to Aaron. "Well, family plus one; not that we don't treat you like part of the family, son." Tom corrected sheepishly.
"Oh, no really, its fine. If you want I can step out for a bit while you-"
"Just come here, will you?" Tom grabbed him once Marinette took her gift and began dragging him upstairs. "The more the merrier even if it's just one."
Sabine was waiting with a smile. "Happy almost birthday, sweetie!" She took her daughter into a hug which was a little tough with the length of the present in her arms.
"Oh, thank you, maman."
"Of course, sweetie, though you know we would've rather been here for the real date."
"And turn down that trip? You two might not get another one, so enjoy it, please. Send lots of pictures and hope one of my future customers does the same for me." She teased back with a smile.
"You going to open your present?" Tom asked as he set the table. "Sit down, son." Tom nearly ordered to the very stiff boy standing several feet away. Marinette opened her gift to reveal several types of fabric all rolled around like a single swatch and jumped with excitement over the different kinds. There were a few more expensive ones she would normally be unable to buy. Her mother made dumplings with the Cheng secret recipe, and served cookie brownies for dessert.
"So… it's a cookie and a brownie? How?"
"Well, it's just cookie dough that's placed inside brownie dough in the tray; not rocket science, Aaron." Marinette informed as she handed him one.
"Wow… Two things I normally can't eat at the same time…" He watched Marinette eat hers and she looked over the moon with pleasure.
"It's this thing I saw online from America, and I can't help loving it!"
"Oh my gosh, what is this!?" Adrien nearly shouted when he took a bite. "I can't even understand why this is so good." Both Sabine and Tom looked at the pair with amused expressions.
After everything was cleaned up they were going to start their family movie. Marinette was taking a few minutes to pick so Tom decided to go ahead and talk with Aaron about them leaving. "Earlier I mentioned I wanted you to help Marinette look after the bakery, but I'll also be asking her to help you work on some of our other recipes, as well as keeping the place clean. If you're lucky, she'll share her passion fruit macaron recipe."
"Oh, Tom, you know she won't. She guards that recipe jealously." Sabine teased knowing her daughter. Adrien suddenly felt disappointment since he loved passion fruit flavor anything.
"But that boy hasn't been around in so long…" He looked over to his preoccupied daughter. "I just think you know, maybe?"
His wife shrugged with a partial smile. "I suppose, but don't get his hopes up."
By the end of the night Adrien was in a special part of cloud nine. Everything about the night was for Marinette's sake, but the very fact he was included made it special for him too. He'd never had a day like this for as long as he could remember. He had little things in his memory with his mother, but none with the whole family. In the case of Marinette's, the three of them all being cuddled up on the one couch while Adrien sat on a pile of the throw pillows in front of them. As he glanced back at them he had to struggle to hold in a few tears. He was so jealous it hurt, but grateful too. One day of this and he knew he never wanted to go back to that room that was as big their whole apartment but a hundred times colder and empty.
Adrien was wiped by the end of July 30th. They hadn't had a moment's peace the whole day, and even his breaks weren't really breaks. He couldn't force himself to take the whole time with how busy everyone else was. Edmond, Collette and Richard were all just as excited about the end of the day. "A whole month of sleeping in!" Collette shouted with her fists in the air.
"Because you don't have kids." Edmond pointed out.
"Um, neither do you. I, on the other hand, have two as well as a job for the summer, children." Richard declared with a playful superior tone to the younger employees. "When the both of you truly enter the adult world, you'll do the same."
"Hey, I'm 24 years old!" Collette argued while Edmond simply rolled his eyes.
"Come back and complain when you're at least 30, Madame."
"Alright, alright, calm down everyone! Don't forget your leftovers! Day old bread will not be sold tomorrow, remember!" Tom announced as he handed each of them a bag with assorted tasty breads. "And don't get too rusty over the break. I know Richard understands what I say when I tell you, September 1st will be hell." The mentioned man went a little pale at the reminder which got a grimace from Edmond.
"Well, we can cross that bridge when we get to it." Collette dismissed as she grabbed hold of her bag. "Until then, enjoy your trip, Tom and Sabine!"
"Yes, enjoy! And please do not brag to my wife, or she'll try and get me to take us on a trip next." Richard joked. "I'll check in like you asked, as well." He winked at Tom and left out the door. Edmond was much more quiet with his leave and simply left with a "Have a nice trip" before stepping out with his bread.
"I'm definitely going to take some time to sleep in. University starts at the end of the month and I want to take advantage while I can. I couldn't avoid scheduling the one class that starts at 8 am…" She grumbled just thinking about it.
"It's only one class though, Marinette, how often would you have to be up early?"
"Four days a week…" She muttered back.
"Oh, I guess that is kind of rough." Since that's how often she had the early shift at the bakery already.
"A small price to pay before your designs are featured all over the world." Tom encouraged with a loving pat on the shoulder. "Right, Aaron? You've seen some of her designs haven't you?"
Marinette blushed and looked away. "Well I haven't…"
He saw the boy's shrug and looked to his daughter. "Marinette, you haven't showed him anything? Why not?" She played with her fingers as she searched for an answer. Tom rolled his eyes. "Try and get her to show you a few while we're gone, you won't be disappointed." He shot to the boy while his daughter slipped back to the back before the conversation could grow awkward. He didn't really think about her designs much even after she'd mentioned her career aspirations. It came more from his own background though since fashion was the last thing he cared about at this point.
"Aaron, come here. I want to show you something." Sabine called as she stood by the door.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"This is our store security. Make sure it's armed every day before you go to sleep. Marinette can show you the code panel that's in the back, but make sure you double check this light here." She pointed to the small box near the top of the door frame. "Also, if you run into any problems with intruders, there's a switch under the counter that will put down the shutters." She looked back to her husband and leaned up to the boy to whisper. "Tom doesn't like it, but I think you should make sure they're closed at night just in case."
Adrien smiled at her and nodded in understanding. "Of course, ma'am." Sabine returned his smile and turned to check the lock on the door.
Marinette yawned as she stood in the living room in her PJs along with Aaron. Tom and Sabine were leaving almost as early as they would open the bakery which meant the young designer was still half asleep. "Alright, dear, make sure you teach him all the basics."
"Hmmm." She responded with a sleepy nod.
Tom grabbed her in a hug before noting just how awake Aaron seemed. "I'm glad you're a morning person, son. I doubt Marinette will remember everything I tell her at the moment." He teased and Marinette made no show of insult.
"I usually had to wake up early at home so… yeah…" He looked away slightly showing it was bringing up uncomfortable memories. Even when he didn't have an early shoot, his father expected him to be up by six and downstairs for breakfast at seven; even when he didn't join him.
"Well, that just means you'll remember this warning, son." Tom gave him a stern expression as he started. "I know you're a good kid, but I'll go ahead and say it. Don't do anything to hurt my little girl, understand?"
Adrien stood at attention. "Of course not, sir-"
"Tom." The baker corrected.
"I mean, Tom…" He instantly restated.
Tom gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Good, but uh…" He leaned down. "Just remember she's single. So long as you control yourself I don't see-"
"Tom!" Sabine scolded with a knowing grin. "Just because Marinette isn't awake enough to be angry doesn't mean I'll let it go."
Tom raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, I'll take the last bags down to the van."
She nodded to her husband before turning back to Adrien. "You take care of yourselves, alright?"
"Yes, Mrs. Cheng."
"You're a good young man, so I don't think I have any cause to worry even if you were interested in Marinette." She gave him a wink and then let out her arms for a hug.
Adrien was still blushing at her words and hesitated to take the gesture. "I uh…"
"Don't worry, Aaron. You're safe here."
The young man hugged her back tightly. "Thank you…" And there was just so much to thank her for he couldn't come out at that moment with all of it. "So much." He settled on a simple phrase instead. It felt good to be hugged so earnestly and even though he'd been hugged by the woman several times now it still felt so powerful.
When she released him she gave him one last smile before looking to her near zombie daughter. "We'll call you when we get on the boat, Marinette."
"Hmm…" She gave a nod and wobbled on her feet. Adrien caught her shoulder and Sabine grinned before heading out the door.
Adrien waited for at least a minute once they were alone before glancing to the girl. "I guess you want to go back to bed?" Marinette didn't wait. It was like the word was activating her autopilot and she began up the stairs to her room. Adrien wasn't sure if he would do the same since he was already pretty awake, but he headed back to his room all the same.
Plagg would no doubt be whining for cheese any time now. He lay back on the bed and reached for his new phone. At the moment he only had a handful of numbers. The first was Max since he'd called him the same day he bought it. After that was the bakery and Tom's number for emergencies; not really family but the closest thing he had at the moment. The last one was Marinette who he'd gotten just a few days ago when he found out he was helping her house sit. It was a great arrangement. Sure, he didn't really get a paycheck, but he wasn't charged for the room since he would technically be working when he learned more recipes.
Max wasn't sure if this was good or bad timing, but it was certainly some interesting timing. He was on his way out of his favorite internet café when who would he stumble upon? "Max? Wow, dude, you got tall!" Nino exclaimed as he set his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. Even if he was still a little taller, the computer expert was still a whole head taller than he was in college.
"I suppose it has been awhile since you've seen me in person. It only makes sense I would be taller." He pointed out with a small grin. "And, Alya, I heard you all had fun the last few weeks."
The journalist rolled her eyes. "Rose took way too many pictures."
"I know… She filled up the whole memory card on Juleka's camera." He pointed out.
"Oh right, they did say they were going to get someone to help them make a digital scrap book." She couldn't help feeling a little silly since Max was the obvious choice in her mind.
"Yes, after I clean up some of the pictures. Anyway…" He paused a moment thinking on whether he should actually ask about Adrien. "Have you heard from-"
"Max." Alya warned already knowing who he was asking about. The stern glare she gave him answered his question instantly. It was a little irritating, but Adrien promised to reach out to Nino soon. It had only been about two weeks, but maybe…
"Alya, could you let me talk to Nino for a sec. I have something… private I want to show him."
"Private?" She asked as she scrutinized his expression. Max had only seconds ago nearly slipped with a name she didn't want to bring up, so what was he planning?
"It's cool, Alya, I know you're just trying to protect me. I doubt Max needs to be warned twice." He mused which got her to back down a bit.
"Alright, babe, I'll walk ahead and order some drinks." They happened to be headed to a coffee shop nearby.
"Sure, I'll catch up as soon as I can." He waved as the young woman gave one last warning glare to Max. "Alright, dude. What's up that Alya can't hear?"
Max took a good look around before pulling Nino to the side and whispered. "I spoke with Adrien about two weeks ago." Though it was more like a week and a half.
"What?!" He asked back before quickly tempering his tone. "Adrien?"
Max nodded. "Did you go to his house, or run into him or-"
Max cut him off. "Before we get into that, I need to tell you something important." Nino looked like he wanted to keep going but he pursed his lips and gestured for Max to go on. "He's in a complicated situation right now, and I can't go into all the details, but you need to swear you will NOT tell Alya about this; at least until you have a chance to talk with Adrien yourself."
Nino raised a curious brow. What the hell could Adrien be in that made it a secret like that? "You gotta give me more to work with, dude."
"First, swear Alya will not hear about this until you get the okay from Adrien." Max implored with a raised finger and a stern expression.
"Seriously, Max…" He let out a sigh when his shorter friend refused to waver. "Alright, I swear she won't hear about this until I talk to Adrien."
Max nodded and gestured him to lean down. "Keep calm for what I'm about to tell you, alright? Adrien ran away from home." To Nino's credit, his bewildered expression was completely silent. "I know, but I'm serious. He came to me for help getting an ID so he could get a job. He's still in the city."
"Where?"
Max hesitated a moment but shook his head. He was already being too lax with the trust Adrien had placed in him. "I can't tell you, Nino."
"Then how the hell am I supposed to talk to him?" The DJ harshly whispered with a mix of irritation and worry.
Max raised a placating hand. "He'll contact you. I made him promise before I helped him. He's using a fake name to stay hidden from his father, so I don't want to tell you before he's ready. I just thought… You would at least want to know. If he calls you, you need to be careful not to give him away. Everyone knows you were his best friend so if anyone is being watched in an attempt to find him, it would be you." Max then had an idea and pulled out a pen. "Give me your hand." He didn't really wait and started writing on the back of it. "Use this when he calls. It's an app that makes numbers hard to track by swapping dialing information in the records. It's not fool proof since the coding is simple, but it should help."
"Got it, but… This isn't permanent is it?"
"Use an isopropyl wipe or some hand sanitizer to get it off." The shorter man instructed with an eye roll.
Nino grinned though it was slightly forced. "Okay, thanks, Max."
Max nodded. "I know, just make sure I'm not making a mistake, Nino. Adrien really doesn't want to be found, and I don't blame him. Also… When you talk to him, if he mentions anyone from college try not to grill him about it." With that last bit of info, he strode off with not even a good bye as he checked his watch. Nino found it a little odd, but considering his best friend was in a situation that included being a runaway, he supposed it could have been weirder.
"Okay, Aaron, maybe not quite like that." Marinette corrected as she came around him and pulled his hands away. This isn't the same as the baguette dough. You have to have a softer touch or they'll come out tough." She pat his arm and he stepped aside. "You only work the dough a little before it reaches a nice elasticity. We need it to rise so don't beat it down too much." He watched her knead the dough and it looked about the same as what he did. "Just watch my hands. You'll see I'm not pressing it like you were."
"Okay, but… It looks like you are."
"I guess I have to show you directly then." She gestured him closer and took one of his hands to place it on the dough. "Just feel it." She pressed his hand down and then rolled it forward in a kneading motion. "You see?" He had to admit, it did feel softer. She then let him try again and he lay off just a little. It wasn't the best job, but any improvement was good and it was only his first lesson of the summer. As soon as the dough was done she placed it in a bowl and pushed it aside. "Okay, now we're going to wait and let it double."
"You mean rise?" He asked with the odd wording.
"Yeah, basically. It'll be about twice as big when we get back to it." She then went over to a side cabinet and started pulling out another bag of flour.
"Are we making something else?"
"Yes, but this will be a more straight forward recipe. A bread loaf." Adrien walked over and looked at all she was pulling out. There were a few things she'd had out when they started the croissants, but now she also had a block of cheese and a bag of herbs. "Papa told me you like to have cheese often, so I'm thinking cheese bread with a few herbs for flavor?"
Adrien smiled at that. No doubt Plagg will be over the moon for it. "That sounds awesome, Marinette."
She gave a shrug. "And who knows, if it turns out good maybe we can make sandwiches for dinner."
"What do you mean if? I think I'm doing fine listening, and I don't have to worry about being in a rush like normal."
She gave him a jab with his elbow. "Don't underestimate the talent in bread making, Aaron." She reached for the mixing bowl before her ringtone cut her off. "Hmmm? Alya?"
"Hey, girl! Your parents left this morning, right? I figured maybe you'd want company for dinner. My mom was testing a new menu item at the hotel and made a bunch so what do you say to gourmet leftovers?"
"Oh wow, that sounds delicious. What did she make?"
"She put a very sweet spin on Beef Bourguignon. I promise you won't be disappointed."
"It already sounds better than what I was planning. What time will you be over?"
Alya paused for a moment to think before answering. "I'm thinking around 6? Think that'll give you enough time to bake something to go with it?"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "I knew there was some kind of ulterior motive to this, but you're in luck. We just started making croissants and they should be ready with plenty of time."
"Yes!... Hold on, 'we'? We who? Is it Rose?" That was the only one of their friends that liked to actively bake for fun and she had borrowed the bakery a few times last year during August. Marinette let out a small squeak at the situation that just crashed abruptly through her mind. She just remembered she never told Alya that Aaron was renting the guest room! She'll have a field day with that information! "That silence makes me think it's a boy, Marinette." Her friend inferred with a teasing tone. "Is it Mr. Hot guy with a sun smile? Hmm? Don't make me run over there to find out."
"Marinette? Are you okay?" Aaron suddenly asked at how panicked she looked. Of course it was the worst possible time.
"I heard a guy just now! I'm right!"
"I'm just teaching him baking, Alya!" She then hung up, but it was more in panic than irritation at how she was teasing.
"Marinette?"
She groaned and held her head in her hand. "It's nothing, Aaron… Just the prospect of losing any real peace for the next month."
"Hmm?" He cocked his head to the side. "So… not dinner?"
She let out a sigh and turned to him. "Well, that too. My friend Alya is bringing over dinner, but I forgot to mention before that you were renting our guest room and she… tends to assume things."
Adrien understood what she meant when he noticed her blush. "Oh…"
"Yeah…" It didn't help that she'd already admitted he was hot. "Anyway, I suppose I can't really do anything about it now." She tried to force a smile though he could tell she was still a little flustered.
"Well, if you're going to have company then we should get this out of the way, right?" He reached for the flour and the bowel to put them away.
"Hold on, Aaron, that bag is-" It was too late, however, as the bag, which was torn when she made the croissant batter, tore even more and dumped its contents in a big plume of white powder between them. "Torn…"
Adrien lifted the torn bag that was now nearly empty. "Um… Sorry…"
Marinette looked over the floor and the young man next to her knowing the same layer of white was covering herself. "I suppose this is just a sign to quit while we're ahead for the day."
Adrien chuckled. "I guess, but I'm sorry about the mess."
"It's fine. " She lifted a hand to stop any further apologies. "To be honest, this happens at least once to every new employee."
"Actually, Mr. Dupain said you used to drop flour bags all the time." Of course he thought it was just to make him feel better since Adrien had knocked over an entire stack trying to lift one.
"When I was 10!" She defended thinking back to her last real accident with flour. "Anyway, I'll clean this up so why don't you go ahead and wash up?" She pat off her apron and reached for the towel but Aaron beat her to it.
"No, I made this mess, Marinette. I'll clean it up and you can go wash up. You don't want to be covered in flour when your friend arrives, right?"
She raised a brow at him. "She's coming for dinner so I imagine we'll both have had a chance to wash up by then, and don't think this chivalry gets you out of making croissants either."
"Wouldn't dream of it in my wildest cat nap." He grinned back and Marinette couldn't help finding the smile disturbingly familiar but right on the tip of her tongue.
"Alright, I should be out of the shower by the time you're done so make sure you don't track flower on your way up." She pulled off her apron and dusted off what flour she could before heading to the door into the apartment.
Adrien was very proud of the cleaning he did. He even went so far as to wipe the floors under the shelves all the way to the back of the wall even though it probably wasn't required since the bakery was closed. Tom had told him he would be helping to keep the place clean so he just figured while he was at it. "Am I gonna get any cheesy bread?" Plagg groaned from the counter where the cheese block had sat.
"Sorry, Plagg, but I don't think we'll have time today. I promise soon, though." Plagg face planted onto the counter with a pathetic whine. "Alright, I have to go get washed up. Please don't make a mess looking for cheese. I'll get you a snack after I shower." With that, the young man headed up the stairs and into the apartment.
"Oh, Aaron, you finished cleaning?" Marinette was waiting near the door and appeared to be going to check on him.
"Y-yeah…" He tried whatever he could to keep himself from staring. There was just something about Marinette fresh from the shower with that blush on her skin from the hot water and then… Shit. He shook the thoughts from his head causing her a little worry.
"Did you run into a problem down there?"
"No, no problems. Sorry, I was just double checking it in my head." He rubbed the back of his head while forcing a smile.
"Okay… Well, the shower is all yours." She was about to turn away before a thought hit her. "By the way, I noticed you've been using shampoo that's for hair color? Do you dye your hair?" It seemed strange since as far as she knew black was his natural color and he never showed signs otherwise.
"I uh…" He blushed and turned away. "I have… A protein deficiency." He suddenly declared feeling relieved he could come up with something so quick. "I didn't have the best diet back when I lived at home, and I developed a protein deficiency that was turning my hair grey prematurely. I'm hoping I won't have to dye it too long, but I was told fixing my diet may only stop it getting worse instead of reversing it."
Marinette's eyes went wide at the news. "Oh my gosh! I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry like that."
"It's fine, Marinette." He consoled with a blush. "It's really not that bad, and dying my hair isn't too much of a hassle."
"But I bet it gets expensive." The designer countered with a guilty expression. "Wait, I have a friend who's in training to be a hair dresser. I can totally get you a good deal for touch ups!"
"You don't…" He trailed off at the sudden thought. His color would only last around two months and its already been half that. He still couldn't afford to spend 300 Euros on a no questions dye job. This was perfect. "Actually, that would be great." It wouldn't be suspicious at all if Marinette asked someone on his behalf and they probably wouldn't ask a million questions.
"Yep, and she loves to get as much practice as possible. You know, this protein deficiency explains why my mom is always so keen on make sure you eat. I mean, she normally pushes food on my friends, but she's been even more pushy on you."
That she had been. Sabine really had been big on filling his plate and making sure he finished it. "I guess…"
"Anyway, go take your shower and I'll just go prep for the next step for our croissants."
"Sure, I won't take long." Adrien headed straight for his room where he grabbed a pair of boxers and a new shirt. He was lucky his jeans didn't get much on them due to the apron. When he got to the bathroom he turned the water on to heat up and began to carefully pull off his shirt to keep the excess flour from messing up the bathroom. "I'll probably need to shake this outside." He muttered to himself as he next went for the button of his pants. His reflection in the mirror caught his attention, however and he went to inspect his hair for signs of his blonde poking through. The hair dresser said the color she'd used for him would hold pretty long, but when Marinette brought up the shampoo he was worried she'd seen something else. "I don't… see anything…" He thought aloud while raking his fingers through his hair slowly. He spent another minute looking it over before he felt safe that he was fine for the moment. He moved his hands back to his jeans just as the door suddenly swung open.
"I almost forgot to give you a to-" He froze and so did Marinette as her eyes widened at his appearance. "Sorry I… Thought you… Shower… curtain… muscles…" It sounded like her brain was skipping words or thoughts as she spoke.
"Um… Thanks for the towel." He grabbed the offered cloth from her frozen outstretched hand and her face flushed crimson.
"Sorryjustwantedtogiveyouthatbye!" She blurted out before shutting the door as fast as she could. She then immediately dashed up to her room where she smothered a panicked scream into the fluffiest pillow she owned.
"Calm down, Marinette! It was just an accident, and he was still wearing pants." Tikki tried to reason as her chosen continued to freak out at her slip. "I'm sure he understands."
Marinette's answer was basically incoherent garble for the next minute or so. "He's going to think I'm such a freak."
"No he won't, Marinette. It was obviously a mistake, and you apologized… Kind of."
"But, Tikki…" She groaned and fell back into the pillow.
"Just calm down, and then go back downstairs. I'm sure he's not upset at all."
It took a good 15 minutes before Marinette could force herself to go, but she did it as calmly and confidently as she ever was. Tikki was proud of her. "What do you think, Sugarcube?" Plagg wondered as he watched his chosen from atop a cabinet in the bakery with his fellow kwami.
"I think it should work itself out. The two of them already seem to be working well together while under the same roof."
Plagg eyed them as they worked. "Yeah, and hopefully this means the end of that annoying square. If pigtails-"
"Master." Tikki corrected with only slight sternness.
"Alright, if master really falls for the kid all over again then even if she finds out who he really is there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Tikki gave a shrug though she was smiling. "I don't think so, but it would be a good idea for him to reveal his identity before things get too crazy. We wouldn't want her being blindsided by this years from now if they're married with kids. For now though, I think it's perfect as is."
Plagg pumped his fist at getting Tikki's approval. She was usually right when it came to the relationships of their chosen. "Oh yeah! Now I just need to get the kid's mind off Ladybug so he-"
Tikki tapped his shoulder. "I have a better idea, Plagg." She started whispering in his ear.
"Really? You promise?"
She nodded with a smile. "Of course, and it is Marinette's decision. You just talk to him about how he feels about Marinette, and I'll talk to Marinette."
Plagg saluted her while trying to hold in his excitement. "Yes, ma'am!" Tikki chuckled and scratched behind his ear to get a contented purr in response.
Tikki is plotting something! Can you guess? Is it as obvious as all that? Maybe, but it'll be a bit before you find out!=^-^=
As always, thank you for reading. Comments are appreciated and welcome.=^-^=
